Preseason football games are always tough for bettors to predict. Oddsmakers often feel the same way. This can result in many volatile line moves leading up to these contests and Saturday?s games are no exception. Here are four games that have seen significant line moves.
Miami Dolphins @ Pittsburgh Steelers. Line move: -5.5 to -3.5
?Miami still has some major position battles going on,? says a wagering manager at Betcris.com, ?You have Gus Frerotte and A.J. Feeley, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. That extra level of competition may have bettors more inclined to lean on the Dolphins.
?The Steelers, on the other hand, have their lineup set. They are bringing back basically the same core as last year. As a result, their effort level in Saturday?s game may not be as high?
Despite word of a quarterbacking battle, head coach Nick Saban told the Dolphins Insider that Gus Frerotte worked with the first team all week.
Saban also told the Miami Herald that he was unsure of Brown?s status for tonight?s contest.
"On one hand, we don`t practice a lot on Friday,? remarked Saban, ?If he doesn`t play on Saturday and we`re off on Sunday, he has missed three developmental days. On the other hand, if we play him in the game and he gets hurt, [the media will] crucify me."
Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans. Line move: ?1 to +3
?Oakland has said they will play their starter [at quarterback] at least two quarters,? said the Betcris manager, ?And maybe even into the third.
?Houston plans on playing four quarterbacks. There are obviously position battles for the second and third spots. The unpredictability of the play at that position may leave bettors wary.?
The quarterbacks currently in Texans? camp include Tony Banks, Dave Ragone, B.J. Symons and an injured David Carr.
?If David Carr is still bothered by his sore Achilles,? Dom Capers told the Houston Chronicle, ?He will not play.?
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants. Line move: 0 to -1
This line has been moving all over the place, with some books favoring Carolina by 1 ? points, and others favoring New York by a point.
Despite the Pathers riding a 10-game preseason winning streak, Covers expert Ted Sevransky feels sharp money is with the Giants.
?You?ll find that in seasons past, John Fox has been very vocal about winning in the preseason. Even though they beat Washington last week, he?s not hammering home that point this year."
Sevransky also points out that although the Giants made all kind of mistakes last week in a loss to Cleveland, Tom Coughlin is the type of coach that won?t let it happen again. They have a good one-two punch with quarterbacks Tim Hasselbeck using his arm and Jared Lorenzen using his feet to clean up after Eli Manning.
Sevransky likes that combination much better than the Panthers options at pivot.
?The Panthers used to have Rodney Peete backing up Jake Delhomme. Peete used his experience in the final quarters to carve up third string defenses. Now you have an unproven commodities in Stephan LeFors and Rod Rutherford. That is a big difference."
Arizona Cardinals @ Kansas City Chiefs. Line move: ?4.5 to ?3.5
?Dick Vermeil tends to rest his guys more in the preseason, while Dennis Green plays to win,? according to Betcris. ?The Chiefs are pretty much set, while a younger team such as the Cardinals looks to fine tune some of their positions.?
The Cardinals won their opener 13-11 against Dallas as one-point favorites, while the Chiefs lost 27-16 to Minnesota as 3 ? point dogs.
The Arizona Republic reports that positional battles exist on the offensive line and at all defensive positions.
Miami Dolphins @ Pittsburgh Steelers. Line move: -5.5 to -3.5
?Miami still has some major position battles going on,? says a wagering manager at Betcris.com, ?You have Gus Frerotte and A.J. Feeley, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. That extra level of competition may have bettors more inclined to lean on the Dolphins.
?The Steelers, on the other hand, have their lineup set. They are bringing back basically the same core as last year. As a result, their effort level in Saturday?s game may not be as high?
Despite word of a quarterbacking battle, head coach Nick Saban told the Dolphins Insider that Gus Frerotte worked with the first team all week.
Saban also told the Miami Herald that he was unsure of Brown?s status for tonight?s contest.
"On one hand, we don`t practice a lot on Friday,? remarked Saban, ?If he doesn`t play on Saturday and we`re off on Sunday, he has missed three developmental days. On the other hand, if we play him in the game and he gets hurt, [the media will] crucify me."
Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans. Line move: ?1 to +3
?Oakland has said they will play their starter [at quarterback] at least two quarters,? said the Betcris manager, ?And maybe even into the third.
?Houston plans on playing four quarterbacks. There are obviously position battles for the second and third spots. The unpredictability of the play at that position may leave bettors wary.?
The quarterbacks currently in Texans? camp include Tony Banks, Dave Ragone, B.J. Symons and an injured David Carr.
?If David Carr is still bothered by his sore Achilles,? Dom Capers told the Houston Chronicle, ?He will not play.?
Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants. Line move: 0 to -1
This line has been moving all over the place, with some books favoring Carolina by 1 ? points, and others favoring New York by a point.
Despite the Pathers riding a 10-game preseason winning streak, Covers expert Ted Sevransky feels sharp money is with the Giants.
?You?ll find that in seasons past, John Fox has been very vocal about winning in the preseason. Even though they beat Washington last week, he?s not hammering home that point this year."
Sevransky also points out that although the Giants made all kind of mistakes last week in a loss to Cleveland, Tom Coughlin is the type of coach that won?t let it happen again. They have a good one-two punch with quarterbacks Tim Hasselbeck using his arm and Jared Lorenzen using his feet to clean up after Eli Manning.
Sevransky likes that combination much better than the Panthers options at pivot.
?The Panthers used to have Rodney Peete backing up Jake Delhomme. Peete used his experience in the final quarters to carve up third string defenses. Now you have an unproven commodities in Stephan LeFors and Rod Rutherford. That is a big difference."
Arizona Cardinals @ Kansas City Chiefs. Line move: ?4.5 to ?3.5
?Dick Vermeil tends to rest his guys more in the preseason, while Dennis Green plays to win,? according to Betcris. ?The Chiefs are pretty much set, while a younger team such as the Cardinals looks to fine tune some of their positions.?
The Cardinals won their opener 13-11 against Dallas as one-point favorites, while the Chiefs lost 27-16 to Minnesota as 3 ? point dogs.
The Arizona Republic reports that positional battles exist on the offensive line and at all defensive positions.
