Azcardinls Football Betting News

<< Als RB Cobourne to miss Thursday's game
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Alouettes running back Avon Cobourne will not play in Thursday's game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. TSN of Canada reported Wednesday that Cobourne is out due to a minor ankle injury. Brandon

<< BYU to leave MWC, which invites Nevada, Fresno State
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brigham Young University has reportedly decided to leave the Mountain West Conference, which subsequently invited Fresno State and Nevada to join. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, BYU

<< Pennington the hero as A's blow lead, recover to top Jays
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Pennington singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, as the Oakland Athletics overcame a late rally to beat Toronto, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three-game series at the Coliseum. The

<< 49ers release veteran WR Jones
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have released veteran wide receiver Brandon Jones. The 27-year-old Jones played in eight games for the Niners last season, catching one pass for 18 yards. He missed the

NASCAR releases 2011 schedules for top three series >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Wednesday officially released its 2011 schedule for all three of its national touring series. As expected, there are several major changes to next year's schedule, particularly in the Sprint

Bills safety Byrd out indefinitely with groin injury >>
Pittsford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills safety Jairus Byrd is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a nagging groin injury. Byrd's rookie season in 2009 was cut short by the problem. He was felled after racking up 45

VCU extends Smart's contract >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaka Smart, the head men's basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, received a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. In his first season on the job, Smart led the Rams to a 27-9 record, o

Richard, Padres continue to roll in win over Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Richard allowed just one run in 6 2/3 strong innings, leading the San Diego Padres to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the third of four games at Wrigley Field. Richard (11-5) yielded seven h

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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