Behind The Betting Lines
 September
29 2003
By Wilson King
NFL Football Sports Betting - Inside the NFL
football betting lines
There must be something in the
autumn air causing people to sleep in and take it easy this
first weekend of Fall. Maybe they are taking morning walks with
their wives, eating breakfast, sipping Starbucks or reading The
Times on their back deck as the Port Chester sun reflects off
the changing oak leaves. Or perhaps people were too busy
posting bond and attesting to witness statements taken the night
before at the Sports Insights-sponsored Golden Bears victory
party in the hills of Berkeley. Either way, folks were slow to
action today.
Mirroring their moves from yesterday, the
public shied away from the early games. However, what they did
go after was driven by current circumstances, past history and
recent performances. Since there was no favorite in the
49ers/Vikings game, no one knew which way to go. But after one
look at a gimpy Moss and incapcitated Culpepper, the public went
with San Francisco, a pick on the road. They also liked
Pittsburgh hosting a Tennessee team that got squashed and pureed
in their last trip to Heinz Field. To round out an odd morning,
everyone did the unthinkable and took the underdog Bengals on
the road. A move that goes against the first two points of the
betting public’s creed: 1) always bet the favorite at home and
2) never bet the Bengals.
As the
anti-climatic afternoon went on, Gus Ferrotte did what Gus
Ferrotte fans across the country have always known what Gus
Ferrotte could do. He won and the Vikings decimated the NFL’s
number one defense, putting up 35 points en route to a victory
for the good guys. Tennessee did more than was asked from them
and beat the Steelers at home. While the Bengals won outright,
the victory was somewhat tainted as the result broke up
teasers. With the Minnesota win breaking up the other major
exotics, the day was off to a good start.
The late
games approached and action began to pick up as the late risers
liked what they saw on the slate. It is almost redundant to say
the public liked favorites, but they did. While the 4 PM games
did not feature the cake walk matchups that last week did,
everyone bet confidently as our handle rose significantly.
Folks liked the Chiefs, Broncos, Panthers, and they liked them
big. Their one reversal in trend came in New Jersey, where
nothing ever goes according to plan. Knowing that Parcells is
more at home in the Meadowlands than Jimmy Hoffa, the public
took his visiting Cowboys over the favored Jets.
The Chiefs
proved that they are not overblown hype by holding off the
Ravens with a game ending interception on the goaline. The
score would have given Baltimore the victory, but the turnover
meant we were the big losers. Atlanta failed to cover and the
NY Jets lost at home, which did not bode well for the house.
But before it was all said and done, the biggest dog of the day
managed to cover and help stem the tide. Detroit’s cover at
Denver helped make things right for us.
But once
again, the ESPN game proved to be our biggest decision of the
day. While a loss would still leave us on the modest sign of
plus for the day, there was an uneasy feeling in the office when
the the Saints were down 14-0 in the first quarter, and their
entire offense consisted of a John Carney fake field goal
scamper.
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