Sports Betting Blog

Rumor has it, and if its not true it the story is still worth telling, that the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, the legendary Brett Favre brings in more drama before the big day then Lady Gaga. And this week is no exception as a reportedly injured Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings take a go at each other this Sunday afternoon. Favre and no other then the resilient Tom Brady will go head to head once again. One Issue, Brady is younger, perhaps fitter and throws fewer interceptions per game, and key-here, he is healthy. Brett Favre is suffering from an injured ankle and just last week with his two last untimely interceptions cost the Minnesota Vikings their game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

And then there is the X factor. Specially if you are into wagering on the NFL. There are a couple of issues you must take into consideration for this game. As the week progresses, the rumor that Favre might not be able to play (forget about been fully recovered, as it seems that as long as he can jog a bit over that ankle he will go out and play) has pushed this wagering line all over the place. The Minnesota Vikings were a +3.5 point underdog on the spread when the line opened. It climbed up to 6 points before the latest news of Favre’s condition forced the Sportsbook Industry to temporarily suspend the line.

Now, head coach Brad Childress has been considering starting Tarvaris Jackson instead of Favre. But there is a couple of issues here. It’s not only about benching Favre, but dealing with the fact that if Favre says he can play, he probably should play. It would be quite a burden to know that you were the head coach who finished the longest consecutive starting game strike for any player in the NFL. Most long-time fans have not to worry that much about Favre. It might just be a bit of a show. Despite what happens, one can’t help but to wonder, if Childress sits down Favre; is this because Favre’s injury or because he hasn’t been at his best this past weeks?

Sam Bradford knows well how to handle the pressure. At least he knows very well how to handle himself in the field when the pressure is on. Especially for a guy who knows that his team has just made a 50 million-dollar inversion on him. Bradford has just made his official debut with the Saint Louis Rams and he past the test with flying colors no other then against the New England Patriots in the Ram’s 35-36 victory in their preseason game.

The Oklahoma University graduate managed to complete 15 of 22 for 189 yards in his first game as a starter. He completed 2 touchdown passes. He made some good plays along the game. And he even managed to manage some intelligent throwaways. The thing is that he not only completed easy passes, he even went in an took some risks, and they paid off.

NCAA success does not guarantee much when it comes to the pros. But on a personal note I have to confess that it came as something of a surprise what happen to both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy once they made it to the pros. I might not be an expert, but back in the days when they were in college, playing for the best two teams in the Big 12, it was hard, very hard for me to believe that once they made it into the pros, Bradford, coming from quite a successful career with the sooners was going to be worth 10 times, that’s right, 10!, more then his counterpart over at the Longhorns.

Sure, it happens every year. For every Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer (who made it into the NFL as the No.1 draft) there are plenty of Tim Couch and JaMarcus Russell’s to prove along that taking on the No. 1 draft will mean a multimillion dollar bet that can either get you a Vince Lombardi Trophy or a series of financial mishaps from which it is very hard to recover. Uh-um: anyone said Cleveland Browns and the Raiders?

The regular season begins on September 9th with the Minnesota Vikings making a visit to the defending Champions the New Orleans Saints. As of press time, the Saints are a -4½ point favorite on the NFL betting spread. Sam Bradford might get a chance to start in the Rams first regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals. Even though the Rams are playing Saint Louis, the sportsbook industry handicappers are making the Cardinals a -4½ point favorite. He will have a couple more weeks to really settle in before the start of the Championship. Until then, it would be a matter of time to get back on with America’s most gambled on sport.