Early Shift In AFC East?
By Brett Taylor
Although exact dates differ each year, there are certain pages on a calendar that are always going to be connected with the start of a new season in professional sports.
When the first week of April hits, for example, it?s a tradition that each Major League team will have its starting pitchers working through their first cycle, er, rotation, that is. In college hoops it takes a couple months for each program to designate tutors for all the starters but once November rolls around it?s game-on. The next four months sees every gym across America jam packed with two types of people: Jordan hopefuls and hopeful students trying to pay tuition with the help of a little luck and a few big parlays.
For National Football League fans it?s a cinch, September is the sacred time of year!
But I also love March on my NFL calendar, as that is the time when free agency throws open its doors and the madness begins. I realize the ?Madness? moniker will forever be attached to college ball, but some of the transactions and signings from the past few days are giving it a run for its money.
Let?s take a closer look:
Start with New England, the team that has managed to stay front and center in the media circus even after failing to insert the final piece to the perfect puzzle by losing to the Giants. New England did sign Randy Moss to a multi-year deal Monday but what is more interesting about the Pats is who the team let go. Donte Stallworth (Cleveland), Randall Gay (New Orleans), backup TE Kyle Brady and a few spare linebackers aren?t alarming, but New England also enters 2008 without the services of Asante Samuel.
Samuel is off to fly with the Philadelphia Eagles this year in what will likely go down as the biggest unrestricted free agent acquisition of the year. So while there is still a great deal of time between now and the real Week 1, one of the questions football bettors need to start considering if they haven?t already, is if it might be time for New England to go the route that has become oh so popular in the past 10 years of almost every other Super Bowl runner-up.
Teams like the Chicago Bears (7-9) in 2007 or the Eagles (6-10) in `05. How about the Carolina Panthers (7-9) of `04 or maybe (and this one really hurts), the Oakland Raiders that went from an embarrassing 27 point loss in Super Bowl XXXVII to an even more disgraceful 5-11 record in 2003.
This is not an exercise in trend-setting or a how-to on reading crystal balls, but more an opportunity to start considering in advance which of the other three teams in the AFC East might be ready to handle the torch, or at least step-up and compete at the next level to be considered a possible contender.
Miami has made a flurry of moves during the off-season, not the least of which included owner Wayne Huizenga selling half the team and stadium, and while Bill Parcells and new head coach Tony Sparano will be able to improve on the dreadful 1-15 mark of 2007, they can?t possibly be considered division contenders?not yet.
Buffalo lost three straight games to close out the regular season at 7-9, also making it three straight years the team has finished below .500, but there is hope for the Bills on the defensive front. DT Marcus Stroud has been brought in to help shore up a run-stuff unit that once again finished near the bottom of the league. QB Trent Edwards could be the No. 1 play-caller in Buffalo this year, too, and while Edwards doesn?t have a ton of experience, ask yourself one question: Edwards or JP Losman?
The Jets have been one of the busier teams on the market, bringing in veteran talent on both sides of the ball that should have an immediate impact. Do the names Alan Faneca or Kris Jenkins ring a bell? This could be the team right here. They have emerging talent all over the place. Watch for this group to be a nice value play to kick-off the year.
Okay, so you just finished cleaning up the mess from your Super Bowl XLII bash and it seems a little too early to start playing football prophet on next year?s big winner. Fair enough. But I like looking at the early future odds in spring as I seek out value and it gives me an idea of where things are going as I track the numbers heading into the season. SPORTSBETTING.COM has posted lines on Conference winners and Super Bowl champs for the 2009 season and if nothing more it is interesting to see where all the teams sit before free agency, the draft and training camps have kicked in.
Free agency is a hectic time of year and the draft is soon to follow but in the world of pro football, where worst-to-first is becoming an every year occurrence, it always pays to stay informed.
Enjoy the sports action.
By Brett Taylor
Although exact dates differ each year, there are certain pages on a calendar that are always going to be connected with the start of a new season in professional sports.
When the first week of April hits, for example, it?s a tradition that each Major League team will have its starting pitchers working through their first cycle, er, rotation, that is. In college hoops it takes a couple months for each program to designate tutors for all the starters but once November rolls around it?s game-on. The next four months sees every gym across America jam packed with two types of people: Jordan hopefuls and hopeful students trying to pay tuition with the help of a little luck and a few big parlays.
For National Football League fans it?s a cinch, September is the sacred time of year!
But I also love March on my NFL calendar, as that is the time when free agency throws open its doors and the madness begins. I realize the ?Madness? moniker will forever be attached to college ball, but some of the transactions and signings from the past few days are giving it a run for its money.
Let?s take a closer look:
Start with New England, the team that has managed to stay front and center in the media circus even after failing to insert the final piece to the perfect puzzle by losing to the Giants. New England did sign Randy Moss to a multi-year deal Monday but what is more interesting about the Pats is who the team let go. Donte Stallworth (Cleveland), Randall Gay (New Orleans), backup TE Kyle Brady and a few spare linebackers aren?t alarming, but New England also enters 2008 without the services of Asante Samuel.
Samuel is off to fly with the Philadelphia Eagles this year in what will likely go down as the biggest unrestricted free agent acquisition of the year. So while there is still a great deal of time between now and the real Week 1, one of the questions football bettors need to start considering if they haven?t already, is if it might be time for New England to go the route that has become oh so popular in the past 10 years of almost every other Super Bowl runner-up.
Teams like the Chicago Bears (7-9) in 2007 or the Eagles (6-10) in `05. How about the Carolina Panthers (7-9) of `04 or maybe (and this one really hurts), the Oakland Raiders that went from an embarrassing 27 point loss in Super Bowl XXXVII to an even more disgraceful 5-11 record in 2003.
This is not an exercise in trend-setting or a how-to on reading crystal balls, but more an opportunity to start considering in advance which of the other three teams in the AFC East might be ready to handle the torch, or at least step-up and compete at the next level to be considered a possible contender.
Miami has made a flurry of moves during the off-season, not the least of which included owner Wayne Huizenga selling half the team and stadium, and while Bill Parcells and new head coach Tony Sparano will be able to improve on the dreadful 1-15 mark of 2007, they can?t possibly be considered division contenders?not yet.
Buffalo lost three straight games to close out the regular season at 7-9, also making it three straight years the team has finished below .500, but there is hope for the Bills on the defensive front. DT Marcus Stroud has been brought in to help shore up a run-stuff unit that once again finished near the bottom of the league. QB Trent Edwards could be the No. 1 play-caller in Buffalo this year, too, and while Edwards doesn?t have a ton of experience, ask yourself one question: Edwards or JP Losman?
The Jets have been one of the busier teams on the market, bringing in veteran talent on both sides of the ball that should have an immediate impact. Do the names Alan Faneca or Kris Jenkins ring a bell? This could be the team right here. They have emerging talent all over the place. Watch for this group to be a nice value play to kick-off the year.
Okay, so you just finished cleaning up the mess from your Super Bowl XLII bash and it seems a little too early to start playing football prophet on next year?s big winner. Fair enough. But I like looking at the early future odds in spring as I seek out value and it gives me an idea of where things are going as I track the numbers heading into the season. SPORTSBETTING.COM has posted lines on Conference winners and Super Bowl champs for the 2009 season and if nothing more it is interesting to see where all the teams sit before free agency, the draft and training camps have kicked in.
Free agency is a hectic time of year and the draft is soon to follow but in the world of pro football, where worst-to-first is becoming an every year occurrence, it always pays to stay informed.
Enjoy the sports action.
