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By Robert Ferringo

Lawrence Tynes’ kick hadn’t even sailed through the uprights Sunday night and I was already on my phone to my contacts in Las Vegas trying to get the early Super Bowl Point Spread.

Even before Championship Sunday I had mocked up the Super Bowl point spread for each of the possible permutations and outcomes. And the one matchup that had me thrown was if New England faced New York. In that instance I figured that the Super Bowl point spread would be -3.0. But the problem was, I couldn’t figure who was going to be the favorite.

On the one hand, the Patriots should get the heaviest action from the public. Tom Brady is dreamy and the Patriots have been to and won the Super Bowl enough times in the last decade that square bettors would just assume that they are a sure thing.

However, I could have seen the Super Bowl spread opening at -3.0 for the Giants as well. I figured that the fact that the Giants beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 – which was just four short years ago – would still be fresh in Joe Public’s mind. That game, along with New York’s win over the Patriots in Foxboro earlier this year, would have to drive some action on New York.

Plus, I assumed that the books could make the Giants the Super Bowl favorite because they would expect a lot of action from the Joey’s and the Guido’s from the Tri-State Area pouring money into their G-Men.

But the books decided that Brady and Bill Belichick were the draw and were the stronger team. The assumption had to be that the books are expecting heavy public action on the Patriots so they are laying the points.

The Super Bowl Point Spread opened at -3.5 but was actually bet up to -4.0 in some spots Sunday night. But by the time some the books opened on Monday morning the Super Bowl odds had settled at -3.0.

That is where the Super Bowl point spread resides now, with the MGM Mirage (Las Vegas) and a couple offshore books actually dropping the line to the Patriots -2.5. Every books – both in Vegas or offshore – that has the Patriots at -3.0 also had reduced juice (or vigorish) on that wager.

Contributed by Taylor Jordan – Strike Point Sports

There’s a lot of be said for games in January. Conference play continues to take shape, yet you can see postseason play right around the corner. For teams like Syracuse and Murray State (the last two unbeatens), it’d be difficult not to think of Bob Knight’s Indiana squad that ran the table and bolstered its own perfect season. Pressure is surely on the Orange, while the Races continue to provide a great story and will no doubt be a headliner for Bracket Buster Saturday in February.

And I am sure the likes of Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Ohio State and Baylor are focusing on making a run at number one seeds for the NCAA Tournament. Either way, this college basketball campaign continues to offer a great amount of entertainment. There aren’t too many leagues, mid-major or top profile conference that has a runaway favorite, and that makes for a great couple of months left of hoops to watch.

Here is a deeper look at the teams on the outside looking in of the Top 25 for week eleven:

Wisconsin, 14-5 Straight Up (10-6 Against The Spread)

The Badgers turned in back-to-back league wins to snap their three game losing streak, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier for Bo Ryan’s team. Games at home against Northwestern and Indiana are up next, along with a road game at Illinois sandwiched in between.

New Mexico 15-2 SU (10-4 ATS)

There isn’t a whole lot holding these Lobos back from a spot in the Top 25, at least if you ask me. They’ve won ten straight and are clicking on all cylinders, however their potential place in the rankings will be dictated this week, as they host San Diego State, then travel to Vegas to clash with the Runnin’ Rebels.

Seton Hall, 15-3 SU (10-4 ATS)

The Pirates went 1-1 since we added them to this list. Their loss at South Florida was all too ‘Seton Hall’ like. I guess you can’t complain about them stumbling on the road in the Big East, as it was bound to happen at some point. Now is where the schedule gets tricky, with three of their next five on the road as well, including consecutive games at Marquette and Connecticut.

Vanderbilt, 13-4 SU (7-6 ATS)

Vandy is doing all they can to reestablish itself as a ranked school this season. The Commodores won both its games last week, but two tougher opponents wait this week. First they travel to T-Town to face Alabama and then host upstart Mississippi State on Saturday.

Harvard, 15-2 SU (7-5 ATS)

Ah, life in the Ivy League. Even when you win, it’s still not good enough. Harvard took care of business this past week, but even the Crimson’s recent victories were not enough to convince voters to slot them back into the rankings. There is probably not a whole lot they can do, with five straight conference games on the schedule in the last couple of weeks, and losses by schools ahead of them will be the likeliest of scenarios to get back into the national rankings.

Cincinnati, 14-4 SU (5-7 ATS)

The Bearcats’ obvious moment this season was its brawl with Xavier during its heated game with its in-state rivals. But their play on the court has been strong just the same. Winners of two straight and nine of its last ten games overall, you’d have to say Cincy has responded well since being in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Now can they continue this good play, especially with a tough string of games upcoming: traveling to Storrs to face Connecticut and then to Morgantown to visit West Virginia this week, and then a huge Big Monday home game against No. 1 Syracuse.

By Robert Ferringo

Mike Martz is allegedly calling it a career, with reports today saying that the 20-year NFL veteran coach is hanging it up for good.

As a Bears fan I had a front row seat to “Mad” Martz and his stylings over the past two seasons. Of course, as a football fan, gambler and handicapper it isn’t as if I wasn’t familiar with his work. But it is different laughing at this ass-clown when he was “leading” some other group of bums. But when he’s running your team into the ground you get a whole new perspective on just how terrible Mike Martz really was.

So let me say this: good riddance.

Martz was one of the most overrated coaches in NFL history. Mike Martz was terrible. Mike Martz was clueless. Mike Martz was given a lot of credit for a lot of things that he had very little to do with and the bottom line is that this guy was a train wreck just about everywhere he went.

Martz is most well known as the coordinator for The Greatest Show on Turf, the St. Louis Rams offense of the late 90’s and early 00’s. That team was one of the greatest offenses of all time and set numerous records for scoring and yardage. They also won the 1999 Super Bowl.

But Martz really had very little to do with any of that. Let’s be honest, those Rams teams had no less than four Hall of Fame players on that offense (Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace and Torry Holt) and at least six Pro Bowl players each year. I mean, you or I could coordinate that offense.

And, as a matter of fact, Martz was only the coordinator of that group for one year. So he didn’t assemble the talent and he barely coached them up. In fact, the was only the OC on that team for one year and I think the best thing that can be said about his best year is that he simply didn’t screw things up.

The same cannot be said for the rest of his career in St. Louis.

Martz took over in 2000 and promptly ran the Rams into the ground. They did make it back to the Super Bowl in 2001. But Martz was the coach on the losing team in one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. The flaws in his game plan that day have already been dissected and Martz’s hubris and blatant stupidity cost this team a title and a place among the all-time great teams.

In Martz’s time as coach, the Rams were one of the streakiest, most inconsistent, most underachieving teams in the NFL. Turnovers, penalties, and general sloppiness were readily apparent under Martz’s “leadership” and despite having that amazing offensive talent they were actually outscored on the season in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Martz was finally, mercifully, bounced in 2005 during a 6-10 debacle of a season. The Rams have not finished above .500 since then and they have managed more than nine wins just one time since that Super Bowl disaster against the Patriots.

So, essentially, Martz was one of the guys that drove this franchise off a cliff. So much for leaving things better than you found them.

Martz’s next job was as the offensive coordinator for Detroit in 2006 and 2007. The Lions finished No. 21 and No. 16 in total offense in Martz’s two years there. That’s a little below what you would expect from a bona fide “offensive genius”. And beyond that, Martz forced the team to turn over personnel and his maneuvers essentially laid the groundwork for one of the worst teams in NFL history: the 0-16 Detroit Lions.

Again, did Martz accomplish anything while he was with the Lions? No. Did he leave them better off than when he got there? No.

Further, his next stop was in San Francisco in 2008 as OC. And again, his offense finished No. 22. After that he moved onto Chicago in 2010 and 2011. While there the Bears finished No. 21 in offense in his first year and No. 17 in offense in his second, and final, season.

Here is the breakdown of the last nine teams that Martz was at the controls of:

2002 Rams – 7-9 (No. 23 total, No. 13 scoring)

2003 Rams – 12-4 (No. 2 total, No. 9 scoring)

2004 Rams – 8-8 (No. 19 total, No. 6 scoring)

2005 Rams – 6-10 (No. 11 total, No. 9 scoring)

2006 Lions – 3-13 (No. 21 total, No. 22 scoring)

2007 Lions – 7-9 (No. 16 total, No. 19 scoring)

2008 49ers – 7-9 (No. 22 total, No. 23 scoring)

2010 Bears – 11-5 (No. 21 total, No. 30 scoring)

2011 Bears – 8-8 (No. 17 total, No. 24 scoring)

So, essentially, from 2002 to 2011 Mike Martz was in charge of just one offense that in the Top 10 and just two that finished in the top half of the league. Only three of nine teams were in the Top 10 in scoring and none of them were in the Top 5. And in his last five years he didn’t have a single team that finished in the top half of the NFL in either total offense or scoring.

I’ll say it again: so much for “offensive genius”.

And if you think that it is unfair to expect a coach or coordinator to step in and turn around a unit or a franchise I could give you a dozen examples where that is exactly what has happened. In fact, just this year alone you can point to guys like Jim Harbaugh and Wade Phillips and marvel at what they were able to accomplish in their first seasons with their respective teams.

Martz had a number of issues. But the main one that I could see is that he had absolutely no concept of how to win in the NFL as a single team unit. He only cared about his system, his offense, and his game plan. You don’t have the personnel to run those schemes? So what. Those schemes are hanging your quarterback and defense out to dry and putting them in terrible spots? So what. Martz always wanted to do what he wanted to do and in the end it almost never worked out.

Mike Martz was a loser. He took some of the best talent in NFL history and flushed it down the toilet. He didn’t develop players, and he didn’t improve any of the franchises that he was involved in. Basically, he was an overrated, destructive force and he was one of the most overrated coaches in NFL history.

So long, and see you never.

Robert Ferringo is a professional handicapper for Doc’s Sports. He has turned an overall profit in back-to-back seasons and he has turned a profit in four straight Super Bowls. For his NFL Playoff Predictions and for his Super Bowl Predictionsyou can click the links.

Contrbuted by Nolan Sinclair - Strike Point Sports

Apparently the big news today is that Mike Martz is calling it quits in the NFL after a few difficult years in Chicago. This season could have been considerably different had they not suffered through numerous difficult injuries.

In honor of Martz and his decorated career lets take a quick look back at what he accomplished. According to Dick Vermeil, the head coach of the 1999 St. Louis Rams, he couldn’t think of “any assistant that came into a franchise and made as significant of an impact that what Mike Martz did.” That Rams team scored 526 points, which was good for fourth all time in the history of the league. Not only did that Rams team go 16-3 SU with a Super Bowl victory, they went 14-4-1 ATS that season.

For the current odds to win the Super Bowl you can click the link.

Martz won 56 games over his five and half year career including a return trip to the Superbowl in 2001 versus the New England Patriots. The Rams never finished worse than second in the NFC West under Martz and went to the playoffs in four of his five years at the helm. I know not everyone thought highly of Martz, but when he was with the Rams, they were fun to watch.

And with that, I bring you this week’s edition of the Hot/Cold List.

Cold List

10. Denver Broncos – Well, it was good while it lasted.

9. Milwaukee Bucks (sans Bogut) – The Bucks were without Andrew Bogut last week for four games and they failed to cover three of them. Bogut missed the Mavs game after he returned from his first absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Bucks are a completely different team without Andrew and if these symptoms continue fading the Bucks could fatten our pockets.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets – The Blue Jackets have lost three of their last 15 games and are currently the worst team in the NHL with only 29 points. The silver lining…they are only 31 points out of first.

7. Dez Bryant – Wasn’t the Cowboys awful ending to their season enough? Now Bryant is doing his best to make it even worse. Miami police detained Bryant outside of a nightclub this past weekend, for taking part in an altercation. I guess he had to get his name back in the news somehow.

6. New York Knicks – These Knicks are becoming awful to watch. The entire teams stands around as Carmelo Anthony beats the basketball to death. Every Knicks fan around the world was pounding their chest for the front office to make a move, so they did, and this is what they have become. The Knicks have lost four of their last five games ATS.

5. ACC ATS – The ACC is having an awful ATS season thus far. Outside of Virginia (8-3 ATS) no one in the conference is more than one game over .500 ATS on the year.

4. Rafael Nadal – Why in the world would he call out Roger Federer? Yes, I understand that he has a difference of opinion on how the tour works, but don’t call out the best tennis player of all-time. That is just silly.

3. Bolton Wanderers – The Wanderers have lost seven of their last ten games and are currently in danger of being relegated to the lower league.

2. The Kentucky Wildcats? – Yes, you read that right, the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky is an absolutely atrocious 3-13-1 ATS on the season. I know that they have to deal with huge lines each and every night, but maybe, just maybe, they don’t deserve those huge lines. I for one feel that this team won’t be around past the sweet sixteen this season.

1. San Antonio Spurs on the road – The Spurs have been dreadful on the road this season. San Antonio is 0-4 both SU and ATS away from home with loses to Houston, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, and Minnesota. The Spurs average road loss is by more than 11 points.

Hot List

10. Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens were put on this side of the list only because they are still alive. They were actually outplayed by the Texans but did what they had to in order to move on to the next round. Baltimore is 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 games following an ATS loss. Baltimore is getting nine points from the Pats next week.

9. Gio Gonzalez – Mr. Gonzalez recently signed a 5-year $42 million dollar contract with the Washington Nationals. This is a great move by Gio as the Nationals are definitely up-and-coming. If the Nationals can sign Price Fielder the Nats and the N.L. East will be NASTY…Well, except the Mets.

8. Dallas Mavericks – After opening the season 0-2 both SU and ATS the Mavs are 9-2 both SU and ATS. This includes a five-game ATS winning streak and seven of eight. You knew it was inevitable that the Mavs would turn it on.

7. New England Patriots – The Patriots made sure everyone knew that Tim Tebow and his mates didn’t stand a chance. The Pats offensive and defensive game plans were exceptional Saturday night. Touchdowns won’t be as easy this week but I still like New England. The home team is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six New England/Baltimore matchups.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide – Man, that defense was unreal. Could the Tide have beaten the Colts?

5. Philadelphia 76ers – The 76ers are 10-2 ATS on the season, including 6-0 on their home floor. A huge week looms as Denver and Atlanta come to Philly on Wednesday and Friday and it ends with a matchup with the Heat in Miami on Saturday.

4. San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers have won five of six SU and three of four ATS. The way they came back after New Orleans took the lead Saturday was quite impressive. At the beginning of the season 49ers fans wanted Alex Smith’s head on a platter and now he has lead them to a 13-3 record and a NFC Championship game. Bravo Mr. Smith.

3. Syracuse Orange – The Cuse is number one in the country for the sixth week in a row and they have started a season 20-0 for the first time in the teams history. Jimmy Boeheim has now won his 876 game to move him into a tie for fourth all-time. Syracuse is also 13-6 ATS on the year all while facing double-digit lines in almost every game.

2. New York Giants – The Giants are clicking at the right time. Eli and co. have covered six of their last seven games and won five of their last six SU. The G-Men are getting two and a half points in San Fran Sunday. I would not be surprised to see this line closer to a PK or the Giants favored by kickoff.

1. Check back next week for more Hot/Cold List.

By Robert Ferringo

The New Orleans Saints have been the best team in football over the last two months. Of course, this isn’t a surprise to me since I had them as my preseason Super Bowl pick.

But apparently they have caught the rest of the football betting world by surprise. The Saints have gone 9-0 against the spread in their last nine games and they delivered another ass-kicking last week in the form of a 45-28 win over Detroit in their NFC Wild Card matchup. That was their fourth straight game scoring over 40 points and their fourth straight win by 17 or more points.

Not surprisingly, the Saints have been installed as a favorite again this week. They are -3.5 in their Divisional Round game at San Francisco and they are taking 60 percent of the action in this one.

Or is it surprising?

The Saints have been incredible. But San Francisco is no slouch on the field or at the window. They finished the regular season 13-3 straight up and they are a sparkling 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 games. They have had two weeks to prepare and they have the big benefit of the home field advantage. Yet they are home underdogs in their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade.

How rare is it that New Orleans is a road favorite in the Divisional Round of the postseason? According to this post at The Big Lead this is just the 29th time in the NFL playoffs since 1980 that a team has been a home underdog in the playoffs. Those home puppies are 18-10 straight up and 19-8-1 against the spread in those games.

This is just the fifth time in the last 25 years in which there has been a home underdog in the Divisional Round of the postseason. The home teams are 2-2 SU and ATS and the last occurrence was in 1996. That year Carolina beat Dallas 26-17 as a home puppy before falling in the NFC Title Game.

New Orleans was a road favorite in Seattle last year in the Wild Card Round. Of course, we know how that turned out. Will things be different this year in San Francisco? I don’t know. But given the general track record of road favorites in the NFL over the years and their record in the playoffs I know I won’t be loading up on the “unstoppable” Saints this Saturday.

By Robert Ferringo

Alabama is allegedly national champions.

(And before anyone accuses me of being an Alabama hater or having some weird bias, let me just say that A) I am a Syracuse fan and B) in my mind college football exists solely as a vehicle to make myself and my clients money; beyond that I can barely stomach the sport.)

I can’t really figure out how, other than the fact that they won an arbitrarily important game that they were selected to play in rather than earned their way into.

Now, today, we get to listen to everyone just fall over themselves talking about how amazing Alabama is, and that defense is, and the SEC is, and college football is, blah, blah, blah.

I’m not buying it. I thought that 21-0 debacle was a sloppy, ugly game featuring two terrible quarterbacks and one severely undeserving team. People won’t remember that 10 years from now, though. And to me history is going to gloss over one of the weirdest, most controversial, and goofiest national championship runs ever.

So, for posterity, here are the four fallacies of the BCS National Championship Game:

1. That Alabama has one of the best defenses of all time.

I know this team looked dominant last night and they pitched the first shutout in BCS history. I’m not saying they aren’t an exceptional defense and I’m not saying that they aren’t the best defense in college football. However, it seems like this morning people are falling over themselves to try to find a silver lining of some sort in that just abortion of a game that we watched last night.

Today I have seen no less than two articles talking about whether or not this Alabama defense is one of the best ever. The reality is that it isn’t even the best of the decade. But that is another argument for another post.

Alabama shutout LSU. But LSU’s offense was ranked just No. 76 in the country. Think about that: No. 76! Their pass offense wasn’t even in the Top 100. And that means that LSU’s offense was only slightly better than Oregon State and Miami, OH’s this year but slightly worst than San Jose State and Wake Forest’s.

In fact, Alabama didn’t face a single offense ranked in the Top 25 this year and just one offense ranked in the Top 75 (Arkansas was No. 27). Again, think about that for a second – they play in the SEC but Alabama didn’t face two Top 75 offenses this year!

Further, Alabama gave up 21 points to Georgia Southern, they surrendered more points to Penn State than Houston did, and the Crimson Tide didn’t play a single game against a quarterback that will play in the NFL. In fact, the only good quarterback that they faced all year was Tyler Wilson. And at the time they faced him Wilson was making just his fourth career start.

This Alabama defense was good. But, again, they are overrated because they didn’t have to face any real competition this year.

2. Those were two great teams playing a throwback, smash mouth game.

Give me a break. I love defense. I’m a Bears fan. In my football writings I routinely espouse the virtue of running the ball and playing great defense. I get the style that these two teams play. But I can tell you – that game was a disaster.

Both of the quarterbacks were terrible. Outside of the linemen, there were maybe four skill players on offense that will be in the NFL. Both teams were pathetic on offense and the announcers were forced to gush over these teams accomplishing the most remedial of feats, like gaining a first down or nailing a 35-yard field goal. It was pathetic.

I think that those were two of the worst BCS Title Game participants in BCS history. I think that the Alabama team of 2009 would throttle this year’s version. In fact, I think that any of the winners and just about all of the participants of the last five years would have hammered either of these clubs.

I know it is heresy to criticize the SEC. And the yahoos and hillbillies in the South would claim that I am a “hater” or that I have an agenda of some sort by critiquing them. But the facts are the facts: the SEC was way down this year. Arkansas was pretty good but I think they were overrated by being in the Top 10. Georgia was OK but they benefitted from a soft schedule. Beyond that, the SEC was kind of a joke this year. I find it hilarious that of all years this was the one that the SEC had two representatives in the championship game.

Is the SEC the best conference in college football? Definitely. But it isn’t the end-all, be-all in the sport. And right now the bobblehead media’s blind adulation for it has really kept people from admitting that this league was incredibly weak compared to what it has been the past few seasons.

3. Alabama is clearly the best team in college football.

Look, college football is figure skating. That’s it. It is a violent form of figure skating. The teams that are crowned champions are done so in part because of the aesthetics, hype, and overall look of their teams.

Don’t believe it? Well, Alabama is considered the best team in college football this year because they manhandled LSU on national television. And they were only allowed to play in that game because people “thought” that they were one of the two best teams. Mind you, that belief wasn’t based on anything that they actually did on the field during the regular season (more on that in a minute) and they were “crowned” as “champions” because people voted them as such.

If I had a vote, I would still vote for LSU as the best team in college football. Why? Because they had the best season of any team in college football. And since there is no playoff in the sport then I don’t know if there is anything else to base a vote on.

LSU split its two games with Alabama. I don’t think that the Crimson Tide should get more credit because their win was arbitrarily in a game deemed more important. LSU beat Alabama on their own turf and the series was 1-1 on the year. (If you really want to find out who is the best, let’s play a third game at LSU this Saturday.)

So if we can start from the premise that these two teams have been equal when facing one another (which one win apiece suggests) then we have to look at the rest of their body of work to determine who deserves the title. Well, it’s not even close. LSU hammered Oregon and West Virginia – two other winners of BCS bowl games – and they won both the SEC West and the SEC Championship.

Alabama? They didn’t beat anyone. At all. They played one of the weakest schedules in the country and their two big wins were – wait for it – over Penn State and Arkansas. Their lone impressive performance came against LSU in a game where they had 44 days to prepare, they had a revenge motivation, and they were playing a team that had all the pressure on them. (I’m not making excuses for why LSU lost. They were outplayed. What I am saying is that LSU was the better team for 99 percent of the season and that if they played again at LSU I think the Tigers would win.)

Which brings me to the final fallacy:

4) Alabama deserved to play for the national championship in the first place.

This one has kind of been covered by Oklahoma State fans. Yes, I think that the Cowboys did more in the regular season to earn a trip to the title game. They played better and were more impressive against a far, far superior schedule. They were their conference champions and they dominated another Top 10 team – Oklahoma – in their biggest game of the year.

And yes, I do think that Oklahoma State could have beaten LSU. The Tigers didn’t face a single passing game that was as dynamic as OSU’s and they didn’t even come close to defending a duo like Brandon Weedon and Justin Blackmon. I’m sorry, but they didn’t have anyone in the SEC like that this year.

Like I said before, Alabama didn’t PROVE anything this year. Everyone just assumed that they were one of the two best teams in the nation. But why? Because they are Alabama and they are supposed to be good? Well, how does that work? Again, Alabama played a terrible schedule and I don’t think they had a better overall resume than either LSU or Oklahoma State.

Once again, college football just proved itself to be the corrupt, illegimate cesspool that I have always thought it to be. Good work guys. See you next year.

By Robert Ferringo

There has been a lot of action over the last 48 hours regarding front office personnel and coaching positions throughout the National Football League. I am not going to report on any of these “cold stove” happenings (it can be the cold stove because if any regular person were to lose their job I’m sure the first thought is, “How am I going to put food on the table?”) but I do have some thoughts on some of the bigger issues.

1) I was pretty surprised to see what happened in Indianapolis. But there was just no way that you could look at the team that the Colts put on the field this year and not point the finger squarely at the front office. I was on record in 2010 as saying that, “Without Peyton Manning (the Colts) had the talent of a four-win team.” It looks like I was being generous.

I don’t know if the move to oust Polian had anything to do with a difference of opinion between Polian and owner Jim Irsay regarding what to do with Indianapolis’ No. 1 overall pick. But to me, that pick is a no-brainer. The Colts have to take Andrew Luck and then stash him behind Peyton Manning for at least one year and preferably two. Not only does history back up this move but with the new rookie salary wage scale this is the viable option that it hasn’t been in the last decade.

2) I am dumbfounded that Norv Turner and The Lord Of No Rings, A.J. Smith, are being retained in San Diego. The Super Bowl window for this team closed two years ago and if you look at this roster it has gotten weaker and weaker over the past four years. This team is in decline and needed to make a major move this offseason in order to stem the tide. All they are doing now is digging the hole deeper. So when they finally do dump Smith and Turner (I would be $10,000 that they don’t last into the 2013 season) they will have to do a wholesale rebuilding job instead of just some upgrading. Just a terrible decision by San Diego ownership.

3) It was like a belated Christmas present for Chicago Bears fans (which I am) as they finally – FINALLY – dumped Jerry Angelo and Mike Martz. I do think that Angelo does deserve some credit for some of the maneuvers that he pulled while in Chicago. He locked up Lance Briggs, he made the deal to get Julius Peppers, and he made some nice sleeper picks in the draft on guys like Devin Hester.

But Angelo was generally a failure. He refused to upgrade the Chicago receiving corps at any point during the last decade. He simply ignored Chicago’s obvious weakness over the last four years – the offensive line – and was defiant when he was criticized for it. Getting Jay Cutler was a nice pull, but Angelo gave up way too much to get him. Also, Chicago has been a disaster with its first round draft picks under Angelo and there were just too many times where the Bears reached for players early in drafts that they could have grabbed later.

It will also be interesting to see if the Bears put in a call to Polian. Polian and his son have worked for a franchise whose foundation is the Cover-2 and has been over the last decade. Chicago runs the same basic approach and I wonder if Polian could work well with Lovie Smith (who, although I have been very critical of Lovie, I am glad that they retained him) in the same way that Polian worked with Tony Dungy.

As for Martz, the guy is just a loser. He hasn’t guided a Top 10 offense in nearly a decade and he is one of the most overrated coordinators in NFL history. He is not an “offensive genius” by any stretch and he has absolutely no idea how to work his offensive game plan into the bigger scheme of a team. Good riddance.

4) Man, is Jeff Fisher hot right now or what? I know that if I were St. Louis I would be begging him to come to the Rams. Like John Fox, Fisher is a guy with a proven track record of success that really just had a great approach to football. He understands the game and how to coach it and he will make whatever franchise hires him instantly viable.

If I am the Rams I am doing whatever it takes to get Fisher and then I am going out and using that No. 2 pick to get Justin Blackmon. This team desperately needs to rebuild its back seven on defense, but I think that the most effective way to do that is through free agency. St. Louis is in a position where they can enter the 2013 free agent class with among the most cap room in football. All in all things aren’t as bad as they look here.

By Robert Ferringo

The spreads and NFL odds for the 2012 NFL playoffs have been released and there are few surprises among the Wild Card Round games.

In the AFC, the playoffs will open at 4 p.m. on Saturday with Cincinnati heading to Houston. This game is off the board at some books as oddsmakers wait to see who is quarterbacking for the Texans. T.J. Yates is expected to be back under center after leaving Sunday’s game against Tennessee after a blow to the head.

However, I saw an early release of the line at one an offshore sportsbook and it had Houston as a three-point favorite with the total set at 39.0.

That game is a rematch of a Week 15 meeting in Cincinnati that the Texans won 20-19. They trailed the majority of the game before a six-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left gave them the win.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are laying nine points to Denver as a road chalk. These two will play the last game of the weekend at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in Mile High. The total is set at just 35.0, which is the lowest of the opening round.

In the NFC, New Orleans is the largest favorite of the opening weekend. They are 10.5-point favorites against Detroit in a game that is another rematch. The Saints beat the Lions 31-17 in New Orleans back in Week 13.

The total in this game is 58.5, making it one of the highest at NFL postseason history. New Orleans has scored 42 or more points in three straight weeks and four of their last six. Detroit gave up 45 points and six touchdowns to Green Bay backup quarterback Matt Flynn in Week 17 and they have one of the worst secondaries in football.

The other NFC Wild Card game has Atlanta heading to the Meadowlands to take on the New York Giants. The Giants are three-point favorites and the total is 47.5 in what may be the best matchup of the weekend.

The Giants played, essentially, a playoff game last weekend. They hosted Dallas in a game where the winner claimed the NFC East title and the loser had their season end. They hammered the Cowboys, 31-14, and the Giants enter the playoffs winning three of four games and on a 4-1 run against the spread.

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Contributed by Vegas Sports Informer

The Miami Heat are favored to win the 2012 NBA championship and Las Vegas and offshore oddsmakers expect them to win more games than any other team in this abbreviated season.

Sportsbook.com posted its season win totals for every NBA team and set the Heat’s number at 49.5 wins out of 66 games.

LeBron James and friends were favored to win the title last year and possessed the largest season win total (63.5). The Heat lost in the NBA Finals and won just 58 games in the regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are No. 2 on Sportsbook.com’s season win total list with a 48.5 over/under number. They are followed by Chicago (46.5), San Antonio (45.5), Oklahoma City and Dallas (44.5), at the top of the board.

Here’s a complete look at the NBA season win totals:

Miami Heat: 49.5 (Over -115, Under -115)

Los Angeles Lakes: 48.5 (O -105, U -125)

Chicago Bulls: 46.5 (O -115, U -115)

San Antonio Spurs: 45.5 (O -115, U -115)

Oklahoma City Thunder: 44.5 (O -115, U -115)

Dallas Mavericks: 44.5 (O -115, U -115)

Boston Celtics: 41.5 (O -115, U -115)

Orlando Magic: 41.5 (O -115, U -115)

Portland Trail Blazers: 41.5 (O -110, U -120)

New York Knicks: 39.5 (O -125, U -105)

Denver Nuggets: 38.5 (O -105, U -125)

Memphis Grizzlies: 36.5 (O -115, U -115)

Atlanta Hawks: 35.5 (O -115, U -115)

New Orleans Hornets: 35.5 (O -115, U -115)

Houston Rockets: 34.5 (O -115, U -115)

Los Angeles Clippers: 31.5 (O -115, U -115)

Phoenix Suns: 31.5 (O -115, U -115)

Indiana Pacers: 31.5 (O -110, U -120)

Philadelphia 76ers: 30.5 (O -120, U -110)

Golden State Warriors: 29.5 (O -115, U -115)

Charlotte Bobcats: 28.5 (O -110, U -120)

Milwaukee Bucks: 26.5 (O -115, U -115)

New Jersey Nets: 21.5 (O -110, U -120)

Detroit Pistons: 20.5 (O -120, U -110)

Washington Wizards: 19.5 (O -110, U -120)

Sacramento Kings: 17.5 (O -120, U -110)

Cleveland Cavaliers: 16.5 (O -105, U -125)

Toronto Raptors: 16.5 (O -115, U -115)

Minnesota Timberwolves: 15.5 (O -110, U -120)

Contributed by Vegas Sports Informer

The transfer deadline for European soccer clubs closed this week, concluding a hectic time for fans of English Premier League teams. Teams like Arsenal and Sunderland have made wholesale changes to the teams they had on the pitch less than 4 months ago. Like a lot of things it all comes down to the dollars - which teams have it, which are willing to spend it, and which teams are broke and or keep their wallets closed. With £466,000,000 spent during this transfer window, looks like a lot of cash was getting thrown around!!

All of these moves will obviously have a huge impact on European soccer betting patterns as well as soccer odds. I’ll try to sum up the last three months’ worth off-season moves with the winners and losers of the transfer window.

THE SWEEPSTAKES WINNERS

Liverpool

In: Craig Bellamy, Sebastian Coates, Jose Enrique, Stuart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson

Out: David Ngog, Raul Meireles, Joe Cole, Sotrios Kyrigiakos, Alberto Aquilani, Daniel Ayala

Looks like the new American owners aren’t afraid to spend some money across the pond. Similar to their strategy with the Red Sox, it looks as though they’ve spent wisely. Starting in January of this year they sold a declining Fernando Torres to Chelsea and with the proceeds acquired Andrew Carroll and Luis Suarez. That momentum continued in the summer with the signings of Downing, Adam and Henderson to bolster the midfield with emerging talent. The only downside was losing Raul Meireles to Chelsea right before the transfer deadline.

Manchester City

In: Sergio Aguero, Stefan Savic, Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri, Owen Hargreaves

Out: Craig Bellamy, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Roque Santa Cruz, Dedryck Boyata, Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Jerome Boateng, Michael Johnson, Shay Given

If it seems like a long list of players out compared to players in for City, it was necessary due to the massive amount of signings prior to last season. Don’t worry, they haven’t stopped spending, they just seemed to have focused more on quality than quantity this off-season. Aguero looks like the real deal already, Clichy and Nasri jumped ship from Arsenal, and Hargreaves is worth a shot if healthy. The downside to this window is the never ending Carlos Tevez saga. He’s staying for now, but will he even contribute? With Aguero, Dzeko, and Balotelli all playing up front, Roberto Mancini’s going to have to do some fancy juggling to keep all of those egos happy.

Manchester United

In: David De Gea, Ashley Young, Phil Jones

Out: Gabriel Obertan, John O’Shea, Wes Brown

The defending champions did exactly what they needed to over the off-season. Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes retired so they signed younger replacements in David De Gea and Ashley Young. Phil Jones is a nice addition to an already strong backline. Danny Welbeck returns from loan last year to add to an already deep list of forwards. Downside- what’s going to happen with Dimitar Berbatov? He scored 20 goals in 24 games last year and still can’t get any playing time…will he accept his time on the pine?

Stoke City

In: Cameron Jerome, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Matthew Upson, Jonathan Woodgate

Out: Abdoulaye Faye

Nice to see a small-market club like Stoke spending wisely, and keeping their young talent, rather than being a feeder club for the big boys. The addition of Crouch should only help on their dead ball specialties. Jerome and Palacios should compliment last years signings of Kenwyne Jones and Jermaine Pennant in what is shaping up as a very deep side. Tony Pulis really has this club looking more like a perennial top 8 contender rather than a side battling for relegation.

TEAMS THAT IMPROVED

Chelsea

In: Raul Meireles, Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu

Out: Yossi Benayoun, Yuri Zhirkov

The only thing which prevents Chelsea from being on the winners list is missing out on Luka Modric. Some might say however that the signings of Meireles and Mata will outweigh the impact Modric would’ve had. Mata looks like an impact player already and 18 year old Lukaku has a world of talent. Downside- the January Torres signing could haunt them as he looks a shell of the player he once was.

Fulham

In: Pajtim Kasami, John Arne Riise, Bryan Ruiz, Zdenek Grygera

Out: Carlos Salcido, Rafik Halliche

Bringing Riise back to the EPL looks like a smart move already, but of more importance the Cottagers have done well to keep the talent they have. Over the last year or so American Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer have been the target of other big clubs, but Fulham have resisted the urge to sell. Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz could be an impact player.

Queens Park Rangers

In: Anton Ferdinand, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Armand Traore, Luke Young, Joey Barton, Daniel Gabbidon, Jay Bothroyd, Kieron Dyer

Out: Joe Oastler, Rowan Vine, Peter Ramage

New owner Tony Fernandes looks like he’s willing to spend some bucks. Following their home debut, a 4-0 spanking by Bolton, changes looked necessary. Fernandes then bought the club and started spending. Joey Barton is somewhat of a mal-content, but he is a good player. Ferdinand, SWP and Luke Young should add depth to the Championship conference winners.

THE JURY’S OUT

Arsenal

In: Carl Jenkinson, Gervinho, Park Chu-Young, Yossi Benayoun, Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, Andre Santos

Out: Denilson, Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Emmanuel Eboue, Samir Nasri, Armand Traore, Nicklas Bendtner

This was quite a whirlwind summer for Arsenal. The focus of many English tabloids’ backpages was whether Fabregas and or Nasri would leave the club. Well they both left, and Arsenal was left looking like they had been stood up on prom night. How did Arsene Wenger not have a plan B ready for their exit? While it’s never good to lose by 6 goals, the 8-2 shellacking at Old Trafford might have been the best medicine for Arsenal. Wenger finally opened up the wallet and started spending- not his usual method of buying young unproven talent, but he brought in guys with EPL and international experience like Arteta, Benayoun, Mertesacker and Santos. Gervinho looked excellent against Udinese in the Champs League qualifier and should only improve through the EPL season. The Gunners have nowhere to go but up in the EPL table and should be back in the top 4 mix by Christmas.

Bolton

In: David Ngog, Gael Kakuta, Dedryck Boyata, Tuncay Sanli, Chris Eagles, Tyrone Mears, Nigel Reo-Coker, Darren Pratley

Out: Matthew Taylor, Ali Al Habsi

No real big names coming in for Bolton, but enough experience to add to the roster depth. Holding on to Gary Cahill is huge. Owen Coyle’s side just needs to stay healthier than they have over the last year.

Sunderland

In: Nicklas Bendtner, David Vaughan, John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Sebastian Larsson, Craig Gardner, Dong-Won Ji, Connor Wickham, Ahmed Elmohamady

Out: Anton Ferdinand, Steed Malbranque, Cristian Riveros, Jordan Henderson

Another club with a lot of turnover. For better or worse, this is a completely different Black Cats side that manager Steve Bruce has assembled. Wickham, Elmohamady and Larsson already look like good additions while losing Malbranque and Henderson is apparent as well. It will probably take a little while, but I look for Bruce to fight the right mix and guide Sunderland to another mid –table finish.

Tottenham

In: Scott Parker, Emmanuel Adebayor, Brad Friedel

Out: Alan Hutton, Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Jermaine Jenas, Robbie Keane, Jonathan Woodgate, Jamie O’Hara

The good news…they kept Luka Modric. The bad news… they kept Luka Modric. Chelsea was offering big bucks for Modric only for Spurs to keep asking for more. With the money Harry Redknapp probably could’ve added players like Gary Cahill and Sulley Muntari. While the players they’ve lost aren’t stars, they did contribute and a guy like Crouch could be missed. On the bright side Scott Parker is a great signing from West Ham, and he should immediately contribute in the Spurs lineup.

West Bromwich Albion

In: Ben Foster, Gareth McAuley, Shane Long, Marton Fulop, Zotan Gera

Out: Borja Valero, Scott Carson, Pablo Ibanez, Marek Cech,

Keeping Peter Odemwingie was big for the Baggies. While the additions of Shane Long and Ben Foster look good so far, WBA have lost their first 3. Losing to Man U and Chelsea isn’t unexpected, but it is still losing. Have they added enough to stay safely in the EPL? I think so, but it could go down to the wire.

Wolverhampton

In: Roger Johnson, Jamie O’Hara

Out: Greg Halford, Steven Mouyokolo, David Davis, Andy Keogh

No big changes for Mick McCarthey’s crew. That’s probably a good thing considering Wolves dream start. Keeping Kevin Doyle is a priority, and it looks as though McCarthy has no intentions to sell.

THE LOSERS AND THOSE COMING UP SHORT

Aston Villa

In: Charles N’Zogbia, Shay Given, Alan Hutton, Jermaine Jenas

Out: Ashley Young, Brad Friedel, Nigel Reo-Coker, Stuart Downing, Jonathan Hogg, Jean Makoun, Luke Young

Villa has started well enough, and the additions of N’Zogbia, Given and Jenas are good ones. On the flip-side, if Villa wants to be thought of as a top table club they have to keep young talent like Ashley Young and Stuart Downing.

Blackburn

In: Scott Dann, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Simon Veukcevic, David Goodwillie

Out: Phil Jones, El-Hadji Diouf

I moved Blackburn from the Losers bracket after last night’s signings of Yakubu and Dann. Is this a sign the new Indian owners will finally start spending? They’ve kept Christopher Samba as well, which was a priority. Something needed to be done as this looks like the worst Rovers side I’ve seen in a while.

Newcastle United

In: Davide Santon, Rober Elliot, Gabriel Obertan, Sylvain Marveaux, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye

Out: Joey Barton, Jose Enrique, Fraser Forster, Xisco, Wayne Routledge, Kevin Nolan

Similar to Aston Villa, a club with a storied tradition like Newcastle can’t afford to lose young talent like Andy Carroll and Joey Barton without making similar replacements. On the bright side some of the French acquisitions look pretty good so far and Alan Pardew has Newcastle off to a nice start. Will this continue? I don’t know, but there’s definitely trouble on the horizon if they take a step back.

Swansea City

In: Danny Graham, Darnel Buyente, Federico Bessone, Rafik Halliche, Michel Vorm, Wayne Routledge, Leroy Lita

Out: Darren Pratley, Scott Donnelly

The Welsh newcomers have been a fun side to watch; unfortunately it looks like it could be one and done for the Swans as the roster just isn’t deep enough to make it through the rigors of the EPL season. Maybe they’ll get some help in the January transfer window.

Everton

In: Royston Drenthe, Eric Dier

Out: Jermaine Beckford, Mikel Arteta, Yakubu, James Vaughan

What is going on with Everton? Once a perennial title contender in the mid 80’s, breeding ground to Wayne Rooney, recent top 5 finisher to a club struggling to hold on to its players. This is a team in desperate need of new ownership. Good news is they’ve got one of the best managers in the EPL, and still a good amount of talent left on the roster. Jagielka, Fellaini, Howard, Cahill, Osman, Baines and Rodwell are still in Evertonian blue….for now.

Norwich City

In: Daniel Ayala, Kyle Naugton, Anthony Pilkington, Elliott Bennet, Steve Morison, James Vaughan

Out: Cody McDonald, Jed Steer, Matt Gill

The Canaries have shown some fight thus far. I just don’t think they’ve added enough quality to be competitive throughout the season.

Wigan

In: Shaun Maloney, Patrick Van Aanholt, Albert Crusat, David Jones, Ali Al Habsi

Out: Mauro Boselli, Charles N’Zogbia, Antonio Amaya

Not enough in to compensate for the loss of Charles N’Zogbia. It’s going to be a struggle for Roberto Martinez’s side.