While gymnast Alicia Sacramone has throbbed
the hearts of Americans and Michael Phelps keeps winning Gold, sharp Olympic
gamblers continue to crush the sportsbooks.

There is still plenty of money to be made and we don’t
mean in selling Sacramone pictures. Rowing has
several events still to be decided with Great
Britain the favorite in most events.

Bookmakers have the following as the heaviest favorites to
win their respective Gold Medals (Olympic Betting
Odds): Usain Bolt of Jamaica
is 1/12 to win the 200 meter in track and field. The men’s 10,000 meters will go
to Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia
and the 400 meter to Jeremy Wariner of the USA.

The men’s triple jump is more wide open with Philips Idowu of Great Britain
a more modest 6/5 favorite. The communist countries will likely get Gold and
Silver in the 110 meter hurdles with Dayron Robles of
Cuba and Liu Xiang as near co-favorites.

The men’s long jump frontrunner is Irving Saladino of Panama.
Many events are considered wide open, but virtual locks also include Blanka Vlasic of Croatia
in the women’s high jump and Jamaica
in both the women’s and men’s 4×100 relay.

However, Team USA
is a Michael Phelps like favorite to win the men’s 4×400 at 1/25.

Either way, the 1/69 favorite of the OffshoreInsiders.com
staff is Alicia Sacramone.

Here is your famed “Tailgate Party” for Saturday preseason
NFL, including quarterback rotations.

Redskins-Jets

Remember, this is the Redskins third preseason game, but
just the second for the Jets. Jason Campbell starts at QB for the Skins, but
Todd Collins comes in and may play most of the first half. Derek Devine
leapfrogs Colt Brennan and starts the third, with Brennan mopping up. A fellow
by the name of Brett Favre starts at QB for the J-E-T-S, though he reports a
tired arm. He will take 8-12 snaps.

Either way, his presence means a sellout is likely. With
more than 7,000 people in attendance for practice Thursday, Favre is expected
to bring life into the crowd despite his cameo appearance reports the top
football handicapper ever Mike Godsey.

Colts-Falcons

Indianapolis
will be minus Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders, and Dwight Freeney,
three of their best players. They will be minus six starters in all.

Atlanta is
expected to put a lot of emphasis on winning in preseason, but they are off a
loss. MasterLockLine.com impresario expects a
very motivated Bird team in front of the home crowd.

Journeyman Joey Harrington starts at quarterback for Atlanta,
with touted rookie Matt Ryan expected to get a lot of playing time,

Chargers-Rams

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San Diego is
expected to play their starters less than they did last week against the Dallas
Cowboys. Shawne Merriman is not expected to play for
the Bolts. Steven Jackson is out for the Rams, still a contract holdout. The
Rams were humiliated by the Tennessee Titans last week 34-13.

Cowboys-Broncos

This game has bettors abuzz as it’s
Stevie Vincent’s NFL Preseason Game of the Year. Vincent is the groundbreaking
founder of forensic sports
handicapping.

Texans-Saints

New Orleans is
expected to turn the Deuce loose as running back Deuce McAllister is probable.
Reggie Bush is doubtful and Jeremy Shockey is out for the Saints.

Packers-49ers

Green Bay will
have their starters, including quarterback Aaron Rogers, go 30-35 plays. J.T. O’Sullivan gets the start in his three-way battle with
Alex Smith and Shaun Hill for starting QB.

Bears-Seahawks

Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck is very doubtful. Charlie Frye
is getting the start.

Dolphins-Jaguars

Jacksonville
is down several key receivers. Jerry Porter and Reggie Williams are out and Troy
Williamson is doubtful.

Vikings-Ravens

Baltimore
gives former Heisman winner Troy Smith the start at QB. Baltimore
has several injuries on the offensive line including TE Todd Heap. They are
also without RB Willis McGahee.

It’s time that our handicappers take a look at the
Thursday card with news and notes from the standpoint of the sports bettor. We
have quarterback rotations as well as the same for key players.

Steelers-Bills

This “home” game for Buffalo
is being played across the border in Toronto
and has not generated the interest that promoters expected. Though there is
very likely be more Bills fans, sports
handicappers should evaluate the game more as being on a neutral field.

Key backup QB Charlie Batch is out for Pittsburgh
leaving Dennis Dixon and Mike Potts, two rookies as Ben Roethlisberger’s
backups. The Steelers signed veteran Byron Leftwich who despite not knowing the
playbook much, will probably get some time in this game.

Roethlisberger and the first time offense will likely play
at least the first quarter. Even bigger news is that each of these games is a
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Motivation? Bills starting
quarterback Trent Edwards has a precarious hold on the No. 1 spot ahead of
former starter J.P. Losman, who outplayed him last
week. Edwards should have plenty of motivation and some pressure tonight.

Buffalo is
ravaged on the offensive line and the remaining starters on offense are not
expected to see more than the nine snaps they got against Washington
though head coach Dick Jauron said they may play “a
little more.”

Panthers-Eagles

The Panthers will play their starters into the second
quarter. Jake Delhomme, the Cats starting quarterback will get most if not all
of the snaps with the first team. Carolina
is minus only four starters for the game, a pretty small number for the err on the side of caution approach of the preseason.
However it includes starting DBs Chris Gamble and Ken
Lucas.

The two biggest surprises of camp for Carolina
are skilled position players Jason Carter and Chad Upshaw. Motivation: the
Eagles are off a loss and Carolina
a win.

The Eagles may play their starters the entire first half. Kevin Kolb will get most of the second half
snaps at QB for the Birds. Stevie Vincent says hitting 100 percent never gets
old. That’s what we’ve done in pro football so far. Get both over/under burials
tonight in pro football at OffshoreInsiders.com

Will Michael Phelps get his eight Gold Medals? The
bookmakers seem to think so (Olympic Betting
Odds). Phelps is a stunning 1/25 favorite to win the Men’s 200 meter
butterfly.

For betting novices, that means a gambler would have to
risk $100 for every $4 he would win. Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy said
only half-jokingly, “I think most bookies would give you better odds to wager
on an NFL game after it’s over.”

Should he stumble, sports bettors have an opportunity to
make a fortune. Countryman Gil Stovall is 10/1 and Greek Ionnnis
Drymonakos is next at 16/1.

Phelps is considered more beatable in the 200 meter
individual medley at 1/8. Ryan Lochte is 4/1 and
medal contender Laszlo Cseh is 20/1.

Oh and the 100 meter butterfly may even have some
suspense, says NewBodog.
Phelps is 1/3 with fellow Yankee Ian Crocker the most likely spoiler at 9/4. Frenchman
Frederick Bousquet is 18/1.

All the posted Olympic Betting
Odds are from NewBodog.
Another top casino BetUs
Sportsbook has sundry Olympic wagering options as well including boxing
betting odds.

Raushee Warren of the USA
is -145 to win the flyweight title. Italian Clemente
Russo is a slight favorite over Rakhim Chakhiyev a Russian.

In depth Olympic
betting lines continue to be posted at BetUs.

Georgia
is No. 1 in the country in the NCAA Football Coaches Poll and the consensus
choice to win the Southeastern Conference East Division, but not so fast say
the oddsmakers.

We compare the Stassen.com consensus of 13 publications to
the Vegas betting line for college football
futures for the SEC divisions.

NewBodog has Florida
even money to win the SEC East, with the Bulldogs a close second at 5/4. Georgia
is picked to win the division outright by 8-of-13 annals, the Gators in four,
with one publication having them deadlocked.

The cumulative prognostications have Tennessee
third, followed by South Carolina,
Kentucky and Vanderbilt rounding
out the East. The oddsmakers agree at 7/2 for the Volunteers, 7-1 for the
Gamecocks and 30/1 for the Commodores.

Sports bettors have a sensational opportunity in the West
Division. Auburn is the 5/4
favorite at the sportsbooks, LSU at
7/4 and Alabama at 5/2. However,
the preseason consensus has the respective Tigers flip-flopped (which reminds
us, check out the odds
for U.S. President) with LSU first and Auburn second.

Mississippi
State is 10/1, Ole Miss 15/1 and Arkansas
at 15/1. This perfectly corresponds with the consensus publication selections.
Speaking of consensus selections, visit MasterLockLine.com
for consensus against the spread winners all football season long.

This time of the year, for the benefit of sports fans and
sports bettors alike, we compare the Stassen.com consensus of 13 publications
to the Vegas betting line for college football
futures.

This article will focus on the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The preseason rags and oddsmakers agree that Clemson and Virginia Tech are
destined to meet in the ACC Championship game. Clemson is favored to win the
Atlantic Division in 12-of-13 publications (Sports Illustrated has them tied
with Wake Forest) and they all have powerhouse Virginia Tech winning the
Coastal Division.

However, Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy warns
that, “Clemson always finds a way to lose games they should win.” The
sportswriters and oddsmakers don’t agree on the likely heir to the throne.

While Clemson is a 10/11 favorite to win the division, Florida
State is next according to the sportsbooks at 2/1, then Wake
Forest at 7/2 and Maryland
at 7/1.

However the compilation actually has the Demon Deacons
projected to finish second to the Tigers. The Seminoles are third, followed by
the Eagles, Terrapins and Wolf Pack.

This is quite dissimilar to the bookmakers who have Boston
College given the least chance at
16/1, a notch below North Carolina State
at 15/1.

The linesmaker does not
necessarily think that Virginia Tech is the living lock in the Coastal Division
that the newsstands do. Though the Hokies are 11/1, Miami
is just 5/2, and traditional doormat North Carolina
is 3/1.

The magazines actually have the Tar Heels projected ahead
of the Hurricanes. While the glossies have Virginia
fourth and Georgia Tech fifth, the oddsmakers have them inversed. The Ramblin’ Wreck are 13/2 and the Cavaliers
10/1.

Nobody gives Duke much of a chance. Twelve of the 13 fanzines
have them destined for last and the linesmakers put their likelihood at 25/1.

OffshoreInsiders.com
has all the odds
to win each conference not to mention the top college football handicappers.

Here are some early news and notes for this week’s
preseason NFL games. Key info will be updated until kickoff and as it comes in
at OffshoreInsiders.com

Thursday

Ravens-Patriots

For those who love to bet on teams with quarterback
competitions, the Ravens are your team. Middling veteran Kyle Boller gets the
nod to start and is expected to play most of the first half. He will be
followed by Troy Smith and rookie Joe Flacco.

John Harbaugh makes his debut as
Ravens head coach. Baltimore
will be without several key players on offense: running back Willis McGahee,
tight end Todd Heap and OTs Adam Terry and Jared
Gather. Rookie Ray Rice from Rutgers gets the
opportunity as starting running back.

New England has only 11 offensive
linemen.

Chiefs-Bears

Rookie DT Glenn Dorsey is out. Chicago
has numerous injuries on the offensive line.

Saints-Cardinals

Saints running back Deuce McAllister and tight end Jeremy
Shockey are out as are wide receiver Devery Henderson
and CBs Mike McKenzie and Tracy Porter. Arizona
will be without starting WR Anquan
Boldin.

Giants-Lions

The Giants have been slowed by a long series of nagging
injuries, with WR being among the hardest hit. Eli
Manning will start at quarterback from Big Blue but will quickly yield to
Anthony Wright.

Jets-Browns

Cleveland will
start Brady Quinn at quarterback and he may play the entire first half. Normal
starter Derek Anderson will follow but because the Browns have only three
signal callers on the roster, expect to see plenty of front liner playing time
behind center. Ken Dorsey is their No. 3 starter.

Saturday

Cowboys-Chargers

Bolts starting quarterback Philip Rivers is expected to
start and test his surgically repaired knee. He will play one or two series and
no more than a quarter. As is per usual, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson
is not expected to carry the ball at all.

Colts-Panthers

Indianapolis
has a game under the belt following their thrashing Sunday night at the hands
of Indianapolis. Many sports handicappers like betting on
squads that have already played a game.

The Panthers have been dealing with the distraction of the
ugly fight when wide receiver Steve Smith blindsided CB Ken Lucas. Starting WR Maques Colston
has missed several practices and is doubtful.

Peyton Manning remains out for the horses.

Rams-Titans

Rams running back Steven Jackson is a holdout and will
miss the game. The Rams have had a double digit number of players miss practice
in several days, hence continuity may be a factor
according to MasterLockLine.com’s Cy McCormick.

Falcons-Jaguars

Brian Gould, football betting expert of ScoresOddsPicks.com says that all
indications are that the Falcons will put a high priority on winning in the
preseason.

The Washington Redskins and the Indianapolis Colts kick
off the 2008-09 football betting season (official
handicapping preview). Sports
betting offers are rare opportunity for likely dividends during a tough
economic period. Gamblers do their own version of “offshore drilling”.

The great Emmitt Smith did a commercial in which he said
that championships are won in the preseason.
Of course I found it ironic that in said year he missed the entire
preseason and the first two games of the regular schedule before leading Dallas
to the Super Bowl. But I digress. The
thrust is that handicappers have a whole heap to win in the preseason as well.

I am exceedingly sure that you have heard it and
percentages say that you have uttered it as well. When I first began
handicapping I espoused the costly naivety too.

The fallacy is that nobody in their right mind would try
to foretell preseason battles. The
belief is that there are too many unknown factors to consider, too many
nameless and faceless Division II players on each side of the ball who will be
getting their only taste of the show for a few plays or series of downs.

True the argument behind this deduction is certainly based
on fact, but the conclusion in not only untrue, but very much the
contrary.

The reality is that smart players realize that such
mentioned disadvantages actually apply to the oddsmaker and not the
gambler. With the proliferation of
offshore sportsbooks and the competitiveness leading to sportsbooks posting
advanced lines earlier and earlier, the advantage continues to swing more and
more towards the player, well at least to the wise player.

Preseason lines
are made now a week in advance. After
the first week, so often once both opponents have completed their preceding
contest, a line is posted as rapidly as possible for the upcoming week.

The truthfulness is that the linesmakers have to deal with
a lot more uncertainty that the bettor does.
Of course lines do adjust—sometimes over adjust based on this
information and the public responding to it, but the sportsbooks are still
limited in exactly how much they can move the lines or they would get destroyed
by line shoppers and “middle” players.
“Bette Middlers” is what my cohort OC Dooley likes to call them.

Hometown newspapers are a Godsend for handicapping preseason
football. Rarely is there a game in
which coaches will not give out accurate information on quarterback and key
player rotations as well as injuries. It
is not remotely uncommon to find out because of injuries and other reasons that
a team for example may be without four of their top six offensive linemen or
many analogous situations.

As a general rule of thumb both offensive and defensive
schemes are pretty vanilla in the exhibition games (apologies to the late Mr.
Rozelle, that’s what they are). But yet
when teams have a new head coach or new coordinator or a lot of new players
projected to play key positions often coaches will throw in more stunts,
blitzes, etc.

But because the purpose is for the players to learn a
system and not to catch their opponent off-guard, such game plan is almost
never kept secret. However rarely in
preseason do coaches actually prepare for their opponent. Thus when research
uncovers that one team is working on some more sophisticated packages, while
the opponent is going to keep it
straightforward, the big plus goes to team planning on mixing it up.

There are eternal issues that affects how critically each
team approaches a particular preseason game, such as new systems on both or
either side of the ball, the number of established veterans on each team who
will only play some token downs merely for timing and getting in shape, the
number of positions and roster spots up for grabs, individual coaches
philosophies on how to approach a preseason game. The inventory really never ends.

But so often the coaches and key players own comments will
give strong insight into whether or not there is an enormous dichotomy in how
each team is approaching a forthcoming game.
Inevitably a coach especially one of a young or perennially losing team
will flat out state something to the effect, “We need to instill a winning
attitude and habit early. We want to
enter the regular season with some wins under our belt.” Not-so-uncommon annotations like that set off
sirens at GodsTips, anchor of OffshoreInsiders.com

The Dallas Cowboys for years were one of the great
preseason go-against plays, especially during the “Triplets” era of Irvin,
Smith and Aikman because most of the key starting positions were already etched
in stone. Whether or not Jimmy Johnson
or Barry Switzer was the coach, the Cowboys played future Arena Football
players using the most basic schemes.

Read those newspapers and you will find that on any given
preseason weekend, there will be several matchups in which one team will be
play key members longer than their opponent or that one team because of
injuries and precautions will be much more shorthanded at kickoff than their
foe.

It is always important to keep a close eye on teams whose
first and second string players were on one side of a dominating
performance. So often such will effect
how much work the key players will get the following week. If a veteran first unit outscored their foe
14-0 one week, there is a good chance that they be given little work the next
week. But do not assume this to be the
case. Hometown newspapers leave little
to speculation by printing coaches’ answers to the obvious questions.

It is a pretty good general rule of thumb that teams off
of humiliating losses will come out with vengeance the following week. But there is a reason that I qualified such
statement with “pretty good” and “general”.
Final scores can be deceptive in any and all sports but such is the case
even more so in preseason football.

If a team loses 28-7 but the first and second teams were
outscored 21-0, while the mop-up guys played evenly, it is a huge difference
than if it were visa versa. The third
and fourth stringers if totally outplayed are digging ditches and contacting
the Barcelona Dragons. But if it were
the primary players who were humiliated, they are the ones who have a fire lit
under them.

It is much more important to look at how the respective
top two units played than the actual final score. However one must very much take into account
all the extenuating factors involved entering the game, as illustrated
above. Perhaps a teams top two units
were shorthanded against an opponent who used complicated schemes breaking in
new systems. But I do love betting on
teams whose first and second units got a good ole fashioned no-excuses butt
whipping to rebound accordingly.

One has to though find that fine line between going with
all of the above factors and being mindful of line moves. This is particularly
so with the public jumping on the same side that you are.

I honestly can not give a definitive scientific
explanation of exactly how my handicapping has been complimented so well by
line moves, other than to know that it defies any laws of probability. But
somewhere there is a congruency amongst my handicapping techniques, the opening
line and public perception that affects the line moves.

I can with full honesty say that in preseason just as I do
during the regular season; I win a lot more than I lose. However so many times if early in the week I
pencil side A as a play only to have the public bet side A so much that the
line moves enough to scare me off of the game, only to have side B cover both
ends of the line move. Somehow there is
a complimentary congruency in my handicapping that increases my winning
percentage even further.

But all factors equal, I very much like going against
preseason line moves of 2’
or more points. When those moves are not justified by the factors outlined
about, I often make selections based about 85% on unjustified line, moves. But line moves that I deem justified more
times than not results in a no-play.

The modus operandi that applies in the regular season and
postseason handicapping are completely different than that of the preseason. Once a talented handicapper realizes that, he
has taken first step towards a nice regular season bankroll. But after that, it
still takes research, research, research…

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