NOVER'S NEWS AND NOTES 09/23/03 - Stephen Nover
Was this past NFL Sunday really as bad for bookmakers as some are saying?
"It was the worst NFL week by far," said one bookmaker.
The major problem for bookmakers was the morning favorites going 7-0. One of those games was Tampa Bay rolling over a gutless Atlanta squad, 31-10. The Bucs were steamed from minus 3 1/2 to 6 1/2. It was a rare instance of both 'wise' guys and public loving the same side.
"It's one of the biggest regular season moves you'll ever see in the NFL," one professional bettor said.
But couldn't the books get some money back when underdogs went 5-0 in the late afternoon games? Both Green Bay and San Francisco, two big public teams, fell as seven-point favorites.
Not according to one bookmaker, who does heavy parlay volume.
"The Packers would have killed a lot of parlays and teasers, but people didn't have enough time to bet them," he said. "People bet the early games, but by the time those results were in, the Packers were midway through the first quarter.
"Some of these bettors can't bet again until they cash their early game tickets, but the first games didn't finish in time for them to cash their tickets.
"Our single biggest game was Minnesota-Detroit. We had so many parlays keyed into that game. If Minnesota would have been up by 21 and bettors knew it was an absolute winner, then they would have bet Green Bay and San Francisco.
"When the other games kicked off Detroit had first and goal, so bettors didn't know if they were going to win on Minnesota. That game running late cost us a ton of money on the late games. It killed us because people didn't have time to re-bet on the late games."
The books did manage to win the Sunday night game - which is usually the house's second biggest decision next to the Monday night game - even though favorite Miami covered. It was a rare time when the public was on a Sunday night underdog, which was Buffalo.
Who would have thought after three weeks that Warren Sapp would have more touchdown receptions than Keyshawn Johnson, or that Kevin Faulk would have 48 more rushing yards on only two more attempts than Marshall Faulk?
Faulk's out now with a broken hand. Lamar Gordon is one of the better backup running backs, but the Rams' ground game is going to continue to be mediocre because Mike Martz failed to get a quality blocking fullback after losing 270-pound James Hodgins to Arizona in free agency.
I wonder if Bay Area fans still are down on Steve Mariucci after discovering first-hand why Dennis Erickson has never been a successful pro coach. Erickson can be faulted for the 49ers' last two defeats, games his team should have won.
First, wide receiver Cedric Wilson is in field goal territory against St. Louis two weeks ago, but doesn't go down in time to stop the final seconds from ticking off. The 49ers then lose in overtime. Wilson certainly is at fault for being a bonehead, but so is Erickson for not making his wideouts aware of the time element.
This past Sunday, Erickson failed to challenge Andre Davis' first touchdown catch after it looked like Davis stepped out of bounds before scoring. If this isn't enough, Erickson tells his defense - which had been blitzing effectively and playing aggressively the entire game - to go into a reactionary, prevent defense. This allows Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb to dink his way downfield on a 17-play, 91-yard game-winning drive.
If there's a problem in the NFL because of the lack of black head coaches, blame 49ers management, not Matt Millen.
Marvin Lewis has many stumbling blocks in his quest to turn the Bengals around. The hardest challenges aren't improving a loser's attitude, upgrading the defense and improving special teams. He's doing all that. No, it's making the decision to switch quarterbacks. Jon Kitna is not, nor will he ever be, worthy of starting quarterback status in the NFL.
The Bengals aren't going anywhere this season. So what's the point in Lewis waiting? Get Carson Palmer in there and see what he can do (and no, Palmer isn't on my Rotisserie team).
Was this past NFL Sunday really as bad for bookmakers as some are saying?
"It was the worst NFL week by far," said one bookmaker.
The major problem for bookmakers was the morning favorites going 7-0. One of those games was Tampa Bay rolling over a gutless Atlanta squad, 31-10. The Bucs were steamed from minus 3 1/2 to 6 1/2. It was a rare instance of both 'wise' guys and public loving the same side.
"It's one of the biggest regular season moves you'll ever see in the NFL," one professional bettor said.
But couldn't the books get some money back when underdogs went 5-0 in the late afternoon games? Both Green Bay and San Francisco, two big public teams, fell as seven-point favorites.
Not according to one bookmaker, who does heavy parlay volume.
"The Packers would have killed a lot of parlays and teasers, but people didn't have enough time to bet them," he said. "People bet the early games, but by the time those results were in, the Packers were midway through the first quarter.
"Some of these bettors can't bet again until they cash their early game tickets, but the first games didn't finish in time for them to cash their tickets.
"Our single biggest game was Minnesota-Detroit. We had so many parlays keyed into that game. If Minnesota would have been up by 21 and bettors knew it was an absolute winner, then they would have bet Green Bay and San Francisco.
"When the other games kicked off Detroit had first and goal, so bettors didn't know if they were going to win on Minnesota. That game running late cost us a ton of money on the late games. It killed us because people didn't have time to re-bet on the late games."
The books did manage to win the Sunday night game - which is usually the house's second biggest decision next to the Monday night game - even though favorite Miami covered. It was a rare time when the public was on a Sunday night underdog, which was Buffalo.
Who would have thought after three weeks that Warren Sapp would have more touchdown receptions than Keyshawn Johnson, or that Kevin Faulk would have 48 more rushing yards on only two more attempts than Marshall Faulk?
Faulk's out now with a broken hand. Lamar Gordon is one of the better backup running backs, but the Rams' ground game is going to continue to be mediocre because Mike Martz failed to get a quality blocking fullback after losing 270-pound James Hodgins to Arizona in free agency.
I wonder if Bay Area fans still are down on Steve Mariucci after discovering first-hand why Dennis Erickson has never been a successful pro coach. Erickson can be faulted for the 49ers' last two defeats, games his team should have won.
First, wide receiver Cedric Wilson is in field goal territory against St. Louis two weeks ago, but doesn't go down in time to stop the final seconds from ticking off. The 49ers then lose in overtime. Wilson certainly is at fault for being a bonehead, but so is Erickson for not making his wideouts aware of the time element.
This past Sunday, Erickson failed to challenge Andre Davis' first touchdown catch after it looked like Davis stepped out of bounds before scoring. If this isn't enough, Erickson tells his defense - which had been blitzing effectively and playing aggressively the entire game - to go into a reactionary, prevent defense. This allows Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb to dink his way downfield on a 17-play, 91-yard game-winning drive.
If there's a problem in the NFL because of the lack of black head coaches, blame 49ers management, not Matt Millen.
Marvin Lewis has many stumbling blocks in his quest to turn the Bengals around. The hardest challenges aren't improving a loser's attitude, upgrading the defense and improving special teams. He's doing all that. No, it's making the decision to switch quarterbacks. Jon Kitna is not, nor will he ever be, worthy of starting quarterback status in the NFL.
The Bengals aren't going anywhere this season. So what's the point in Lewis waiting? Get Carson Palmer in there and see what he can do (and no, Palmer isn't on my Rotisserie team).
