Road to Super Bowl XLVI: Giants have been down this path before
Football Betting Lines
01/26/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the narrator in Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" may have decided to take the path less traveled, the New York Giants have opted for a different approach on their route to Super Bowl XLVI.
Some of the situations in the Giants' current season and the one that ended with a Super Bowl victory on Feb. 3, 2008 are so similar that it almost seems like a foregone conclusion that New York will once again hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy following this year's NFL championship game.
For starters, both clubs got off to 6-2 starts before hitting a bit of a bump. For the '07 Giants, they dropped two of three games to near the .500 mark before responding with wins in three of their last four outings en route to a 10-6 finish to the regular season.
Things got a lot tighter for the latest edition of the G-Men. Their fast start, which included a win over their Super Bowl XLVI opponent New England Patriots on Nov. 13, was nearly snuffed out by a four-game losing streak to heavy-hitters San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Green Bay. The Giants seemed to hit a low point with a 49-24 pounding at the Saints in Week 12, but the real back-breaker could have came the following Sunday, when New York failed to halt a late drive by the then-undefeated Packers en route to a 38-35 home defeat.
"Hopefully something that we learn from it is that those are the champs and you have to knock the champs out," defensive end Justin Tuck said after that loss. "You can't let them linger around. You have to knock them out."
A comeback victory at Dallas in Week 14 looked to get New York back on track, but a tough-to-swallow 23-10 loss to visiting Washington the following week seemed to indicate the Giants -- 7-7 at the time -- were set for a third straight late-season collapse that would cost them a playoff spot.
Backs against the wall and needing to win out, the Giants put forth consecutive convincing victories, winning the battle of New York with a 29-14 decision over the Jets 29-14 before sealing the NFC East title with a 31-14 rout of the visiting Cowboys on New Year's Day.
While both the '07 and '11 Giants have been guided by Eli Manning under center, one difference between the teams has been the big-play ability that wide receiver Victor Cruz has brought to the present squad.
The undrafted breakout star torched the Jets for a 99-yard touchdown that put a spark back into New York's season, and then caught a 74-yard scoring pass from Manning in the finale with the Cowboys, one of three thrown by the Giants' quarterback on the day.
"I think we had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season," Cruz said after that win. "When our team needed us the most, we responded. We've done some good things. We were able to keep a level head going on a four-game skid. We were able to keep our composure and not get crazy or not start a spatting board with each other."
The Giants went into the playoffs having already been in elimination mode, and hardly blinked over the first two rounds.
Up first was a dominating 24-2 victory over the Wild-Card winning Atlanta Falcons in which the New York defense allowed just 247 yards and helped the offense control the ball for over 34 minutes. That was followed by the Giants avenging their earlier loss to the top-seeded Packers with a 37-20 win in Green Bay.
Manning threw for three touchdown in passes in both games versus the Packers, with his effort in the Divisional Round coming at Lambeau Field, a place not known to be easy for opposing teams. That victory gave the Giants plenty of confidence going into their showdown with second-seeded San Francisco in the NFC Championship.
"Well, considering where we came from, it means everything," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said after the Green Bay win. "Everybody wrote us off. They always do that. So we're just going to keep on fighting and keep on playing hard and hopefully we'll keep things going."
That they did, thanks to another gutsy effort from Manning, whose accomplishments this season have helped him once and for all step out of the shadow of big brother Peyton. The younger Manning shook off six sacks to help rally the Giants for a 20-17 overtime win over the 49ers, and erased a late four-point deficit with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter.
After the Niners forced overtime on a 25-yard field goal with 5:39 remaining in regulation, a Giants' fumble recovery on a punt helped to set up Lawrence Tynes' 31-yard winning field goal.
After notching five fourth-quarter wins during the regular season, Manning helped put together another strong finish to become the first player in NFL history to record five road postseason victories. That has him on the verge of grabbing his second Super Bowl championship, which would be one more than future Hall-of-Famer Peyton.
"Some of the questions that have come to me about Eli -- we have such great trust in him," said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. "He stands in there and he'll take the blows. He'll get right back up, he gets right back in the huddle. He's the same positive influence on everybody around him.
"He doesn't get real upset and point the finger or want to know what the deal is. I'm sure he does in his mind, but he's never going to show that. He's got a real sense of toughness about him and it's demonstrated by the way in which he plays."
With eight touchdown passes in the playoffs, Manning looks nothing like the quarterback that was picked off five times over New York's four-game skid, or three times in the late loss to Washington. He looks like a true leader, one who can once again have his team standing tall at season's end.
"Guys never quit, never ever have any doubts," Manning said. "They keep believing and fighting until the very end, no matter what the circumstances are."
Coughlin agrees that his team's rough and at times seemingly impossible road to the Super Bowl has toughened it up.
"They have grit now. They're battle-tested," he remarked. "We've had five straight single-elimination games. Somehow, some way we've found a way to scratch our way to a win. We prepare well. The guys really do know what's at stake."
If the Giants look in the mirror, they may very well see a lot of 2007 staring back at them. And that's fine as long as this campaign ends the same: with New York having triumphed over New England in the season's biggest game.
Super Bowl XLII featured "The Helmet Catch," a pass from Manning to David Tyree that the wide receiver cradled against his headgear after Manning escaped pressure to give the Giants a first down and lead to the game-winning touchdown in a 17-14 New York victory.
Who knows what the Giants have in store this time around, but it won't matter as long as it ends in a win.
And by the way, the Giants had to knock off the NFC's top-two seeds in the 2007-08 playoffs before besting the then-undefeated Patriots that year. While New England doesn't bring a perfect record into this rematch, New York once again triumphed over the best the conference had to offer to reach this Super Bowl.
"It does [feel like 2007] and hopefully we will have the same result," said Umenyiora. "We still have one more game to go, but this is truly unbelievable."
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Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Why Sports Betting is so much fun?
Betting Sports
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Points (or Runs) Scored
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Future Bets
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)
Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:- What team will win the coin toss
- What player will score the game’s first touchdown
- What will be the exact margin of victory
Types of Bets
Straight Bet
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
Sports Betting Parlays
A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.
Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.
Round Robin Betting
Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.Betting Teasers
Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!
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