Missed opportunities cost Colts
Football Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning was one quarter away from capturing his second Super Bowl title in four years, but the four-time league MVP didn't get enough support from his teammates, and in the end a costly interception proved part of the downfall for the Indianapolis Colts.
Four years ago, Manning reached the summit by leading the Colts over Chicago in Miami to win the Super Bowl. Same stadium, same game, different result against a team that was destiny's pick - the New Orleans Saints.
Manning threw an interception that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Tracy Porter late in the fourth quarter to seal New Orleans' 31-17 win in Super Bowl XLIV.
"I don't think it will have any bearing on his legacy," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said of the interception. "Obviously, he's a great player. It never comes down to just one single play in the game."
For everything that went right for the Colts in the first quarter, periods two and four were the complete opposite. The Colts dominated the opening quarter, outgaining the Saints in yardage, 154-36. The Saints ran just 10 offensive plays in the period, but the Colts had just six in the second quarter. Indy was outgained 143-15 in the second quarter, but still maintained a 10-6 lead.
The turning point of the game though came on the opening play of the second half when rookie kicker Thomas Morstead, actually the Saints' punter, put down a perfect onside kick. Colts wide receiver Hank Baskett was in position to come up with the ball, but it squirted away and New Orleans' Jonathan Casillas came away with the football.
The Saints scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, part of a 31-7 surge in points to end the game for New Orleans in that franchise's first Super Bowl title.
"They kind of kept the momentum from there," Manning said. "We just didn't play well enough in certain times and in certain phases."
Manning finished 31-of-45 for 333 yards with a TD pass to Pierre Garcon to cap a 96-yard drive in the opening quarter.
The Colts had their opportunities, but they never got a sustained pass rush and one dropped pass in particular hurt their chances.
Dwight Freeney started for the Colts despite playing with a torn ligament in his right ankle. He had a one-handed sack of Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second quarter, preventing a possible drive for a touchdown and limiting New Orleans to three points. Freeney had the ankle re-taped, but wasn't much of a factor in the second half.
"I tried to figure out ways to keep it warm, keep it going," Freeney said. "The problem is once it gets stiff it's tough to bring it back."
Joseph Addai was the catalyst on offense for Indianapolis. He had 13 rushes for 77 yards and a TD and caught seven passes for 58 yards.
Already ahead 10-0 in the second quarter and facing a third down at their own 28, Garcon dropped a sure first-down catch with plenty of open space ahead.
Even when they were up 17-16 early in the fourth, the Colts couldn't add to their lead as Matt Stover's 51-yard field goal hooked wide left. The Saints went ahead on the next possession when Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey for a two-yard TD pass.
"They just made the plays," Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday said. "The bottom line is when the game was on the line they made the plays and we didn't."
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.