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NFL Football Week 1 News & Headlines Cycle:

• ESPN; Richard Seymour Expected To Arrive in Oakland on Saturday
• ESPN; Browns’ James Davis Now Questionable
• ESPN; Appeals Court Rules Vikings Can’t Suspend Two Players
• Twin Cities; Tarvaris Jackson to Backup Favre This Season
• NBC Sports; Arron Ross Out For Giants This Week
• NFL Spin Zone; Jon Runyan To Join a Team on Monday
• Baltimore Sun; Ravens’ L.J. Smith Will be a “Gameday” Decision
• Seattle New Tribune; Deion Branch May Miss Opener With Injury
• Fox Sports; Tamoa Bay Buccaneers Have 30 Million in Cap Space

Blogisphere & NFL Football Week 1 Opinion/Entertainment Cycle:

• Sharapova’s Thigh; The Fastest Freaking NFL Preview Ever
• Cheddar’s Sports Blog; Week 1 NFL Preview – Lots of Questions
• Bleeding Green Nation; Holmes Wears Vick Jersey at Press Conference
• Biz of Football; NBC Has Highest Rated Kickoff Game in Seven Years
• Randall Simon’s Sausages; NFL Week 1 Hot Off The Grill
• The Ebony Bird; Joe Flacco Highlight Reel (video)
• Midway Illustrated; Bears Match-up Well With Packers Receivers
• The Viking Age; Sean Salisbury Fired For ‘Sexting’

2009 Week 1 NFL Fantasy Football Cycle:

• Midwest Sports Fans; Week 1 NFL Fantasy Start ‘Em / Sit ‘Em
• Top Fantasy Football; Week 1 Last Minute Updates
• Rotoworld; Week 1 Waiver Wire Pick-Up Recommendations
• Favre Dollar Footlongs; Fantasy Football is a Game of Poker
• CBS Sports; Week 1 Fantasy Football Matchups
• Pro Football Weekly; Ten Most Intriguing Players For Week 1
• Gang Green Nation; Week 1 NFL Football Fantasy Focus
• Rumors & Rants; Who Will Sink or Swim in Week 1
• Club Seat; Week 1 In The Club / Out The Club

The NFL preseason football action is set to officially get under way Thursday as teams prepare for the upcoming season. Over the next few weeks we will continue to evaluate the team’s talent levels and what to expect for this year’s football season. However, teams will not completely show everything they have until the first week of the season in mid September. Until that point in time, you can find all kinds of preseason betting odds at sports books like BetUS Sportsbook (100% Bonus When Using This Link). There are tons of betting lines from individual odds, win totals, division finishes, playoff odds, and more. We take a look at all the preseason betting activity and encourage you to take advantage of all these betting opportunities as well. Take a look at some free prop bet picks for the upcoming weeks prior to the start of the 2009 NFL season.

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Prop Bet #1 – Total Touchdown Passes (Brees vs. Roethlisberger)

Drew Brees -7 ½ (-120)
Ben Roethlisberger +7 ½ (-120)

The odds on this particular prop bet are surprisingly profitable. Drew Brees led the NFL in touchdown passes in 2008 with 34 scores. Ben Roethlisberger was able to put up 17 touchdowns for the Super Bowl Champions. In retrospect, both quarterbacks had solid seasons behind center. Roethlisberger is not going to put up 30 plus touchdowns given the Steelers old school style of football and that is why he has a 7 ½ touchdown cushion for this match-up. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the other hand have a lethal passing offense that rarely runs the ball for success. The Saints should be another big threat in the NFL this season on offense and Brees is certain to put up solid numbers again. However, don’t expect Roethlisberger to be able to contend despite the 7 ½ cushion. Outside of the breakout year in 2007, Roethlisberger has failed to put up over 20 touchdowns since coming into the league in 2004. The Steelers have too much faith in their defense to become a pass happy offense and that is the reason that Drew Brees will easily cover this match-up.

Pick: Drew Brees -7 ½

Prop Bet #2 – Dallas Cowboys Team Total Sacks in 2009

(more…)

On November, 28th New York Giants superstar wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg while carrying a concealed weapon. At the time, the New York Giants were 10-1 on the field clearly the best team in the NFC and perhaps the entire NFL. However when Burress troubles began, so did the Giants troubles on the field. Plax caught the game winning touchdown in last Year’s Super Bowl and was a huge threat for the New York offense. When Burress issues kept him off the field, the New York Giants air assault vanished. The Giants closed out the season losing 4 of their last 6 games without Burress. QB Eli Manning only averaged 180 yards per game the rest of the season and the New York offense that had been so dominant become average at best. Plaxico Burress could be the blame in the Giants downfall, but then again it could be the Giants were simply not as good as many may have assumed. Plaxico Burress was not having an exceptional year only catching 35 passes for 454 yards, but his off the field issues definitely seemed to affect the Giants in the long run.

Burress was later convicted of two felony charges for a concealed weapon and criminal weapon charge with the initial possibility of serving up to 7 years in prison. Burress later would post a $100,000 dollar bond and walked out of jail until his next hearing in late March. However, the New York Giants suspended their star wide receiver for the remainder of the season. The popular belief quickly became clear that it would be unlikely if Plaxico ever stepped on the football field wearing a Giants jersey with some rumors claiming he would never play in the NFL again. However Burress is likely going to get the opportunity to play football again when that will be is the big question, but most people doubt that it will be for the Giants. After all, this is not the first time Plaxico has been in off the field issues. Even most recently new legal troubles have submerged; there are now reports that have been released with a new law suit against Burress in the last few days. Apparently, Burress agreed to appear in some publicity events for a 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche for a car dealer. Not only did Burress not appear for those events, but the car was impounded by police while a friend had the car. The car had damages and was never returned to the original owner. Burress is being sued for the value of the car.

The question now is if and where will Plaxico will play next season? Monday a statement came out describing how the Giants General Management declared how valuable Burress is to the team and how much they missed him during the playoffs. The statement also stated the if Burress could avoid prison time and get cleared to play next season that the Giants would still be interested in keeping him on the team. Plaxico still has the chance to receive prison time depending on how the court rules on his weapons charges on March 31st. It will be an interesting ruling with big implications. If Burress does escape without having to do time like so many popular names do, the focus will then go back to the Giants and what they decide to do with their star wide out.

The Giants offense with Burress averaged near an NFL best 29.9 points per game. However after the Burress incident, the Giants only averaged 18 points per game to close the season. Clearly that is no coincidence considering all the attention defense show when Plaxico lines up on offense. While his numbers were down this season, the primary reason for that was teams doubled down on Burress and forced the offense to beat them in other ways. Something the Giants were doing well. Once Burress left the passing game went as well. New York then focused on the running game to carry them the rest of the season. Derrick Ward and Brandon Jacobs performed well both eclipsing the 1,000 yard barrier on the season. The problem is that New York became one dimensional. Defenses loaded the box to stop the run and the passing offense could never capitalize like it could when Burress was in the lineup.

There is a ton of different ways you could look at Plaxico’s situation and it is interesting to hear what the public’s opinions are as well. Does Burress deserve jail time considering he knew he was breaking the law by carrying a handgun? Or you could say he is a star football player that carried a handgun for protection and all this is a situation gone bad. The Giants organization is in a no win situation. If they do not keep their star receiver, then they will be criticized tremendously for turning loose one of the biggest factors of their potent offense. If they keep Burress on the team, they will still be criticized for taking it lightly and if any more situations were to arise then it hurts the Giants reputation that much more. How do the Giants fans feel about this? Do you want your playmaker back on offense for 2009 or do you ship him away given he gets cleared to play? I would love to hear how the readers feel on this subject that will consistently make headlines during the off-season.

Early this week we broke down the entire AFC playoff race. Now we take a look at the NFC playoff picture and where each playoff contender stands. Who possibly could be the best team and which teams could make a deep run in the postseason.

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New York Giants (11-2) – The Giants own the best record in the NFC and the 2^nd best record in the NFL. They have officially clinched the NFC East and are one game away from a first round bye. New York took a blow from the Philadelphia Eagles last week in a 20-14 defeat. Star WR Plexico Burress is out for the year after the gunshot wound and weapons charges he is currently facing. Will the distraction be enough to derail one of the NFL’s hottest teams? The former Super Bowl Champions have backed up last year’s season well and are favorites to win the NFC. However, one must wonder if New York may have peaked too soon?

Dallas Cowboys (8-5) – The Cowboys looked in good position last week to score a huge victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then the Steelers routed 17 straight points in the final 7 minutes of the game to beat Dallas. The loss really hurt the Cowboys chances at making the postseason given they have a really tough schedule the rest of the way. Many believe Dallas has to win out to make the playoffs, but I believe they still have a good shot if they win at least two of their last 3 games. The Cowboys will hold the tie-breaker over Tampa Bay and Atlanta if those teams were to end with the same record. Still Dallas has to play New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Two wins may be asking enough much less three.

Washington Redskins (7-6) – The Redskins are mathematically still in the hunt even though their chances do not look good. Washington is in dire need to win out or the playoff hopes will be gone. Even if the Redskins do win out they could still need some help from other teams to advance. Washington has a fairly soft schedule the rest of the way but they have a classic NFC East battle with Philadelphia in a few weeks. The Redskins have lost 4 of their last 5 games and the offense has been missing in action. The Redskins have a tall mountain to climb in this one and will most likely not being playing after the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-5-1) – Ironically a tie is better than a loss. Philadelphia stands much better chance to make the playoffs with that tie and they are playing well right now. The Eagles defeated the Giants last week and blew out Arizona the week before. Their last 3 games are against Cleveland, Washington, and Dallas. The Eagles will be favored to win the first two and the battle with Dallas could very well decide which one of those teams earns the final wildcard spot. The Eagles really need to run the table because a loss would most likely eliminate all chances they have.

Minnesota Vikings (8-5) – The Vikings had a slow start to the regular season losing 3 out of their first 4 games. However, Minnesota rebound nicely and now has won 5 of their last 6 games led by running back Adrian Peterson. The Vikings benefit from a weaker conference and hold a one game advantage of the Chicago Bears. Minnesota has a tough road ahead taking on teams like New York Giants, Arizona, and Atlanta to close out the season. The best option for the Vikings is to hope the Bears can not close the gap in the NFC North.

Chicago Bears (7-6) – Despite having a record barely over .500 the Bears still have a good chance to win the NFC North. Chicago has struggled to post the necessary points to keep up with a few teams and they need to catch on surge on the offensive side of the ball. While they definitely have the softer schedule compared to the Vikings, the Bears will have to win at the very least two games to have a chance. If there happen to be a tie with Minnesota, the Bears would lose to the tie-breaker making their chances even dimmer.

Carolina Panthers (10-3) – The Panthers captured their biggest win of the season last Monday night manhandling the Buccaneers 38-23 in route to nearly 300 yards on the ground. The Panthers have emerged out of the NFC South and are playing very well. Carolina has the tools similar to Tennessee in the AFC in a very dangerous ground attack and a superb defense. Notice how the Titans are doing in the AFC, this type of football works. Despite the strong record the Panthers still can not afford to slip as Tampa could hold the tie-breaker by the end of the season with a better in conference record. Still, Carolina will most likely be in the playoffs and will probably find a way to win the division. The Panthers have the ingredients to beat anybody in the NFL and primed for a deep run in the postseason. If the Panthers manage to win out, they will get home field advantage throughout the playoffs which would be huge considering they have not lost at home all season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-4) – The Buccaneers could have really helped themselves with a victory over Carolina last week. Now they will take on the Atlanta Falcons in a game of equal importance. The Bucs had won 4 in a row prior to last week’s loss and they need to rebound and score a victory. The Buccaneers last 3 games involve two AFC opponents. This could really help because even if they loss it would be an out of conference loss which would help in tie-breaking scenarios. Tampa Bay will be favorites to win two of those games convincingly and a win over Atlanta would pretty much seal the deal. The Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta game could be an elimination game for both teams.

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) – The Falcons suffered a disappointing loss last week 29-24 from the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta still has a reasonable chance to make the playoff, but absolutely must beat Tampa Bay this weekend. Rookie QB Matt Ryan is a superstar in the making and is getting better week by week. Atlanta has a legitimate chance to win out and they may just have to because two wins may not be enough. Since week 4 every loss the Falcons faced, they have bounced back with two straight wins. Well this time they will need to bounce back with 3 straight wins. A loss to Tampa Bay however will end all hopes.

Arizona Cardinals (8-5) – Arizona clinched the NFC West last week with a win over the St. Louis Rams. Kurt Warner has led the Cardinal offense that has become one of the best in the NFL. Arizona offense can give any opposing defense nightmares. The Cardinals are another team that benefits from a weak conference, but they can be a legitimate threat. The Arizona defense has in return struggled this season giving up 25 points per game. If the defense could come on strong and catch a late season surge, this could be a very dangerous football team.

The following teams are completely eliminated from the NFC playoff picture: Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

The following teams aren’t eliminated but have absolutley no chance: New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins

The following teams are not even worthy of mentioning: “The Winless Detroit Lions”