NFL

The Road to Super Bowl XLVI betting got very interesting in the Divisional round last weekend, and now we have the Conference Championships to look forward to. The last four teams are lining up a position in the final now and two of the main frontrunners for the Super Bowl are no longer in contention. The Divisional Round threw up some fantastic matches with the highlight being the fall of the defending champions the Green Bay Packers. So this Sunday sees the last four battle it out for a place at Super Bowl XLVI and we have new outright favourites to win it, and that is the New England Patriots. The excitement builds towards the Super Bowl and we have two great match ups to look at in NFL betting this week.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots Betting
The Ravens squeezed out the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round, winning 20-13 at home to move ahead. Baltimore walked straight into the Divisional Round, missing the Wild Card round courtesy of such a strong season, but yet they still continue to fly under the radar. Baltimore are the next team to try and contain the incredible New England offence and it goes without saying that they will need a pretty strong defensive effort. But that is just what the Baltimore Ravens have, and it has been arguable much tighter than New England’s throughout the season. So at least they have that to rely on in Baltimore at New England betting. However there is a big question mark about the composure of quarter back Joe Flacco, who was less than ordinary in the Divisional Round win over the Texans and he has come under some serious flak, especially with comparisons naturally being drawn against New England’s pretty much immaculate Tom Brady. There is an uneven tilt there in that department, but the Ravens do have a big ace up their sleeve and that is Ray Rice who has always done extremely well running against the Patriots. Talk about a game winner and that falls on the shoulders of Rice and they have to get him into the game to take some pressure off Flacco. As good as Baltimore’s defence has been for the season it will still need to produce its best defensive effort if they are going to take down New England. New England don’t have the defence that the Ravens do, and New England do give up a lot of yardage, however, opponents do still have trouble converting ground into points against the Patriots. That is simply going to be the problem for the Ravens, keeping up with the scoring of the Patriots, because they will get on the board. You are talking about the second best offence during the regular season (the Patriots) up against the 15th best. The offence that the Patriots can throw out is just too powerful for most teams, having racked up over 500 points during the regular season. The Patriots coasted through their AFC Divisional Round match, crushing the Denver Broncos 45-10 with that man Tom Brady at quarterback having a spectacular game. The Patriots are now everybody’s favourite to lift the Super Bowl this year and are looking for their fifth Super Bowl appearance. The last time these two met in the Post Season, it was the Ravens who took a win in the Wild Card Round back in 2009. It may take a while for the Patriots to break through the Ravens defence, but they are expected to get the job done in the end.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers Betting
Most people were expecting a match up between the New Orleans Saints and the almost invincible Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championships. However, there were big turn ups for the books in the Divisional Round. The San Francisco 49ers, using home advantage in an open stadium, where the Saints aren’t that happy (as they are better suited to their home indoors conditions) squeezed out a dramatic late win over Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. It was a cracker of a match, with the Saints looking set to take the game after a late score with about ninety seconds left on the clock, to go to take a narrow points advantage. However, the 49ers weren’t finished in the match as talk about ‘The Grab’ resounds on. There was nine seconds left on the clock when 49ers quarter back Alex Smith nailed a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis to sneak over the line in to the Conference Championships. That was the first time in nine years that the 49ers had won a play off game. Now a Super Bowl berth is at stake. The 49ers face off against the New York Giants, who have come up so big time and time again when it has mattered this season. After a big win against the Cowboys late in the regular season to take the NFC East, the often unpredictable Giants have produced when it has mattered and it has been down to their defence. The play offs have largely been defence dominated, a switcheroo from the regular season, when it has been all about the incredible offences of New Orleans, New England and Green Bay. The Giants triumphed where only one other team this season has (Kansas City Chiefs) and that has been limiting the Packers offence, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Giants, whose defence has looked shaky at times this season and has conceded a wealth of points, have suddenly tightened up and gotten smart, and the down to earth, power game which they are running has suddenly seen them find a consistent winning formula. If you are looking for the more complete team, that will be the 49ers. It was the 49ers who took a 27-20 win on home turf against the Giants and we will probably see an equally tight match up against in New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers betting. Giants quarter back Eli Manning, generally either brilliant or frustrating needs a big game. The Giants can bully this if their defence continues to do what it has done in the post season. The 49ers will go as favourites though, because they are the stronger of the sides with the better offensive options.

Super Bowl XLVI Outright Winner Betting
New England Patriots: 5/4 at William Hill
San Francisco 49ers: 17/5 at Bet365
New York Giants: 11/4 at Paddy Power
Baltimore Ravens: 7/1 at Boylesports

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It’s Thanksgiving in the US on Thursday, November 24th, and online bookie Paddy Power have a nice little Free Bet special running to celebrate. Not surprisingly this is surrounding American Football, which takes pride of place amongst the turkey and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. The big story around the NFL this season is the Green Bay Packers. The Wisconsin franchise are still unbeaten on the season, running off ten wins, and with just six matches remaining on the season, all the hype is over whether or not they can have the perfect season. The Green Bay Packers head to Detroit to face the Lions on Thanksgiving, the team directly beneath them in their division, the NFC North. The Lions are three games back from the Packers (having won 7 and lost 3 for the season) so this is not going to be an easy Thanksgiving for the Packers, and the Lions will be hungry to take a massive bite out of the Packers quest for a perfect season. The Detroit Lions v Green Bay Packers match is just one of three Thanksgiving NFL matches which online bookmaker Paddy Power are running a betting promotion for.

In the NFC East, we see leaders the Dallas Cowboys face off against the Miami Dolphins in a Thanksgiving fest as well. This is in Texas and the Cowboys have the chance to rack up a good win here to keep themselves ahead of divisional rivals the New York Giants who hold the same season record as the Cowboys. The Miami Dolphins are struggling along in with AFC East, having won just three games all season, so we should see the Cowboys blow them out of the water here.

The third match up in the Paddy Power NFL Thanksgiving promotion, is the San Francisco 49er s at the Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers are a big threat to the Green Bay Packers in their hunt for the NFC Conference and Superbowl ambitions. The 49ers are on a 9-1 match record for the season and will look for a good win on Thanksgiving and hope that the Lions become the first team to breach the Packers. While no-one can match the power of the Packers attack, the 49ers have one of the best defences in the NFL, far better than Green Bay, and they will bank on that as they hit Baltimore, who are top of the AFC North with a 7-3 season record. This is likely to be a pretty tight game, with plenty at stake for both of the teams.

All of these three matches for November 24th are covered by the Paddy Power Thanksgiving NFL Free Bet Special. If the last score in any of these games is a Field Goal, then the highly popular bookie will refund all losing Match Handicap Bets as a free bet, to be used on the forthcoming weekends’ American Football coupon. So if you enjoy a handicap punt on the NFL, then you can take this bit of insurance for three of the hottest Thanksgiving match ups. Let us take a quick look at the handicap market for these three Thanksgiving matches.

Green Bay Packers (-6.0) for 10/11 at Detroit Lions (+6.0) for 10/11
Miami Dolphins (+7.0) for 10/11 at Dallas Cowboys (-7.0) for 10/11
San Francisco (+3) for 11/10 at Baltimore Ravens -(3.0) for 11/13

Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers as a sign up bonus. The bookie will match the value of a first stake on a new account, with a free bet up to the maximum value of £50, giving you some great free betting cash to work with!

The NFL owners have got their way over a new financial package and the new season will get under way this week. The New England Patriots are marginal favourites to land the SuperBowl in January at a best 13/2 with bwin, ahead of defending NFL champions the Green Bay Packers (7/1 general).

The Patriots undoubtedly have the most streamlined offense in the NFL and their defensive record will improve this year if Leigh Bodden stays fit to bolster the right side. They are unlikely to be far away again and look a stand-out for the AFC Championship at Blue Square and 888sport‘s 10/3. The only fly in the ointment would appear to be the Baltimore Ravens, whose apparent decision to dispense with veterans like Todd Heap and Derrick Mason, who have served them so well in recent years, and turn to youth will either make or break the franchise. Much will depend on the emergence of Ed Dickson but the Ravens will almost certainly win more than they lose this year and can be backed at 17/2 on betfair to thwart the Patriots in the AFC and 18/1 with Stan James to win SuperBowl.

Turning to the Packers, who are a general 7/2 to win the NFC Championship. Of course, if they can maintain the same intensity as last year then there’s no reason why their won’t be another SuperBowl title winging its way back to Lambeau Field in January. Aaron Rodgers will again be the focus of media attention this year and many pundits are predicting he and his young team can scale even greater heights in the years ahead. But how many times have quarterbacks been promoted to legend status on the back of one brilliant season only to fall flat on their face the next? So comfortable was it for the Packers last season that there is almost certain to be complacency in some quarters this time around and, though much was made of their extensive injury list at the back-end of last year, few of those missing could be regarded as regular starters. I’d be a little bit wary of backing them at restrictive odds until seeing evidence that they were in the right frame of mind.

If I was a having a bet, therefore, I’d be looking at the Philadelphia Eagles. I really like the way they’ve restructured since last season and the hiring of ex-Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd could be a master stroke. If former bad boy Michael Vick can stay match-fit, the Eagles could make serious inroads this season and make plenty of appeal at 9/2 with Stan James to oust the Packers and win the NFC. They are 9/1 with the same firm to win SuperBowl, which is just too big if most of owner Jeffrey Lurie‘s gambles pay off. Even if quarterback Vick misses a few games, the Eagles have an excellent back-up in Vince Young and it shouldn’t be forgotten that they had the third-best scoring record in the NFL last year and second in yardage gained. Nnamdi Asomugha and Jason Babin will add further steel to their defense this season and the Eagles may well to be the team to beat in 2011.

San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos Spread Betting: Sunday’s annual visit to Wembley for the NFL, sees the San Francisco 49’ers square off against the Denver Broncos in a regular season match. This isn’t the greatest showcase which the NFL could have sent across the pond, as both teams are sitting bottom of their respective divisions, but that having been said, it should be an exciting affair because both are desperate for points. The NFL is keen to make a big presence in Europe, as that means more revenue, and talks over having a European league will raise its head again, as one of the most popular betting sports hits the capital. With massive squads, massive guys and trunks full of protective gearing, American Football is followed with religious fervour in the States, even at grass roots high school level. While the Superbowl is the pinnacle of the game, the equivalent of the FA Cup final, there is a lot of swagger, bravado and showmanship about the game, and with all the stops and starts during play, a match can rumble on for hours. It also provides a wealth of great betting opportunities.

So let’s taking an American Football betting preview on the big Wembley showcase, starting with the San Francisco 49’ers. Even if you don’t really follow the NFL action, you have probably heard of the 49’ers. It’s just one of those things in sport. What sucks for them really, is that they have lost their starting quarter back, Alex Smith who has a separated shoulder. The quarter back is the attacking maestro with the ball, who calls all the shots and runs the game for the offence. The 49’ers have even overlooked their back up quarter back David Carr who had a bit of a nightmare filling in against Carolina, throwing an interception pass which lost them the match, so San Francisco have called upon Troy Smith to start the match. This Smith didn’t even make an impression during training camp, so it’s a surprise that the team are pulling out such desperate measures. As sports betting followers will know, form is everything, and that is one thing which the 49’ers do not have right now. Out of their first seven matches of the new season, they have won just once, and have a 1-4 match record in the last five. While their defence hasn’t been whole heartedly solid in enough matches, what is worrying for the team, is the offence not scoring enough. They aren’t the worst offensive team in the National Football Conference at all, but they certainly aren’t the best. While teams have posted upwards of 150 points in their opening matches, San Francisco have just teetered over the 100 mark. They have a terrible away record of losing all four played on the road this season, this game is a little different. It is almost a chance, on neutral ground, to wipe the slate clean and get their season rolling. Already they have a lot of catching up to do in their division, NFC West. A crucial game for the San Francisco 49’ers, but with all that having been said about them, they actually go into the match as favourite. That is not strong favourites, but when you look across betting lines, they are fancied to tip the match, even with their quarterback problems, which doesn’t say too much about the Denver Broncos. Main threats should come from Frank Gore who is the leading receiver for the 49’ers and Vernon Davies who has four touchdowns to his name this year, and leads the way in receiving yards. The defence is conceding an average 23.1 points per match this season, the offence is average 16.1.

Denver have done slightly better than San Francisco this season (and they are in the tougher conference), albeit by winning one more game than Sunday’s opponents have done. Yes, that gives them a record of two wins out of seven this season, but the one stat which stands out, and why the 49’ers are being tipped to edge this NFL Wembley showdown, is that Denver have the second worst defensive record in the whole of the NFL, having conceded 199 points in their seven matches. They are currently on a three game losing streak though, including an absolute embarrassing hammering by the Oakland Raiders last weekend, where the Broncos were played off the park in every aspect of the game. That was a severely brutal loss of 14-59, and the Broncos looked completely demoralised and out of shape, allowing Oakland to set a franchise record for points. There is immense pressure now on their head coach, and they need a big response at Wembley. One of the weakest aspects of their game is the running game, which is frankly, paltry and the 49’ers defence shouldn’t have too many problems coping in that department. However, when the ball is in the air, the Broncos have done OK, with main threats coming from Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Lloyd (3 touchdowns). Denver is scoring an average of 19.7 points per game this season, and the defence is shipping a frightening 28.4 points per match. It’s clear from those stats to see where their problems lie, but there is a silver lining as Denver hold a pretty good pass defence, which may just shut down any aerial threat from San Francisco.

It all adds up to what should be a relatively low scoring match, with neither team exactly looking prolific. Both teams will be hugely disappointed with the way the seasons have gone so far, but looking at things on paper, the San Francisco 49’ers look to have that extra edge in quality, if they can get their game going. There will be a lot of pressure on Troy Smith coming in at quarterback, but perhaps the neutral venue will ease some of that pressure and allow him to relax a little bit. Smith is someone who hasn’t held down a starting job for over three years. Can he find space to work with against Denver’s decent pass defence? If the 49’ers look to run the ball, there really doesn’t look to be much of a threat coming from there, which all adds up to a bit of parity in this match, and why the Moneylines for San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos is running pretty close. Looking at the match up, there really isn’t a clear favourite, as neither team look as if they can be trusted to put out a complete performance for the entire matches. Is there enough offensive skills to take advantage of defensive lapses on either sides? The upshot is, that Denver are slight underdogs because of their losing streak, coupled with the beat down which they received against Oakland. This actually makes for interesting American Football betting, as taking Denver in a spread here, may just pay off.

As this is a North American Sport, let’s take a look at betting on the San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos match from a North American betting perspective. That means looking at Spread Betting, for which we will head to Bodog for some fantastic coverage.

San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos Point Spread
First and foremost let’s look at the spread for this one. Across the board at moneylines, you are only going to find a spread of one point. The San Francisco 49’ers are -1, meaning that they are starting as slight favourites and need to win the match by beating that one points deficit. The match is expected to a very tight encounter, but going Under on the Broncos looks a decent punt actually. So, here you can place a wager on the Niner’s to “cover the spread” by winning the game, or back Denver to beat the Spread by taking them in the positive of +1. Remember that with spread betting, you need to bet on the correct side of the spread to win money. You place your stake and the more right you are, the more you will win. Read on for more about spread betting.

San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos Totals
The match total on this match at Extrabet, is running at 41-44 currently. This market is for the total points scored in the match, and if you look at the average scoring stats above in the preview, you can see why it is where it is. This is spread betting still. You decide whether you want to buy or sell units. If you buy, then you want the Totals score to be over the spread. So if you buy at £1, for each point over 44, you will win a £1 profit. However, for every point under the Totals spread of 41, you will lose £1. This is the risk and reward of spread betting! Alternatively, if you think the score is going to be Under the Totals spread, then you can sell. For every point under the Totals Spread, you will win whatever stake you laid down, but if the game goes over the Totals Spread, you will lose for every point over. If you look at Bodog, you will see things presented slightly differently. Again, in this market, you need to decide if you want to go over or under, and both options are set at a price of -110 at Bodog. What does that mean? Well, because the figure is in the minus, in moneyline terms that is the amount which you need to stake in order to win back £100. So, in order to win £100, you need to place a bet of £110. Naturally not everyone wants to have such a large punt, so if you placed a £11 bet, you would win back £10, so you can work out your percentage of the moneyline that way. Not a lot of value in it, simply because the match is expected to be tight. However, going over is looking like the way to swing on this one, because Denver have gone Over the points total in five of their last six matches, and four of the last six matches against San Francisco have gone Over the totals. A nice betting trend to swing along with. Remember, with Spread Betting, the more right you are, the more you will win. The more wrong you are, the more you will lose. This is the risks and rewards of betting the North American way.

San Francisco 49’ers v Denver Broncos  Supremacy
For this market, we go to Extrabet, who are a brilliant online bookmaker offering both spread betting and fixed odds. A supremacy bet is a winning margin bet. For the San Francisco 49’ers v Denver match, there is a San Francisco/Denver Supremacy of 0-2 (the first named team is the one with the supremacy). What does this mean? Is means that you need San Francisco to win by more than two points because the bookie thinks that San Francisco are 2 points better than Denver overall in scoring. What this essentially says, is that the 49′ers are going to be two points better than San Francisco in the match. So, if they win by two points you have hit parity and don’t win, but for every point over a two point winning margin, you will be earning yourself some profit. So, if you have staked £10 on a San Francisco Supremacy of 2 points and they win by three points, you will win £10 profit. If they win by five points, then you will win £30 (i.e., the winning margin minus the supremacy taken multiplied by your stake).

Fixed Odds
Of course, there are plenty of good fixed odds options on the match if that is the way you want to go for Sunday’s big game.

Bets Odds on Outrights for the match are:
San Francisco 49’ers to win 20/23 at BetFred
Denver Broncos to win 21/20 at Bet365

Frank Gore 1st Touchdown Scorer: 4/1 at ExtraBet
Vernon Davis 1st Touchdown Scorer: 7/1 at ExtraBet

Green Bay Packers remain 15/2 market leaders for the SuperBowl with Skybet, Blue Square and 888sport, despite going down to a late Robbie Gould field goal at Chicago. The Bears are now 25/1 with totesport, Boylesports and Paddy Power to win the trophy themselves after extending their unbeaten record but are available at a general 10/1 to win the NFC nomination, while the Packers are no bigger than 10/3 (Coral). Chicago will be hoping to continue their perfect start to the season when they face the New York Giants in the Monday night game next week. For the second week running, the Giants looked a long way off the pace when going down to Tennessee in their latest match-up and have subsequently drifted out to a general 9/2 to win the NFC East. Miami Dolphins won their first two games, sparking hopes of a return to the glory days in Florida. But a 31-23 reverse against AFC East rivals the New York Jets last week has brought Fins’ fans back down to earth. Tony Spararno‘s team are out to 11/4 with Boylesports and Betfred to take the divisional honours with the Jets a best 7/5 with Boylesports and New England Patriots 13/8 with Betfred.

I must say, if I was having a punt on the outright SuperBowl winner this season I’d be taking a good look at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Few teams can match the Steelers’ overall record since the inception of the modern NFL and they have that happy knack of making the play-offs even if they don’t appear to be at the top of their game throughout the regular season. Having coached his team to SuperBowl glory in 2008, Mike Tomlin knows the type of players he needs on his roster and will have been encouraged to see reserve quarterback Charlie Batch step up to the plate in Dennis Dixon‘s absence with two touchdown passes as the Steelers kept up their winning run against Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. That represents Pittsburgh’s best start to a season since 2007 and they look a tempting bet at 14/1 with Betfred to go all the way. Tomlin’s team are 13/8 with the same firm to win the AFC North.

Superbowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints is being billed as the big quarterback showdown between Peyton Manning and Drew Brees but I think the key figure in the tussle in Miami‘s Sun Life Stadium could be the Colts‘ running back Pierre Garcon. Rain has been falling persisitently in south Florida since the weekend, threatening to turn the field into a quagmire and making handling conditions difficult, and that could persuade both quarterbacks to limit the number of long plays they target towards their regular wide receivers. So step forward Monsieur Garcon! In his second season with the Colts, the 23-year-old New Yorker has accumulated a return of 11 catches and 151 receiving yards and his ability to run at speed from deep was too much for the Jets‘ defense to handle in the AFC Championship game. The Saints‘ defense will more than likely be doubling up on Colts‘ first-choice receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark so Garcon’s ability to latch on to the short pass could be even more important and he looks a decent bet at a general 12-1 to score the first touchdown of what promises to be a high-scoring game. Peyton Manning‘s credentials as the Colts‘ possible match-winner are well-advertised. The NFL’s Most Valuable Player of 2009 did, after all, lead the Colts to victory in Miami three years ago – but what of opposite number Drew Brees? The former Chargers‘ QB is widely regarded as one of the most innovative in his position in the NFL and he’ll acquire legendary status if he manages to steer the Saints to victory in their first-ever appearance in the Superbowl. He’s formed a productive partnership with Marques Colston (10-1 with boylesports, Ladbrokes and William Hill to score the first touchdown) but Brees may have to temper his adventurous nature if the play demands it and one can’t be sure how he’ll react if things start to turn against his team. The Colts have a very mobile defense and Brees will find himself under immense pressure every time he has ball in hand and he looked very nervy in the NFC championship decider against the Vikings. That game exposed the Saints‘ defensive limitations to some degree and Manning is probably a more consistent quarterback than the legendary Brett Favre nowadays so Colts‘ fans will be hopeful their man can enjoy similar success in opening up the opposition’s flanks. I  believe that the Colts will be much too strong for the Superbowl rookies and would recommend backing them to overcome a five-point start for the Saints at Evens with Stan James. I would even suggest they may be capable of racking up a double-figure points margin if grabbing the early initiative so the general 6-1 for a 13-18 winning points margin in favour of the Colts also makes some appeal.

Sunday sees one of the biggest sporting annual televised events hit the screens across the world, as the NFL’s Super Bowl rides into Miami. Only recently has the Champions League Final overtaken the Superbowl in terms of worldwide viewing figures, and even with all of the hype surrounding this big event, very often the $200 million which gets spent on TV advertising during the game, produces more interesting results. This year however, promises to be a real showcase of the best of the attacking game between the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts and the NFC’s New Orleans Saints.

Something which does not happen too often, indeed you would need to go back nearly twenty years to find the previous occasion, is that winners of both conferences are actually meeting in the Super Bowl. The two sides were dominant throughout the early stages of the regular season, and it looked even from an early viewpoint, that they would be meeting each other in the NFL’s showcase. But with some blips coming into both of their season’s near the end, their confidence could have been rocked. It was not to be however, as both fairly cruised their way through their conference play-offs to Sunday’s Final.

To many outside, American Football looks boring, and looks overly complicated. Granted there is not the flow of a rugby union match, to which it can be most closely associated, but there is a sense of technical overabundance and showmanship, which all works. The players are padded up to the hilt, and for the most part, play perfectly into their role of over the top sportsmanship. The game has tried to crack Europe, with little to mediocre success, although there is another planned regular season game in the UK in October between the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins. For many outside of the US, it remains something of an enigma, yet many sports fans tune in to watch the Super Bowl and of course, have a once-a-year punt on American Football.

The NFL is broken down into two conferences, each conference, the AFL and the NFL, consisting of four divisions in each. Quite confusingly, instead of eight teams, only six teams make it through to each of the conference’s play-off stages. Each conference play-off will consist of the four division winners (get seeded from 1-4 based on the win, loss, tie record), and then two wildcard entries make it. Wildcard 1, plays Division winner 4, and Wildcard 2, plays Division winner 3. The winners of those games will go on to play either Division Winner 1 or Division Winner 2 in what is essentially a conference semi finals. The winner of each of the conference’s finals, go head to head for overall NFL supremacy in the Super Bowl.

If you are looking for a favourite, then the smart sports betting money will be going on the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts. They have star Quarter Back (the equivalent of Rugby’s scrum-half for the un-ordained American Football fan) Payton Manning, who has been to the SuperBowl before and won it. He has the coveted Super Bowl ring, which is an actual gold ring, and not something you get from sitting on the lavatory for too long, and he has the experience to guide his team to glory. For the New Orleans Saints, it would be a sporting victory that would epitomise the hope of a region, even five years on from the devastation which Hurricane Katrina wreaked. The Saints very nearly had to find a new home altogether on a permanent basis, but their strength has put them in a perfect spot to complete something of a fairy tale story.

The New Orleans Saints have brought the best out of Quarter Back Drew Bees, who was bounced around the NFL a little before finding an adopted home where he could flourish. He is in many respects, the all-American hero, portrayed as a quiet spoken, humble hero. Should he carry the Saints to a victory on Sunday, he will be revered along the path to a Hall of Fame spot. Like Manning, Bees has an attacking arsenal that can split games wide open and rack up the points. The Saints may have the edge in defence, as they are quick up on the line of scrimmage, but both Quarter Backs are quick and intelligent. These two combatants are considered the best that the NFL has, and that is why there is great hopes that the 2010 SuperBowl really can stand head and shoulders as one of the best.

Super Bowl XLIV Outright Odds
Indianapolis Colts to win: 8/15 at Bwin
New Orleans Saints: 9/5 at Boylesports

New Orleans
Average points per game for: 31.9 points per game (1st overall)
Average points per game against: 21.3 pointer per game (20th overall)

Indianapolis Colts
Average points per game: 26.0 (7th overall)
Average points per game against: 19.2 points per game (8th Overall)

There’s good news and bad news for supporters of the Tennessee Titans, the only team with a perfect record so far in this season’s NFL. First the good news; of the 10 teams to have started the campaign with a 10-0 record since the NFL merger in 1970, seven have gone on to make the Super Bowl with five of those going on to win the big prize. Ladbrokes are offering 33-1 for the Titans to go through the season unbeaten and win Super Bowl XLIII but, even at those odds, they are unlikely to have many takers as Jeff Fisher’s collection of journeymen and rookies showed distinct signs that the bubble may be about to burst against Jacksonville last week and have potentially much harder tasks ahead before the play-offs.

Now the bad news; the Giants are on a roll! New York‘s finest shredded the previously watertight Ravens‘ defense last week with last season’s MVP Eli Manning looking back to his imperious best. Big Blue’s record this term now reads 9-1 having won 13 of their last 14 competitive games, and they are beginning to make a mockery of the general consensus that last season’s Super Bowl success was a fluke. I particular like the way a real team ethic is at the heart of most of the Giants‘ best work and even at a best-priced 33-10 on Betfair Tom Coughlin‘s all-action side, playing in their penultimate season at the Giants Stadium before moving to a new arena around the corner, are probably still a fair bit of value.

Racing punters who can get out of bed to make the most of early price-ups might be interested in the news that Stan James have extended their best odds offer in the UK up to December 31st. Basically, if you take a price and your horse is returned at bigger odds (the same offer also includes board prices), you are paid out at those bigger odds. As with these deals, I expect there are probably limits to how much you can stake but it’s still a good sign that bookmakers are prepared to run with these promotions in the middle of a recession.