Let’s be honest. There’s no subtlety here. We can’t wait for football to finally start.
But is anyone really planning to watch Sunday’s Hall of Fame game, let alone bet on the Oakland Raiders-Philadelphia Eagles matchup?
“Zero,” Bowmans (Bowmans.com) bet shop manager Scott Kaminsky said when asked how much betting action the Raiders-Eagles game would bring.
Kaminsky wasn’t being totally facetious.
“Everybody’s excited football is back,” he says. “They’re getting reports from camp on how all the teams and their favorite players are doing. Everyone is buzzing about the first week. But, in actuality, people won’t bet this game.
“First of all, the starters only will play one or two series. I’m sure if you checked the TV ratings it won’t be very high. There’s not a real lot of interest in preseason. The handle is very small. Interest starts in Week 1.”
Aaron Brooks is going to start for the Raiders. Don’t blink, though, or you`ll miss him.
As for the Eagles, do you really want to watch Reno Mahe run the ball? Maybe even return punts? He did lead the NFL in punt return average last season. Mahe figures to get carries from scrimmage considering Brian Westbrook has stomach flu, Correll Buckhalter is recovering from two knee surgeries the last two years and Ryan Moats has strained knee ligaments.
There’s no reason for Andy Reid to take a chance on these guys. There’s no reason for any starters to play much, at all, in the first of a ridiculous six preseason games for his team. By the time the Eagles get done playing the New York Jets a second time to conclude preseason, every Philly player may have caught a pass, including kicker David Akers.
And that’s one of the problems bettors have with team’s opening exhibition games. Oh, excuse me – preseason games.
“The NFL is the most popular wagering sport,” Kaminsky says. “Why? Because the general public feels they can identify with the players. They feel they know how good and bad the teams are. How many times do you hear anyone say did you bet college baseball? Their answer is what do I know about college baseball. So they don’t bet it.
“They feel they know something about the NFL. But they don’t feel they know anything about the teams that play in preseason because there are too many scrubs playing.”
The storylines aren’t very compelling, unless you’re intrigued by such questions like is Eagles backup quarterback Jeff Garcia washed up, or how many tackles Raiders free-agent linebacker Timi Wusu makes?
Word has it the Philadelphia boo-birds already are calling Garcia horrible, something fans in Detroit could easily have told them. Terrell Owens isn’t with the Eagles anymore. Good thing for Garcia. Then he’d really hear harsh criticism.
“They (people) might be interested in the beginning since it’s the first game, but then they realize they’re watching a game where they have no idea who’s playing,” said Jay Kornegay, sports book director at the Las Vegas Hilton.
There has been some line movement on the matchup, though. Philadelphia opened -2 and has been bet up to -3 with the total going from 35 ½ to 36 ½.
“Those were money moves,” Kornegay says. “It wasn’t huge public money moving it. It looks like more of a wise guy betting game.”
That’s not a surprise, since professional bettors like to get involved in preseason.
“Wise guys bet more when they find out information on who’s playing and who’s not,” Kaminsky says. “That’s when the steam starts hitting. We’ll definitely write business from the sharp guys then.
“But the general public isn’t interested in playing right now.”
Sneaks