 NFL in London
England has survived the Blitz in World War II, Twiggy and Camilla Parker Bowles. Now we send them the Saints and Chargers. Haven’t the Brits suffered enough?
If it was ever possible to limp across an ocean, these two teams would have done so earlier this week. Battered, bruised and in need of psychological help as much physical repair, San Diego and New Orleans are spending this week getting ready for their game Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London.
The Chargers and Saints are both 3-4 and coming off depressing road losses which have them trying to figure out if they are as good as they thought they were a month ago. Both teams are at a crossroads, even if they each had to spend 6 hours in an airplane to get there.
It’s been a particularly difficult season for West Coast teams traveling east. The local time in London is eight hours ahead of what the Chargers are accustomed to, but oddsmakers are confident each team is taking the necessary precautions.
“NFL teams do a ton of planning,” says Tony Sinsini, odds director for Las Vegas Sports Consultants. “I’m sure both teams will be prepared for the challenges of playing in London.”
The Dolphins and Giants didn’t set the bar too high last year when they traveled across the pond and for the first NFL game in Europe. New York slogged its way to a 13-10 victory in a game made interesting only by the appearance of a streaker. They were not sure who the chap was, but Refrigerator Perry was immediately ruled out.
The books remember how the weather turned the game into a sloppy affair, but that didn’t affect the total for this game.
“We look at the long range forecast, but there wasn’t too much there,” says Sinisi. “It’s something to consider, but you don’t want to move too far off the number you originally had in mind.”
It’s hard to tell how many American football fans will be among the 90,000 jamming Wembley on Sunday. Organizers say that the event would have been a sellout even if the first 50,000 fans through the turnstiles weren’t receiving Margaret Thatcher bobble-head dolls.
Truth be told, the Brits have had an uneasy feeling about the NFL for a few years now, ever since Tampa Bay Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer reached into his pocket and laid down $1.47 billion for a controlling interest in the Manchester United soccer team. It’s said the takeover was a bit hostile, the old owners being the actual fans themselves. When Glazer won out (we Americans are much better at taking what we want than the rest of the world is), the hooligans’ worst suspicions were realized when one of his first acts was raising tickets prices by more than 40 percent. The fans responded by doing what they do best - brooding in the local pub. Eventually they had downed enough Guinesses to advance to step two singing anti-Glazer songs.
Assuming the Chargers and Saints survive a week of tea, tarts, warm beer and fish & chips, the English fans will be seeing two charter members of the NFL’s 2007 Underachieving Class.
San Diego, in particular, is a basket case. The Chargers haven’t recovered from their playoff loss in New England last winter, let alone the Ed Hochuli screw-job in Week 2 or the season-ending injury to Shawne Merriman. LaDainian Tomlinson had only 41 yards on 14 carries against the Bills last Sunday, and Philip Rivers turned the ball over three times. You think Norv Turner hasn’t noticed that three head coaches have already been fired this season?
Still, as they say in politics you can’t beat someone with no one, and the Chargers had to be stifling laughs Monday night as they watched first-place Denver bended, folded and mutilated by a flawed New England team. Granted, the Broncos have an easier schedule through November and December than San Diego does, but both teams would gladly take 9-7 right now, and 8-8 might even win the West.
“It is a good escape for us,” Tomlinson told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I think it really gives us time to take a deep breath, time to get away from the national media in the States an just have some time to ourselves and really just get close and bond a little bit.”
New Orleans, meanwhile, may have a case of Toronto Blue Jays disease - being a decent team stuck in the wrong division. The Saints are looking up at three solid teams (Bucs, Panthers and Falcons) in the NFC South. They have six division games left, and unless they can grab five of them, how do they overtake three teams? It doesn’t help that Reggie Bush is out for a month, but Bush’s return is moot if NO continues to give up more than 30 points each road game.
The Saints are considered the home team in London, but the books like San Diego and are offered three points for anyone interested in New Orleans. Some books are dangling 47.5 on the total, and the under may be worth a serious look since the third Wednesday in July is the only day of the year that it is not cold and drizzly in London and at last check New Orleans and San Diego were warm-weather teams.
“I like Chargers in this matchup,” says Michael Perry at Logans.com. “The Saints are a banged-up unit. Reggie Bush is out for over a month due to a knee injury and Jeremy Shockey’s status is uncertain. It wouldn’t surprise me if the game went to 3.5. The Chargers still are sitting pretty to win the AFC West. The Saints on the other hand look like they will miss the playoffs again.”
Raji | 
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