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09/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants will officially christen their new stadium by hosting the same opponent the team closed out its old venue against. They'll be hoping for a vastly different outcome, however.
New York gave a most improper sendoff to Giants Stadium, the franchise's home for 34 seasons, by dropping a 41-9 decision to the Carolina Panthers in the penultimate week of the 2009 campaign. In perhaps an intended twist of irony, the NFL's schedule-makers have given Big Blue a quick opportunity to avenge that embarrassing defeat this Sunday, when the Giants and Panthers each begin their 2010 ledger in the first regular-season game held at Meadowlands Stadium.
That late-December meeting offered an accurate symbol as to how both teams closed out their respective years. The lopsided victory was one of four by Carolina over the final five weeks of the 2009 season, a turnaround that coincided with lightly-tested quarterback Matt Moore's takeover of the position following an injury to veteran incumbent Jake Delhomme. The Giants, on the other hand, lost eight of their last 11 contests after a 5-0 start and had a string of four consecutive playoff appearances come to an end.
Even with rookie second-round pick Jimmy Clausen waiting in the wings, Moore enters 2010 as the Panthers' unquestioned starter under center after completing nearly 63 percent of his passes and throwing just one interception during the 4-1 finish. The former undrafted free agent will again be aided by a punishing ground game headlined by one of the league's premier ball-carrying duos in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who became the first teammates to rush for over 1,100 yards in a season last year.
Stewart had a field day against New York's submissive defense in last December's rout, with the third-year pro establishing a Panthers' single-game record by racking up 206 yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts.
Performances like that one were all too common for a Giants' stop unit that was woeful down the stretch of last season, surrendering 40 or more points in five of the team's eight defeats. The organization went to great lengths to fortify that side of the ball as a result, bringing in ex-Bills coordinator and interim head coach Perry Fewell to serve as the defensive architect and landing several new pieces through either free agency (safety Antrel Rolle, linebacker Keith Bulluck) or the draft (end and first-round draft choice Jason Pierre-Paul).
Carolina will have plenty of new faces on defense as well, with five starters from the 2009 edition no longer on owner Jerry Richardson's payroll. The most notable departure is Julius Peppers, with the All-Pro end taking his freakish athletic talents and 81 career sacks in eight seasons to Chicago during the free agent signing period.
The 82,566-seat Meadowlands Stadium, a joint venture between the Giants and crosstown-rival Jets in which both teams will share tenancy, is the second- largest facility in the NFL in total seating and will be the site of Super Bowl XLVIII in February of 2014.
SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers lead the all-time series with the Giants, 3-2, breaking a deadlock in the series with the aforementioned 41-9 demolition of Big Blue in North Jersey in Week 16 of last season. New York won the previous meeting, a 34-28 overtime affair at the Meadowlands in Week 16 of the 2008 campaign.
The most memorable contest between the two occurred in a 2005 NFC First-Round Playoff, a 23-0 blanking of the Giants by the Panthers in the swamps of Jersey.
Panthers head coach John Fox is 3-2 in his career against the Giants, for whom he served as defensive coordinator from 1997 through 2001. New York's Tom Coughlin is 2-2 against Fox, but is 4-2 against the Panthers, with two of the wins dating back to his tenure with Jacksonville (1995-2002).
WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL
With a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the backfield and a quarterback with only eight career starts under his belt, it's no secret what the Panthers' offensive intentions will be come Sunday. Carolina ranked third in the NFL in rushing (156.1 ypg) in 2009 and gashed the Giants for 247 yards on the ground in last year's visit, with Stewart (1133 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 11 total TD) doing most of the damage while Williams (1117 rushing yards, 7 TD, 29 receptions) sat out with a sprained ankle. Expect the latter to get the bulk of the work in Week 1, however, since Stewart missed the entire preseason while on the mend from heel surgery and may be limited in the opener. Moore (1053 passing yards, 8 TD, 2 INT) showed to be an effective game manager in his late-season audition, and the 26-year-old figures to be used in a similar capacity due to the team's excellent running game and a lack of reliable pass- catchers outside of star wideout Steve Smith (65 receptions, 7 TD). Dwayne Jarrett (17 receptions, 1 TD) and Brandon LaFell (3rd Round, LSU) are the main candidates to line up outside the four-time Pro Bowler, and one is a career underachiever and the other an unproven rookie. The Panthers will be without one of their top run blockers for the game, with hulking right tackle Jeff Otah still recovering from a knee procedure, but the offense didn't suffer when backup Geoff Schwartz filled in at that spot for the final three games of last season.
Although the Giants' biggest problems on defense came against the pass last season, they'll obviously have to do a better job in handling Carolina's physicality at the line of scrimmage in order to have a successful home opener. The addition of Bulluck (108 tackles, 3 INT with Tennessee), a two- time Pro Bowl participant who's started 130 games over a 10-year career, is expected to help stabilize a linebacking corps that was shaky a year ago, and he and speedy weakside starter Michael Boley (84 tackles, 1 sack) will be counted on to prevent the Panthers' backs from running wild. The safety situation was an even bigger mess in 2009, but the signing of the playmaking Rolle (72 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 INT with Arizona) and talented third-year man Kenny Phillips' (13 tackles, 2 INT) comeback from a career-threatening knee injury that limited him to two games last year should help shore up that area. The secondary would also benefit from bounce-back years out of ends Justin Tuck (59 tackles, 6 sacks), Osi Umenyiora (29 tackles, 7 sacks) and Mathias Kiwanuka (61 tackles, 3 sacks), three accomplished pass rushers who all endured a dip in production last season.
WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL
New York led the NFL in rushing yards during its 12-4 season of 2008, but morphed into more of a pass-oriented operation last year to take advantage of Eli Manning's continued progress as a quarterback and the team's young talent at wide receiver. Manning (4021 passing yards, 27 TD, 14 INT) established career-bests in nearly every statistical category in 2009 as the triggerman of an offense that averaged 265.4 yards per game through the air (11th overall), while the Giants' Steve Smith (1220 receiving yards, 7 TD) shattered a club record with 107 catches en route to a Pro Bowl nod. Fellow wideout Hakeem Nicks (47 receptions, 6 TD), New York's top pick in the 2009 draft, quickly emerged as a dangerous big-play threat during his rookie campaign, while third-year pro Mario Manningham (57 receptions, 5 TD) and tight end Kevin Boss (42 receptions, 5 TD) give Manning two more useful options when he drops back to throw. The ground attack was a disappointment last season, with top backs Brandon Jacobs (835 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 6 total TD) and Ahmad Bradshaw (778 rushing yards, 7 TD, 21 receptions) both hampered by injuries and an aging offensive line displaying signs of decline. Bradshaw looked healthy and quick during the preseason, though, and seems to have supplanted the 264-pound Jacobs as the primary man in the backfield.
Look for the Giants to get back to basics and utilize a smashmouth approach against an undersized Carolina defense that finished 22nd versus the run (124.8 ypg) and won't have one of its impact stoppers, weakside linebacker Thomas Davis (61 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 INT), due to a probable season-ending ACL tear incurred during minicamp. Two-time All-Pro Jon Beason (141 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INT) will shift from the middle into Davis' spot in the reconfigured arrangement, with ex-Penn State star Dan Connor (30 tackles) entering the starting lineup inside. The Panthers will also miss the game-changing skills of Peppers, though the team still possesses a host of capable pass-rushers in ends Tyler Brayton (45 tackles, 5 sacks), Charles Johnson (25 tackles, 4 sacks) and situational sophomore Everette Brown (22 tackles, 2.5 sacks). The trio's ability to generate pressure should assist a solid secondary that yielded the fourth-fewest passing yards in the league in 2009 and contains two quality covermen in cornerbacks Chris Gamble (58 tackles, 4 INT, 12 PD) and Richard Marshall (88 tackles, 4 INT).
FANTASY FOCUS
With both offenses looking to establish themselves on the ground, the running backs seem to be the safest sources of fantasy points in this matchup. Stewart's preseason ailments make Williams the more attractive member of Carolina's outstanding tandem, though both are worth using on Sunday. Bradshaw's ascent up the depth chart has vaulted him into thumbs-up status, but Jacobs is a riskier play despite a proven pedigree (15 touchdowns in '08). Manning is more of a low-end No. 1 option at quarterback and will be facing a defense that was strong against the pass last year, so owners should proceed with caution. The Panthers' conservative game plan and shaky receiving corps puts Moore squarely on the sit 'em list for the time being.
As for the receivers, start Steve Smith this week. Both of them. The two wideouts with identical names are the definite focal points of their respective teams' aerial attacks and will get plenty of balls thrown their way. Nicks has upside as a flex alternative, but no other Giants pass-catcher is consistent enough to recommend and Carolina's remaining choices should only be used out of extreme desperation. Though there's potential for a low-scoring contest, neither defense is overly appealing. New York needs to show it's over last year's meltdown and the Panthers lost a wealth of playmakers from last year's group.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
These teams share similar styles and philosophies, but the Giants seem to have an edge in established talent over a Carolina squad that's made a half-hearted commitment to a youth movement, and that will be the difference here. Playing at home in a charged-up environment at a new stadium should also work in New York's favor, and keep in mind that the Giants have historically started off well under Coughlin, having gone undefeated in each of the past two Septembers. It may not be a cakewalk, as the Panthers' ability to run the football and limit big plays on defense could keep them within striking distance, but the Giants aren't about to blow a golden opportunity to atone for last winter's humiliating loss and put the 2009 collapse behind them.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Giants 20, Panthers 14
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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