Michael Vick is a walking controversy and has no one to blame but himself. From the idiotic 'Ron Mexico' herpes fiasco, to the one-finger salute he gave booing Falcons’ fans, and the curious airport water-bottle incident, Vick seems better able to dodge would-be tacklers than so-called ‘character’ issues.
Vick ramifications rock wagering world
But none of those controversial issues even compares to Vick’s latest off-field problems surrounding his alleged connections to dog fighting. Once again Vick is giving Atlanta another major headache that could end up torpedoing the upcoming season for the Falcons.
After finishing 7-9 last year, a whole lot wasn’t really expected from Atlanta this season but the potential loss of Vick has knocked them into a tailspin. This has also meant a great deal to oddsmakers, and bettors have to try and figure where the Falcons fit on the futures market both with and without their star quarterback.
Even though Vick’s status for the upcoming season remains in limbo, most sportsbooks aren’t taking any chances and have started raising the odds on anything and everything that has the Falcons listed on it. Some books have even started copying Vick’s endorsement companies and merchandise manufacturers by dropping Vick and the Falcons off their odds altogether. As soon as news that Vick’s season could be severely shortened hit the airwaves, Vegas oddsmakers changed the Falcons from a 75/1 Super Bowl underdog to a 100/1 long shot.
Some sportsbooks went as far as removing NFC South props altogether, since the Falcons’ chances of winning with Michael Vick -- however slim they are -- are still much better than with an offense led by castoff Joey Harrington. Is it too late for Atlanta to call a do-over on the Matt Schaub trade?
One popular online sportsbook is offering an interesting prop where you can wager on which team you think will lead the NFL in total rushing yards. The Falcons were the No. 1 rushing team in the league by almost 400 yards over their closest rival, the Chargers, last year. Oddsmakers have pegged San Diego as the favorite to be the NFL’s rushing kings this year, and if Vick sits it will likely be very difficult for Atlanta to lead the league again. Harrington at QB would likely lead to more carries by Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood, but would the duo be able to make up the extra 1,039 yards that Vick rushed for last season? Not likely.
The Vick fallout for the sportsbooks hasn’t just been limited to props and futures odds. Almost every sportsbook out there posts odds for the first week of the NFL season right after the new schedule is released. That was long before the latest Vick drama became the talk of sports radio. When the Week 1 matchup between Atlanta and Minnesota first hit the sportsbooks, most had it set as a pick’em. Good luck finding any up-to-date odds on that game because most books have turfed it for now while waiting for the league’s final verdict on Vick.
If Harrington does end up replacing a suspended Vick, expect the weekly odds on Falcon games to be much more favorable to Atlanta’s opponents than they would have been with Vick. This change could make the Falcons one of the most difficult teams to handicap because even if the spread against them is higher, all it might take is the defense to make a few stands to at least win ATS.
The NFL did get off lucky in one aspect in the Vick situation. Thankfully there are no teams in the league named after any kind of dog. If there had been, the press would have had a field day if Vick ever played that team and beat them. If Vick is ever found to have been inhumane to cats, Atlanta games against Carolina, Jacksonville, Cincinnati and Detroit will not be pretty.
Luckily for Vick, the Falcons aren’t scheduled to play in Cleveland this year, as the Dawg Pound would certainly be barking.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Vick ramifications rock wagering world
Reply With Quote