NFL Betting: Saints and Patriots Hook Up
With the Saints and Patriots conducting joint practices this week, NFL bettors and fans could be left underwhelmed by tonight's preseason action between New Orleans and New England.
The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots kick off the first full weekend of NFL preseason games on Thursday night (7:30 PM ET) at Gillette Stadium, but don’t get your hopes up.
Look, I know bettors everywhere are jacked for the preseason. We love our football, and we’ve been without it (with all apologies to the new AFL and the CFL) since the Saints surprised the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
There’s only so much baseball you can handle, and only so many football preseason articles you can read. Time to get down to the action between the lines.
We all had the same gut reaction when we looked at this week’s preseason schedule: The New Orleans-New England matchup is the best of the lot, right? Problem is, that determination is clouded by an image of Drew Brees and Tom Brady tossing the ball down the sideline.
Sorry, folks, you won’t see much of Brees and Brady on Thursday night. This is the first game of the preseason, a time when both Sean Payton and Bill Belichick are looking to iron out a few wrinkles and evaluate their teams’ depth.
This is a glorified scrimmage, and it’s just the culmination of what’s been happening all week. The Saints and Patriots have been holding joint practices since Tuesday.
That being the reality, oddsmakers have settled on New England as a 1.5-point favorite against New Orleans, with the total set between 35 and 35.5 depending on the NFL betting odds outlet.
The public is siding with the Pats at that price, and that seems to be the safe wager. As of early Thursday morning, about 55% of plays against the spread had come in on New England.
Last season, I would have backed the Saints because of veteran quarterback Mark Brunell. This season, both teams are a wash in terms of the backup QB position.
Journeyman Patrick Ramsey is No. 2 behind Brees in the Big Easy, with Chase Daniel and Sean Canfield also expected to get reps on Thursday. Brian Hoyer and Zac Robinson are fighting it out to see who starts the season behind Brady.
The Patriots have more at stake than the Saints, but in the first preseason game for both teams, the difference is minimal. Outside of Randy Moss and Wes Welker (who isn’t expected to play on Thursday), New England is working in a new-look receiving corps that includes Torry Holt and Alge Crumpler, as well as draft picks Taylor Price, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker is the biggest issue for Belichick after the departure of Adalius Thomas. Rookies Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes both have a chance to start after being drafted in the first round in the spring.
New Orleans doesn’t have much turnover for a Super Bowl champion, both on the field and on the sidelines. The highest-scoring offense in NFL history returns virtually intact, with only running back Mike Bell missing from last season’s core.
Lynell Hamilton was slated to step into Bell’s slot as the No. 3 back in a dynamic offense behind Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, but Payton might have to look elsewhere. Hamilton left practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, and the prognosis doesn’t look good.
Besides Hamilton, wide receivers Marques Colston (left knee) and Robert Meachem (toe) won’t play on Thursday night.
On defense, safety Darren Sharper (left knee) remains out after offseason surgery, and is scheduled to be ready for the first game of the regular season.
Thing is, Sharper might not have a place when he returns. The Saints are really high on Malcolm Jenkins, who’s replaced Sharper in practice. Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are entrenched at cornerback. If anything, New Orleans has an embarrassment of riches in the secondary.
For what it’s worth, the Saints slammed the Pats 38-17 at the Superdome last November 30, covering easily as 1-point faves. The teams played ‘under’ the 57-point total.
With the Saints and Patriots conducting joint practices this week, NFL bettors and fans could be left underwhelmed by tonight's preseason action between New Orleans and New England.
The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots kick off the first full weekend of NFL preseason games on Thursday night (7:30 PM ET) at Gillette Stadium, but don’t get your hopes up.
Look, I know bettors everywhere are jacked for the preseason. We love our football, and we’ve been without it (with all apologies to the new AFL and the CFL) since the Saints surprised the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
There’s only so much baseball you can handle, and only so many football preseason articles you can read. Time to get down to the action between the lines.
We all had the same gut reaction when we looked at this week’s preseason schedule: The New Orleans-New England matchup is the best of the lot, right? Problem is, that determination is clouded by an image of Drew Brees and Tom Brady tossing the ball down the sideline.
Sorry, folks, you won’t see much of Brees and Brady on Thursday night. This is the first game of the preseason, a time when both Sean Payton and Bill Belichick are looking to iron out a few wrinkles and evaluate their teams’ depth.
This is a glorified scrimmage, and it’s just the culmination of what’s been happening all week. The Saints and Patriots have been holding joint practices since Tuesday.
That being the reality, oddsmakers have settled on New England as a 1.5-point favorite against New Orleans, with the total set between 35 and 35.5 depending on the NFL betting odds outlet.
The public is siding with the Pats at that price, and that seems to be the safe wager. As of early Thursday morning, about 55% of plays against the spread had come in on New England.
Last season, I would have backed the Saints because of veteran quarterback Mark Brunell. This season, both teams are a wash in terms of the backup QB position.
Journeyman Patrick Ramsey is No. 2 behind Brees in the Big Easy, with Chase Daniel and Sean Canfield also expected to get reps on Thursday. Brian Hoyer and Zac Robinson are fighting it out to see who starts the season behind Brady.
The Patriots have more at stake than the Saints, but in the first preseason game for both teams, the difference is minimal. Outside of Randy Moss and Wes Welker (who isn’t expected to play on Thursday), New England is working in a new-look receiving corps that includes Torry Holt and Alge Crumpler, as well as draft picks Taylor Price, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker is the biggest issue for Belichick after the departure of Adalius Thomas. Rookies Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes both have a chance to start after being drafted in the first round in the spring.
New Orleans doesn’t have much turnover for a Super Bowl champion, both on the field and on the sidelines. The highest-scoring offense in NFL history returns virtually intact, with only running back Mike Bell missing from last season’s core.
Lynell Hamilton was slated to step into Bell’s slot as the No. 3 back in a dynamic offense behind Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, but Payton might have to look elsewhere. Hamilton left practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, and the prognosis doesn’t look good.
Besides Hamilton, wide receivers Marques Colston (left knee) and Robert Meachem (toe) won’t play on Thursday night.
On defense, safety Darren Sharper (left knee) remains out after offseason surgery, and is scheduled to be ready for the first game of the regular season.
Thing is, Sharper might not have a place when he returns. The Saints are really high on Malcolm Jenkins, who’s replaced Sharper in practice. Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are entrenched at cornerback. If anything, New Orleans has an embarrassment of riches in the secondary.
For what it’s worth, the Saints slammed the Pats 38-17 at the Superdome last November 30, covering easily as 1-point faves. The teams played ‘under’ the 57-point total.
