NFL Time

[TomAz]

Atlanta must be shitting themselves...

Atlanta's track record in the playoffs in recent years gives no one any reason to fear them. Looks like a Seattle-Green Bay championship game. Oh the irony.

[ThomThom]

I take it you like the Pack in SF? Can't trust Kaepernick? I'm not really sold on him myself.

[canexplain]

Yea my fav teams are all in this week: Broncos, SF, Seahawks, and the Paso Robles Bearcats (ok forget them) ....... cr****

[bobert]

Fret not, Seattle. It's only the first quarter.

Fortunately we play all four, Tom. Pay up.

[bemerritt]

Atlanta's track record in the playoffs in recent years gives no one any reason to fear them. Looks like a Seattle-Green Bay championship game. Oh the irony.

My thoughts exactly. Patriots/Broncos on the other side of things.

[TomAz]

Fortunately we play all four, Tom. Pay up.

Yes I just PMd you.

[TomAz]

I take it you like the Pack in SF? Can't trust Kaepernick? I'm not really sold on him myself.

well mostly I'm just yanking the chain of the SF fans in here.

[canexplain]

Hey Tom, you kinda like the Broncos don't you? cr****

[TomAz]

Depends. by 'like' you you mean 'think they'll do well in the playoffs' or do you mean 'feel inclinded to cheer for'? because there are different answers. Go Ravens.

[TomAz]

actually both NFC games next weekend I think will be a lot more interesting than the AFC games, which may both be blowouts.

[jgafs]

RG3 has heart, but will need a bionic knee to continue in the NFL.

[canexplain]

Depends. by 'like' you you mean 'think they'll do well in the playoffs' or do you mean 'feel inclinded to cheer for'? because there are different answers. Go Ravens.

Ah come on, Ravens, at least the Broncos are close to your home. Yea looking forward to next week. Unlike life, there can only be one winner and I have been disappointed before. Ah but had champs too so it goes both ways. cr****

[Pea]

SEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAHAAAAAWWWWWWWWKSSSSSSSS

[bobert]

I don't think Seattle is going to have a home playoff game. They're probably going to face RG3 in DC. good luck with that.

The Seahawks are 3-5 on the road this year. I think they're the ones needing the luck. But, enjoy your koolaid!

The Seahawks have averaged 50 pts a game the last three weeks. Our defense is infinitely superior to the Redskins. I think we can keep up with RGIII. He'll have plenty to prove after Russell jacks his rookie of the year honors, but if he tries to rush on our D it's gonna be the Kirk Cousins show by halftime. Good luck with that.

In fairness I was wrong. It was the Kirk Cousins show by the 3rd quarter.

[santasutt]

Wildcard Weekend Winners:

ATS

Cincy + 4.5
Minne +8
Indy +7
Wash +3

This took some effort.

4 dogs/4 losses.

[citizenerased]

Why did they have a limping RG3 out there for so long? Him just keeling over with that fumble at the end was kinda sad.

[gaypalmsprings]

Saturday , Jan. 12 Time (ET) Packers at 49ers 8:00 PM FOX

Sunday , Jan. 13 Time (ET) Texans at Patriots 4:30 PM CBS

[Highly Refined Pirate]

The fumble play was the final straw for RG3.. He fell and didnt try to get the fumble because it was that play that directly twisted his bad knee. He shouldnt have played the second half.

[santasutt]

The fumble play was the final straw for RG3.. He fell and didnt try to get the fumble because it was that play that directly twisted his bad knee. He shouldnt have played the second half.

And that's on Shanahan and friends.

[Pea]

waddup

[ThomThom]

It's a tough call, RG3 clearly wasn't 100% but at the same time he is the reason why they were there and the reason why it looked like the Skins were running away with the game after the first quarter all of which was done on a bum knee to begin with, so I understand Shanahan allowing RG3 to keep himself in the game, he earned the right to ensure he was playing until his knee couldn't give anymore... Either way it was a good season, the rest of the NFC East is definitely looking up at them for years to come.

*sigh*

[ThomThom]

waddup

Ahahahahahahaha!

[ThomThom]

Is anybody else tired of these fucking slow motion shots and constant replays of Ray Lewis' annoying dance? I mean I understand how big of a deal it is but can they show him making a tackle or something? ESPN just ran a 10 minute segment on how special the dance is and what it means to the NFL with player interviews and everything, good god...

/rant

[TomAz]

Ah come on, Ravens, at least the Broncos are close to your home.

Yes, but I still love Anquan Boldin.

[unit300021]

Is anybody else tired of these fucking slow motion shots and constant replays of Ray Lewis' annoying dance? I mean I understand how big of a deal it is but can they show him making a tackle or something? ESPN just ran a 10 minute segment on how special the dance is and what it means to the NFL with player interviews and everything, good god...

/rant

Agreed. I didn't even see any segments of it but I always thought his dance was kind of stupid.

[TomAz]

It's a tough call, RG3 clearly wasn't 100% but at the same time he is the reason why they were there and the reason why it looked like the Skins were running away with the game after the first quarter all of which was done on a bum knee to begin with, so I understand Shanahan allowing RG3 to keep himself in the game, he earned the right to ensure he was playing until his knee couldn't give anymore... Either way it was a good season, the rest of the NFC East is definitely looking up at them for years to come.

*sigh*

[ThomThom]

Oh Tom, you don't have much room here old timer, it was an even longer season for you...

[ThomThom]

DERP...

Adam Schefter ‏@AdamSchefter
Chip Kelly considered Eagles but ultimately decided it was better to stay at Oregon.

[santasutt]

Las Vegas sports books tell of 'staggering' hit from NFL season

With many popular teams such as the Broncos, Patriots, Falcons and Packers beating point spreads, sports books suffer worst year in memory. This puts pressure on those evaluating playoff lines.

By Lance Pugmire

8:10 PM PST, December 31, 2012


LAS VEGAS — It wasn't the mysterious fan with a briefcase of cash who picked this town clean during NFL gambling season.

Rather, it's been bettors wearing a new orange Peyton Manning jersey, or Packers fans with their cheesehead hats, or Patriots fans — who loyally bet on their favored teams each week.

The problem for Las Vegas sports books is that many popular NFL teams beat the point spread during the regular season. And with many bettors combining their picks in parlays, $20 wagers turned into payouts of up to more than $1,000, depending on how many winning bets they combined.

The result is what one Las Vegas sports bookmaker called a "staggering" financial hit from the NFL regular season, as bettors handed Nevada sports books their worst year in memory.

"We know the general public now has tremendous sources of information, that the regular player is sharper than the guy 10 years ago, but we've never seen a streak like this before," said Jay Kornegay, a 25-year veteran who heads the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino's 30,000-square-foot Race and Sports book.

The damage was particularly bad in Week 9 of the NFL season, when Vegas-backed underdogs finished 2-10 against the point spread, while seven games that day finished "over" the game's projected total-points-scored line.

Bettors adore backing the "over" and "favored" teams such as the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers. As that Nov. 4 perfect storm hit, MGM Resorts, the city's largest sports bookmaker, was forced to summon emergency stashes of cash to pay off its losses.

"It's like you're a passenger trapped on a train to hell," said Jay Rood, whose 12 MGM Resorts' sports books at properties including Mandalay Bay, Mirage and Bellagio took a seven-figure hit that day.

Kornegay dismissed the notion bookmakers can recover enough money in the NFL playoffs to make up for their losses. "We'll just turn the page on the calendar and continue to evaluate ourselves, seeing if we need to make subtle changes," he said.

Kornegay acknowledged he doesn't know what those changes may be.

On Sunday evening, Kornegay and a team of bookmakers huddled by text messages to post the first point spreads for this weekend's playoff games.

The number Kornegay most stewed over was how much to favor Green Bay by when it hosts the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. This comes on the heels of the Packers' loss to the same Vikings in Minnesota on Sunday. In that regular-season finale, the Packers were favored by three points.

This season, the Packers are the favorite NFL team in the Las Vegas, drawing a wealth of emotional bettors who would gamble on the team whether it was favored by 7½ or 10½ points.

The current line favors the Packers by 7½ points in Saturday's game.

"We know people will bet the Packers regardless, but all it takes is one sharp to say, 'Here's $50,000 on the Vikings,' to counteract making a [quick] line simply for the public," Kornegay said.

Sports books also took a beating Sunday on bets made on total wins by a given team in the regular season. Kornegay said LVH took a bath on those propositions — including their line that Manning's Broncos would win nine regular season games. The Broncos won 13.

Now, Rood is sweating out hundreds of Super Bowl winning bets made on teams such as the Seahawks, who opened at 75-1 odds.

The Indianapolis Colts were at 200-1 to win the Super Bowl after Manning left town, and remained at long odds even after Andrew Luck took over, Rood said.

Kornegay finished rattling off his point spreads for this weekend's games and was struck by a stark reality after a season of being gutted by victorious favorites.

"Looking at this, I can tell you we'll need the underdogs to win in every game. Again," he said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

twitter.com/latimespugmire


Copyright © 2013, Los Angeles Times

[santasutt]

Wish I had me some of dem Seattle 75-1 tickies