Posted Friday, January 30, 2009 09:12 AMBy Bobby Sharpz
Looking back at past Super Bowls to dictate your wager for this year's big game is like bumping into an old girlfriend: Sure, it's fun to go over the past, but it's not going anywhere.
Unless that girlfriend happens to be the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Turning back the pages a couple of years to Super Bowl XXXVII can give some hint to what could play out in Tampa this weekend.
In that 2003 tilt, former Raiders coach Jon Gruden used his knowledge of his old team to give the Bucs the inside edge, leading them to a 48-21 thrashing of Oakland and a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt will be standing in similar shoes this Sunday when he stares across the field at his former employer. Whisenhunt was the Steelers' offensive mastermind for three years and drew up the plans for their Super Bowl XL victory.
His Cardinals are currently 6.5-point underdogs for Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday. Legendz opened with this number two weeks ago and after a slight move to seven, the money on Arizona has brought the line back to its original post.
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Whisenhunt has intimate knowledge of Pittsburgh's most skilled players. He helped shape Willie Parker into one of the most dangerous runners in the game. He raised Ben Roethlisberger as a rookie and groomed him into a Super Bowl quarterback. He knows Hines Ward's tendencies and where he likes the ball thrown.
The former offensive coordinator already used this information to his advantage last season. In his first game against Pittsburgh since taking the job in the desert, Whisenhunt exploited Roethlisberger's weaknesses. His defense sacked his former star player four times and picked off two of Big Ben's passes.
Arizona took a 21-14 win over the Steelers as a 5.5-point home favorite. Whisenhunt said the win was special but nothing personal.
Yeah right.
By Bobby Sharpz
It's been six days since the numbers for Super Bowl XLIII were released. Just long enough for them to marinate with the betting public.
Things have been relatively quiet as far as Super Bowls go. Outside of some drama with the Arizona Cardinals' Anquan Boldin, both teams are doing a good job keeping the wolves at bay. At least until after the bye weekend.
That's when the game really begins.
Our number at Legendz has seen some one-sided action on the Pittsburgh Steelers, moving it from the opening post of 6.5 points to the key number of a touchdown. It seems early-bird bettors don't expect to see much under seven points handed to the Cardinals before kickoff February 1.
Whether you are siding with the boys from Steeltown or believe in the underdogs from Arizona, Legendz is providing the expert customer service and quick payouts you would expect during the biggest betting time of the year.
While everyone knows how the two conference champions got to Tampa, not everyone knows these two teams’ weaknesses. Arizona has flourished as the NFL's top passing offense and the Steelers turn hard-nosed defense into victories.
However, they both have their chinks in the armor.
The Cardinals’ defense is not as bad as most people think. For an undersized unit, Arizona's stoppers have done one hell of a job in the postseason. Their speed is their biggest weapon. They can cover a lot of field in little time, closing holes and stopping big gains before they start.
But when it comes to grind-it-out, trenches football, Arizona's front seven isn't big enough to stop short, smash-mouth gains. It's the same type of offense Pittsburgh has built its franchise on in recent years. The Cards will have to cowboy up and turn four and five-yard gains into two and three-yards stops.
The Steelers' rushing game is back in a big way with Willie Parker feeling footloose and fancy free following a long season of injuries. The run is now able to set up an air attack that really doesn't get going until crunch time. Ben Roethlisberger is solid in the postseason, keeping defenses honest while not doing any harm with turnovers.
But if Arizona is able to get the Pittsburgh defense on its heels and put points on the board, the Steelers could have a tough time playing catchup with the likes of Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. The offense only averaged 21 points this season, but has upped that production in the postseason.
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By Bobby Sharpz
If someone woke up from an NFL season-long coma and saw the matchups for the Conference Championships, they'd probably suffer a relapse.
Yeah, sure. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in contention all year. But the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens weren't on most people's list of Super Bowl contenders as the schedule progressed.
The Cardinals won the booby prize in the NFC West and turned what was a formality into a possible ticket to Tampa Bay. They'll meet the equally surprising Eagles, who were more like a phoenix after rising from the NFC East ashes, in the NFC championship game.
Arizona is best known for its high-flying passing attack but could be without receiver Anquan Boldin on Sunday. Philly is also able to move the chains through the air, keeping linebackers on a swivel with versatile running back Brian Westbrook breaking off huge plays.
We opened with Arizona as a 3.5-point home underdog and watched the public pound Philly, moving the number to its current stand of 4 points.
On the other side of the league, the Steelers are 6-point home faves against their arch rivals the Ravens. Baltimore's defense has dragged the team into the postseason and now sets up a heavyweight bout between the NFL's two best stop units.
Both teams allow about two touchdowns per game and feature two of the top safeties in the league. The Ravens’ Ed Reed and Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu headline these defenses. Reed is a black hole in the secondary, sucking in wayward passes. Polamalu is a jaw-jacking tackler across the middle and has seven picks on the season.
Legendz hung a total of 33 points on this tilt but it seems bettors expect one of these stingy teams to budge. We've moved the number to 34 points, where it sat as of Friday morning.
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Everyone loves an underdog story. Whether it’s Rocky Balboa, the George Mason Patriots, or last year's New York Giants.
Underdogs are easy to fall for. They have nothing to lose against an unbeatable foe and when they do pull off the upset, it tugs at our heartstrings and make us believe in something other than stats and figures.
The Philadelphia Eagles are beginning to pick up an underdog following after coming back from the dead in the regular season to play for a spot in the NFC Championship. Many fans and writers have tagged the Eagles as this year's Giants.
But before Philly can write the next page in the fairy tale, it has to go through the original longshot – the New York Giants. The NFC East foes meet for the third time this season at Giants Stadium on Sunday.
We at Legendz don't hold the same soft spot for underdogs, tagging New York as a 4-point home favorite. However, this number is far more generous than the spread for their previous game in the Meadowlands. The Eagles were 6.5-point underdogs in that matchup and just covered in a 20-14 loss to the G Men.
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Philadelphia's current momentum is its biggest case for an upset win Sunday. It destroyed the Dallas Cowboys to get into the playoffs and is coming off a road win over the Minnesota Vikings last weekend.
The Eagles leaned on their passing attack against the Vikes, racking up 283 yards through the air including a short screen pass that running back Brian Westbrook turned into a 71-yard touchdown gallop.
But while Philadelphia's offensive numbers are head-spinning, it is past contests with the Giants and the familiarity with New York that makes the Eagles a live dog Sunday. The Eagles have lost three straight to the defending champs, but each game had been decided by six points or less.
By Bobby Sharpz
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By Bobby Sharpz
Outside of the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, finding a clear-cut favorite to win the Super Bowl or even the Conference championship is about as tough as getting Ray Lewis to crack a smile on gameday.
The extremely level playing field of the 2008 NFL season has kept oddsmakers, like the ones here at Legendz, up late at night crunching the numbers for the AFC Wild Card matchups. After hours of debate and six pots of coffee, we've handed the points to both host teams.
Legendz opened with the Miami Dolphins as 3.5-point home underdogs against the Baltimore Ravens and posted the San Diego Chargers as 1-point pups versus the Indianapolis Colts.
Bettors have split on Sunday's game, keeping the line steady. However, early action on Saturday's tilt between the Colts and Bolts has moved the line to a pick'em as of Thursday night.
No matter where the lines travel for this weekend's AFC games, our customers can bank on Legendz's quick and easy payouts and expert customer service.
San Diego punched its ticket to the postseason with a huge win over the Denver Broncos last Sunday. Quarterback Philip Rivers pushed himself over the 4,000-yard mark on the season with 207 yards passing and two touchdowns against his arch rivals.
The Chargers have won four straight games heading into Saturday and meet another streaking squad in Indianapolis. The Colts have reeled off nine wins in a row since a slow start to the season.
While quarterback Peyton Manning has anchored this effort with MVP-worthy performances, it's Indy's defense that has made the difference. The Colts' stop unit has allowed just over two touchdowns per game during this stretch.
They defeated the Chargers 23-20 in San Diego Week 12 on a last-second field goal from Adam Vinatieri. That game came in the middle of the Bolts' midseason skid which saw them lose five of eight games with most of those defeats coming in crushing fashion.
Saturday's total is set at 50.5 points.
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LegendZ will be featuring lines for all the games this week, be sure to check the action out. And don’t forget about the deposit $300 or more and receive $100 Free special at LegendZ for Covers members. Drop us a line and mention the code COVERS 1 to claim it!