Carolina Panthers 2010 Season Preview

Football Betting Lines

08/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's hard to view the Carolina Panthers as anything but a team in limbo, and it's difficult to see 2010 as anything but a way station that precedes the organization's real future.

Start with the head coach, John Fox, who is in the final year of his contract and looks less than 50-50 to return in 2011, whether he wins this year or not. Though Fox is well-respected both inside and outside the organization, and has experienced periods of success, there is a growing sense that a change of scenery could be good for the coach, and a new voice could be good for the Panthers.

Move on to the quarterback situation, which is as tenuous as just about any in the league this side of Arizona. After parting ways with declining lynch pin Jake Delhomme, the team has placed at least temporary confidence in the 26- year-old Matt Moore. Moore's 4-1 record down the stretch last year inspired his elevation to the No. 1 role to begin '10, but the subsequent selection of Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike in the April draft seemed to signal that the Panthers were hedging their bets on Moore.

It is the second-round pick Clausen, not Moore, that looks like the team's future at the position, and the inevitability of his ascension to the starter's role will grow with every Moore misstep.

Meanwhile, Julius Peppers - the team's biggest defensive star and the player that instilled the most fear in opposing quarterbacks and coordinators - is now in Chicago following a rocky eight-year tenure with the Panthers. Though there is still defensive talent, most notably linebacker Jon Beason, the team made no meaningful effort to replace Peppers and a piece of its identity on that side of the ball is gone.

All of the above circumstances have relegated the Panthers to afterthought status in the NFC South, where the Saints are coming off a Super Bowl title and the Falcons have emerged as a 2010 conference dark horse. Though anonymous status is not necessarily a bad thing - remember that New Orleans was an 8-8 team one year before lifting the Lombardi Trophy - the mediocre, at-least-a- year-away perception of this team is something that is going to have to be fought both inside the locker room and out.

Publicly, Fox is putting on the expected brave face, saying the right things and arguing that the youth-and-inexperience movement that seems to define this team at the moment is a good thing.

"I think we've increased our team speed some," Fox said in the spring. "We've got a lot of youth and with youth comes energy, so that's the good news. Now we've just got to direct that energy in the right way."

Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Carolina Panthers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2009 RECORD: 8-8 (3rd, NFC South)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2008, lost to Arizona, 33-13, in NFC Divisional Playoff

COACH (RECORD): John Fox (71-57 in eight seasons with Panthers, 71-57 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jeff Davidson

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ron Meeks

OFFENSIVE STAR: Steve Smith, WR (65 receptions, 7 TD)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Jon Beason, LB (142 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 3rd rushing, 27th passing, 21st scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 22nd rushing, 4th passing, 9th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Jimmy Clausen (2nd Round, Notre Dame), QB Tony Pike (6th Round, Cincinnati), RB Dantrell Savage (from Chiefs), WR Brandon LaFell (3rd Round, LSU), WR Armanti Edwards (3rd Round, Appalachian State), DT Ed Johnson (from Colts), LB Jamar Williams (from Bears), S Aaron Francisco (from Colts)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Jake Delhomme (to Browns), QB A.J. Feeley (to Rams), QB Josh McCown (not tendered), FB Brad Hoover (released), WR Muhsin Muhammad (retired), G Keydrick Vincent (to Buccaneers), DE Julius Peppers (to Bears), DT Maake Kemoeatu (to Redskins), DT Damione Lewis (to Patriots), DT Hollis Thomas (not tendered), LB Na'il Diggs (to Rams), LB Landon Johnson (to Lions), CB Dante Wesley (to Lions), S Quinton Teal (to Seahawks), S Chris Harris (to Bears), K Rhys Lloyd (to Vikings)

QB: Moore (1053 passing yards, 8 TD, 2 INT) deserves the shot he is getting, and while the Panthers are hoping for the best in terms of his maturation into a No. 1 NFL quarterback, they also have a keen awareness of his limitations. The former undrafted free agent out of Oregon State would function best as a game-manager who is capable of making the big throw if he has to, which is what he was when the team had success last year. The Panthers are going to be a run- first team and the whole world knows it. Moore just has to keep people honest. If he can't, the Clausen era could begin sooner rather than later. Questions about his leadership abilities and struggles in big games hastened the ex-Notre Dame star's fall to the second round, but there's no doubt he's more physically gifted than Moore. One thing that could hold him back is his toe, on which Clausen had surgery in January but is still experiencing pain. The battle for third string-duties is between sixth-rounder Tony Pike (Cincinnati) and former Louisville triggerman Hunter Cantwell.

RB: Though 2009 will not rank among the most celebrated seasons in Panthers history, the team did make some positive history in an otherwise disappointing year. Running backs DeAngelo Williams (1117 rushing yards, 7 TD, 29 receptions) and Jonathan Stewart (1133 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 11 TD) became the first teammates in NFL annals to cross the 1,100-yard plateau in the same year, with Williams catching fire in the middle of the season and Stewart bringing the Panthers home with an outstanding December. Though the Panthers will ride the two backs hard again this year, their health could determine how far this team goes. Williams missed three games in '09 with knee and ankle problems, while Stewart (who entered the league with injury concerns) has been limited in the 2010 preseason by a bad Achilles'. Mike Goodson (49 rushing yards) looks like the third-string back, though his preseason ankle problems make it more likely that someone like holdover Tyrell Sutton (68 rushing yards, 6 receptions) or Chiefs castoff Dantrell Savage (45 rushing yards, 7 receptions with Kansas City) can make the team. The Panthers are high on second-year fullback Tony Fiammetta, whose play in place of the injured Brad Hoover last year made the longtime Panther expendable

WR/TE: When Moore has to throw the football, the presence of a very shaky receiving corps isn't likely to make things any easier for him. Steve Smith is still a star, and should be well past the broken arm that limited him in the preseason, but following Muhsin Muhammad's retirement it doesn't look like there's anyone taking the pressure off of him on the other side. Dwayne Jarrett (17 receptions, 1 TD) has simply not developed the way the Panthers had hoped, and rookies Brandon LaFell (LSU), Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State) and holdover Kenneth Moore (6 receptions) all elicit more promise at this stage than the ex-USC star. Others looking to make an impression are Jets castoff Wallace Wright (2 receptions with the Jets) and former Buccaneers second-round bust Dexter Jackson. Carolina looks to be in better shape at tight end, where Jeff King (25 receptions, 3 TD), Dante Rosario (26 receptions, 2 TD) and Gary Barnidge (12 receptions) are not a well-known group but are reliable. With the state of the wideout corps, look for all of the tight ends' numbers to increase.

OL: Though much of the focus will be on Moore and the rest of the skill- position players, you could argue that the 2010 Panthers will go as far as this group can take it. Though not often mentioned among the top trench groups in the league, Carolina gave up a modest 33 sacks a year ago and also paved the way for those two 1,100-yard rushers. Back to man the left tackle spot is Jordan Gross, who missed the final seven games of last year with a broken ankle but is solid when healthy (which until last year was always). Travelle Wharton, who slid to tackle when Gross was out, is back to line up at left guard while center Ryan Kalil and right tackle Jeff Otah are also back in place. The big change here is at right guard, where Keydrick Vincent is now starting for the rival Buccaneers and 2008 seventh-round pick Mackenzy Bernadeau is being asked to step in. Swing tackle Geoff Schwartz and fellow 2009 backup Garry Williams are also around should anything go wrong.

DL: Whether you're a fan of his attitude or not, there should be little question that at his best, Peppers provided an edge pass rushing presence that could be equaled by few around the league. Thus, it was surprising that Carolina made a minimal effort to replace him or three former interior line starters - Damione Lewis, Hollis Thomas and Maake Kemoeatu. The main guys off the edge are now lunchpail-type right end Tyler Brayton (45 tackles, 5 sacks), two former early-round picks who have yet to live up to their promise in Charles Johnson (25 tackles, 4 sacks) and Everette Brown (22 tackles, 2.5 sacks), and even younger players like sixth-round rookie Greg Hardy (Ole Miss). Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks is going to have to get mighty creative in finding ways to generate pressure. On the interior, the team took a major gamble in bringing in troubled former Colts tackle Ed Johnson (11 tackles with Indianapolis), who is expected to start alongside Louis Leonard (6 tackles, 1 sack), who missed most of last year with a broken ankle. Holdovers Tank Tyler (31 tackles), Nick Hayden (17 tackles, 1 sack) and 2009 third-round pick Corvey Irvin are trying to insert themselves into the interior mix as well. Irvin missed all of last year with a knee injury.

LB: The Panthers defense was struck a major blow in June, when weakside linebacker Thomas Davis was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered at a team mini-camp. It is a testament to how important weak side coverage is in this scheme that the team subsequently moved star middle linebacker Jon Beason to Davis' spot, inserting backup Dan Connor (16 tackles) into the middle. The former Penn State star Connor is getting his first chance to play meaningful minutes after being drafted in the third-round back in 2008. On the strong side, James Anderson (58 tackles, 1 sack) is back after starting a career-high seven games a year ago. On the backup forces, holdover Jordan Senn (9 tackles), ex-Bear Jamar Williams (40 tackles with Chicago), and rookie fourth-rounder Eric Norwood (South Carolina) will likely garner most of their reps on special teams. Norwood could also see time up front as a situational pass rusher.

DB: There probably isn't an area on this defense that is more settled than the cornerback position. Chris Gamble (58 tackles, 4 INT) and Richard Marshall (83 tackles, 4 INT) are subject to occasional lapses, but on the whole do not make things easy for opposing QBs or wideouts. Captain Munnerlyn (42 tackles), a seventh-round pick in 2009, did a nice job last year and will also have a role. The safeties are a little shakier. Charles Godfrey (44 tackles, 1 INT), who is penciled in at strong safety, has been somewhat hit-or-miss over his two years in the league. At free safety, Sherrod Martin (19 tackles, 3 INT) is a second- year pro who must prove he is ready for his close-up after starting five games a year ago. Depth at safety will be provided by journeyman Aaron Francisco (9 tackles with Colts) and sixth-round rookie Jordan Pugh (Texas A&M).

SPECIAL TEAMS: No change in the kicking game, where 40-year-old John Kasay (22-27 FG) is moving up NFL scoring charts and solid punter Jason Baker (44.1 avg.) is also capable of handling kickoffs. Munnerlyn (9.0 avg.) did credible work on punt returns last year, but who returns kickoffs will probably be determined by the bottom of the depth chart at running back. Mike Goodson (20.7 avg.), Tyrell Sutton (21.6 avg.) and Dantrell Savage (20.0 avg. with the Chiefs) have experience in that realm, but ex-Jaguar Brian Witherspoon (22.9 kickoff return avg. with Jags and Lions) was brought in to compete as well. J.J. Jansen is back for a second season as the Panthers' long-snapper.

PROGNOSIS: The Carolina Panthers are a quality organization with a solid coaching staff, and their middling Q rating at the moment is not necessarily indicative of where they'll finish in 2010. After all, this team has defied preseason expectations more than once in its short history. At the very least, the Panthers are talented enough to be a tough out every week. But it's a stretch to think much will happen beyond that, with questions at quarterback, wideout, and within a defensive front seven that had its problems even with Peppers and Davis in the lineup a year ago. Something close to a .500 finish looks a strong possibility, as Carolina doesn't look like it can compete consistently with the Saints and Falcons in what might be Fox's final season on the job.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

How to bet pro football

There is little doubt that the NFL is where the sportsbooks see the most action and also make the most loot. The NFL possesses betting friendly attributes that are unlike any of the other major sports. First off, there are relatively few teams to keep track of in comparison to college football betting or college basketball. And second, these teams play only once a week which makes staying on top of the results much easier than it is in the daily leagues such as the NBA, NHL, and MLB.

These dynamics, along with the sheer excitement of watching and wagering on football, brings more square action to the table than any of the other sports. Almost every Tom, Dick and Harry in America is an NFL expert in their own mind and that is precisely what the oddsmakers prey upon.

Understanding who bets the games is just as important as understanding which teams are playing the games. The market at times will dictate price, which in the betting world means the oddsmakers cater to the public rather than reality.

Knowing the market inside and out is the basis of our NFL handicapping model. That is, our approach to NFL handicapping is of the contrarian or value seeking variety. We will at times place a higher premium on public sentiment than on the fundamentals. This strategy dictates playing dogs and/or lesser competent teams, or teams the public wants nothing to do with. Or better yet, fading the teams the oddsmakers want you to bet on.

Along these same lines, we carry a similar notion that the first week of the NFL season presents one of the ripest opportunities for the astute gambler. This conflicts with conventional wisdom and/or handicapping lore, as most would say it is better to watch a few games and assess each team before jumping in with both feet. That’s all fine and dandy, but there are some interesting trends to exploit in Week 1 and we’d be remiss to ignore them. Let us quickly explain.

Gone are the days of dynasties, where the same core players stay intact and dominate the league year after year. Free agency and player movements can completely transform teams from one season to the next. In today’s parity-driven NFL, poor teams typically don’t stay poor for all that long and excellent teams must constantly reinvent themselves to stay on top.

The temptation might be to assume prior year results are the best indicator of who is going to cover in Week 1. To Joe Public, playoff teams from the prior season, home teams, favorites, and so one, look even more enticing than usual since there is no current season performance to judge them against. But the question begs: are the oddsmakers setting a trap?

To find the answer, we culled five years worth of Week 1 NFL data. As always, all of our analysis is done from an ATS perspective. The purpose here is to share the most important angles we unearthed and try to explain the logic behind them. So strap on your helmet, throw on your shoulder pads, and follow our lead as we expose some rare holes in the oddsmakers’ line of defense.

Home vs. Away Teams

Over the past five seasons, NFL home teams in Week 1 are just 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent). This of course implies that roadies are a 58 percent winning proposition during this time. The public at large has a tendency to overvalue home teams and this is especially true in Week 1 when there is no current season data to make predictions from. Consequently, the oddsmakers almost surely shade the home teams, by and large making road teams the choice for the value player.

Conclusion: Look long and hard at road teams first when handicapping the opening week.

Price ranges

Favorites are just 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent) in the opening week over the past five NFL seasons (Coincidentally, home teams hold the same ATS record as noted above). This means that underdogs bark at a 58 percent clip. Mid-range favorites performed the worst among our specified price ranges. In particular, favorites priced between –3 1/2 and –6 1/2 are only 8-15 ATS (35 percent) during this time.

The same basic pattern holds true when looking at home favorites (road favorites gravitate towards a 50 percent mean). Home favorites indeed are just 21-32-3 ATS (40 percent) in the first week of NFL action since 1999. Again, mid-range favorites are similarly the poorest performers when we look at home teams. Consider that home teams priced between –3 1/2 and –6 1/2 have stumbled to a 6-13 ATS (32 percent) mark in Week 1 games the past five seasons.

Conclusion: Like home teams, favorites and particularly mid-range favorites are generally overvalued in Week 1.

Playoff teams

It might surprise you to learn that playoff teams from the prior year versus non-playoff teams from the prior year are a mere 16-23-3 (41 percent) ATS in NFL Week 1 games over the past five seasons. Home teams which made the playoffs versus teams which did not make the playoffs from the prior season drop to a meager 7-14-1 ATS (33 percent) during this time.

Why are playoff teams, and in particular those at home, such bad bets the past five openers? Just as the case with home teams and with favorites, oddsmakers intentionally overprice playoff teams in the opening week to compensate for the public’s propensity to over bet them.

This theory holds true just looking at straight-up records from the past season as well. That is, home teams with winning records from the prior season vs. road teams with losing records from the prior season are just 8-13 ATS in Week 1 NFL games since 1999.

Conclusion: Playoff teams from the prior year and in particular, home playoff teams, are overvalued in Week 1 NFL games.

Scoring defense and scoring offense

Do good defenses and for that matter good offenses from the prior season fare better against the number the following year in Week 1 games? Well, sort of. Generally speaking, teams with a solid offense or defense from the prior season tend to do well in the opening week so long as they are on the road. As a host, however, the best offenses and best defenses from the prior year tend to be overvalued in Week 1.

Consider that the top five scoring defenses (i.e. points allowed) from the prior season are a nice 8-4 ATS (66 percent) on the road in NFL openers the past five seasons. Meanwhile, the top five scoring defenses from the prior season are just 3-8-2 ATS (27 percent) as a host in Week 1 during the same time period.

There is no discernable advantage or disadvantage for teams with a top five scoring offense (i.e. points scored) in Week 1 games. However, when we look at scoring offenses from the bottom up (isolating the five worst offenses from the prior season), the results are rather interesting. In particular, teams ranked in the bottom five in scoring offense from the prior season are 9-4-1 ATS (69 percent) when on the road in Week 1.

The logic is simply that the public perception is a poor scoring offensive unit from the year prior will have little chance of winning on the road in Week 1. In turn, the oddsmakers compensate for this perception and these poor offensive teams from the year prior carry extra line value on the Week 1 trail.

Conclusion: Teams with top-ranked defenses from the previous season are good bets when playing on the road, but poor bets when playing at home. Also, teams ranked among the bottom five in scoring offense from the prior season are generally a good value in their Week 1 openers, provided they are playing on the road.

Scoring margin

An exceedingly straightforward way of measuring scoring offense and scoring defense together as a whole is to look at a team's “margin." Margin is simply scoring offense minus scoring defense, which is a fairly clear-cut measure of how a team does on both sides of the ball. Typically, the higher the margin, the better the team.

In this regard, it might seem counterintuitive that teams carrying the higher margin from the prior season in week one matchups are merely 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent). Furthermore, road teams with the higher margin are 14-20-6 ATS (41 percent), while home teams with the higher margin are 17-22-1 ATS (44 percent). Once again, these results line up with the theory that better teams from the prior year are overvalued come opening day of the following season.

Conclusion: “Better” teams, which often boast a higher margin than their opponent, are overvalued the following season in NFL openers.

In sum

Oddsmakers cater NFL betting lines to match public perception and also to bait the public into poor bets. The temptation to use the prior year’s success as a buy sign for how a team will perform against the spread in Week 1 of the following season is an enormous trap.

The fact is, isolating road teams, road dogs, non-playoff teams vs. playoff teams, teams with a losing record or low margin vs. playoff teams or ones with a high margin from the previous year is where the line value resides. Quite simply, taking the road less traveled is your surest path to NFL betting profits.

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