With the NFL being by far the most popular sports league in America, there are lots of people looking to make a buck by betting on the games. However, there are many things that you should educate yourself on when getting into NFL betting. A good idea is to keep an in-depth eye on the things that are happening in the league (not only during the season, but in the offseason as well). Let’s look over some of the things that have recently occurred that could affect the upcoming NFL season.
One major storyline that’s come about thus far in the offseason is the Achilles tendon injury sustained by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs. Although Suggs has vowed to return by November 2012, most medical experts believe it’s more likely that he’ll miss the entire season. This will be a major blow to the Baltimore Ravens’ defense, long one of the NFL’s best.
Another development that could force some changes among the NFL hierarchy is the Denver Broncos’ signing of quarterback Payton Manning. The Broncos made the playoffs last year with Tim Tebow as their starting quarterback, and even though Tebow has an undeniable amount of charisma, even his most stringent backers admit that he’s not a great drop back passer. With Manning now under center, the Broncos will be able to showcase their great young receivers, and it would be reasonable to expect them to repeat as AFC West champions.
The San Francisco 49ers, who also made a run at Manning, did a reasonable job at shoring up the receiver position which was a major weak point for them last year. With the signing of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss, the Niners made two low-risk/high-reward moves which could end up pushing them over the top. Last year’s squad was a few plays away from competing in the Super Bowl, and many experts believe that their now bolstered receiving corps should allow them to open up their offense quite a bit more.
There are plenty of other things that could have an effect on NFL betting between now and the beginning of the season, but the bottom line is that it’s a smart idea to keep track of what’s going on in order to make the best picks possible.
