Even before he shoved a loud-mouthed, obnoxious fan, Marcus Smart made a bigger mistake. He returned to Oklahoma State when he would have been a top-five pick, and possibly the No. 1 pick, in last summer’s NBA Draft.
Matt Youmans
The worst Super Bowl is over, and now we look ahead to the next one. At Station Casinos, Seattle is the 9-2 favorite, followed by San Francisco at 5-1. “You have the two favorites to win the Super Bowl in the same division,” Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. “I can’t remember that ever happening.”
Instead of an instant classic, it was an immediate meltdown. Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos — and throw in everyone who bet on them — suffered through four quarters of emotional torture.
If there is a betting storyline the public hates to hear more than any other, this is it. The squares are on Peyton Manning and the sharps are on the underdog. The battle line has been drawn.
Much is being said about the two teams, but one quarterback is the topic of all of the talk, and it’s not Russell Wilson. Maybe that’s a positive sign for the Seattle Seahawks, and maybe Wilson will sneak up on everyone.
It was 7 p.m. on the nose when Kevin Durant, Tiger Woods and various other nonfootball stars became Super Bowl betting subjects. The giant board went dark for a few seconds, then suddenly it lit up like a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve as hundreds of proposition bets scrolled.
It’s obvious Peyton Manning is wildly popular, and not just in Denver and Omaha. But the power of the public’s attraction to Manning seemed to catch some Las Vegas oddsmakers by surprise.
As legend has it and according to media hype, Colin Kaepernick faces a nearly impossible task this weekend as he attempts to quarterback the underdog San Francisco 49ers to a highly unlikely playoff victory.
If bookmakers could script the outcomes of NFL games, this is how they would write it. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are going head to head, in the most dynamic quarterback duel possible, with a Super Bowl spot on the line.
At this time of year, betting on Peyton Manning comes with a feeling of postseason paranoia, a sense that no matter how great he was in the regular season, something bad is about to happen.
In another year, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will be focused on the NFL Draft, and he probably will be the top pick. If eligible, the redshirt freshman might have gone first this year. Regardless, he’s already got a No. 1 on his resume.
Instead of finding another way to cough up a big game, the San Diego Chargers ran into an opponent who was better at choking. No need to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Philip Rivers this time.
A chilling wind will sweep across the field in Philadelphia, dropping temperatures into the teens, and history indicates the elements are the best defense against New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
A Week 17 schedule that shaped up as potentially explosive on paper surpassed all expectations. Thirteen of the 16 games had playoff implications. From Chicago to San Diego to Dallas, it was as great as it gets.
In no way is Aaron Rodgers a clown, but when the Green Bay Packers quarterback was trotted out to meet with the media Thursday, circus music should have been playing in the background.