Traumatic injuries serve as rallying point
The first week of the NFL season had it all. We witnessed last-minute drama, extremely physical play, bad decisions, controversial calls, individual excellence and tragedy. Most notably, the serious injury suffered by Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett cast a pall over the start of a new campaign.
As always, injuries are a major part of any season. Last week, the list of battered players started to grow early Sunday and continued through the second half of the Monday night doubleheader.
Quarterbacks Chad Pennington, Eli Manning and Steve McNair were nicked up and didn’t finish their respective games. Running backs Cadillac Williams, Brandon Jacobs and Chester Taylor are hobbled. In the first half of their opener, the Bills lost three defensive starters, possibly for the season.
But the most devastating injury was the tragic spinal damage suffered by Everett. Thankfully, as time has passed, the news is more encouraging regarding his recovery.
We all are saddened when something this dreadful occurs. The brutal truth is that the games go on. The Bills have to show up in Pittsburgh, the game counts in the standings, and a line has been posted on the contest. Generally, oddsmakers calculate the toll that injuries take on a team, in terms of their collective talent.
How does one read between the lines, and determine the reaction to a team’s psyche, when one of their brethren suffers a life-altering fate?
“It’s human compassion that comes into play for the Bills, plus the fact Everett’s injury is so fresh in their minds,” Las Vegas Sports Consultants oddsmaker Mike Seba said. “Compounding their plight is a heartbreaking loss to Denver and the numerous injuries to their defense. I have to downgrade their chances specific to this week, with a close eye on the big picture.”
Oddsmaker Sean Van Patten said a situation like this has gray areas. “It’s hard to quantify how they’ll react,” he said. “It’s possible they rally around a fallen teammate and raw emotion takes over.”
This week’s matchup sends Buffalo to Pittsburgh to face the talented Steelers. The suggested opener was Pittsburgh by 10 points, but 91/2 has been the consensus throughout the week.
This type of situation has occurred twice in the regular season in recent memory. Detroit Lions guard Mike Utley was paralyzed in 1991, with his memorable thumbs-up gesture on display as he was taken off the field. Dennis Byrd, who eventually made a full recovery, was paralyzed while playing for the New York Jets in 1992.
Again, while earnestly trying to be sensitive to the magnitude of these rare and tragic instances, yet wondering how a team might react, here’s what transpired following the traumatic injuries of Utley and Byrd:
The Lions and Jets won outright. Detroit beat Minnesota 34-14 as a 6-point underdog, and New York won in Buffalo 24-17 as a 17-point underdog.
The featured game this week is the rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional playoff between New England and San Diego. The Patriots stole that game from the Chargers when Troy Brown forced and recovered a fumble during an interception return. After the news of last week surrounding Bill Belichick’s coaching ethics, the playoff victory over the Chargers apparently wasn’t the only thing they stole.
This has to be considered a revenge game. Norv Turner now is coaching the Chargers and will try to match wits with Belichick.
“I actually think that Turner will silence his critics in San Diego,” oddsmaker Kenny White said. “He’ll succeed with the talent base that he has. In addition, experience means so much. He should learn from his previous mistakes and be a better head coach.
“Joe Torre had his detractors as well but certainly made the most of another opportunity with the Yankees. Why not Norv Turner?”
Playing the host in this game, New England was sent out as a 31/2-point favorite, a number that, if anything, has gone up slightly to 4.
The biggest question mark throughout the week has been the status of Giants quarterback Eli Manning for today’s game against Green Bay.
The dropoff to backup Jared Lorenzen is 31/2 to 4 points. Thinking the hefty lefty would start, LVSC’s suggested send-out was Green Bay minus-21/2. After conflicting stories regarding Manning’s availability, the line hovered around pick before the Giants moved to 2-point favorites Friday.
When asked about possibly making his first career start, Lorenzen said, “If I were a betting man, I would say (Manning) would play.”
Brian Blessing, project manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, can be reached at bblessing@lvsc.com. Hear the LVSC oddsmakers on Sportsbook Radio at 4 p.m. weekdays on Fox Sports Radio (1460 AM).