So many notes, so little time. …
From the man-bites-dog dept.: Several Las Vegas sports books broke even or lost money on the NFL this season, your basic unheard-of notion.
How did it happen? Simple. The favorites covered the point spread an incredible 63 percent of the time.
“I’ve been in this business 18 years, and it’s the most I’ve ever seen,” said Jay Kornegay, the executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton sports book. “The novice bettor, the casual fan, almost always bets on the better team, and those teams not only won, they covered.”
How rare is it for so many favorites to cover the spread? This season marked the third time since 1989 that the favorites had covered more than half the time. In the other two years, the figures were barely above 50 percent.
“It wasn’t one of our better seasons,” said Kornegay, a CSU grad. “I guess we’ll have to raise the price of our grilled cheese sandwiches and turn down the lights a little bit.” …
Heck of a coach, Dick Vermeil. He walked away from the Chiefs with a 125-114 career record, including the playoffs. Mike Shana-
han? He’s 129-78 in two fewer seasons, leaving him with four more wins and 36 fewer losses than Vermeil. …
Throw in two Super Bowls and Shana-
han, like Bill Belichick, is a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. So, does Shanahan ever think of landing in Canton? “Only because people keep mentioning it,” Shanahan said. “Other than that, it never crosses my mind.” …
Broncos D tackle Gerard Warren, on Saturday’s game at Invesco Field at Mile High: “It’s pretty much the clash of the titans. I have a lot of respect for Coach Belichick, and I hold Coach Shanahan on a different plateau than I do any other coaches, especially now that I’ve played for him.” …
I see where Men’s Fitness ranks Milwaukee No. 5 on its list of the most fit cities in America. Milwaukee? Let me guess. Anchorage ranked fifth in palm trees. …
The next NBA coach to get the gas? Try Rick Adelman. The Kings, 30-11 at home last season, are 9-11 at Arco Arena. …
No, there was nothing malicious about Carson Palmer‘s injury, but it doesn’t matter. With Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger just scratching the surface of their careers, we’ve got ourselves a real, live rivalry in the AFC North. …
All-star selection? Forget that. The time has come to anoint Denver’s own Chauncey Billups an MVP candidate. Being the best player on the best team has to count for something, doesn’t it? …
Jake Plummer, on Tom Brady: “I think I’m a little quicker than Tom, no offense to him.” Well, yeah, especially if Brady is wearing all three of his Super Bowl rings. …
No wonder all those big old houses are going up around Our Town. The Broncos finished the season with the best point-
spread record – 11-4-1 – in the league. The worst? The Raiders and Saints at 5-10-1. …
Eli Manning through 11 games: 20 TD passes, 10 INTs. Manning in his final six, including the playoff clunker against the Panthers: 4 TD passes, 10 INTs. …
Let me see if I’ve got this straight. The Panthers, who just shut out the Giants, are headed to Chicago to play the Bears? The combined score could be lower than the wind-chill factor on Lake Michigan. …
My sources, Bartles & Jaymes, tell me Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi‘s torn calf muscle is every bit as bad, if not worse, than the Pats are letting on. …
It’s not about sacks, it’s about pressure. To wit: The ’04 Broncos had 38 sacks and 12 interceptions. The Bronx of ’05 had 28 sacks and 20 picks. John Lynch, Ebenezer Ekuban and Trevor Pryce tied for the team lead with four sacks this season, a half-sack fewer than Willie McGinest had in the Pats’ playoff opener.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
