Dashing through the notes in a one-horse open sleigh …
Mike Shanahan may be confident that Jay Cutler is the answer, but let the record show the wiseguys in Las Vegas don’t share his opinion.
The Broncos opened at 14-1 odds at the Las Vegas Hilton to win the Super Bowl. That number moved as low as 7-1 early in the season, but went to 15-1 after the Broncos’ loss to San Diego.
Then came the loss at Kansas City, followed by Shanahan’s decision to turn to Cutler, a rookie who’ll make his first start at quarterback Sunday night vs. Seattle. The combination of the two sent the Broncos’ odds skyrocketing to 30-1, making them just another face in the crowd among the NFL’s 32 teams.
“It’s hard to say this because Ben Roethlisberger did so well for the Steelers, but normally a rookie quarterback situation is not a good thing,” said Jay Kornegay, executive director of the Hilton’s race and sports book. “It obviously makes us adjust the odds. Whenever a situation like this happens, it’s more or less saying, ‘We’re looking toward the future and not really making a run this year.”‘ …
Less than a year in the NFL and Vince Young already is making history. Young on Sunday became the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to a victory after trailing by 20-plus points. The previous top comeback by a rookie QB? John Elway in 1983, when he carried the Broncos to a 21-19 W over the Baltimore Colts after the Colts had led 19-0. …
The Vegas books have seen enough to assume Southern Cal will play Ohio State for the national championship. The Hilton’s early line, in case you’re wondering, is Ohio State by 6, with an over/under of 52. …
Not that the balance of power in the NBA is tilted toward the West, but the Western Conference has three teams with losing records, and the East has three with winning records. Not only that, the West has won 50 out of 68 interconference games. …
Speaking of interconference games, the AFC won all four such matchups in Week 11 to improve to 32-20 against the junior varsity conference. …
We’re almost a month into the NBA season and the Nuggets have lost one game by more than three points. Moral to the story: Any way you slice it, this is a remarkably competitive team. …
The maturation of the Melo Man: Carmelo Anthony leads the league in scoring at 31.1 points per despite playing fewer minutes – 36.5 per – than the next eight players in the top 10. He’s also shooting 51 percent, better than all but two players in the top 10. …
The issue for the Nuggets isn’t whether Melo will go for 30, but whether somebody else can get 20. J.R. Smith has looked the part at times, but it’s a long season. …
Jesse Ham, come on down! You win the award, bubba. My man Jesse was the first e-mailer to suggest that Shanahan should have stuck with Jake Plummer. “This is questionable at best,” the e-mail read. “This season has been set up for Jake to fail.” …
A hundred mil for Carlos Lee? Astros owner Drayton McLane is either committed to winning or soon to be committed for something else. …
Don’t know if they can pull it off, but the Giants are making a huge push to get Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox. The significance, of course, is that Man Ram in a San Francisco uniform would all but assure that Barry Bonds would be out of a gig. Ramirez has two positions – left field and batter’s box, not necessarily in that order. …
And finally, a quick programming note. Woody Paige will make his final appearance on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” today before returning to The Post’s sports pages in early December. Repeat after me, sports fans: Yyyyyyes!
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
