Tonight, NFL betting lines enthusiasts will finally get their first taste of football action for the 2011 – 12 seasons, as the preseason kicks off from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Gillette Stadium in New England. If you ask any football sports betting fan, the 2011 offseason has felt longer than any other in years past. With less than 24 hours remaining until kick off, we wonder if the preseason will set the groundwork for an outstanding regular season!If all reports are accurate, expect the preseason to be one of the most intense in recent memory. Essentially, due to the college football betting NFL lockout, training camp was limited to roughly a few days rather than a month. What this means, is that all the auditions and new systems teams would have learned during training camp and tested out in practice, will be moved to preseason. This also means that teams using new free agent or rookies in their starting lineup will take extended looks at what they have.
For instance, in Jacksonville and Cincinnati, rookie quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Andy Dalton, will be thrown into action right away. Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis has already stated, that due to the short training camp, his starters, and in particular, 2011 second round draft pick Andy Dalton, will see a ton of action, during Friday’s preseason game. In Jacksonville on the contrary, Blaine Gabbert is receiving his reps by circumstance, as normal starter David Garrard is out with an injury.
With fans and experts alike curious about a variety of team’s offseason moves, and how they will gel, the preseason will provide a small sample size of what they can expect this year. One game on everybody’s preseason calendar is the Thursday night opening game featuring the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. On the one hand, the Ravens will be introducing fans to a new look offense, that has both a whole new rushing contingent and a whole new wide receiving corp. On the other hand, the Eagles will be displaying the new look defense, that includes free agent prize Nnamdi Asomugha.
Conversely, fans will expecting blowout wins during the preseason, need look no farther than Friday’s preseason opener featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. In an ironic twist, Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman claimed his team would lay the smack down on the NFC this season, however on Friday Pittsburgh will most likely put the cleats to the Redskins.
Through the aforementioned games, fans and media alike have plenty of games over the next few days to look forward too. What’s more, the short training camp has opened the door to plenty of competitions during the preseason. This in turn, allows fans and handicappers the opportunity to research each team individually, and form an idea on who to back before placing Super Bowl future wagers for Super Bowl 46 in February 2012.
