Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
....but can anyone tell me why they bet on pre-season football?
Serious bettors study for upcoming games, right? I remember one sports reporter picking games a few years ago, saying he'd pick the Colts if Peyton Manning was playing, but choosing the other team if he didn't.
This makes sense, especially with quarterbacks, but also applies to other key players, right? I've read that many feel there's no QB you'd rather have in the game than Peyton if you're behind by 4 points and have time for only one last drive.
But this doesn't pertain in pre-season, does it? Peyton plays only a few series in the first quarter and even if the team is down by 4 with 2 minutes left in the game, the coach isn't sending Peyton back in, is he? (The Jets just learned what happens when they sent Mark Sanchez back in the 4th quarter of a meaningless game). I can just imagine the anguish of a bettor who needs his team to get the touchdown so he can win his bet, even while knowing his team won't be trying as hard to win as they would in a regular season game.
Sure, the scrub players will fight as hard as they can to impress, but that's to win jobs on the team, not to win games. Presumably, the coach will plan accordingly, knowing that while it's nice to win, he won't risk key personnel or reveal special plays to the other team if winning isn't the primary goal of this particular game. If the bettor doesn't know who will be in there the last 3 quarters, aren't they foolish to lay down their money?
But they do, don't they?
Serious bettors study for upcoming games, right? I remember one sports reporter picking games a few years ago, saying he'd pick the Colts if Peyton Manning was playing, but choosing the other team if he didn't.
This makes sense, especially with quarterbacks, but also applies to other key players, right? I've read that many feel there's no QB you'd rather have in the game than Peyton if you're behind by 4 points and have time for only one last drive.
But this doesn't pertain in pre-season, does it? Peyton plays only a few series in the first quarter and even if the team is down by 4 with 2 minutes left in the game, the coach isn't sending Peyton back in, is he? (The Jets just learned what happens when they sent Mark Sanchez back in the 4th quarter of a meaningless game). I can just imagine the anguish of a bettor who needs his team to get the touchdown so he can win his bet, even while knowing his team won't be trying as hard to win as they would in a regular season game.
Sure, the scrub players will fight as hard as they can to impress, but that's to win jobs on the team, not to win games. Presumably, the coach will plan accordingly, knowing that while it's nice to win, he won't risk key personnel or reveal special plays to the other team if winning isn't the primary goal of this particular game. If the bettor doesn't know who will be in there the last 3 quarters, aren't they foolish to lay down their money?
But they do, don't they?