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02/03/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armed with labor peace for the next 10 years, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell discussed a number of topics Friday in his annual state of the league address.
Last year's session with the assembled media centered around the impending collective bargaining talks with the union. After a work stoppage was averted in the summer and in the wake of another successful 2011 campaign, player safety was at the forefront on Friday, while Goodell also spoke about recent rumors of expansion and more prime time games for the NFL Network.
"We are focused now on how to improve every area of the game, from the game on the field to the fan experience and everything in between," Goodell said as part of an opening statement before fielding questions for about an hour.
The prevention and treatment of concussions, as well as other ways to make the game less dangerous is paramount for Goodell and the league. There have been numerous concussion lawsuits filed by former players in recent weeks.
"We will always make sure player safety is a main focus," Goodell said. "We will continue to address medical issues. We will try to help our retired players, current players and future players by making the game safer."
Goodell said the league is using sideline replays to help doctors in their medical evaluations during the playoffs and indicated that it is a practice that will likely continue during the 2012 regular season.
"We're not going to relent on safety," Goodell added later, saying "medical decisions will override competitive decisions."
The commissioner said the league was at the forefront of concussion-related injuries and is always gathering more information.
"We're all learning [about brain injuries]," he noted. "What I'm proud of is the NFL's leading the way. This is a serious injury and needs to be taken seriously, not just in football, but in all sports."
Speculation about potential expansion is just that, Goodell noted, despite his remarks on Thursday that indicated the league would grow by two teams if it ever did consider the issue.
"We have not talked about expansion in the league at all," Goodell said. "It is not on our agenda. I do not see that in the foreseeable future. We want our teams to remain where they are."
He did, however, speak about the league's desire to return to Los Angeles, although whether that was through expansion or an existing team relocating was not clear.
"We've got to find a way to make it work for both parties," he said, adding that labor peace and the new television deals have made the concept more realistic. "We would like to be back in Los Angeles if we can do it correctly. I think that the [labor and TV] foundation can be helpful for coming back to LA. We now have a runway for 10 years. We know what our labor situation is and we know what our TV situation is."
As for television, Goodell announced that the league is expanding its schedule of games on the NFL Network from eight to 13 for next season. It will include more Thursday night games earlier in the season.
"We think that's great for fans and for teams to get that prime time exposure," he said.
Another question was raised about the potential of expanding the Monday night schedule to doubleheaders, but Goodell said that has not been considered.
As for expanding the season to 18 games, one of the roadblocks in the latest CBA talks last summer, Goodell continued to say it would have to be discussed again with the union.
Goodell noted that Indianapolis has been a wonderful host for this week's festivities and was asked about future Super Bowl sites, including more cold weather cities. The New York City area will host a Super Bowl in two years and the commissioner said the league would wait to add any potential non-domed cold weather sites until after the first one takes place.
"I'm a big believer the game is played in all elements," Goodell said. "It's a great part of our history. There's another side that believes when you get to the Super Bowl, the elements shouldn't play a part."
Other topics included the league's desire for more stadium upgrades or new construction, similar to Thursday's announcement of a new building for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Goodell hoped the league could help San Diego with its desire for a new building.
Testing for human growth hormone, which the union agreed to in the new CBA, could begin this offseason. It was expected to start during the 2011 season, but the union balked at the testing process.
Goodell said the two sides have had recent positive discussions regarding the subject and those would continue in the coming weeks.
There wasn't much talk about the sometimes acrimonious labor issues from the summer, but it was brought to the commissioner's attention that the teams of two of the men who played such a big role in the outcome -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Giants co-owner John Mara -- were in the Super Bowl.
"Those two individuals deserve a lot of respect and appreciation," he stated.
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Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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