NFL Preseason Week 1

For soccer fans, this is an exciting weekend. Although the games do not count in the ranking, they do count in the betting window. There are plenty of opportunities to locate valuable information to help predict point spread winners, even in August. I remember a game a few years ago where the Dallas Cowboys played poorly in their first exhibition game and for the next few days all you read in the papers was how furious Bill Parcells was with his team. The following week they defeated their opponent, 31-6. Yes, they covered! With that in mind, here are some facts to think about as you peruse this weekend’s games.

Jets at Bucs: This is a long road trip for the Jets, heading south into wet weather. NY has a first-year coach in Eric Mangini. He has also received glowing reports about how organized and disciplined his camp has been. They meet a Tampa Bay team led by Jon Gruden, who has been terrific in the preseason, posting an exhibition record of 23-11 SU, 18-14-1 ATS.

Broncos at Lions: Another game with a new coach in Detroit’s Rod Marinelli. New Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz has a history of aggressive offensive offenses, but says he’ll keep the offensive schemes simple for the first exhibition game. One player to watch out for is Detroit backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky. He struggled in last year’s laborious West Coast offense, but his ability to drop back is well suited to the vertical passing system Martz uses. Denver takes a look at rookie QB Jay Cutler, but who will he throw the ball to? Mike Shanahan said he hopes to keep veteran WR Rod Smith (hamstring) and Javon Walker (knee) out of the game, and WR Ashley Lelie is still holding out. The Broncos’ top two wide receivers will be Darius Watts and rookie Brandon Marshall, followed by David Terrell and David Kircus.

Bills at Panthers: If you look strictly at preseason head coaching records, the home team has a huge advantage on this one. Buffalo’s new head coach Dick Jauron is 2-6 ATS in his last 8 preseason games (with the Bears), while Carolina coach Jon Fox has been terrific in the preseason, with a mark of 11-5 SU, 10-4-1 ATS in August.

Patriots at Falcons: Atlanta might have a quarterback advantage on this one. QB Michael Vick will start but will only play 1-2 series. Backup QB Matt Schaub, who impressed last season, will finish the first half, then QBs Bryan Randall and DJ Shockley will split time in the second half. That’s an interesting combination of quarterbacks who can throw and run. Meanwhile, Patriots second-year quarterback Matt Cassel will see significant action as the Pats want to see if he can handle the No. 2 quarterback job. One problem for Cassell is that the Pats have little depth. at wide receivers, with star WR Deion Branch still holding out.

Steelers at Cardinals: Another interesting game as reports are that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will start, although he will only play 1-2 series. Rookie QB Omar Jacobs will get the most time. This is a game that features two veteran head coaches who have been fantastic in the preseason. The Steelers are 30-27 SU, 31-25-1 ATS in the preseason under Bill Cowher, while Arizona coach Dennis Green is 32-19 SU, 28-23 ATS in August (although 4-4 SU/ATS with Arizona).

Chiefs at Texans: Both teams have new head coaches. Watch out for the Chiefs, as they’ve had a lousy week with quarterback injuries. No. 2 quarterback Damon Huard (sprained foot) will not play, and rookie quarterback Brodie Croyle is also injured. So they drafted quarterback Jeff Smoker this week, released by the Rams. Asked if he would consider giving Trent Green more plays on Saturday, new coach Herm Edwards said: “Oh no, we’re not going to do that. We’re not going to put the starter back. We’re just going to run the ball every play.” if we have to.” Edwards said the offense will run the ball more in 2006 and this would be a good start. Maybe it’s worth taking a look at this one under the total, as the Chiefs could run the ball and wanting to get out of town without further injury.