2009 Pro Bowl – Last Chance to Cash in on the NFL

Ok, the 2009 Pro Bowl starting lineup is etched in stone for Sunday’s star-studded AFC vs. NFC event at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. So now what, you may ask? We’ll, considering it’s the final online NFL sports betting event of the year, it has a line and offers the opportunity to win money! 

Let’s face it, All-Star type events are for the fans and dedicated sports bettors that like to bet on anything and everything. Despite still being bitter about the NHL All-Star game’s ‘total’ playing under, as obviously I wagered over on the usually offensively dominated spectacle, you betcha’ I’ll be trying to recover my funds on this year’s Pro Bowl!

With a larger sack of coin handed to the winning side, and as the NFL’s best players battle to determine Conference supremacy, there will be a sense of competitiveness and highlight plays involved. But there will probably be more flash, smack talk and showmanship for the camera’s than hard-hitting competition.

Veteran sports betting gurus run from games like the Pro Bowl, because of no true handicapping stats, trends or past performance numbers available to bank on. But the fact is, as long as a sharp and proper line is provided, wagering on the Pro Bowl or any other All-Star event is no different than betting on a regular-season game from any sport.

Bottom-line, when dealing with a sharp line on a straight side or ‘total’ play you have a 50/50 chance of winning your wager. Hence oddsmakers setting and moving lines in efforts to pull equal money on both sides. And with BetOnline NFL odds and lines always razor-sharp, listing the NFC slight favorites at -2½ points; AFC +2½ – with a game total of 64 – I’m ready to get down on the 2009 Pro Bowl action.

I wouldn’t recommend betting the ranch on these events, unless you want to follow the ole saying, ”got a hunch, bet a bunch”, but place an online NFL wager on the game and have some fun. The best players in the league converge on one field, looking to showcase some of the world’s greatest athleticism and football talent, creating an exciting contest that’s predominately a razzle-dazzle offensive frenzy. And, a little action with BetOnline Sportsbook only adds excitement to the show.

With everything said, do you take the AFC or NFC and how to decide? Flipping a coin, tossing a dart or picking the side boasting reps from your favor team are three options. But before jumping the gun, let’s first look at the starters for each conference to get a feel for the game.

AFC Starters (Followed By Reserves):

QB—Peyton Manning – Colts           

RB—Thomas Jones - Jets          

FB—Le’Ron McClain - Ravens

WR’s—Andre Johnson – Texans and Brandon Marshall - Broncos    

TE—Tony Gonzalez - Chiefs              

T’s—Joe Thomas - Browns and Jason Peters - Bills       

G’s—Alan Faneca - Jets and Kris Dielman - Chargers        

C—Kevin Mawae - Titans           

Reserves: QB’s—Brett Favre - Jets and Jay Cutler - Broncos; RB’s—Chris Johnson – Titans and Ronnie Brown - Dolphins; WR’s—Reggie Wayne - Colts and Wes Welker – Patriots; TE—Antonio Gates – Chargers; T—Michael Roos - Titans; G—Michael Roos - Titans; C—Nick Mangold – Jets.

DE’s—Mario Williams - Texans and Dwight Freeney - Colts

DT’s—Albert Haynesworth - Titans and Kris Jenkins - Jets

OLB’s—James Harrison - Steelers and Joey Porter - Dolphins

MLB—Ray Lewis - Ravens

CB’s—Nnamdi Asomugha - Raiders and Courtland Finnegan - Titans

S’s—Ed Reed - Ravens and Troy Polamalu - Steelers

K—Stephan Gostkowski - Patriots

P—Shane Lechler - Raiders

KR—Leon Washington - Jets

ST—Brendon Ayanbadejo - Ravens

Reserves: DE—Robert Mathis - Colts; DT—Shaun Rogers - Browns; OLB—Terrell Suggs - Ravens; MLB—James Farrior - Steelers; CB—Darrelle Revis - Jets; S—Chris Hope - Titans.

NFC Starters (Followed By Reserves):

QB—Kurt Warner - Cardinals           

RB—Adrian Peterson - Vikings           

FB—Mike Sellers - Redskins

WR’s—Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin - Cardinals     

TE—Jason Witten – Cowboys              

T’s—Jordan Gross - Panthers and Walter Jones - Seahawks       

G’s—Chris Snee - Giants and Steve Hutchinson - Vikings        

C—Andre Gurode – Cowboys

Reserves: QB’s—Drew Brees - Saints and Eli Manning - Giants; RB’s—Michael Turner, Falcons and Clinton Portis - Redskins; WR’s—Steve Smith - Panthers and Roddy White – Falcons; TE—Chris Cooley - Redskins; T—Chris Samuels - Redskins; G—Leonard Davis - Cowboys; C—Shaun O’Hara - Giants.

DE’s—Justin Tuck - Giants and Julius Peppers - Panthers

DT’s—Kevin Williams - Vikings and Jay Ratliff - Cowboys

OLB’s—DeMarcus Ware - Cowboys and Lance Briggs - Bears

ILB—Patrick Willis - 49ers

CB’s—Charles Woodson - Packers and Antoine Winfield - Vikings

S’s—Nick Collins - Packers and Adrian Wilson - Cardinals

K—John Carney - Giants

P—Jeff Feagles - Giants

KR—Clifton Smith - Buccaneers

ST—Sean Morey - Cardinals

Reserves: DE—Jared Allen - Vikings; DT—Pat Williams - Vikings; OLB—Derrick Brooks - Buccaneers; ILB—Jon Beason - Panthers; CB—Asante Samuel - Eagles; S—Brian Dawkins - Eagles.

It’s a star-studded lineup on both sides from top to bottom – all deserving of being on the Hawaiian vacation. But annually there’s players snubbed that have valid arguments of being left off the bill. For what it’s worth, which is nothing in means of picking the winner, here’s my top-two players left singing the snub-uh-dub song:

1—San Diego’s quarterback Phillip Rivers is this year’s biggest snub. Rivers led the entire NFL with a 105.5 passer rating and touchdown passes thrown with 34. Obviously, the fact the Chargers missed postseason worked against him, but this event is based on individual honors, so he should of been on the roster instead of the washed up Favre. For those wondering, Favre had 12 less TD passes than Rivers and a QB rating of 81.0 (ranked 21st), while throwing 22 picks – most in the NFL. 

2—Steve Slaton was a major snub. Brown was the catalyst of the Fin’s “Wild Cat” offense often played quarterback and wideout with 33 receptions and 914 rushing yards, but Slaton proved himself as more of a pure running back. Slaton was hurt by his rookie status, while Brown’s Pro Bowl ticket was punched by Miami’s remarkable turnaround. Slaton racked up nearly 1,300 yards with a 4.8-per-carry average, while still learning as a rookie and playing behind a below average Texans’ O-line.

Ok, back to the game. Since the Pro Bowl became the AFC vs. NFC in 1971, the series is tied 19-19. Wow, that certainly strengthens my earlier statement of having a 50/50 chance of cashing. However, that record doesn’t include spreads. Here’s some addition SU records that pertain to scoring:

—Most points- 55, NFC (2004)

—Fewest points- 3, AFC (1984, ’89, ’94)

—Most points, both teams- 107, NFC 55, AFC 52 (2004)

—Fewest points, both teams- 16, AFC 10, NFC 6 (1987)

—Touchdowns- 7, NFC (2004); AFC (2004)

—Fewest touchdowns- 0, AFC (1971, ’74, ’84, ’89, ’94); NFC (1987-88)

—Most touchdowns, both teams- 14, NFC 7, AFC 7 (2004)

—Fewest touchdowns, both teams- 1, NFC 1, AFC 0 (1974); AFC 1, NFC 0 (1987); AFC 1, NFC 0 (1988)

—Most field goals- 5, AFC (1974)

With seven of the last eight Pro Bowls going over the ‘total’, including last year’s game which saw a robust 72 points combined, I’m passing up flipping a coin, tossing a dart or picking the side boasting reps from my favorite team and modestly investing in the ‘total’.

Free Pro Bowl Picks: Over 64 -110