At present the Sportsbook industry is posting odds on the lockout as it could be the only NFL odds available should the strike occur and lockout continue and they the ODDS are posted at EVEN! This past Monday the NFL told the Appeals court that the argument over whether or not the lockout is legal should not get in the way of the 2011 NFL Season. The league has essentially been operating in the last days as if the lockout is in tack. They’ve allowed players into their facilities.

However they are getting involved in free agencies or player movements and transfers. On the other side the Players Association is acting as the lockout has been lifted and business should go on as normal. Then the appeals court reinstated the lockout and awaits making decisions on appeals from both sides which expected by not later than this coming Thursday. Will we see NFL Betting Lines and Odds in 2011?

In the Appellate court ruling the decision was 2-1 from the 8th Circuit in a venue that was conservative and much more favorable for the owners than the Minnesota Court was where they have normally favored players over the NFL Owners. This was the Owners 1st victory in this bargaining endeavor. The only opposing Judge Kermit Bye wrote a lengthy dissent as he was of the opinion that the NFL had not convinced him that the league wound suffer irreparable harm if a lockout was not in place.

He is further convinced that the type of situation the NFL presents justifies the grant of a temporary stay of the lockout! The NFL swears that we will see NFL Odds and NFL Betting and all other NFL game schedules and activities for 2011!

The big concern now is with undrafted rookies will be able to sign with teams since the draft has concluded. Then NFL General Managers and Personnel Staffs will have to face an injustice in that they can’t sign undrafted free agents and that has a big effect on the players, the coaches and the scouts who all have worked so hard during this process. In the coming days it will be interesting to watch the Sportsbooks like SBGGlobal and see if they provide NFL Betting lines on the continuance of a LOCKOUT!

The NFL team the has the 1st pick for the 2011 National Football League Draft and the 1st round of the Draft with 32 picks that takes place on Thursday, April 28th, 2011 is the Carolina Panthers while the 2nd and 3rd rounds will be on Friday, April 29th and the round of 4-7 will take place on April 30th, Saturday. The Denver Bronco will follow the Panthers with the second (2nd) pick and then the Buffalo Bills will have the third (3rd) pick.

The Bills are followed with the fourth (4th) pick by the Cincinnati Bengals then the fifth (5th) pick by the Arizona Cardinals, then sixth (6th) the Cleveland Browns pick, seventh (7th) pick is the San Francisco 49’ers, eighth (8th) the Tennessee Titans, ninth (9th) the Dallas Cowboys, tenth (10th) the Washington Redskins, eleventh (11th) the Houston Texans, twelfth (12th) the Minnesota Vikings, thirteenth (13th) the Detroit Lions, fourteenth (14th) Saint Louis Rams, fifteenth (15th) the Miami Dolphins and sixteenth (16th) Jacksonville Jaguars. That comprises 16 of the 32 teams in the NFL and the order of the First Draft picks.

The order of the draft for the remaining sixteen teams in the NFL is as follows: Starting out as the seventeenth (17th) pick the New England Patriots (one that they go from Oakland), eighteenth (18th) the San Diego Chargers, nineteenth (19th) the New York Giants, twentieth (20th) the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, twenty-first (21st) the Kansas City Chiefs, twenty-second (22nd) the Indianapolis Colts, twenty-third (23rd) the Philadelphia Eagles, twenty-fourth (24th) the New Orleans Saints, twenty-fifth (25th) the Seattle Seahawks, twenty-sixth (26th) the Baltimore Ravens, twenty-seventh (27th) the Atlanta Falcons, twenty-eighth (28th) the New England Patriots, twenty-ninth (29th) the Chicago Bears, thirtieth (30th) the New York Jets, thirty-first (31st) the Pittsburgh Steelers and last but not least the thirty-second (32nd) pick goes to the Super Bowl Champions the Green Bay Packers.

When the Draft comes around the later part of April be sure and check out SBGGlobal for the NFL Odds for the Draft. In a forthcoming article we will review the second round picks and the article will be titled NFL Betting Odds and facts on 2011 NFL Players 2nd Round Draft on April 29th.

After making his 1,500th pass attempt late in the season Rodgers quietly became the highest rated passer in NFL history (98.4) –that is not a typo. For an encore, upon completing his 150th pass attempt in the NFL postseason he also became the highest rated QB in NFL playoff history as well (134.5) prior to the NFC Championship game.

Not bad credentials for the old résumé.

Rodgers will be public enemy #1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers rabid defense and he’s going to have to play the game of his life to beat a well coached and talented unit like the Blitzburgh D but, if anyone can beat this team it’s Rodgers.

Kickoff for this Sunday, February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5.

Backup Packers QB Matt Flynn, would likely argue this point, but without Rodgers this team is mediocre at best and would have no chance against the Steelers in the Super Bowl betting action.

The Packers run game is modest to say the least averaging just 100.4 ypg in the regular season (24th in the NFL). This output has increased slightly in the postseason but that’s been the result of well called games and gimmicky formations. That will not happen against the Steelers historically stingy run D that’s given up just 62.8 ypg rushing.

Make no mistake, the Packers will have to throw the ball against the Steelers and that is where the game will be won and lost.

And if the Steelers, the top defense in the NFL this season (14.5 ppg) have any weaknesses in their mighty D it’s the pass coverage. This team was humiliated by Tom Brady and New England’s wide open passing game in week 10 and exposed by the passing game again against the Saints in a Week 6 loss to Drew Brees and the Saints.

Pittsburgh does not traditionally defend well against marquee QBs and Rodgers is as good as any we’ve seen in recent Super Bowl odds competition.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) defeated the New York Jets (13-6) last week at Heinz Field they earned a trip to Arlington Texas and a spot in the big game. Likewise, the Green Bay Packers (13-6) made quick work of the Chicago Bears (12-6) and booked a ticket to the Super Bowl XVL as well.

Within minutes of the final whistle in the AFC Championship the betting lines for Super Bowl XVL were released and the Packers are unanimous favorites in the early line action.

Kickoff for this Sunday, February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5.

Steelers fans must shaking with rage at this perceived slight but with the Super Bowl odds so tight there really isn’t a favorite in this game and we’re likely to see that line narrow to next to nothing over the next few weeks.

The 2-points spotted to the Packers are probably pretty accurate. Sure you can make the case for the Steelers D which was the best in the NFL this season in many statistical categories, including scoring (14.5 ppg) and rushing yards (62.8 ypg).

But if this team had any weaknesses on defense it was against the pass, a category in the team was barely above average, giving up 214.1 ypg in this department.

Against a red-hot Aaron Rodgers, who this season has become the highest rated passer in both the regular season (98.4) and post season NFL history (134.5), which is not the weakness you want to have. If you’re Dick LeBeau, the Steelers Defensive coordinator, that last stat must be giving you an ulcer.

Rodgers has been nearly flawless in his three playoff games this year accounting for 8 TDs (6 passing and 2 rushing) and if not for 2 INTs in the victory against Chicago last week would be as close to perfect as is humanly possible this post season.
And that’s why the Steelers start out the slight underdog in these early betting on the Super Bowl scenarios.

That’s not the case in this weekend’s AFC Championship game which features two teams, the New York Jets (13-5) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4), which have not only already met once this season but played each other less than a month at the exact same field they’ll meet on Sunday.But those results, a 22-17 Jets win, are unlikely to be duplicated, as the statistical evidence would point to that result being an aberration of the norm rather than a likely outcome of this matchup.

Kickoff for this matchup is set for 6:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 3-point favorite with an over/under total at 38.5. Granted, the odds NFL betting sites have posted are predicting a close game and that’s probably going to be the case.

But ultimately the Steelers should prevail. In the teams’ December 20th meeting the Steelers dominated nearly every meaningful stat column: time of possession (31:18 to 28:42), total yardage (378 to 276), 3rd down conversions (11-17 vs 6-13), rushing yards (147 to 106) and passing yards (231-170).

Yet the home team still lost. Two abnormal plays that delivered the Jets win, that are unlikely to play a roll in the AFC title game were a 97-yard return on the opening kickoff and safety. Without those two plays the Steelers would have won.

Even with those plays the Steelers still nearly won but ultimately couldn’t score a TD in the closing seconds after having a 1st and goal situation.If this game were played again, which it will be on Sunday, one would expect the Steelers to win.

And that will likely be the case as All Pro Safety Troy Polamulu will also be back in the lineup and the odds of the Steelers winning in the NFL gambling competition sky rocket when Polamalu is on the field.

But if you’re going to put money on this game make sure you put it on the Packers. Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 3:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.5.

Every set of odds NFL betting sites have posted so far favor the Pack and you should too. Green Bay is simply the better team and there’s a heap of statistical evidence to support this. One caveat here, is the fact that at 43.5 points the over/under option is in play as well and could serve as a good alternative. These teams have combined to score just 50 points in 2 games this season with each team averaging just 12.5 ppg. Something to think about.

But if you want to go with the outright winner, Green Bay is your play. The teams split their regular season series 1-1. But the first time these teams met was September 27th (Week 3) and much has changed since then. The most recent matchup between these teams, just two weeks ago was won by the Pack and is a more accurate reflection of the state of these two teams.

Since that win the Packers have gone on the road to beat #1 and #3 seeds in the NFC (Falcon and Eagles, respectively) and have proven that they can win away from ‘Frozen Tundra; of Lambeau Field. More importantly, QB Aaron Rodgers has been playing nearly perfect football with 6 TDs and 1 INT in two playoff games so far. The offense is averaging 34.5 ppg in the post season and has the upper hand vs Chicago’s attack.

On defense, Green Bay also has the advantage (15.0 ppg, 2nd in the NFL) versus a very good Bears D (ranked #10 in total D). And at the end the team with the better offense and better defense generally comes out on top in any NFL betting odds matchup.

Since the moment the Jets pulled off an impressive 17-16 last minute win over the favored Indianapolis Colts on the road in the AFC Wildcard playoff action last weekend the New York Jets have been on the trash-talking offense, talking smack about the Pats to whoever will listen.

There are two way to view this: 1) that this team is extremely confident and ready to give New England a tough game; 2) this team is trying to cover up some deficiency or insecurity with their braggadocio.

The facts would seem to support the latter as just over a month ago the Jets were humiliated in New England by a Pats team that hung points on the board against this team in the first half and went on to complete the drubbing by of the Jets by the score of 45-3.

But you’ve got to admire the way the Rex Ryan has taken the offensive against a team that has proven to be much better and deflect as much attention as possible on himself, rather than his players. The only problem is his players have also adopted his tone and history has proven they’re unable to back their words up on the field against New England. The betting line on this game indicates as much.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Pats as a 8.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5. The 8.5 points isn’t the widest NFL gambling point spread on the board this weekend but it firmly indicates that the experts have little faith in the Jets winning this game.

The Pats offense has been superb this season, leading the NFL in scoring (32.4 ppg) and QB Tom Brady has been especially impressive. He’s a lock to win his second NFL MVP this season after tossing 36 TDs and just 4 INTs.

The Jets D is above average (ranked #3 in the NFL) and its run game is solid (4th in the NFL) but those two elements combined won’t be enough for this team to beat Brady & Co. this Sunday in the NFL betting odds action.

But after paying his debt to society Vick has exploded onto the NFL scene this year even better than ever. In just 12 full games he threw for 21 TDs, just 6 INTs, averaged 251.6 passing yards per game along with 56.3 rushing yards and 9 TDs. And he also finished 3rd in the NFL in passer rating (100.2).

He is the principal reason the Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) are hosting an NFC Wild Card game this weekend and he will the man the Green Bay Packers (10-6) must stop.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Eagles as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 46.

Vick may be one of the top players in the NFL betting odds action but the Packers defense has proven it’s also one of the top defenses and if anyone can slow Vick down this is the team.

The Packers are 2nd in the NFL in points allowed (15.0 ppg) and 4th in yards allowed per game (309.1 ypg). The team is also tied for 2nd in the NFL in sacks (47.0) and has 38 takeaways this season (24 INTs and 20 forced fumbles).

Led by stars like the 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year CB Charles Woodson and a leading candidate for the award in 2010, LB Clay Matthews, this is a talented group. But it’s going to need all its talent and then some to contain Vick.

No team has been able to shut Vick down yet with the Minnesota Vikings coming the closest in Week 16, but the QB still managed 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 63 yards rushing and a TD on the ground.

Nonetheless the Vikings still won the game and if the Packers can hold Vick to similar numbers they’ve got a good chance to win this sports betting matchup as the team’s offense is potent (24.3 ppg) and the Eagles defense is a bit soft (23.6 ppg).

The AFC West, as a division has a collective record of 24-28 and not single team with a winning percentage better than .615. But it still makes the NFC West look like the semi-pro competition.

The mild, mild, NFC West doesn’t feature a single team with a winning record and with an embarrassing 6-7 record the St Louis Rams can claim to be the best of the worst in this gutter division.

Nonetheless someone has to win this thing and the San Francisco Forty-Niners (5-8) are as good a candidate as any team. First, they’ve got to get past the AFC West’s San Diego Chargers (7-6) which does not seem likely.

Kickoff for this Thursday matchup is set for 8:25 Eastern Time and SBG Global opened with the Chargers as a 8 ½ -point favorite with an over/under total at 44.5.

The Niners winning this game out right isn’t impossible but the NFL betting odds maker’s instinct on this one seems about right.

If you must bet the Niners, picking them with points seems like a reasonable bet. With +8 ½ points this team has a chance to chance. As bad as the Niners have looked at times this season they realize that this is their last chance: lose in San Diego and the season over.

And lose they very well could, but it would hard to imagine the team laying down knowing that their season hangs in the balance as does the future of their head coach.

QB Alex Smith, who spent 7 weeks on the bench only to be promoted back to starter in Week 14 had one of his best games as a professional (130.9 passer rating, 255 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs) last week in a do or die game against the division rival Seattle. If he can continue that magic and RB Brian Westbrook can continue to have an impact the Niners should be able to keep this game within 8 points.

But if the Niners play less than superb the rout will be on and the much more talented Chargers will win this sports betting matchup easily.

The Week 13 matchup between the 6-5 Miami Dolphins and the 4-7 Cleveland Browns is a classic example. Neither of these teams is outstanding, but they can both be pretty good when all the cylinders are clicking, and both are very hard to get a read on.

The experts like the Dolphins in this game but it’s very deceptive matchup for many reasons.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global opened with the Dolphins as a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 42.5.

Miami is a mediocre team at best, but it’s a tough team to beat as its very sound fundamentally. This team has very few if any big play makers and it doesn’t win with big plays. It’s slow and steady and wears opponents down.

Against a Browns D that’s giving up nearly 120 rushing yards per game this Miami is going to try and pound the ball inside. And even with the run game below average this season (105.9 ypg) it will still likely have some success.

But the stopping the run will be more important face of Sunday’s game for the ‘Fins.

Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis is having a monster season and is coming off a huge 131 yard, 3 TD performances against Carolina in Week 12. Obviously, Carolina is the worst team in the league and the Dolphins run defense will provide more resistance, but not much more. Miami’s run D has slipped this season and it’s giving up 105.9 yards per game on the ground. Although, last week it shut down a formidable Oakland running game the Browns will have plenty of film on the defensive schemes and they’re not likely to be as successful.

On wild card in the equation is the fact that Miami is just 1-4 at home and has generally followed up big wins this season with disappointing losses.

Look for the Browns to at least beat the sports betting point spread in this game.