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.

Polamalu was recently announced as the winner of the 2011 AP Defensive Player of the Year, joining fellow teammate LB James Harrison and Green Bay CB Charles Woodson as the other Defensive Player of the Year winners in this year’s Super Bowl.

Polamalu, known for his signature wild hair that hands over his name plate, his key plays and vicious hits is the last person you might expect to be playing in the NFL. If he weren’t blessed tremendous athletic talent he’d most likely be a monk right now. A soft spoken, almost monastic spiritualist off the field Polamalu shows no inclination that he makes his living by knocking people senseless.

However, on the field no player in the league –at least on the defensive side of the ball- is more important to his team than Polamalu.

If the Steelers are going to come out on top of the Super Bowl odds competition they will need yet another big game from Polamalu.

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.

Anyone that has seen the Steelers play knows how important #43 is to the team’s defensive game plan.

With Polamalu in the starting lineup over the past 2 seasons the Steelers are an impressive 14-4. Without Polamalu the team is 5-7.

The numbers don’t lie.

Polamalu is arguably the most versatile defender in the league and has free reign in Dick LeBeau’s blitz happy defense. He may lineup in a 3-point stance, he may blitz from the corner, and he may hang out in deep coverage or plug the middle in run support.

It’s impossible to predict what he might do and that unpredictability seems to make opposing QBs very nervous.

And it should. The Steelers safety has made key plays late in games several times this season and has 7 INTs and 1 TD.

Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QBs in the league but on Sunday he’ll be playing against the best defense in the league and the Steelers will be counting on Polamalu to make key plays on their way to a possible 7th Super Bowl betting win.

The Green Packers have the best QB in the NFL postseason this year in Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers phenomenal season was a bit overshadowed by Tom Brady’s mind-blowing stats (36 TDs and only 4 INTs) but with Brady’s Patriots sent home in the divisional round of the playoffs, Rodgers (3,922 yards, 28 TDs, 11 INTs) is the undisputed best QB left.

But Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger is a 2-time Lombardi Trophy winner and the most dangerous big play QB in the game. You can be sure that both of these QBs will play a big part in their team’s success this weekend.

However, the thing that many football pundits are overlooking is the fact that both of these QBs had pretty awful performances in the conference championship games, probably the best indicator of how they’ll play when the Super Bowl odds action gets underway.

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.

Aside from moving the ball down the field and running for a TD early in the game Rodgers was basically a non-factor (at least not in a positive way) in the NFC title game completing 17 of 30 passes against the Bears with 0 TDs and 2 INTs and a passer rating of 55.4.

Big Ben was even worse against the Jets in the AFC Championship game completing just 10 of 19 passes for 133 yards with 0 TDs, 2 INTs a fumble and miserable passer rating of 35.5.

These are not the numbers you want to see from you Pro Bowl QB in the game before the Super Bowl. Granted both of the QBs were facing great defenses but they’re about to face even better defenses this week as the Steelers (14.5 pgg) and the Packers (15.0) are 1st and 2nd in the NFL total defense.

Nerves and the big stage of a conference title game also likely had something to do with their poor performance as well, but again, the stage in Arlington will be even bigger.

If anything the Steelers have a slight edge in this part of the betting on the Super Bowl betting action as Big Ben has already been their twice and knows what to expect.

Let us count the ways in which the Steelers terrorize their opponents: 1st in the NFL in Sacks (48.0), 1st in yards lost on Sacks (319), 1st in the NFL in takeaways (41), 2nd in INTs returned for TDs (3), 3rd in TD passes allowed, 3rd in INTS (21), and definitely the front-runner it in the unofficial stat column of offensive coordinator nightmares.

But as impressive as the Steelers D is on paper, and on the field (1st in the NFL in points allowed: 14.5 ppg) it’s not without its weaknesses.

Anyone who has seen this team play over the past few years knows that its CBs are below par for NFL standards and can –and have- been beaten by top passing teams.

But the problem is that you’ve got to deal with the Steelers blitz first, or your QB will get murdered before he can get the ball to the receiver which will most likely have beaten the Steelers cover man, especially if Pittsburgh is the nickel formation.

Not many teams can do that.

But one the team’s that has the personnel and the QB to beat the Steelers is the Green bay Packers (13-6) and when these two teams matchup in the Super Bowl odds competition this weekend we’ll see if Aaron Rodgers and his receivers can best the #1 defense in the league.

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.

Rodgers is one of the top QBs in the game and the highest rated QB in NFL history (98.4 passer rating) and NFL playoff history (113.0). He also has a history of picking apart the Steelers D. In 2009 Rodgers completed 26 of his whopping 48 pass attempts for 383 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs and was sacked just once.

If he repeats those numbers this weekend the Green Bay Packers will most likely be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for a 4th time.

But one thing that people forget about is the fact that Green Bay lost that game 37-36 (big Ben threw for a career high 503 yards) and that’s something to keep in mind when betting on the Super Bowl this week.

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.

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.

The two teams slated to battle for the AFC title this year are very similar in many ways and both are defensive-minded teams that don’t manufacture a lot of points. Inclement weather should also play a part in keeping the score down and when the #2 seed Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4) host the #6 seed NY Jets (13-5) the winner will most likely be determined by the team that makes the fewest mistakes in a game where points will be hard to come by.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 6:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 38.5. When it comes to defense few teams are better than the than these two and it’s no coincidence that the NFL gambling over/under on this game is less than 40 points. The Steelers have allowed the fewest points all year (just 14.5 ppg) and the Jets held opponents to the 6th lowest point total all year (19.0 ppg).

Both of these teams like to try and establish the run to set up their play action passing game and neither is likely to have much success with this strategy on Sunday. The Jets had the 3rd best rush defense in the NFL this season (90.9 ypg) and the Steelers have been one of the best run defenses in the history of the NFL this season allowing a minuscule 62.8 ypg, nearly 30 yards less than any other team.

This means that the teams are going to have to look elsewhere for points, namely the passing game and the defense. In the passing game the Steelers and 2-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger have the advantage over the Jets and 2nd year QB Mark Sanchez. Although, the Jets passing game seems to be improving every week and Sanchez has a pair of talented WRs in Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards, both of whom had TDs against the Pats last weekend.

Still, the Steelers have an edge in almost every statistical category and that should translate into an NFL betting odds Super Bowl berth.

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.

2010 was not a good year for the Browns (5-10) but it wasn’t all bad and win over the Steelers might just be a big enough event to make this season a success –at least by Cleveland’s lowly standards.

The Steelers (11-4) are in the driver seat and control their own playoff destiny but this team is nowhere good enough to take the Browns for granted.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 37.5.

Pittsburgh is the better team on both sides of the ball and is coming off one of its best statistical performances of the NFL gambling season. In the team’s Week 16 27-3 victory the Steelers offense rolled up 408 total yards and Big Ben passed for 293 yards during the rout.

But it means little as it came against the worst team in the league (2-13 Panthers), which needed to lose the game in order to guarantee the #1 pick in next year’s NFL draft.

Hopefully for Steelers fans the offense can keep rolling as it’s struggled for most of the year (22.4 ppg).

Defense has been the backbone of this squad and is the best in the league (14.9 ppg).

The first time these two teams met up the Steelers got the upper hand with an easy 28-10 win.

But Browns are different team than the one that the Steelers faced in Week 6 and when healthy the team has developed a few new weapons including rookie QB Colt McCoy and RB Peyton Hillis (13 TDs).

The Cleveland fans will the Steelers all they can handle but the Browns offense is based around the running game and it’s hard to imagine the Browns having any running success against the top rush defense in the NFL (64.1 ypg).

The Steelers offense is just good enough to build a two score lead against this Brown squad and then the defense should do rest in Pittsburgh’s 12th sports betting win of the year.

The Bucs (8-6) have been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this year. Coming off a 3 win season this team has already nearly tripled its win total from 2009 and if it wins its last two remaining games this season has a great chance of grabbing the last NFC Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

The Seachickens (6-8) have hardly been good this season but in the ridiculously bad NFC West that’s good enough. Seattle is currently tied for first in the division and it wins its next two games it could very well the NFC West and gets a Week 1 bye in the NFL playoffs.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 4:20 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Buccaneers as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.5

The Bucs are the popular choice in this sports betting matchup for couple of reasons. First, the team will be playing at home. Second, the Bucs have been much better defensively this season (20.7 ppg allowed, vs. 25.9 ppg by the Seahawks). And third, Tampa’s second-year QB Josh Freeman has been very impressive this season especially late in games.

But the Bucs have also been below average in Raymond James Stadium losing 4 of their 7 games at home, including their last game to the 3-10 Lions.

The Bucs are also the biggest fraud of the year with all their wins coming by way of the softest schedule in the league.

Nonetheless, the Seahawks have done little to nothing to convince football fans that this team is capable of winning a road game with playoff implications and the division title on the line. This is a team that has lost 4 of its past 5 games with the lone win coming against the league’s doormat, the Carolina Panthers (2-10).

Even more disturbing, 2 weeks ago with the division title very much on the line, this Seahawks squad was humiliated at home by NFC West rival San Fran (14-31).

Look for the Bucs to win this NFL gambling matchup at home.