Gambling On The Games: Playing Preseason Pigskin

Its always good to be cautious with preseason NFL wagering. After all most of the stars will sit and many of the starters only play briefly.

Coaches always hate injuries but being ravaged in the meaningless preseason is an especially agonizing torture.

But here are a few angles at preseason pigskin profits.

Quality QB depth is a key.

QB competition is even better.

A quality QB trying to win in the fourth quarter makes a huge difference when the other team has guys on the field who are mostly heading back to their day jobs after the next cut.

Of course quality QB's are hard to find starting in the NFL.  Two on the same squad is near impossible. The days of Steve Young backing up Joe Montana are long gone.

Some coaches do not care at all about winning in the preseason. Some coaches want to win all the time.

Some coaches want to set a winning tone or attitude to carry over into the regular season, or shed the sour taste from the previous season.

Pairing the winning coach with depth at QB is key.

The Chicago Bears will have Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton fighting for the starting spot. Both should be playing hard to win the preseason games and the job. The problem with them is throwing to the team in the wrong colored jerseys.

The Bears running back spot is up for grabs also, so those guys will be running for starters money.

Bears coach Lovie Smith is 10-7 in the preseason but 3-1 last year.

Eric Mangini's Jets have a battle for the QB spot brewing, with maybe Brett Favre flung in the mix. Magic Man Mangini is 5-3 overall in the preseason and was 3-1 last year.

The Cardinals have two potential starting QB's in Kurt Warner and Matt Leinhart fighting for a spot, but Coach Ken Whisenhunt went 0-4 last year in his first preseason as the head man. No one enjoys football in Arizona in August.

Before last year's 0-4 rout, Herman Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs was 17-7 in preseason action. Last year the offense was just stagnant. Is this year's any better? Herm will try to spark a preseason surge but the Chiefs make lack the match.

If the Packers flounder in the preseason expect early heat on Coach Mike McCarthy and the Packers organization as the Favre fiasco unfolds. The Pack will try to be positive and win.

Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos, doing not so well in the post season post Elway, is a preseason monster at 39-17.

Chucky, Jon Gruden, is a monster in the preseason also going 27-15.

Romeo Crennell, with two high paid QB's, likes to win in the preseason going 8-4 overall. Look for Rick Mirer to try and make his mark.

Defensive minded coaches John Fox and Jack Del Rio are a solid 16-8 and 14-6 respectively.

Buffalo's Dick Jauron has a more relaxed preseason approach going 10-18.

Easy going Tony Dungy's record stands at 9-17.

Andy Reid's veteran Eagles are 13-23 in his tenure during exhibition season.

Veteran, winning teams will be more relaxed about the preseason.

Coaches on the hot seat with losing streaks will want to change that.

But no one wants to get shut out in the preseason so if you catch a team 0-3 bet that their coach is going to make a concentrated effort to win his final contest.

Good luck.

Roll 'dem bones to feed that jones.