Sports Interaction’s football betting analyst Frank Doyle considers the Redskins’ prospects at Canton this weekend and in the season ahead.
Sports Interaction has set Washington as a five-point favorite against Indianapolis for the Hall of Fame game at Canton this weekend. For Redskins fans, this might be as good as things get for them this year.
The important thing any bettor needs to decide when looking at the NFL odds for preseason games is which team needs the win. Obviously, both head coaches are looking at players first and foremost, to see who can do what and on whom they can rely when the real bullets start flying, but at the back of some coaches’ minds, there’s the little voice saying: you know, a win here would really take some of the heat off me.
Jim Zorn has to be hearing that voice right now. Tony Dungy is the most serene head coach in the entire league, and he is completely free of any pressure in this game. The injury to Peyton Manning is a cherry on top, because if Manning is already in hospital getting work done on his knee there’s no way he can get smashed up playing a preseason game in Canton, OH. Happy days as far as Dungy is concerned.
If the Skins do win and cover, Zorn might be well advised to make the most of it. The Skins’ first game of the regular season is the Thursday night opener at the Giants, and the Giants look good to cover the three and a half points we’re laying at Sports Interaction.
Jim Zorn has never been an offensive or defensive co-ordinator before, so he’s in for what could be a scorching baptism of fire this year. The majority of Joe Gibbs’ staff is still at Washington, but can you switch the head and expect the body to keep on trucking? The Redskins are aging either side of the ball at the line of scrimmage, there’s a chance Jason Taylor’s best years are behind him and he should stick to the rhumba and, while Clinton Portis is a stellar running back, the case is not yet proven for quarterback Jason Campbell. Right now, taking the under on Sports Interaction’s total of 7.5 wins for the new season for Washington looks like an astute bet.