Sports book puts New York Jets at minus-240 to not make postseason

[clevfan]

Aug. 27, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Playoff payoff unlikely for Jets

Sports book puts New York at minus-240 to not make postseason

By MATT YOUMANS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

If he could predict his future, Brett Favre would not have cried in public and retired from the NFL.

The veteran quarterback waved goodbye in early March, wavered soon after that, and finally was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets in early August.

Favre made the Jets relevant, but can he lead them to the playoffs? The odds are against him.

The Jets are minus-240 to not make the playoffs, according to a proposition bet posted at Lucky's sports book at the Plaza.

"Absolutely, the Jets are better. But the team was upgraded even before they got Favre," said Jimmy Vaccaro, the director of sports operations for Lucky's.

Still, Vaccaro said he thinks the Jets are only the third-best team in the AFC East, behind the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Anyone who disagrees is free to bet on the Jets.

In fact, bettors can now look into the future and wager on or against Favre and the Jets in every game they play.

At Lucky's, almost everything NFL is on the betting board. Vaccaro has posted lines on all 256 games for the 17-week season, with a wagering limit of $500 per game.

For example, the Denver Broncos are at New England in Week 7. It's the Monday night game on Oct. 20. The Patriots are 14-point favorites.

In Week 8, the Jets are 61/2-point home favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Fast forward to Week 12, when LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers host Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Chargers are 2-point favorites.

With the help of power ratings, Vaccaro said, it's not a difficult task to make the lines so far in advance. But neither is it an exact science.

"There are holes in it because of the concentration point of doing 17 weeks of games," Vaccaro said. "People do enjoy it and they play it. About 65 percent of it is wiseguy action."

Last season for the Packers, Favre passed for 4,155 yards and 28 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions. This season for the Jets, his prop totals set by Lucky's are 3,8281/2 passing yards, 231/2 touchdowns and 201/2 interceptions.

The regular-season win total for the Jets, who were 4-12 last season, is 81/2 (under minus-135).

While all eyes are on Favre, the Carolina Panthers are Vaccaro's sleeper pick to win the Super Bowl.

[Dell Dude]

Impressive for a Vegas sportsbook. I bet this guy is really popular with other bookies in town. Some are afraid to post lines on the current weak's games led alone the entire season. And the $500 limits at some places would get a visit and scowl from the lines manager.