First week profitable not only for Rivers
How was your weekend? No matter how it went, Philip Rivers had a better one. The Chargers agreed to a contract extension with their franchise quarterback, who will get $65 million guaranteed without having to buy a lottery ticket.
The Chargers are more committed to Rivers than they are to staying in San Diego. Rivers’ deal should be a big story in Los Angeles, where he could finish his career.
Analyzing the winners and losers from the first weekend of the NFL preseason is a subjective exercise, but it’s worth the effort because we just got a look at the 32 teams we will be handicapping for the next four or five months.
It’s important to read practice reports. It also helps to watch as many games as possible, so I spent Thursday through Sunday watching all 16 preseason games, which might be a sign of mental illness. Still, there were lines on the games, and I bet five of them with a lot of success, so it was time well spent.
“I used to bet the preseason a lot,” said Ed Salmons, Westgate Las Vegas sports book manager. “If you put the time into handicapping it, it can be like free money.”
It’s impossible to make Rivers-type money, but the Chargers were one of my bets. Rivers started and was sharp, and San Diego cashed as a 4-point favorite in an ugly 17-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys minus Tony Romo. The Cowboys, as expected, just showed up and went through the motions.
The Chargers got a touchdown run by Danny Woodhead, who went down with a broken right ankle in the third game last year. Woodhead’s return, along with the addition of running back Melvin Gordon as a first-round draft pick, makes San Diego’s offense more dangerous.
Rivers and the Chargers, who needed to stabilize their future at quarterback, were the weekend’s biggest winners. Rivers is exactly what a team wants in a leader, whether the team’s future will be in San Diego or L.A.
“I’m looking for certain things when I watch these games,” Salmons said. “I’ll definitely take away things. I’m looking to see how the rookie quarterbacks look. Sometimes you get fooled. I watched the Cowboys last year and thought they were going to be terrible. It happens once in a while where you get a wrong read. But for the most part, when you see things in the preseason, it will play out in the regular season, if you have a good opinion.”
More observations from the rest of preseason Week 1:
— Tom Brady made a surprise start in New England, and it looked like he had spent the week in a New York courtroom instead of on the practice field. Brady completed 1 of 4 passes for 10 yards. His backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, was satisfactory but got sacked seven times. The jury is out on both quarterbacks. The Patriots’ star was Jonas Gray, who had a 55-yard touchdown run to burst out of Bill Belichick’s doghouse.
Green Bay, a 2-point underdog, beat the Patriots 22-11. The Packers will try to play faster and be more aggressive offensively with Tom Clements calling plays instead of coach Mike McCarthy.
— Betting against the Jets, who lost starting quarterback Geno Smith to a broken jaw, seemed like free money. Sometimes, the obvious plays pay off. The Jets were flat, getting just six first downs and 123 total yards, in a 23-3 loss at Detroit. Keep an eye on Lions rookie running back Ameer Abdullah.
— The other New York offense also was a train off the tracks. Eli Manning directed the Giants to one first down and 38 yards in four series. (At least his new DirecTV commercial is a classic.) But the Giants have legitimate big-play weapons, so it might mean nothing.
— Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles will be much better in his second year. Bortles completed 11 of 15 passes for 118 yards — three of the incompletions were drops — in a 23-21 victory over Pittsburgh. The Jaguars, laying one point, covered as home favorites, something that never happens in the regular season.
— Johnny Manziel, a rookie bust in Cleveland, has definitely improved. But veteran Josh McCown deserves to open the season as the starter. In the Browns’ loss to the Redskins, Kirk Cousins was Washington’s best quarterback, not Robert Griffin III.
— Too much was made of rookies Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota struggling in losses. Winston was intercepted and lost his composure against a good Minnesota defense. Mariota, who threw no picks in 186 passes in training camp, was intercepted by the Atlanta defense on his third attempt. Both players bounced back and were better after mistakes. Rookies need to make mistakes in August in order to learn and mature.
— One of the top preseason angles is to play on new coaches who want to make a positive impression. Chicago (John Fox) and Oakland (Jack Del Rio) fit that angle and were winners.
Derek Carr is a quarterback who gives the Raiders real hope, and rookie receiver Amari Cooper will help. Oakland, bet to a 1½-point favorite, beat St. Louis 18-3, and that was so-called free money for the public.
Miami’s three backup quarterbacks were losers, combining to complete 14 of 37 passes in a 27-10 loss to the Bears. The Dolphins’ starter, Ryan Tannehill, need not worry about job security.
— Kansas City crushed Arizona, and sharp money was on the Chiefs, who got an outstanding performance from quarterback Chase Daniel. The Cardinals came away feeling good about Carson Palmer in his return from knee surgery.
— Peyton Manning was an observer in Denver’s 22-20 win at Seattle. The Broncos (plus-5) were the biggest underdogs of the weekend.
“I want to see Denver when Manning is going to play to see how his arm looks,” said Salmons, who called it a “rough preseason Week 1″ for his book.
On Sunday, a team quarterbacked (briefly) by Andrew Luck was whipped by a team quarterbacked (partially) by Tim Tebow. And it was no surprise.
BOTTOM LINES — A major renovation of the Westgate book is on target for completion in early September. Meanwhile, Art Manteris and Jason McCormick unveiled impressive upgrades to the Red Rock book last week. The new high-tech video walls are so bright and sharp, you have to see it to believe it. Mobile phone apps are great, but walking into a sports book to place a bet is not a thing of the past.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him: @mattyoumans247