Changes in the NFL

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Category: NFL

Created: Friday, 29 January 2016 16:56

We are still more than a week out from Super Bowl 50 (there is still time to get in on 1Vice.ag’s $10,000 Super Bowl Squares Contest with a minimum $400 deposit) and we will certainly get into the big game next week, but for now we’ll take a look at everything else that has happened in the NFL over the past few weeks.

The big off-the-field news over the past month has been relocation, with the St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Oakland Raiders all hopeful of moving their franchises to Los Angeles.

The Rams made the strongest case in the eyes of the NFL owners, although San Diego has been given the option to join the Rams. San Diego must decide in mid-March if they will indeed move. That leaves Oakland to decide their fate, with rumors now pointing to San Antonio as a possible landing spot for the Raiders.

Moving a team, as well as intending to move a team but not actually leaving, has a big impact on the fan base and can have a real impact on the game. When it was announced Cleveland would be leaving for Baltimore, the Browns fan base erupted and the Browns had virtually no home-field advantage.

The Rams will be welcomed back in LA and their home field edge should be an improvement from their time in St. Louis, especially in the online sports betting arena. It’s harder to figure out how San Diego will shake out. Oakland would receive a boost if they decide to leave Oakland, but they have virtually turned off their fan base in Oakland as of right now. Sports Illustrated has a pretty good article in regards to fan perspectives on relocation. Remember, the online sportsbooks typically value home field advantage as three points, with some teams getting fewer or more points for weaker and stronger home crowds.

While Peyton Manning has reached another Super Bowl, the most interesting news regarding the future Hall of Fame Quarterback is that we finally know what his “Omaha” call means. Former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne stated the Omaha call is used to change direction of the play, so a run-right play would now be switched to run-left. Even more interesting is the claim that Manning’s receivers are required to memorize four pages of Manning’s line-of-scrimmage signals.

Speaking of Manning, it is becoming more probable that next week’s game vs. Carolina will be his last. Report of conversations with Pats coach Bill Belichick as well as a statement from his brother Eli Manning indicate Peyton will hang up his cleats win or lose next Sunday.

And of course there have already been a ton of NFL coaching changes which is common this time of year, but we’ll leave you with a much more interesting story. The Jets settled a class action lawsuit with their cheerleaders in a ridiculous situation that only the Jets could be caught up in. We’ll be back next week to break down the big game from a betting perspective and take a look at some of the prop wagers available on Super Bowl 50.

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