NFL Preseason Betting Game: Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals Picks

Child please, the betting world already knows what is going to happen in Cincinnati. When the Cincinnati Bengals signed Terrell Owens a couple of weeks ago, Chad Ochocinco was on the radio and the Internet praising the deal. Ochocinco had the NFL betting lines for all of the upcoming Bengals games going in favor of the Bengals by double-digits. He was proudly proclaiming the Bengals as the next Super Bowl champions, and calling himself and Terrell Owens a dangerous wide receiver combination. That was before the first preseason game.

It is unclear as to whether or not Cincinnati head coach is trying to teach Ochocinco a lesson, or if he is just seeing how far he can push number 85 before he snaps, but quarterback Carson Palmer is not throwing the ball to Ochocinco in the preseason. So far, Ochocinco has been quiet, which leads many to believe that Lewis discussed this with Chad before the season started. But if there was no agreement in place, and Terrell Owens is going to continue to get the ball significantly more than Ochocinco, then the Bengals locker room is not someplace anyone will want to be.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb was impressive when he had an impact on NCAA football betting outcomes.

When the Eagles brought him in as Donovan McNabb’s back-up, some Eagles fans had a hard time understanding why Kolb was being anointed the next Eagles starting quarterback. He isn’t very mobile, his arm is average and he lacks that swagger that McNabb has. But now that McNabb is gone, the Eagles fans are starting to see just how well the scouting staff prepared the team for life after Donovan.

Eagles quarterbacks Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick and rookie Mike Kafka all looked very impressive against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Eagles’ first preseason game. It looks like Kolb and Vick will be a very dangerous 1-2 punch under center, and Kafka is a capable third-string back-up. It is probably too early to include the Eagles in any Super Bowl betting talk, but the future looks bright in Philadelphia.

Marvin Lewis is a great football coach. He knows how to prepare, motivate and manage his team. But when a roster includes troubled players like Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco, Adam “Pac Man” Jones and oft-injured offensive lineman Andre Smith; then there is only so much one coach can do.

It will be interesting to see if the Bengals continue to avoid Ochocinco in the passing game and keep him allocated as an outside run blocker. Chad is an extremely effective outside run blocker, but that is not what keeps him happy and it is not what keeps him quiet. The questions will come up, the frustration will show and there is a very good chance that a good team in Cincinnati will implode. The sad part is that they have no one to blame but themselves. There is only so much trouble one locker room can handle, and Marvin Lewis has more trouble than he can handle.

BSN Sports Pick: Philadelphia Eagles 35-27