Monday Night NFL Pick 12/21/09

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

I hate picking NFC East games. Always have, always will. So here we go, a Monday night NFC East battle between the Giants and the Redskins. Vegas has the point spread set-up for a screw on both sides. Meaning, the final score will probably be a three point difference. This will assure that the wolves take everybody's money on this one. Hey, it's almost Christmas. Bookies have families too.



My professional advice is to NOT bet on this game. Stay away. But, if you're a degenerate gambler and you need the juice bad we say take the Giants and lay the 3 points. Maybe you'll get lucky and the Giants will win by four. It may be a risky proposition not to take the home dog 'Skins since New York has been far from world-beaters lately. However, I can never recommend betting on the Redskins under any circumstances and be able to sleep at night.

My Pick - New York Giants 23  Washington Redskins 20

NFL Sunday Stone-Cold Lock 12/20/09

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

For my Sunday pick I'm going out on a limb - a very, very skinny limb that may just break under the considerable girth of my ass which is plastered to this chair 24/7.



There are some HUGE spreads out there this week. The vast majority of the money is being laid down on big favorites and Vegas is scrambling to get some of that money bet on the 'dogs by offering these ridiculous lines. A 14 point spread in the NFL is practically unheard of, even for the crappiest of teams.



With that being said, the St. Louis Rams are a 14 point home dog going into their game against the Houston Texans. I recommend taking the Rams and the points. Houston is being given entirely too much credit here and St. Louis is not as bad as this spread might suggest.



However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must cop to the fact that my picks are 0-2 this week. Maybe betting against me is the safer way to go. That is why it's called gambling, people. Best of lucks with your picks!

NFL Thursday Pick 12/17/09

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

I'm waiting for the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints to finally lose a game (because I'm a glass-half-empty-type guy) and this Thursday I might see the first one to go down as the Colts travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars.



Jacksonville is a consensus 3-point home dog. I usually like taking the points for a home team unless it’s Cleveland or Detroit. Jacksonville is a desperate team battling for a Wild Card berth. Indy has no real reason to win this game other than pride and to stay sharp.



And despite the reports that Indy won’t rest it’s starters, if Peyton Manning gets anywhere near an ugly sack situation or even a hangnail – they’ll sit him. With that being said:



My Pick – Jacksonville Jaguars 24  Indianapolis Colts 22