Peyton Makes Me Look Bad

By DARREN BONTRAGER, FreshSportsDaily.com Betting Guru

There are good quarterbacks, there are great quarterbacks, and then there's Peyton Manning. You can have your Tom Brady's and Drew Brees' all you want - I'll take Peyton every time. This guy is unflappable, clutch, unbeatable, and every other adjective one would use to describe the greatest quarterback who ever played.



My pick of Jacksonville to beat Indianapolis Thursday night was just about to come through, but one blown defensive coverage and a sideline bomb to Reggie Wayne sent my delusions of grandeur right down the crapper along with the Jags playoff hopes.



Oh, well. That's what I get for betting against Peyton. At least I was smart enough not to bet the house!

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