CHUCKY MORE THAN LUCKY
Gruden rules in preseason because he's 'crazy'
LAS VEGAS — If there is a time to buy into Jon Gruden’s sales pitch, this is it. But ignore Gruden’s bluster when he talks about the Oakland Raiders rebuilding for a Super Bowl run because that’s not the point in August.
Which coaches put a priority on winning in the NFL preseason? The answers to that question are the keys to cashing tickets. Gruden is one correct answer.
Only the handicappers who truly love to put in work on betting exhibition games know Gruden is 8-0 in Week 1 of the preseason since 2002 (5-2-1 against the spread). In the big picture, that record means absolutely nothing, yet it’s a fact that matters this week.
“The super-competitive, crazy guys care more about winning, and Gruden is a good preseason coach,” said Chuck Edel, a professional sports bettor from Las Vegas. “Some coaches are trying to instill a winning attitude and change things.”
Gruden’s enthusiasm is contagious and his optimism can be intoxicating. All of it will be on display while the Raiders’ training camp is featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this month. Bettors are advised to tune out the Super Bowl hype and focus on the next game on the schedule.
The Raiders open the preseason by hosting the Rams on Saturday, and the William Hill line already has moved up 2½ points to Oakland -5½. Gruden is motivated to win and has veteran quarterbacks to run his offense. Rams coach Sean McVay, who’s off of a Super Bowl loss, has depth concerns on his offensive line and seems indifferent to winning in August.
“The sharps definitely bet the preseason,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “There’s no question. All you have to do is look at the [line] volatility. But you can’t show up with a wheelbarrow. It’s smaller money.”
No game is meaningless when there’s money on the line. Edel is a bettor who spends an extraordinary amount of time digging for nuggets of information.
“The preseason is totally different. It’s all about the information and any edge you can get,” Edel said. “I watch every press conference and read all the local newspapers. There might be one sentence that I pick up on that maybe gives me an advantage. You want to see how long the starters might be playing. You don’t get much game-planning in the preseason, but if a team is game-planning against a team that’s not game-planning,
that’s a huge edge. You have to kind of feel it out.
“The biggest advantage we have as bettors is they put the line out Sunday or Monday without having the information. Once you do get the information, you have to move fast. Other people are betting this and you’re obviously looking to get the best number.”
The Rams-Raiders line is the biggest mover so far in Week 1. Here’s a two-minute drill on some other games to watch (William Hill lines):
Jets (-1½) at Giants: Adam Gase and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Jets’ new coaches, figure to be more aggressive while implementing their system. The experienced quarterbacks behind Sam Darnold — Trevor Siemian, Davis Webb and Luke Falk — should give the Jets an edge over the Giants and rookie Daniel Jones.
Colts (+1) at Bills: In his first year, Colts coach Frank Reich went 3-1 in the preseason with a one-point loss to Baltimore. Reich has a positive backup QB situation with Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly. Buffalo can move the ball with No. 2 Matt Barkley, but rookie Tyree Jackson is likely to struggle. Redskins (-1) at Browns: Cleveland opened -1½ before sharp money showed on Washington, which has a competitive quarterback rotation with veterans Colt McCoy and Case Keenum trying to fend off rookie Dwayne Haskins.
Falcons at Dolphins (-3½) : After losing the Hall of Fame Game last week, Atlanta coach Dan Quinn is 0-9 in the past three preseasons. New Miami coach Brian Flores is talking up the quarterback competition between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen. Jaguars at Ravens (-41/2): This line opened high because there are no secrets with Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, who’s 13-0 in the past three preseasons and 18-3 since 2014. The Ravens have veteran Robert Griffin III and rookie Trace McSorley behind starter Lamar Jackson. Panthers at Bears (-3): Veteran backups Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray know Chicago coach Matt Nagy’s offense, and Daniel is one of the top No. 2 QBs in the league. Chargers at Cardinals (-2): Arizona is a mystery team. First-year coach Kliff Kingsbury might want to play No. 1 pick Kyler Murray more than usual in the preseason. Tyrod Taylor, a former starter, is the Chargers’ capable backup to Philip Rivers.
Cowboys at 49ers (-4): Dallas coach Jason Garrett, 0-4 last year, is a popular preseason fade. Backup QBs Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard started a total of 13 games for San Francisco last season after Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury.
VSiN senior editor Matt Youmans co-hosts The Edge, weekdays 3-6 p.m. on SiriusXM 204, fuboTV, AppleTV and VSiN.com.
into a gym or a facility and coaches walk up to you and say, ‘In real life they are even bigger than what you see on TV.’ It’s pretty amazing to see those things in person.”
What is not so amazing is finding threads for those things. Fitting Barkley’s musculus quadriceps femoris with clothing that provide the style and feel he craves is, well, challenging.
“Especially when it comes to like high-end fashion, designer brands, it’s too narrow,” Barkley said. “So there are a lot things I can’t wear. I can’t wear some stuff Odell wears. For me, Amiri jeans is like something that just fits me perfectly. Or Keiser Clark, their jeans just fit me perfect. But if I had to put on like Balenciagas, sometimes those pants just don’t fit me well, unless it’s like the track pants and the loose-f itting ones, but it’s hard to find ones that fit slim and give me a good look.”
Custom-made clothing would soothe this search, but Barkley, other than few tailored suits, is having little of it.
“Nah, I’ll just shop around and find the right pants that fit me,” he said.
THERE are muscles for showing and muscles for going. Barkley has it all, which is why he gained 1,307 rushing yards, caught 91 passes
for 721 yards and scored a combined 15 touchdowns as the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
There is one word Barkley uses to explain why he crafted his quads into such weaponry.
“Power,” he said. “When I mean power, I don’t mean running people over. Powerful being when you hit me, you feel the density and you can feel ’ em and it keeps me moving. Why I’m able to squat so much, why I’m able to do the things I do, why I’m able to make a jump-cut then make another jump-cut over somebody else. All those things come with flexibility, balance, core stability, mobility in all the places you need to be, especially hips, to be able to bend and move that way, but the power comes from your quads and your hamstrings and your legs and that’s what you have to have as a running back.”
Barkley, standing 6-foot, wanted to challenge himself and get down to 224 pounds after playing as a rookie at 233. His body-fat index of slightly more than 4 percent, though, actually made losing weight too dangerous and he arrived this summer at 232.
“The combination of size, speed, quickness, explosiveness,” Flaherty said, “is about as rare as it gets when it comes to the human body.”
Yes, Saquon Barkley is indeed human. A different-looking human.