Sports Then and Now

It is the start of another new era in Big D for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and the biggest change is at the head coaching spot. Former Green Bay Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy replaces Jason Garrett who is now the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator. McCarthy, the ninth head coach in Cowboys’ history, brings a wealth of NFL coaching experience including a 13-year term as the Packer’s head coach from 2006-18. McCarthy lead Green Bay to victory in Super Bowl XLV following the 2010 season at AT&T Stadium, Dallas’ home facility in Arlington, TX.

McCarthy, who was released by the Packers following a 4-7-1 record 12 games into the 2018 season, inherits a team that is in win now mode under the management of team owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones. Now in his 32^nd year with the Cowboys, Jones has grown the franchise into a multi-billion dollar enterprise on his shrewd and aggressive business style. That showed this offseason in making a head-coaching change.

Betting on the NFL is quite as easy as watching the game itself. Yet, many people still find the whole idea quite intimidating.

Luckily for you, we take it upon ourselves to help neophyte bettors overcome this fear. We decided the best way to go about it is to craft a detailed NFL betting guide that touches on almost every you need to know about betting for one of the most watched sports in the world, football.

Now, with that out of the way, let’s dive straight in.

Single-game NFL Bets

When you open any NFL betting site in the link, one of the things you’ll notices is the following wagers displayed on each game: moneyline bets, point spread bets, and total bets.

These three types of wagers are always grouped together for each game. 

• Betting the Moneyline

This is the easiest bet to understand, though less popular compared to the other two types of bets.

It’s simple: by betting the moneyline, you’re simply choosing the teams you suspect will win. The odds attached are the implied probability of the game swinging either way. These odds determine your actual payout.

They’re the simplest bet to make. The problem is that they have the lowest returns on investment.

Even though there hasn’t been any football yet this season, it is still important to remember who the big guns are at quarterback. Currently, there are some incredible players in the pivotal position, these QB’s, they can win games and bets. This list will name the best ones currently playing. 

Tom Brady

Even though Tom Brady has left the Patriots, and will most likely see his career put at the Buccaneers, he is still definitely one of the best quarterbacks playing right now, his record and stats prove it each and every season. 

Even though he’s been on the decline the past couple of seasons, his new position at Tampa, and being able to link up with incredible playmakers, and Gronk of course, will hopefully get him back in the swing of things. 

He may not be the same giant on the field anymore, but being able to play with great playmakers will allow him to show off his skill and precision again, and have the team mates that can use the service he provides. 

Matthew Stafford 

Stafford was well on his way to having an incredible season in 2019 before injury took him off the field. At the time of his injury, he was second in touchdown passes, and fourth in yards per attempt, strong numbers for the Lions QB. 

Like Brady, Stafford is going to be surrounded with team mates that can turn his passing and throwing prowess into yards and points, and he will be playing in a system that will allow him to express himself on the field. 

As long as he can stay healthy, and his RB’s and WR’s perform, Stafford can easily pick up where he left off before injury scuttled his season last year. 

Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson is a strange case because he is the best of a bad bunch. The Texans don’t have the best defensive line at all, and Watson has been sacked too many times to count, but he led the Texans to 3-3, and without him, they went 1-9. 

As a rookie, he was sacked 62 times, but still managed to complete 63% of his passes for over 4,000 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He is a diamond in the rough, and if his team gets their act together, he can very easily be one of the best QB’s in the upcoming season. 

The reality of life is such that some people are born to stand out and shine. One such person is Tom Brady. Born and raised in a small county in California, Brady took football by a storm. 2000 season marked his rookie year with Patriots as a quarterback and the rest is history. 

Ever since, his performance in those early years of his career, the guy has never disappointed his team and most importantly, his fans. His success cannot be quantified into figures or even words which make him the ultimate icon. You think of NFL, I bet his face is the first that pops up in your mind. If your obsession with Tom Brady is not just limited to the super bowl, you must check the following things out to not just feel but rather be closer to the legend himself. 

• Merchandise

Tom Brady has been in the limelight for over two decades which means the merchandise would be in abundance. NFL has various items ranging from signed helmets to jerseys he worn while killing it in the stadium on its website for a decent price tag. In addition to that, there are numerous items including coins and bobble heads which might not be signed but they’re a great reminder of your love for him and most importantly, for the game for price as low as fifty dollars. 

Sad news from the sports world with the death of former record-setting place kicker Tom Dempsey due to the coronavirus.  Dempsey passed away Saturday at age 73.

Though Dempsey spent a decade in the NFL, he is best remembered for his improbable 63-yard field goal in the final seconds against the Detroit Lions on November 8, 1970.

Even during an era when straight-on kickers were still the majority in the NFL, Tom Dempsey was not your pro-typical NFL player.  Dempsey was 6-foot-2, but weighed more than 250 pounds. He also was born without fingers on his right hand or toes on his right foot.

Nonetheless, Dempsey played football at Palomar Community College in San Diego and then somehow found his way into the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.

As a rookie in 1969, Dempsey earned first-team All-Pro honors and appeared in the Pro Bowl while ranking fifth in league with 99 points. He led the NFL with 41 field goal attempts and was third in the league with 22 successful attempts.

In 1970 Dempsey and the Saints were struggling when they hosted Detroit in week eight. Dempsey had converted only five field goals through the first seven games and the Saints were 1-5-1 on the season.

Just days before the game against the Lions, who entered the game with a 5-2 record, head coach Tom Fears had been fired and replaced by J.D. Roberts.

It isn’t everyday that you can say that two athletes who arguably were the best ever to compete in their sport are celebrating birthdays. But you can say that about February 17^th as that happens to be the birthday of Hall of Fame football star Jim Brown (born in 1936) and Hall of Fame basketball star Michael Jordan (born in 1963).

Though it has been 54 years since he last played in the NFL, just about anyone who was alive to watch him play still will insist that Brown is the best player ever to put on shoulder pads. His combination of power and speed were unlike anything that had previously been seen in the NFL and his domination of the league during his nine year career with the Cleveland Browns has never truly been matched. He won eight rushing titles in nine years and averaged 104 yards rushing per game for his entire career.  His 12, 312 career rushing yards was a record that stood for 19 years and still ranks 11^th in NFL history.

As the NFL celebrated 100 years throughout the 2019 season, Brown was regularly touted as being one of the greatest players in NFL history. In fact, he was ranked by Sports Then and Now as the number one player in NFL history in our look at the NFL’s all-time top 100 players.