clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Checking In With Las Vegas

Its certainly early for props, but the Baltimore Beat Down checks in anyway.

By Mike_Hall
USA TODAY Sports

It is a little early to be thinking about NFL betting, but Bovada.lv has two active bets online and both are connected to the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. The first is the landing spot for Brian Urlacher. This book has Baltimore as the odds on favorite to land Urlacher.

Baltimore Ravens 9/4

New York Giants 5/2

Cincinnati Bengals 7/2

Denver Broncos 4/1

Minnesota Vikings 6/1

Atlanta Falcons 6/1

Oakland Raiders 8/1

I, for one, hope that Vegas is wrong here and have no idea if the Ravens have truly expressed any interest. I just don’t see Urlacher fitting in on a contending NFL team. At this point in his career he is incredibly limited. With the Bears last year, he was a two down linebacker who could basically only play the run. The league has evolved so much since Brian Urlacher was an elite linebacker. Teams no longer pound the ball up the middle to control the clock. Those were the plays when he was at his best. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will exploit him in coverage every chance they get, much like teams did to Ray Lewis in the playoffs. Urlacher may have something left in the tank and is no doubt a great on field leader, but I can’t see him in purple and black. The Ravens are trying to get younger and should continue on that path.

The second available bet on Bovada’s site is about Ed Reed and his total interceptions for the…… Houston Texans. The current over/under is set at 4 ½. Ed has eclipsed the 4 interception mark 7 times in his career, but has not done it since the 2010 season when he had an incredible 8 in 10 games. The Texans ranked in the middle of the pack in INTs last year, and their starting safeties only combined for 4 the entire year. The one thing that will help Reed is the fact that the Texans have an elite pass rush; ranking T-5th in the NFL in sacks. This constant pressure will force quarterbacks into hurried decisions, which Ed Reed eats up.

The props are a bit dull at the moment, but there will certainly heat up when the team wins over/under totals come out. Stay tuned.

More From Baltimore Beatdown