Posts tagged with “zack cimini”

NFL SUNDAY ATS RECAP AND A LOOK AT TEXANS/STEELERS

Monday, 20 October, 2014

Follow@cimini

Lets recap yet another wild Sunday in the NFL ATS. On my side of things it was another great weekend ATS. In the NFL I swept the board for the second straight Sunday, going 4-0. ATS winners were with the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, and best bet of the week on the Denver Broncos.

All played fairly well to their numbers except for the Cowboys being down by a touchdown in the second quarter to the Giants. They were able to turn things around and capitalize on big play after big play.

I do have Monday Night’s game as the last one on my NFL board for week seven. Thus far I am 20-5-1 ATS on the year for a whopping 80% in the NFL.

The current line has the Steelers at -3 and a total of 44.5.

Click on the TAB today’s picks to get Monday Night football’s winner for just $30.

Common Denominator: Year of the Repeat Champion

Friday, 17 October, 2014

Follow on Twitter@cimini

The word “trend” is tossed around by a sports handicapper as habitually as a person texts “LOL” on a daily basis. It’s an embedded research tool that some handicappers base their top picks and situational games off of. I’m shocked to see that there has not been any coverage on the obvious trend of 2014.

It’s been a year of champions being crowned champions again. The UConn Huskies won their fourth NCAA title in men’s basketball. They won it in 1999, 2004, 2011, and 2014. The women’s team won yet again and added to their illustrious domination of college women’s basketball.

In golf, Bubba Watson won the Master’s tournament again. Over in the NBA the Spurs knocked down the Miami Heat to finish what they thought they had done the year prior. And now in baseball the San Francisco Giants are four games a way from winning their third title in five years.

I’ve glorified this trend on twitter before but now it’s time to get out in front for the NFL this season.

Will it be the 3-3 New York Giants that stave off their injuries and personnel issues to make another title run for Tom Coughlin? It sounds preposterous now but should it be laughed about that hard? Probably not. At 125-1 odds, the Giants may be worth a stab from my wallet. After all the NFC East has been a division notorious for 9-7 division winners. Philadelphia has won some games by playing an ugly style and Dallas is starting to look like an elite team. But knock out Tony Romo with his bad back or DeMarco Murray and what happens in Dallas? Their offense doesn’t control the game anymore which puts their susceptible defense back onto the field for longer durations.

The Baltimore Ravens are 26-1 before week seven’s game against the Falcons. They’re not being discussed as a top team just yet but have the formula to get back in the winner’s circle. Their defense is flying after the ball again, and their ace quarterback has found his 2012 rhythm again. Veteran additions such as Steve Smith are paying dividends and the big driver no one can forget is the team is playing with ammo after the Ray Rice incident. The bottom line is they’re playing great football in a division that might be the best in football.

An even larger Super Bowl odd are the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’re 130-1. At 3-3 and with their history this seems awfully odd. Big Ben has won two Super Bowls and the first was with a team that barely snuck into the playoffs. Coach Mike Tomlin has his hands full but this team is not a 130-1 type of team to me. In fact their team reminds me of the Ravens team of two years ago. Their defense has a lot of aging players like the Ravens did with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But the offense may be in position to outscore opponents and aide their aging defense.

Last but not least are the New England Patriots. The media beaten down team of just three games ago has silenced their critics with three straight wins. This is the team that fits the mold the best of comparable other sports teams like the Spurs and San Francisco Giants. At 13-1 right now could value be any higher on a team led by Bill Belicheck? Does the coach and his quarterback Tom Brady have one last ride in them?

I don’t about you but I’ll be spreading some wagers across all four of these teams. The Seahawks, Broncos, Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, and other people’s spur of the moment teams can have their shine right now. When it’s all said and done we will have another repeat champion crowned.

Watch a week seven ATS preview of the Saints vs Lions game. If interested in weekend premium plays click under “Today’s Pick’s” to gain access to Saturday and Sunday’s plays.

A LOOK AT JETS VS PATRIOTS ATS

Thursday, 16 October, 2014

Follow@cimini

Tonight’s matchup between the New York Jets and New England Patriots is sure to draw heavy amounts of money in the sportsbooks tonight. The common question with this game is figuring out which team is what right now. The Jets seem to be in total disarray but seemed to fight hard in a valiant home loss to the Broncos a week ago. Buyers of the Broncos barely escaped with a cover.

Geno Smith performed decent in that game and the Jets defense held up fairly well against the Broncos high flying passing attack.

New England on the other hand is coming of two dominating wins, garnering bandwagon media attention. Just two weeks ago the media and fans were ready to write the ending of Tom Brady’s career.

Centering around this match up, you have to factor in two measurables before placing a bet. One is the distinct fact that the Jets are ready to unravel completely before Mike Vick is inserted at quarterback. And on the Patriots side of things, you have to wonder if a down to Earth game is upon them.

It was not very long ago that they struggled to win at home versus the Oakland Raiders. This was before the Raiders fired Dennis Allen after a beat down in London to the Miami Dolphins.

This play is not a part of my premium play package but I do side with the underdog for value purposed sports betting tonight. New faces have sprung up in the Patriots offense over the last few weeks. Expect the Jets to game plan to shut the Patriots new wrinkles down defensively. The impact of not having a mid-tier running back with Stevan Ridley out is also a big factor. I’m not a believe in James White or Bolden. Shane Vereen is more of your scat back and not ball carrier.

Side with the Jets if you must get a wager in.

If you’re looking for premium plays, click under today’s picks. I have all my weekend plays ready to go. College Saturday features three games and NFL Sunday features four games plus the MNF game as an added bonus. I’ve been the top handicapper in the country in the NFL with an ATS record of 16-5-1 and in NCAA football I am 17-12.

VIDEO: 49ERS VS BRONCOS ATS PREVIEW

Wednesday, 15 October, 2014

Follow on twitter@cimini

Watch and listen as Zack Cimini, Hollis Barnhardt, and John Cranton break down this week’s San Francisco vs Denver matchup.

Video: NFL ATS Preview New Orleans vs Detroit Lions

Wednesday, 15 October, 2014

Follow@cimini

Watch and listen as Zack Cimini, Hollis Barnhardt, and John Cranton break down the Saints vs the Lions for week seven of the NFL.

Probing Upcoming Quarterback Benchings

Wednesday, 15 October, 2014

Follow on Twitter@cimini

I’ve been amazed lately to see how money has been bet on poor teams over the last month in the NFL. There have been several examples of this and two just happened in week six with Tampa Bay against the Baltimore Ravens and the 49ers against the Rams.

How on Earth people would bet on these teams just blew my mind away. Tampa Bay’s money was masked a little bit because of their miracle win against Pittsburgh and battle against New Orleans. But even in those games there were signs that a drubbing was forthcoming against Baltimore. Against Pittsburgh they jumped out to a fortunate 10-0 lead thanks to an early Big Ben turnover. That lead quickly evaporated and could have been sealed if Antonio Brown held onto a deep ball off a flea flicker.

Against the Saints they were down double digits, regained the lead by double digits, and lost in overtime.

St. Louis was drubbed opening day by Minnesota, blew a lead to Dallas, and were spanked again by the Eagles even though the final score didn’t indicate that. Sure, San Francisco had been kicking more field goals than scoring touchdowns, but they were due to handle a pour Rams defense and did so.

Over the next three to four weeks a prime area to look for a gained edge on the books is at the quarterback position. Jobs are on the line in the coaching ranks and the first place coaches look to go for a shake up is at quarterback. Buffalo pulled this off earlier than anticipated by benching EJ Manuel for Kyle Orton.

Other shake ups are already being discussed as in New York with Geno Smith and Mike Vick. Oddsmakers have already adjusted their lines based on Smith’s play and the inevitable benching upcoming.

That’s not where I want you to go for line value. We want to look at quarterback situations not being discussed and where point spreads have not been affected because of this.

Here are the teams I believe value against is high on the point spread barometer over the course of the next several weeks.

**Houston- The Texans woes at quarterback with Ryan Fitzpatrick have been masked because of their opportunistic defense. Their defense is not playing at a high level but is somehow getting fortunate breaks via fumbles, interceptions, or special teams. Against Washington they blocked a punt for a td, against Dallas they got redzone turnovers, and against Indianapolis they got a JJ Watt recovery for a touchdown. It’s all going to come crashing down as that style just doesn’t hold up. Fitzpatrick has struggled mightily and the Ryan Mallet era is just a matter of time under first year head coach, Bill O’Brien.

**Arizona- Arizona is another team that’s record looks fantastic at 4-1. They’ve held up thanks to a great fan base and big plays from the receiver position and Andre Ellington. But they’re also one of the few teams in the NFL that has battled through injuries, suspensions, and season-ending injuries well. Carson Palmer’s injury is something that doesn’t just go away. He’ll be evaluated on a week to week basis. Drew Stanton was said to be able to go Sunday after being cleared from a concussion suffered against Denver. At Palmer’s age and injury history and with Stanton’s concussion history, Arizona’s hot start might be one to fade ATS.

**Tennessee- Jake Locker’s time as a starter I believe is in its last stage. If it’s not his health it’s his inconsistent play on the field that leaves his future in jeopardy. I was actually impressed with the way Charlie Whitehurst played against the Jaguars this past week. That’s not saying a whole lot but the separation from starter and backup is of the smallest of margins on the Titans.

**Miami- Miami seems to be one of those teams that can’t get over the quarterback hurdle. Ryan Tannehill has had his fine moments but does not seem to have the skill set to play a complete game. Mike Wallace seems frustrated on the field because of Tannehill’s inconsistencies. Three games ago whispers were that Miami thought about benching Tannehill for Matt Moore. After a tough loss to Green Bay it’ll be interesting to see how Tannehill responds this week.