2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) Prop Bet: The Cowboys Stadium Scoreboard

Leading up to the 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, we'll be taking a look at Super Bowl proposition betting, or more specifically, the fun or funny Super Bowl 45 (XLV) prop bets that you hear so much about. That includes props on the Super Bowl coin toss, Super Bowl halftime show, Super Bowl National Anthem, Super Bowl postgame Gatorade Shower dump and much more. Follow along on the Super Bowl sidebar to the right!

Sucker bet alert! Sucker bet alert!

We post this next prop as more of a public service announcement than anything else. You'll find plenty of funny and wacky props to bet on during 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45), but stray from prop bets like this one: the scoreboard prop.

These props, and there are plenty of them, will give you an outlandish scenario and an enticing line, such as this one:

Will a punt hit the scoreboard during the game?
Yes +1000

The odds are so against the occurrence, that "No" is not even offered as an option. Your choice is Yes or not to play. And you shouldn't play.

This particular prop could see a lot of public action, as the Cowboys Stadium scoreboard received plenty of publicity. Look at that thing, for crying out loud. It's HUGE!

Of course, back in the preseason, Titans punter A.J. Trapasso made headlines when he knocked a kick into Jerry Jones' brand new toy in his brand new billion dollar stadium. Trapasso, a camp body in every sense of the word, had stated his intent to do so in the exhibition game against the Cowboys, as he had done several times in warm-ups.

Sure enough, his attempt worked, resulting in, as Joe Buck rightly points out, a backyard-style do-over. That's all well and good in a preseason game, but could you imagine that happening in the Super Bowl?

The above punt resulted in a saga between the NFL and Jerry Jones, in which Jones refused to raise the scoreboard, as it met the league's requirements on scoreboard height. Months later, we have ourselves a prop bet.

We mean this as no disrespect to Packers punter Tim Masthay or Steelers punter Jeremy Kapinos, but this is definitely a bet that you shouldn't make. And we don't say that about many Super Bowl proposition wagers. Masthay or Kapinos would have to purposefully strike a ball into the oversized TV above the field, and while someone might do that in a preseason game when his tenure with the team is coming to an end anyway, there is now way Masthay or Kapinos would pull something like that in the biggest game of the year just to prove a point.

Don't bet on this prop, and don't bet on several others that don't even give you "No" as an option. What you can bet on is us continuing our coverage of 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) prop bets throughout the next week leading up to the Big Game. And you can also bet on the several props we've already analyzed, simply by clicking the appropriate link on the right sidebar.

Free NFL Picks Slowly Coming Back Down to Earth (63% YTD)

Well, we still haven't had a losing week with our Free NFL Picks, and we were a hook away (1/2 point) from at least salvaging a winning week, but for the third time in four tries, we went .500 for the week. Needless to say, if you used a $100 Sportsbook.com promo code, you have the exact same amount minus some juice after tailing us.

Obviously, it's disappointing, especially after the hot start these picks had. There was a lot of promise with that start--and there still is--but it's been a frustrating few weeks.

Hopefully we can get back on track next weekend with some more profits.

For now, we leave you with some eye candy after the Titans covered by 27 points last night over the terrible Jaguars. Because you can't spell TITans without... well... yeah.

The breakdown:

Free NFL Picks
Week 1: 5-1
Week 2: 6-1
Week 3: 4-4
Week 4: 3-3
Week 5: 4-3

Week 6: 3-3

Overall: 25-15... 63%

2-0 Week In NFL!

It's always disappointing when you only have two NFL plays all week--and one of them isn't until Monday. It's always less disappointing when both of them win.

The Raiders and Titans covered to keep the Free NFL Pick gravy train rolling in time for Thanksgiving.

Let's keep it going!

Free NFL Picks Look For Winning Week

After two weeks, our Free NFL Picks are a disappointing 5-6, but we expect better results moving forward when more current stats become available (rather than using a combination of last year's stats).

In Week One, we had a crazy nine-pick card, only to follow that with just two picks in Week Two. In Week Three, we have more of a standard Stock Lemon card in terms of quantity and hopefully quality.

Titans +3 over the Jets

Bears -3 over the Seahawks

Colts +2 1/2 over the Cardinals

Bills/Saints UNDER 51 1/2

Three road teams and an under this week. Not in love with the fact that all of our picks are on the road, but we'll play what the system gives us, especially early on.

Good luck!

The Debut of Dancing Money Man

Instead of suffering through the NFL pregame coverage on NBC, we thought we'd post some alternative entertainment to get you through to the Titans and Steelers kickoff.

So, without further delay, we introduce to you a gambling message board legend, the Dancing Money Man!

Whenever you see this guy, it can only mean good things, and certainly the opening kickoff of the NFL qualifies as a good thing.

Once again, good luck tonight and for the entire 2009 season.

Possibly Huge Sunday Card Coming Up

Last year, we routinely churned out about three or four Free NFL Picks a week en route to a 58% season. In Week 1, we had one of our biggets weeks in terms of volume with five picks.

This year, with the same system, the plan was the same. At the moment, however, there are seven possible Free NFL Picks for Sunday, plus the pick we already have tonight.

If you're scoring at home, that's eight total picks, double the norm from last year. We're just not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

While we usually try to weed out some of the borderline plays, we're not sure that we will be eliminating any of the remaining seven picks. So, you've been warned. Be prepared for the biggest NFL card in Stock Lemon history.

And as a reminder, that card opens up tonight, with the Steelers -6 over the Titans.

Enjoy the beginning of another NFL season, and be sure to check back for our Sunday plays, which will be posted as early as tomorrow.

The Glorious Return of Our Free NFL Picks

It's been a long, looooong offseason, but the NFL is finally back tomorrow, kicking off with the Steelers and Titans.

And, of course, we can't resist betting on it.

The defending Super Bowl champions are six-point favorites against Tennessee tomorrow and show good value in our Free NFL Picks system. James Harrison, shown above riding in the Steelers victory parade, should help the Steelers ride their top defense to victory in the opener.

Last year, our Free NFL Picks had a pretty strong season at 31-22-2 (58%), but we can do better. The 60% mark is always our benchmark, and we're usually at or above it with most of our systems. We're looking forward to reaching that goal--and going much, much further in what could prove to be our most profitable year of football betting ever.

Make sure to check back every weekend for our Free NFL Picks, as well as our Free NCAA Football Picks (off to a 67% start). Both finishing with winning records in 2008, but we want much more than that in '09.

Again, our First Free NFL pick of the 2009 season is:

Steelers -6 over Titans

Good luck and welcome back to football season! We hope you'll come back week after week for more picks. We'll give you good reason to.

2009 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 30-32

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the tenth and final installment of our 2009 NFL Mock Draft. You can check out the previous nine sections of this 10-part series by clicking the links on the upper right hand side of the page. 

Some trades have been made and some drug tests have been failed, but overall, we think we're at least in the ballpark on a good majority of these picks. 

Now, to finish this thing out... 

30. Titans: Robert Ayers, LB, Tennessee

Ayers has been shooting up draft boards and is the player in our mock draft that we see as most likely to go way before we have him selected. Still, the Titans executives who surely read Stock Lemon are giddy about Ayers being available late in the first round. Ayers could either be a 3-4 linebacker or a 4-3 end and will make an impact at either position. He's got what every NFL scout loves in the draft--upside. Some think he has the potential to be the best defensive player in the draft, and the Titans don't mind stealing the in-state product at No. 30. 

31. Cardinals: Donald Brown, RB, Connecticut

The Cardinals are looking for some backfield help, and while the top two running backs are long gone, Donald Brown could make a case for being in the top group of RBs. Brown is a hard worker, and while he might not have the exact measurements NFL teams rave about, he uses his small size to his advantage as a shifty and elusive back. If the Cards don't take him here, he won't last long in the second round. 

32. Steelers: Max Unger, C, Oregon

This is one of the best drafts in a long time in terms of interior lineman, particularly at the center position. Unger heads up a talented group big bodies that will be selected in the second and third round. Unger can simply do it all, including play left tackle as he sometimes did at Oregon. The Steelers have been successful by taking advantage of late first round picks, and this selection will be no exception. 

And with that, we conclude our 2009 NFL Mock Draft. Make sure to check back and see how we did once the real NFL Draft is in the books!

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

Our Free NFL Picks went 0-2 last Saturday, then bounced back with a 2-0 Sunday. Hopefully, this Saturday will be more like last Sunday. And then Sunday will be like last Sunday.

There's only one way to find out.

Titans -3 over the Ravens

Baltimore is a popular upset pick, but this week we're against the rookie quarterback on the road. Joe Flacco will try to become the first rook to win two playoff games, but we think he'll fall short of that goal. Both teams boast great defenses, but the ageless wonder Kerry Collins and the Titans offense has the edge in a matchup of very similar squads.

Panthers -10 over the Cardinals

Yes, that says -10. It's a lot to lay but the Panthers are the good and we're still convinced that the Cardinals are that bad. Go wit DeAngelo Williams and the bruising Panthers offense.

So far, all of our playoff picks have been the favorites when the lines opened. It's not something we're proud of, but that's the way things have shaken out thus far.

Either way, good luck as always!

Free NFL Picks Get Back to 60%

After a 3-1 day, our Free NFL Picks are back up to 60%, in case you can't read the title of this post. Clearly, the picks have been solid but struggly with consistency, as our week-by-week results show. Here's how we got back up to 21-14-2 on the year:

Dolphins 17, Raiders 15 (+10 1/2)

Titans 24, Jaguars 14 (+3)

Buccaneers 19 (-4), Vikings 13

Bengals 13 (+9), Eagles 13

The Dolphins have been playing well, but for them to be double-digit favorites proved to be a stretch, even against the Raiders. The Titans made us look like idiots, but the Bucs had a field goal day against the Vikings. Meanwhile, we're happy to be a part of the first tie since 2002, especially since we were guaranteed a cover once the game headed to overtime. And here's the aforementioned weekly breakdown:

Week 1: 3-2

Week 2: 2-1

Week 3: 2-1

Week 4: 2-1

Week 5: 0-0-1

Week 6: 3-0
Week 7: 0-3
Week 8: 1-2-1
Week 9: 4-0

Week 10: 1-3

Week 11: 3-1
Total: 21-14-2... 60%

It doesn't look like we have a play for tomorrow, but be sure to check back tomorrow for confirmation. And then come back all week, just to make sure we didn't have a pick. And then be sure to check back all year. Just, keep coming back, you know, to be safe. We'll try to get this thing more consistent for you.

Week 11 Free NFL Picks

We have four Free NFL Picks for Sunday, three of them dogs. Here's the card:

Raiders +10 1/2 over the Dolphins

Jaguars +3 over the Titans

Buccaneers -4 over the Vikings

Bengals +9 over the Eagles

Our Picks have been pretty solid so far this year and although we usually don't end up with a whole lot of underdogs, we have a decent amount of faith in this week's picks.

Good luck!

Monday Night Split, World Series Quit

In football, the Titans beat the Colts tonight 31-21, unfortunately going over the 40-point mark. Fortunately, we were able to determine, based on our Free NFL Pick system, that the Titans pick did qualify and played them at -4 over the Colts to split the night 1-1.

Meanwhile, in baseball, our last two Free MLB Picks of the year are still our last two Free MLB Picks of the year... we just don't know the results.

As you can see by the above photo of Jimmy Rollins and B.J. Upton late in the game, neither the Rays or Phillies will continue playing in the rain tonight, as they take a 2-2 tie headed into a time and date to be determined.

So, stay tuned to a time unknown.

Surprise Monday Night Football Pick

In a game featuring Peyton Manning and the high-scoring Colts offense, one would think an over/under of 41 applies just to Indianapolis.

That's not the case tonight, as the over/under for both teams, combined, is just 41 points. What's even more surprising is that our system shows the under.

Indianapolis Colts/Tennessee Titans UNDER 41

The suffocating Titans D, led by 600-pound Albert Hayneswoth on the line, is a big reason for this under, which is low for a reason. Our Free NFL Picks system also shows a small lean on the Titans -4, but we're passing on that--for now--because it isn't a strong enough play. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: We have determined that the Titans -4 over the Colts does indeed have sufficient value to qualify as a Free NFL Pick. Get on it if you still can, although we realize kickoff is in less than 15 minutes. We apologize for the late update.