Football picks - will Oakland sink because of free agent frenzy
Week 1 of the NFL regular season is quickly approaching so sports betting fans are already preparing their for NFL betting lines in their online sportsbook. A lot of teams made drastic changes heading into this year, but one of the most active and puzzling teams was the Oakland Raiders.
If you were in a salary pool and took Oakland this offseason, here's hoping you took the over. The Raiders resembled the late-'90s/early-'00s Redskins, lavishing free agent riches on anyone who'd come near. In fact, the team spent an astounding $255-million during free agency.
One of the most heavily criticized deals already looks sour, after receiver Javon Walker was beaten and robbed in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Walker was given a $55-million deal by Oakland despite suffering numerous injuries over the past few seasons and two teams giving up on him. The odds didn't look great that he'd rebound into a No. 1 target again, at least not to justify his huge contract. Now, after being beaten unconscious after a party in a Vegas nightclub, sports bettors and team management must be questioning his personal life style too, and whether or not he has enough juice left in the tank.
Oakland also brought in safety Gibril Wilson. Wilson was a key member of the Giants' Super Bowl run, but $39-million for good-but-not-great player seems excessive. Of course, that's a bargain compared to the seven year, $50-million extension the team offered to Tommy Kelley. The defensive end was handsomely rewarded for playing in eight games last year, when he recorded 30 tackles and one sack. He has only 13 sacks in four seasons of work.
Will it all help, or will the team regret its free agency frenzy? Most of last year's successful teams built their rosters through draft picks and patience. Indianapolis, Green Bay and the Giants all rely heavily on in-house players, rather than spread their resources between the draft and open market.
For years, the Redskins toiled because of their free agent blunders. This season, they didn't sign a single high-profile player. Instead, they made an incredible 10 picks in the draft. The Raiders are probably going to learn a lesson they could have avoided if they'd merely took heed of Washington. Keep that in mind when Week 1 of the NFL regular season rolls around and you're making your football picks.
Blake walked onto his college football team and had a brief stint as an assistant coach after he graduated. He brings a sharp mind to the world of sports handicapping. Blake understands the nuances of the game that only someone who has played would understand, and he was one of the few who gave the Giants a chance against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Thoughts or questions?
