I called Scooch yesterday to get his take on this weekend's biggest NFL line movements. He had loads to say about the games below, but also pointed out something interesting: The monster games we talk about aren't always the monster games bookmakers think about. An AFC North tilt like the Bengals-Ravens is great for fans, ho hum for bookmakers. Same with the Sanchezes versus the Dolphins. Scooch's worry this weekend: the Vikings at the Rams. "That is a monster game for us, already," he told me. How come? Not a whole lot of people are betting the Rams, even as double-digit underdogs.
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- Editor in Chief of ESPN The Magazine
- Writes "Behind The Bets" blog on sports gambling
- Authored seven books, including "The Odds"
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chad Millman
Chad Millman, Editor in Chief of ESPN The Magazine, joined The Mag as an associate editor in 1998. A year later he left to write "The Odds" -- about a trio of Vegas bookmakers and wiseguys -- and to find riches working for an Internet company. He made tens of dollars on "The Odds," the web biz tanked and he returned to The Mag. He also worked at Sports Illustrated and wrote some other books, including "Iceman" with Chuck Liddell, "Invincible" with Vince Papale, "Pickup Artists" with Lars Anderson, and "The Detonators." His most recent books are the national bestseller "The Ones Who Hit the Hardest," about the blood feud between the 70s Steelers and Cowboys, written with Shawn Coyne, and the New York Times bestseller "They Call Me Baba Booey", with Gary Dell'Abate.
Millman's daily blog explores the culture of sports gambling; on Mondays and Fridays in the fall, he investigates trends in point spreads related to professional football.
E-mail Chad: Chad.X.Millman@espn.com
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