With the sportsbook reviews site constantly updating their material and providing feedback for online players, it is becoming more and more easy to figure out which sites offer the best value and where players should be signed up as members. The price per head figures recorded by these sites have shown how quickly the online sports betting industry has grown, and while each of the four major sports has played a role in the proliferation of online sports betting, one sport in particular has led the way. Football is the most popular sport in the United States, and the NFL is the most popular league when it comes to the online sports betting numbers. 

From the southern states to the west coast, and all across the northeast, football is the most popular sport in the United States, and the NFL is where the elite players go to play. The annual sports betting numbers for the Super Bowl are off the charts, and on a weekly basis the NFL can actually beat out the NHL in terms of the pure number of wagers even though there are so many more hockey games than football games throughout the week. Baseball is the national pastime in the country, and basketball isn’t far behind in terms of the overall numbers, but when it comes to the most popular sports league in the United States, it is the NFL ahead of the rest.

The Houston Texans are AFC South division champions for the second year in a row, and would like nothing more than to finish their season on top of the NFL. It has felt like a long time coming for sports betting fans in the Houston area, which have supported the team since it was first established as an expansion franchise in 2002. The team didn’t clinch a playoff berth until 2011, which also happened to be the year it clinched its first division title as well. The Texans certainly have had an uphill climb to replace the old Houston Oilers, which moved to Tennessee and became the Titans, but they are certainly on track to make online betting fans recognize them asHouston’s most dominant football franchise.

The Texans were brought to Houstonby majority owner Bob McNair, who owns 95-percent of the 5Dimes team and also operates as the team’s chairman and CEO. The NFL’s 32^nd franchise had to make a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs’ owner Lamar Hunt to take the team’s nickname, since theKansas City franchise was once the Dallas Texans. With its Toro mascot, and a current roster that includes Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster and Pro Bowl defensive end JJ Watt,Houston is certainly on the rise in the AFC. The Texans have come a long way since they made David Carr the first-overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft as the franchise’s first pick, and with key franchise players in Foster and Watt they should remain among the top AFC contenders for some time to come.

The online sports books love reporting kicks returned for touchdowns as something miraculous or out of the ordinary. Special teams is a part of the game that more and more teams are taking very seriously and including more of their starters. In 2012, Wes Welker was being utilized by the New England Patriots as a kick returner and Welker was one of the top receivers in the league.

Even though the NFL Hall of Fame shuns the excellence of special teams players, the betting sites online know how important these specialists are to a good football team. Here are the top three special teams players to ever play in the NFL.

Steve Tasker – Buffalo Bills

Steve Tasker often comes up in Hall of Fame discussions, but he has never been put on a ballot. His value to the Buffalo Bills’ teams of the 1990’s that went to four consecutive Super Bowls can be measured in tackles and poor field position for the opposition. He may have been a marginal wide receiver, but Tasker is widely regarded as the best special teams player of all time.

Devin Hester – Chicago Bears

When the betonline.com reviews of Devin Hester’s career start coming in after his retirement, he will be another player that will get Hall of Fame talk but no place on the ballot. Hester holds the records for most kick and punt returns for a touchdown and he electrified the crowd at Super Bowl XLI when he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

Ray Guy – Oakland Raiders

Guy was the only punter ever drafted in the first round of the NFL draft and he helped the Raiders to win three Super Bowl titles. He was a pure punter that was named to the NFL’s 75^th Anniversary Team, but he still does not have a bust in Canton.

Some 5dimes.com reviews of great coaches may have a few different names, but usually you would find two names on every list, for certain: Vince Lombardi of the Green Packers, and Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys.

Landry was born in Texas and went to the University of Texas and Houston as well, but he also served in the Army as well. He would go on to join the NFL as a player for six years with New York and for two years, Landry was a player-coach as he played for the Giants while serving as their defensive coordinator as well. Next, Landry would join the Cowboys, where he coached for 28 seasons and his 20 seasons of above-.500 records from 1966 to 1986 is by far the best in NFL history. Landry would coach the Cowboys to two Super Bowls and his 20 playoff wins ranks first among coaches as well, but going into the 1990s, it was obvious that the game (and in particular, the players) had surpassed Landry and the Cowboys’ online sports betting odds suffered as a result.

Landry will be remembered for spending 28 years for the same team, and introducing the 4-3 defense to the NFL, which was a direct response to Lombardi’s offensive work in Green Bay. Landry also started using the shotgun formation more frequently than anyone else, and he was responsible for many other innovations in football that will be recognized by players that use betting websites (check out more betting information here). 

Even the NBA trade deadline has been overshadowed by the Peyton Manning saga as the four-time MVP was released from Indianapolis, which he turned into a perennial Super Bowl contender, and he is now on the market. But who will come out on top in the Manning sweepstakes.

Manning (who may be also checking out some March Madness spreads after he was shown at the Duke-North Carolina game a couple weeks ago) met with a number of teams over the weekend, and reportedly, Denver and Arizona have emerged as the frontrunners, although Manning will also meet with Miami and Tennessee as well.

Miami is the place where many think Manning will end up as they may have the best supporting cast for him, at least offensively, and he has a house in Florida. Miami Heat star LeBron James, who made his own highly-anticipated (and hotly controversial) “Decision”, even lobbied for Manning to take his talents to South Beach. Tennessee is also intriguing because Manning went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and still has ties to the state. Also, he would be in the same division as the Colts, and a little revenge could factor in as well.

Arizona may have the edge when it comes to the reported frontrunners, but we’re leaning towards the Dolphins, who can offer warm weather, Manning’s lone Super Bowl win came in Miami and he can also play against rival New England and quarterback Tom Brady twice in the regular season. If we were prodded to make a choice, Peyton Manning to Miami would be our pick at betting sites.

Add injuries to another sports betting controversy for the NFL. In an attempt to purify the game of football, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his staff have implemented new repercussions, for players that fake injuries in order to help their teams get better yardage. With more coaches and teams adopting a ‘faking’ approach, NFL betting lines have been askew. Today we will be looking at how the NFL plans to punish fake offenders.

The NFL sent all 32 teams a memo yesterday, indicating that any players that fake injuries to take advantage in a game, will not only be suspended, but their teams will be fined and lose draft picks. For fishing games enthusiasts, the suggested punishment for faking injuries, stems from an incident on Monday Night during the St. Louis Rams and New York Giants game. During the game, one of the defensive players for the Giants appeared to fake an injury, in order to slow down Rams quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams no huddle offense. The Giants would go on to win the game in rather convincing fashion.

Thanks to the lockout this offseason, players have been dropping like flies in the first two weeks of the regular season. Meaning to say, for players to fake injuries is immoral, but also shows, that teams are using the long layover due to the lockout as an advantage over their opponents. However, the NFL under Goodell is putting a stop to the shenanigans right away, as the last thing they need, is a scandal.

The rumor of fake injuries has also put the NFL between a rock and a hard place. For instance, players are injured and comeback all the times in games, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are faking. Now, if a player is injured and comes back, the NFL might not know when to punish teams.

There should be time for online fishing games for a number of players in the NFL, as Week 1 was littered with injuries that have put some big names on the sidelines. Here are the three biggest names who won’t take part in Week 2′s action (not counting Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning, who would be on this list until he returns).

Brian Urlacher, Chicago

Urlacher isn’t actually injured, but he may miss this week’s contest against New Orleans due to the death of his mother. The Bears said that Urlacher will understandably get the time that he needs, but they’ll miss if he is gone as Urlacher is the emotional leader of the entire team, not just the defense. The Bears are also 7-8 when Urlacher doesn’t play.

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco

NFL betting lines would have the 49ers as an underdog at home against Dallas with Crabtree in the lineup, but he is extremely questionable because of a foot injury that he says will bother him for the rest of the year. It’s not like the 49ers have a lot of offensive weapons for Alex Smith (which is a conversation in itself), so this will put more pressure on running back Frank Gore.

Steven Jackson, St. Louis

The Rams were hit hard by injuries last week, and even though Sam Bradford should play, Jackson will be out because of an ailing quad, and that puts pressure on Bradford and an aerial attack that also lost receiver Danny Amendola indefinitely. Look for the Rams to be an underdog on the road against the New York Giants on Monday night in your sports betting online book.

Fishing enthusiasts looking for an advantage over their local bookies, this NFL season should stop their search at the injury report. Weekly, all 32 NFL teams send in an injury report to the league offices, to indicate which of their players will not be playing in that weeks games. The injury report can play a huge role on the NFL betting line, because of the importance of certain players to their teams. Today we will look at a couple of injuries and their impacts on games.

Indianapolis Colts At Houston Texans (-8.5) – No game has been effected greater this week by injury, then the Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans game. For the first time in 14 years, Colts future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning, will miss the first game of the season, due to neck surgery. What was originally believed to be a simple injury, which would require Manning to miss training camp, has extended into the regular season. Manning, the centerpiece of the Colts offense, and fantasy football legend, could miss up to six weeks with his injury. As a result, several bookmaking sites have set the point spread rather high, while others have removed the game all together.

Chicago Bears At Atlanta Falcons (-4.5) – With Matt Forte holding out for a new contract, and backup running back Marion Barber out with an injured calf muscle, the Bears are being faded heavily on the betting line this Sunday. The Bears recently released Chester Taylor, with the belief that either Forte would be back, or Barber would be healthy enough to go in week one. Instead, third string running back Khalil Bell will get the call as the Bears number one running back this week. Hopefully for Bears fans, Roy Williams and Devin Hester can assist Jay Cutler in the pass game.

Even 2011 Belmont betting players have been paying attention to the lockout situation in the NFL, and there is still news even though the lockout is still going. One of the most intriguing personnel decisions to be made when the lockout ends surrounds receiver Plaxico Burress, who was released from prison on Monday, and chances are, he won’t be giving a shot by the

New York Giants. Here are three teams that should take a look at Burress.

Philadelphia – The Eagles would be able to stick it to the Giants, their NFC East rival, and Burress would probably like to show he has plenty left in the tank. But the Eagles really need Burress, a possession receiver to take some of the heat off DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, who are best served as deep threats.

Carolina – This could be a surprise, but the Panthers need weapons for rookie pivot Cam Newton, and receiver Steve Smith has needed help for years. Burress wouldn’t be a distraction as he knows his career can be taken away in a heartbeat, and he could even be a role model for Newton in the future.

Chicago – The Bears simply need a receiver for quarterback Jay Cutler, with all due respect to Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett; they’re not No.1 receivers. Neither is Burress after serving 21 months in prison, but he would open up the field for those two with his underneath routes, which in turn would boost Chicago’s odds at your favorite online betting sites.

The National Football League and it’s players have returned to the negotiation tables on Monday, with commissioner Roger Goodell and four team owners making their way to a federal courthouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota to resume talks with the head of the NFLPA DeMaurice Smith. US Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan has continued to oversee talks about the future of the $9 billion business, and while returning to the table is a positive there wasn’t much drawn up when Boylan oversaw four days of talks one online sports betting month ago.

It is very unlikely that a deal will get done ahead of the 2011 Preakness Stakes betting race with an appeal from the NFL on the decision for their lockout to be lifted by a US Court of Appeals judge Susan Richard Nelson not set to be heard until June 3. There is a good chance that the US Eight District Court of Appeals could rule in favor of the players and lift the lockout in accordance with judge Nelson’s ruling, while at the same time US District Judge David Doty has to rule on the $4 billion in broadcast revenue he ruled was unfairly secured by the NFL the last time that the two sides negotiated. In either case, things don’t look good for the owners, or fans looking for their favorite football teams to take the field for a coming season by this September, or even into October.