Jim Feist's MLB Inner Circle Insider - Friday! (Fri 7:05PM)
Jim loves it when oddsmakers fail to take ALL aspects of a game into consideration. Friday night is one such baseball battle as EVERY ingredient is there -- motivation, scheduling, star power, relief pitching -- to run circles around the oddsmakers. Don't mess around with guess-work, play with a pro with this Baseball Inner Circle Insider blowout winner from Jim!
Jim Feist's MLB High Roller Diamond Total Crusher (Fri 9:40PM)
Totals offer just as much value as favorites and dogs, and Jim Feist is set to HAMMER THE BOOKS with a coveted High Roller Diamond Total Crusher! This total encapsulates ALL of Jim's bold handicapping insight that has made him a Las Vegas legend for decades. If you like to play totals, or just like to win, step up to the plate with this exclusive High Roller Diamond Total Crusher and play Vegas baseball with the big boys TONIGHT!
Jim Feist's MLB Diamond Dog - Saturday! (Sat 4:05PM)
Theres an underdog on the Saturday baseball card that should be favored, a game that oddsmakers clearly overlooked. There are soft lines all over the baseball board - if you know where to look and what to look for! Jim Feist knows, so go inside that stats, angles and matchups for this MLB Diamond Dog and clean up at the window!
Jim Feist's MLB Diamond TV Total Crusher - Saturda (Sat 10:10PM)
There's a soft total on one of Saturday's Baseball Battles, one ripe to stomp all over the oddsmakers. Where the oddsmakers whiffed, Jim Feist will STRIKE! Best of all, it's on TV, so pack your pockets with extra green with this MLB Diamond TV Total Crusher so you can WATCH and WIN TONIGHT!
Jim Feist's MLB Mound Mismatch of the Month - Frid (Fri 7:10PM)
There's no better way to close out a game than with some starting pitching and bullpen smoke. Jim Feist has identified a marquee baseball matchup where one staff is going to dominate the opposition for 9 FULL INNINGS so you don't have to sweat! Best of all, it's a coveted Game of the Month from Jim. Go inside the numbers and STRIKEOUT your bookmaker with Jim's MLB Mound Mismatch of the Month and BLAST your BOOK TONIGHT!
Jim Feist's NL East Game of the Month - Saturday! (Sat 7:15PM)
Jim has found a MONSTER selection where pitching, bullpen, offense and situations all combine to HEAVILY favor one team, strong enough to be his NL East Game of the Month! Go inside the stats and angles, and collect with Jim's NL East Game of the Month then BLAST your BOOK TONIGHT!
Jim Feist's Big Bad NHL Bookie Buster - Saturday! (Sat 5:30PM)
Jim is focused on EVERY ANGLE that can provide an edge against the number with so many factors such as injuries, line depth, goaltending home/road play and road travel. He jumps into the fray Saturday with a Big Bad NHL Playoff Bookie Buster on the ice. ALL the ingredients are there to run circles around the oddsmakers. Don't mess around with guess-work, play with a pro with this exclusive Big Bad NHL Playoff Bookie Busting winner from Jim!
NBA
Seven days of premium NBA picks and analysis, straight from legendary handicapper Jim Feist. All his analysis and insight brought to the table each night. Don't hope to win, sit back, play with a pro and KNOW you have an ace on your side!
NBA Basketball 7 Day Package
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Pro Football Stats: Read Between the Lines
by: Jim Feist
by Jim Feist
The best time of the sports calendar is here, the opening week of the pro football campaign! There are mountains of stats and angles available for sports bettors to digest from this season and years past. Information certainly is a huge key when analyzing games and point spreads. Sometimes it can seem that there is too much info, but it's essential to understand that stats are only a starting point. They don't always tell the whole story. In fact, stats can sometimes lie, something to keep in mind when searching for football picks.
Sure, it's important to ask such questions as, "How many yards passing per game does his team get? How big is this offensive line compared to the opponent? Is a great quarterback going up against a team with slow defensive backs? What's their home record the last five years, straight up and against the spread?" However, it's important to learn when to look beyond stats. For example, here are some stats from the 2011 NFL season:
*The Raiders were 11th in passing offense.
*The Titans were 12th in passing offense
*Jaguars were No. 6 in total defense.
*The Brown were 10th in total defense.
*The Browns ranked No. 5 in points allowed.
*The Titans were 8th in points allowed.
*The Raiders were No. 9 in total offense.
*The Rams ranked 7th in pass defense.
Now, all of those 2011 stats are true. However, they don't tell the real story about a football team's strengths, either. For instance, the Raiders had impressive passing yards and total offense, but were they really a good offensive team when you watched them? The rotated QBs Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell and they combined for 19 TDs and 20 interceptions. Throw in Kyle Boller and the Oakland QBs combined for 20 touchdowns and 23 picks -- not exactly the kind of offensive numbers that strike fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators.
They put up some yards at times but were not good at finding the end zone, ranked in the middle of the pack (16th) in points scored. They were a turnover prone offense and a team as a whole that was sloppy: The Raiders committed 283 infractions in 2011, which led the NFL by a wide margin. Overall, it is hard to rank the Raiders as a Top 10 offense despite what the overall stats might suggest.
Tennessee was good at putting up passing yards but that's mainly because the ground game was a disaster for most of 2011 with RB Chris Johnson holding out then getting off to a slow start. Tennessee finished 31st in rushing and QB Matt Hassellbeck through an unimpressive 18 TDs and 14 picks, so it isn't a big shock they are going with young QB Jake Locker this year.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars were sixth in total defense it didn't result in a lot of wins, which cost the head coach his job. In fairness they were not a bad defense, but a closer look finds that the offense was so bad opposing teams could get up 10-0 and sit on the football. Jacksonville also played a lot of bad offenses and when they stepped up against some better offenses, the result were ugly with the Chargers beating them 38-14, the Falcons 41-14, and even the Jets had a 32-3 laugher. By the way, the Jags were 11-5 under total.
The Cleveland Browns show up as an outstanding defensive team in 2011 based on the above numbers, but can we really say that? A closer look shows that the Browns were one of the worst teams defensively in the NFL at stopping the run, allowing 147.4 yards rushing per game, third worst. So there's your answer: teams could pound the center of the line, chew up yards and take time off the clock and beat the Browns with regularity. That would help the Browns' pass defense and points allowed stats, but it really mask's the major problems they had on defense.
We've seen this before, too: Five years ago Cleveland was No. 13 against the pass, but anyone watching the Browns saw a very poor defense. They were 25th against the run, so teams could wear them down on the ground, making the passing game just as effective. The Browns allowed 238 points that year, one of the poorest marks in the league. The same thing happened with the Rams last season, too, statistically a good pass defense but a run defense that was second worst in the league giving up 152 yards per contest.
Successful handicappers dig deep and weigh all the strengths and weaknesses before heading to the betting window. All of which is needed when searching for winning football picks each week.
Jim Feist Past Articles
Lean Toward Big Dogs More than Big Chalk
April and May means that many novice sports bettors may look at the matchups and lean toward ace pitchers and lay the big price. But let me give you ... read more
NBA Playoffs: Be Cautious of Blowouts
The NBA playoffs are in full swing, which means overall the better teams are battling each other. This is different from the regular season when many ... read more
2013 Baseball Hot and Cold Starts
More than any other sport, baseball is a game of patience. It's not how you start, but where you finish, and with a 162-game regular season, there ... read more
Defense and Totals in the NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs are rolling along, which is a good time to revisit an old sports adage: Defense wins championships. Some teams are already in that ... read more
Pitchers and Early AL Surprises
As we start the baseball season, we have already seen some surprises. The Oakland A's have been terrific on offense, top 5 in runs, but let's not read ... read more
Jim Feist Past Picks
NHL Hockey
Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings Thursday May 23, 2013 8:00 pm
05/23 8:05 PM EST NHL (31) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS VS (32) DETROIT RED WINGS Take: (31) NHL Playoff Game of the Year: Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4.A great spot for the talented Chicago Blackhawks. This is not a young team that will panic, as the Blackhawks won the Stanley ... read more
MLB Baseball
Cleveland Indians @ Boston Red Sox Thursday May 23, 2013 7:10 pm
05/23 7:10 PM EST MLB (907) CLEVELAND INDIANS VS (908) BOSTON RED SOX Take: (907) MLB Diamond Dog of the Month: Indians.Terry Francona returns to Fenway, this time managing the Indians. Boston is home, but new pitcher Ryan Dempster (2-4, 4.27 ERA) has looked lost ... read more
MLB Baseball
Minnesota Twins @ Detroit Tigers Thursday May 23, 2013 7:05 pm
5/23 7:05 PM EST MLB (903) MINNESOTA TWINS VS (904) DETROIT TIGERS Take: UNDER THE TOTAL. Reason: Detroit's Comerica Park is huge, great for pitchers and tough on hitters. A pair of pitchers are on the mound who throw strikes, which will be dividends. Minnesota ... read more
MLB Baseball
Baltimore Orioles @ Toronto Blue Jays Thursday May 23, 2013 7:05 pm
05/23 7:05 PM EST MLB (905) BALTIMORE ORIOLES VS (906) TORONTO BLUE JAYS Take: over the total. Reason: Baltimore's strong offense heads to the Rogers Centre in Toronto, a great offensive park. Baltimore is 5th in baseball in runs scored, batting average and slugging. ... read more
MLB Baseball
Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox Wednesday May 22, 2013 8:10 pm
05/22 8:10 PM EST MLB (977) BOSTON RED SOX VS (978) CHICAGO WHITE SOX Take: (978) Home Field Crusher: White SoxChicago got things turned around on their recent road trip, winning 4 in a row during one stretch as a dog in each game. Boston comes to town winding down ... read more
NHL Hockey
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators Wednesday May 22, 2013 7:30 pm
05/22 7:35 PM EST NHL (27) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS (28) OTTAWA SENATORS Take: UNDER THE TOTAL. Reason: Pittsburgh won in Games 1 and 2, 4-1 and 4-3, and it's clear Ottawa doesn't have the offensive firepower to get into a shootout with the Penguins. So they ... read more
MLB Baseball
New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles Wednesday May 22, 2013 7:05 pm
05/22 7:05 PM EST MLB (969) NEW YORK YANKEES VS (970) BALTIMORE ORIOLES Take: (969) AL East Game of the Month: Orioles.The Yankees are 26-10 against the AL East and on a 10-3 run. Baltimore Jason Hammel has a 5-2 record, but has been awful with a 5.72 ERA ... read more
MLB Baseball
Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday May 22, 2013 4:35 pm
05/22 4:35 PM EST MLB (967) TAMPA BAY RAYS VS (968) TORONTO BLUE JAYS Take: over the total. Reason: Toronto is a great offensive park and a pair of struggling pitchers go. The Rays come to town with a strong offense, Top 10 in runs, on base and slugging. But Tampa ... read more
MLB Baseball
Oakland Athletics @ Texas Rangers Wednesday May 22, 2013 2:05 pm
5/22 2:05 PM EST MLB (965) OAKLAND ATHLETICS VS (966) TEXAS RANGERS Take: over the total. Reason: A pair of hittable pitchers are on the mound Wednesday in this early game. Jarrod Parker goes for Oakland and he's 2-5 with a 6.04 ERA allowing 81 base runners ... read more
MLB Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals @ San Diego Padres Tuesday May 21, 2013 10:10 pm
05/21 10:10 PM EST MLB (911) ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS (912) SAN DIEGO PADRES Take: (911) MLB Bailout Game of the Month: Cardinals.It helps a lot to not walk anyone in a huge park like San Diego, which is so tough on hitters. St. Louis has the best control pitching ... read more
