Zolak & Bertrand: Early Vegas Odds Set Patriots Over/Under At 10.5 Wins
BOSTON (CBS) - Marc Bertrand and Scott Zolak began Thursday's show on 98.5 The Sports Hub's talking some football.
Bertrand got the email yesterday from his good friends over at Bovada, and the 2015 NFL over/under win totals are out. Of course, Beetle immediately scrolled down to see where New England fared, and their over/under is listed at 10.5 wins.
Here's how the top 5 looks:
Green Bay over/under 11 wins
Indianapolis over/under 11 wins
Seattle over/under 11 wins
New England over/under 10.5 wins
Denver over/under 10 wins
"10.5 -- that's got to be related to Jimmy Garoppolo," Bertrand said, referring to the backup getting lots of action due to Tom Brady's four-game suspension.
"You don't have to be a moron to figure out, I would call [the schedule] easier than last year's. Last year's schedule was a grind. It was a gauntlet," Zolak added. "I think you face three really talented quarterbacks this year, and when I say talented I mean top-tier type guys: Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo and Andrew Luck. After that, I'll roll with anybody they put out there."
Zolak looks at Seattle and Green Bay and understands why their over/under is set at 11 wins and higher than New England's total, but he can't for the life of him figure out why Indianapolis is getting that much respect.
"I'm asterisking that one. I just can't buy the Colts. I know they get there, and they've progressively gotten better under Andrew Luck each year, but tell me how they've gotten better to the point where they can physically compete with the top teams in the AFC," Zolak said.
Factoring in the four-game suspension for Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady for his role in DeflateGate (which could ultimately get reduced in his appeal or thrown out altogether in court), Beetle actually believes the 10.5 over/under is a good number for the Patriots.
"This is no sign of disrespect whatsoever -- 10.5 is respect. Anyone who thinks it's disrespect is wrong," Bertrand added. "11-5 would be a great record for this team. Jimmy Garoppolo has never started an NFL game. It seems like everybody has forgotten that. If he goes 2-2 you should be thrilled."
Listen below to hear the full discussion:
