NFL Top Passer Betting Tips

There are only two sportsbooks to recommend on the top passer betting stakes - Pinnacle and Bodog. Check then out!A fascinating market available pre-season is for top passer in the NFL. Even though Peyton Manning is the 5/1 favourite, it isn't quite as clear cut as totesport would have you believe. The Colts QB is without question an elite player, along with Tom Brady who sits just behind in the betting. However, the winner of this market won't necessarily be the best player. Although Brady had the most passing yards last term, many of those were due to the requirement of the Patriots offense to bail out the injury decimated defense. Trent Green is another QB who over the past few years has had numerous opportunities to move the ball downfield from a kick-off, and this is reflected by the Chiefs leader finishing second in the passing yards chart two years running. Before I go any further, I am going to eliminate the top three in the betting immediately. Peyton Manning won't have the most passing yards if the Colts D continues to show improvement. There simply won't be the opportunities to move the ball downfield. Brady is also going to struggle to finish high after David Givens was traded, and Deion Branch sitting out pre-season. Their replacements won't be in the same class. Meanwhile, Green will be playing behind an ageing offensive line that also lost Willie Roaf to retirement. Herm Edwards has also indicated he wants the Chiefs to become a defensive orientated organisation. Matt Hasselbeck is certainly in with a chance of finishing up the charts with the likelihood of his first choice receivers back on the field for a whole season. Opposing defences are going to have to respect the Seahawks running game more than ever, and that will open up the passing game for Hasselbeck. On the flip side the defense looks to be even better this season, and that could limit the opportunities for the Seahawks strike players. New York Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning was fairly solid last year. In just his second NFL season, and his first as the full-time starter, Manning threw for over 3,700 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns. He also managed to lead the upstart Giants to a seemingly improbable playoff berth. 2006 ought to see even greater improvement from Eli. Now heading into his second full season, Eli should be able to take a leap forward similar to what Peyton did in his second full season with the Colts. In that year, the elder Peyton was able to improve his passer rating, cut his interception total down, improve his completion percentage and most crucially for the purposes of this preview surpass the 4,000-yard plateau. The younger Manning should also make similar strides, given he is surrounded by a ridiculously talented cast of skill players. Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress form the nucleus of what could be the arguably the most potent offense in the NFC, and possibly one to rival the Colts and Bengals in the AFC. Manning will also be aided by a surprisingly sturdy offensive line that gave up only 28 sacks in 2005, good for sixth in the league. As that line continues to gel and approaches the level of reliability enjoyed by Peyton (the Colts ranked first in sacks allowed, giving up only 20), Eli's output should improve that much more. Another reason to get on board the 14/1 on offer is a potentially suspect defense. The defensive tackles look soft, while the new-look secondary may not be better than last year's version. Giving up points is going to require Eli Manning to keep putting points on the board deep into the final quarter, and that is when the passing yards can really rack up. Another player who simply can't be left out the betting verdict, if only for the purposes of a saver is Carson Palmer. For a vast majority of the pre-season, the fitness of the Bengals QB has been anything but certain. That was until the third weekend of the pre-season. With a brace protecting his rebuilt knee, Palmer dissolved all the doubts about his health by throwing three touchdown passes, taking hits and even scrambling during a 48-17 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers. In only his second full season in 2005, Palmer finished slightly ahead of Eli Manning in passing yards. Despite this I am only going to suggest a small saver on the Cincinnati signal caller for two reasons. Firstly, the Bengals defense has the potential to improve in 2006 to level that doesn't heap so much pressure on the offense. Secondly, despite looking so good in pre-season against the Packers - it was only pre-season and the rebuilding Packers. Kansas City, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New England promise to offer far sterner tests in the opening month of the regular season. If Palmer comes though this period unscathed, then 12/1 could look a fantastic price midseason. If not then we can be thankful our main investment is in Eli Manning to show the expected improvement.