Football Bet

25/01/08

Super Bowl Bets in Vegas May Exceed $100 Million for First Time

By Erik Matuszewski

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The allure of a perfect season for the New England Patriots or a historic upset for the underdog New York Giants may boost Super Bowl wagers at Las Vegas sports books above $100 million for the first time.

Last year's National Football League championship game between Indianapolis and Chicago resulted in $93.1 million in legal bets at Nevada's 176 sports books, down from the record $94.5 million wagered on the Super Bowl in 2006.

The 18-0 Patriots are favored by 12 points for the Feb. 3 game in Glendale, Arizona. Most Las Vegas sports books opened the line at 13 1/2 points and then lowered it as the majority of the early betting was on the 13-6 Giants, who have won three straight playoff games as underdogs.

"I do expect wagering to exceed $100 million," Art Manteris, vice president of race and sports book operations at Station's Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas, said in a telephone interview. "The Patriots are very popular and their quest for an undefeated season causes a lot of interest. And having a major-market team like New York involved is a big plus."

The Patriots have won three of the past six NFL titles and are seeking to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the second team in league history to cap an undefeated season with a Super Bowl win. The Giants, in the championship game for the first time since 2001, are attempting to become the second team to win a Super Bowl after logging a 10-6 regular-season record.

"This is a unique game and we're expecting a record handle," said Jeff Sherman, assistant manager of the Hilton Race and Sports Book in Las Vegas. "You're going to have people that probably don't normally get involved in the wagering aspect of it getting caught up in the hype and saying, 'Let me put down a bet since everyone else is doing it."

'Big Money Bets'

Frank Streshley, a senior gaming analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, said he thought Super Bowl wagering might reach $100 million last year, when Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was trying to win his first title against a popular Bears franchise that's been a cornerstone of the NFL for 86 years.

Because of last year's slight decline, and due in part to a slowing economy, Streshley said that the total amount legally wagered on this year's game may not reach the milestone. He said it would also depend on whether sports books get the "big money bets," or wagers in excess of $100,000.

"I think it'll get a good handle," Streshley said in a telephone interview. "If we surpass $100 million, I might be a little surprised there. Again, it depends on if the big bettors come in or not. With New England, we've had some of the better handles in the past 10 years in terms of amounts wagered."

Nevada is the only U.S. state in which sports betting is legal. Hundreds of millions more dollars are bet on the Super Bowl at online sports books located outside the U.S.

Previous Matchup

The Patriots beat New York 38-35 at Giants Stadium in the final week of the regular season.

The Giants haven't lost since, beating Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay in the playoffs, and have covered the point spread in their past five games. That includes the first matchup with New England, in which the Giants were 14-point underdogs and held a 28-16 second-half lead before quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL's Most Valuable Player, rallied the Patriots for their 16th straight win.

New England, after covering its first six games of the season and outscoring opponents by an average of 23 points, has failed to win by more than the point spread in the past five games. The Patriots beat Jacksonville by 11 points in their playoff opener and San Diego by nine in last week's AFC championship.

"The money so far has been decidedly on the Giants," said Manteris. "People saw the Giants play the Patriots real tough a couple of weeks ago and have seen the run that they're on. The Patriots haven't been covering the spread now for the past two months. They were on a tremendous roll the first half of the season, covering the point spread easily every week, but now the tide has turned."

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 25, 2008 00:07 EST

31/12/07

Start your engines, place your bets

By Gary Lim

December 29, 2007

YOU could say that the five lights are on.

And when they go off, Singapore sports punters will have something new to ponder upon.

That's when Singapore Pools flags off Formula One betting in all its outlets.

For now though, soccer betting will continue to hold pole position.

But with Formula One betting, due to get off the mark as early as March, things could change.

Singapore Pools are expected to roll out their new form of sports betting in March to coincide with the 2008 season-opening F1 race in Melbourne.

This will be the first time in Singapore history that legalised non-football sports betting is introduced.

The timing could not have been better, as the Singapore Grand Prix will be making its debut on the weekend of 27-28 Sep.

According to reliable sources, Singapore Pools will start off with the more straight-forward bets to allow punters here to get used to the new betting system, such as the predicting of race winners and championship winners.

More variety is expected to be introduced later on, although the details remain sketchy.

The New Paper also understands that Singapore Pools plan to allow betting for all 18 races on the racing calendar.

The F1 season stretches from March to November.

This represents a milestone in the betting industry in Singapore, where Singapore Pools remains the only legalised bookmaker.

While most overseas punters can bet on a smorgasbord of sports such as baseball, basketball, American football, ice hockey and motor racing, their Singapore counterparts have had to quench their thirst on just football.

Sports betting here started in 1999, when Singapore Pools introduced football betting (Score) on S-League and Singapore Cup matches.

Following that, the local bookmaker widened the net to include foreign football.

These days, punters here can choose to place their bets on anything from the J-League to the English Premier League.

As an indication of the sports betting interest here, the recent Liverpool-Manchester United match, for instance, saw punters wager an estimated $1.8 million - a staggering figure for just one game.

Singapore Pools, however, were reluctant to comment further on the prospect of including motor-racing into their betting menu.

A spokesman said: 'If we decide to (include F1 betting), we will make the announcement at the appropriate time.'

FLUTTER

But sources have told The New Paper that F1 betting is as good as a sure-thing.

The news certainly got F1 fans excited.

Aloysius Lim, 29, a marketing manager: 'I wouldn't mind having a flutter just for the fun of it.

'It can also be good for the sport. Naturally, the punters would want to know more about the teams and the drivers.

'As they do their research before placing their bets, they will also find out more about the lesser-known teams, or the dark horses so to speak. It gives these teams more exposure.'

Even regular football punters are giving F1 betting the thumbs up.

Melvin Chua, a 37-year-old businessman, feels that it's about time Singapore Pools offer more variety in their sports betting.

He said: 'For so long now, we have been restricted to football betting.

'F1 betting is already quite common in other countries, such as in the UK.

'But with the ferocious appetite for football betting, I wonder if F1 can claim a significant share of the pie.

'After all, the races will take place over the weekend, and that means they will clash with the football matches during the football season.'

But there are also those who have their reservations.

Motor-racing enthusiast Sebastian Ng, 34, a sales manager, said: 'I don't think I will bet.

'I am worried that this may promote a gambling habit.

'As it is, there are already many legal gambling options.'

18/12/07

Don't Bet On It: Bowl Edition (Part VIII)

By T Kyle King Section: Football
Posted on Sun Dec 16, 2007 at 10:36:42 PM EDT

At last we are down to college football's final four. I have picked each of the first 28 games of the upcoming postseason and, without further ado, I now turn to the task of predicting the handful of remaining contests, offering only at the outset my usual disclaimer: Don't Bet On It!

How little trust should you place in my forecasts? Well, I am the guy who believed beforehand that "Highlander II: The Quickening" would totally rock!

Orange Bowl: Kansas v. Virginia Tech (January 3): Believe it or not, the Jayhawks are on the verge of attending their third bowl in a five-year period, but their previous postseason engagements during the Mark Mangino era---the 2003 Tangerine Bowl and the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl---don't quite measure up to this citrus-themed classic in the Sunshine State. As a matter of fact, K.U. hasn't played a football game after Christmas Day since 1981 and hasn't been in action after New Year's Eve since the close of the 1968 campaign, when Pepper Rodgers was coaching in Lawrence and I was two months old. Admirers of Kansas State's Bill Snyder have to credit the Jayhawks with adopting their in-state rival's Sunflower State strategy of using sorry scheduling to produce an inflated record in order to earn---well, receive, at any rate---a better bowl bid than the invitee deserves. In practical consequence, Kansas has scheduled the same sort of "paycheck game" that defined the squad's September slate, which consisted entirely of home games against the likes of Central Michigan, Florida International, Southeastern Louisiana, and Toledo. This time, though, the Jayhawks are the schedule fodder being paid the big bucks to accept a whipping from a superior squad. V.P.I. will put its offense in, pick up no first downs, put its defense in, and smack the 'Hawks around, giving a Hokie beatdown to an overrated team. That's what it's all about for a squad that will give new meaning to the term "bleeding Kansas" after Virginia Tech gets done asserting its (old) dominion over the Jayhawks.

International Bowl: Ball State v. Rutgers (January 5): The university that produced David Letterman squares off with the university that produced Kristin Davis in the country that produced Alan Thicke. Although I previously proclaimed that the Scarlet Knights were a team on the rise, the State University of New Jersey did little of note in 2007, compiling a 7-5 record that included wins over Army, Buffalo, Navy, Norfolk State, Pitt, and Syracuse. Aside from a three-point home win over South Florida, Rutgers lost to every halfway-decent team it faced, falling by double-digit margins to Cincinnati, Connecticut, Maryland, and newly coachless West Virginia. The team last seen losing to hapless Louisville ought not to present too much of a challenge to any team worthy of a post-New Year's Eve bowl berth, but, fortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they drew Ball State instead. On what planet does a 7-5 record in the Mid-American Conference get you a bowl bid? When the Cardinals crossed the border, did the exchange rate give them credit for 9.2 wins in Canadian football? B.S.U. beat Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Navy, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Western Michigan, for crying out loud! When the majority of your wins are over schools with directional indicators in their nomenclature and two-thirds of your remaining victories came against universities named after cities other than those located in Coral Gables, Fla., or the so-called Loveliest Village, you have no business participating in postseason play. The result of this bowl will prove two things: first of all, that a mediocre B.C.S. conference team is significantly better than a team from a non-B.C.S. conference with an identical record, and, secondly, that Brian Cook was absolutely right about Brady Hoke, on whose behalf the best endorsement that may be offered is the fact that he was Miss Daisy's best friend. Rutgers will win a bowl staged by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Don't get me wrong, though . . . I plan on watching every minute of it!

Personally, I'm more of a Waffle House guy, but, at the bowl game played in Toronto, I'm pretty sure they prefer IHOP.

GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green v. Tulsa (January 6): Some of you may think I made this one up, but trust me when I tell you I didn't. Heck, I couldn't make this one up, inasmuch as I simply lack the imagination to pair these two teams in an obscure bowl game named for a mortgage company. (Presumably, points scored in the first three quarters will be applied to interest and points scored in the final stanza will reduce the principal balance of the loan.) The Falcons finished the season on a hot streak, going 4-0 in the month of November by an average final margin of 38-20, but that only looks impressive until you pause to consider that B.G.S.U.'s late autumn run came against Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo. Sure, the Falcons beat Minnesota . . . but, then again, who didn't? The Golden Hurricane likewise attained a winning record against a forgettable schedule, winning nailbiters over such questionable competition as Army (by ten), Marshall (by seven), Rice (by five), S.M.U. (by six), and U.A.B. (by eight) while dropping decisions to Oklahoma (by 41) and Central Florida (twice, surrendering 44 points both times). Remember what I said about a mediocre Big East team and a M.A.C. team with the same record? Well, the same goes for a decent M.A.C. team and a Conference USA team with an equal number of losses, which is why Bowling Green will win.

B.C.S. Championship Game: Louisiana State v. Ohio State (January 7): Saurian Sagacity endured its share of scoffing from Sunday Morning Quarterback for being so sure of the S.E.C., but the better argument lies with the side of the Southeastern Conference upon this point. I agree with Sunday Morning Quarterback that supposedly foregone conclusions have proven to be anything but in the Bowl Championship Series era, which has seen championship games in which everyone knew Florida State would beat Oklahoma in 2000, everyone knew Miami (Florida) would beat Ohio State in 2002, everyone knew Southern California would beat Texas in 2005, and everyone knew Ohio State would beat Florida in 2006. Those, though, were situations in which the underdogs all at least had a credible claim to a spot in the game, even if other candidates had equally good arguments. When one team rather obviously has had no business being in contention---say, Nebraska in 2001 or Oklahoma in 2003---the results have been precisely what everyone predicted, without much in the way of drama. (Yes, I know the final margin of the 2004 Sugar Bowl was only a touchdown. No one who watched that game, no matter how rabid a Sooner partisan, ever entertained any illusions about the outcome.) Since I believe the Buckeyes have no serious claim to a spot in the title game, I'm not expecting much of a contest. Yes, Les Miles will get outcoached, but Ohio State will get outmanned by the Bayou Bengals, who will win because they simply are the better team.

There you have them . . . prognostications for all 32 bowl games. It remains to be seen just exactly how many of them I will have erred in predicting, but you may rest assured that the number will be a large one. Consequently, I must caution you for the final time this autumn that, where my picks are concerned, there is one rule to which you must adhere above all others: Don't Bet On It!

Go 'Dawgs!

10/12/07

Brad Wall Settes Football Bet

By Cory Kolt

Updated December 7, 2007 - 5:01pm

A bet made during Grey Cup week was settled Friday afternoon.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and his Manitoba counterpart Gary Doer met up at the boundary between the two provinces to unveil the billboard proclaiming the Saskatchewan Roughriders Grey Cup champions.

The sign was a part of a bet the two premiers had on the game. Wall admits that he was a little nervous during the game. Doer brought along the Vanier Cup, the university football championship cup which the University of Manitoba Bisons football team won this year.

04/11/07

Fix could be in when people bet to lose

Ross Fitzgerald | November 05, 2007

TOMORROW is Melbourne Cup Day, the race that stops a nation. Yet pick a sport, any sport. For sure, there's betting involved; some legal, some not. Mostly it's about winning, but not always. It sounds counterintuitive, but some punters deliberately bet to lose.

Confused? Welcome to the smokescreen that proliferates around betting exchanges in Australia, which encourage punters to profit from backing a horse to lose or a football or cricket team not to win.

Although betting exchanges have been actively operating in Australia since 2003, they really got going when the Tasmanian Government gave Betfair Pty Ltd the green light to operate from Tasmania. Now there is a move to further entrench Betfair in NSW.

Betting exchanges match punters on the net, and actively promote them betting against each other on the outcome of a sporting event or horse race. One obvious side effect is that you can profit from a team or a horse not performing to its best ability - you can win big on picking an loser if you can find someone who thinks differently and is prepared to put up their money. It is this "laying" (offering odds that a result will not happen) that gets the racing industry into a lather and what significantly differentiates betting exchanges from the traditional forms of wagering and sports betting in Australia, namely bookmakers or TABs.

The betting exchange takes a commission out of every bet made and, in the same way as TABs, cannot lose money on the outcome. It is as risk-free as it can get and a licence to print money for the betting exchange operator. To guarantee a positive return all a punter needs is inside knowledge that a result will not occur. For example, if he or she can somehow ensure that a horse won't win, then success is almost guaranteed. How hard is it for like-minded individuals to conspire to ensure a horse gets a good drink of water before a race?

Water is not a prohibited substance so who would know? But with a belly full of water you can bet the horse will be a bit slower than normal.

Since 2004, in Britain, where betting exchanges are big money-spinners, 16 people have been arrested for alleged conspiracy to defraud in connection with alleged race fixing and a jockey was charged with deliberately losing eight races for financial gain.

In April 2007, a jockey was disqualified for five years by the British Horse Racing Authority for "deliberately riding a horse to lose in the knowledge that it was being laid to lose". Four other jockeys have been suspended for between four months and one year, and a trainer suspended for one year for transmitting information to a punter who was utilising betting exchanges. Team sports may be a bit harder to fix than a horse race but the principle is the same.

Racing at least has a transparent system of regulation and people employed to make sure the game stays clean. That is why the offences in Britain were detected. Racing regularly penalises participants who do not perform to an objective standard determined by industry professionals and they do this to ensure that fixes don't go in.

Other sports will argue they regulate themselves, but all they really regulate is the on-field actions of participants within the game environment. What checks do they have in place to ensure that the outcomes of the game or event have not been manipulated to maximise returns from the betting markets associated with the sporting event? What surveillance of betting markets and trends do the other sports have in place?

The difficulty of this issue and problems of public perception were clearly demonstrated in the case this season of a rugby league team not taking a conversion attempt 13 seconds before full time. Even though it made no difference to winning or losing the game itself, it affected payouts to those punters who had bet on the points spread in that game.

Centrebet was reported as saying the decision cost them $50,000 in payouts. The NRL's response about the issue was: "The only question is whether the player complied with the rules of the game." This approach demonstrates a serious lack of understanding of the dynamics that exist within sports betting markets and just how out of their depth sports are in regulating any serious matters associated with wagering or betting.

Racing in Australia has had integrity systems in place since our first race meeting was conducted in 1810.

As far as sports betting is concerned there is no true regulation and punters need to have blind faith in the integrity of the system because there are no independent regulators ensuring that everything is above board.

Perhaps it is time for a commission of inquiry into the current sports self-regulatory model and the betting that happens on the games every week. In our football codes, for example, let's see where the money actually flows, who benefits, and what relationships they may or may not have with the players on the paddock who bomb tries and miss catches, marks and penalties.

Sports have a poor history of regulating themselves.

This is no better demonstrated than in the way the different football codes try and deal with drug-related matters.

It seems if you are a major star with good media potential you often get treatment and counselling, but if you're a fringe player from lower socio-economic roots you simply get the sack. Integrity is integrity and the same rules should apply regardless of the sporting code involved.

In 2007 it is no longer good enough to allow millions of dollars of public money to be bet on sport with no safeguards in place to ensure that the outcomes are fair dinkum. Governments must take ultimate responsibility because they allow this betting to take place and reap the taxation benefits. They need to take the lead by forcing sports to transparently regulate their codes, demonstrate real integrity safeguards on the betting they encourage and make those that profit out of the betting contribute to ensuring the game stays clean. When betting is involved self-regulation simply does not work.

29/10/07

Game Day Central....sound off on college football...running blog

Oct 27, 2007

This is the place to sound off on calls that make you mad, coaches who make you mad, fans that make you mad....whatever makes you mad, I can take it. This is the place for beat downs, smack downs and venting. Let it out. You'll feel better.

Florida loses to Georgia

What happened to the Gators? This is freaking Georgia, the team that lets Vandy walk all over them every year. Why is this game making me queasy?

Pitt loses to L-ville.

Nice fumble on your way to the goal line, Pitt. All you had to do was hang on to the ball, and it was OT for the game. Was Wannstedt on the sidelines for this game? Was that the reason they lost? I say yes...keep him off the sidelines, and Pitt has a chance.

Nebraska loses to Texas after a huge lead. Does Callahan get fired today?

WTF???/ I finally bet against Nebraska and the points and they freaking show up? Are these two teams really as bad as the score indicates? What do the Huskers think...hope for the season?

Michigan beats Minnehaha, after a rough start.

For Pete's sake, dammit Carr. Do you really want to lose your job? Is Les Miles really going to save the Wolverine's season, NEXT YEAR? Here's another thought...how come the Wolverines are losing to a team that lost to a FCS team? (N. Dakota State)

USC v Oregon, 17-24....hey Trojans, basketball season is coming up.

Looks like SC, so far, is over rated. ..the Quack Attack is alive and well.

Predictions....Ohio State loses to Penn State. And LSU doesn't lose today, doesn't win today, and doesn't move up in the polls. Ditto for Oklahoma.

Updates...Michigan is now leading Minnehaha 13-10...if they score 3 more TDS, they cover the spread. Carr, don't fail me now.

Colorado beats Texas Tech. Ok, someone give the Buffs a lobotomy....they are bi-polar. Congrats on the win, now, can they keep this mental state on a high and FINISH the season?

South Florida v U Conn, 15-22

Well thanks for making me look stupid, Bulls. Cinderella has feet that are tripping her up...take off the heels and put on some cleats. You lost to a basketball school?

question...when Callahan took the Husker's blackshirts away in practice, did it inspire their D?

Gators close within 4 of Georgia!

And Sanchez throws an interception with 23 seconds left in the game on the 35 yardline of the Ducks. Great win Ducks.

Does Booty start next week? Sanchez threw into trip coverage for that INT...would Booty have done that?

4th and 2, the Gators did not make the right call. I know Tim's shoulder hurts, but run north, not east. Bad call by Meyer.

And a gorgeous pass gives the Dawg's a 35-24 lead!

And the Gators respond...throw the D out the window!

The Cavaliers are losing to an 0-3 in conference North Carolina State? Are u kidding me?

prediction...UCLA should beat Wazzu...therefore, the Bruins will lose.

Who deserves the Heisman so far this season.........?

NEBRASKA lost? OK...CALLAHAN NEEDS TO BE FIRED NOW, does he not Husker fans?

UCLA scored on a kick return, and Wazzu has scored on a FG and TD, and is posed to score again. The Bruins are what we thought they were...talented players with lousy coaching?

KU game......only 3 pts scored? Give their D kudos so far, but can they hold up with their poor red zone scoring percentage? KU scores a TD...10-0....are they for real?

OSU/PSU game.... 17-7...Is this proof of how good the Buckeyes are? Or how mediocre PSU is? Or both? What say you Buckeye fans?

Is Ohio State truly the best team, or number 1 by default?

Who is more impressive? KU, OSU or ASU? Who should be number 1?

15/10/07

Don't bet the house (or the Rams)

By Christine Daniels, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

7:50 PM PDT, October 12, 2007

Week 6 predictions for a league that just can't get enough of Vinny Testaverde. . .

Ravens over Rams

* Two franchises that bailed on Cleveland come together in Baltimore on Sunday. St. Louis has the worst team in the NFC, with fans there proving that disillusionment over awful football is not an affliction restricted to Anaheim. Baltimore couldn't score a touchdown last week against San Francisco. Cleveland has a baseball team in the ALCS, a basketball team that just reached the NBA Finals and a football team that recently beat the Ravens by two touchdowns. In this group, Cleveland is the place to be.

Browns over Dolphins

* Cleveland is the place to be unless you're Brady Quinn, who continues to sit on the bench while the Browns try to figure out what's up, or down, with Derek Anderson. Miami had a chance to draft Quinn last April but passed (for lack of a better word), and now the Dolphins are stuck with Cleo Lemon and John Beck as quarterback options. They are also 0-5, with a real chance of going 0-16. (Would that qualify as the second perfect season in Dolphins history?) On second thought, Cleveland is the place for Brady Quinn to be.

Bears over Vikings

* Vikings rookie running back Adrian Peterson is averaging 5.0 yards a carry. Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is averaging 5.8 yards a pass attempt. Jackson also has a quarterback rating of 40. Expect many Vikings handoffs.

Packers over Redskins

* Another week, another possible record for Brett Favre. With his next interception, Favre breaks George Blanda's NFL career record of 277. Blanda was 48 when he threw his last interception. If Favre plays till he's 48 and continues his career average of 18 interceptions a season, 450 is within reach.

Patriots over Cowboys

* They are billing this as "The Best Team in the AFC Against the Best Team in the NFC!" And therein lies the problem for the Cowboys.

Jaguars over Texans

* Footnote (so to speak): Washington Redskins kicker Mark Moseley was league MVP in 1982 after converting 20 of 21 field-goal attempts. Twenty-five years later, Kris Brown is 13 for 14 in field-goal tries, including five (three beyond 50 yards) last week for the 3-2 Texans. Jump aboard the Kris Brown MVP Express!

Bengals over Chiefs

* Two of the greatest quarterback names in San Francisco 49ers history are Montana and Brodie. Once upon a time, Montana rode into Kansas City to rescue the Chiefs. This weekend, the Chiefs are starting another quarterback named Brodie. But not that one. Brodie Croyle, to this point, doesn't do rescues.

Eagles over Jets

* New York sports fans freaking out over bad September baseball flashbacks: "Not Philly again!"

Titans over Buccaneers

* After injuries to "Cadillac" Williams and Michael Pittman, Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden joked that his game plan would include a no-back formation. Nobody who roots for the Buccaneers was laughing.

Cardinals over Panthers

* Potential starting quarterbacks in this one: Kurt Warner versus Vinny Testaverde. University of Phoenix Stadium marquee reads: "Return to 2001, a Strange Odyssey."

Chargers over Raiders

* Six weeks into the 2007 regular season, the Raiders lead the NFL in rushing offense. Clip and save and laminate and pull out from time to time to show the grandkids you were there at that amazing moment in time.

Seahawks over Saints

* If they can dig up George Gipp, why not dig up the casket of 2006 Saints memorabilia New Orleans Coach Sean Payton had buried under the team's practice field in an ill-advised attempt to "lay last season to rest"? Saints linebacker Scott Fujita helped exhume the casket and put it on display before the Saints' home game against Carolina. Notre Dame has had better success with Gipp's memory. New Orleans lost to Carolina, 16-13.

Giants over Falcons

* Byron Leftwich, supposed savior of professional football in Atlanta, debuted for the Falcons last week with a quarterback rating of 2.1.