People love to wager on the NFL and with about five months between the Super Bowl and the start of exhibition, you can bet—no pun intended—that bettors have already started dipping into their bankrolls now that NFL team auditions have begun.

But if you want to come out in the black at season’s end, it’s better to be a little patient during NFL exhibition.

Be like Bret Maverick (in the movie Maverick) at a poker game; spend some time observing, in this case the entire exhibition sked, and then use your observations in the regular season.

Besides, the starters are only beginning to see some significant reps these final weeks of preseason after only playing for only a series or two earlier in the month.

Here are some interesting preseason storylines that could affect regular season betting.

Atlanta’s QB conundrum

If you haven’t heard what happened to Atlanta Falcon QB Michael Vick by now, I suggest you rent a crane and lift up that rock you’ve been living under.

With jail time all but certain, Vick might not see another snap ‘til he’s past his prime.

All the NFL pundits are deriding Atlanta for trading away promising backup Matt Schaub to Houston, leaving Joey Harrington as the only QB who has taken a snap in the NFL on a regular basis.

But despite what all the Chicken Littles are saying, the sky might not be falling in Atlanta; Harrington isn’t as bad as most people think.

You can throw out Harrington’s stint in Detroit. The Lions were in perennial rebuilding mode leaving Harrington with no sense of continuity and no real chance of flourishing—he went 18-37 in that time.

Harrington was let go and picked up by the Dolphins and although he finished with a 5-6 record as a starter last year, he showed flashes of brilliance.

With the former Oregon Duck as signal caller, Miami went 5-3 ATS, including impressive wins against eventual NFC champs Chicago and New England, where the Dolphins were profitable and won outright as well.

The ‘Fins also went on a four-game SU winning streak during that time.

If Harrington is handed the reins this year, he will have some impressive weapons at his disposal, including RBs Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood, TE Alge Crumpler and newly signed WR Joe Horn.

Also consider this. Although new head coach Bobby Petrino has a clean slate in the NFL, he has had success tutoring QBs, with Mark Brunell in Jacksonville, and more recently in NCAA Louisville with QB Brian Brohm—a Heisman hopeful and a potential first rounder in the 2008 NFL draft.

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