SOURCE: Everyedge.com

It’s hard to believe the season has reached this point. Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago that we were all settling in to watching Pittsburgh hosting Miami on that first Thursday night of the season? Whoosh!

But regardless of the speed of the season, we are at the big one. Or should I say THE BIG ONE. Everything about the Super Bowl is huge, but for bettors it has to be viewed as another game, another opportunity to be on the right side. And when all is said and done, after the first few plays, I’m sure that the players feel the same way. The difficulty is the lead up and hype that can throw everyone for a loop. We need to handle that as do the athletes. Usually those that handle that the best come out ahead.

There are a few things to watch for as the game approaches. While I often dislike all the media attention surrounding the NFL, this week’s news can sometimes offer a clue as to the status of a player or team. I’ll be keeping an eye out for:

AWOL PLAYERS

Often a player gets severely sidetracked during the days leading up to the game. Oakland, Cincinnati, Atlanta and countless other squads have been hosed by waking up and finding out that one of their guys is missing, in jail, in Mexico or just so blasted he believes the Dali Llama has converted him to non violence.

This game is in Miami. For any of us who have been in Miami we know how difficult it is to tuck in at 11 PM. I never like to hear words like detained, late, sick, fined, prostitutes, police, urine samples or worst of all, missing. Weapons are never a good term to hear either. So any sniff of trouble along these lines and the red flags should be out in full force.

ALREADY WON SCENARIO

Remember Mike Martz hugging the Super Bowl before his tilt with the woebegone New England Patriots? Bad, bad, bad. It’s also not a positive thing to hear a player talking about the ring, the dream fulfilled and the like before the game. Very often if players jump the gun mentally, the game can get away from them very quickly. Disappointment settles in and a blow-out can occur.

FLU SEASON

I know these are million dollar athletes with hard bodies. But the flu will wipe out a locker room more quickly than Rambo. More than one team has talked about their QB having the sniffles and missing practice in years gone by. Be wary if this occurs.

I remember a Super Bowl with Denver and San Fran a number of years ago. Elway had the sniffles, the 103 degree kind, as did several of his teammates. I think they lost by forty. As we heard New England played last week with several guys sick. It’s impossible to know, but one could surmise that their second half wilting could have been the result. Either way, keep an ear open for this situation.

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