Early wagers back Patriots

As absurd as it might seem, four months before Tom Brady throws a pass that matters, bettors are lining up to lay more than two touchdowns with the New England Patriots.

"After the Super Bowl, they think this is a bounce-back spot for the Patriots," Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said jokingly.

The NFL has become a year-round entertainment entity, not even counting Adam ''Pacman'' Jones' problems with the police. Last weekend's draft was a reminder that Mel Kiper Jr. has bad hair and next season is on the horizon.

On April 15, just hours after the league unveiled its regular-season schedule, the Hilton posted lines and totals on all 16 games in Week 1.

The Patriots flopped as double-digit favorites in the Super Bowl, losing to the New York Giants, but that was in February. Who really wants to bet against New England when Brady is angry off a loss and coach Bill Belichick has several months to prepare?

On the other hand, Belichick might be distracted by the never-ending Spygate saga, and when we last saw Brady, he appeared more enthusiastic about buying flowers for his supermodel girlfriend than about playing football.

The Hilton opened the Patriots as 151/2-point home favorites over Kansas City on Sept. 7. The smart money might end up on the Chiefs, but Kornegay said early wagering is heavy on the favorite.

Kansas City was a winner in the draft, picking up Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey with the first of its 12 selections. The Hilton did not adjust the line on the Chiefs-Patriots game, however.

In fact, five lines moved since the Hilton opened Week 1 numbers, but none of them were moved after the draft.

"Have you ever seen the NFL Draft hyped more? Every year it gets bigger," Kornegay said. "But the draft really doesn't have any impact on these lines. The only impact the draft had was with the awareness of the NFL, because people start talking about and developing some opinions on these teams."

One of the teams being talked about the most is the Cleveland Browns. Ironically, the Browns made only five picks, the first being UNLV linebacker Beau Bell in the fourth round.

Kornegay said the Hilton has written more Super Bowl futures tickets on Cleveland at 25-1 than on any other team. New England is the 7-2 favorite and has attracted the most money, he said.

The Browns finished 10-6 but missed the AFC playoffs. One reason for optimism is quarterback Derek Anderson, who passed for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.

In what could be the most interesting matchup of the opening week, the Browns are 3-point home underdogs to the Dallas Cowboys. The total of 491/2 is the highest on the Hilton's board.

The Hilton's wagering limits for Week 1 are $5,000 for sides and $1,000 for totals. Kornegay said a handful of professional bettors have picked apart the lines while looking for value, but a majority of the wagers showing up are small plays.

"Most of the lines are pretty close or within one to two points" of what they will be in September, Kornegay said.

The season opens Sept. 4, when the Giants host the Washington Redskins. The Giants are 4-point favorites.

The biggest line move is on the San Diego Chargers, who are 10-point home favorites over Carolina. It opened at 81/2.

Two games are scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8. Green Bay is a 3-point home favorite over Minnesota, and Denver is a 11/2-point road favorite at Oakland.

The Broncos opened as 21/2-point favorites, and the line was adjusted before the Raiders drafted running back Darren McFadden from Arkansas.

Kornegay said the Hilton has written an average of 10 tickets on each of the 16 games over the past two weeks -- with one exception.

The Cincinnati-Baltimore game apparently bores bettors, because Kornegay said it has attracted no wagers.

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.