Pranger » Let’s take an early look at how Vegas is handicapping the Bears

" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteWindy City GridironWindy City Gridiron - Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansFiled under:Latest NewsNotesBetting the Bears in 2019: 15 game spreads and updated Super Bowl oddsNew Chicago Bears Jerseys Stitched ,29commentsLet’s take an early look at how Vegas is handicapping the BearsCDTShareTweetShareShareBetting the Bears in 2019: 15 game spreads and updated Super Bowl oddsPhoto by Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesAs the resident football gambler of the WCG bunch, it’s up to me to bring in a betting angle here once in a while.With more and more states legalizing sports betting, there’s bound to be a few more people looking to throw a little extraneous income at the Bears for fun, so let’s get you all educated.Recently, the Lines posted CG Technology’s early betting lines for the first 16 NFL weeks. Obviously, with it being so early, there are pretty modest limits.With that being said, it’s worth looking them over and at least getting a feel for how many games the Bears are favored in as of today.Rudimentary spread reminder, the team with the minus ' is the favorite, a plus (+) is an underdog. The number after the plus minus is what the score difference has to be for a bet to pay out (so Bears -3, Opponent +3 means if you bet Chicago they would need to win by 3 or more, while the opponent would need to win outright or lose by no more than 3 to over. If the game ended 3-0 it would be a PUSH and no one would win).The total means total combined points for both teams. Totals are not available for all games yet.If I reference a moneyline bet, that means betting that team to win straight up, moneylines are posted similarly to spreads with a +/- but the number after changes. The number reflects how much a $100 bet pays. For example, if a team is -100 on the moneyline, you must bet $100 to win $100 Stephen Denmark Jersey 2019 , if they are +100, a $100 bet pays $100 (also known as even money). At -250, you must bet $250 to win $100 (Your original $250 plus $100 more) while +250 means a $100 bet would pay $250 (plus your original $100 back).Now, onto the Bears spreads:Week 1: vs. Green Bay - Bears -4, total 45.5, moneyline Chicago -190Week 2: at Denver - Bears +1Week 3: at Washington - Bears -2.5, total 42, moneyline Chicago -145Week 4: vs. Minnesota - Bears -3.5Week 5: at Oakland (London) - Bears -6Week 7: vs. New Orleans - Bears -1Week 8: vs LA Chargers - Bears -3Week 9: at Philadelphia - Bears +3Week 10: vs. Detroit - Bears -8Week 11: at LA Rams - Bears +5.5, total 51, moneyline Chicago +210Week 12: vs. New York Giants - Bears -10Week 13: at Detroit - Bears -3.5, total 43, moneyline Chicago -175Week 14: vs. Dallas - Bears -4, total 42, moneyline Chicago -190Week 15: at Green Bay - Bears +3Week 16: vs. Kansas City - Bears -1 total 51, moneyline Chicago -115A few notes: I presume that Week 17 isn’t put out because that’s the week most likely to be influenced by teams sitting their starters. The Bears are favored in 11 of their first 15 games, which isn’t surprising since they are coming off a 12-win season. The four games they aren’t favored in are tough road match ups against Denver Cheap Stephen Denmark Jersey , Green Bay, LA Rams and Philadelphia. Chicago are more than a touchdown favorite against the Giants and home against the Lions. It seems awful early to throw those types of spreads out there, but the general opinion is that those teams will be bad again. The Giants beat the Bears a year ago in OT.As for the Bears’ Super Bowl odds, SportsBetting.ag has updated their odds, but the Bears haven’t changed from +1400. This is interesting only because many sportsbooks opened the Bears at +1200. Sportsbetting.ag has the Bears’ odds for the best record in the league at 14/1 (+1400). They are 50/1 (+5000) for the worst record in the league.Anything jump out to you? Any games you’d be willing to put money down on here in May? Robert S. takes to the film to dissect the pros and cons of the Bears’ newest Nickel Cornerback, Buster Skrine"Being who you thought we were since 2005!Log In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsBearsOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsThe Bears DenNotesXs and OsSuperfansXs and OsVideoChicago Bears Free Agency 2019Bears Free Agency 2019: Breaking Down Buster SkrineNew,31commentsRobert S. takes to the film to dissect the pros and cons of the Bears’ newest Nickel Cornerback, Buster SkrineCDTShareTweetShareShareBears Free Agency 2019: Breaking Down Buster SkrineVincent Carchietta-USA TODAY SportsSo there’s been a lot of talk about the Bears new NCB Buster Skrine, but nobody seems to be saying anything conclusive. I’ve heard that he’s “one of the best nickel corners in the league” (Matt Nagy) and that he’s a “terrible, awful penalty machine” (Jets fans).So who is he? What does he do well? What are his weaknesses? I decided to answer these questions for myself and whipped up a quick film review — hope y’all enjoy!Just like the Trevathan review, this article will be filled to the brim with gifs and video links — I know the videos have trouble playing on some platforms, so I’ll be linking the videos to text as well. In case links don’t show up properly either, simply click on the italicized portion of each paragraph — that’ll take you to the play in question. Without any further ado, let’s break down this new Bear.For starters, Buster Skrine is a physical corner who uses his hands well to feel out where slot receivers are going. On this play he’s matched up against Golden Tate and does exactly this -- lines up close to LOS, gets his hands out early Youth Dan Hampton Jerseys , and seamlessly trails Tate’s pattern.Much like Prince Amukamara, Skrine likes to use his hands to either slow receivers down within 5 yards or feel out their breaks as they move. Here he denies Kenny Stills the opportunity to ever get moving and forces Osweiler to throw the ball away.But just because he’s physical doesn’t mean he’s not fast -- Skrine has plenty of footspeed, and he shows in these two plays. An NCB simply has to be able to keep up with streaking slot receivers, so this is a good trait to see.His screen recognition also impressed me -- these two plays show off Skrine’s acceleration and mental quickness as he bursts forward to snuff out two Miami screen attempts. With a ferocious pass rush like the Bears’, countering screens will always be important.The Jets also liked using Skrine on blitzes, so I can understand what the ever-aggressive Chuck Pagano sees in him. These three blitzes attempts (all from NYJ-HOU) show us Skrine’s blitzing capabilities. He’s quick off the edge, pressures well, but needs to ensure he finishes each play.Also, expect Skrine to get involved against the run whenever possible. While often blocked, Skrine makes the best of his chances against RBs whenever he can reach them. Not every corner is this brazenly physical, so it’s another nice trait to note.This isn’t to say that Skrine is a force against the run, just that he’ll help out wherever he can. This play shows Amendola block him for about 2.5 seconds, but Skrine keeps fighting and peels off at the end of the play to ensure the RB doesn’t gain extra yardage.But I know what you’re thinking: “Robert, he only signed for ~5.5M/y, he can’t be THAT good. What’s the catch?” Well, Skrine isn’t very good at changing direction after stopping. He’s not terrible Youth Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jerseys , but most NFL receivers can beat him with a well-run routes. Watch his feet on these examples and you’ll see him lose a step each time he swaps direction. Not great.Skrine also has a pension for penalties, racking up 7 flags for 107 yards in 2018. This makes him one of the 15 most-penalized DBs in football and solidifies his discipline as something for fans to keep an eye on. The examples shown include a vicious facemask, D holding, and DPI.All in all, Buster Skrine looks like a guy who fits well into what the Bears want to do on defense. He’s an aggressive, physical corner with blitzing experience that possesses the tools needed to play NCB well. He’ll need some help from his front 7, but at the end of the day I think this is a solid signing at a solid price. The (likely) loss of Bryce Callahan stings, but if Callahan gets 7M/y+ I think it justifies Skrine’s 5.5M/y. Skrine is a sound NCB that, if healthy, has what it takes to keep this Bears defense rolling. And that, folks, is what counts