NFL Gambling Tidbits…

READ MORE: A.J. Benza, Gambling, NFL Betting

· Sorry to say, but a trend is a trend, and the nation’s betting public know enough to see that the Katrina Connection is longer a valid angle when handicapping the lines on Saints games. Get ready to heap more pity on the Saints as they mope into a has-to-win-any-minute Minnesota.

· Philadelphia Eagles goes for the Bay Area sweep after rolling up a franchise record 583 yards last week. But more important, Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens are both playing after sitting out practices this week. McNabb with a hurt chest, Owens with hurt groin. Hmmm, an injured heart and a pulled groin. Sounds like love to me. Also, seasoned gamblers will tell Oakland getting 8 is a trap for sucker bettors whose eyes light up at the Kerry Collins/Randy Moss connection getting those kind of points. Look for Philly to finally put a team named after a bird above the .500 mark.

· Linesmen are going to be chintzy with the lines on Patriots games until the defending Super Bowl champs can show they have a way to thrive against opposing teams’ blitzing defenses. Last week Carolina blitzed 41 times, and according to Stats Inc., Tom Brady is just 20-of-41 for 179 yards. Also Corey Dillon hasn’t sliced his way through blitzes too well either, rushing for 99 yards on 37 carries. Give you guess what the Steelers will do? Take Pittsburgh, a team that no longer misses a bus named Jerome Bettis running through it, giving the 3.