NFL Odds, Week 10: Seahawks vs. Giants, against the spread

Marshawn Lynch doesn't have much time for Pete Carroll. The Seahawks have grown tired of Lynch's behaviour and/or attitude; just two of the numerous reports emanating from the Emerald City in recent weeks, reports that are bothersome. I suppose we need to resign ourselves to the frightening truth that these are the final few games that we'll ever see Lynch in a Seahawks uniform. After last Sunday, resigning yourself to such an idea doesn't come particularly easy. OK, yes, there's more to this than just last Sunday, but, last Sunday, Lynch played a most stunning game of football.

Pick your personal Seahawk hero (get down, fanboy) and have a go at listing their unforgettable Seahawks football moments; nobody's going to pick Percy Harvin here, yet those 87 yards must surely sit in a top 10 of all-time Seahawk plays. Anyway, I digress. Just an opinion. Back to Marshawn.

Lynch has the wild card run against the Saints, the game tying touchdown versus the 49ers in the NFCCG and now the "push TD" (to borrow from Kenneth) against the Raiders last Sunday. I know I'm doing Lynch a disservice by only mentioning three moments so feel free to remind me of a few more.

In addition to borrowing from Kenneth, Jacson also mentioned in his ‘Cigar Thoughts' that Lynch's score ‘...could have been blown dead but wasn't in what may very well have been a reputation non-call.' I have to confess to missing that at the time, caught up as I was in the moment, but watching it back, you are waiting for the whistle. And it never comes. What does is some Seahawks lore.

On field heroics will always appeal the most, but, lest we forget, Lynch also gave a masterful performance off the field during Super Bowl week (I'll guess it was Media Day) when interviewed by Deion Sanders. I've not watched it since the week after the game, but did for this post. I got a little goosebumpy.

DS: "They feel like if they could stop you, they could stop this team."
ML: "Well, they gonna have to stop all of us...we got some dogs."

The players knew they were going to win the Super Bowl. I only knew it at 36-0.

If you were, say, a rugby fan, with no interest in the NFL, but somebody had told you about the hoo-ha surrounding Lynch and that this was his final season in Seattle, had you sat down and watched the game last Sunday, you'd be forgiven for assuming that that was Lynch's last game for the team. He was gargantuan, had left no sinew unused and shown the Seahawks what they're about to (desperately) miss.

I understand the ramifications of the salary cap and his age and all of that and more, but, as a fan, and a fan of the attitude he brings to this team, not to mention pure, athletic, football skills, I'll be devastated if Lynch isn't suiting up for us next season.

Often, you might read about a team's record ATS as when they're favoured by less/more than a touchdown or as a double digit favourite/underdog. As I keep only a detailed docket of Seattle's record ATS since the beginning of the 2012 season, a deeper look can sometimes be had and doing so this week, I discovered that Sunday represents only the third time in the RWE (including the playoffs) that the Seahawks have been favoured at home by between a touchdown and double digits; the record is 1-1 ATS and here's the breakdown:

2013, Div. Playoff -7.5 vs. Saints WON 23-15
2014, Week 6 -7.5 vs. Cowboys LOST 30-23

As of Thursday evening, Seattle's an 8.5 point favourite against the Giants and if you like that as value on the Big Blue, then you'll be biting the hand off of the folks at Coral and Paddy Power as they're asking the Seahawks to cover 10 points. Can the Giants be backed to cover? Of course. It's risky asking any team that beat Oakland by six points at home last week to give up 8.5 points, but news on the injury front in Seattle this week has been...well, it's been nice not grimacing while reading, and entrenched starters returning to the lineup must surely lift the other players. Unless Florio was right all along about locker room unrest. Or, as he would put it: ‘I was right all along. Unless I wasn't.'

Not that he's an entrenched starter, but getting Jeremy Lane back this week is a quite beautiful thing.

Pete Carroll made an excellent point this week when saying that the team has already improved due to backups seeing plenty of time and what a simple way of making those players really feel as though they fit, that they deserve to be there. My point was going to be that the Seahawks are gradually getting healthier, a lot of the hullabaloo is now in the rear view and, if the playoffs began today, Seattle's in there. They'd be in with a shout. Not a bad position to be in when, not so long ago, the Seahawks were .500 in Carolina, 9-6 down and 80 yards from the end zone with 4:37 left to play, having mustered six points all day. After a horrible loss to the Rams.

The Giants are 1-3 ATS on the road this season and, perhaps unsurprisingly, they've been the ‘dog on each occasion. The sole cover was when they smote Washington (+3) in D.C., but they were overwhelmed in Detroit (+6.5) on opening weekend and in Philadelphia (+1.5) before putting up a half decent showing in Dallas (+5.5).
Here's some other trends:

Seattle is 0-4 ATS in its last 4 games
Seattle is 18-7 ATS in its last 25 games at home
The Giants are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games on the road

It's Saturday morning and, not that this will come as a total shock, but there's obviously been money on the Giants at Coral as they've shaved their line by a whole two points, meaning Seattle can now be backed -8. If that isn't due to money coming in, Coral simply believe they got their opening line horribly wrong, but that's highly unlikely. The Giants are generally available +8.5 although 5Dimes are sill offering New York +10, which, to quote Robert Palmer, is simply irresistible.

Common sense dictates to stay well away from a team on a four game skid ATS, a run that includes coming up short against the Rams and Raiders.

Next week in Kansas City looks to be a helluva test and this despite the fact they could start against Seattle with a 5-4 record as going to Buffalo this week won't be easy at all. Their fans, in particular, will be well up for it. Not only are we old AFC West adversaries, but they'll have home field advantage in the Decibel Bowl.

Naturally, I read with interest this week that Kansas City is giving up a home game next year to ‘host' Detroit at Wembley. Now, this can't possibly be right, but I read that a poll on some website somewhere (pardon my tardiness), had 17% of Chiefs fans in favour of this. How come it wasn't 0%? The folks in KC are clearly no slouches when it comes to turning up at Arrowhead so unless ownership is looking to submit a Super Bowl bid, I just don't get it.

I don't want the Seahawks turning up on these shores unless we're the ‘road' team. Don't tell me that 17% of you guys would be in favour of handing over a home game to London. Ridiculous notion.

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