End of an era…we think. Yep, Favre informed the Jets owner of the news and his illustrious career of wowing online betting fans is ending for real now. In a way, it’s a happy day. While Favre turned the sportsbook on its head in the early stages of the 2008 NFL betting season, he ultimately sank the Jets. Whether or not he was playing hurt, it’s time for him to step aside and go…fish or do whatever solitary thing he enjoys in his spare time.

Thanks for the memories, Brett! Enjoy Canton!

The Arizona Cardinals are playing more bumper cars then you’ll see after the drivers spin-off from the Daytona 500 line this weekend. And the offseason just started.

For starters, Anquan Boldin says he’s gone. There’s just one problem: he’s still under contract. Boldin instructed his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to convey his trade demands and to reject any offer the Cardinals present to him.

That’s not exactlty breaking news.

What is breaking news for those who bet sports is that Kurt Warner, who wants to stick around in Arizona, says that it would make his decision easier to return if Boldin was back.

You want more?

Edgerrin James is asking to be cut and Darnell Dockett wants a payday. There’s more smoke here than there will be at the Daytona 500 line.

The main problem is that the Cardinals lost their offensive coordinator and they’ll need Boldin, James and Warner on the same page early in the offseason because of the coaching change. Right now, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

Right now I’d rather bet on Daytona than bet on whether Boldin, James and Warner will be playing together next season.

Yes, the passing of the Pro Bowl officially signals the end of the NFL season; that means it’s time to turn our attention to March Madness betting or the Daytona 500 odds. But the eventful 2008 NFL betting season still isn’t finished churning out interesting news.

The latest, ahem, breaking story for online betting players: Ben Roethlisberger played Super Bowl XLIII with broken ribs. Cooool. Say what you want about him — that he’s just a game manager, that he’s overrated, that he sometimes makes questionable decisions — but Ben is starting to build a solid legacy. With two Super Bowls and just entering his prime now, he’s proving that he’s far from a stopgap in Steeltown. He’s a stalwart. And he’ll help Pittsburgh remain a steady sportsbook pick for years to come.

Until March Madness betting rolls around, we’re going to be to talk about all sorts of petty stuff in the NFL or football.

Yesterday, Lane Kiffin, former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and current head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, called out Urban Meyer. Of all people to call out, you might not want to call out the guy who has arguably been the best coach in your sport over the last three years. Especially when you are days into your first college football head coaching job.

Online betting handicappers were wondering about Lane Kiffin when he was fired in Oakland. The general consensus was that he did have the team heading in the right direction and that he was wrongfully dismissed.

But now, just months after he was fired in a public forum and called a liar without a chance to defend himself, he did the same to Meyer, at a breakfast in front of fans and media.

Sportsbook bettors are now starting to question Kiffin. He was the victim before, now we’re wondering if we had him pegged wrong.

As we’ve seen with the college basketball trends, sometimes a coach is good at coordinating but not good at heading a team.

Alright sportsbook bettors. It’s a quiet day in the NFL. You can expect that for about the next 200 days or so. Todd Weiner, who for all intents and purposes is an inconsequential NFL player, has retired. Yes, that’s the news of the day.

Not much else.

Actually, today is the first day you can start using your franchise tag on players.

How’s that for excitement.

Sportsbook bettors, I can’t wait for March Madness betting. Please tell me it’s soon?

Sportsbook lines are completely empty in the signing day department. Do you honestly care?

Some people talk about signing day as it if NFL Draft Jr. In some ways it is, but I think the NFL is a much safer bet because you know more about the players, and you know more about the teams that they are going to.

Right now, we have a bunch of five-star recruits, who sometime go up to college and style on some people, and then there are others who just disappear.

I guess in a roundabout way what I’m saying is that there is a higher bust percentage.

I’ll check back at the end of the signing day to see who’s classes are best-ranked, but I’m not going to be in my sportsbook betting on this stuff or monitoring it in real time.

Sportsbook odds aren’t up quite yet for the 2009 Pro Bowl, but my question is does anyone care?

Of the four major All-Star games, it’s the one that everyone cares about the least. There’s the NHL All-Star Game, which is the most criticized. There’s the MLB All-Star Game, which has renewed interested because of World Series home-field advantage. The NBA All-Star Game is arguably the most exciting, and then there’s the NFL Pro Bowl.

It’s irrelevant. Just another game that online sports betting handicappers can bet on. I won’t be watching.

It seems like every single year sportsbook bettors are trying to handicap whether Brett Favre will retire or come back, and where Peter Forsberg will decide to play if he’s healthy enough and decides to come out of retirement. Shouts to pucking bets, by the way.

The NFL should come and shut Favre up. There should be a timetable set: one month, one week or whatever. If after that time he hasn’t made a decision, everyone moves on.

Obviously this is completely unrealistic but Favre is getting on my nerves. As a matter of fact, he’s getting on everyone’s nerves. I somewhat think that Eric Mangini is happy to be out of New York because of Favre and his antics.

Sportsbook bettors know that the AFC East has improved significantly this year and it’s likely that the Jets would be back in the basement if Kellen Clemens is starting at quarterback or if they have to rebuild at the position. Even so, sportsbook bettors also know that the Jets have a ceiling with Favre. He’s not taking anyone to the Super Bowl any more and as a matter of fact, he’s making some costly and detrimental mistakes for the team. See: December.

Favre, a Northbet Favorite to stay, should hang his Wranglers up and leave us all alone. Sportsbook bettors should take the under for regular season wins for the Jets next season as soon as the line is posted.