The largest item they are discussing is the best way to split the revenue which is anticipated at nine (9) billion dollars. The agreement ready to expire would allow the owners a one billion cut of the top and the owners want to increase that amount to two billion before any money is dispersed to the Players Association.

In addition the NFL Owners want to increase the number of regular season games from sixteen (16) to eighteen (18) and lowering the number of preseason game by two games. The problem here is that if the season is extended then the NFL Players Association will want improved health care benefits and improvement of the NFL retirement plan.

An issue that the NFL owners are very adamant about is that they want to reduce or set a limit on the salaries of rookies with a wage scale for rookies that would limit the amount rookie placers can receive as well as limit the time for which unproven rookie players can sign contracts.

The last time the NFL had a lockout was back in 1987 there was a player lockout that resulted in the season being reduced from 16 games to 15 games. The fourth thru the sixth weeks of the season were played with substitute or as they called it, replacement players. Many fans were very upset with these games and the replacement players and called the games the “unwatchables.”

At least it presently appears that both sides are interested in a new agreement, but when and how is the important question. The Owners and the Players have had seven consecutive day negotiating before federal mediators and those talks ended last Thursday 02/24/2011 and are to resume on Tuesday 03 01 2011! The basic outcome thus far as stated by the Chief Federal mediator George Cohen that the sides had both made progress but some strong difference remain!

Now it will be interesting to see the progress between now and this Thursday when the contract expires and what happens with the draft and free agency and will we be looking and NFL Odds at the SBGGlobal.com sportsbook in 2011?

The truth is the most important player on the Packers talented roster so during the playoffs is a player most people have never heard of: RB James Starks.

You can be forgiven if you’re not familiar with Starks’ body of work, after all, he’s an unheralded rookie (6th round pick in ’10) who played in just 3 games in the regular season and had all of 29 carries for 101 yards.

But in the postseason he’s been a beast rushing for 263 yards and TD, including a monster 123 yard game against the Eagles in the Wild Card game. Starks’ breakout performance has been a key to the Packers success but he’ll have no such luck against the Steelers run D and Green Bay will have to beat the Steelers with the passing game if this team is going to grab the franchises’ 4th Super Bowl victory.

Kickoff for this Sunday February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

The run game won the Wild Card playoff game for the Packers, something most people betting on the Super Bowl didn’t think would happen. It also opened up the passing lanes (and running lanes) for Rodgers for this 4 TD performance against the Falcons in the divisional round.

But against at top notch defense like the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Starks was held in check (22 rushes for 74 yards) and it’s no coincidence that Rodgers performance suffered (17-30, 2 INTs).

The Bears have a good run defense (90.1 ypg) but it’s not on the same level as the Blitzburgh defense. The Steelers have one of the best rushing defenses in NFL history this season allowing just 62.8 ypg.

Starks will go nowhere against this group and the offensive burden for the Packers is going to be 100% on Rodgers shoulders when the Super Bowl odds competition gets underway.

But as clever as these nicknames may or may not be they belie a basic truth and that is the fact the Pittsburgh Steelers are a very physical team and they are going to try and knock your head off every chance they get –and that means on both sides of the ball. Just ask any unsuspecting DB or LB that has been flattened by a blind-side block (dirty, but legal) from Steelers WR Hines Ward.

Every Green Bay Packer on the field will be wary of these crack-back blocks and violent hits from the Steelers defenders but the man who has to pay special attention to the violence is Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is a special player and it’s no fluke that he’s the highest rated passer in NFL playoff history (113.0 passer rating). So far in his 3 playoff games this season he’s been spectacular throwing for 790 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs and racking up a passer rating of 109.2.

But neither has he faced a defense like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kickoff for this Sunday February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

The Super Bowl odds makers like Rodgers chances against the Steelers D and he’s more than capable of lifting his team to a Super Bowl victory but he’s also got to be very aware of the onslaught of blitzes he’s going to see.

The Steelers led the NFL in sacks (48.0) and that’s not by accident. No team blitzes as often or as exotically as Dick LeBeau’s unit and no matter how much teams prepare for it, he seems to always find some new wrinkle. The team’s blitz has produced constant turnovers and takeaways (league leading 41 takeaways this season) and been the backbone to the Steelers success.

Rodgers will be especially vulnerable as the Packers are likely to run a lot of 4 and 5 wide sets leaving very few blockers at home. But if Rodgers can get the ball out quickly and his receiving corps can continue to make big plays any won betting on the Super Bowl in favor the Packers will be very pleased with the result.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) have not been that lucky, at least in terms of key injuries. Early in the season they lost their starting DE Aaron Smith, perhaps the most underrate defensive player in the NFL and one of the top D-lineman in the game. He is unlikely to play in the Super Bowl XVL although depending on test results he could be cleared to play later in the week.

But the Steelers have been living with that injury for months. The team’s latest injury to a key player, however, is a bit of different story.

In the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets the Steelers rookie center Markice Pouncey left the game with an banged up ankle and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be on the field again until next season (if there is a next season instead of the expected lockout).

The injury to Pouncey was both unexpected and devastating. Pouncey has emerged as an unlikely hero and key to the Steelers success this season. The former Florida Gator has been outstanding, earning not only All-Rookie honors, but was voted into the Pro Bowl as well.

But even more importantly, he was the lone bright spot of a Steelers O-line that has been shaky to say the least and that has already lost its top 3 tackles to injury.

Without Pouncey in the lineup –which seems very likely- the Steelers may have to re-think their strategy if they want to come out on top of the Super Bowl odds competition.

Kickoff for this Sunday February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

In order to win this game the Steelers are going to need to run the ball. This is something the team has done well this year (120.3 ppg) and much of that has to do with Pouncey’s ability to seal-off the player opposite him.

Without Pouncey plugging up space in the middle, backup Doug Legursky will get the start. Legursky is no Pouncey and that could have a huge impact not only the game plan but also on the way people are betting on the Super Bowl as well.

The Steelers have long been a defensive-minded franchise and once again it’s the team’s D that’s gotten it to an 8th Super Bowl appearance. The defense was first in scoring defense (14.5 ppg), 1st in rushing D (62.8 ypg) and by almost all accounts the top unit in the NFL.

The offense, however, was not in the same class. Overall the Steelers offense ranked 14th out of 32 teams. In terms of scoring the team was 12th in the league (23.4) and only jumped that high in the on the list due to blowouts against awful teams in the final weeks of the regular season.

But one thing the Steelers have done pretty well this season, and especially of late, is run the ball. For the season the Steelers ranked just 11th in the NFL in this category but at 120.3 ypg, that’s a pretty productive part of their offense.

More impressive is the fact that last week, with Pro Bowl center Markice out of the game the Steelers ran for 166 yards against a very stout NY Jets defense in the AFC Championship.

And that is exactly what the team will try and do against the Green Bay Packers in the Super bowl betting action.

Kickoff for this Sunday February 6th matchup is set for 6:30 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 2-point favorite with an over/under total at 44.

The Green Bay Packers (13-6) have an excellent defense. The team ranks only behind the Steelers in points allowed (15.0 ppg) and 5th overall in defensive rankings. Against the pass this is the 5th best team in the NFL, but if this unit has a weakness, it’s against the run.

The Packers have given up 114.9 ypg this season and rank a meager 18th in the league in this department.

If everything goes according to the Steelers game plan, RB Rashard Mendenhall will be the MVP of Super Bowl XVL. The Steelers are going to try and pound the ball against the Packers and eat up clock and if they’re successful, anyone betting on the Super Bowl being won by Pittsburgh should be very pleased with the results.

The AFC North winning Pittsburgh Steelers (13-4) and the NY Jets (13-5) are set to do battle in what will no doubt be a matchup dominated by two of the most fierce defenses in the NFL. Both teams have had some very tough games so far in the 2011 playoffs and both teams battle tested and more than ready for this AFC championship matchup.

The Steelers knocked off their hated division rival in a slugfest last weekend at Heinz Field to come form 14 points down in a come from behind win in the 4th quarter. The Jets have had to play and defeat 2 quality opponents on the road (Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots) in order to get opportunity to play in this weekend’s AFC Championship game and playing on the road –yet again- should have little effect on this group.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 6:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 38.5. The over/under on this game is telling as not many points are expected to be scored. Both of these teams are defined by their defenses which 1st (Steelers 14.5 ppg) and 6th (Jets 19.0 ppg) in scoring. When it comes to odds NFL experts like the home team by a slim margin in what should be a low scoring game.

Last weekend both teams surprised fans and experts alike by exploding for an offensive outpouring of a combined 51 points. But don’t expect that again this Sunday.

Neither team has a very impressive offense (Steelers are averaging 23.4 ppg, Jets 22.9 ppg) and the defense should set the tone. Neither team will likely be able to move the ball on the ground as these are two of the premier rush defenses in the NFL (Steelers #1, Jets #3) and that could make it very difficult for either team to move the ball as neither side is likely to take big risks in the passing game. Look for a low scoring game and a Steelers win what should be a low scoring NFL gambling matchup.

The success of both of these teams this year begins and ends with their defenses and they’ve two of the best in the league. In scoring, ranking and overall defense few teams have been better than either the Bears or the Packers and fans looking to see a offense shootout in this game are probably delusional and will be greatly disappointed.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 3:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.5.

Judging by the way these defenses’ have performed in the two regular season matchups the odds NFL bookmakers put together on the over/under (43.5) even seems a bit generous.

The Packers have allowed the 2nd fewest points in the NFL (15.0) and have held the Bears under that average in their two previous meeting (11.5 ppg). The Bears defense is 4th in the NFL in points allowed (17.9 ppg) and has held the pack to just 13.5 ppg in their two regular season meetings.

Further the Packers are 5th in the NFL in yards allowed (309.1 ypg) while the Bears are also among the best in the NFL in this category (8th in the NFL) allowing just 314.9 ypg. In overall defensive rankings the Pack comes in at #5 and the Bears slightly lower on the list at 10.

All these numbers go to show that these teams have made their living on the defensive side of the ball this year and with nasty sub-zero weather and freezing rain expected at Soldier Field on Sunday the first team to 20 points is most probably going to win this NFL gambling contest.

But if there is any certainty heading into this game between the #2 seeded Steelers (13-4) and the #6 seeded Jets (13-5) it’s that no team has had much success against either team running the ball this post season (or even during the regular season) and the coaching staffs of both these teams are too smart to keep beating a dead horse.

If either team is going to matriculate the ball down the field it’s going to be in the air, not on the ground, and that means that QBs Ben Roethlisberger and Mark Sanchez are going to a play in key role in this NFL betting odds matchup. Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 6:35 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Steelers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 38.5.

This year the Pittsburgh Steelers formed one of the greatest run defenses of all time allowing just 62.8 ypg. To put things in perspective the next best run defense of th3 ’11 season gave up 90.1 ypg (Chicago Bears). As good as the Jets running game is (148.4 ypg) it will not be able to run the ball on the Steelers.

The Jets run defense was also among the best in the league (90.9 ypg, 3rd best in the NFL) and the Steelers running game (120.3 ypg) is hardly unstoppable. The run will not be a factor in this game.

That means the teams will forced to throw the ball more than they’d probably like to. And in a battle of passer Big Ben has a major advantage. In 12 games Ben threw for 3,200 yard 17 TDs and just 5 INTs with a 97.0 passer rating. In 16 games Sanchez threw for 3,274 yards, 23 TDs, 16 INTs and a 75.3 passer rating. Add to that the fact that Roethlisberger’s won 2 Super Bowls and Sanchez is in just his second playoffs and the advantage grows even wider for the Steelers.

The passing game will likely decide this NFL gambling matchup and it would seem Pittsburgh has a decisive edge in this category.

These are two of the oldest professional football teams in the country and together they form the oldest rivalry in the sport. Just to put things in perspective, these teams have met each other 182 times in the regular season and the post season. This is a rivalry dating all the way back to 1921 -4 decades before the creation of the modern day NFL.

And with that kind of history between these two teams you can be sure than when they meet again this weekend for remarkably just the second time in the post season during that historic span it’s going to be a great game.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 3:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Packers as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 43.5.

According to the odds NFL odds makers cooked for this game all indications seem to point to a close game. And recent history would report such a result.

The two NFC North rivals met twice during the regular season. The Bears took the first game 20-17 at home. In the second meeting between these two teams just 3 weeks ago (Week 17) the Packers got the W in a 10-3 slugfest.

There’s a couple important things to take away from these numbers the first of which is that teams match up well against one another and with the average margin of victory at just 5.0 ppg it should be a very close game indeed. Also, these teams combined score just 50 points in two games (12.5 ppg per team) and with nasty weather predicted this isn’t likely to be a high-scoring affair. That being said, the 43.5 over/under in the NFL betting odds action might be worth taking a look at.

For starters the Bears have been a very good team over the course of the 16-game regular season. They are the #2 seed in the NFC, won the NFC North, received a first round bye and have one of the best records in the NFL.

Judging by the stat sheet and the win-loss column, the Seahawks, on the other hand, have accomplished virtually nothing that would indicate they had a successful season other then becoming the first team in NFL history to win a division with a losing record (7-9).

But the Seahawks accomplished one magnificent accomplishment this season when they beat the defending Super Bowl champion Saints during the Wildcard Weekend. And for that reason -and that reason alone- the Seahawks have lived to see another improbable playoff matchup this weekend in Chicago.

Kickoff for this Sunday matchup is set for 1:05 Eastern Time and SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the Bears as a 10-point favorite with an over/under total at 41. This is the widest point spread in the NFL betting odds action this week and double-digit spread in a Divisional round playoff game is almost unheard of. But it speaks to the wide disparity in talent between these two clubs.

The Bears rank 4th in the NFL in total defense (17.9 ppg) and it’s past two meaningful games to close the offense averaged 39.0 ppg including a win over the playoff bound New York Jets (38-34). QB Jay Cutler has been playing the best football of his professional career (3,274 yards, 23 TDs, 16 INTs) and there seems to be little chance that this team will be beaten by the Seahawks.

But that’s exactly what the Super Bowl champion Saints thought and here we are. The Seahawks played their best game of the season last week and looked like a completely different team. QB Matt Hasselbeck had the game of his life tossing 4 TDs and the offense racked up its highest point total of the season (41 points). Still, the clock will strike midnight on Sunday and this NFL gambling Cinderella story will end beside Lake Michigan.