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It looks like bettors are choosing Denver Broncos Lite over the real deal for Sunday night’s game at Mile High Stadium.
The contest, in which the Broncos will host the Houston Texans, is being billed as clash of teams with nearly identical playbooks. The connection comes from Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who spent nearly two decades working under Mike Shanahan both as a quarterback and an assistant coach.
“We basically have the same system here,” he told the Rocky Mountain News. “We`re trying to do it the Texan way, but it`s only natural because that`s where I came from and I have strong belief in some of the things (the Broncos) do, and they`ve been so successful doing it.”
Denver’s run-oriented offense certainly has been successful. It’s helped Shanahan notch 130 victories since taking the reins in Denver in 1995, the most of any NFL head coach during that span. His team’s 12-5-1 mark against the number last year was also tops in the league.
With Kubiak in his first year on the Texans sidelines, his version of the Denver attack figures to be much more of a work in progress. Nonetheless, the Broncos have dropped from 5 ½-point favorites at the open to -5 at most books and -4 ½ at a handful of others.
"In the first quarter (against St. Louis last week) there were some plays to be made and we didn`t make them," said offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun, another product of the Broncos system.
But while the Texans don’t necessarily have the advantage in talent, they may have an edge in terms of motivation.
”We want to be really effective, especially with coach Kubiak coaching in Denver for the first time," said quarterback David Carr. “We`ve got to go out with more intensity, not like it`s just another preseason game because it`s not."
Denver, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be taking the matchup quite as seriously.
"It`s more to get in football shape," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "We want to get in, get through the halftime, make the adjustments, come out, get in a good series and be done."
Considering the 35-10 whipping they laid on the Titans last Saturday, the Broncos might actually be better off with a loss this week.
“A seasoned coach wants to keep his team from getting too overconfident in the preseason,” explains Covers Expert David Malinsky. “And when a team gets a huge win in the preseason, there’s just no sense of urgency for the next game.
"Teams coming off a big preseason win haven’t historically done well against the spread.”
The contest, in which the Broncos will host the Houston Texans, is being billed as clash of teams with nearly identical playbooks. The connection comes from Texans coach Gary Kubiak, who spent nearly two decades working under Mike Shanahan both as a quarterback and an assistant coach.
“We basically have the same system here,” he told the Rocky Mountain News. “We`re trying to do it the Texan way, but it`s only natural because that`s where I came from and I have strong belief in some of the things (the Broncos) do, and they`ve been so successful doing it.”
Denver’s run-oriented offense certainly has been successful. It’s helped Shanahan notch 130 victories since taking the reins in Denver in 1995, the most of any NFL head coach during that span. His team’s 12-5-1 mark against the number last year was also tops in the league.
With Kubiak in his first year on the Texans sidelines, his version of the Denver attack figures to be much more of a work in progress. Nonetheless, the Broncos have dropped from 5 ½-point favorites at the open to -5 at most books and -4 ½ at a handful of others.
"In the first quarter (against St. Louis last week) there were some plays to be made and we didn`t make them," said offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun, another product of the Broncos system.
But while the Texans don’t necessarily have the advantage in talent, they may have an edge in terms of motivation.
”We want to be really effective, especially with coach Kubiak coaching in Denver for the first time," said quarterback David Carr. “We`ve got to go out with more intensity, not like it`s just another preseason game because it`s not."
Denver, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be taking the matchup quite as seriously.
"It`s more to get in football shape," quarterback Jake Plummer said. "We want to get in, get through the halftime, make the adjustments, come out, get in a good series and be done."
Considering the 35-10 whipping they laid on the Titans last Saturday, the Broncos might actually be better off with a loss this week.
“A seasoned coach wants to keep his team from getting too overconfident in the preseason,” explains Covers Expert David Malinsky. “And when a team gets a huge win in the preseason, there’s just no sense of urgency for the next game.
"Teams coming off a big preseason win haven’t historically done well against the spread.”