by AAA Sports
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2024Long rebuilds haven’t worked.
Quick fixes haven’t worked.
What do the New York Jets do now?
The Aaron Rodgers Era, short as it was, is in shambles. Now the Jets once again will be starting from scratch after they go through the motions in the final two weeks of the season and carry into an uncertain off-season the stigma of having the longest playoff drought of any team in a major professional sport. It’s been 14 years since the Mark Sanchez Jets made their improbably run to the AFC Championship Game.
Owner Woody Johnson will be hiring a new coach and general manager sometime in the next month or so. What about Rodgers? Will they look – yet again – for a new quarterback or stick with the league’s oldest player for another season?
Jets fans may be conflicted on whether they want Rodgers back or not, but it’s unlikely that any new coach/GM tandem would want to have to deal with Rodgers’s mercurial ways in their first year on the job when he would have at most only one year left anyway. And Rodgers has never been the kind of guy who would be happy mentoring his replacement.
MUSK SPEAKER? REALLY?
Speaking of weird, more than a few bettors have thrown some cash down on Trump buddy Elon Musk being the new Speaker of the House. Most of the action came down when the current speaker, Mike Johnson, had trouble putting a budget deal together. Now that a temporary agreement is in place, punters will no doubt cool a bit on Johnson getting the heave-ho and Musk moving in.
CAVALIERS LOOK LIKE BEST BET
The closest thing to a sure thing in the NBA this season? Unsurprisingly, it’s the Cleveland Cavaliers. After 29 games the Cavs were 25-4 SU, 21-8 ATS, 19-10 on the Over, and 16-1 SU at home. Can Cleveland keep it together long-term? We’ll know a lot more about the Cavs in the next few weeks. On Friday they begin a nasty little four-game Western road trip with games at Denver, Golden State, Los Angeles (Lakers,) and Dallas.
TRIBAL INTERESTS LIKE BURGUM
President-elect Donald Trump has taken a lot of heat from some of his appointments, but one under-the-radar appointee – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior – has been getting thumbs up from Indian casino interests. A few years ago Burgum successfully negotiated deals with online operators in his state, and tribal leaders expect more of the same on a national level once he takes over. The Dept. of the Interior plays a vital role in policies relating to Native Americans.
CASINOS CONSIDER SMOKING BAN
Smoking in casinos has been a contentious issue for decades, with operators doing everything they can to keep both smokers and non-smokers appeased. Most casinos now have advanced ventilation systems as well as non-smoking areas, but the push to ban smoking continues. The spotlight is now on state-run casinos in Missouri and Kansas. Legislators in both states will soon be considering a bill that would rub out smoking inside casinos. If that happens, other states would certainly follow.
ODDS LOW ON SOUTH CAROLINA SPORTS BETTING
Thirty-nine states now allow gambling on sports in one form or another, but don’t expect South Carolina to become No. 40. There is some talk about legalization in the legislature, but the governor is adamantly opposed to it and it is likely to draw opposition from the state’s colleges – and in South Carolina, college sports is king.
