up several hundred prop bets later this

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the team will seriously evaluate quarterbacks in this year’s draft regardless of how negotiations toward a new deal with 12-year starter Drew Brees progress.

”Look Andy Isabella Jersey , you evaluate everyone because you never know when you might make a move up to trade up higher and you end up picking in a position that you don’t expect,” Loomis said on Wednesday while meeting with reporters who are in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl. ”That’s what our scouts do, what our personnel department does.”

While Loomis said negotiations with Brees on a new contract have yet to commence, he sounded optimistic that the Saints and Brees will agree on an extension as they did in 2012 and again in 2016.

”This has happened before,” Loomis said. ”We want him to be our quarterback and we’ll get going on that at some point.”

Loomis offered no indication that the Saints have been anything less than thrilled with Brees’ production and leadership, as well as the way he has continued to represent the franchise.

He called Brees’ 2017 season ”fantastic Alexander Mattison Jersey ,” adding, ”It’s beyond the numbers. It’s the leadership. He’s the face of our organization. He’s embraced being identified with New Orleans and all those things that are good for our community and him as well.

”Sometimes you feel a little awkward piling on these compliments, but he deserves them all,” Loomis added.

Brees completed an NFL-record 72 percent of his passes this season for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

”Nothing he does should surprise any of us, right? Period,” Loomis said. ”Look, we love him. The impact he’s had on our team http://www.vikingscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-dru-samia-jersey , our organization, our city is hard to measure.”

Although Brees’ yardage totals were his lowest in 12 seasons, he did not attempt as many passes because the Saints exploited a strong running game led by fellow Pro Bowlers Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.

New Orleans finished the regular season ranked second in the NFL in total offense, won the NFC South and defeated Carolina in a wild-card playoff game. The Saints were one play away from going to the NFC title game, but were eliminated dramatically on a 61-yard Vikings touchdown on the last play of a divisional-round game at Minnesota.

Brees’ contract – which was technically structured to run through 2020 for the purposes of pro-rating his signing bonus – voids automatically at the end of the current league year in March. The Saints would lose $18 million in salary cap flexibility should New Orleans and Brees fail to agree on an extension.

Regardless of the cap hit caused by either the failure or success of negotiations with Brees, Loomis said the Saints would have a plan to deal with it.

”We’ll handle that,” Loomis said. ”We’ve always got a plan for our cap. … It’s what you have to do when you have some high-paying” contracts.

While Loomis has been known to base contract decisions on careful statistical analysis, he acknowledged that comparing Brees’ potential to the numbers of past 39-year-old quarterbacks is more difficult because there haven’t been many who’ve performed at an elite level. Still Daniel Jones Jersey , Loomis gave no indication that he would use Brees’ age against the quarterback in a considerable way.

”With our coaches and our personnel department, they go by what they see,” Loomis said. ”And what they see is pretty good, right?”

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Oddsmakers like the chances of Tom Brady winning a sixth Super Bowl ring, making the New England Patriots nearly a touchdown favorite to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sports books around Las Vegas opened the Patriots around a 6-point favorite Sunday to win their second straight Super Bowl. They also made New England a big favorite to win the Super Bowl next year in Atlanta.

But the closest thing to a lock in this gambling city is that betting on this Super Bowl will smash the existing record of $138.5 million set just last year.

”Sports betting couldn’t be more popular than it is now,” said Jay Kornegay of the Westgate Las Vegas sports book. ”That combined with the fan base of the Eagles and the strong economy will mean a record handle on this game.”

Bookmakers posted their opening lines early in the fourth quarter of the Eagles-Vikings game, with lines ranging between 5 and 6 1/2 points. The over/under in most books for total points scored in the game was 48.

Bettors didn’t take long to weigh in themselves, with one gambler taking the 6 points and putting a big bet on the Eagles at the South Point resort before their rout of the Minnesota Vikings was even over.

”Our first bet was $10 http://www.giantscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-dexter-lawrence-jersey ,000 on the Eagles,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, oddsmaker at the South Point.

Bettors jammed into sports books Sunday for the two conference championship games, with millions wagered in person and millions more bet on phone apps. Bookmakers had a good day, with most winning money on both games.

That shouldn’t change in the Super Bowl, where bookmakers have turned a profit every time except the 2008 game when the New York Giants upset the previously unbeaten and 12-point favorite Patriots.

At the Westgate, Kornegay said the opening line of the Patriots minus-5.5 points was made knowing there would be money coming in from both the Eagles’ rabid fan base and by bettors who simply have a dislike for the dominance of Brady and the Patriots.

”This is the only event where we make a line that depends on public opinion,” Kornegay said. ”There’s so much more money from the public on this game than you would get from the so-called sharks. They come in here and they just don’t want to root for the Patriots.”

Unlike the games preceding it Deandre Baker Jersey , a lot of the money on the Super Bowl comes from so-called ”prop” bets that often crossover to other sports. Some of the bigger sports books will put up several hundred prop bets later this week that will include the coin flip and other possibilities that having nothing to do with the final score of the game.

”It’s much easier to do lots of props with Brady,” Vaccaro said. ”Either you love him or you hate him. Half the people bet on him to see him win and half bet to see him lose.”

One of the more popular prop bets is whether there will be a safety in the game, and Vaccaro said about $15,000 was wagered on either side of that prop even before the second game ended Sunday.

Oddsmakers at the William Hill chain also made the Patriots a 9-2 favorite to win next year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, followed by the Eagles at 17-2.