NEW YORK — "They're really betting on that in Vegas?"
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett couldn't believe it when I asked him for his take on a Vegas prop bet regarding how many times FOX will show Archie Manning during Sunday's Super Bowl in New Jersey.
"Oh, man," he added, shaking his head. "Ridiculous."
Bennett was one of 10 players (five from each team) to give us their prop bet predictions for the broadcast on Sunday while they'll all be competing in the Super Bowl. (Disclaimer just for the NFL League Office: Obviously these are only predictions from the players and not actual bets.)
Follow along with the players' picks below and see which team wins the AA Prop Bet Bowl… which is obviously way more important than that Lombardi Trophy…
Seahawks representatives:
Cornerback Jeremy Lane
Cornerback Walter Thurmond
Linebacker Heath Farwell
Defensive end Michael Bennett
Punter Jon Ryan
Broncos representatives:
Guard Chris Kuper
Guard Zane Beadles
Defensive end Robert Ayers
Quarterback Brock Osweiler
Cornerback Tony Carter
Here are the props, which were provided by Bovada (odds from last Thursday):
1) How many times will Archie Manning be shown on TV during the game?
Line: Over/Under: 2½
Seahawks Picks
Lane – Over
Thurmond – Over
Farwell – Over
Bennett – Over
Ryan – Over
Broncos Picks
Kuper – Over
Beadles – Over
Ayers – Over
Osweiler – Under
Carter – Over
2) How many times will Eli Manning be shown on TV during the game?
Line: Over/Under: 3½
Seahawks Picks
Lane – Over
Thurmond – Over
Farwell – Over
Bennett – Under
Ryan – Under
Broncos Picks
Kuper – Over
Beadles – Over
Ayers – Over
Osweiler – Under
Carter – Over
3) How many times will "12th man" be said during the game?
Line: Over/Under: 2½
Seahawks Picks
Lane – Under
Thurmond – Under
Farwell – Over
Bennett – Over
Ryan – Over
Broncos Picks
Kuper – Under
Beadles – Under
Ayers – Under
Osweiler – Over
Carter – Under
4) Will the announcers say the word "Marijuana" during the game?
Line: Yes 550 (11/2) / No -900 (1/9)
Seahawks Picks
Lane – No
Thurmond – Yes
Farwell – No
Bennett – Yes
Ryan – No
Broncos Picks
Kuper – No
Beadles – No
Ayers – No
Osweiler – No
Carter – No
5) Will the announcers refer to Russell Wilson being drafted in the MLB?
Line: Yes 150 (3/2) / No -200 (1/2)
Seahawks Picks
Lane – Yes
Thurmond – Yes
Farwell – Yes
Bennett – Yes
Ryan – Yes
Broncos Picks
Kuper – No
Beadles – No
Ayers – No
Osweiler – No
Carter – No
6) How many times will "Beast Mode" be said during the game?
Line: Over/Under: 2
Seahawks Picks
Lane – Over
Thurmond – Over
Farwell – Over
Bennett – Over
Ryan – Over
Broncos Picks
Kuper – Under
Beadles – Under
Ayers – Under
Osweiler – Over
Carter – Over
Good gamblers don't bet with their hearts, but you get the feeling these guys are letting their biases show.
The majority of Broncos went under on "12th Man" and "Beast Mode" references, which of course are flattering to the Seahawks. In fact, Ayers told me emphatically that those terms would be used zero times. Meanwhile, the majority of the Seahawks went over on both of those phrases, with "Beast Mode" making a clean sweep.
Only two players felt Joe Buck and/or Troy Aikman would use the word "marijuana." Interesting that they were both Seahawks considering that team's history with drug suspensions. In fact, Thurmond was suspended for marijuana use earlier this season.
"It's a league policy," said Thurmond, "and they tend to talk about that stuff on the broadcast. They'll probably talk about the extra point as well in there."
Almost all of them agree, though, that we'll see a lot of Eli and even more Archie.
"He's the patriarch of the NFL, man," said Bennett. "He's powerful."
Farwell, who went over on both, asked why there wasn't a prop for poor Cooper Manning.
"Don't forget about Cooper," he joked. "I'm going to go with the under on Cooper."
Check back on Monday to see whether the Seahawks or Broncos players were more accurate with their prop bet predictions.