Obviously the preseason is a far different animal than the regular season from a coaching and strategy perspective. So, if you are to make money this time of year it is critical to understand that you can not handicap these early games the same way that you would a regular season game. If you do, you can count on giving up most of your bankroll before you even start the real action. After years of studying, and winning, with preseason selections I have compiled a list of strategies that have been effective in the past. By keeping these in your betting arsenal you will be on your way to a profitable August.

Strategy #1: It's all about the coaches -- Each coach approaches the preseason differently as some like to win and some could care less. As an example, Denver Coach Mike Shanahan believes it's important to start off winning and thus is 21-6 ATS in game 1. The same goes for the 3 time Super Bowl Champs New England Patriots who are 7-0-1 in game 1. On the flip side the Dallas Cowboys over the years have shown that winning is not important to them as they are only 4-18 ATS in their first preseason game. Another factor to consider is first year head coaches as they typically want to get off to a good start. This season there are 10 new ones so watch out for those matchups.

Strategy #2: Week 2 Motivation -- Although some coaches could care less about winning none of them will put up with a half hearted effort. So in this scenario look for teams who stunk out the joint in their first game to rebound big in their second game especially if it is a nationally televised game.

Strategy #3: All Out Effort in Week #3 -- Week 3 has become the important week to get an idea of each club’s progress. All coaches and players place additional importance on this week, so having a good showing does matter. In this situation look again for teams off of poor showings in week #2, especially if they lost by 10 or more points. As an example, Atlanta took a beating from Green Bay in week #2 (38-10) and they went into Tennessee the following week pounding the Titans by a 20-6 score.

Strategy #4: Be Careful of Week #4 -- It's this week where teams basically are just going through the motions and wanting to keep their regulars healthy for the start of the regular season. Of particular note however, is Green Bay (2-9 ATS) and Philadelphia (3-13 ATS) who seem to care even less than the average.

So there you have it! Four simple strategies that if followed can bring some extra cash to your pockets before the regular season. For those of you who don't have the time to execute and analyze these strategies, join me at Alexandersports.com for winning NFL selections