Jeff Haney says look for the Vikings to go under while Joe Gibbs and his Redskins keep on winning

Monday, July 10, 2006 | 7:16 a.m.

Oh, those NFL intangibles.

Conventional wisdom tells us that to beat the oddsmakers - and, by extension, our fellow sports gamblers - it's necessary to identify factors that have not been built into the betting line.

Las Vegas sports handicapper Patrick Bartucci thinks he has done just that in his top two NFL season win over/under selections for the 2006 season.

Bartucci is recommending plays on the Minnesota Vikings to go "under" eight victories and on the Washington Redskins to go "over" nine victories this year.

In doing research for his selections, Bartucci focused not only on traditional football statistics but also on traits such as leadership, team chemistry and the makeup of the teams' coaches and coordinators.

With the Vikings, for instance, Bartucci is not impressed with either new head coach Brad Childress or starting quarterback Brad Johnson.

Childress' arrival in Minnesota virtually coincided with the departure of quarterback Daunte Culpepper . Childress, who joined the Vikings after serving as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles , takes over a team still reeling from an investigation into off-field misbehavior a year ago.

"I don't think Childress is a mastermind by any means, and his entry into Minnesota was rocky," Bartucci said.

"Johnson is a nice veteran who would probably be good on a team with a lot of talent," Bartucci, online at patricksfreepress.com, said. "But this team does not have a lot of talent, and they have no depth "

Bartucci projects the Vikings open with three losses, losing at Washington and then at home to Carolina and Chicago. He has them 2-5 by the end of October.

The Vikings finished 9-7 last season, second in the NFC North to the 11-5 Bears. Minnesota scored 306 points and allowed 344, a ratio that historically has equated to about seven victories in the NFL, indicating the Vikings were (at least) a little lucky to amass nine wins.

Bartucci spotted the under eight victories at even money at the Las Vegas Hilton and the Palms. He wouldn't hesitate to lay up to minus-120 (risk $1.20 to win $1) on the under.

As much as he criticizes Minnesota's leadership, Bartucci praises Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs and his top assistants, offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

"If you look at Joe Gibbs, you see a guy who, everything he has done in his career, everything he has done in his life, has been a success," Bartucci said. "You know Gibbs is going to run a team. These guys are not going to get out of line."

Bartucci likes quarterback Mark Brunell's ability to manage a game and calls the Redskins' defense the "nastiest in the league."

The Reskins finished 10-6 last year, just behind the 11-5 New York Giants in the NFC East. They scored 359 points and allowed 293, a ratio that traditionally equates to at least 9 1/2 wins.

Bartucci recommends playing the Redskins over nine at a price of minus-120, available at the Stratosphere and Arizona Charlie's properties, before it goes higher.

Bartucci is 4-0 in the past two years in NFL season win over/under selections printed in Jeff Haney's betting column in the Sun. In 2004 he pegged Arizona to finish over 5 1/2 (result: 6-10) and Miami to finish under 9 1/2 (result: 4-12). In 2005 he predicted Tampa Bay and Cincinnati both to finish over 7 (results: 11-5 for both).