Football Lines
A Decade in Cyberspace, NFL Reaps More
2010-10-12
It would be perhaps the only institution on the ground. If technology is a reality, then there is no reason to ignore the realities of life. Yes, you can just log in to www.NFL.com and you will see for yourself what intellectuals do digitally. This site was initially produced in 2001 and was hosted since then. In 2006 the national football league said it would entirely consider operating the site, appreciate developments in technology and improve its content and infrastructure.
The first ever major redesign was observed in 1999 during the redesign of the website to have a new and modern look and introduce an element of feedback which by 2001 was not as elaborate. Another refurbished was launched in 2007 for appearance and aesthetic values ever since the time it had been hosted and operated by CBs sports time six years down the line. Prior to this time, it is estimated that the design expenses reached over 120 million dollars in a five year period.
Explaining the need for a better website as had been developed, the NFL digital media and media strategy senior vice president Brian Rolapp said that is such a time of rapidly changing digital settings, NFL website was a vital opportunity to control all resourceful content enabling the building of the strategic site as a media asset. He also said that it was an avenue for fans to look forward for an always informative, interactive and entertaining site which was built with the expertise of NFL and its in-house media outlets which are NFL films and NFL network.
Not just that, in 2008, with interest to work together, NFL proclaimed that they would jointly with Univision Online to operate and manage NFLatino.com which would be powered by Univision.com, the official Spanish language site in the US for the NFL and would feature video game briefs, live broadcasts on radio, football fantasy, diaries for Hispanic player, insiders view of the 32 teams in NFL and up to date statistics.
The site received sports Emmy nominations that were pronounced in 2009 as recognition for its online live video and audio broadcasts from NFL networks on Thursday and Saturday football on NFL.com. The network was praised and awarded for its new and outstanding approaches towards live broadcasts especially the structure of the play, 360 degree analysis of games within the week and generation of new interests.
It was also to start broadcasting on the website all NBC Sunday night soccer games. In the previous year 2007, their broadcast had been provided an Emmy Award nomination for complimentary live broadcast which had included semi on NFL networks eight game package, run to the playoffs together with an increased network analysis.
NFL AFC West
2010-08-19
Ok, so far I’ve covered the NFC East, the NFC West, the NFC South, the NFC North, and the AFC East. Now, I’ll be looking at the AFC West for your football betting needs.
Easily the most disappointing team in the AFC West, the eye sore, the abomination, are the Oakland Raiders. They’re flat out pathetic. I mean, let’s make this simple, as long as Al Davis continues to interfere with the Raiders program, the program will continue to sputter and continue to be the laughing stock of the league. A good example here is the Jimmie Johnson and Jerry Jones fiasco. Jerry Jones meddled way too much in the affairs of the Cowboys. Granted, the man owns the team, but he’s not a coach. He should have left the coaching responsibilities up to the coach, and he should have just worried about the ownership aspect of the Dallas Cowboys.
Anyway, Jerry Jones and Jimmie Johnson didn’t much care for each other, and I suspect that has to do with the fact that Jones tried to be too involved in every aspect of the team. Being involved is good, but you got to know where to draw the line. So, to make a long story short, Jerry Jones fired Jimmie Johnson, the man who won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys. Stupid, huh? You know that saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Well, Jerry, the Cowboys weren’t broke, and there was nothing to fix. Another prime example of ownerships gone too far is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban. The man’s eccentric, involved, and I get that, but he’s starting to resemble Jerry Jones more and more every year. The man gets fined all the time and is constantly shelling out money to the National Basketball Association. Hell, even Commissioner David Stern said that he would not hand an NBA Championship trophy to Mark Cuban. I wouldn’t either. I’d throw it at him. With Mark Cuban in constant hot water with the commissioner of the NBA, the focus is being taken off the players and the team. Basically, Mark Cuban is the Terrell Owens of the NBA. He has to be the center of attention and pisses and moans whenever something does not go his way. And you wonder why the Dallas Mavericks have NO championships, Mark? Get the hell out of the way, sit down and shut up, and take being an owner more seriously.
Anyway, moving on to the pitiful Oakland Raiders. In 2009, the Oakland Raiders went 5-11. That’s actually better than I had expected. It was easy to calculate the Raiders’ record. All I had to do was count the losses, which was easy because they far outnumbered the wins. Anyway, the Oakland Raiders are in a bad way right now. After their highly touted draft pick Jamarcus Russell turned out to be a big dull dud, they’re stuck with Rich Gannon. Interestingly enough, team owner Al Davis pushed and pushed to draft Jamarcus Russel, the quarterback out of LSU, against the wise advice of then head coach Lane Kiffin. Again, a prime example of owners being their own worst enemy. For your football betting needs, don’t bet on the Oakland Raiders. The team, like the city, is a lost cause. The Raiders, and I mean Al Davis, threw millions upon millions of dollars at Jamarcus Russell in the hopes that he would pull their horrible team out of the depths of the NFL and bring them back to their glory days. Well, Russell is a bust, and now the Raiders are back at square one. Actually, they’re father back at square one because they have a weak quarterback and still have to shell out millions of dollars to their bust of a quarterback. When I think about it, “square one” might be too generous…
The AFC West is comprised of four teams: the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Diego Chargers, and the Denver Broncos. All of those teams, with the exception of the Broncos and the Chargers, will find themselves at the bottom of the NFL yet again, and will definitely be the reason why the trends in football betting go down. The lines are in at www.sportsbook.com and the Chargers are the clear favorites for the AFC West. At -300 they lead by a wide margin of the other 3 teams. This could be a great time to get in on a long shot early before the odds start to swing.
NFL: DALLAS at WASHINGTON (8:20 PM ET, NBC)
2009-12-28
Dallas still has its sights set on the NFC East title after its upset win in New Orleans, but in order to set up the winner-take-all Week 17 matchup with Philadelphia, must get through Washington unscathed. The Redskins looked awful this past Monday night vs. the Giants, and predictably, bettors at Sportsbook.com are expecting a repeat performance, as over 80% of them are backing the Cowboys as 6.5-point favorites.
The Cowboys have gone 7-4 SU & 8-3 ATS in their L11 visits to the nation’s capitol. However, they are 2-9 ATS in December under Wade Phillips and on a 7-17 ATS skid in divisional play as well. Washington is on a short week having just hosted the Giants on Monday night. The Redskins will be looking to extend an 11-1 ATS run in the second half of the season vs. prolific passing teams gaining >=260 PYPG. They are also just 6-20 ATS revenging a loss where they scored less than 9 points. Dallas won the first meeting between these teams 7-6 five weeks ago.
Talk about carrying out a gameplan to perfection? The Cowboys did just that last Saturday night in New Orleans, stunning the previously undefeated Saints, 24-17, and quieting a lot of critics in the process.
An aggressive, physical defense held the league’s highest-scoring team to its season-low point total and 174 yards through three quarters, Tony Romo threw for 312 yards and one touchdown and Marion Barber rushed for two scores as Dallas not only stopped its December bleeding but took a considerable step toward the playoffs.
Considering how the Cowboys forced Drew Brees off his game for much of the night, sacking him four times and causing a pair of turnovers, it’s hard to have any confidence Jason Campbell will be the reason the Redskins spring the upset. DeMarcus Ware, six days after he was carted off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury, sacked Brees twice as did fellow linebacker Anthony Spencer.
Dallas’ defense played well in the Week 11 meeting between these teams in Big D, but Washington was better for all but the final six minutes and Romo took advantage and pulled out a 7-6 victory. After since-cut kicker Shaun Suisham’s second missed field goal of the day kept it a one-possession game, Romo drove the Cowboys 60 yards on nine plays and hit Patrick Crayton with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:41 remaining to win it. Campbell did outgain Romo through the air, 256-to-158, but threw a costly interception to Spencer.
The Redskins, who had last place in the NFC East sealed well before Thanksgiving, might want to reconsider their starting running back for this one after Rock Cartwright’s significant contribution in the first go-round. He carried 13 times for 67 yards and led the team through the air as well with 73 yards on seven catches. Cartwright took a backseat to Quinton Ganther a few weeks ago and is likely to be used sparingly. In his first NFL start, Ganther produced 50 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win in Oakland.
As for Washington’s defense, it must find a way to control Romo’s favorite target, Miles Austin. He burned New Orleans rookie corner Malcolm Jenkins on a stop-and-go for the game’s opening touchdown to set the tone and had seven receptions for 139 yards.
PREDICTION: Don’t hop on the Dallas bandwagon yet. While the Redskins haven’t won a lot, their defense allows fewer than 20 points per game and can be a serious factor when healthy. The way Nick Folk is going, nobody rooting for the team with a star on its helmet wants to see this come down to a kick. DALLAS 20, WASHINGTON 13
NFL: Early Sunday Games (1:00 PM ET, FOX & CBS)
2009-09-25
Week 3 of the NFL season will be the last full schedule board for 2-1/2 months, as open dates are set to being next week. With that in mind, nine of the 15 games on tap for Sunday kick off at 1:00 PM ET. Among the highlight games of that group are Titans-Jets, 49ers-Vikings, and Falcons-Patriots. Here is a quick look at each game with some key betting tidbits to consider, plus a Best Bet. Be sure to check the Team Statistics, Betting Trends, and Live Odds pages for the latest information.
(401) TENNESSEE at (402) NY JETS
The Titans and Jets aren’t divisional foes, but they have become quite familiar with one another over the last few seasons. In fact, this Week 3 meeting between the teams will mark the fourth straight season that the teams have squared off. In that span, the Jets own a 2-1 SU & 3-0 ATS edge. In fact, the Jets have actually swept the last five h2h meetings overall against the spread. At 0-2, Tennessee is in dangerous waters, with a difficult stretch of games upcoming. The Jets are flying high, one of eight 2-0 teams as of Monday after beating the Patriots. Head coach Jeff Fisher’s team has gone 9-3 ATS in its L12 road games, while the Jets’ Week 2 win improved their mark in early season home contests, 8-20 ATS in their L28 as September hosts.
StatFox Steve has a Best Bet in the Platinum Sheet on this game: As impressive of a start as the Jets are off to, this Week 3 line is too different from what it would have been either last week or the week before. Had this been a kickoff weekend contest, the pointspread would have read Tennessee -3. The question would be then…has the occurring thus far warranted a line move this great? I’d have to say no, since I never like the circumstance where a team goes from a sizeable home dog one week versus a quality team to a home favorite the next over a similar level club. Don’t dismiss the Titans just yet. Head coach Jeff Fisher loves his team in the underdog role, and they are 36-29 ATS as such in his tenure. Play: Tennessee +3
(415) SAN FRANCISCO at (416) MINNESOTA
Minnesota is off to a fast start at 2-0 with both wins having come on the road. Thus, a fired up Metrodome crowd figure to greet the Vikings on Sunday when they host San Francisco in the home opener. The franchise has split its L8 first home games SU & ATS and has gone just 10-15 ATS under Brad Childress as hosts. Minnesota is 3-1 SU & 4-0 ATS in its L4 games when hosting the 49ers, and overall, the home team owns an 8-2 SU & ATS mark in the L10 h2h meetings. For the 49ers, also 2-0 after beating Seattle at home, another away contest offers a chance to extend a 4-2 ATS stretch in road games under HC Mike Singletary. The matchup could hinge on the 49ers rush defense (53 YPR, 2.6 YPR) stopping RB Adrian Peterson & the Vikings’ ground game (168 YPG, 5.4 YPR).
(417) ATLANTA at (418) NEW ENGLAND
The 2-0 Falcons hit the road for the first time in 2009, with a difficult task at hand, facing the 1-1 Patriots. Atlanta has fared well in inter-conference games, 11-5-1 ATS over the last four seasons vs. the AFC. They also come in on a nice stretch of 7-3 SU & 9-1 ATS in pre-bye week games since '01. The Falcons will enjoy next week off before heading to San Francisco. With this game, New England begins a stretch of three home games in the next four weeks against some of the NFL’s better clubs. Dating back to ’04, the Pats are just 15-22 ATS at Foxboro. They are just 3-5 ATS hosting NFC clubs in that span. This will be the first time since ’98 that the Falcons have visited New England, and the road clubs have won the last three h2h meetings, both SU & ATS.
NFL: Philadelphia at Minnesota (4:30 PM ET, FOX)
2008-12-31
Philadelphia needed plenty of help on Sunday to reach the postseason. It got it, and could be a dangerous team as the tournament commences. The 9-6-1 Eagles’ first test will come at Minnesota, home of the 10-6 NFC North champs. HC Andy Reid’s team certainly boasts playoff caliber stats, outscoring opponents by a healthy 7.9 PPG while yielding just 4.6 YPP. In his tenure, the Eagles are 8-6 SU & 9-5 ATS in the playoffs. The Vikings were 6-2 SU at the Metrodome in ’08, but are just 1-8 ATS under HC Brad Childress vs. teams outscoring opponents by 6.0+ PPG. This is their first playoff game since January ’05, ironically a 27-14 loss in Philly. In this head-to-head series, Philadelphia owns a 5-1 SU & ATS edge, including a 23-16 win in Minnesota in October ’07.
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. Last Sunday, the Eagles were both and now they’re headed to the Metrodome for a wild-card clash with the NFC North champion Vikings. Philadelphia, still alive because Oakland upset Tampa Bay as a double-digit underdog and Chicago fell in Houston, took advantage of the playoff door opening and beat visiting Dallas to earn the conference’s final postseason berth.
Benched in the second half of a blowout loss at Baltimore in Week 12, quarterback Donovan McNabb has come back with a vengeance to help lead the Eagles to four wins in their last five games, including a stunning 44-6 decision over the hated Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. He passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio since Thanksgiving night is 9-to-1. McNabb doesn’t have a favorable matchup against a Minnesota defense that allowed only 15 passing scores during the regular season and picked up 45 sacks, but contending with Brian Westbrook alone will make it no picnic for the Vikings.
Minnesota reached 10 wins and captured its first division title since 2000 when Ryan Longwell booted a 50-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to beat the visiting Giants, 20-19. Adrian Peterson had 103 yards rushing—67 on a second-quarter touchdown run—and finished atop the league with 1,760 yards on the ground. He can be expected to take at least 20 handoffs from quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, who is beaming with confidence after throwing for seven touchdowns while starting the last three games in place of Gus Frerotte.
The Eagles allowed the fewest rushing scores (seven) of any NFC team and ranked fourth against the run, so Peterson and Chester Taylor have their work cut out. So too do Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter, as the Vikings led the league in run defense (76.8 yards per game) for a third straight year. These teams didn’t meet during 2008 but did a year ago. Philadelphia won 23-16 in Minnesota behind 333 yards passing from McNabb. Head-to-head, the Eagles have two playoff wins under their belt and eventually reached the Super Bowl each season (1980 and 2004) they eliminated the Vikings.
PREDICTION: The Eagles allowed just 57 points over the last five games and will throw the kitchen sink at Jackson, who has to hope he can hit a deep route or two to Bernard Berrian and at the same time watch Peterson grind out yards. The way McNabb & Co. played last week, it’s tough to go against them. PHILADELPHIA 20, MINNESOTA 13
CFL – Opening Weekend North of the Border
2008-06-27
Another football season began north of the border on Thursday night with the CFL season commencing its opening weekend. Their will be changes in what has been an offensive brand of football for years. The biggest change is in the philosophy of how defenses attack quarterbacks. The influence of the NFL has matriculated north and the older quarterbacks that used to sit in the pocket and throw the pigskin around the field are drying up. Defenses are now pressuring offenses like never before, changing the needs of the clubs. More and more teams are going towards having two quarterbacks, giving the head coach options.
Canadien football coaches are more like baseball managers when it comes to changing signal callers, if his QB doesn’t have that day, the back-up will be hustled in to try win the game and the starter has to get over it emotionally. Every team except for the defending Grey Cup champions Saskatchewan has two quarterbacks they are comfortable with to start another campaign.
Another change is four head coaches making their CFL debut. Longtime defensive coordinator Rich Stubler has replaced Mike Clemons in Toronto while longtime NFL assistant Marc Trestman will be on the sidelines for Montreal. In Calgary, John Hufnagel will be on the sidelines for the Stampeders and Ken Miller has the somewhat dubious task of taking over for Saskatchewan.
Here is a quick look at the remaining action for Week 1.
Friday, June 27
Toronto at Winnipeg
Kerry Joseph will make his Toronto debut after leading for Saskatchewan to Grey Cup title. He will face the team he beat in Winnipeg, who lost starting QB Kevin Glenn in conference finals the game prior to title matchup. The Blue Bombers were forced to start rookie Ryan Dinwiddie and lost 23-19. Consider Winnipeg on a mission and expect them to cover the 2.5-point spread as home favorite.
Saturday June 28
Edmonton at Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan opens defense of its Grey Cup hosting the Eskimos, after a turbulent off-season. Head coach Kent Austin returned to his alma mater at Mississippi. The Riders couldn’t make deal with QB Joseph and dealt him, along with leading tackler and sack master Fred Perry. All this upheaval casts doubt on Saskatchewan even as 4.5-point home favorites. Edmonton needs points since they are 9-30 ATS when they score 15 to 21 points.