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: 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
NFL: Cleveland Favored to start the Brady Quinn Era
2008-11-06
The Cleveland Browns make the list of 2008 disappoints with all but four teams have completed half their schedule. Cleveland is 3-5 (5-3 ATS) and suffering from too high expectations. This paralysis is throughout the organization, becoming too starry-eyed about an offense that was able to mask flaws from a year ago and NFL teams having the off-season to break down all the film necessary to attack Browns defense. Cleveland blew a perfect opportunity to become relevant last week and now makes a change behind center to fix what ails them.
Football, especially in the NFL is contradiction. Its team game where everybody has to work in unison, yet when the quarterback is not playing to expected levels, he is singled out for failure. Whether Derrick Alexander is as good as he was last season or as ordinary as he’s been thus far will play out over time to determine the correct answer. A few things are certain of the former Oregon State signal caller, he doesn’t lead the Browns in dropped passes (Braylon Edwards), he’s missed very few blocks (that one in the Bengals game comes to mind on a reverse), which would contrary to what the offensive line has done as group this season and he’s yet to run up the wrong hole on a running play (Jamal Lewis). Throw in up to 10 questionable coaching decisions and clock management mistakes and Alexander becomes like a baseball manager, with something having to change since you can’t get rid of the whole team.
As bad as the Browns were against Baltimore, they aren’t Denver (4-4, 1-7 ATS). The Broncos were so refreshed from their bye week. They were filled with optimism carrying a 16-0 straight up record after a week off playing at home against Miami. Better make that 16-1, as Denver ran for a double-bakers dozen, 14 total yards in 12 carries. What in the world is going on the Mile High Land? It’s not a stretch to think a Mike Shanahan offense would have a dozen carries in a quarter, let alone four of them. Jay Cutler started the season looking like the next coming of John Elway and has instead morphed into Bubby Brister. Since starting the year averaging 38 points per game, Cutler’s crew has averaged 15.2 PPG in last five outings and they have lost four of last five.
Denver is 2-7 ATS in last nine road games and is going back to where it began in a way. Coach Shanahan loved rookie Reggie Torain out of Arizona State, believing he had the big back skills to make the Denver’s running game go. Torian was injured before the season started and because he is now healthy and just about all the other Broncos running backs have been hurt, they may have to place the saddle on the inexperienced ball carrier and hope he adds life. Selvin Young is questionable and Denver coaches are not sure if Torain is ready for heavy workload, meaning Payton Hillis make log a few carries (Isn’t he a new character on The Hills?) What’s confounding is the Broncos are just 1-5 ATS versus defenses like Cleveland that allow 130 or more yards per game.
It would help the Browns out if the defense could lend a hand. After a sickly start, Cleveland defenders gave up just over 14 points a game during a four game stretch, until Baltimore of all teams hung 37 on them. The new and improved rush defense has proven to be a fallacy, allowing 148 yards per game on the ground (28th) and the pass defense is not horrible by numbers, yet has given up a bundle of big pass play at the most crucial of times.
Sportsbook.com finds all is not lost for Cleveland, at least for this Thursday night AFC affair. They have installed them as three-point favorites with a total of 46. This would tend to favor the Browns who are 7-0 ATS after allowing 30 points or more last game and 9-1 ATS off a loss. Seeing they were out-rushed 194 to 60 by the Ravens, they are 6-0 ATS after being out-gain on the ground by 100 or more yards in last game over the last three years.
Denver does not come in on a mile high, not traveling well with a 1-10 ATS mark off a home game. The Broncos have not been able to take advantage of stinky defenses either, with 0-7 ATS record versus teams allowing 5.65 or more yards a play.
The actual line plays into the total for both teams. Denver is 14-5 OVER in games where the line is +3 to -3 and Cleveland 16-5 UNDER as a home favorite of three points or less. The Broncos are appalling 0-12 ATS when the total is between 42.5 and 49 points over the last two seasons.
The NFL and their TV network wants you to feel sorry for them, since only 40 percent of the country’s cable companies carry them as part of a cable package. That means you have to have some upgraded service to Direct TV or some advanced cable package or head to the local watering hole by 8:15 Eastern to watch this contest. Brady Quinn, welcome to the big time.
StatFox Forecaster – Denver covers
StatFox Power Line – Cleveland by 10
SF Outplay Factor – Cleveland by 6
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.
NFL - Washington at Tampa Bay (1:00 PM ET – FOX)
2007-11-23
With a two game lead in the division and having beaten each of its rivals already, Tampa Bay would seem to be in prime control of the NFC South. The Bucs can now turn their attention to improving their playoff positioning as they don’t face a team over .500 the rest of the way.
The first foe is struggling Washington, who is just 2-4 SU & 1-4-1 ATS in its L6 after losing at Dallas. Tampa opened as a 3-1/2 point favorite but the line was quickly bet down to a field goal. This will be the fourth time in three seasons that Tampa is hosting Joe Gibbs’ club with the Bucs owning a 2-1 SU edge. The underdog is 2-0-1 ATS in that span, and 4-0-1 ATS in the L5 played here. Gibbs’ clubs are 17-8 UNDER as a road dog, and Tampa is 25-11 under in L36 vs. NFC East foes.
The Redskins must now be ranked as an abject failure. Early in the season, the passing attack had risen under the guidance of young-but-accurate QB Jason Campbell while the rushing attack flourished under the dynamic duo of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Now their efforts seem lost as the opposition continues to pour points on the board against a failing defensive front. Three of the last five opponents have offered strong opportunities, yet wins have been hard to achieve (21-19 over Arizona, 23-20 over the Jets) and a loss to Philly (25-33) is troubling.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are difficult to explain. The loss of RB Cadillac Williams should have spelled their end on offense, yet QB Jeff Garcia has once again come forth as a force of reckoning and RB Earnest Graham has more than surpassed expectation. As a result, the Bucs continue to defy the odds and battle for the NFC South title. Blame should be put on the defense, ranked among the best in the NFL both in yardage surrendered and points allowed.
Keys to the Game – It wouldn’t seem to be a favorable position to wholly count on Garcia to carry a team, yet this is where Tampa Bay is. The veteran QB is dealing with a tired arm, limiting reps during the week. Washington is 7-2 ATS the week after Dallas wars and is finally receiving moderate production out of Campbell and the passing game. Both defenses play capably for stretches yet are not consistent enough to play for 60 minutes and hold down the opposition. The Buccaneers are 39-12 ATS when they score 22 to 28 points.
Trends
Washington is 26-10 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points.
Tampa Bay is 37-14 ATS when outgained by their opponents by 50-100 yards.
StatFox Pick – Redskins plus points