Line of Scrimmage: Combine questions have a need for speed
Football Betting Lines
02/22/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Class was back in session for prospective graduates into the football profession when the world's most celebrated college job fair, the NFL Scouting Combine, got underway Wednesday, even though this year's two most prominent applicants planned to play hooky from a few courses.
But while the unsurprising decisions of quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III to decline from taking part in throwing drills deducts some of the drama from an event that's transformed itself into an offseason staple for fans and draft nicks in recent years, the extensive uncertainty that surrounds the 326 other players who are showcasing their abilities in Indianapolis in the coming days ensures there'll be more than enough intrigue to keep onlookers' attention.
With the two marquee quarterbacks and top candidates for this year's No. 1 overall draft pick limiting their schedule in preparation for their forthcoming pro days, the Combine's spotlight now falls on an interesting wide receiver pool that's as chock full of mystery as high-end talent.
Teams in search of a young pass-catcher with size will have a wealth of promising options available for their perusal because the wideout group is loaded with tantalizing big-bodied prospects. Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, South Carolina's Alshon Jeffrey, Rutgers' Mohamed Sanu and Wisconsin's Nick Toon are among a deluge of receivers weighing 215 pounds or above, with Blackmon the lone member of that lot believed to measure under 6-foot-2.
With so many similarly built alternatives at the position, how each performs in Sunday's 40-yard dash will likely have a significant say in where they're taken in April's draft. And perhaps no one has as much riding on the race as Jeffery, considered a first-round lock entering this past season before showing up out of shape and displaying questionable separation skills during a very disappointing junior campaign with the Gamecocks.
Floyd will be coming in with much to prove as well following a up-and-down collegiate career plagued by injuries, but the former Golden Domer's most important test may be the one that takes place away from the field. With three alcohol-related arrests at Notre Dame and a reputation for being a bit soft, how the 22-year-old handles himself in pre-draft interviews might have the biggest impact on his stock.
The two-time Biletnikoff Award-winner Blackmon's credentials should help combat a possible slip caused by a poor time in the 40-yard dash, but the dynamic All-American could be in danger of dropping out of the top 10 if he runs closer to the 4.6 range than a 4.45. A slow clocking also would create an opening for Kendall Wright, Griffin's former Baylor teammate who's fully expected to burn up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium, to potentially be the first receiver taken in April.
For the defensive hopefuls, the day to watch will be Monday, when the linemen and linebacker groups have their auditions. A 2011 season that produced more yards via the air than any other in NFL history by a cavernous margin has furthered an already pressing need to find and develop effective pass rushers, giving those prospects who can demonstrate explosive qualities in that area the best opportunity to make an impression.
With this also being an era in which multiple defenses are en vogue, players who can exhibit the capability of serving as both a down end in a 4-3 alignment and an outside linebacker in a 3-4 will put themselves in demand. South Carolina's Melvin Ingram, Southern Cal's Nick Perry and 2011 NCAA sack leader Whitney Mercilus of Illinois all starred as disruptive ends in 4-3 fronts, but each would rocket up draft boards by acing the agility drills designed to evaluate one's viability as a standup rusher.
Conversely, Alabama's Courtney Upshaw flourished coming off the edge in Nick Saban's 3-4 scheme, but would surely boost his status by showing the requisite bulk and strength to hold up against the run as a lineman.
With that brief guide to this year's Combine now complete, it's now time to turn the attention to everyone's favorite offseason subject -- the draft. Though conducting a first-round mock prior to free agency is in reality a pointless exercise, here's a stab at the first 10 picks:
1) Indianapolis Colts: Luck
2) Washington Redskins (trade with St. Louis Rams): Griffin
3) Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4) Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
6) Rams (trade with Redskins): Blackmon
7) Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
8/9) Carolina Panthers: Devon Still, DT, Penn State
8/9) Miami Dolphins: Ingram
10: Buffalo Bills: Upshaw
EXTRA POINTS
*The first major free agent move of this offseason may wind up as being one of the more curious ones. Kansas City's signing of Oakland castoff Stanford Routt on Monday was a rather obvious indication that the Chiefs deem wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to be a higher priority than Brandon Carr, who could be the most sought-after cornerback of this year's class when he presumably hits the market. But with ample cap space and minus an abundance of pressing needs, the team appeared to have the financial flexibility to bring both key contributors back and bolster a title run in a wide-open AFC West. Though certainly a starting-caliber talent, Routt is three years older than Carr (29 to 26) and led all cornerbacks with 17 penalties this past season.
*Routt, incidentally, made $10 million in 2011 in the first year of a bloated $54.5 million pact he received from the Raiders last February, one of several head-scratching maneuvers made by the late Al Davis that placed the Silver and Black in their present state of cap peril. With Oakland still on the hook for $5 million in guaranteed money, he's set to pocket $11 million this season with this new deal, and that previous bad contract may also have played a part in the Chiefs' expected decision to choose Bowe over Carr as their franchise player. The salary tender for cornerbacks is $10.6 million in 2012, compared to $9.4 million for wide receivers.
*Prior to Routt's signing, the Chiefs had nearly $50.2 million of space under this season's projected cap according to our friends at the South Florida Sun- Sentinel (you can view the chart here: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/sfl-nfl-salary-cap- teams-2012,0,5969798.htmlstory ). That's second only to Cincinnati's $59 million in available funds, with Denver ($48.5 million), Tampa Bay ($48.1 million), Jacksonville ($46.4 million) and Washington ($41.3) also in position to be big spenders in free agency. The Raiders ($15.6 million) are one of four teams presently over the cap along with Pittsburgh ($27.4 million), Carolina ($5.2 million over) and the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants ($1.7 million), with Detroit ($712,000 under) and the New York Jets ($2.3 million under) also lacking much operating room at the moment.
*Speaking of the Steelers, there's been a lot of speculation about Ben Roethlisberger's perceived unhappiness over the team's parting with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The bigger story may be how Big Ben reacts if Pittsburgh loses top receiver Mike Wallace due to its perilous cap situation, as the restricted free agent would be well worth the first-round compensation a contender would have to surrender to sign him away. There's a good chance the Steelers wouldn't be able to match a lucrative competing offer, and franchising Wallace isn't an option either without substantially paring down the payroll.
*ESPN's removal of Ron Jaworski from the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth isn't overly surprising, especially if the rumors that the World Wide Leader is keeping a seat open in the hopes that Peyton Manning calls it a career are accurate, as the more bombastic Jon Gruden's over-the-top approach is more in line with the network's preferences. Still, it's another example of how the league or its partners cater more to the casual, fantasy-centric fan than the hardcore loyalists who favor insightful and intelligent analysis.
*Quote of the Week: "Hue Jackson was hired by the Bengals last week, but you could say he's been working for them since last October." -- National Football Post's Dan Pompei in reference to Jackson's one-sided trade with Cincinnati for declining quarterback Carson Palmer while then the Raiders' head coach.
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<< The Sixth Man: Lakers' strife was predictable
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Expectations in the NBA are often measured
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Most clubs would consider a 19-13 record that placed them a game behind the
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<< Hradecka exits Memphis
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Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi has signed a new contract with the club, it was announced on Wednesday, although terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 25-year-old Zusi is coming of
Catania tops Siena to ease relegation worries >>
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handed Catania a 1-0 win at Siena on Wednesday that lifts the visitors nine
points clear of the relegation zone.
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Detriot Tigers >>
Agreed to terms with pitchers Matt Hoffman, Andy Oliver and Adam Wilk, infielder Hernan Perez and outfielder Andy Dirks.
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Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit Cards
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.