Posts Tagged ‘NFL’
Falcons Hold Off Late Bears Rally
April 13, 2010
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t so much win their Sunday Night NFL Football game against the Chicago Bears as much as the Bears lost it. A series of costly mistakes and turnovers in the red zone negated an otherwise solid road effort for the Bears, as Atlanta held on to win 21-14 at the Georgia Dome. Chicago held a decisive edge in most of the statistical categories, but was undone by untimely turnovers. Atlanta improved to 4-1 with the victory while Chicago slipped to 3-2.
Chicago also disappointed fans who bet on NFL football by failing to cover the pointspread as +4 road underdogs. Both teams’ ATS records match their straight up records with the Falcons moving to 4-1 against the number while the Bears slumped to 3-2. The 35 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 46.
Winning Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan chose to credit his defense rather than point to Chicago mistakes as the determining factor in the outcome:
“Our defense, give them some credit. Our guys stepped up and made some plays when we needed them to.”
The Bears did a good job shutting down Falcons’ star running back Michael Turner. He came through with the game on the line, however, rushing for the winning touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Ryan praised his running back’s effort:
“Our offensive line did a great job just giving me just enough time to get the ball off, and then Michael Turner did what he does. The offensive line provided a great push and just paved his way.”
The Falcons are now 4-1 for only the fifth time in team history, the last coming in 2004. Despite their solid start, they’re still trying to keep pace with the red hot New Orleans Saints who improved to 5-0 with their win over the New York Giants earlier in the day.
Atlanta can improve to 5-1 and break the mark for best start in franchise history with a win on the road at Dallas next Sunday. That’ll be followed by an even bigger road game, on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints-a contest full of all sorts of implications for the eventual divisional championship in the NFC South. The Bears will be back on the road next weekend to take on the Cincinnati Bengals before returning home for games the following two Sundays against the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Giants Sign Eli Manning To Longterm Deal
April 6, 2010
The New York Giants have made a huge financial commitment to quarterback Eli Manning by offering him a six year, $97.5 million contract extension. Manning will earn just over $15 million a year, and $35 million of the contract is guaranteed. Should Manning play through the end of his contract hell be a Giant until 2015, meaning there’s a decent chance hell play his entire career with the team.
Manning will earn roughly $200,000 per season more than Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha who agreed to a 3 year, $45 million contract earlier this summer. Hes also got the upper hand on his older brother, Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning who earns just over $14 million per season. Though the full term of his deal makes him the leagues highest paid player hell earn less this year than the Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers and the Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer, each of whom will pull down slightly more than $16 million.
While Manning and his agent have been tight lipped in the media about the deal, Giants GM Jerry Reese spoke in glowing terms of his teams $97.5 million investment:
“He is a franchise quarterback. He has done everything we asked him to do. He has come in, taken a lot of flak from you guys in the media and he just keeps going. He does what we ask him on the field and he does what we ask him to do off the field. He is a good football player.”
Reese also dismissed concern that the huge contract commitment would result in additional pressure on Manning:
“He is used to that. He won’t get more pressure than he already has in this market. He knows how to handle pressure and he has done it before. I don’t expect to see any difference in his attitude and his work ethic. He works hard. He expects a lot from himself. He knows what his role here is with us and we expect him to continue it for a long time.”
Manning definitely has a number of qualities that justify this level of investment. Hes produced on the field, leading the Giants to a Superbowl championship and four straight postseason appearances. He also became the first Giant QB in history to throw for 3,000 yards and 20+ touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. Hes also shown a great deal of durability, starting 71 consecutive games”the third longest streak in the NFL. Hes got solid leadership skills and is well liked and respect by not only his teammates but also by the notoriously tough New York media.
Manning will earn just over $9 million this season, the final year of his rookie contract. The new deal will kick in with the 2009-2010 season.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Texans Win Tough Road Contest Against Bengals
April 3, 2010
Behind a career day for quarterback Matt Schaub, the Houston Texans erased a 17-14 halftime deficit to score– points in the second half and defeat the host Cincinnati Bengals 28-17. Schaub threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns against one interception in the solid road victory. Against a team that had won three straight games in the final seconds, Houston never gave Cincinnati the chance to create any late drama.
Houston took the money as +3′ road underdogs with the outright win, and both teams are now 3-3 on the season against the NFL pointspread. The 45 points just managed to stay UNDER the posted total of 46. The Texans have gone UNDER in 4 of 6 this season while the Bengals evened their NFL totals record at 3-3.
After the victory, Schaub said that his team knew of Houston’s penchant for late game comebacks and that ‘putting them away’ would be a priority:
“Every game went down to the wire for them. Credit goes to them because they were able to find ways to win those games. So it was a matter of putting the game away.”
The Texans’ low key head coach Gary Kubiak would only offer that:
“Matt continues to put up exceptional numbers on the road.”
The defense did a stellar job as well, shutting out the Bengals in the second half. In the third quarter, Houston only allowed six yards on nine plays for a franchise record. Cornerback Dunta Robininson talked about the defensive corps mindset:
“It was swarm tackling. Everybody has a job to do, and today we made this team a one-dimensional team. Overall as a defense, we played well.”
In the losing locker room, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco admitted that his team knew that they couldn’t rely on last minute heroics to win games:
“That’s our fault. We’ve been saying that we can’t keep winning with the way we’ve been playing. We’ve got to be consistent for all four quarters.”
The Bengals will play their next two games at home, starting with a contest against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. Cincinnati is a -1 home favorite with the total set at 42. They’ll host the Baltimore Ravens the following Sunday before traveling to Pittsburgh for a game against the Steelers on November 15. The Texans host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, with Houston a -3 home favorite and the total set at 44.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Steelers Over Cards In Superbowl Rematch
March 27, 2010
The Pittsburgh Steelers used a 17 point fourth quarter outburst to break open a close game and send the Arizona Cardinals to defeat by a 20-10 score in a NFL preseason rematch of this years Superbowl. The two teams traded first half field goals and played a scoreless third quarter before Pittsburgh turned up the offense late in the game.
NFL bettors who favored the defending Superbowl champions in this matchup cashed their tickets as the Steelers covered as -3 home favorites. The combined 30 points scored stayed UNDER the posted total of 33, though there were some anxious moments that UNDER bettors didnt anticipate in a game that had only six combined points scored through three quarters.
The big catalyst for the Steelers offense was undrafted rookie Issac Redman out of Bowie State. Redman, listed as the Steelers #7 depth chart running back scored two rushing touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter run. The big short yardage back had already impressed the Pittsburgh coaching staff in practice, but he knew that he had to take advantage of the opportunities to demonstrate his skills in a game situation:
“This team prides itself on being able to find those free agents that are capable of playing. Hopefully I can be that next free agent. I knew I had to make an impression, or I might not even make it to the first preseason game.”
Both teams played their starting quarterbacks for only two offensive series. The Steelers Ben Roethlisberger was pleased with his performance:
“Overall, without looking at film, I think it was OK. I think we had a couple of plays with a few breakdowns, but it just felt good to go against somebody other than your own guys.”
Arizonas Kurt Warner noted that the first preseason game had come up on him quickly:
“I felt like we moved the ball and did what we wanted to. It seems like this game came pretty quick. When we were in the locker room, we were thinking, `Man, it is here already.’ ”
The star receivers for each team–Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburghs Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes–each caught a single pass in a couple of series of action.
Arizona will take on the San Diego Chargers at home next Saturday night, while the Steelers will travel to Washington, DC to play the Redskins. Pittsburgh will open the NFL regular season on Thursday, September 10th as they host the Tennessee Titans. Arizona will kick of their campaign on Sunday, September 13th at home against the San Francisco 49ers.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Jets’ Rookie QB Sanchez Suffering From Minor Knee Ailment
March 25, 2010
New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been a crucial factor in the teams 2-0 start, showing a poise and head for the game very rare for NFL newcomers. Still, there wasn’t much worry at the revelation that hes suffering from tendinitis in his right knee. The Jets announced Sanchez’s injury on Thursday, and hes listed as probable on the official NFL injury report. Every indication from Sanchez and the Jets’ staff suggests that he’ll be able to play.
Sanchez practiced on Thursday, and though he was seen stopping to stretch and rub his right knee on a few occasions didn’t seem to suffer any impairment in his mobility. He participated in the entire practice, and there didn’t appear to be any sort of effort to prepare Kellen Clemens to assume the starting role.
In his comments to the media, Jets head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the injury while downplaying its significance:
“It’s not that big a deal. He has something. I don’t know how to describe it than just to say its a little tendinitis. But, he’s fine. I mean, he fully participated and moved around great, I thought.”
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was even more emphatic in his statement:
“Mark’s totally fine.”
Ryan then added a sarcastic note that brought laughs from the assembled media: “Make sure he’s on that list. I don’t mean anything by that.”
Ryan was referring to the Jets receiving a fine from the NFL for not properly disclosing injuries to then-QB Brett Favre late last season. Favre was suffering from a torn biceps tendon, though the team didnt list him on the official NFL injury report. The team was fined $75,000 while GM Mike Tannenbaum and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $25,000 each. While he wasn’t with the team at the time of the incident, Ryan has expressed his displeasure with the fine.
The Jets are less optimistic about the condition of cornerback Donald Strickland, who is suffering from a sprained right ankle. Ryan didnt offer much positive indication that hed be able to see action on Sunday:
“I don’t think he’s going to be able to play this week. I’m not declaring him out right now, but I don’t think there’s any way he’s playing this week.”
The Jets host the Tennessee Titans at the Meadowlands this Sunday afternoon. After that, the Jets will take to the road for their next two games. Theyll play the New Orleans Saints on October 4th before heading to south Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins the following Monday night.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Rams Beat Chiefs In NFL Preseason Finale
March 25, 2010
The Kansas City Chiefs have had an awful preseason, primarily due to their inability to put points on the board. This liability cost offensive coordinator Chan Gailey his job earlier in the week, but in the first game with head coach Todd Haley calling the plays it was more of the same as the Chiefs couldn’t find the end zone. St. Louis scored an offensive touchdown late in the first half and used a third quarter interception return for a score to beat Kansas City 17-9. The Chiefs finished the NFL preseason with a winless 0-4 record, while St. Louis posted a 3-1 mark.
NFL preseason betting aficionados who took a flyer on the Rams were rewarded by their outright victory in the pickem game. Kansas City also finished 0-4 against the spread, while St. Louis finished 3-1 to the number. The combined 26 points put on the board went well UNDER the posted total of 36.
Despite his teams continued offensive struggles, Haley tried to put a positive spin on his playcalling debut:
“I made a few mistakes out there but overall it felt good. Obviously, there were a couple of plays I would like to have back. After I got the feel a little bit, I didn’t feel too out of sync with the game and what was going on. I thought our defense gave us a chance to win. Running the football is something we can feel good about.”
The Chiefs moved the ball well, generating 406 yards of total offense but had trouble converting in the red zone. They also turned the ball over three times, the most costly a third quarter interception thrown by reserve QB Tyler Thigpen. The Rams Quincy Butler took the interception to the house for a 28 yard touchdown return. Afterwards, he suggested that his team has a new mindset:
“Every time the ball’s in the air, we all think ‘It’s my ball. We all go and get it.”
Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo was generally pleased with his teams effort in the victory:
“It was good to get those guys back in the swing. Now we’ve just got to get Marc (Bulger) cranked up.”
Bulger has missed most of the preseason but is expected to start in the Rams regular season opener. Spagnuolo wasnt particularly concerned about all of the yardage his team gave up:
“The silver lining is the defense held them and got them to kick a field goal. So there’s some good and bad always.”
St. Louis will head to the Pacific Northwest next Sunday as they open their regular season against the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs will also open the NFL 2009 campaign on the road, heading to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The Rams will remain on the road for week #2, playing at Washington while the Chiefs will host the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
San Fran Tops Denver As New Broncos’ QB Orton Struggles
March 25, 2010
Kyle Orton’s debut as the Denver Broncos starting QB didn’t go quite as planned. Orton, who was acquired from Chicago in the off-season, threw interceptions on each of his first three offensive series. San Francisco’s offense didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, but it did do enough to eke out a 17-16 NFL preseason victory before their home fans.
Despite his three interceptions and a solid backup performance by Chris Simms. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels has been steadfast in his support of Orton. Orton appeared thankful of this fact in his postgame comments:
“That’s great. That’s certainly what you need in this league is the support of your coach. I’m not worried about it. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself. I think my team has a lot of confidence in me. … I don’t want to make those decisions and throw three interceptions.”
Orton was acquired after McDaniels relationship with NFL pro bowler Jay Cutler soured. Its been a rough start to Ortons tenure in Denver”he was even booed during a public scrimmage after throwing an interception.
McDaniels, to his credit, put the fact that it was only the first preseason game into perspective:
“I feel very confident in where we’re at. There’s no reason to start tailspinning into this and that when we’ve only had one preseason game.”
Niners’ cornerback Nate Clemens in particular was a huge factor, hauling in one of Ortons three miscues. After the game he commented on the play:
“I saw the route and played my responsibility and he threw it. I like seeing all of our defensive backs get interceptions and just making plays because we’re game breakers.”
The Niners have yet to name a starting quarterback and both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith played solid, if unspectacular, football. Hill spoke of his first preseason action:
“We were able to move the ball and we had a big conversion on third down. That last sack kind of hurt us. That was completely on me. The offensive line did a great job out there. So I’d like to have that play back and I feel like we could have gotten seven out of that.”
Smith was just happy to be back on the field after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury:
“Obviously, I was raring to go when I got out there. It’s been a long time for me, so I was pretty amped up.”
Denver will head to the Pacific Northwest for a game against the Seattle Seahawks next Saturday night. San Francisco, meanwhile, will host their local rivals the Oakland Raiders. The Broncos open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th against the Bengals at Cincinnati. San Francisco will get the regular season underway on the same day as they head to Tempe, Arizona to face the Arizona Cardinals.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Seahawks Dominate Broncos As Both Starting QB Play Well
March 21, 2010
Seattles Matt Hasselbeck and Denvers Kyle Orton both played fairly well in the first half, but the Seahawks reserves pulled away in the second half. The Seahawks improved to 2-0 on the NFL preseason with a 27-13 win over the Denver Broncos. The Broncos dropped to 0-2 in their exhibition contests.
Hasselbeck completed 16 passes in 23 attempts including two touchdowns, though he was sacked three times. That was a big concern as he missed considerable time last season due to a back injury, but appeared to suffer no ill effects here:
“It’s just like I remembered- no fun. … I forgot how hard people hit in here. It’s just like a car accident. It’s part of the game … and it was probably good that it happened.”
After a rough opening weekend as the Denver Broncos starting QB, Kyle Orton recovered to post decent numbers. After the game, Orton indicated that hes feeling confident about his play:
“I’ve got an awful lot of confidence right now, I really do. This is the best offense I’ve ever played with. This is the best talent around me that I’ve ever had. I just feel that my game right now is as good as it has ever been.
Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels was more low key in his assessment:
“I think he acquitted himself fairly well. He played, you know, fairly well. There’s still obviously room for improvement. But he did what we feel he is capable of doing.
It would have been hard for Orton to have played worse than he did in the Broncos opening NFL preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers last week”in that game Orton threw three interceptions in his first three drives.
The Seahawks will continue their NFL preseason slate next Saturday against the Chiefs in Kansas City. Denver, meanwhile, will host Ortons old team”the Chicago Bears”and face their former starting QB Jay Cutler for the first time.
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
San Diego Thumps Arizona In NFL Preseason Play
March 21, 2010
Its been a rough NFL preseason for last years Superbowl runner up. The Arizona Cardinals have only scored one touchdown in two games as they’ve stumbled to a 0-2 record. Things didn’t get any better on Saturday night, as the visiting San Diego Chargers added to their offensive woes en route to a 17-6 victory. The Chargers evened their record at 1-1, while the Cards slumped to 0-2.
The Chargers cornerbacks performed admirably against Arizona, and Antonio Cromartie said scoring defense has been a focus for the team during the preseason:
“That’s one of our biggest focuses. Do whatever you’ve got to to keep them out of the end zone. We did that.”
Despite the teams struggles Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn’t particularly concerned:
“I’m disappointed that we haven’t had more touchdowns, obviously but I will say this, we haven’t game planned in the red zone. A lot of times when we game plan in the red zone we’re one of the best teams in the NFL, because we put our players in a position to best give them a chance to win.’
QB Warner sounded a similar tone:
“It is disappointing because we had some opportunities we didn’t capitalize on like we wanted to but there is going to be a lot of stuff we can learn from tonight. We will get better and be all right in a couple of weeks.”
The Chargers suffered a lot of breakdowns in pass protection. San Diego coach Norv Turner indicated that this was an area of concern:
“The things we take a lot of pride in around here. Tonight our guys saw we have some work to do.”
LaDanian Tomlinson saw limited action”his first in the preseason since 2005:
“I think it was just good to get in there and start to get a rhythm.
The Cardinals will open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13 as they host the San Francisco 49ers while the Chargers will start the 2009 campaign on Monday, September 14th as they travel to Oakland for a game against the Raiders.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Bengals Blast Colts To Wrap Up NFL Preseason Play
March 21, 2010
Despite the fact that neither their starting QB Carson Palmer nor his Indy counterpart Peyton Manning saw action, the Cincinnati Bengals will take their wins however and whenever they can get them. For that reason, they had to be heartened by their NFL preseason ending 38-7 home rout of the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals evened their NFL preseason record at 2-2, while the Colts dropped to 1-3.
The Bengals easily covered as a -3 home favorite, evening their NFL preseason record against the spread at 2-2. The Colts ATS mark also matched their SU record, dropping to 1-3 on the exhibition season.
Peyton Mannings backup, Jim Sorgi, put up a solid performance in limited playing time after missing much of the preseason with a hamstring injury. After the game, he gave a generally upbeat assessment of his play:
“I thought it was pretty solid. I got a little winded out there but all in all, I thought I saw everything real good and got us into the right plays. The hamstring responded pretty well tonight.”
Colts coach Jim Caldwell concurred:
“He hasn’t had much playing time. I thought he found his way out there. He put a pretty good game together and showed some flashes of what he can do.”
Despite the game being a sloppy battle of reserves, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis was still happy with getting the win:
“You can’t control who you play against. It was good to let our guys break a sweat and get out there and go.”
Bengals starting QB Carson Palmer, who has sat out much of the preseason with an ankle sprain, said that hes anxious to get back in the game. Palmer will enter his regular season without much preparation, having thrown only 11 passes in exhibition play:
“It’s a tease. It’s just good to know that I’m that much closer. It’s a week away. I’m excited.”
Indianapolis will start their NFL regular season schedule on Sunday, September 13th as they host the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Bengals will host the Denver Broncos in their 2009 NFL season opener, with a road game on tap for week #2 as they head to Green Bay for a game against the Packers on Sunday, September 20.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.