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11/18/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No member of the New York Jets ever said it, but Thursday night's contest at the New England Patriots was a veritable referendum on the team's offseason moves.
If a Jets team that had brought in Brett Favre to lead the passing game, found him a blossoming over-the-middle tight end talent in Dustin Keller, signed two established offensive line talents in Alan Faneca and Damien Woody, traded for nose tackle Kris Jenkins to control the opposing run and a legitimate outside pass rusher in Calvin Pace still couldn't beat the now-depleted New England Patriots and seize first place in the AFC East, then lots of NFL observers would have taken to calling those moves pointless.
That would have been overstating things, of course, just as calling the Jets the new kings of the AFC East hill is an exaggeration, even in the wake of their 34-31 overtime triumph at New England.
The Jets still would have been part of the playoff picture even if the Patriots had completed their comeback from a 24-6 deficit by beating Gang Green, just as Eric Mangini's squad still has a great deal of work to do to fend off New England (6-4) and Miami (6-4) over the final six weeks of the season.
But, let there be no question that the Jets' win over the hated Patriots was a psychological mountain successfully scaled, and at least for the moment, no one will be saying New York shopped unwisely during the late winter and early spring of 2008.
Favre has taken some heat this season for his mistakes and an occasional lack of big plays, but neither problem was on display against the Patriots.
No. 4 completed 26-of-33 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the loss, coolly leading the Jets down the field in the overtime session to get Jay Feely in position for the game-winning 34-yard field goal.
Keller, the rookie out of Purdue who looks to be the capable pass-catching tight end the team has long lacked, was Favre's favorite target with eight grabs for 87 yards on the night.
Faneca and Woody were part of a group that allowed the Jets to churn out 140 ground yards, including 104 on 30 carries with a touchdown for Thomas Jones.
Defensively, the Pro Bowl-worthy Jenkins had three tackles, a sack, and helped limit New England's running backs to 63 yards on 17 carries (3.7 per rush), and Pace ranked second on the team with seven tackles on the night.
Yes, the secondary still has some work to do after allowing Matt Cassel to throw for a career-high 400 yards, and the club must learn to keep its foot on the gas when holding a big lead, but let's remember that this team was 2-8 at this point last year, and there are strides still to be made.
Thursday's win was more evidence that the strides have been gallops, as opposed to baby steps.
"What has pleased me and what I'm continuing to look for is complementary football, and all three phases being able to contribute to the success that week," said Mangini on Monday. "(In) each phase understanding what they have to get done in the game in order to win the game and how they have to play it in order to help the other phases be successful - complete football, not having drop-offs late in the game, being able to deal with whatever adversity comes throughout the course of the game. Sometimes you're going to be up, sometimes you're going to be behind, sometimes it's going to be tied. There's going to be a lot of different challenges that you face, you see those, you deal with them, and you move on. I've been pleased with that, too."
BILLS: What a difference a month makes.
It was on October 19th that the Buffalo Bills moved to 5-1 and into control of the AFC East with an impressive 23-14 home victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Reporters were digging out those notes about 5-1 teams and their usual fate as playoff entries, quarterback Trent Edwards looked like he would need to make reservations for that Pro Bowl trip to Hawaii, and talk was rife of head coach Dick Jauron's imminent signing of a contract extension.
One month later, the Bills are just another middling 5-5 team, Edwards isn't even a cinch to keep his job until the end of the year, and, after Monday night's galling 29-27 home loss to the Cleveland Browns, Jauron does not rate high on the list of Bills fans' favorite luminaries.
Jauron didn't throw those three first-quarter interceptions, that was Edwards (16-of-26, 148 yards, 1 TD), but his conservative approach in the final seconds, with the Bills trying to get into position for a game-winning field goal try, has led to some second-guessing.
With the ball at the Browns 34-yard-line, the Bills opted for three straight inside running plays instead of throwing the ball to get kicker Rian Lindell a few yards closer on a crisp night at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The usually automatic Lindell missed his 47-yard field goal try wide right to send Buffalo to a fourth straight loss, the Bills' first four-game losing skid since it lost five in a row in 2005.
"I just missed my line," said Lindell of the miss. "I hit a good ball. I had a good approach. It just kept going straight right. I've got to make that. It's ridiculous."
The defeat dropped Buffalo alone into last place in the AFC East, including 0-4 in the division.
DOLPHINS: The Miami Dolphins' last two wins, narrow affairs over the struggling Seattle Seahawks (21-19) and Oakland Raiders (17-15), will not be judged as having historical importance as time marches on.
The victories have, however, moved the surprising Fins closer to a couple of notable historical benchmarks.
If they don't win another game this year, Miami will have already matched its best-ever turnaround, tying its jump from 4-12 in 2004 to 9-7 in its first year under Nick Saban in 2005. That one seems like a cinch, and the best single-season turnaround in NFL history is also within the sights of Tony Sparano's club.
The 1999 Indianapolis Colts, who finished 13-3 one season after going 3-13, are still the most abrupt worst-to-first story in NFL annals. The Dolphins would need to win out to surpass that mark, and would need to finish 11-5 to match it.
A record like that would be almost certain to get the Dolphins into the postseason for the first time since 2001, and will also keep Miami within range of an AFC East title that absolutely no one predicted the Dolphins would be in the ballpark of prior to the start of the season.
The team can take another major step toward that goal this week, when they try to complete their first home-and-home sweep of the New England Patriots since the 2000 season. The Fins were surprise 38-13 winners at the Patriots in Week 3.
"Every time you win," said defensive end Vonnie Holliday, "you give yourself an opportunity to be on a bigger stage and have a bigger opportunity.
"That's where we are, and while no believed we could be here, we did."
PATRIOTS: As 2008 training camp neared its end, there was speculation that Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel might not even make the 53-man roster.
Cassel had not played particularly well in the preseason, New England had used a third-round Draft choice on San Diego State's Kevin O'Connell in April, and the other QB seen as being on the bubble, holdover Matt Gutierrez, had outplayed Cassel in the summer. There was also a chance Bill Belichick would scour the waiver wire to find a backup to Tom Brady.
But Cassel survived, and now all of that chatter seems like it occurred eons ago. Brady's injury forced the four-year USC backup into his first starting role since high school, and Cassel has responded by keeping the Patriots in the thick of the playoff race.
His tour de force came this past Thursday, when he completed 31-of-50 passes for 400 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions, also rushing for 62 yards in the 34-31 overtime near-miss against the Jets.
Cassel was unable to complete the comeback with a win, but he did rally New England back from a deficit of 24-6, and his 16-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss with a second to play in regulation rivaled any of the clutch throws made by Brady during his certain-Hall of Fame career.
Now in the final year of his contract, Cassel's role as the capable understudy could yield him a large monetary result as some team's leading man next season.
"It's definitely a confidence booster," said New England wideout Jabar Gaffney of Cassel's performance on Thursday. "We were down and he brought us all the way back and we had a chance.
"Matt played a hell of a game tonight."
<< Worcester loans DaSilva to Phoenix
Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Worcester Sharks loaned Dan DaSilva to
Phoenix in the ECHL, the American Hockey league club announced on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old played in three games with the Sharks this season recording an
assist a
<< Villa coach O'Neill ignores rumors about Barry
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has
played down renewed doubts over England midfielder Gareth Barry's future at the
Midlands club.
Barry was poised for an $27 million transfer to Liverpool in the s
<< Juventus goalie Buffon rejected Milan switch
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon has admitted
that he almost left the club following its relegation from Serie A just over
two years ago.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper, who is currently sidelined by a groi
<< Everton manager Moyes fined by the FA
Merseyside, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Moyes has been fined $7,500 by the
Football Association after the Everton manager admitted a charge of improper
conduct relating to his behavior during the Toffees' 3-2 victory at Stoke City
in S
Columbus, New York took opposite routes to MLS Cup '08 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew are the No. 1 seed in
the Major League Soccer Cup playoffs after finishing the regular season with
the league's best record, using consistency on both sides of the ball to get
where it
Surgery will sideline Man City's Petrov 3-4 months >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City has admitted it doesn't
expect Martin Petrov to be fit enough to make a first-team return until mid-
March.
The winger has been forced to have surgery on his left knee after picki
Man City's Robinho eyes UEFA Cup glory >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brazil international Robinho remains
confident that he can help Manchester City win some silverware this season.
The 24-year-old made a surprise $48.8 million switch to Eastlands at the end of
Augus
AFC West: Broncos Impressive on Multiple Fronts >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heading into their game at Atlanta last week, the notion of
the Denver Broncos scoring only 24 points would have likely been met with
jubilation by Falcons fans.
The way Denver had played defense this season, there was gre
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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