Posts Tagged ‘football’
The New England Patriots will be happy to have 2007 MVP Tom Brady back at the helm as they kick off their 2009 regular season at home against the Buffalo Bills in the first half of ESPN’s opening Monday Night Football doubleheader. Brady missed almost all of last season after throwing a league record 50 TD passes the previous season. Monday’s game also marks the regular season debut of Terrell Owens with the Bills. New England is now a 11 point favorite with a total of 47.5 at bookmaker. The Patriots will be trying to set an NFL record with their 12th straight win over the Bills. No NFL team in history has beaten another team 12 straight times. The Patriots have a powerful offense led by Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker but they have some defensive issues since a number of their veterans are gone. It will now be up to the young players like Jerod Mayo to carry the New England defense. “We have a lot of good leaders on our team and especially on the defensive side of the ball,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “No doubt about it, it’s different, but I think it’s good.” The Bills are hoping that that addition of Owens will jump start their offense. Owens didn’t play much in the preseason and the Buffalo offense was so bad that the Bills fired offensive coordinator Turk Schonert. The Bills will be missing running back Marshawn Lynch who is suspended for the first three games of the season. The last time the Bills defeated the Patriots was in the first game of the 2003 season. Since that time they have lost 11 straight by an average of 20.5 points per game. Here are the NFL betting stats for Monday’s game. The Bills are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in Week 1. The Bills are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September. The Bills are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 vs. the AFC East. The Bills are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 meetings in New England. The Patriots are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday games. The Patriots are 36-16-1 ATS in their last 53 vs. the AFC East. The Patriots are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games as a home favorite. The Under is 4-1-1 in the Bills last 6 vs. the AFC East. The Over is 5-2 in the Bills last 7 road games. The Over is 6-1 in the Patriots last 7 games overall. The Under is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings between the Bills and Patriots. Pick: Take the over
Tags: Buffalo Bills, football, New England Patriots, nfl, sports
Friday, 8:00 pm Eastern – CBS The Washington Redskins host the New England Patriots on Friday night and NFL odds have the home team as the underdog. That makes sense considering the first string Washington offense has done next to nothing so far in the preseason. Quarterback Jason Campbell has picked up right where he left off last season with his poor play. He is just 4 for 13 for 48 yards this preseason. Going up against Tom Brady and the potent New England offense does not bode well for the Redskins on Friday. New England is a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 37.5 at SBG Global. Washington’s first string offense has not even scored a touchdown so far in the NFL betting preseason. The second and third string quarterbacks have actually played better for Washington. Todd Collins has the #2 job nailed down but the #3 job is now wide open between Colt Brennan and rookie Chase Daniel. It was thought that Brennan would challenge Collins for the backup job but now he might not even make the team. Daniel was 6-of-8 passes for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week. “We saw that Todd was not willing to bow down and give up his No. 2 spot,” Washington head coach Jim Zorn said. “So the competition is for the No. 3 spot, and Chase is making a statement about that.” Daniel was not even drafted because of his height but he has a real chance to make the Redskins. “Everyone questions my height, but you can’t question my heart, my brains, my arm or my skill. I still have a long way to go, but this is a right step in the direction I want to go.” Daniel said. He seems to have the support of Zorn as well. “I’ve never said anything about his height. I don’t tell him, ‘Stand taller.’ He’s only as high as he is. It’s a God thing. What I do is tell him to play ball and tell him to play at the right level.” Zorn said. The Patriots have looked pretty good with their first string offense. Brady has looked ready to start the season and it has helped that he now has wide receiver Wes Welker healthy again. The Patriots and Redskins have faced each other a lot in the NFL betting preseason. The Patriots have a 12-7 edge in the 19 games. The teams played three years ago in the preseason and it was the Patriots winning 41-0. Pick: Pats
Tags: football, New England Patriots, nfl, sports, Washington Redskins
Thursday, 8:00 pm Eastern – Fox The spotlight on Thursday night will be on the quarterback battle in Tampa Bay between Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown. Head coach Raheem Morris has not said which player will get the starting job but what is clear is that Thursday’s game could be the deciding factor. Tampa Bay is a 2.5 point favorite with a total of 37 at Bookmaker. Leftwich gets the start on Thursday and will play 1.5 quarters with the starters. McCown will play the next 1.5 quarters, also with the starters. Neither quarterback has been great during the preseason but both have had their moments. McCown is 10 of 17 passes (58.8%) for 70 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 107.5. Leftwich has completed 12 of 26 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and he has a QB rating of 73.2. Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman is not being considered at the moment for the starting job although the Bucs consider him their quarterback of the future. Tampa Bay will have Earnest Graham back in the starting lineup after he missed last week’s game against Jacksonville. Miami comes into Thursday’s game looking good. They won 27-17 last week against Carolina and the first string offense looked strong. Chad Pennington was 8 for 11 for 105 yards and a TD. Miami is expected to player their starters into the third quarter in this game. Following Pennington at quarterback will be Chad Henne who has looked solid this NFL betting preseason. He has completed 17 of 27 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. “I think it’s about understanding what you’re going to go through in the preseason and just having the playbook underneath my belt for one year has just been a lot easier for me,” Henne said. “Repetition with the plays and just getting through them are what I am doing better at now. I definitely feel a lot better. I mean understanding defenses, understanding our offense, what matches with each other and just making smart decisions and knowing where to go with the ball allows me to feel so much more comfortable and the year really helped me a lot.” The Dolphins and Bucs have met 23 times in the NFL betting preseason history with Miami holding a 14-9 lead. Last season it was Tampa Bay winning 17-6 in Miami in the preseason. Pick: Dolphins
Tags: football, Miami Dolphins, nfl, NFL Picks, sports, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Monday, 8:00 pm Eastern – ESPN New York quarterback Mark Sanchez gets his first start as the Jets travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Sanchez is trying to win the starting quarterback job in his rookie year and is in a battle with Kellen Clemens. Last week Sanchez looked sharp in a 23-20 loss to the Rams. Baltimore is a 3-point favorite with a total of 33 at Bookmaker. Some of the attention on Monday will be focused on New York head coach Rex Ryan who is making his return to Baltimore after spending the last 10 years as the Raven’s defensive coordinator. Ryan took a few players away from his former team as linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard are now with the Jets. New York will probably be missing cornerback Darrelle Revis, guard Alan Faneca, tackle Damien Woody and defensive tackle Sione Pohua in this game. The Ravens didn’t miss Ryan last week as they shutout the Washington Redskins 23-0. The transition from Ryan to Greg Mattison as defensive coordinator has gone great. “This is not Greg’s first time around the block,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “He’s been a defensive coordinator for years, and that’s showing up. I think the players feel it. If we don’t stop people like we want, [then] that’s going to be on us — players, coaches, all of us together. But I think we’ve done a good job in camp and we have a chance to be a really good defense.” Ryan has said that Monday’s game is important. “I want [the Ravens] to know that my guys are playing like Jets and we’re to be taken seriously,” Ryan said. “The fact that I got passed over for the coaching job there … does that mean anything? Maybe it does.” The Baltimore offense also looked good last week as they had 500 yards against the Redskins. Starting quarterback Joe Flacco was very good last week and should get even more time on Monday. His backup is Troy Smith who was solid last week as well. Smith may get a lot of time on Monday since third string quarterback John Beck is hurt. The team did sign Cleo Lemon and Drew Willy but they may not play. The Ravens will are likely to be without wide receiver Mark Clayton and linebacker Terrell Suggs on Monday. The Jets and Ravens have met five times in the NFL betting preseason history with the New York holding a 3-2 edge. The teams last met in 2002 and the Jets pulled out a 16-14 win at Baltimore. Pick: Ravens
Tags: Baltimore Ravens, football, New York Jets, nfl, sports
NFL Preseason Betting Preview The Dallas Cowboys will play their first game in their $1.15 billion dollar stadium on Friday as they host the Tennessee Titans in a preseason matchup that can be seen on Fox television. It is likely to be a rare occasion where the stadium gets more of the publicity than the game. “I had heard everybody saying it’s big and da-da, da-da,” receiver Roy Williams. “Then (I) finally saw it with my own eyes and it’s the greatest thing on earth.” Dallas is a 3 point favorite with a total of 38 at Bookmaker. The Cowboys first string offense looked good last week before leaving and they should get more time this week. Quarterback Tony Romo was 4 for 6 including a TD pass to Jason Witten in the game against the Raiders. The Cowboys will have more of their starters in the game on Friday as cornerbacks Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins are both expected to play after missing last week. The Cowboys have a good first half quarterback rotation with Romo and Jon Kitna but in the second half they have rookies Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter The Titans have played two preseason games since they opened the preseason in the Hall of Fame game against Buffalo. They won that game and they also won last week against Tampa Bay. The Titans have a very solid quarterback rotation of Kerry Collins, Vince Young and Patrick Ramsey and backup quarterbacks matter in the NFL betting preseason. Last week Young played well, going 9 for 14 with 131 yards and a TD. Young could get some playing time with the starters on Friday. Young could be extra motivated since he is from Texas. “Any time I am going back to Texas is big for me,” Young said, “That is home. There is a lot of love down there, a lot of respect.” These teams have met a great deal in preseason history dating back to Tennessee’s days as the Houston Oilers. The Cowboys have a 20-13 edge with the last win coming before the 2004 season. Pick: Titans
Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys
Friday, 8:00 pm Eastern – Fox
The Cowboys are coming off a 31-10 loss last week at the Raiders while the Titans come into the game at 2-0 in the preseason.
Tags: Dallas Cowboys, football, nfl, sports, Tennessee Titans
Hall of Fame Game The 2009 NFL preseason begins on Sunday night in a nationally televised game on NBC as the Buffalo Bills face the Tennessee Titans in the Hall of Fame Game from Canton, Ohio. It will mark the debut of Terrell Owens for the Buffalo Bills. The Hall of Fame game odds have moved toward the Bills in this game, simply because Buffalo has been in training camp longer than Tennessee. The Titans should not be discounted though. They are the superior team and they have the better quarterback rotation. “We’re going to approach it like our first preseason game.” Tennessee Head coach Jeff Fisher said, “We’ll play everybody that’s capable of playing and some of the starters will play a little bit longer because of numbers. We’ll clearly be competitive throughout the game.” The Titans have Kerry Collins as the starter at quarterback, Vince Young as his backup and Patrick Ramsey. Rookie Alex Mortensen is the rookie who may get mop up duty. The Bills have Trent Edwards starting with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the backup. Matt Baker and Gibran Hamdan are competing for the third spot. Oftentimes preseason games are determined by the play of backup quarterbacks and Tennessee definitely has the edge. In the second half it could be Ramsey who determines the outcome of this game for the Titans. Here is a look at the NFL betting stats for Sunday’s game. The Bills are 5-3 ATS in their last eight preseason games. The Bills are 5-0 ATS in their last five preseason openers. Buffalo is 7-0 ATS in their last seven preseason games as an underdog. The Bills are 0-2 in the Hall of Fame game. They lost in 1989 to Washington and in 1974 to St. Louis. The Titans are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 preseason games as a favorite. Tennessee has played in the Hall of Fame Game twice and is 0-2 but both of those games were when they were the Houston Oilers. The Titans lead the preseason series against the Bills, winning 9 of the 12 games. Pick: Titans -2.5 4 out 5 stars
Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 8:00 pm Eastern – NBC
The Titans are 2.5 point favorites in Hall of Fame Game odds with a total of 31.
Tags: Buffalo Bills, football, hall of fame, HOF game, nfl, nflx, preseason, sports, Tennessee Titans
Montreal Alouettes (4-0) at Edmonton Eskimos (2-2) Opening Line: Montreal – 6.5 , Total 54.5 The Edmonton Eskimos get their second chance at the Montreal Aloulettes on Thursday and they are hoping it goes a lot better than the last time when they were routed 50-16. The Eskimos got a nice 38-33 comeback win last week against Saskatchewan as they had 140 rushing yards. They may need a similar amount of yards on the ground to win against Montreal. “In order for us to be effective, we have to be able to effectively run the football,” Eskimos head coach Richie Hall said. “That opens up everything for us. It allows our offensive line to be aggressive. It takes pressure off our receivers and our quarterback and it makes the opposition have to defend the whole play book”. The ability to run the ball will be a big key for Edmonton as they look to keep Anthony Calvillo and the Montreal offense off the field. “Keeping our defense rested, putting together long drives, time of possession, all of that is important,” offensive coordinator Rick Worman said. “Montreal is a good football team. The more times they get their hands on the ball, the more opportunities they have to score. The biggest thing is to be unpredictable. Then you have a chance to be an offensive team and not a team that’s one-dimensional.” Calvillo needs just 34 yards on Thursday to reach 60,000 in his career. “This is a positive thing,” Calvillo said, “To be so close to 60,000 is going to be special. To be able to play for so many years and stay healthy, but you’ve got to be able to be on a good team. You’re not going to be able to do this by just by going out there. You need to be surrounded by great talent, no matter who you are.” Here are the CFL Betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Alouettes are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games. The Alouettes are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Edmonton. The Eskimos are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games. The Eskimos are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Current Line: Montreal – 6.5 , Total 54.5 The Over is 8-2 in the Eskimos last 10 games in July. The Over is 4-1 in the Eskimos last 5 games overall. The Over is 9-3 in the Eskimos last 12 home games. The Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Edmonton between the two teams. Pick: Edmonton
Thursday, 9:00 pm Eastern – TSN
Tags: CFL, Edmonton Eskimos, football, Montreal Alouettes, sports
CFL Betting Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Calgary - 5 , Total 52 The defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders will try and avoid an 0-2 start as they visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday. The Stamps lost 40-27 last week to Montreal while Winnipeg lost to Edmonton 19-17. Last season the Bombers were able to upset the Stamps but this year Calgary is coming off a loss and will not overlook Winnipeg. “It’s a real big game, first home game, we really want to win this one,” says Winnipeg receiver Romby Bryant, “They’re going to come ready to play, they’re the defending champs, they’ll be ready.” SBG Global reports that early CFL Betting has the public taking Calgary on the Road. Calgary’s high-powered offense struggled last week putting up only 272 yards. Things could improve this week as the Stampeders get offensive tackle Jeff Pilon and guard Jesse Newman back in the lineup in addition to last year’s leading receiver, Ken-Yon Rambo. Having Rambo back in the lineup should help quarterback Henry Burris who threw for 723 yards, eight TDs and only one interception against Winnipeg last year. Rambo had 17 catches for 222 yards last year against the Bombers. Here are the CFL Betting stats for Friday’s game. The Stampeders are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Stampeders are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. The Stampeders are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 meetings against Winnipeg. SBG Global Current Line: Calgary - 6 , Total 52 The Blue Bombers are 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games in July. The Over is 7-1 in the Stampeders last 8 road games. The Over is 5-1 in the Stampeders last 6 games in July. The Under is 20-6 in the Blue Bombers last 26 Friday games. The Under is 19-7 in the Blue Bombers last 26 home games. Pick: Winnipeg
Calgary (0-1) at Winnipeg (0-1)
Friday, 7:30 pm Eastern – TSN
Calgary is on a three-game losing streak in road openers and Calgary is 3-7 in its last 10 road openers but two of those wins came in Winnipeg. Winnipeg is 6-4 over its last ten home openers. Calgary is 4-6 in its last 10 games in Winnipeg and is currently on a three-game losing streak. Calgary swept the Bombers in 2005, winning both games in Winnipeg, but has split the season series each year since, winning all three games against the Bombers at home but losing on the road every year.
Tags: Blue Bombers, Calgary, CFL, football, Stampeders, Winnipeg
CFL Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Alouettes - 7 , Total 52 The Edmonton Eskimos will try and find a way to run the ball on Thursday without star running back Jesse Lumsden who is out with a dislocated shoulder. He was injured in last week’s 19-17 win over Winnipeg and could be out for some time. It will be up to rookie Arkee Whitlock and veteran Calvin McCarty to pick up the slack. Head Coach Richie Hall says the offense will remain the same, even without Lumsden. “Our offense is what it is; the plays we asked Jesse to run are the same ones that Whitlock will run.” he said, “The only difference is in their individual styles.” SBG Global reports that early Football Betting has the public taking Alouettes at Home. The injury that might be more critical to Edmonton is the one suffered by free safety Scott Gordon. He hurt his leg against Winnipeg and is out for Thursday’s game. He will definitely be missed against Montreal’s high powered attack led by quarterback Anthony Calvillo who threw for 255 yards last week. Rookies Lamar Herron and Elliott Richardson will be challenged on Thursday. “It’s a challenge for whoever you put out there, but you’ve got to get in the fire sometime.” Hall said. Edmonton and Montreal met last season in the East Final but the Eskimos look nothing like last year’s team. They were fortunate to win against the Blue Bombers last week and have their work cut out for them against the Alouettes who routed Calgary last week.
Edmonton Eskimos (1-0) at Montreal Alouettes (1-0)
Thursday, 7:30 pm Eastern – TSN
Here are the CFL Betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Eskimos have won their last five Thursday night games and they are 4-1 against the spread in those contests. The Eskimos are 2-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Eskimos are 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings against Montreal.
The Alouettes are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games. The Alouettes are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 Thursday games.
SBG Global Current Line: Alouettes - 7 , Total 52.5
The Over is 5-2 in the Eskimos last 7 games in July. The Under is 5-2 in the Eskimos last 7 road games. The Under is 5-1 in the Alouettes last 6 home games. The Over is 22-8 in the Alouettes last 30 games in July. The Under is 5-2 in the Alouettes last 7 Thursday games.
Pick: Eskimos
Tags: CFL, Edmonton Eskimos, football, Montreal Alouettes, sports
CFL Betting Preview SBG Global Opening Line: Stampeders - 5.5 , Total 52 The CFL regular season gets underway on Wednesday with a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup as the Calgary Stampeders host the Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes may be looking for a bit of revenge but it won’t be easy to get it on the road against the defending champs. Bookmaker reports that early Canadien Football Betting has the public taking Stampeders at Home. Last year the Alouettes had no success at all against Calgary, losing both regular season meetings (23-19 in Montreal and 41-30 at Calgary) and the Grey Cup (22-14). Montreal returns Anthony Calvillo, Ben Cahoon, Scott Flory, Bryan Chiu, Kerry Watkins, Jamel Richardson and Avon Cobourne on offense and they have newcomers like Andrew Hawkins and Brandon Whitaker who should contribute this season. Calvillo was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player last year throwing for 5,633 yards and a career-high 43 TDs. This is the fourth straight year that Calgary opens at home and they have won the last three years, beating B.C. 28-18 last year, Hamilton 37-9 in 2007 and Edmonton 24-14 in 2006. Calgary finished the 2008 season with a 7-2 home record. They are 20-6-1 record at McMahon over the last three seasons. Calgary’s offense scored 568 points and 58 touchdowns in 2008 and they return pretty much everyone including QB Henry Burris. He was the Outstanding Player in the Western Division and the Grey Cup MVP. Three-time CFL All-star rusher RB Joffrey Reynolds returns at running back. SB Nik Lewis set team records with his fifth straight 1,000-yard season and 88th straight game with at least one catch in 2008. Calgary’s defense led the CFL in points per game allowed (21.5) in 2008 but not everyone is back. The kicking game does return K Sandro DeAngelis and P Burke Dales. SBG Global Current Line: Stampeders - 7.5 , Total 52 Here are the Canadien Football Betting stats for Wednesday’s game. The Alouettes are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings. The Stampeders are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 home games. The Stampeders are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in Week 1. The Stampeders are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 games overall. The Under is 5-0 in the Alouettes last 5 games in Week 1. The Under is 4-1 in the Stampeders last 5 home games. Pick: Stampeders
Montreal Alouettes at Calgary Stampeders
Wednesday, 10:00 pm Eastern – TSN
Tags: betting, Calgary Stampeders, CFL, football, Montreal Alouettes, sports
