Hamilton's RB Cobb among CFL weekly award winners
Football Betting Lines
07/15/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamilton running back DeAndra' Cobb, Winnipeg linebacker Siddeeq Shabazz, Montreal kick returner Larry Taylor, and British Columbia defensive tackle Brent Johnson were named the CFL's top players for the second week of the season.
Rookie Cobb took offensive honors after rushing for 100 yards on 14 carries and catching five passes for 75 yards and a score in the Tiger-Cats 31-28 victory over the BC Lions.
Shabazz grabbed the defensive player of the week accolades with six tackles and a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Blue Bombers' 42-30 win over the defending Grey Cup Champion Calgary Stampeders.
Taylor was selected as the top special teams player. Taylor returned two kickoffs for 33 yards and six punts for 128 yards to help the Alouettes rout the Edmonton Eskimos, 50-16.
Johnson was the Canadian player of the week after recording four tackles and one sack in the Lions' loss to Hamilton.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League and NBC Sports have announced a contract extension through the 2010-11 season. It marks the second such extension for the league and the network, which became partners in a rev
<< Canadiens re-sign Latendresse
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed forward
Guillaume Latendresse to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Latendresse scored 14 goals and added 12 assists for 26 points
<< Unbridled Belle out to reclaim Del 'Cap crown
Stanton, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unbridled Belle, 2007 Delaware Handicap winner,
returns to Delaware Park for Sunday's $1 million renewal versus six
challengers. The 1 1/4 mile Del 'Cap is part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and
You're
<< Bruins and Flyers to meet in 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have
been selected to play in this season's Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New
Year's Day 2010.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Wednesday
<< Nuggets sign G Lawson
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets signed rookie guard Ty Lawson
on Wednesday.
Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound guard was selected 18th overall in this year's NBA
Draft. The
Ocenaport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now that it has been determined that Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra will make her next start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, plans are being made on her schedul
Pirates P Yates undergoes successful surgery >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Tyler
Yates had successful Tommy John surgery Tuesday afternoon to repair a torn
ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team announced on Wednesday.
Yate
NHL unveils schedule, will begin overseas >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League announced the
2009-10 regular-season schedule Wednesday, and the retirement of Joe Sakic's
No. 19 by the Colorado Avalanche highlights the opening night festivities on
October
Rams sign Atogwe to one-year deal >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams and safety Oshiomogho
Atogwe agreed to a one-year contract on Wednesday.
The club tabbed the Stanford product as a "non-exclusive" franchise player in
February, meaning Atogwe had t
Schiavone, Bammer reach Prague QFs >>
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seeds Francesca Schiavone of
Italy and Sybille Bammer of Austria highlighted Wednesday's second-round
winners at the $220,000 Prague Open.
Schiavone drubbed Slovenian Polona Hercog 6
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.