It's official: Patriots sign WRs Stallworth, Washington
Football Betting Lines
03/13/2007 - Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots announced the official signings of wide receivers Donte Stallworth and Kelley Washington on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Stallworth added a much-needed spark to the Philadelphia Eagles offense last season when he played, but the fifth-year player suffered from a recurring hamstring injury that kept him out of four games, and limited his production in others. Stallworth finished with 38 catches for 725 yards, 19.1 yards per catch, and five touchdowns in 2006. He caught six passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in Philadelphia's two playoff games.
Stallworth played the previous four seasons in New Orleans, where he had his best season in 2005, with 945 yards on 70 catches and seven touchdowns. The former Tennessee Volunteer has 233 career receptions for 3,516 yards and 28 touchdowns in his career.
The signing comes about a week after reports surfaced in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Stallworth is enrolled in the NFL's substance- abuse program, a report which, if true, means that any further violation of the league's substance abuse policy would trigger an automatic four-game suspension.
Washington, a former college teammate of Stallworth's at Tennessee, caught 53 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons with Cincinnati, but posted just 19 catches and two TDs the last two years.
"When Donte and Kelley were drafted, we were very interested in them as receivers who could help our offense and that feeling still exists," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Missouri-Kansas City announced on Tuesday that Rich Zvosec will no longer serve as the head coach of the men's basketball team. The Kangaroos went 12-20 last season under Zvosec, w
<< Timberwolves still alive in West
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves are a disappointing 27-35
this season, but with the 20 games left on their scheduled they are still
in the mix in the Western Conference playoff race.
Minnesota, which has missed the pla
<< Report: Bickerstaff to be replaced on Charlotte bench
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bernie Bickerstaff will reportedly not return
as the Charlotte Bobcats head coach next season.
The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday that managing member of basketball
operations Michael Jordan stated
<< Mets release Soler
Winter Haven, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets released pitcher Alay
Soler on Tuesday.
Soler, 27, signed a three-year deal with the Mets in 2004 after defecting from
Cuba. In eight starts in 2006, the right-hander went 2-3 with a 6
<< The spoils: Francella's win moves her to No. 77
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meaghan Francella vaulted into the top 100
in the Rolex Rankings for women's golf after beating world No. 1 Annika
Sorenstam in a playoff Monday at the MasterCard Classic.
Francella's first LPGA To
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Who said the running back position is undervalued in today's NFL? You probably won't hear the likes of Ahman Green, Travis Henry, Thomas Jones, or Jamal Lewis lamenting a lack of positional appreciation as
Chicago State fires head coach Jones >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago State released men's basketball head
coach Kevin Jones of his duties on Tuesday.
In four seasons at the helm, Jones posted a 41-90 record, including a 9-20
mark this past season.
"We would li
LSU's 'Big Baby' contemplating NBA Draft >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LSU junior forward Glenn "Big Baby" Davis
will announce next week if he plans to leave college early in favor of the
NBA.
"Glen Davis and I met yesterday (Monday) for about an hour and a half," said
Detroit signs Fisher >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions signed unrestricted free
agent cornerback Travis Fisher to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
Fisher, who will be entering his sixth season, was drafted by the St. Louis
Rams in the second
Southern Utah taps Reid to coach men's basketball >>
Cedar City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Southern Utah named Roger Reid its head
men's basketball coach on Tuesday.
Reid replaces long-time coach Bill Evans, whose contract was not renewed after
the Thunderbirds finished 16-14 this season
FOOTBALL TRASH TALK
NFL Football Trash TalkTrash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
FOOTBALL BETTING
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.