Cardinals fail to rebound after bye

Football Betting Lines

11/14/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona had an extra week to rebound, get prepared and come out swinging against a team coming off a disappointing loss two Sundays ago.

But instead, it was the same old Cardinals who dropped to 1-8 after a 27-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, who were coming off a heartbreaking last-second loss to Washington.

It was a similar story for Arizona this week. No ground game and turnovers coupled with no big plays or takeaways defensively. It marked the second straight week that the Cardinals failed to force a turnover.

The focus now shifts from head coach Dennis Green, probably in his last season as the club's head coach, to rookie quarterback Matt Leinart. Leinart has struggled mightily the last three games, throwing five interceptions to just one TD pass in that span. He hasn't topped 225 yards throwing either.

"I've got to get better as a player," said Leinart, who picked up his first career rushing touchdown in the loss. "I'm real disappointed in the way I'm playing right now and I've just got to keep working to get better."

Down 13-3, Leinart was intercepted on his first drive of the second half and one play later, Dallas QB Tony Romo hit Terrell Owens for a 51-yard touchdown to put the game away.

Leinart didn't respond well either, as he was again intercepted, leading to a TD for the Dallas ground game.

"I have high expectations for myself as a player, as a person," Leinart said. "I feel like I can still go in an compete at a high level. I'm struggling right now, it's obvious. I just can't seem to get it going right now, but I'm trying."

Leinart didn't want to use the rookie quarterback excuse after the game, but that is what he is. Winning came easy for the USC product at the collegiate level, and it must be frustrating to go from success to the bottom of a division in just one year.

But Leinart and his critics must realize he is a first-year player who is learning and adjusting to the most difficult position on the field. Leinart has the tools, he just needs the experience and the help.

One way to help would be to establish a consistent running game, something Arizona hasn't done all season. Edgerrin James ran for 68 yards on 15 carries, but a subpar offensive line and playing from behind takes the Edge out early.

"We didn't get a chance, I guess because of the circumstances, to run the ball as much as we would have liked to in the second half," Green said.

Wow, heard that one before.

LARRY'S RETURN

Leinart did receive a boost on Sunday in the form of Larry Fitzgerald. The Pittsburgh product returned after missing three games because of a hamstring injury, and led the team with six catches and 80 yards.

His return is also sure to help Anquan Boldin, who finished with two catches for 53 yards.

However, even Fitzgerald couldn't stop the Cardinals' current eight-game losing skid, their longest since 1991. The loss also kept Leinart winless as a starter.

ROSTER MOVES

Arizona did make some roster moves over its break.

First, the club signed middle linebacker Gerald Hayes to a five-year contract extension. Hayes has 62 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions so far this season.

The club also placed linebacker James Darling on injured reserve because of a calf injury. He had played in just three games this season. To replace Darling on the roster, the team signed linebacker Monty Beisel to a one-year contract.

CARDS HONOR A HERO

The Arizona Cardinals added former safety and Army Ranger Pat Tillman to their ring of honor during halftime against the Cowboys. Tillman's name and number was added to the ring as part of Arizona's Veterans Day weekend.

Tillman's story has been well-documented, as he turned down a lucrative contract from the Cardinals prior to the 2002 season to join the Army following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was tragically killed by friendly fire in April of 2004 in Afghanistan.

The Cardinals honored Tillman with a bronze statue of the former Arizona State product and a video tribute at halftime. The club also named the plaza that surrounds the stadium the "Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza."

Tillman's No. 40 was already retired by the franchise on September 19, 2004.

NEXT UP: BATTLE WITH THE LIONS

Arizona next hosts the Detroit Lions. The Cardinals trail the all-time series, 19-31-3.

The Lions defeated Arizona 29-21 last season to record their third straight win over the Cardinals. Prior to that losing skid, the Cardinals had won five straight over Detroit.

The Lions are coming off a 19-13 loss to the 49ers that saw San Francisco further itself from Arizona, which sits at the bottom of the NFC West.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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