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09/09/2010 -
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - It's not as if Alex Smith needed the captain tag in front of his name. As quarterback, he's long been considered the leader of San Francisco's offense anyway.
He spent the offseason showing everybody why. Smith changed his schedule to take time to throw to different receivers. He committed countless hours to studying at team headquarters and picking the brains of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson.
Now, Smith has the captain title to show for it. Coach Mike Singletary made the call this week heading into the 49ers' season opener Sunday at Seattle. It's the first time in Smith's six NFL seasons that he's been a regular captain. Early in his career, he had the tag on occasion but the duties shifted game to game.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Cardinals RB Beanie Wells out of practice
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells
did not participate in practice for a second straight day.
Wells, who has been bothered with a knee issue, did not take the field on
either Wednesday or Thur
<< Durant carries U.S. into semis; Lithuania crushes Argentina
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant poured in 33 points on 11-
of-19 shooting, helping the United Stated grind out an 89-79 victory over
Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Russell Westbrook
<< Damon, Porcello help Tigers down White Sox
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two
runs scored, and Rick Porcello threw eight strong frames as the Tigers handed
the White Sox a third straight loss, 6-3, to close out a four-game series.
Ryan Ra
<< In the FCS Huddle: Week 2 Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "For the warrior, the seasons are marked
not by these sweet measures, nor the calendar years themselves, but by
battles," - Xeo, Gates of Fire
For the warriors in the FCS, the season of battle presses forw
Browns bring back OL Yates >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns signed offensive lineman
Billy Yates on Thursday.
Yates, who was released on Tuesday, played in seven games last year for the
Browns after starting seven games at right guard for the P
Phillies place Mathieson on DL >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday
placed pitcher Scott Mathieson on the 15-day disabled list with a latissimus
dorsi strain.
The 26-year-old pitched in two games for the Phils this season, with
Cowboys make Austin one of NFL's highest paid receivers >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver
Miles Austin to a six-year contract extension on Thursday.
Though financial details of the agreement were not released, a report on the
team's website stated th
Rockies steal win from Reds, complete four-game sweep >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Nelson stole home in the eighth inning to
help the Colorado Rockies completed a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds
with a 6-5 comeback win.
Jason Giambi hit a two-run home run while Troy Tulowitz
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.
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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