Fan of Baseball

The offensively struggling Kansas City Chiefs have finally found a way to win-play a team with a more stagnant offense than their own. The Chiefs gave Todd Haley his first win as a NFL head coach on Sunday with a—6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kansas City is now 1-5 on the NFL season, while the Redskins slumped to 2-4.

To successfully bet on NFL football you occasionally have to put aside W/L records and look at the underlying statistics. Those who did that found reason to take Kansas City as +6′ road underdogs and were rewarded with the outright victory. Kansas City is now 2-4 against the NFL pointspread and has covered two straight while Washington is a dismal 1-5 versus the money. The 20 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 36′.

After the contest, Haley sounded more relieved than excited about finally putting a “W” on the board:

“We made it pretty difficult, right down to the end. We’ve pushed through a very difficult period. We needed to get some positive reinforcement with a win.”

Kansas City QB Matt Cassel also won for the first time since coming over from New England in the off season. His postgame comments were more upbeat:

“There’s been a lot of change, but this has definitely been special. We rose to the occasion. We made some big plays. We put ourselves in a position to score points.”

Embattled Redskins’ coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his offensive play calling duties by team management after the contest. In one of his last decisions in that role, he pulled starter Jason Campbell at halftime and went with Todd Collins. He explained his move as follows:

“I felt the need to create a spark on our football team offensively and went with Todd. I think the guys responded well. We kept our spark, at times, and then we refizzled.”

The Redskins have managed to win only two of their first six games despite being the only team in NFL history to play their first six games of the season against winless opponents. They’ll get another chance to silence their doubters next Monday night as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Skins are +6′ home underdogs with the total set at 38′. They’ll have a bye the next week and return to action on November 8th against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Kansas City will try to string together back to back wins as they host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. There’s currently no line on the game pending San Diego’s Monday Night Football contest against the Denver Broncos.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Ben Roethlisberger looked sharp in his return to the Pittsburgh Steelers lineup from injury, while the Buffalo Bills offense continued to sputter as the Steelers topped the visiting Bills 17-0 in NFL preseason action. The victory improved Pittsburgh’s NFL preseason record to 2-1, while Buffalo dropped to 1-3.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who backed the Steelers cashed their tickets as Pittsburgh covered the -6 price as home favorites. The Steelers are now 2-1 against the number in the NFL preseason, while Buffalo dropped to 1-2-1 ATS. The 17 points went UNDER the total of 36 and represented the Steelers third UNDER in three games.

Roethlisberger was happy with his performance, and gave the following observations:

“I was really proud of the way the guys were able to move the ball and … change some plays at the line of scrimmage. We made some mistakes early, but then we drove down the field.”

Bills coach Dick Jauron, on the other hand, didn’t have much to be happy about:

“We’ve got a lot of issues that we’ve got to solve. We’ve got to solve them very quickly.”

Buffalo QB Trent Edwards credited the stout Pittsburgh defense:

“That’s a great defense. They’re very talented. On our side, we didn’t get the job done. We left our defense on the field too long. … It is frustrating, but the thing is we have a lot to learn. We’re still fighting and it’s still early.”

The Bills were without their star free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens who missed his third straight game with a sprained toe. With their receiver corps depleted due to injury, Josh Reed shared much of his QBs frustration:

“Frustrating. I feel like we’re a much better offense than we showed tonight. It’s still the preseason, but we still want to come out and give a better effort than it felt like we gave tonight.”

Still, Reed wasnt about to say his team was in a state of panic:

“I’ll say we have more of a sense of urgency than panic. We’ve got to make sure everyone’s still on the same page and nobody’s down. We’ve got to keep everybody up and keep pushing.”

Buffalo will conclude their NFL preseason by hosting the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. Pittsburgh will travel to Charlotte, NC for a game against the Carolina Panthers on the same evening. The Bills will open the NFL regular season on Monday night, September 14th in Foxboro, Massachusetts against the New England Patriots. The Steelers will get their 2009 NFL regular season underway several days earlier, hosting the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, September 10th.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

The Pittsburgh Steelers used a 17 point fourth quarter outburst to break open a close game and send the Arizona Cardinals to defeat by a 20-10 score in a NFL preseason rematch of this years Superbowl. The two teams traded first half field goals and played a scoreless third quarter before Pittsburgh turned up the offense late in the game.

NFL bettors who favored the defending Superbowl champions in this matchup cashed their tickets as the Steelers covered as -3 home favorites.

The big catalyst for the Steelers offense was undrafted rookie Issac Redman out of Bowie State. Redman, listed as the Steelers #7 depth chart running back scored two rushing touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter run. The big short yardage back had already impressed the Pittsburgh coaching staff in practice, but he knew that he had to take advantage of the opportunities to demonstrate his skills in a game situation:

“This team prides itself on being able to find those free agents that are capable of playing. Hopefully I can be that next free agent. I knew I had to make an impression, or I might not even make it to the first preseason game.”

Both teams played their starting quarterbacks for only two offensive series. The Steelers Ben Roethlisberger was generally happy about his performance:

“Overall, without looking at film, I think it was OK. I think we had a couple of plays with a few breakdowns, but it just felt good to go against somebody other than your own guys.”

Arizonas Kurt Warner was happy with his performance, but noted that the first preseason game had come up on him quickly:

“I felt like we moved the ball and did what we wanted to. It seems like this game came pretty quick. When we were in the locker room, we were thinking, `Man, it is here already.’ ”

The star receivers for each team also saw limited playing time, with Arizonas Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburghs Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes each catching a single pass in a couple of series of action.

Pittsburgh will open the NFL regular season on Thursday, September 10th as they host the Tennessee Titans. Arizona will kick of their campaign on Sunday, September 13th at home against the San Francisco 49ers.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The Baltimore defense shut down the Carolina attack, and QB Joe Flacco played a virtually mistake free game as the Ravens built a 14-3 halftime lead before going on to beat the Panthers 17-13. The banged up Panthers scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable, but were never really in the game.

Both teams played their starters well into the third quarter. Second year QB Joe Flacco looked sharp, throwing for 247 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 28 passing before leaving the game with Baltimore holding a 17-3 advantage. After the game, Flacco said simply:

We were in a groove.

Tight end Todd Heap added:

“Everybody was making plays, and I feel like we’re heading right where we want to be.

Both sides of the ball were clicking on all cylinders, which pleased the Ravens defensive leader Ray Lewis:

“That’s what’s most exciting, the way we are clicking both offensively and defensively. The bottom line is everyone is lining up and playing fast. We’re all playing well right now.

The Panthers played without their starting running back tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, both sidelined with injuries. QB Jake Delhomme had a decent game, throwing for 180 yards on 11 of 16 passing. After the contest, Delhomme gave a mixed assessment of his team’s performance:

“We did some decent things but still they’re a very good defense.

Linebacker Jon Beason got to watch the game from the sidelines while nursing a sore knee, and wasnt pleased with what he saw from the Panthers usually formidable defensive corps:

“Tackling was horrible tonight. I think we’ve got to do a better job in our man-to-man coverage.”

Improving the teams scoring defense is a top priority for Carolina this season. The Panthers allowed 30 or more points in five of their final seven games last year. For a franchise that has long prided itself on defensive tenacity, that put a damper on an otherwise successful 12-4 season.

Baltimore will wrap up its NFL preseason on the road as they face the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Thursday. The Panthers will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final exhibition contest.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

In a NFL preseason game characterized by rainy weather, sloppy field conditions and a quick exit for both teams starters, the Miami Dolphins outlasted their in-state rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars by a 12-9 score. Only one touchdown was scored in the game, which was a battle of field goal kickers until the third quarter.

Miami’s Ernest Wilford recently converted to tight end from wide receiver, and gave the football an emphatic spike after his game winning touchdown reception. He talked about the play in his postgame comments:

“There’s a sense of urgency for me. I want to play well this year. It’s a good start. That was a lot of frustration right there. I didn’t play that much last year, so I had to let it out.”

Dolphins QB Henne, who is being groomed as the heir apparent to starter Chad Pennington, was pleased with his first effort of the NFL preseason:

“Overall I thought I played pretty well. I got some points on the board and had us moving.”

Jacksonville QB David Garrard gave a fairly standard assessment of his teams opening game performance:

“We have to get better at some of the protection issues. I have to make sure I get everybody lined up in the right spots.”

Newly acquired Jaguars wide receiver Tory Holt was happy with his only reception of the game:

“I had been anticipating this day for a long time. I enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun. I am looking forward to many more.”

Despite not scoring a touchdown, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio was generally upbeat about his teams effort:

“We are going to be physical up front. I liked what we did up front.”

Not surprisingly given the tempo of the game, the most heated battle for a starting spot was between the Dolphins placekickers. Both incumbent Dan Carpenter and challenger Connor Barth were perfect on their kicking attempts.

Jacksonville will host their other NFL rival from the state of Florida on Saturday as they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town. Miami will remain at home as they take on the Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins will begin the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th against the Falcons at Atlanta, while Jacksonville will play the Colts at Indianapolis.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The City of Iowa started playing football as a club sport in 1872. It gradually turned out to become a collegiate intramural event in 1882. Six years later, the University of Iowa assembled its official college football team. In 1899, due to their impressive play, the team received an invitation to play in the Western Football Conference. This conference is better known as the Big Ten. A year after that, owing to excellent performance, the team took part in the Western Conference title.

The extent of the team’s reputation grew considerably in 1920 and the following years. Guided by coach Howard Jones, they garnered consecutive victories. The 1939 season saw the team scoring major upsets against its opponents. In that year, they received many awards. That was the year Nile Kinnick, their Most Valuable Player, was awarded the Heisman Trophy. However, the team missed the Big Ten title by a single point.

Coach Forest Evashevski joined their ranks in 1952. Under his tutelage, from 1955 to 1960, the team managed getting to top five of national football rating four times. Their other achievements include winning the Rose Bowl two times. They also won the 1958 FWAA national games. After that season came nineteen years of losses. The trend was only reversed by the hiring of coach Hayden Fry. This was in 1979. Ever since then, the Hawkeyes have had their share of the winnings.

Until 1998, they garnered a total of three Big Ten titles and an equal number of Rose Bowl appearances. The team entered the top 25 at season’s end three times. They were in 8th place in 2002, number 20 in 2008 and in 7th place in 2009.

Since its creation as a team, the Iowa Hawkeyes has participated in 1,000 games 24 of which were bowl games.

Many members have displayed exceptional prowess and have been awarded for their achievements. Some of their players are now Hall of Fame-ers. These awards include the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On their individual merit, some member have received trophies for their athletic achievement. Among these trophies are the Outland Trophy, the Heisman Trophy, the Doak Walker Award and the Davy O’brien Award. Among their members, 92 have been named first or second team All-Americans.

The Big Ten Most Valuable Player Awards have been given to ten of their members. Many of them have proceeded to become NFL head coaches or Division I college coaches.

Nile Kinnick and Kile Jones deserve special mention. Nile has the honor of winning the only Heisman trophy ever won by the team. Kile, on the other hand, was awarded the Outland Trophy in 1955, the first African-American to do so.

The team gets its name from its mascot, Hierky the Hawk who has black and gold plumes. The mascot was created in 1948 but was displayed in the field only in 1959.

The home stadium of the team is found on campus. It was formerly the Iowa stadium but in 1972 was renamed the Kinnick stadium honoring Nile Kinnick.

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New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been a crucial factor in the teams 2-0 start, showing a poise and head for the game very rare for NFL newcomers. Still, there wasn’t much worry at the revelation that hes suffering from tendinitis in his right knee. The Jets announced Sanchez’s injury on Thursday, and hes listed as probable on the official NFL injury report.

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Sanchez practiced on Thursday, and though he was seen stopping to stretch and rub his right knee on a few occasions didn’t seem to suffer any impairment in his mobility. He participated in the entire practice, and there didnt appear to be any sort of effort to prepare Kellen Clemens to assume the starting role. Clemens, who served as Brett Favre’s backup during his time with the Jets, didn’t get any additional reps with the starting offense that would have indicated a concern about Sanchez’s health.

In his comments to the media, Jets head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the injury while downplaying its significance:

“It’s not that big a deal. He has something. I don’t know how to describe it than just to say its a little tendinitis. But, he’s fine. I mean, he fully participated and moved around great, I thought.”

New York offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was even more emphatic in his statement:

“Mark’s totally fine.”

Ryan then added a sarcastic note that brought laughs from the assembled media: “Make sure he’s on that list. I don’t mean anything by that.”

Ryan was referring to the Jets receiving a fine from the NFL for not properly disclosing injuries to then-QB Brett Favre late last season. Favre was suffering from a torn biceps tendon, though the team didnt list him on the official NFL injury report. The team was fined $75,000 while GM Mike Tannenbaum and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $25,000 each.

The Jets are less optimistic about the condition of cornerback Donald Strickland, who is suffering from a sprained right ankle. Ryan didnt offer much positive indication that hed be able to see action on Sunday:

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to play this week. I’m not declaring him out right now, but I don’t think there’s any way he’s playing this week.”

The Jets host the Tennessee Titans at the Meadowlands this Sunday afternoon. After that, the Jets will take to the road for their next two games. Theyll play the New Orleans Saints on October 4th before heading to south Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins the following Monday night.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn is off of the hot seat-at least temporarily. After a recent swoon that saw him stripped of play calling duties for the NFL team, Zorn got a vote of confidence from upper management on Friday. His head isn’t entirely out of the noose, however, as the reprieve will last only to the end of the season unless some marked improvement is seen in the second half. The Redskins’ defense has played well this year but their offense has been marked by a profound lack of productivity.

Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato had the following statement:

“Jim Zorn is the head coach of the Washington Redskins and will be for the rest of this season, and hopefully into the future.”

“The frustration is very high, everywhere around here. But the relationships internally within this organization, quite frankly, remain the same.”

For his part, Zorn was unimpressed by the vote of ’semi-confidence’:

“I don’t necessarily have a reaction to that because I am the head coach. I want to be here for the next 10 years. That’s my story.”

While he didn’t express much personal relief from the management statement, he said he hoped it would benefit his players:

“If it comforts the players – awesome! But I think our players are focused regardless of what the situation is. Whatever has to be said, I guess it has to be said, but we go on.”

Quarterback Jason Campbell sounded relieved:

“That should relieve a lot of tension and a lot of stress. Guys don’t have to worry about thinking about it or talking about it. We were the soap opera for the NFL the last two weeks so hopefully it’ll calm down a little bit.”

Ceratto also had a different take on the removal of Zorn’s play calling duties:

“Look at all the things that we’ve done to try to help. You could have done other things drastically. No, you have confidence in him, because you want him to do well. Hopefully we can just concentrate and focus on winning football games.

He also expressed confidence in offensive consultant-and new offensive playcaller-Sherm Lewis’ ability to do the job:

“You don’t forget how to ride a bike if you hadn’t rode your bike in four years.”

The Redskins have slumped to a 2-4 record in the early part of the NFL season despite being the first team in league history to play six straight games against winless teams. Washington will host the Philadelphia Eagles this Monday night before a bye week. After the bye, they’ll return to action on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on November 8.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Infielder Martin Prado has hurt his hand playing in Cincinnati against the Reds recently. This injury is being taken seriously by the Atlanta Braves who are trying for the National League East division title. He will be on the disabled list until at least August 16.

He told interviewers that his finger got stuck in a small hole near home plate. He dove head first. The initial X-Rays showed nothing, but the testing Saturday revealed a small fracture, which doctors decided did not require surgery. The injury is a “stable avulsion fracture” which is when tendon separates away from the nearby bone. It is a painful injury and Prado said “I felt it” and “It was not normal pain.”

He had hurt himself but not without result. His low reach for the base scored in a two run double provided by Jason Heyward. Prado has had one of his best seasons, and prior to this injury he is batting .315 with a 43 RBI and 13 home runs. He is the team leader with 75 runs scored and 138 hits. The infielder was trying to reach 200 hits this season, having reached 100 hits in his 69th game, the second fewest games in all of Braves history. The fewest games played to achieve this record was Ralph Garr who hit 100 times in just 62 games in 1974.

Fans have good reason to be concerned, he is a strong player with a proven game. Prado is ranked in the National League with 138 hits. He also leads the majors with 44 multi hit games and his career high right now is 13 homers. Oddly enough, he is remembered for standing a bat on it’s end in a 2007 game. He had hit the ball, dropped the bat and ran for first, leaving the bat standing incredibly on it’s end.

Diory Hernandez was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett as an active infielder to fill the missing role. Hernandez will probably be a spot starter and a pinch hitter over the next two weeks as the team uses All Star Omar Infante as the everyday infielder. Omar is a flexible player who has also started as shortstop, outfielder and third base this season for Atlanta.

Hernandez is also a suitable replacement, he was batting .319 as he played briefly with the parent club one year ago. He also had a 17 RBI in 30 games for Gwinnett before getting the call to the majors. Unfortunately, he recently struck out against Met’s starter Johan Santana while pinch hitting in the sixth inning.

Disappointed Prado was quoted “The most important games are coming up and I want to be a part of it.” Bobby Cox, the team’s current manager hopes for the best but said “If he [Prado] was only going to be out a couple of days, we could wait, but I don’t think it would be good if he’s going to be out for like 10 days.” Braves fans discussed this injury on many websites making it a hot topic for betting speculation.

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The Minnesota Vikings’ decision to facilitate Brett Favre’s latest ‘unretirement’ is looking better and better with each passing week. This past Sunday, Favre’s charges moved to 6-0 on the season with a wild 33-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens posted 21 fourth quarter points to charge back and claim the lead late, but Favre led a rally to set up place kicker Ryan Longwell’s 31 yard game winning field goal.

Minnesota has been one of the surprise teams of the season, and that fact has also enriched those who bet on NFL football. They didn’t get the money on this occasion, however, as the Ravens took the cheese as a +3 road underdog. Still, it was only the Vikings’ second loss of the year against the NFL pointspread (4-2) while Baltimore has also been solid against the number with a 4-2 mark. The cover broke a two game ATS losing streak for the Ravens.

Baltimore QB Joe Flacco got the Ravens in range for a last second game winning field goal, but Steven Hauschka’s 44 yard try went wide left. After the game, he took his miss hard:

“It’s tough for me. I feel like I let them down. That’s something I have to live with.”

Ravens’ running back Ray Rice disputed Hauschka’s self anointed scapegoat status:

“We didn’t lose that game because of Hauschka’s miss. If we start fast and put points on the board, our defense starts fast, I think the game is a totally different outcome. But that’s what happens when you play against great teams.”

Flacco praised his team for fighting back from a 27-10 fourth quarter deficit:

“We realize what kind of fighters we have in our locker room and that’s what we’re going to use the rest of the year. I think we were 3-3 last year, not that that matters, but we can overcome anything.”

Ray Lewis concurred with his quarterback’s comments:

“Every game has been a game of inches. But for me, being in this business for so long, it just speaks volumes for our team in the way we fight, regardless of the circumstance we’ve been put in.”

The Vikings now face arguably their toughest scheduling stretch of the season, beginning with a trip to the ‘Steel City’ for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Vikings are a +4 road underdog with the total set at 45. The following week Minnesota heads to Green Bay for what is sure to be an emotional return for Favre. They’ll then get a much needed break via a bye week and a November 15th game against the lowly Detroit Lions. The Ravens will face another undefeated team after a bye week, hosting the Denver Broncos on November 1.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.