Gophers suspend two for opener
NCAA Football Betting Lines
08/31/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota has reportedly suspended senior safety Kyle Theret and senior offensive lineman Dom Alford for Thursday's season opener for a violation of team policy.
According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Theret has been suspended since spring practice after being charged with driving while intoxicated. Theret was last year's starting strong safety for Minnesota, which went 6-7 last year.
Alford, who has started 19 games in his career -- including nine last season, will also miss the game against Middle Tennessee State.
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Tony Brown returned to practice on Tuesday after being removed from the physically unable to perform list. Brown, who had offseason surgery on his right knee, is expected to
<< Real Madrid loans Drenthe to Hercules
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid loaned defender Royston Drenthe
to promoted Hercules on Tuesday for the rest of the La Liga season.
Drenthe, a Netherlands international, joined Real in 2007 from Feyenoord, but
has struggled t
<< Wolfsburg sends Misimovic to Galatasaray
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg, which signed Diego last week,
sent attacking midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic to Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Misimovic, 28, had 17 goals in 65 league matches for Wolfsburg and was a real
creator in
<< Juventus adds Traore, Rinaudo
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus signed Arsenal defender Armand Traore
and Napoli defender Leandro Rinaudo on season-long loan deals Tuesday.
Traore, a 20-year-old left back, made nine appearances for Arsenal last season
and Rinaudo,
<< Djokovic, Fish win tough openers in New York
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic and
surging American Mardy Fish were a pair of hard-fought opening-round winners
Tuesday at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic outlasted fellow Serb Viktor Troicki 6-3, 3-6, 2-6,
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins placed offensive lineman Nate Garner on injured reserve and defensive end Philip Merling on the reserve/non- football injury list. Garner (foot) was competing for a starting role on Miami's o
Ravens acquire CB Wilson from Seahawks >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens acquired cornerback
Josh Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a conditional 2011 draft
pick.
The 5-foot-9, 192-pound Maryland product was a second-round pick of th
Cowboys release Watkins >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday released veteran
safety Patrick Watkins.
A fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2006 draft, Watkins recorded 122
tackles and four interceptions over 49 games.
Dallas al
BYU officially announces football independence, will join WCC >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brigham Young University officially announced its
resignation from the Mountain West Conference, effective June 30, 2011, in its
quest to become a football independent next season.
The Cougars will re-join the We
Lomg-time Stamps physician Murphy passes away >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Stampeders physician Dr. Vince Murphy
has passed away at the age of 87, the team announced Tuesday.
Dr. Murphy was associated with the Stampeders since 1957. A release from the
team said Murphy pass
Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.