Palmer Returns In Bengals NFL Preseason Loss To Saints

Despite losing to the New Orleans Saints in their NFL preseason opener 17-7, the Cincinnati Bengals had a lot to be happy about. Most significantly, they were elated over the return of QB Carson Palmer after he’d missed most of the last NFL season with an elbow injury. His return elated the city of Cincinnati, which led to mass celebration in the streets that their NFL football franchise once again had a serviceable quarterback.

New Orleans had their share of offensive highlights, with QB Drew Brees hooking up with tight end Jeremy Shockey for three completions including Shockey’s first touchdown reception in a Saints uniform. It was a harbinger of things to come, as Shockey would later catch a touchdown pass in the Saints’ remarkable Superbowl victory over the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. Many suggest that Bayou ‘root doctors’ have more to do with the win than the team’s actual play.

Saints fans were well aware that their QB would produce after hanging over 5,000 yards on the board last year, but Palmers return from injury brought a sigh of relief from Bengal backers. Palmer missed most of last season because of a partially torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow. His passing highlight was a 55 yard play to Chad Ochocinco.

After Shockeys TD staked the Saints to a 7-0 lead, the Bengals tied the game before halftime when Palmers backup J.T. O’Sullivan hit Chris Henry on a 14 yard touchdown pass. OSullivan also produced solid numbers, completing 9 of 11 passes for 100 yards.

The Bengals will continue their NFL preseason this Thursday as they travel to Foxboro, Massachusetts for a game against the New England Patriots. The Saints will also play away from home, heading over to Houston for a game against the Texans on Saturday. Both teams will kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th with the Bengals hosting the Denver Broncos and the Saints welcoming the Detroit Lions to New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball 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.

Cro Cop Takes On Choi At Fields Dynamite

The bizarre career path taken by Croatian striking machine Mirko Cro Cop will continue on New Years Eve in Tokyo as he faces 72 Korean kickboxer Hong-Man Choi in what should be the final addition to the K-1/DREAM combined show called Fields Dynamite!

For Cro Cop, its another stop on what has seemed like a meandering professional course full of much talk and little action since his departure from the UFC. In September 10, 2007, Cro Cop had just won PRIDE’s Open Weight Grand Prix in dominant fashion. In the process, he defeated Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett on the same night and some were suggesting that he, and not Fedor Emelianenko, was the best heavyweight fighter in the world.

Cro Cops upset loss to Gabriel Gonzaga changed that and his career his never really recovered. In what was supposed to be a “tune up” bout, Gonzaga smothered Cro Cop and roughed him up on the ground before unleashing his own version of Cro Cop’s signature kick. Mirko never saw it coming, and he crashed to the mat like he’d been shot with his leg folded awkwardly beneath him. Gonzaga went on to face Randy Couture, and the former Croatian anti-terrorism cop was relegated to being just another heavyweight.

Since the loss to Gonzaga it has been almost impossible to keep up with the various twists and turns in Cro Cop’s career. After another UFC loss, this by unanimous decision to Cheick Kongo where Cro Cop looked listless and gun shy, his management announced that he had suffered a broken rib in the first round and was having trouble breathing.

Its been an eventful year for Hong Man Choi as well. 2008 began with a loss to Fedor Emelianeko on the Yarrenoka New Years Eve event, in which the Russian fighting god briefly struggled with Choi’s 7’2″ 330 pound frame before submitting him. In April, he joined the Korean army for his compulsory military service only to be relived from his duties after medical tests discovered a brain tumor. The tumor was removed in June, and Choi was back in the ring in late September.

Tanikawa’s comments notwithstanding Choi is really the same as hes always been. Hes a physical mismatch for any opponent and while his striking style is awkward at best, it has proven to be reasonably effective. Not sure why Tanikawa is just now realizing that Choi isnt Ernesto Hoost, but hes a surprisingly skilled fighter who uses his unique physical attributes to their best advantage.

This fight isn’t about competition as much as it is about commerce. Cro Cop remains one of the most popular foreign fighters in Japan, and with the proven success of freak show matchups this may have been the most attractive opponent for him from the promotions standpoint.

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 a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Bengals Upset Packers On The Road

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to withstand a last minute Green Bay Packers comeback bid, and held on to win their first game of the NFL regular season 31-24. The Packers last drive stalled on the Bengals ten yard line, the victim of a false start penalty in the waning seconds. Both Cincinnati and Denver evened their 2009 record at 1-1. Wide receiver Chad Ochocinco scored the eventual game winning points on a 13 yard pass from Carson Palmer, after which he did his own version of the fabled Lambeau Leap into a sea of less than hospitable fans.

NFL football betting devotees who took the Bengals as +9 road underdogs easily cashed their ticket with the outright victory. Both teams are now 1-1 against the spread on the 2009 NFL season. The 55 combined points scored easily went OVER the posted total of 41. Like their ATS performance, both Green Bay and Cincinnati have split their two regular season games, playing in one OVER and one UNDER.

After the game, Ochocinco talked about his Lambeau Leap he performed after the game winning touchdown catch:

“It was fun. I had a little indecision on where to jump at first. I didn’t want to disrespect their tradition, so I was asking as I went along the line. I saw some Bengals fans that said it was OK.”

While the Packers late game penalty sealed the victory, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis insisted that his team deserved it due to their performance:

“We didn’t do enough to win the game last week and you get what you deserve. Today, we were able to make one or two more plays and win the football game and that’s what counts. I think our football team understands that.”

Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards and suggested that the Packers might have been a bit overconfident:

“Maybe a little, but you can’t blame them. They beat a very stout Bears team last week at home and I think they were feeling pretty good. But we’re men on this side of the football as well.”

Bengals QB Palmer gave the defense credit for the victory due to their performance on the last drive of the game:

“I kind of felt like it couldn’t happen again. It wasn’t a feeling of ‘here we go again’ at all. I know our defense is too good. They have too much pride and weren’t going to let that happen again.”

The Packers take to the road for their next two games, beginning this Sunday in St. Louis against the Rams. Green Bay is a -6 road favorite in the contest, with the total set at 41. Theyll face the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night the following week, and then enjoy a bye week. The Bengals now face a rough scheduling stretch, beginning with the Pittsburgh Steelers at home on Sunday. The Bengals are a +4 home underdog against the Steelers, with the total set at 37. Theyll then head across state to face the Cleveland Browns in their traditional rivalry the following week before heading to Baltimore for a game against the Ravens on October 11th.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected 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.

Iron Chef: Japan’s Culinary Sensation Takes America By Storm

‘Iron Chef’ is a crazy Japanese import cooking game show that features accomplished chefs from around the world going head to head in a competition format that’s part Julia Child, part pro wrestling. Even non-foodies are drawn to the show for its sheer entertainment value.

The story behind the show goes something like this–there’s this rich dude, MC Kaga who summons the finest chefs in Japan to do battle in his kitchen stadium. Needless to say, a TV studio wouldn’t suffice for such a production: the kitchen stadium is in Kaga’s castle. Also in residence are three Iron Chefs, each representing a different type of cuisine (Chinese, French and Japanese). The summoned culinary challenger picks which Iron Chef he wants to take a crack at and the contest begins. The show was originally created by the Fuji TV network in the Japan, and the original Japanese title translates literally to The Iron Men of Cooking.

The chefs just don’t pull out the best dishes from their repertoire–that would be too predictable. There’s a catch to the contest, and thats the fact that every dish must contain the theme ingredient which is kept a mystery until immediately before the contest begins. At that time, Kaga brings forth a heaping helping of whatever the current mystery ingredient is in a production of smoke and pyrotechnics. Sometimes the ingredient is something basic like tofu or apples, but it can also be something obscure like ox tail or some obscure shellfish.

At that point, the chefs have an hour to prepare a seven course meal, served to a discerning panel of B-List celebrities that usually include a couple of ‘TV Presenters’ and a ‘fortune teller’. The judges rate and discuss each course and declare a winner.

What really brings the show together is the announcin–”though I’m sure it loses something having been dubbed from Japanese. There’s a hysterical play by play announcer, an excitable color commentator, and an even more hyperactive sideline correspondent who will break in the commentary frequently with revelations such as observing that a chef is using fresh ginger in a dish or some similar piece of trivia. Apparently one of the announcers is a legit sumo wrestling announcer in Japan, making the strange juxtaposition between cooking shows and wrestling even more complete.

The dishes that the chefs come up with are always pretty amazing, creative and complex–if not always appetizing. Some of their creations look yummy, but a dessert with a compulsory use of carp isnt exactly my cup of green tea. Nonetheless, the creative process and intensity of the competitors is amazing. Even as challenging as this is, the requirement that a theme ingredient be used in every component of the meal really ups the ante.

The Food Network now produces an American-ized version of the show entitled Iron Chef America. Despite the similar format, it pales in comparison to the original Fuji TV production.

Ross Everett is an extensively published freelance writer and an authority on sports betting and thoroughbred horse racing. He contributes NFL football betting free picks for a number of media outlets. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three dogs and a pot bellied pig.

Miami Wins NFL Preseason Opener Over Jacksonville

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. Miamis game winning score came on a 33 yard touchdown strike from Chad Henne to tight end Ernest Wilford.

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. Afterwards, he spoke to reporters about the game winning score:

“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 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.”

Jaguars wide receiver Tory Holt, acquired as a free agent in the off season, 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. Current PK Dan Carpenter made a 48 yard fieldgoal and a PAT, while his challenger Connor Barth hit a 28 yard FG.

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 respected 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 an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Detroit Beats Washington To End Losing Streak

The Detroit Lions nineteen game losing streak is over. On Sunday afternoon at Ford Field in Detroit the Lions held on for a 19-14 win over the Washington Redskins. The Lions hadn’t won a game since December 23, 2007 and had already tied the second longest losing streak in NFL history. Their run of futility included a 0-16 mark in 2008, the first winless season since the NFL expanded its schedule to sixteen games. It may not have been pretty, but the streak is now over and the Lions wont have to worry about comparisons to the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost a record 26 games in their first two seasons as an NFL expansion team.

If you were going to bet on a NFL football game this past weekend, the Lions may not have been the most attractive position. Sports betting enthusiasts who took Detroit as a +6 home favorite were rewarded with the outright victory. It was the Lions first pointspread cover of the 2009 NFL season, while the Redskins have yet to get the money for their backers this year. The 33 points went UNDER the posted total of 39. It was the second UNDER in three regular season games for both teams.

Lions owner William Clay Ford said in postgame comments that he hopes the end of the streak signals a new beginning in the Motor City:

“We not only got the monkey off our back, we got King Kong off our back. I’m hoping that this gets us over that hump and gives us a winning attitude.”

Longtime Lion Dominic Raiola has played in Detroit for his entire nine year career, and he too expressed his relief that the streak had come to an end:

“I’ve always watched, but I’ve never been in this situation before. No team has been in this situation before. No one has gone 0-16 and then had to try to win a game the next year.”

Rookie QB Matthew Stafford had the best game of his young career, throwing for 241 yards on 21 of 36 passing with a touchdown and no interceptions. He gave his thoughts on his performance and the late game anticipation that preceded Detroit finally putting one in the win column:

“I’m having fun. It’s a great game we get to play. I figured I’d just let the crowd noise tell me what happened. When it got really quiet, I couldn’t take it, so I looked up, and saw them running, and then the tackle, and then I saw the clock was at zero.”

Detroit will try to start an actual winning streak next weekend as they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Detroit will host the Pittsburgh Steelers the following weekend before a road trip to Green Bay and game against the Packers on October 18th. Washington will host Tampa Bay next Sunday. They’ll play at Carolina on October 11th and then return home for a game against Kansas City the following weekend.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on NFL football 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.

New Orleans Beats Houston In NFL Preseason Blowout

Backup Mike Bell made the most of his opportunity, starting in place of Reggie Bush and helping the New Orleans Saints romp to a 38-14 road victory over the Houston Texans. Bush was held out of the game with a strained calf, and Bell filled in admirably rushing for 100 yards in the easy victory.

Bell is a former Denver Broncos starter who has produced only 45 yards rushing in the past two seasons. After the game, he talked about his big afternoon:

“I just wanted to show the team that I could come here and be a consistent running back. This kind of game was great because it reminds me that I can still play running back. Just to get the carries, and to make the most of this opportunity, that was a real confidence builder.”

Saints coach John Payton commended the effort, but said that it wasn’t a surprise due to Bells solid performance in training camp:

“He really has done a really good job. I was encouraged again to see him playing so well.”

Texans starting QB Matt Schaub moved the ball fairly well in limited playing time, but couldnt put points on the board. Houston head coach Gary Kubiak put the loss into perspective:

“It’s a humbling game. You can walk out of the stadium one week and feel good about yourself, and then walk out the next week and wonder what the heck is going on. We got pushed around. We have to play better than that up front in order to be successful.”

Linebacker DeMeco Ryan agreed:

“We take too much pride in what we do to go out and perform the way we did today. That’s not who we are.”

For the Saints, Drew Brees split time at QB with Mark Brunell.. Brees was 9 of 14 for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Brunell was 5 of 6 for 96 yards. Brees had missed three days of practice last week to attend his mother’s funeral. P.J. Hill also got some reps at running back for the Saints, carrying the ball 8 times for 26 yards. Clearly the Saints have a deep and versatile offense, but need to execute more soundly than they did last year. Talent isn’t the problem for the Saints; mistakes, however, are.

New Orleans will continue their NFL preseason run next Saturday against the Raiders at Oakland. Houston will host the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night. The Saints will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they host the Detroit Lions. Houston will start their schedule at home against the New York Jets.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball 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 an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

categories: NFL football,sports,recreation,hobbies

NY Giants Beat Carolina On Last Second Fumble Return For TD

The NFL couldn’t have scripted a better ending to their first nationally televised Monday Night Football contest, even if it was just a preseason game. New York Giants rookie Tommie Hill returned a fumble 18 yards for a touchdown with 0:00 on the clock to break a deadlocked game and give his team a 24-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers in NFL preseason action at The Meadowlands.

Carolina’s fourth string QB Hunter Cantwell was in a position where he just had to take a knee and run out the clock on first and 10 from his eighteen yard line. Instead, he tried to throw a pass only to have his arm hit forcing a fumble which Hill returned for the score.

Tommie Hill was in shock as he spoke about his game winning touchdown return:

“I’ve never seen a game end like that, not that way. I’m just a rookie trying to make the team. Anything like that that helps the team win in turn helps me. It was just a fortunate situation and I made the most of it.”

Hill, an undrafted rookie out of Colorado State had already become a favorite of Giants fans due to his tenacious, high impact playmaking. His touchdown will no doubt bolster his efforts to make the NFL roster.

Carolina coach John Fox sounded more bemused than dejected at his teams last second loss:

“Kind of an interesting ending. Both sides have a lot of work, but we have time. We have three weeks to do it

Giants QB Eli Manning played only two series before the backups took over. Still, he put a positive spin on his short night of work:

“We ran the ball really well, hit a couple passes and we got a touchdown. That is always the goal. We did a nice job with it, so I thought we were effective as the first group.”

Carolina will travel to Miami for a game next Saturday against the Dolphins. The Giants will head to Chicago to face Jay Cutler and the Bears. The Panthers will kick off the NFL regular season hosting the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Sunday, September 13th while the Giants will start their NFL campaign with a big divisional grudge match against the Washington Redskins.

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 a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Rain Doesn’t Hamper Hamlin At Martinsville

Despite a late race flat tire that necessitated an unplanned pit stop, Denny Hamlin raced like a madman down the stretch and took the checkered flag at Monday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR race at West Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway. The race had been originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved to Monday due to torrential rains. It was Hamlin’s third career victory on the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit.

Hamlin’s success at the track didn’t escape unnoticed by NASCAR betting enthusiasts, and those that backed him as a +750 choice to win received a nice payday. Series points leader Jimmie Johnson was the betting favorite for the race. Hamlin won the fall race at Martinsville last year and won this race in 2008.

Giving up the lead with ten laps remaining to head to the pit for fresh tires, Hamlin drove like a man possessed to regain the lead and take the victory. He somehow moved from 9th place to the lead in just four laps, and talked about his wild ride after the race:

“That’s hard to do. I had to bully my way through there towards the end, but everybody was just running into everyone. I flattened my tire with Matt Kenseth going down the backstretch and just somehow made it work.”

Hamlin got around seven time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon with help from teammate Joey Logano in the shootout during the final laps and held on for the victory. Race favorite Jimmie Johnson finished 9th, which was good enough to give him the overall series points lead. Greg Biffle is second in the standings, with Matt Kenseth in third.

NASCAR will head to Phoenix, Arizona for the Subway Fresh Fit 600 a week from Saturday before moving on to Texas for a race April 18th. They’ll then head to the superspeedway at Talladega, Alabama for the second restrictor plate race of the season on April 25th.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on football 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 interior secretary James Watt.

Browns Use Big First Quarter To Beat Lions In NFL Preseason Play

The good news for the Cleveland Browns was that their offense came out swinging on Saturday night, scoring 20 points in the first quarter en route to victory. The bad news–it was against the NFL’s worst team and their struggling rookie QB. Browns QB Derek Anderson played well, while the Detroit Lions rookie signal caller Matt Stafford struggled mightily as the Browns easily took a 27-10 decision in NFL preseason action. Both teams are now 1-1 in the preseason.

Anderson led the Browns to their first offensive touchdown in seven games and finished 8 of 11 for 130 yards and one interception. He gave a fairly positive assessment of his play in postgame interviews:

“I thought things went well. I played all right. I made some good throws and a couple I wish I could have back. It was an opportunity and I was happy to go out there and play well while I was in.”

Quinn entered in the second quarter, and was only 3 of 5 for 29 yards. After the game, Browns coach Eric Mangini deflected comments on which signal caller had the upper hand for the starting job:

“I’m really not going to assess it that way now. We’ll keep rolling along and move into next week and see where it goes.”

The NFLs first overall draft pick, Lions QB Matt Stafford threw an interception on his first play from scrimmage and finished with 34 yards on 5 of 13 passing. He tried to maintain an upbeat tone in his postgame comments:

“That’s what football is. You’ll play good some weeks and bad some weeks. The tough part about preseason is you get your allotted amount of plays. You can have a bad 25 plays and not get a chance to come back and fix it and make it right in the second half.”

Lions coach Jim Schwartz has the unenviable task of trying to turn around a team that went 0-16 last season, were that not bad enough he had to deal with the fallout of a fight during warm-ups between his own players. Carson Butler and Dewayne White went at it before the game. Schwartz sounded relatively unfazed by the bizarre turn of events:

“I’ve never seen that before.The thing I like about it is they were competitive and going hard. I came in and said, ‘Some of y’all thought the game started at 7 o’clock instead of 7:30.’ Obviously that’s something that shouldn’t happen and it’s already been addressed.”

Providing a good example of the lack of chemistry on a losing football franchise, White is still holding a grudge :

“We’ll probably have to go at it one more time when we’re not playing a game — next week sometime. There’s going to be bad blood between us.”

The Lions will continue their NFL preseason slate next Saturday night as they welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Ford Field. Cleveland will also play at home, with the Tennessee Titans providing the opposition. Both teams will open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th with Cleveland hosting the Minnesota Vikings and the Lions traveling to New Orleans to take on the Saints.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on baseball 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.

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