Grossman Shines As Texans Beat Bucs

The Houston Texans produced a 17 point outburst in the second quarter and went on to beat the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-20 in the NFL preseason finale for both teams. Rex Grossman carried the bulk of the workload for Houston, finishing with 197 yards and two touchdowns in an effort that likely secured him the #3 quarterback position on the Texans roster behind Matt Schaub and Dan Orlovsky. While Grossman didn’t throw any interceptions, it was a sloppy game overall with the two teams combining for seven turnovers.

Houston rewarded their NFL betting backers by winning outright as a +3 road underdog. The 47 combined points went well OVER the posted total of 33. In fact, with 27 points scored in the first half the two teams came very close to topping that total in the opening two quarters alone.

After the game, Grossman took a philosophical outlook on his immediate future as an NFL quarterback:

“I don’t control any of that. All I wanted to do was go out and have a good game for either this team or somebody else. That’s not up to me. I thought I did that, and we’ll see what happens. I feel decent about my audition. If they cut me, then hopefully somebody else will pick me up.”

Texans coach Gary Kubiak was was pleased with Grossman’s effort:

“I was very impressed. You could see signs of that during camp, whenever he was working that first seven or eight days. Obviously he knows what this league’s about. He knows how to make plays. He was ready to play.”

When asked specifically about Grossmans chances of making the team, Kubiak was very noncommittal:

“I don’t know. … We’ve got to look at a lot of things. It’s a tough process, that 53 situation, so we’ll see. He sure as heck helped himself.”

On the other side of the field, the game was the NFL debut of Greg Olson as the Bucs’ offensive coordinator. Olson was promoted Thursday when former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski was sacked as the teams offensive mastermind after a sluggish output in the preseason.

After the game, Bucs head coach Raheem Morris was pleased with the performance of #1 draft pick Josh Freeman. Freeman threw two interceptions in one half of play, but also dished out a touchdown pass and earned his coachs praise:

“He came out a little shaky. He had to make a couple of great scrambles there, make a couple of good third-down conversions to end that thing with a two-minute drive to get us in the end zone It’s what you want to see. You want to see these guys play better every time you go out there.”

The Texans will kick off the NFL regular season at home, hosting the New York Jets on Sunday. Theyll take to the road the next weekend, taking on the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Tampa will host the Dallas Cowboys in week one before heading to upstate New York the following Sunday for a game against the Buffalo Bills.

Ross Everett is a freelance 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 Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

NFL Flashback: Baltimore Beats Up On New England

The New England Patriots looked nothing like a team that had gone undefeated at home all season, let alone one of the dominant teams of the past few years. The Baltimore Ravens took advantage of a weak New England rushing defense and some untimely mistakes by QB Tom Brady to lead 14-0 just five minutes. They would end the first quarter up 24-0 and would never be seriously threatened as they coasted to a 33-14 victory in Sunday’s NFL Wildcard game.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who took Baltimore as +3′ road underdogs were mentally counting their winnings before the end of the first quarter. The Patriots had dominated the head to head matchups with a 5-0 mark (4-1 ATS) and were undefeated at 8-0 (5-3 ATS) on their home field heading into this matchup. The 47 combined points scored went OVER the posted total of 43.

The Ravens took advantage of three first quarter turnovers by Tom Brady to build their insurmountable lead. Ricky Rice ran for an 83 yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first place from scrimmage, but afterward refused to proclaim the New England era of dominance over for good:

“Their era is not over, they know how to win but for the Ravens, to beat the New England Patriots set a precedent. We’ll always remember this win. One thing we said as an offense is we want to start games fast. I wanted to be the guy today to start fast, whether it was a 5-yard run or an 83-yard run. I wanted to be the guy to say this will be a fast-tempo game. We want the other team to play catch-up to us.”

Baltimore certainly did that, forcing New England to play catch up from their first possession. From the beginning, things didn’t go well as Tom Brady fumbled on the Patriots’ first possession setting up another easy Ravens’ TD. By the end of the first quarter, Brady and his teammates were hearing boos from the Gillette Stadium fans. For his part, Brady didn’t blame them for their displeasure:

“I’d have been booing us, too, the way we played. Playing the way we played today, we weren’t going to beat anybody.”

New England is done for the year, while Baltimore will head to Indianapolis to take on Peyton Manning and the Colts on Saturday night. Indy has won and covered three straight against the Ravens, though Baltimore gave them a tough fight at home this season before losing 17-15 as a +1 home underdog.

Ross Everett is a well known expert on sports handicapping and a respected freelance writer specializing in pro football, auto racing, clogging and model railroading. He provides daily free sports picks to Internet and broadcast media outlets. He lives in Southern Nevada, Nevada with three dogs and a retired racing wombat.

Patriots’ Offensive Balance Too Much For Falcons

After an erratic start to the 2009 NFL regular season, the New England Patriots have finally found some balance to their offense. Tom Brady had carried all of the weight in the Pats first two regular season games due to their one dimensional offense, but on Sunday he received some long overdue help from running back Fred Taylor who ran for 105 yards. As a result, the Patriots dominated the time of possession battle holding onto the ball for nearly 40 minutes en route to a 26-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Patriots as -4 home favorites cashed their tickets with the 16 point victory. It was New Englands first ATS triumph of the season, while Atlanta lost to the money for the first time in the 2009 campaign. The 36 combined points scored went UNDER the total of 45. Both teams have played two of their three games UNDER the total so far this season.

Rushing star Taylor talked about the importance of a balanced offense:

“You want to be balanced going into games, but some situations don’t allow for it. You want to establish that momentum and look over across the ball and see the frustration in the defensive guys’ eyes.”

New England was also very effective on defense, holding the Falcons Tony Gonzalez to one catch early in the fourth quarter. An obviously frustrated Gonzalez talked about the Patriots defensive scheme after the game:

“They did the same thing they always do to me, ‘bracket coverage. If I get single coverage I am going to make them pay for it eventually.”

New England safety Brandon McGowan joked that the plan was to hold Gonzalez without any catches:

“The plan was for him to not have any catches and he had one so obviously the plan failed.”

Patriots running back Sammy Morris said it was simply a matter of making plays:

“We were making plays in the second half we weren’t making in the previous weeks. It was directly related to making the third-and-shorts and fourth-and-shorts. The offense is able to stay on the field and you’re able to get more things accomplished.”

The Falcons will enjoy a bye weekend before returning to action on the road against the San Francisco 49ers on October 11th. Theyll host the Chicago Bears the following Sunday before playing the Cowboys at Dallas. New England will host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. New England will play at Denver the following weekend before returning home to take on the Tennessee Titans.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and noted 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 energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Favre Leads Vikings To Comeback Win Over Niners

In a victory for the highlight reels, Brett Favre completed a 32 yard touchdown pass to Greg Lewis with 2 seconds remaining in the game to lift the Minnesota Vikings to a dramatic 27-24 come from behind victory over the San Francisco 49ers. It was the 43rd time in his career that The Gunslinger had pulled out a victory when his team is tied or trailing in the fourth quarter. The rapidly improving 49ers dropped their first game of the year in heartbreaking fashion, while the Vikings remained undefeated at 3-0.

While the Vikings may have won the game on the scoreboard, the Niners took the decision where it really matters. San Francisco rewarded NFL betting devotees with their third pointspread cover in three games this season, cashing tickets as +6 road underdogs. It was the Vikings first setback to the spread against two victories this season. The 51 combined points scored went OVER the posted total of 39. It was the 49ers first OVER of the year against two UNDER verdicts, while the Packers went OVER for the second time in three games.

Favre commented on the victory after the game:

“It’s hard to even recall all of ‘em. This one was pretty special.

The game winning touchdown pass was upheld by video review. Niners cornerback Nate Clemens said this was a hard setback to take:

“I’ve had some hard losses. This is just another one for the list. We just have to keep chopping away.”

Greg Lewis, who caught Favres game winning pass, said that the entire offense was fired up on the final drive:

“The offensive line was fired up. Adrian was fired up, and the receivers were fired up. And Brett fell right in. He was fired up, too, like: ‘We’re going to get this done And that’s the attitude that we took out there on the field.”

In his postgame comments, Vikings coach Greg Childress commended the cool confidence of his veteran quarterback:

“He’s been in many, many, many, many situations like that so it never hurts you to have a veteran like him going down the field.”

In the Niners locker room, coach Mike Singletary could be heard giving his team a tough love pep talk:

“You have nothing to be looking at the floor for! You didn’t steal anything! You didn’t do anything wrong! OK? We’re going to get better! We’re going to get there! We will see them again in the playoffs, all right? You hold your head up!”

The 49ers will return home to host the St. Louis Rams next Sunday. Theyll host the Atlanta Falcons the following week before a bye week. Minnesota will host the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football next week. Theyll play at St. Louis the following weekend before returning home to host the Baltimore Ravens on 10/18.

Ross Everett is a 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 Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Rush Limbaugh Makes Bid To Purchase NFL Team

Popular talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has long been one of the United States most polarizing media figures. He may soon become one of the National Football Leagues most controversial owners. On Tuesday, Limbaugh announced that he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues owner David Checketts to make a bid to purchase the struggling NFL team.

Limbaugh issued a statement that was short on details due to various confidentiality agreements:

“Dave Checketts and I have made a bid to buy the Rams and we are continuing the process.”

The statement didnt place a value on the Limbaugh/Checketts bid, nor did it specify any other individuals whod be involved in the bid. He did specify that he and Checketts would be responsible for the operation of the team. Forbes Magazine has estimated the value of the franchise at just over $900 million.

The team is currently owned by the estate of Georgia Frontiere, specifically her children Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez who inherited 60% of the team upon her death in 2008. The remaining 40% is owned by Stan Kroenke.

A statement issued by the Frontiere estate to coincide was the Limbaugh statement revealed very little additional information:

“Our strategic review of our ownership of the Rams continues. We will make an announcement upon the completion of the process.”

The other parties to the negotiations–Checketts and the National Football League–both declined comment.

Limbaugh is a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri and an avid sports fan. He once worked in a sales capacity for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and had a short stint as a studio analyst on Monday Night Football.

Despite Limbaugh and Checketts ties to the area, the rumor of the sale has raised concern in St. Louis. The city has already lost one NFL team, when the Cardinals moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1987. The NFL passed over St. Louis for an expansion franchise in 1993, awarding it instead to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1995, Frontiere”a St. Louis native”was persuaded to move the team back to her hometown. There is a clause in the Rams lease that would allow the team to relocate without penalty as soon as 2014 if their current home at the Edward Jones Dome is not deemed to be one of the top 25% of NFL stadiums. Its already one of the oldest facilities in the league, and there are no current plans to replace or renovate the structure.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and World Cup betting sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Giants Rip Hapless Bucs To Remain Undefeated

The New York Giants used a potent ground attack and a suffocating defense to shut out the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-0 on Sunday. The Giants amassed 397 total yards including 226 on the ground, while the defense held Tampa to 86 yards of total offense and five first downs. The statistical disparity was staggering–the Giants ran 76 total plays to 36 for Tampa Bay, and held the ball for a mind boggling 43:38 to 16:22 for the Bucs. The Giants improved to 3-0 on the season, while Tampa dropped to 0-3 and lost for the seventh straight time dating back to last season.

The Giants easily covered as -6 road favorites, improving their ATS mark to 3-0 on the season as well. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are 0-3 both straight up and against the spread.

After the contest Giants coach Tom Coughlin talked about his teams priorities for the week:

“We had a game in which we didn’t play very well against the run, so we knew that we would be tested and we would have to rise up and do a better job there. We also knew we needed to rush the ball better than we had, so we did a pretty good job with that.”

Over in the Bucs locker room, head coach Raheem Morris-who is still looking for his first victory at the helm of a NFL team”had little positive to say about his teams performance:

“They beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. … It wasn’t even close.”

“We have no choice but to get better than this performance. You get five first downs and you’re 0-for-9 on third down. You have 86 yards total offense. It was completely disastrous.”

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs gave much of the credit for the victory to his defense:

“Our defense was very, very, very impressive. I knew they would come out with a chip on their shoulder.”

Impressive enough to leave Bucs receiver Michael Clayton hanging his head and looking for answers:

“It was disappointing, a little bit embarrassing. We have to play better.”

The Giants will play at Kansas City this Sunday as they try to maintain their unbeaten 2009 regular season record. New York is a -9 road favorite with the total set at 42. Theyll host the Oakland Raiders the following Sunday before playing at New Orleans on October 18. Tampa Bay will play their next two games on the road, beginning this weekend against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are -7 home favorites with the total set at 37.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly 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 a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Pittsburgh Beats Arizona To Open NFL Preseason

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. After scoring only six points in the first three quarters the two teams combined for 24 points in the final period.

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 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.

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

Jets’ Sanchez Hopes To Play Despite Knee Pain

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. Based on comments from the quarterback and team officials, the prognosis sounds more optimistic than that.

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 didn’t appear to be any sort of effort to prepare Kellen Clemens to assume the starting role.

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.”

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. While he wasn’t with the team at the time of the incident, Ryan has expressed his displeasure with the fine.

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. New York has been installed as a -1 home favorite, with the total set at 37. The Jets have won five of the last nine meetings between the teams straight up, though Tennessee holds a narrow 5-4 advantage against the spread. 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 freelance writer and noted 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 energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Eli Manning Gets Longterm Deal From Giants

The New York Giants have made quarterback Eli Manning the NFLs highest paid player by offering him a six year, $97.5 million contract extension. Manning will earn just over $15 million a year, and $35 million of the contract is guaranteed. Should Manning play through the end of his contract hell be a Giant until 2015, meaning there’s a decent chance hell play his entire career with the team.

Manning will earn roughly $200,000 per season more than Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha who agreed to a 3 year, $45 million contract earlier this summer. Hes also got the upper hand on his older brother, Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning who earns just over $14 million per season.

While Manning and his agent have been tight lipped in the media about the deal, Giants GM Jerry Reese spoke in glowing terms of his teams $97.5 million investment:

“He is a franchise quarterback. He has done everything we asked him to do. He has come in, taken a lot of flak from you guys in the media and he just keeps going. He does what we ask him on the field and he does what we ask him to do off the field. He is a good football player.”

Reese also dismissed concern that the huge contract commitment would put additional pressure on Manning:

“He is used to that. He won’t get more pressure than he already has in this market. He knows how to handle pressure and he has done it before. I don’t expect to see any difference in his attitude and his work ethic. He works hard. He expects a lot from himself. He knows what his role here is with us and we expect him to continue it for a long time.”

Manning definitely has a number of qualities that justify this level of investment. Hes produced on the field, leading the Giants to a Superbowl championship and four straight postseason appearances. He also became the first Giant QB in history to throw for 3,000 yards and 20+ touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. Hes also shown a great deal of durability, starting 71 consecutive games”the third longest streak in the NFL.

Manning will earn just over $9 million this season, the final year of his rookie contract. The new deal will kick in with the 2009-2010 season.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on World Cup 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 interior secretary James Watt.

Dolphins Top Panthers In NFL Preseason Action

The Miami Dolphins unveiled their version of the wildcat single wing offense for the first time in the NFL preseason and it worked like a charm. Starting QB Chad Pennington went 8 of 11 for 105 yards and a touchdown pass as the Dolphins first team offense played well in a 27-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. While it is only preseason action, a victory is still a victory and no team likes to go down to defeat in back to back weeks. Carolina will have to pick up the pace if they wish to avoid a substandard NFL season that could result in their quarterback contemplating retirement.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said that there weren’t any big secrets:

“There are really no secrets there, but it’s good homework for us — a chance to see what people have been studying during their offseason, and how they want to defend this.

Pennington was also pleased with the effectiveness of the offense:

“The wildcat went well. Anything we can do to get an edge, I’m all for it.”

Ronnie Brown caught Penningtons TD pass and joined in the chorus of positive comments:

“We made some strides. We’re going in the right direction.”

Carolina coach John Fox sounded nonplussed, a surprising tone with a 0-2 team:

“Our first unit looked a little sharper. We’re not there yet, but I thought it was an improvement.”

Defensive end Julius Peppers sounded a similar tone:

“We’ve got to work on everything. That’s what the preseason is for.”

After a rough opening week, Panthers starting QB Jake Delhomme was also upbeat after the game:

“We did better things tonight. It’s a process, but we’re doing all right.”

Miami will head to the northwest coast of Florida for their next preseason contest, taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Thursday night. Carolina will host the Baltimore Ravens in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday. The Panthers will begin the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Dolphins will face the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome to get their regular season slate underway.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling 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.

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