Quarterback Alex Smith now a 49ers captain
Football Betting Lines
09/09/2010 -
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - It's not as if Alex Smith needed the captain tag in front of his name. As quarterback, he's long been considered the leader of San Francisco's offense anyway.
He spent the offseason showing everybody why. Smith changed his schedule to take time to throw to different receivers. He committed countless hours to studying at team headquarters and picking the brains of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson.
Now, Smith has the captain title to show for it. Coach Mike Singletary made the call this week heading into the 49ers' season opener Sunday at Seattle. It's the first time in Smith's six NFL seasons that he's been a regular captain. Early in his career, he had the tag on occasion but the duties shifted game to game.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook's status is uncertain after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his lower right leg on Wednesday. Colorado manager Jim Tracy stated on Thursday that it is not known i
<< Cardinals RB Beanie Wells out of practice
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells
did not participate in practice for a second straight day.
Wells, who has been bothered with a knee issue, did not take the field on
either Wednesday or Thur
<< Durant carries U.S. into semis; Lithuania crushes Argentina
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant poured in 33 points on 11-
of-19 shooting, helping the United Stated grind out an 89-79 victory over
Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Russell Westbrook
<< Damon, Porcello help Tigers down White Sox
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two
runs scored, and Rick Porcello threw eight strong frames as the Tigers handed
the White Sox a third straight loss, 6-3, to close out a four-game series.
Ryan Ra
<< In the FCS Huddle: Week 2 Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "For the warrior, the seasons are marked
not by these sweet measures, nor the calendar years themselves, but by
battles," - Xeo, Gates of Fire
For the warriors in the FCS, the season of battle presses forw
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carolina Panthers starting right tackle Jeff Otah will miss at least the club's season-opener on Sunday, since his recovery from off-season knee surgery is taking longer than expected. Head coach
Browns bring back OL Yates >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns signed offensive lineman
Billy Yates on Thursday.
Yates, who was released on Tuesday, played in seven games last year for the
Browns after starting seven games at right guard for the P
Phillies place Mathieson on DL >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday
placed pitcher Scott Mathieson on the 15-day disabled list with a latissimus
dorsi strain.
The 26-year-old pitched in two games for the Phils this season, with
Cowboys make Austin one of NFL's highest paid receivers >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver
Miles Austin to a six-year contract extension on Thursday.
Though financial details of the agreement were not released, a report on the
team's website stated th
Rockies steal win from Reds, complete four-game sweep >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Nelson stole home in the eighth inning to
help the Colorado Rockies completed a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds
with a 6-5 comeback win.
Jason Giambi hit a two-run home run while Troy Tulowitz
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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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.