Ravens need more from Flacco, Rice
Football Betting Lines
01/17/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Flacco and Ray Rice have been waiting three years to get back to this spot, and if the Baltimore Ravens hope to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001, they'll need their dynamic duo to take their game up another level.
As a pair of rookies following selections in the 2008 draft, Flacco and Rice were a part of a Ravens club that was dealt a 23-14 setback at Pittsburgh in Baltimore's last trip to the AFC Championship Game. It was a forgettable day for Flacco, who was picked off three times and held to under 150 passing yards.
Rice, meanwhile, had just four touches in a reserve role to Willis McGahee as he was still in the process of making his mark on the team.
With much more experience under their respective belts, Rice and Flacco have transformed into premier players in the NFL. Rice is one of the top dual threats in the league, logging over 1,300 yards rushing with 76 receptions for another 704 yards while finding the end zone a total of 15 times during the 2011 regular season.
Flacco has been a consistent winner since coming into the league as a first- round draft pick, but has a reputation of not being able to come through in the big game thanks to Baltimore's losses in the Divisional Playoff round to end each of the previous two seasons.
The 27-year-old didn't shake that stigma in a 20-13 win over the Houston Texans in last weekend's AFC Divisional Playoffs. Though he threw a pair of touchdown passes, Flacco was sacked five times and held to 176 yards passing. He did play it safe with the football and didn't turn it over, but also got little help from Rice. The shifty back ran for just 60 yards on 21 carries while catching four passes.
With a date this weekend against the high-flying New England Patriots, the offense -- specifically Flacco and Rice -- will need to put up better numbers.
"As an offense, an offensive guy, I would think so." Flacco responded when asked after last week's win if the offense needs to put up more points this Sunday. "At the same time, we have a good defense. The way [the Patriots] played all year, the way they've played in the past, they put points on the board. So I think as an offense, you have to go in there and put points on the board too."
With linebacker Ray Lewis the face of the franchise, defense is what keyed the Ravens to their Super Bowl XXXV victory over the Giants over a decade ago. But Flacco needs to be wary about living in the past, especially in today's video game-like NFL, even if the Baltimore defense is coming off another solid effort.
Baltimore ranked third in both total and scoring defense in the regular season, but this Sunday will be going against the league's second-ranked offense and a proven winner in Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
The Ravens suffered an overtime loss in New England last season after beating the Patriots on their own field in an AFC Wild Card game the season prior. Rice had an 83-yard touchdown run just 17 seconds into that game and posted 22 of Baltimore's 52 runs on the day.
Flacco was allowed to throw the ball just 10 times, but will certainly see more action this weekend.
"We've gone out there and played before," said Flacco of this weekend's trip to Gillette Stadium. "We've gone on the road and played a championship game since I've been here. We didn't win that game. We have won in New England. They are one of the teams, just like us, that's tough to beat at home. They play very well up there, but we know how tough it is to go into a place like that, a place like here, and win a football game. So we're going to have to make sure we prepare well all week and bring our A-game up there."
Veterans such as Lewis and safety Ed Reed are always willing and able to shine come postseason, and Reed is one of those that isn't worried about his offense coming up shy in a big spot on Sunday. If anything, the duo will likely serve as just as big a motivator for the offense as the defense.
"We feel like we're the big brother so [to speak] of the team, but our offense will get going," said Reed.
"It takes a team effort. It's not just offense out there on the field or defense on the field or special teams. It took a team effort [to beat the Texans]."
The Ravens were the lone team to win in last weekend's playoff round while putting up less than 36 points. A similar outing isn't likely to be enough against a Patriots team coming off a 45-10 dismantling of the Denver Broncos.
Flacco will surely attempt more than 10 passes in this meeting, and a healthy number of those could find their way into Rice's hands.
If a Super Bowl berth is in the cards for the Ravens, they'll need Flacco and Rice to be more like Batman and Robin or risk looking like Jokers to Brady's Patriots.
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oriol Servia will drive for Dreyer & Reinbold during the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season, the team announced on Tuesday. Servia finished fourth in IndyCar points last year, driving for New
<< Pirates, Karstens agree to one-year deal
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to a one-year
deal with pitcher Jeff Karstens, thus avoiding arbitration.
Karstens finished 2011 with a 9-9 record and a 3.38 earned run average, the
best of his career, in
<< Illinois State adds six mid-year transfers
Normal, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Illinois State football coach Brock Spack
announced on Tuesday the addition of six mid-year transfers, including five
from Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
All six players are eligible immediately and can par
<< Counsell joins Brewers front office
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have named former
infielder Craig Counsell as a special assistant to the general manager.
Counsell wrapped up a 16-year big league career in 2011 with the Brewers, for
whom he pla
<< Mets avoid arbitration with Pelfrey
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets signed pitcher Mike Pelfrey
to a one-year contract Tuesday, avoiding arbitration with the 28-year-old
hurler.
Although financial terms were not released, the deal is believed to be wo
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Harness racing's premier event, the Hambletonian, will continue at The Meadowlands through 2014. An agreement has been reached between the Hambletonian Society and Meadowlands leaseholder Jeff Gural
Colts fire Jim Caldwell >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have fired head
coach Jim Caldwell.
More to follow.
Baltimore avoids arbitration with Johnson >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to terms
with pitchers Jim Johnson, Darren O'Day and Dana Eveland on one-year
contracts, avoiding arbitration.
Johnson, 28, appeared in a career-high 69 games
Yankees avoid arbitration with Chamberlain, Robertson >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have agreed to terms with
pitchers Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson on one-year contracts, avoiding
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Red Sox ink Ellsbury to 1-year deal >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and outfielder Jacoby
Ellsbury have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a contract for the 2012 season.
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game
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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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
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