My Noogee

Posts Tagged ‘NFL football’

New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez tracked down NFL legend Joe Namath before the game looking for a pep talk and some pointers. What the NFL Hall of Famer told him had a very beneficial effect. Sanchez looked very decidedly not like a rookie as he threw for 272 yards and a touchdown against one interception. More importantly, the Jets easily beat the host Houston Texans 24-7.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Jets as +4 road underdogs cashed their tickets with the outright win. New York improved to 10-8 ATS as an underdog over the past three NFL seasons. The combined 31 points scored went UNDER the posted total of 44. The Jets have a slight UNDER bias over the past three years overall at 15-18, while they evened their total mark as an underdog at 9-9.

After the game, Sanchez recounted what Namath had told him:

“What a pep talk. That was Joe Namath, just taking all the credit from himself and throwing it back to me and just saying, ‘Good luck.’ To hear that from a legend like that, it just kind of gives you the chills. It was something special to be a part of, an emotional start, an emotional little pep talk.”

For his part, Namath said he wasnt surprised:

“No, I was hopeful and I’m satisfied more than I thought I’d be. His offensive line did a hell of a job, but he did a great job of finding time with his feet, just to move subtly … I don’t doubt even a little bit that he doesn’t have poise at this stage.”

The Jets defense also had a great afternoon. New York outgained Houston 462-183, and the Texans made it past midfield only once in the first three quarters. The Jets run defense was particularly stifling, holding Steve Slaton to just 17 yards on the ground. Afterwards, Slaton couldnt believe what had just happened:

“It’s just insane. You work for six months leading up to this first game. You have all offseason to prepare for this game and then to come out and play like that is upsetting.”

Texans coach Gary Kubiak took the blame for his teams poor showing:

“The offensive football team gave us no chance and that starts with me. There’s nobody that can feel anything good coming out of this football game.”

Houston will start from scratch on Sunday as they travel to Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans. The Texans will return home for games the following two weeks against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. The Jets will play their next two games at home, beginning this weekend against the New England Patriots. Theyll welcome the Tennessee Titans to the Meadowlands the following week.

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

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, but made clear his intention to purchase the football team:

“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 Missouri billionaire.

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.

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.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly 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 interior secretary James Watt.

The good news for the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare for the start of the NFL regular season is that their starting quarterback is back at practice. The bad news is that they still don’t know when hell be able to play. Matt Cassel returned to the Chiefs practice field on Monday for the first time since he injured his left knee in a NFL preseason game on August 29th. Still, there’s been no confirmation from either he or the team as to when hell return to action. The Chiefs don’t want to take any chances with Cassel due to the inexperience of their backup QB corps.

Cassel, who saw his stock shoot up precipitously as an NFL QB following his solid play in New England after starter Tom Brady went down to a season ending injury, signed a six year, $28 million contract with the Chiefs in the off season. Although Cassel was in full uniform at Mondays practice, head coach Todd Haley was noncommittal about whether he or Brodie Croyle would start Sundays NFL regular season opener on the road against the Baltimore Ravens:

“I think that as the week goes on, we’ll know a little bit more. We’ll know a little bit more with Matt for sure. But it was good that he was out there. He was able to get through some things. As the week goes on a little further, we’ll know a little more as far as where he’s at.”

“It’s good this is a long week. That will help with anybody who’s nicked up. I would say generally you would need to have a full practice to have a chance to play. Generally, you need to have a full Friday practice to have a chance.”

With or without Cassel, the Chiefs offense sputtered in the preseason scoring only two touchdowns. The lack of productivity cost offensive coordinator Chan Gailey his job and Kansas City stumbled to a 0-4 record in their NFL exhibition contests. Haley has taken over the offensive play calling for the time being, though it made no difference in the Chiefs final preseason game. Neither Croyle nor third stringer Tyler Thigpen was particularly sharp in preseason play, though Croyle got the most work and should get the nod on Sunday if Cassell is unable to play. Better to bring Cassel back slowly even if it means losing a game or two rather than rush him back and potentially have him re-injure his knee.

No matter who ends up under center for Kansas City as they start their NFL regular season, theyll face a tough assignment against the defensive tenacity of the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs will welcome the Oakland Raiders to Kansas City in week 2 of the NFL season, and play the next game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Tony Romo passed for a NFL career best 353 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys got their 2009 season off to a good start with a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raheem Morris went down in defeat in his debut as Bucs head coach.

The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog.

After the game Roy Williams couldn’t resist a wisecrack about T.O.:

“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? “No, it’s good. It’s good for him. It’s good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed.”

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised at the the performance of his receiving corps:

“They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: ‘Hey. You don’t have this or that.’ But I think we do.”

Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory instead of his personal output:

“You don’t think about yards. You’re not judged off of yards. You’re judged off of winning and losing at this position.”

Raheem Morris was still upbeat despite going down to defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:

“Obviously, we’re disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense.”

Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from two knee surgeries in a little over a year, and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score masked the fact that the team played well:

“We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.

The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants.

Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

In a matchup between two of the worst offenses in the NFL, someone had to win. Despite producing only 9 first downs and’3 yards of total offense, the Cleveland Browns got a late game field goal from Billy Cundiff to defeat the Buffalo Bills 6-3 and win their first game of the season. The Bills had the more productive afternoon statistically, with- first downs and 288 yards of offense but were undone by three costly turnovers. Both teams are now 1-4 on the 2009 NFL season. Neither team appears to be headed anywhere but down in the NFL standings.

To successfully bet on the NFL, one needs to find opportunities to play underdogs”this is particularly true in games where neither team is expected to put many points on the board. Such was the case here, as Cleveland easily covered the pointspread as +6 road underdogs. Both teams are now 2-3 against the number on the season. The Browns have now won and covered the last three head to head matchups between the teams. The 9 points scored came nowhere near the total of 41 for an easy UNDER. The Browns have now gone UNDER in 3 of their 5 games this season, while Buffalo has OVER on three of their five posted NFL totals.

It was a game without many highlights. The Browns got on the board first with a 24 yard Cundiff field goal in the second quarter, and took that 3-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Buffalo would tie the score in third on a Rian Lindell 36 yard field goal. That would set the stage for Cundiff to nail the game winner from’ yards out with: 23 left to play. Despite todays victory, Cleveland is averaging a woeful 11 points per game this season. Buffalos PPG numbers are slightly better thanks to decent scoring output in their first two games of the season–theyre averaging just over 15 points per contest.

The real loser in Sundays contest may have been Buffalo head coach Dick Jauron. Many were surprised that he was retained after the Bills third straight 7-9 season last year and things have gone from bad to worse so far in the 2009 NFL season. Buffalo has lost to winless teams in back to back weeks, part of a three game losing streak. Overall, the Bills have wound up losers in 12 of their last 15 games. Not that Cleveland has done much better–the win today ended a 10 game losing streak, one short of the all time franchise record. There are at least a few signs of hope in Cleveland, the same can’t be said for Buffalo.

Cleveland will have a tough road assignment next Sunday, heading to Pittsburgh to face the World Champion Steelers. Theyll return home for a game against the Green Bay Packers on October 25th before playing the Chicago Bears in The Windy City the following week. Buffalo will play the next two on the road, heading to the Meadowlands next Sunday for a game against the New York Jets followed by a trip to Charlotte, NC to take on the Carolina Panthers. Theyll return home on November 1st to face the Houston Texans.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup 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.

A week after being named the New York Jets starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez rewarded his first year NFL coach with a victory. Rex Ryan got his first win at the helm of the Jets as his team held off a 4th quarter comeback to nip the crosstown rival New York Giants 27-25. Both teams are now 1-2 in NFL preseason play.

NFL preseason betting enthusiasts who took the Giants as +3 point underdogs were rewarded with the outright victory. The Jets improved to 2-1 against the pointspread, while the Giants dropped to 1-2 against the money as they dropped their second straight ATS verdict.

Sanchez finished with 149 yards on 13 of 20 passing and a touchdown pass to former University of South Carolina standout receiver Chansi Stuckey. After the game, he was pleased with his effort and the victory:

“You get a little more confidence when you know your coach believes in you and has named you the starter. It was similar to that at SC. Once you’re the guy, you talk a little different, you walk a little different and you act a little different.”

Giants defender Mathias Kiwanuka was even impressed with Sanchezs touchdown play:

“I thought we had him. It was a great play. You have to give him credit for seeing down the field with two guys in his face.”

Sanchez remembered it thusly:

“It was one of those plays where you get hit throwing it and you don’t really see what’s going on. You kind of listen. I knew if it was a big roar, it was probably a big play by the Giants, maybe an interception and I’d have to get up quick. But I heard a quiet roar and I said: ‘Oh boy, I think he caught it.’”

Winning coach Ryan was pleased with his young QBs effort:

“He was poised. He is what we thought he was.”

Giants QB Eli Manning finished with 91 yards on 9 of 21 passing with a touchdown and interception. He also had receiver Steve Smith drop a wide open pass that would have gone for a touchdown. Afterwards, he sympathized with his receiver:

“Sometimes it’s good to get those out of the way now. I know Steve feels bad about that. He hasn’t done that all training camp. I know he won’t drop it next time.”

The Giants will get the NFL regular season started with a big game against their divisional rivals as they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 13th. The Jets will start the season on the road as they travel to Houston for a game against the Texans.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Undrafted Brian Hover played the entire game for the Patriots and may have earned himself a position as Tom Brady’s backup with a solid all around performance as New England topped the New York Giants 38-27 in the NFL preseason finale for both clubs. Hover passed for 242 yards and no interceptions on 18 of 25 passing. The Patriots finished their NFL preseason slate at 3-1, while the Giants slumped to a 1-3 mark in exhibition play.

NFL football betting enthusiasts who took New England as +3 road underdogs cashed their tickets with the outright win. The Patriots evened their preseason ATS mark at 2-2, while the Giants dropped to 1-3 against the number. New York won and covered their first game of the preseason before dropping the next three straight up and against the spread. The 65 points put on the scoreboard well exceeded the posted total of 36. It was the third OVER in four preseason contests for both teams.

A free agent pickup out of Michigan State, Hover threw for one touchdown and led three more long drives that culminated in paydirt. BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for three touchdowns and after the game gave his endorsement of Hover’s play:

“Brian did a good job of controlling our offense. We mixed it up.”

Green-Ellis had an impressive all around game himself, with 125 yards to go with his three touchdowns. Afterwards, Patriots coach Bill Belichick had clipped but positive comments about his play:

“Ben does a lot of things for us going back to last year.

As well as the performance of QB Hover:

“Not bad. He handled the ball fairly well, threw it accurately.”

The Giants biggest personnel decision at the moment is their third string QB, where Andre Woodson has the inside track despite a less than stellar performance. Woodson went 6 for 19 for 98 yards with one interception. Afterwards, he gave his take on the game:

“It took me a while to get into my rhythm and it was the worst possible game to have that happen. Last year I knew I was going to be cut. … This year is different. It’s going to be tense.”

Starting QB Eli Manning played one series and after the game summed up his teams mindset:

“I think everyone is ready for the season to get going and start playing for real.

The Giants will start playing for real next Sunday as they host the Washington Redskins in a NFC East battle. The Patriots will start their regular season next Monday night as they host the Buffalo Bills.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a–9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.

NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Raiders as a whopping +14 home underdog were never in any trouble as Oakland took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Oakland evened their mark against the NFL pointspread at 3-3, while the Eagles dropped to 3-2 against the number. The 22 points scored went well UNDER the posted total of 40′.

After the victory, Raiders’ coach Tom Cable said for the first time all season his team focused their intensity in the right direction:

“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play. That’s all you can say. There’s no magic words or anything like that.”

Last week’s 44-7 loss to the New York Giants may have served a wakeup call to the Raiders. In particular, they were offended by comments made by Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce that the game ‘felt like playing a scrimmage’. Raiders’ wide receiver Louis Murphy didn’t dispute the comments but instead took them to heart:

“That gave me extra fuel. You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn’t play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart.”

The Raiders’ defense received the bulk of the credit for the victory as they pressured Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six times. The Eagles became the first team in three years to not score an offensive touchdown against the Raiders. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks, and Scott had the following observation:

“I’m sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry. But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go.”

After the game, McNabb had little to say:

“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team.”

The Raiders will try to put together an actual winning streak as they host the New York Jets next Sunday. Oakland is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 35. They’ll play their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers on the road the following Sunday before a bye week. Philadelphia will play the Redskins at Washington next Monday night. The Eagles are a -6′ road favorite with the total set at 38′. They’ll return home for games the following two Sundays against the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup 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.

It may only be preseason in the NFL, but the Atlanta Falcons are making a statement that they’ll be a factor in the NFC. The Falcons starters behind QB Matt Ryan were almost flawless, and left the reserves with a 14-0 lead before eventually beating the St. Louis Rams 20-13 at the Edward Jones Dome on Friday night.

Running back Michael Turner was unstoppable in his limited playing time, churning out 65 yards in the Falcons opening drive. After the game, he confirmed that the Falcons offense had placed a priority on flawless execution:

“We wanted to come out and execute. They were preaching that all week and we wanted to show that on game day. We’re way better than we were last year at this time.”

Tony Gonzalez caught QB Matt Ryans TD pass and after the game praised the young team leader:

“He’s a great quarterback. It’s obvious he’s figuring things out. He has a great arm, talent, and knows how to play with poise.”

It was a disappointing home debut for new Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, who saw his team blown away from the opening whistle before a half empty stadium:

“Just like I said to the team, we’d have liked to have started out a little better. You’ve got to come out and take it to them.”

Rams safety O.J. Atogwe sounded a similar tone:

“This was a fabulous game for us. That’s the reason you play the preseason. Going against a team like Atlanta, a top-caliber team, it allows us to reassess what we’ve been doing.”

Falcons coach Mike Smith, meanwhile, was enthused about the improved play of his rushing defense:

“We were much improved against the run. It’s something we have to continue to get better at. We still had some missteps.”

Atlanta will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they host the Miami Dolphins while the Rams will head to the Pacific Northwest for a game against the Seahawks in Seattle.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Kyle Boller filled in for an injured Mark Bulger, and the St. Louis Rams improved to 2-1 on the NFL preseason with a 24-21 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Bengals TD early in the frame made for some drama down the stretch. The Bengals couldn’t close the deal, however, and lost their second game in NFL preseason play.

Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Rather than leave the game, he calmly picked up his helmet and finished the drive. For the game, the Rams #2 QB was 14 of 20 for 96 yards. After the game, he talked about the play:

“I could have slid a little earlier. It is what it is. My chin strap hit just above my eyes. It was a good scramble, but maybe if I can get down a little sooner, the coaches would like that.”

Rivers also commented on the play:

“I was just trying to get to the ball. It wasn’t anything intentional.”

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo gave Boller some props in his postgame media comments:

“He moved the team. He drove us down there after the bad start. When you score on a drive, the quarterback deserves the credit.”

Bengals second string QB J.T. O’Sullivan didnt have it quite so easy”he was sacked three times, lost a fumble and had two passes deflected by linemen. The lost fumble added to the Bengals NFL preseason turnover woes”theyve lost five fumbles and thrown three interceptions for eight turnovers in three games. O’Sullivan talked about the problem after the game:

“We’ve just got to find a way to eliminate it. It puts you in such a disadvantage any time you turn the ball over. That’s one of the things that has to change immediately.”

Head coach Marvin Lewis agreed with this assessment:

“When you turn the football over, you have a difficult time winning, whether you’re playing in the regular season, the preseason, junior high, sixth grade, whatever it is.

The Bengals conclude their NFL preseason slate next Thursday as they host the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams play at home on the same night, welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to the Edward Jones Dome.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker 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, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.