Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All it takes is a dollar and a dream for a select few to strike it rich in the lottery.
But in order for the Philadelphia 76ers to start raking in the loot, they have to bag the rest of the 2006-07 season and start evaluating talent for June's NBA Draft. Philly has its own lottery pick this summer and a pair of first- round selections acquired from Denver for Allen Iverson.
The second half of the campaign gets started on Wednesday for the Sixers, who will wrap up a series of seven straight games at home versus the division- rival New York Knicks. Mo Cheeks' squad entered the All-Star break with three straight losses and a 2-4 record on the homestand, and sits 12 games off the lead in the Atlantic standings.
Philadelphia is just 9-15 at the Wachovia Center this season and will play six more games there following a brief two-game road trip to Charlotte and Milwaukee. After the quick swing the Sixers will host Sacramento, Phoenix, Memphis, New Jersey, Seattle and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cheeks had this team playing better basketball before the current slide, but now must realize it's time to start cutting into the time of his regulars for a chance to see who will make next year's roster. It seems like an easy solution, especially with three draft picks on the horizon.
It's unclear whether guards Andre Miller, Kevin Ollie or Louis Williams will be around next season. And who knows if forward Kyle Korver, center Samuel Dalembert or forward Shavlik Randolph will be back either? Randolph is still recovering from left ankle surgery.
Instead of guard/forward Andre Iguodala averaging 40:12 minutes per game, Cheeks should shave about six to eight minutes off his star's average. There's no sense to have Iguodala bust his rump every night just to sit at home come playoff time. Rookie forward Rodney Carney, who averages 17:18 mpg this season, would be even more dangerous if he was recording 25 to 28 minutes per contest.
Veteran forward Joe Smith does not have to be on the court for 23:18 a night for Philly, and Korver doesn't score enough to average 31:11 per contest. Dalembert posts 30:06 a night and has been streaky over the past few games.
On the injury front, forward/center Steven Hunter will not require surgery on the dislocated pinkie finger on his left hand. Hunter suffered the injury during the first quarter of a loss against the Mavericks on February 11, but returned to the game. Hunter does not make or break this team, but to have a player his size (7-0, 240 pounds) on the hardwood is beneficial for the inside game. Hunter has missed just one contest because of the finger.
The Sixers have their work cut out for them over the next few months, and are currently the third-worst team in the NBA behind Boston (13-38) and Memphis (14-40). The Celtics and Grizzlies are not going to pile up wins in the near future and Philadelphia should follow suit.
On a brighter note, last week the 76ers unveiled their new second road uniforms against Washington. The red jerseys bring back memories of the Dr. J, Charles Barkley and Hersey Hawkins era, and have the old-school PHILA script across the chest.
Philadelphia should go back to its retro-style uniforms soon.
<< Jazz have what it takes to hold on in Northwest Division
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah (35-17) is in first place in the Northwest
Division, 8 1/2 games ahead of the second place Denver Nuggets. Led by All-
Stars Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, the Nuggets will be primed to make a
run at the Jazz.
<< Martin comes up big both on track and off
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Martin won the 2007 Daytona 500.
Sure, he didn't get the trophy, the huge check or drenched by champagne in
Victory Lane, but that doesn't change the fact that he won the race.
In typical N
<< Line of Scrimmage: Norv Turner - Bad Things Happen in Threes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're rejoicing in Denver, Kansas City,
and Oakland right about now.
Norv Turner is an NFL head coach for the third time, having taken over for
Marty Schottenheimer in San Diego, and the rest of the AFC
<< Lightning try to rebound against Panthers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning will attempt to avenge
a weekend loss to the Florida Panthers when the Southeast Division rivals
complete a home-and-home series tonight at St. Pete Times Forum.
Florida got the upper ha
Leopold out four weeks for Avs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold
will be sidelined approximately four weeks with a fractured wrist.
Leopold, who will undergo surgery, suffered the injury during the third period
of Colorado's 7-
Pennsylvania Derby purse increased to $1 million >>
Bensalem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Park Racetrack has announced that
its premier event, the Pennsylvania Derby, will now have a purse of $1
million. The announcement was made in a press release on Tuesday.
"There's somethi
United, Dynamo gear up for Champions Cup matches >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While most Major League Soccer teams are
slowly building their fitness and preparing for the upcoming season - which
kicks off April 7 - two clubs are under considerably more pressure.
The Houston Dy
Jankovic, Hantuchova advance in UAE >>
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Serbian
Jelena Jankovic and eighth-seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova were among
Tuesday's opening-round winners at the $1.5 million Dubai Duty Free Women's
Open.
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting