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Texans Overcome Bad Weather To Beat Chiefs In NFL Preseason Play

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

It was the sort of sloppy NFL preseason game that made the coaches more interested in escaping with as few injuries as possible than with winning or evaluating talent. In a driving rainstorm at Arrowhead Stadium the Houston Texans outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs to take a 16-10 NFL exhibition victory. It was the first game of the NFL preseason for both teams, and they were more or less happy to emerge unscathed from the deluge though Houston did suffer a potentially significant injury to their backup QB.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak summed up the mindset in such miserable weather conditions:

“It was a very sloppy night weather-wise and whoever plays the best defense and whoever doesn’t put it on the ground usually finds a way to win in this league. I was glad we did, but we paid a price. We have some guys banged up and that usually happens when you get out there in a mess like that.”

The biggest name to suffer an injury was Houston backup QB Rex Grossman. Kubiak gave an early assessment of his condition after the contest:

“It looks like he has a pretty good hamstring. The first play when he went in he booted and said he felt his hamstring pull or pop, or whatever. So we’ll have to wait and see.”

Texans running back Ryan Moats had 52 yards on 10 carries, and was happy just to be playing in an actual game:

“It felt good to finally hit somebody else for a change and not worry about hurting anybody else.”

Texans QB Matt Schaub was generally pleased with his performance under the circumstances:

“We ran the ball effectively down in the red zone and we were able to finish that drive 95 yards for a touchdown. That’s the way you want to finish off your day.”

Kansas Citys head coach Todd Haley made his NFL coaching debut, and was nonplussed about it being a loss:

“It’s your first game as head coach and I know it’s just preseason, but it was an exciting, exciting moment for me. If you tell me the first real one’s a win, I’ll take this loss any day of the week. It’s a special feeling when it’s your team and a lot of responsibility comes with that and I didn’t live up to my end of that. That’s the part that’s got to change.”

Houston will start the NFL regular season at home against the New York Jets on Sunday, September 13th while Kansas City will play the Ravens at Baltimore.

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

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Arena Football Returns To US Airwaves

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Though it enjoyed solid fan support and was popular among sports betting enthusiasts, arena football fell off the map with the demise of the Arena Football League. The AFL suspended play under the weight of a poor business model in 2009 and later pulled the plug altogether. Since then, a new league has announced plans to take its place. Arena Football One (AF1 for short) will begin play in April and on Thursday secured a TV contract to broadcast games on the NFL Network in the United States. The TV deal should help the new arena football entrant to get off to a successful start as they attempt to revive the sport. Obviously the long term goal is a deal with a major network like Fox or ESPN but a good relationship with the NFL never hurts.

Superficially, there are many similarities between the defunct Arena Football League and the upstart AF1 circuit. Several former AFL franchises have joined the new league, with several others having previously played in the AFL’s developmental ‘minor league’ known as Arena Football 2. The new league’s organizers are hoping that the similarities remain superficial, and have taken great pains to avoid many of the high salaries and dimwitted business decisions that doomed their predecessors. They’ve also learned from a crucial error of the AFL and will coordinate promotion and publicity of all teams as well as the league as a whole at the corporate level. Ultimately, they’ve realized that the product wasn’t the problem; management doomed the original AFL.

The original Arena Football League also made the mistake that many growing companies make in trying to grow too big too fast. Though the league prospered for years by keeping a tight rein on player salaries and team budgets, in the past few years there had been a drastic upward spiral in the cost of player contracts. A division between old line owners dedicated to fiscal responsibility and deep pocketed newcomers (including 80’s rock idol Jon Bon Jovi) anxious to spend as much as they wanted further exacerbated a business model that became more and more unsustainable. They also lost touch with what their fan base wanted and started looking for an audience that simply wasn’t there.

The AF1 deal with the NFL Network is for one year, with a network option for a second year. The NFL Network will air a ‘game of the week’ every Friday night beginning in April. In addition to providing a good broadcast outlet for the fledgling league it also provides some much needed off season programming to the NFL’s 24/7 cable network. The NFL would be well advised to feature not only Arena Football but also the Canadian Football League during their slow summer months.

Though Arena Football 1 is the largest and best known arena football league, there are actually two other leagues that will begin playing in the coming months. While most are focusing on smaller markets than AF1, the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) and the Indoor Football League ( IFL) are also in the mix. Eventually, the AF1 will prevail as the top level arena football league with the other two circuits serving as minor league developmental partners.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and online 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 energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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Bombers Blitz BC Lions In CFL Football Play

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

After two straight wins gave the BC Lions hope that they’d turned the corner on the CFL season, they’re officially back at square one. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers Fred Reid torched the BC Lions defense all night long, and his career performance helped his team earn a lopsided 37-10 victory at Vancouver on Friday night. Reid ran for 260 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdown passes in the blowout victory that left both teams with identical 3-5 records.

After the contest, Reid gave credit to his offensive line for making his franchise record rushing performance relatively easy:

“Just about every play I was in the secondary. I have to give props to the O-line. They opened some big holes tonight. Before I knew it, I was in the secondary. You know how the DBs are, they don’t really want to tackle back there.”

“We had some good play calling that caught them off guard and some new schemes that they weren’t prepared for. We just executed. It gives us something to build on going in the bye week.”

Winnipeg QB Michael Bishop praised Reid’s monumental effort:

“Fred left it on the field today. To have a guy like that can carry the ball, and do the things he did today, it was amazing. ”

“A lot of people were saying it was a make-or-break game for us. We didn’t want to go into the bye with another loss. “We went in with style and class and have something to build on.”

BC linebacker JoJuan Armour was embarrassed to have allowed Reid to run all over the field:

“They lined up and kicked our ass. That’s the bottom line. It’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed for my performance and I apologize to my team. There was no excuse for it.”

Reid broke the previous Winnipeg franchise record of 249 set by Blaise Bryant in 1994. He finished just 27 yards short of the CFL single-game rushing record of 287 yards set over 40 years ago.

Lions coach Wally Buono is more concerned about his teams mindset than anything else:

“I’m more concerned about the collective psyche of the team after that. It’s hard to take. I was shocked. I was very, very disappointed.”

Things arent going to get any easier for British Columbia, who now have a bye week to try and get their house in order before they face a home and home series against the CFL leading Montreal Alouettes. The Blue Bombers will also enjoy a week off before a pair of back to back games against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news 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.

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Football Flashback: Saints Win NFC Championship Game

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Until Sunday, it looked as if the return of Brett Favre to the NFL would have a storybook ending and propel the Minnesota Vikings to the Superbowl. Instead, the New Orleans Saints will be heading to the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history. Garrett Hartley nailed a 40 yard field goal in overtime to give the Saints a 31-28 victory in the NFC Championship game after Brett Favre was intercepted deep in Saints territory during the final seconds of regulation. Favre may be headed back to retirement, while the Saints are headed to Miami to play the biggest game of them all.

The Vikings did reward NFL betting fans who took them as +4 underdogs with a pointspread cover. Minnesota finished the season a solid 11-6-1 against the NFL pointspread while the Saints head into the Superbowl with a 9-9 ATS mark. The 59 combined points scored went OVER the posted total of 53′.

After the game, head coach Sean Payton drew an analogy to the city of New Orleans’ recovery after Hurricane Katrina:

“This is for everybody in this city. This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It’s not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans.”

Winning quarterback Drew Brees extended that same metaphor:

“In reality, we had to lean on each other in order to survive and in order to get where we are now. The city is on its way to recovery, and in a lot of ways has come back better than ever. We’ve used the strength and resiliency of our fans to go out and play every Sunday and play with the confidence that we can do it, that we can achieve everything we’ve set out to achieve.”

Place kicker Hartley was low key despite securing the victory with his overtime field goal:

“Just helping my team get to Miami. Just doing my part.”

Brett Favre didn’t have much to say in defeat:

“I’ve felt better. It was a physical game. A lot of hits. You win that and you sure feel a lot better.” Mississippi native Favre did throw his support behind the Saints:

“I would have loved to represent the NFC. But, as I told Sean throughout the year when we talked, if it’s not us, I hope it’s you guys.”

The Vikings gave up a total of five turnovers including three fumbles. That, said running back Adrian Peterson, was the game:

“We really gave those guys the game. Too many turnovers. It’s eating me up inside.

Ross Everett is a staff handicapper for Oddsbay. He’s a highly respected expert on soccer betting, as well as a published freelance writer specializing in sports betting, harness racing, judo and model railroading. He lives in Las Vegas with his Asian houseboy, three Jack Russell Terriers and a retired racing wombat.

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Texans Even Record With Win Over Bengals

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Behind a career day for quarterback Matt Schaub, the Houston Texans erased a 17-14 halftime deficit to score– points in the second half and defeat the host Cincinnati Bengals 28-17. Schaub threw for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns against one interception in the solid road victory. Against a team that had won three straight games in the final seconds, Houston never gave Cincinnati the chance to create any late drama.

Houston took the money as +3′ road underdogs with the outright win, and both teams are now 3-3 on the season against the NFL pointspread. The 45 points just managed to stay UNDER the posted total of 46. The Texans have gone UNDER in 4 of 6 this season while the Bengals evened their NFL totals record at 3-3.

After the victory, Schaub said that his team knew of Houston’s penchant for late game comebacks and that ‘putting them away’ would be a priority:

“Every game went down to the wire for them. Credit goes to them because they were able to find ways to win those games. So it was a matter of putting the game away.”

The Texans’ taciturn head coach Gary Kubiak would only offer that:

“Matt continues to put up exceptional numbers on the road.”

The defense did a stellar job as well, shutting out the Bengals in the second half. In the third quarter, Houston only allowed six yards on nine plays for a franchise record. Cornerback Dunta Robininson talked about the defensive corps mindset:

“It was swarm tackling. Everybody has a job to do, and today we made this team a one-dimensional team. Overall as a defense, we played well.”

In the losing locker room, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco admitted that his team knew that they couldn’t rely on last minute heroics to win games:

“That’s our fault. We’ve been saying that we can’t keep winning with the way we’ve been playing. We’ve got to be consistent for all four quarters.”

The Bengals will play their next two games at home, starting with a contest against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. They’ll host the Baltimore Ravens the following Sunday before traveling to Pittsburgh for a game against the Steelers on November 15. The Texans host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. They’ll take to the road for the next two games, playing Buffalo on November 1 and Indianapolis the following Sunday.

Ross Everett is a world famous sports writer and a noted authority on sports betting and harness racing. He contributes NFL football betting free picks for a number of media outlets. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three dogs and a retired racing wombat.

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Patriots Beat Eagles With Tom Brady Back In The Lineup

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Tom Brady returned to NFL action and looked good in limited playing time as the New England Patriots opened their preseason schedule with a 27-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady played into the second quarter, moving well and showing no lingering effects of his knee surgery. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 100 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

The Patriots also rewarded their NFL preseason financial backers by winning outright as a +2 road underdog. The combined 52 points scored shattered the posted total of 32 for an easy OVER. With the Pats and Eagles putting 27 points on the board in the first half, the total had almost been surpassed by the halftime break.

Brady had little to say after the game on the specifics on his performance:

“I need the work, we all need the work. You can’t duplicate this on the practice field.”

Instead, Brady focused on the less tangible aspects of being back under center:

“There’s no place I’d rather be. This is the place where I probably have the most fun and enjoy it the most. Preseason game doesn’t have quite the feel of a regular-season game, but to be out there on the field with my teammates and celebrate after a win, and the bus ride home … those are the things you probably enjoy the most.”

Tight end Chris Baker was more candid in discussing Bradys comeback effort:

“I thought he was sharp. He went out there and moved us up and down the field and put some points on the board.

New England took a 21-6 lead into the locker room at halftime, but would have to hold on for the victory after Philadelphia responded with a 16 point third quarter. The third period onslaught allowed the Eagles to hold a significant edge in most offensive categories including total yardage and time of possession. They had a shot to win the game late, but David Akers missed a 43 yard field goal with just under a minute remaining.

Brady, the two time Superbowl MVP, is expected to get a significant amount of playing time in exhibition games this year as he tries to regain his regular season form after missing the entire 2008 regular season due to a knee injury.

The Patriots will open the regular season on Monday, September 14 as they host the Buffalo Bills. Philadelphia will begin their regular season campaign on the road in Charlotte, NC against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks 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.

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Lions Look To Regain Momentum With CFL Win Over Roughriders

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

The BC Lions may have turned the corner after a disappointing 1-4 start to the CFL season. This past weekend, a clearly motivated Lions team defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20 to improve to 2-4 in CFL play. The Roughriders dropped to 3-3 in the early going in the CFL season.

Lions defensive end Brent Johnson said that the motivation for this game was simple:

“We were sick of losing. That was our only option – to win tonight. This was the must wins of must wins.”

Johnson led a fearsome Lions defense with three QB sacks. Overall, the BC defense combined for five QB sacks and three interceptions.

Lions running back Martell Mallett caught one touchdown pass, ran for another and generally made himself a problem for the Riders defense all night. After the game, he praised the play of his offensive line:

“We just went out there and executed. The offensive line blocked well. I was just hitting the holes. They opened it for me and I got in it.”

BC starting QB Buck Pierce had been hearing some criticism from the Vancouver media suggesting that he lose his starting spot. His solid play in the victory may have turned down the heat for now. After the game, he spoke of the team effort in the win:

“I was very proud of our offence tonight. “The way we stayed poised, the way we moved the ball. Running and throwing the ball, we were very good.”

His Saskatchewan counterpart Darian Durrant blamed the loss on his teams lack of execution and failure to capitalize on opportunities:

“It was frustrating. B.C. gave us plenty of opportunities to put more points on the board. We just didn’t capitalize.”

Despite the much needed win, Lions coach Wally Buono realizes that his team still has plenty of work to do:

“We have to play much better football than what we did. I saw the intensity that you need, I see the resilience and I saw some guys make some plays.”

BC now heads to Toronto to play the struggling Argonauts on Thursday. Saskatchewan will host the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news 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.

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Chargers Rip Sputtering Chiefs

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

The San Diego Chargers bounced back nicely from their Monday Night Football loss to Denver last week, opening a 20-0 halftime lead before coasting to a 37-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Chargers’ quarterback Phillip Rivers passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Running back Ladanian Tomlinson ran for a season high 71 yards as San Diego evened their record at 3-3.

The Chargers easily covered the NFL pointspread as -6 road favorites. It was only the second pointspread cover of the year for San Diego, who moved their ATS record to 2-4. Kansas City dropped to 2-5 against the spread. The 44 points pushed against the posted total. Kansas City now has a NFL totals record of 3-2-2 to the OVER, while the Chargers have gone OVER in four of their six games.

After the game, QB Rivers suggested that the loss to Denver was a turning point for his team:

“Last week, we felt like we made progress. We had the attitude we were looking for, focus, but we didn’t win. But we knew we got better.”

Tomlinson broke off one of his most impressive runs of the year on the Chargers first touchdown drive, a 31 yard pickup that he said lifted the team’s spirits and led to the easy victory:

“It kind of got us going. It was something we needed and it was a big play for us. It was a staple of our offense. It’s been around for years, old power. It was perfectly blocked and was just a great job of execution.”

The Chiefs continued to struggle on their home field, which at one point was considered one of the toughest venues in the league for visiting teams. Kansas City has now lost ten straight at Arrowhead Stadium, and 29 of their last 32 games. Chiefs’ nose tackle Ron Edwards lamented this home field struggle:

“We want to win for the home fans, for us, for everyone out there watching,” nose tackle Ron Edwards said. “It’s real painful.”

Rivers pointed to the Chiefs’ legacy of home field dominance in celebrating the win:

“Any time you come to Kansas City and win, it’s good. We talked about getting on a roll and you’ve got to win one first before you can. Hopefully, this is something we can build on.”

The Chargers return home to take on their hated rivals, the Oakland Raiders. They’ll travel to play the New York Giants the following week before returning home to face the Philadelphia Eagles on November 15. Kansas City will enjoy a bye week before returning to action on November 8 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their next opportunity for a home victory will come on November 15 against the Oakland Raiders.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He 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.

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College Football Flashback: Trojans Top Buckeyes In College Football Heavyweight Clash

Monday, August 16th, 2010

While not a vintage performance by their lofty standards, the University of Southern California Trojans overcame a number of mistakes to make big plays when they counted to prevail in a come from behind victory over Ohio State. Stafon Johnson capped a late game drive by scoring the game winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining as the Trojans won by a final score of 18-15. It was the first time the Trojans held the lead since early in the first quarter. The USC victory moved their record on the college football season to 2-0, while the Buckeyes dropped to 1-1.

Ohio State did cash tickets for college football bettors, however, covering the spread as a +7 home underdog. USC won and covered last year, but the pointspread setback this year dropped the Trojans to a still impressive 13-5 ATS against the Big Ten conference since 1992. It was also only the second non-cover by a USC team in a non conference game in their last ten opportunities. The 33 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45. Last years game also failed to exceed the total, and USC continued a strong UNDER tendency of late”the Trojans have now gone UNDER in 19 of their L27 lined games.

19 year old freshman Matt Barkley engineered the game winning touchdown drive. After the game, he spoke of the Trojan tradition of victory:

“We’re Trojans. That’s what we do. This is what we dreamed of, coming back like this. Doesn’t matter where we are in the score. We found a way. I love this.”

Tailback Joe McKnight sarcastically dismissed suggestions that Barkley was rattled by a tenacious and stifling Buckeye defense:

“He was scared, really. No, he came in with the same composure he had the whole game. He was calm. He made plays.”

USC coach Pete Carroll commended Barkleys composure in such an intense and challenging environment:

“He’s not 19. He’s our quarterback. I’m not worried about how old he is. Numbers mean nothing.”

Ohio State linebacker Greg Rolle said his defense was playing at a very high level”until the final drive:

“It’s very frustrating, but we knew eventually they’d make plays. The last drive was heartbreaking. Give McKnight lots of credit on that last drive, he was good. The last drive was definitely, you go back and you think about, and you think about how close you came to winning.

Ohio State will travel to Toledo for a non-conference game before starting their Big 10 schedule at home against Illinois. USC now faces three straight Pac 10 games, starting next weekend on the road at the University of Washington.

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

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The Invention Of Cell Phones

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Images of old cell phones from the 90s are a surefire way to spark laughter-they are big, cumbersome, and look ridiculously outdated compared to the small gizmos we have today. So it should be surprising to learn that the first conception of crude, mobile phones actually dates all the way back to 1947. Researchers tried to evolve the technology used in walkie talkies. They realized that by using small cells instead of relying on single frequencies they could reuse the same frequencies, and thereby dramatically increase the traffic capacity. In other words, the initial kernel of invention was present, but unfortunately its potential was halted.

The FCC (the organization in the U.S which regulates anything to do with broadcasting or sending television or radio waves) blocked AT & T’s request to allocate a large number of radio spectrum frequencies. This would have provided the groundwork for widespread cell phone use and would have given AT & T incentive to further develop the technology. Under the strict FCC regulations of the time, airwaves only allowed for twenty-three phone conversations to take place at any given time. This mentality was symbolic of the limited understanding of cell phone technology’s potential. In hindsight it looks like a boneheaded decision, but it should be remembered that this was 1947, so the FCC should be at least partially excused for not understanding the full implications of modern communications technology. Still though, the idea lay buried for decades.

It wasn’t until 1973 when Dr. Martin Cooper, former general manager of the Systems division at Motorola, was credited with making the first ever call on a portable cell phone-a privilege he enjoyed as its chief creator. Ironically, the first call was made to the head of research labs at Bell, their chief competitor. Perhaps this was actually fitting since Bell was responsible for inventing the crude mobile phone that was designed to be used in police cars in the 40s. Four years later, Bell created a prototype that was used on trial in Chicago by up to two thousand people. Two years after that, in a completely unrelated venture, a separate operation was undertaken in Tokyo. There was considerable international buzz about the new technology as it went from being something existing only in science fiction to something that would appear imminently.

In 1981 Motorola joined with American Radio Telephone to start a second U.S. cellular telephone system test in Washington and Buffalo. The movement was gaining momentum, and by 1982 the FCC finally authorized commercial cellular services for the United States. Ameritech made the first American commercial analog cellular service available in Chicago. Still, the technology was expensive and it was far from being as accessible as cell phones are today. But by 1987 cellular phone subscribers exceeded one million and airways were crowded.

The 90s brought on a new wave of cell phone technology that ushered in the modern era where one belongs to the average person. Yes, those big 90s clunkers look old, but who would have believed that the cell phone was actually conceived of so many decades ago?

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