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07/14/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just two weeks into this young CFL season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are already living up to their billing as the best of the west. After a brilliant offensive performance in a 54-51 double- overtime win over the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders proved they can step up defensively, spoiling the Lions' home opener at their "new" field. Sure, Calgary kept pace with a win of its own to go 2-0, but Riderville has to be pretty pleased with the way their team is looking. On to the breakdown:
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
It was supposed to be all about the BC Lions and the first game at their temporary new field. Instead, the Roughriders came in and spoiled the homecoming party with an impressive 37-18 showing.
The name of the Lions' 2010 home, Empire Field, has a great ring to it, but unfortunately the moniker best describes the Saskatchewan defense for now. BC had trouble marching down the field against a dominating defensive line and secondary.
Saskatchewan allowed just 89 total rushing yards in the game, unsurprising after giving up similar numbers in its first game.
What truly made the Riders' night so special was their ability to force fumbles, limit BC's scoring opportunities, and of course get to the quarterback. Lions starter Casey Printers was forced out of the game thanks to a tackle by defensive standout Brent Hawkins.
Printer's replacement, Travis Lulay, clearly felt the pressure with two fumbles.
Darian Durant went 18-for-29 and 252 yards in the game. Solid numbers to be sure, but made more impressive by his ability to share the wealth amongst his receivers.
Durant looked like a surgeon practicing his craft, dissecting the Lions' pass defense by utilizing all his tools. Four different receivers recorded more than 50 yards.
Key offensive performer: Darian Durant. In addition to a touchdown pass, Durant ran one in the end zone for yet another great performance.
Key defensive/special teams performer: Brent Hawkins. Forget Durant, Wes Cates, and the stellar receiving corps. The best Rider player of the night was Hawkins, who had two sacks, one of which knocked Printers out of the game. He also forced a fumble and ran one in for a 47-yard TD.
Next Game: Edmonton Eskimos (0-2). A home game against a struggling Eskimos side. Put your money on the Green Nation, because the Riders appear just too powerful at this stage.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Saskatchewan may be grabbing all the attention out west, but the Stamps showed their resiliency in a tight 23-22 win over Hamilton.
With 10 seconds to go, down 22-20, it was a rookie that stole the show from veteran teammates Henry Burris and Joffrey Reynolds, while turning the page on the era of the CFL's most accurate field goal kicker Sandro DeAngelis.
Rob Maver, a 2010 draft pick who replaced DeAngelis after he signed with the Ti-Cats in the off-season, kicked a 23-yard winning field goal to steal one for his squad.
The 24-year-old helped overshadow a rather sloppy night from Burris. The Stamps quarterback did throw two touchdowns to go along with 257 yards, but also fumbled the ball and gave up an interception that was returned for 52 yards.
Key offensive performer: Nik Lewis. In a game where there were few real standouts on offense, credit has to go to the player who made the fewest mistakes. Lewis caught for 68 yards and a touchdown that gave the Stamps a 20-19 lead late in the third quarter.
Key defensive/special teams performer: Maver. Lots of options for this one: Deon Murphy with a 105 yard missed field goal return, or maybe Tom Johnson with five tackles and a forced fumble. But Maver's 3-for-3 night, capped off by a dying-seconds field goal was the difference in a game determined by special teams.
Next game: Toronto Argonauts (1-1). Calgary's light schedule would seem to continue with a trip to Toronto for a rematch of week one, though the Stamps shouldn't sleep on the Argos, who are coming off an unlikely win in week 2. If the Stamps can clean up some mistakes from their match against the Ti-Cats, expect another Calgary win.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
The most disappointing team in the west is Edmonton, which is now 0-2 after an unsurprising 33-23 loss to Montreal.
What did come as a surprise was how close Edmonton came to actually defeating the defending champs.
Leading 23-18 after three quarters, Ricky Ray did his best to deliver Christmas early to Montreal with two costly interceptions in the final frame.
The Als, thankful for the gifts, turned both into touchdowns to ultimately spoil what was a decent defensive performance by Edmonton.
Edmonton had some big stars on offense. Ray threw for 340 yards and a touchdown pass, while Arkee Whitlock continued to shine, narrowly missing the century mark with 99 rushing yards. Receivers Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps caught for 170 and 119 yards, respectively, to do their part.
Yet these numbers don't tell the whole story. Specifically, Edmonton's inability to get the ball into the end zone.
The Esks had to settle for five field goals as the Montreal defense kicked in at the most important times.
Best offensive performer: Fred Stamps. Yes, Stamps caught the lone TD for Edmonton, but Campbell was the most dynamic receiver and was magic whenever the ball came close to him.
Best defensive/special teams performer: Derek Schiavone. The kicker, replacing the injured Noel Prefontaine, scored 17 of Edmonton's 23 points including five field goals in six attempts.
Next Game: Saskatchewan (2-0). Poor Edmonton. As if the Alouettes weren't tough enough, the Eskimos now have to travel to the harshest environment in the CFL, Mosaic Stadium. Avoiding a fourth quarter meltdown would surely help, but it's going to take a more balanced offense to squeeze out a first win. If Edmonton can draw confidence from anything, it's that they managed to win twice in Regina last season.
BC LIONS
When Casey Printers went down late in the first half, you just had a feeling Saskatchewan would ride that momentum to a decisive victory. The Riders certainly did, and the Lions were left feeling snake-bitten in a case of pure bad luck.
Travis Lulay did his best to pick up where Printers left off, getting a touchdown and nearly 200 yards in just two quarters of play. But he had trouble holding onto the ball, giving up two fumbles.
While the offense sputtered, BC's defense drowned in a sea of green as Saskatchewan took advantage of some poor discipline from the Lions.
BC was called for 16 penalties that resulted in 116 yards for the Roughriders, a bonus for a Saskatchewan team that doesn't need help with their offense.
Best offensive performer: Geroy Simon. Caught for 169 yards and both of BC's touchdowns. He had two long TD's from two different quarterbacks - 98 and 92 yards, respectively - proving that no matter who's throwing it to him, he's going to make the big play to help spark his team.
Best defensive/special teams performer: Korey Banks. The defensive back had the biggest game against the ball for the Lions, dishing out seven tackles and forcing a fumble.
Next Game: Montreal (1-1). BC generally does well when hosting the Alouettes, but how does playing at Empire Field affect the home advantage? The Lions have the weapons to continue history as Montreal has shown some weaknesses from a pass defense point of view this season. If Printers can return from injury and play to his full capabilities, a win is not out of the question.
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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.
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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.
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