Ramsey, McCray among Saints' final cuts

Football Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Patrick Ramsey and defensive end Bobby McCray were among the highest-profile players released by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, as the defending Super Bowl champions reduced their roster to the NFL maximum of 53.

Ramsey, who was signed in July, had been widely expected to assume the No. 2 quarterback role behind starter Drew Brees. But the former Tulane star, who completed 28-of-45 passes for 400 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the preseason, was beaten out by ex-Missouri standout Chase Daniel.

McCray, who appeared in every game with New Orleans over the last two years and won a ring with the 2009 team, was released by the Saints for the second time this year. The team initially released the six-year veteran in June before bringing him back in July, only to cut McCray again following the preseason.

McCray has 29.5 sacks since breaking into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2004.

Also released on Saturday were running back Ladell Betts, wide receiver Montez Billings, offensive lineman Brandon Carter, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, linebacker Harry Coleman, offensive lineman Na'Shan Goddard, cornerback Reggie Jones, fullback Zak Keasey, offensive lineman Nick Leckey, tight end Tyler Lorenzen, fullback Jason McKie, offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf, offensive lineman Jermey Parnell, defensive lineman DeMario Pressley, defensive lineman Jay Ross, safety Chip Vaughn and defensive lineman Al Woods.

Notables among that group include Betts, an eight-year veteran with the Redskins (2002-09); Clancy, Leckey and Pressley, all of whom appeared in games with New Orleans a year ago; and Woods, the team's fourth-round 2010 pick out of LSU.

New Orleans will open its 2010 regular season slate on Thursday night, when it hosts the Minnesota Vikings in a NFC Championship rematch to kick off the NFL season.

Wmarketwatch Football Betting News

<< Oklahoma holds on against Utah State
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Broyles posted 142 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions as seventh-ranked Oklahoma nearly wasted a 21-point lead but topped Utah State, 31-24, in the season-opener for both schools at Oklahom

<< Jackson powers Tigers past Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Jackson went 3-for-4 and singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals in the middle test of a three-game series. Jackson als

<< Engram, Jennings, McDonald among Browns' final cuts
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Bobby Engram, running back Chris Jennings and cornerback Brandon McDonald were among the notables released by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to 53 players. Engram,

<< Cornhuskers clobber WKU
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez ran for three touchdowns and accounted for 263 of Nebraska's 536 yards of offense, as the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers walloped Western Kentucky, 49-10, at Memorial Stadium

<< Goalkeeper gaffe gives Columbus win at United
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the lone goal after a mistake by D.C. United rookie goalie Bill Hamid and the Columbus Crew won 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium. Columbus (13-

Nationals pound Pirates behind Rodriguez >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer and knocked in four as the Washington Nationals thumped Pittsburgh, 9-2, in the second of three games from PNC Park. John Lannan (7-6) struck out seven in seven

Colts Cut 22, including OT Terry; acquire CB Tryon >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts released 22 players including veteran tackle Adam Terry on Saturday, also acquiring cornerback Justin Tryon via a trade with the Washington Redskins amid their "cut-down-day" transactio

Patriots list LBs Alexander, Burgess, Woods among final cuts >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebackers Eric Alexander, Derrick Burgess and Pierre Woods, all of whom had a role with the Patriots in past years, were released as part of New England's "cut-down-day" roster maneuvers on Saturday. Alexa

Alabama starts BCS title defense with rout of San Jose State >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson each rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and top-ranked Alabama began defense of its BCS national title with a 48-3 win over San Jose State. Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron

FCD extends unbeaten run to 13 with win over Toronto >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas earned a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC in Major League Soccer action at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night. Jeff Cunningham's eighth goal of the season and 129th of his MLS career were enough to propel

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.