Just about Everything Blog

The ‘new look’ Washington Redskins offense under Sherm Lewis looked much like the old offense under Jim Zorn, and the Philadelphia Eagles had little trouble as they opened a 27-10 halftime lead en route to a 27-17 victory on Monday Night Football. DeSean Jackson scored a long touchdown both rushing and receiving, and Donovan McNabb threw for 156 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the victory.

The Eagles also rewarded NFL betting enthusiasts with the pointspread cover as -8′ road favorites. Philadelphia is now 4-2 against the number while the Redskins continued their struggles against the NFL pointspread dropping to 1-6.

Jackson’s only complaint after the game was that a sore ankle undermined the artistry of his post touchdown tap dance:

“I was out there having fun, man, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting. I really didn’t feel it, but it did kind of affect my dance a little bit. I could put it to perfection a little bit better than that.”

Redskins’ defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth suggested that this team has to learn to play as a unit:

“You can say but so much. You’ve got to actually want to. So once we get to that point — where we want to do something — then we’ll do something. But if we just keep going our separate ways, then we’ll just keep getting slaughtered like we have.”

Jim Zorn was apparently more interested in playing ‘gotcha’ with the management that replaced him as the Redskins’ offensive play caller than in analyzing the game:

“Well, the result was the same. We got 17 points. It was difficult for me. It was difficult to stand and watch. The hard part is to keep your mouth shut.”

Washington running back Rock Cartwright expressed Washington’s struggles in a philosophical light:

“You have to take the bitter with the sweet. And right now we’re at a bitter moment.”

The Eagles will host the New York Giants this Sunday, with the game currently ‘pick’em’ and the total posted at 44. They’ll host the Dallas Cowboys the following Sunday before hitting the road to play the San Diego Chargers on November 15. The Redskins have a much needed bye week before they travel south to play the Atlanta Falcons on November 8.

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 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 interior secretary James Watt.

The Kansas City Chiefs have had an awful preseason, primarily due to their inability to put points on the board. St. Louis scored an offensive touchdown late in the first half and used a third quarter interception return for a score to beat Kansas City 17-9. The Chiefs finished the NFL preseason with a winless 0-4 record, while St. Louis posted a 3-1 mark.

NFL preseason betting aficionados who took a flier on the Rams were rewarded by their outright victory in the pickem game. Kansas City also finished 0-4 against the spread, while St. Louis finished 3-1 to the number.

Despite his teams continued offensive struggles, Haley tried to put a positive spin on his playcalling debut:

“I made a few mistakes out there but overall it felt good. Obviously, there were a couple of plays I would like to have back. After I got the feel a little bit, I didn’t feel too out of sync with the game and what was going on. I thought our defense gave us a chance to win. Running the football is something we can feel good about.”

The Chiefs moved the ball well, generating 406 yards of total offense but had trouble converting in the red zone. They also turned the ball over three times, the most costly a third quarter interception thrown by reserve QB Tyler Thigpen and returned for a touchdown by the Rams Quincy Butler. Afterwards, he suggested that his team has a new mindset:

“Every time the ball’s in the air, we all think ‘It’s my ball. We all go and get it.”

The Rams have 12 takeaways in the 2009 preseason under new head coach Steve Spagnuolo after finishing with only 1 in the 2008 preseason. Spagnuolo was generally pleased with his teams effort in the victory:

“It was good to get those guys back in the swing. Now we’ve just got to get Marc (Bulger) cranked up.”

Bulger has missed most of the preseason but is expected to start in the Rams regular season opener. Spagnuolo wasnt particularly concerned about all of the yardage his team gave up:

“The silver lining is the defense held them and got them to kick a field goal. So there’s some good and bad always.”

St. Louis will head to the Pacific Northwest next Sunday as they open their regular season against the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs will also open the NFL 2009 campaign on the road, heading to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly 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.

Success in the NFL mandates that even when teams aren’t playing their best they need to find a way to win. After spotting the Bucs a 6-0 lead, Miami used a late first half field goal and scored the only touchdown of the second half to comeback for the 10-6 win. The victory improved Miamis preseason NFL record to a perfect 3-0 while Tampa Bay dropped to 1-2.

A starting QB battle in Tampa was the biggest storyline of the game and veteran Byron Leftwich appears to have gained the edge over Luke McCown. Bucs coach Raheem Morris has indicated that hell be making a decision soon, though he refused to show his cards in postgame media comments:

“Obviously you want somebody to jump up and take it. We’ll find out when we go back, look at the tape and evaluate this thing.”

McCown had a rough night, with two sacks and no points scored. He gave a verbose no comment on his status as starter:

“It’s not for me to say. … My part in it is preparing every day, being the best I can be and getting better from my mistakes. As long as I feel like I’m doing that, then I’m OK.”

Leftwich, meanwhile, was 9 of 17 for 100 yards and came up big on several third down completions. He had very little to say about the ‘QB controversy’ and instead focused on his performance:

“Hopefully, I’m the guy. I felt good. I missed a few, but I hit a few also. Luckily for me on the ones I missed, I made plays on the following play to get those first downs.”

Bucs running back Cadillac Williams returned to action after major knee surgery seven months ago. Hes been limited in the last three seasons due to injuries, but looked solid in picking up 54 yards on eight carries. Afterwards, he said the knee problems are not an issue:

“The knee is not an issue to me. … I feel great. I’m just loving what I do.”

The game had several delays due to rain and lightening, the longest a 45 minute stoppage Dolphins QB Chad Pennington said that its hard to evaluate his team’s performance due to the strange starts and stops:

“It was a very odd game for us, as far as the rain delay, a lot of stoppages of play and things like that We were able to come out get a score before halftime and get a score after the half. We’ll build on that. We’ll be critical of ourselves and make sure we don’t let a win overshadow what we need to do to get better.”

Miami will get the NFL regular season underway against the Atlanta Falcons at The Georgia Dome on Sunday, September 13. Tampa Bay will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to The Cigar City on the same day to kick off their 2009 campaign.

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 Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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.

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 insisted the hit wasnt intentional:

“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. He spoke of his performance and the need to minimize turnovers afterwards:

“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.

St. Louis will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals open the NFL regular season at home against the Denver Broncos.

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 Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

When legendary quarterback Brett Favre announced his return to the NFL from what has become a seemingly annual flirtation with retirement, many second guessed the Minnesota Vikings’ decision to sign “The Gunslinger”. On Sunday, Favre and the Vikings answered those critics in the best way possible-with a lopsided 34-3 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys. Favre threw 4 touchdown passes in the victory and the Vikings’ defense sacked Dallas QB Tony Romo six times in the blowout.

NFL football betting fans also cashed tickets on the Vikings as -3 point home favorites. This was the shortest pointspread of the divisional playoff weekend and many thought that Dallas’ momentum would carry them to victory. The 37 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 45. Minnesota had gone UNDER in four of six games to conclude the regular season.

After the contest, Favre boasted that a playoff run was a large part of his motivation to return to NFL action:

“”This is what I came back for. Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating. I feel like I’m playing the same way. I have the same enthusiasm. As long as I’m out there, the enthusiasm and the passion that you see is real. And I know the guys feed off of that. Fans enjoy that, because it is real and genuine. Today was like this season: It’s been wonderful.”

Former South Carolina Gamecock Sidney Rice caught three of Favre’s touchdown passes:

“Same ol’ Brett. He’s doing thing he’s done since he first came in the league: moving around, getting the ball out, breaking tackles and even running down the field and throwing blocks. That just shows you how big of a heart he has.”

Head coach Brad Childress mixed up a bunch of metaphors as he took a swipe at the prognosticators who picked Dallas to win:

“The Tasmanian devils were coming from Dallas that were about to bombard the state of Minnesota and run through us like Sherman through the South. All of us felt it quite palpably.”

Cowboys’ QB didn’t have much to say in defeat:

“Any time you come in with the expectations and goals we set and don’t accomplish them, No. 1, it’s frustrating. Right now, it’s just hard to think the season is over.”

Cowboys’ head coach Wade Phillips had a similar take:

“It’s like the elevator falling from the top. It’s tough when it’s over. If you don’t win it all, you have not reached your goal.”

The Vikings will now head to New Orleans for Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Saints. Minnesota is a +3′ point road underdog with the total set at 52′. The winner will advance to the Superbowl to take on the winner of the New York Jets/Indianapolis Colts contest.

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

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. The 59 combined points scored went OVER the posted total of 53′. The Saints went OVER for the second consecutive game after playing four straight UNDER verdicts to close out the regular season.

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, karate and model railroading. He lives in Las Vegas with his Asian houseboy, three Jack Russell Terriers and a retired racing wombat.

The Indianapolis Colts offense was in high gear as Peyton Manning threw two TD passes in three series of action, leaving backup Curtis Painter with a 14-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting the game. The Colts would eventually depend as much on their defense as their offense over the course of the subsequent NFL season but on this day the Colts went on to win 23-15 in NFL preseason action at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Manning was in good spirits as he discussed the Colts’ offense after this game:

“I think everybody wanted to be in there. The entire offense felt hungry after last week. Sure, there were some mistakes we can learn from, but there were some good things we can learn from.”

“I don’t think anybody offensively was really happy with what happened last week. It started with me and the entire offensive starting unit. Overall I thought everybody came back and did a better job tonight.”

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell shared his QB’s pleasure:

“They [the starters] had a couple of real good solid drives in there, performing pretty well. We were pleased with what we saw.”

Eagles coach Andy Reid wasn’t the least bit enthused with what he saw from his team:

“All in all, that was an embarrassing performance and way too many penalties, not enough intensity all the way around, starting with me. It was a poor performance.”

Aside from a nice touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb early in the game the Eagles looked nothing like a team expected to contend for a Superbowl berth.

Philadelphia will host the Jacksonville Jaguars next Thursday night looking for their first win of the NFL preseason. The Colts will continue their NFL exhibition slate as they travel to Detroit for a game against the Lions a week from Saturday.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling and NFL football 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, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Even when the games don’t count and the starters play little, if at all, the Baltimore Ravens hate to lose. Despite the Atlanta Falcons starting QB Matt Ryan playing only one series and with the Ravens third string signal caller John Beck playing the entire game it was apparent that Baltimore wanted the victory more. The former BYU standout threw for 232 yards and a pair of touchdown passes as the Ravens easily beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-3 at the Georgia Dome. The victory gave the Ravens an undefeated NFL preseason mark at 4-0, while the Falcons finished the exhibition campaign with a 2-2 record.

Sports enthusiasts who bet on NFL preseason action were rewarded for their investment in the Ravens, as Baltimore won outright as +3 road underdogs. Baltimore also finished the NFL preseason with a perfect 4-0 mark against the spread, while Atlanta finished 2-1-1 against the number.

Ravens QB Beck hasnt had much playing time in the NFL since his ill fated rookie year in Miami in 2007. After the game, he expressed how pleased he was to showcase his skills for the entire game:

“He (coach John Harbaugh) told me a few days ago that I would play the whole game. It was very exciting to get to play the whole game.”

Beck made the most of his opportunity, finishing with 232 yards on 16 of 28 passing and a pair of touchdowns. The Ravens defensive reserves did their part by holding the Falcons to just 175 yards of total offense.

Despite the lackluster effort, Falcons coach Mike Smith was nonplussed:

“You’ve got to understand in these games, you’re going to call things defensively and offensively to put players in certain situations to evaluate them. You’re not game-planning in a game like this. You’re going to put players in certain situations to see how they handle certain techniques and coverages.”

Falcon cornerback Chris Houston was a little more concerned:

“We’ve got to work on everybody getting to the ball. We’ve got to try to be more aggressive in our techniques. We made some plays tonight, but other than that, we still have a lot to work on as a defense.”

The Ravens will get the 2009 NFL regular season underway at home, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, September 13th. The Falcons, meanwhile, will welcome the Miami Dolphins to the Georgia Dome to get their campaign started.

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 an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

It’s obvious that the San Francisco 49ers are heading in the right direction under Mike Singletary, but you couldn’t tell by watching their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons scored six touchdowns against the Niners, with running back Michael Turner accounting for three of the scores as Atlanta routed San Francisco by a lopsided 45-10 final score. It was the Niners’ worst defeat since a 41-0 loss back in 2006 under former coach Mike Nolan.

The NFL betting lines had the game listed as a ‘PICK’, giving the Falcons the ATS win with their easy straight up victory. It was the 49ers first loss against the spread this season, while Atlanta upped their record to 3-1 to the money. The combined 55 points went OVER the posted total of 39′.

After the game, the fiery Singletary apologized for a verbal altercation with former 49er and current Falcons’ lineman Harvey Dahl:

“I’ll put it this way: I wish I had more coaching etiquette. I don’t. I love my players and when someone responds about my players in a particular way, I may do some things I shouldn’t do. I have to get better at those things as time goes on. Even though the player was talking to me, I should not have said what I said. It wasn’t anything bad, it was just something that shouldn’t have happened.”

Roddy White set a Falcons’ record with 210 receiving yards, and was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on his second touchdown of the day. With his team in full control, Atlanta coach Mike Smith had to be amused:

“He didn’t hit the landing because if he hits the landing it’s not a 15-yard penalty. I told him if he’s going to do it, it needs to be Olga Korbut. And he looked at me like he doesn’t know who Olga Korbut is. Then I told him, ‘Well, maybe Mary Lou Retton.’ And then I figure that’s ’86, he doesn’t know who Mary Lou Retton is. It went right over his head and my head.”

Smith admitted that he hadn’t been in top form so far this season:

“I felt like I haven’t been playing well up to this point in the season. Me and coach Smith had a talk. He was like, ‘You gotta get back to being yourself again. You gotta go out there and be the old Roddy. No pressure. Just go out there and play.’”

The Falcons will return home on Sunday to host the Chicago Bears, with Atlanta a -3 home favorite and the total set at 45′. They’ll play their next two on the road, traveling to Texas for a game against the Dallas Cowboys the following week and to New Orleans to face the Saints on Monday, November 2. The 49ers will have a bye this week before traveling to Houston to play the Texans on October 25. They’ll play at Indianapolis the following Sunday before returning home to take on the Tennessee Titans on November 8.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. 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 as coach of the Jets as his team nipped the 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. The combined 52 points went well OVER the posted total of 36. The Jets have gone OVER in all three of their exhibition games, while the Giants have exceeded the total in two of three.

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 commended his young QBs effort:

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

Giants QB Eli Manning had something of an off game, finishing a touchdown and interception. He had receiver Steve Smith drop a perfect wide open pass that would have been a 50 yard touchdown play. Afterwards, he had no hard feelings:

“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 finish up the NFL preseason slate with a trip to Foxboro, Massachusetts to take on the New England Patriots on Thursday night. The Jets wrap up their exhibition schedule by hosting the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer experienced in travel, casino gambling 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 Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.