Jan 21
Bills Show Some Offensive Punch In Win Over Buccaneers
Posted on Friday, January 21, 2011 in Hobbies
It wasn't a game for the ages by the Buffalo Bills, as they blew much of a 17 point lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, they did what they had to do and put some offense on the board en route to a 33-20 National Football League victory. NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Bills as -4 home favorites cashed their tickets with the pointspread cover. Despite a 1-1 straight up record, Buffalo improved to 2-0 against the spread. Tampa Bay has lost both of their 2009 NFL games straight up and against the number for a 0-2 mark in both categories. The combined 53 points put on the scoreboard went OVER the posted total of 41. Quarterback Trent Edwards expressed his excitement and seeing T.O show some of his ability to be a deep threat for the team: I was excited and he was excited. I don't really recall what was said, but I'm honestly hoping that that continues to happen. I think that's why we have him." "We learned our lesson from last week and it's a valuable lesson we're going to need throughout the season. We have to finish games and that's what we did today." Lee Evans also caught a touchdown pass from Edwards, and after the game praised his quarterback: "It comes down to opportunities. I think Trent wasn't afraid to take any chances. You always have to have that threat of the deep play. I think we put it on the table today that we would." A team long known for its suffocating defenses, Tampa Bay has struggled to stop opposing offenses in the first two NFL regular season games under new head coach Raheem Morris. The Bucs allowed over 900 yards of offense this season, a fact that defensive stalwart Ronde Barber stressed was unacceptable: "They dialed up some things on us that we should have stopped but we didn't. Ask the coaches that. I'm not willing to make a statement on that. It's really unacceptable. Good defenses are good tackling defenses." Morris, meanwhile, tried to project an aura of calm: "I'm not worried about their confidence but these guys got to play better." The Bills now host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with Buffalo installed as +6 home underdogs. The total for the game has been set at 52. Tampa Bay faces three tough NFC East opponents in the coming weeks, beginning with a Sunday home game against the New York Giants. The Bucs are +6 home underdogs in that game with the total set at 44. Ross Everett is a widely published freelance 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 Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Sep 24
Carolina Thumps Slumping Tampa Bay
Posted on Friday, September 24, 2010 in Entertainment
Carolina Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme struggled on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was fortunate that his running backs bailed him out. Delhomme threw for only 65 yards with two interceptions, but D'Angelo Williams (152 yards) and Jonathan Stewart (110 yards) kept the chains moving as the Panthers won their second straight game defeating the Bucs 28-21. Tampa Bay has now lost ten straight dating back to last season and are 0-6 for the first time since'85. Carolina improved to 2-3 with the victory. NFL sports bettors were faced with a choice between two teams with dismal ATS records in this game, and those who had the guts to take a 1-3 team as a -3 road favorite were rewarded with the cover. It was Carolina's first NFL pointspread cover of the season and left them with a 1-4 record against the number. Tampa Bay has covered one of their six games this year. The 49 points scored went OVER the total of 40'. Delhomme attempted only seven passes in the second half, but the way Williams and Stewart were running there was no reason to put the ball in the air. Williams said that even though Tampa Bay knew what was coming they couldn't stop the Panthers' running game: "I'm sure everybody in the stadium knew what we were going to do. There were times they had nine in the box and we were still getting 7 or 8 yards." There's been little impatience locally with Bucs' rookie head coach Raheem Morris, but his weekly habit of explaining the obvious to rationalize yet another loss is starting to wear thin: "We got overpowered at the end, and really throughout the game." Carolina safety Dante Wesley was ejected after clobbering Bucs' return man Clifton Smith after a fair catch call. After the game, Wesley gave this defense for his actions: "I was just trying to make a play. You can check my record. I've never really tried to hurt anybody. I've never tried to take a cheap shot on anybody." Wesley could face a possible fine or suspension from the NFL but, in all fairness, it did appear to be a momentary mental lapse as he was trying to make a big play and not a deliberate attempt to injure Smith. Tampa's schedule has the look of them going from 'the frying pan into the fire' as they host the New England Patriots next Sunday-fresh off of their 57 point drubbing of Tennessee. The Bucs are +14 home underdogs to the Patriots with the total set at 45. They'll get a week off after that contest and return to action on November 8 as they host the Green Bay Packers. Carolina has an easier draw, hosting the Buffalo Bills next Sunday. The game is currently off the board pending the status of Bills' QB Trent Edwards who suffered a concussion in Sunday's win over the New York Jets. The Panthers will then play on the road the following two Sundays, traveling to Arizona and New Orleans. Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He 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 interior secretary James Watt.
Aug 8
Houston Earns Big Road Win At Cincinnati
Posted on Sunday, August 8, 2010 in Hobbies
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. Cincinnati dropped to 4-2 with the loss while Houston evened their record at 3-3. 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' stoic 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. Cincinnati is a -1 home favorite with the total set at 42. 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, with Houston a -3 home favorite and the total set at 44. Ross Everett is a 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 Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Aug 7
Saints Blitz Giants To Claim NFC Supremacy
Posted on Saturday, August 7, 2010 in Entertainment
Heading into last Sunday, there was a consensus that the New York Giants were the best team in the NFL with an undefeated record, a productive offense and the league's top ranked defense. The New Orleans Saints made a compelling case to the contrary, however, as they dismantled the Giants to win 48-27 behind yet another MVP-like performance from quarterback Drew Brees. Brees threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions as New Orleans kept their record perfect on the season at 5-0. The Giants dropped to 5-1 with the defeat. NFL betting enthusiasts who took New Orleans as -3 home favorites were confident that they'd be cashing a ticket by halftime as the Saints shot out to a 34-17 lead at the break. The Saints also remained perfect against the NFL pointspread at 5-0, while the Giants failed to cover for the first time this season and stand at 5-1 ATS. After the game, Brees explained his team's strategy: "We wanted to really dictate the tempo of the game the whole way through. Seven different guys scored touchdowns. That's big. That's the type of rhythm that, when you get in, you feel like you can call anything and it's going to work." The Saints are off to their best start since'93 and have yet to trail in a game this season. Still, head coach Sean Payton wasn't entertaining talk that his team had established themselves as the presumptive Superbowl favorite: "I don't think you can talk about big pictures after game 5." Giants' QB Eli Manning was looking forward to a homecoming of sorts-his father, Archie, played the same position for New Orleans during his NFL career. Suffice to say it didn't go as he had planned: "It's not the way I imagined it during the week, but you're going to encounter all sorts of games and all sorts of situations. I look at it as a loss. We need to go back to work this week, fix some things and try to improve." New York head coach Tom Coughlin marveled at the play of the Saints' offensive line who gave Brees great protection all day long: "I don't know that we ever hit him. At this level, if you're going to stop the pass, you've got to get pressure. You've got to force the quarterback not to throw it on his tempo." The Saints will now face the Miami Dolphins on the road, with New Orleans a -6 favorite and the total set at 47. After the trip to south Florida they'll return home for a game against longtime rival Atlanta on Monday night football. The Giants return home to play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night, with New York a -7 home favorite and the total set at 46. They'll head to Philadelphia to play the Eagles next week before returning home for a date against the San Diego Chargers on November 8. Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and highly respected authority on soccer 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 an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Jul 1
Buffalo Beats Struggling Carolina
Posted on Thursday, July 1, 2010 in Entertainment
Carolina Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme is having a season he'd like to forget, and things got even worse on Sunday at home against the Buffalo Bills. Despite dominating the Bills on the stat sheet, Delhomme threw three interceptions that allowed Buffalo to take a 20-9 victory over the struggling Panthers. Delhomme threw for 325 yards, though without any touchdowns. His three picks pushed his total for the year to- which leads the NFL. The Panthers dropped to 2-4 while the Bills improved to 3-4. Buffalo rewarded NFL pointspread players with the outright victory as +7 road underdogs. The Bills have covered four of their seven games this season, while the Panthers have an awful record against the spread-they've only covered once this season for a 1-5 ATS mark. The 29 combined points went UNDER the posted total of 37. Buffalo has gone UNDER in 4 of 7 games this season while Carolina evened their NFL totals mark at 3-3. The Bills' Terrell Owens was again a non-factor, but gave credit to the defense for earning the victory: "You can't really complain about a win. Defensively, those guys are keeping us in ballgames." Buffalo defensive end Chris Kelsay commended his team's victory on the road: "Never once on the sidelines was there any doubt that we were going to win the game. Regardless if it's an ugly win over not, it's hard to win in this league." Ryan Fitzpatrick started at QB for Buffalo in place of the injured Trent Edwards and was solid, if not spectacular. Coach Dick Jauron observed: "He made the plays when we had to make them." Panthers' coach John Fox has said he's going to're-evaluate' whether the struggling Delhomme should continue to start, and even the quarterback himself couldn't make an emphatic case that he should keep his job: "In my heart, yeah, but I mean let's be honest, I don't think I'm a dummy. When you're not playing well offensively, you always have to look at the quarterback." The Panthers' schedule doesn't get easier this week as they head west for a game against the improving Arizona Cardinals. They'll head south the following week to face the red hot New Orleans Saints before returning home on November 15 to take on the Atlanta Falcons. Buffalo will host the Houston Texans this weekend, with the game currently off the board due to injuries on both teams. They'll have their bye week after that and will return to action on November 15 against the Tennessee Titans. Ross Everett is a 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 betting odds portal sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.