Apr 29
Rams Foil Comeback Attempt To Beat Bengals In Preseason NFL Play
Posted on Thursday, April 29, 2010 in Entertainment
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. The Bengals couldn't close the deal, however, and dropped to 1-2 on the NFL preseason. Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Despite the hit, he 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. O'Sullivan talked about the problem after the game: "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. The Bengals conclude their NFL preseason slate next Thursday as they host the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams play at home on the same night, welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs to the Edward Jones Dome. Ross Everett is a widely published 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 World Cup betting 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.
Feb 16
Cincinnati Rips Chicago
Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 in Entertainment
Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson got revenge on the team that let him go in the best possible way. Benson amassed 189 yards rushing and led his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to a 45-10 rout over the visiting Bears on Sunday. Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the blowout victory. The Bengals also made short work of the NFL pointspread, easily covering as +1' home underdogs. Cincinnati improved to 4-3 against the number while Chicago evened their ATS mark at 3-3. The 55 combined points sailed OVER the posted total of 42'. A smug Benson described his feelings after the win: "Everybody knew it was going to be an emotional day. Everybody knew. What a wonderful day and a wonderful thing, to go out there and strut your stuff." Despite the evidence to the contrary, Benson downplayed the motive of revenge: "I continue to be as graceful as I can be. I'm not shoving anything in anybody's face. Like I say, it wasn't a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities." He said his biggest problem was trying to keep his emotions in check: "There were a few times where I may have gotten a little too hyped up, a little too antsy. A couple of drives, I found myself having to calm myself down and gather my emotions to stay poised. Once I got past that, we were good to go. Keep it rolling." Bengals' receiver Chad Ochocinco had 10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He shared his thoughts postgame: "I don't understand why it went this way today and why it didn't go that way last week or the week before that. The offensive line played unbelievable. For Ced to run the way he did today and for us to be able to throw, we could have done what we wanted to do." Chicago gave up more points than in any game all season, a fact that left defensive end Alex Brown looking for answers: "That was pretty embarrassing. It's embarrassing to come out and play like that. I tip my hat to their whole team. Cedric ran the ball like crazy. They did whatever they wanted to do." The Bengals will enjoy a bye week before hosting the Baltimore Ravens on November 8. They'll then play two games on the road at Pittsburgh and Oakland. Chicago will try to get back on track this Sunday as they host the Cleveland Browns. They'll host the Arizona Cardinals the following Sunday before heading west for a Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers on November 12. Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly 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 Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Jan 26
Kansas City Wins First Of Season By Beating Washington
Posted on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 in Entertainment
The offensively struggling Kansas City Chiefs have finally found a way to win-play a team with a more stagnant offense than their own. The Chiefs gave Todd Haley his first win as a NFL head coach on Sunday with a---6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kansas City won despite not scoring a touchdown, compiling their-- points via 4 Ryan Succop field goals and a game ending safety. Kansas City is now 1-5 on the NFL season, while the Redskins slumped to 2-4. To successfully bet on NFL football you occasionally have to put aside W/L records and look at the underlying statistics. Those who did that found reason to take Kansas City as +6' road underdogs and were rewarded with the outright victory. Kansas City is now 2-4 against the NFL pointspread and has covered two straight while Washington is a dismal 1-5 versus the money. The 20 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 36'. The Redskins have gone UNDER in five of their six games this season, while Kansas City has curiously posted a NFL totals mark of 3-2-1 to the OVER despite not scoring more than 24 points in a game all season. After the contest, Haley sounded more relieved than excited about finally putting a "W" on the board: "We made it pretty difficult, right down to the end. We've pushed through a very difficult period. We needed to get some positive reinforcement with a win." Kansas City QB Matt Cassel also won for the first time since coming over from New England in the off season. His postgame comments were more upbeat: "There's been a lot of change, but this has definitely been special. We rose to the occasion. We made some big plays. We put ourselves in a position to score points." Embattled Redskins' coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his offensive play calling duties by team management after the contest. In one of his last decisions in that role, he pulled starter Jason Campbell at halftime and went with Todd Collins. He explained his move as follows: "I felt the need to create a spark on our football team offensively and went with Todd. I think the guys responded well. We kept our spark, at times, and then we refizzled." The Redskins have managed to win only two of their first six games despite being the only team in NFL history to play their first six games of the season against winless opponents. They'll get another chance to silence their doubters next Monday night as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. They'll have a bye the next week and return to action on November 8th against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Kansas City will try to string together back to back wins as they host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer who has written on sports gambling and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared as a guest on TV and radio talking about boxing, hockey and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a ferret.