Dawson hits two late FGs; Delhomme sharp in Browns debut
Football Betting Lines
08/14/2010 - Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Dawson made a pair of field goals with less than two minutes left in the game, as the Cleveland Browns rallied past the Green Bay Packers, 27-24, in the preseason lid-lifter for each club.
Dawson made a 58-yard field goal with about 1 1/2 minutes remaining and a 46- yarder as time expired to give Cleveland the victory.
The Browns, who are trying to rebound from a 5-11 record in 2009, upgraded at quarterback in the offseason by signing Jake Delhomme, who made both Pro Bowl and Super Bowl appearances during a seven-year run as starting quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. Delhomme impressed in his Browns debut, completing 6- of-7 passes for 66 yards.
Seneca Wallace was brought in as a serviceable backup after spending seven years in Seattle. He connected on 4-of-8 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Colt McCoy, who was selected in the third round of the draft, threw two interceptions before leaving with a right hand injury.
Jerome Harrison rushed for a TD, while Brian Robiskie and Benjamin Watson each caught a touchdown pass.
Aaron Rodgers completed his first 10 passes of the game en route to connecting on 12-of-13 for 159 yards and a touchdown. Matt Flynn completed 9-of-15 passes for 69 yards and an interception for the Packers, who are coming off an 11-5 season.
Green Bay's backfield suffered a bit of a blow as Ryan Grant left the game in the first quarter with a head injury. Grant, who fumbled on his first touch of the contest, rushed for just six yards on three carries. Kregg Lumpkin and John Kuhn each had a rushing TD.
Greg Jennings led the receiving corps with three catches for 68 yards and a score.
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Reed connected on three field goals to help the Pittsburgh Steelers take a 23-7 win over the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener for both squads. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, comi
<< McGehee singles home winning run in 10th as Brewers edge Rockies
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee singled home the go-ahead run in
the top of the 10th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Colorado
Rockies, 5-4, in the second test of a three-game series from Coors Field.
Ryan Brau
<< Cardinals' fourth-quarter rally seals win over Texans
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Wright caught a 15-yard touchdown pass
from John Skelton with 1:53 remaining, completing Arizona's 19-point fourth
quarter rally in a 19-16 preseason win over the Houston Texans.
Beanie Wells caug
<< Bradford makes debut, but Rosenfels steals spotlight
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sage Rosenfels threw for 310 yards and three
touchdowns, leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 28-7 victory over the St. Louis
Rams in each team's first preseason game.
Rosenfels relieved starter Tarvaris Jac
<< Lester leads Red Sox over Texas
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester turned in eight scoreless innings
and Bill Hall finished 2-for-4 with an RBI as Boston downed Texas, 3-1, in the
second of three between the teams.
J.D. Drew and Marco Scutaro also drove in a run
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Catcher Bobby Wilson homered twice and knocked in a career-high five runs to power the Angels to a 7-2 victory over Toronto. "My main job is to help the pitcher put up zeros. Anything I can do offens
Wondolowski goal propels S.J. over K.C. >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes snapped a three-
game winless run with 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards in Major League
Soccer action on Saturday night.
San Jose striker Chris Wondolowski scored the g
New England Patriots 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Whether you liked Bill Belichick's fourth-down call in a
key November contest against the Indianapolis Colts or you didn't, there's
little sense in disputing the pall that its failure cast on the remainder of
the New England
Chargers strike down Bears >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philip Rivers threw for 62 yards and a
touchdown on 4-of-6 passing in his preseason debut, as San Diego downed
Chicago, 25-10, in the exhibition opener for both clubs.
Legedu Naanee hauled in
Seahawks turn page with preseason win over Titans >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Whitehurst threw two touchdowns to help
the Seattle Seahawks take a 20-18 win over the Tennessee Titans in the
preseason opener for both squads.
Whitehurst went 14-for-22 with 214 yards and
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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