Injuries, inconsistency plague Browns once again
Football Betting Lines
12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns lost another game this past Sunday. That should have come as no surprise, considering they were facing a very good Baltimore Ravens squad on the road.
Romeo Crennel's troops displayed grit, fighting back from an early 14-point deficit to even the score with a pair of Derek Anderson touchdown passes, and executed reasonably well in a number of phases. In the end, however, Baltimore's talent and ability to take advantage of Cleveland's injury-riddled defense propelled the playoff-bound Ravens to a hard-fought 27-17 victory.
The Browns played with four regulars - end Orpheus Roye, linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, cornerback Gary Baxter and free safety Brian Russell - out for the season on the defensive side of the ball. And while the playing field was leveled somewhat when Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was forced to leave early on with an injured hand, Cleveland's shorthanded state of a unit that wasn't deep to begin with helped make Kyle Boller, the much-maligned former No. 1 pick, temporarily look like the star somebody in the Baltimore organization wrongfully envisioned.
For a brief moment, the Browns actually looked like the team steamrolling its way into the playoffs instead of the Ravens. Anderson, the relatively unknown backup pressed into service three weeks ago, brilliantly orchestrated an eight-play, 84-yard drive against one of the NFL's most feared defenses midway through the third quarter. And when he delivered a 14-yard scoring strike to Braylon Edwards to cap the series, Cleveland suddenly was dead even with the AFC North champs.
Unfortunately, the Browns played like a 4-10 team headed nowhere the rest of the way. Less than a minute after Edwards' score, Ravens' rookie receiver Demetrius Williams blew past two defenders and hauled in Boller's deep pass for a 77-yard touchdown. Three plays later, Anderson was intercepted by Chris McAllister, and failed to move the offense over the remainder of the day.
"There are usually a couple of key plays in a game that determine whether you win or lose," said Browns linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. "When those plays came up, they made the plays and we couldn't get it done."
Wimbley's remarks were referring to Sunday's game, but they could just as easily be attributed to a host of others over the course of this season. The Browns also failed to seal the deal against the Ravens back in September, blowing an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter and losing 15-14 on a last-second Matt Stover field goal. Cleveland also failed to maintain a sizeable late margin during a four-point defeat to hated Pittsburgh last month.
If the Browns manage to win those games, we'd be discussing a .500 team apparently headed in the right direction instead of a franchise seemingly stuck in neutral.
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Anderson was selected by Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2005, and began last season as the Ravens' No. 3 quarterback before being cut loose by the organization in September. The 23-year-old certainly did some good things in his second career start, accumulating 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 23-of-32 passing and completing 13 straight throws at one point. He also threw two costly interceptions, however, one of which was turned into a short Jamal Lewis touchdown run in the first quarter.
"He played decent, but in his effort to try to make some plays there are some things he could do better," said Crennel. "But I thought he was calm. He wasn't overly excited about the possibility of going back and playing his old team."
Anderson's play has begun to stir talk of a quarterback controversy in Cleveland, where injured starter Charlie Frye has been underwhelming at times but is still regarded by the organization as its long-term answer. Anderson has produced a solid quarterback rating of 85.0 in his three appearances, compared to a 72.0 for Frye, who has also thrown 16 interceptions in his 12 starts this year.
It looks like Anderson may get another opportunity to state his case, as Frye is still hampered by an injured right wrist and may not be available again for this Sunday's game with Tampa Bay.
JACKSON LATEST CASUALTY
Jackson is the most recent Cleveland defensive starter to be placed on injured reserve, as the rookie linebacker decided to undergo toe surgery after hurting himself in the team's Week 14 loss at Pittsburgh. The second-round draft choice had started each of the Browns' first 13 games and ranks second on the team with 93 tackles.
Leon Williams, who was picked two rounds behind Jackson in last April's draft, made his first career start on Sunday. The former Miami star was in on 11 stops and also forced a fumble.
"I thought he came in and a nice job," said Crennel of Williams. "He made plays and made tackles. He didn't have mental errors."
SHUT OUT
Cleveland failed to win any of its games against fellow AFC North foes this season, marking the first time since the Browns entered the NFL in 1950 that the franchise has not won an intradivisional matchup. Cleveland didn't fare much better against its rivals during last year's 6-10 campaign, going 1-5 in division play. The lone victory came against the Ravens.
BAY OF PIGS
The Browns play their final home game of the season this Sunday against the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that hasn't won on the road yet in 2006. The Bucs came close last Sunday, however, taking NFC power Chicago into overtime before suffering a gut-wrenching 34-31 loss.
Cleveland has been quite successful in its limited meetings with Tampa Bay, having won five of the six previous encounters. The Browns have also taken both games with the Buccaneers as the host team.
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SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com