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08/31/2010 -
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston running back Arian Foster wants to get one of his offensive linemen into the Pro Bowl. He certainly wouldn't turn down an invitation for himself.
Foster has emerged as Houston's top running back at training camp. That's a hopeful sign for a team that ranked 30th in the league in the category last season (92.2 yards per game).
Foster capped an impressive training camp with an 18-carry, 110-yard performance against Dallas on Saturday. He's secured the starting job heading into Thursday's preseason finale against Tampa Bay, a remarkable accomplishment after he went undrafted last spring and spent most of last season on Houston's practice squad.
The 6-foot-1, 227-pound Foster rushed for 2,964 yards in four seasons at Tennessee, second on the school's career list. He could've jumped to the NFL after his junior season, but opted to stay in school, a decision he now regrets.
The Vols went 5-7 in 2008, Foster rushed for only 570 yards and his draft stock slipped.
He was invited to play in the Senior Bowl after the season, but pulled a hamstring in the final practice before the game. Foster missed the NFL combine, and couldn't recover in time to impress scouts before the 2009 draft.
He spent the weekend of the draft in Arizona with family and friends, playing cards and golf while the teams made their picks. When he wasn't chosen, Foster virtually gave up hope he would ever play in the NFL.
``Initially, I was just distraught,'' he said. ``As a little kid, you just want to get your name called. That's what you dream about. That didn't happen, so I basically thought that my career was over. I really didn't know anything about the undrafted free agent process. I thought I was done.''
But teams did start calling, and the Texans saw enough potential to sign him.
``We saw a lot of talent in college,'' coach Gary Kubiak said. ``There was some knocks (on him) coming out that were keeping him from being a drafted player. We took a chance on him, and we battled him last year with some of those knocks, and he's kind of grown up.''
Kubiak encouraged the rookies before training camp began, but Foster's new teammates weren't so supportive in the locker room.
``When I first started coming in here, you could feel the looks like, 'Oh, he's going to be gone.''' Foster said. ``You could just feel it. They might not mean it intentionally, but they say it with their eyes. You could see it, you could feel it.''
Foster injured his other hamstring at camp, and was demoted to the practice squad. He tried to impress coaches with his work ethic throughout the season, but worried every day that he'd be cut by the following week.
``You're always doubting because on the practice squad, it's like you're expendable, very expendable,'' he said. ``If they need somebody, and they need room, you're the first to go. That's hard living like that. It's tough, but you try to make it so they don't want to let you go.''
While Foster quietly worked, Houston unsuccessfully searched for a dependable running back. Ryan Moats and Chris Brown fizzled, and Steve Slaton, who led all rookie rushers in 2008, fumbled too much the next season and missed the last five games with a neck injury.
The Texans finally turned to Foster, who ran for 218 yards in Houston's final two games, both victories.
``When the opportunity came,'' he said, ``I made the most of it.''
Foster said that he's got something to prove to every team that snubbed him in last year's draft. Undrafted free agents rarely make it in the NFL, but Foster is proud to live up to the tattoo on his left biceps that reads, ``Against All Odds.''
``I've been told that I shouldn't accomplish anything that I have in my life,'' he said. ``I wasn't supposed to go to college, I wasn't supposed to play on varsity in high school. I definitely wasn't supposed to go to the NFL, I definitely wasn't supposed to start.
``I wasn't supposed to make any noise,'' he said. ``Now, it's that I'm not going to play for very long. I like hurdles, man. They define you.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Cardinals activate P Motte
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals activated reliever
Jason Motte from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
He had been on the list since August 4 due to an AC sprain of his right
shoulder.
Motte has excelled
<< Nats use homers to down Florida
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn both clubbed a
three-run homer, as the Washington Nationals outlasted the weather to beat
Florida, 9-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium.
Dunn added
<< Angels use long ball to down Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui
all homered in the sixth inning and Ervin Santana was solid through 7 2/3
innings as Los Angeles downed Seattle, 5-3, to open a three-game divisional
set at
<< Rockies score two in ninth to stun Giants
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez tripled home the tying
run in the top of the ninth inning and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing
error, as the Colorado Rockies rallied past San Francisco, 2-1, in the opener
of a th
ECU's McNeill embraces challenge of 1st game week >>
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -The smoke will billow near East Carolina's locker room, the pyrotechnics will sparkle and they'll blast Jimi Hendrix's ``Purple Haze'' over the speakers.Then, for the first time, Ruffin McNeill will lead the Pirates onto the f
Ho hum. It's business as usual for No. 1 Tide >>
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Nick Saban didn't so much as raise his voice. The trademark scowl never made even a cameo appearance.Sure seems as if No. 1 Alabama's top ranking and elephant-sized expectations are becoming the status quo around here, judging
2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 31st >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Group C: Russia 34, Ivory Coast 30 (Ankara)
Halftime - Group D; New Zealand 51, Lebanon 32 (Izmir)
Group C: Puerto Rico vs. China, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: France vs. Canada, 11:30 a.m. (Izmir)
Gro
Surging Rockies try to take down Giants once again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies are up to their old tricks again.
Known for late-season surges, the Rockies appear to be headed in that
direction and will try to stay hot Tuesday in the second installment of a
three-game series again
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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