Patriots release WR Underwood
Football Betting Lines
02/04/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots released wide receiver Tiquan Underwood on Saturday, while elevating defensive end Alex Silvestro from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster.
The moves came on the eve of New England's date with the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Underwood played in six games for the Patriots this season and caught three passes for 30 yards.
The 23-year-old Silvestro saw his firs NFL action in a victory over Miami on Dec. 24. He was released on Dec. 29 and signed back to the practice squad two days later.
Because of the move to release Underwood, it's possible the Patriots could make wide receiver Chad Ochocinco active for the game. The other New England wide receivers are Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater.
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Pistons rookie guard Brandon Knight left Saturday night's contest with the New Orleans Hornets after breaking his nose. Knight appeared to suffer the injury after catching an elbow
<< Detroit QB Stafford named Comeback Player of the Year
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was
named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Saturday, as voted by the
Associated Press.
Stafford, who threw for a career-high 5,038 yards and 41 touchdow
<< Ravens center Matt Birk named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk was
honored as the 2011 NFL Man of the Year on Saturday. The award recognizes a
player's off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.
"I am
<< Miller, Newton garner rookie awards
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver linebacker Von Miller and Carolina
quarterback Cam Newton were named the defensive and offensive Rookies of the
Year, respectively, for the 2011 season.
The voting, as conducted by the Associated
<< Packers QB Rodgers voted NFL MVP
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was
named the NFL's Most Valuable Player Saturday, as voted by the Associated
Press.
Rodgers won the award in a landslide as he received 48 of the 50 possib
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Magic forward Quentin Richardson was ejected from Saturday's game at Indiana following an altercation in the third quarter. Richardson came face-to-face with, and then shoved Pacers forw
Monaco and Berlocq advance to the VTR Open final >>
Vina del Mar, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Monaco and Carlos Berlocq were
both semifinal winners on Saturday at the VTR Open tennis event.
Top-seeded Argentine Monaco had little trouble in a 6-1, 6-4 win over
Frenchman Jeremy C
Dolson helps UConn dominate Rutgers >>
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stefanie Dolson had 16 points to lift No. 3
Connecticut to a 66-34 win over 13th-ranked Rutgers on Saturday.
Tiffany Hayes scored 14 points with seven assists for the Huskies (21-2, 9-1
Big East), who won
Oladipo helps Indiana past Purdue >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victor Oladipo set a career-high with 23
points to go with eight rebounds as No. 20 Indiana held off Purdue for a 78-61
win at Mackey Arena on Saturday.
The Hoosiers got impressive efforts from freshme
Vucevic leads balanced attack as Sixers drop Hawks >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a career-high 15 points, Nikola Vucevic
was one of six 76ers to score in double figures as Philadelphia took down the
Atlanta Hawks, 98-87.
Spencer Hawes returned from a 10-game absence and netted
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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