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10/09/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It felt like 2000 all over again. Trent Dilfer was in the house. The Baltimore Ravens couldn't score. Brian Billick's team played great defense. And they won.
Only thing was, after the Ravens' so-ugly-you-couldn't-look 9-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday, no one in their right mind was talking about an imminent Super Bowl run.
This Baltimore team has far too many problems to make that a realistic notion at this stage, not the least of which is an offense that consistently clams up in the red zone. After settling for three Matt Stover field goals in Week 5, the Ravens now have a grand total of one touchdown in their last 10 quarters. What's more, Billick's squad hasn't found the end zone in a meaningful situation since the first half of a Week 3 win over Arizona.
The defense carried the day against San Francisco, though it didn't have life too difficult against a 49ers attack that ranks as the worst in football and was dealing with major injuries of its own.
In 2000, the Ravens were able to recover to win the Super Bowl despite somehow not managing an offensive touchdown during a five-game stretch spanning the entire month of October. Baltimore is well on its way to the same end zone- free scenario in 2007, though it is hard to believe that the Lombardi Trophy will be the pot of gold at the end of this particular rainbow.
"We're adjusting it every way we can," said Billick of the red-zone breakdowns. "[We're] analyzing it, looking at it, talking about it, seeing what other teams are doing, bringing focus to it. We're doing everything we can to come away with a touchdown instead of field goals."
"On the offense we're doing a number of different things well that allow us to be productive, to chew up the clock. But you've got to come away with a touchdown."
The good news for the Ravens is that they have been able to move the ball consistently between the 20's, and clearly have the playmakers to produce points. Running back Willis McGahee has quietly climbed into the NFL top five in rushing, and wideout Derrick Mason leads the league in catches in what has already been his best season in three years with the team. Perhaps a re- assessment of the offensive play-calling in the red zone is in order, but it's not as if Baltimore should resign itself to gimmicks offensively.
Another silver lining revolves around the team's offensive health, which figures to improve over the coming weeks. Left tackle Jonathan Ogden (turf toe) is healing after sitting out since Week 1, tight end Todd Heap (hamstring) might be back this Sunday after missing the San Francisco contest, and Steve McNair's sore groin did not sustain any extra damage against the 49ers.
If the Ravens can make incremental progress offensively as the season nears its midway point, there won't be as much pressure on a defense which stared in the face of defeat in Week 5 despite allowing only six first downs to the San Francisco offense.
"[There are] a lot of things we've got to do better," said Billick on Monday. "Some things that we did [Sunday] will leave us vulnerable if they happen again, in terms of what we did and didn't do. But every week, I hope our fans can appreciate how hard it is to win in this league."
They can, Brian. Because your team makes it look so hard.
THE INJURY FRONT
There isn't a bigger issue for the Ravens at this stage than injuries, as the names of starting tackle Adam Terry (ankle) and center Mike Flynn (knee) were added on Sunday to a list of the ailing which already included Ogden, Heap, No. 2 tight end Daniel Wilcox (foot), defensive end Trevor Pryce (wrist), and cornerback Samari Rolle (illness).
Of those players, the two least likely to suit up for this week's test with St. Louis are Terry, whom Billick singled out as being the most serious of the new injuries in his Monday press conference, and Pryce, who probably won't play until after the team's Week 8 bye.
The tight end predicament forced second-year-pro Quinn Sypniewski to play most of the game Sunday, and the rookie managed four catches for 28 yards on the day. Terry's injury forced rookie Jared Gaither, the team's supplemental draft choice out of Maryland, into extensive action against the 49ers.
At the end of the San Francisco contest, the Ravens' offensive trench unit consisted of three rookies (Gaither, right guard Ben Grubbs, right tackle Marshal Yanda), two second-year players (Sypniewski, center Chris Chester), and the graybeard of the group, 24-year-old left guard and third-year man Jason Brown. Also assisting with the blocking was another rookie, fullback Le'Ron McClain.
85 THRIVING
Though the Ravens would like to see Derrick Mason putting up 100-yard games and touchdown catches, it is difficult to argue that the veteran receiver has been anything but the team's most consistent offensive player through five games.
Mason has a league-best 44 receptions as Week 6 begins, including 21 in his last two games, and is on pace to annihilate his own team record for catches, set in 2005 with 86. At his current rate, the 33-year-old Mason would have somewhere in the neighborhood of 141 receptions at season's end, which would threaten the NFL single-season record of 143, established by the Colts' Marvin Harrison in 2002.
Despite his sure hands, Mason is averaging a career-low 8.5 yards per catch, third on the team behind Demetrius Williams (13.9) and Heap (10.6), and is still seeking his first 100-yard outing of 2007. The Michigan State product scored his only touchdown of the year against Arizona back in Week 3.
NEXT UP
A relatively light schedule - only two of Baltimore's first 11 opponents currently sport a winning record - continues when 0-5 St. Louis visits M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday. The Rams are one of three remaining winless teams in the NFL, joining the Dolphins and Saints.
The Rams have a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with the Ravens, including a 33-22 home victory when the teams last met, in 2003. The Ravens won the only previous meeting played between the teams in Baltimore, a 37-31 overtime win at Memorial Stadium in 1996. The Rams organization last won a game in Baltimore in 1969, when the then-Los Angeles Rams beat the then-Baltimore Colts there. A St. Louis-based franchise last won in Baltimore in 1981, when the Cardinals beat the Colts at Memorial Stadium.
Billick is 0-2 all-time against the Rams. St. Louis' Scott Linehan, a former Vikings offensive coordinator like Billick, will be meeting the Ravens for the first time as a head coach.
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It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines
New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.
"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."
Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.
"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."
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