Line of Scrimmage: Combine questions have a need for speed

Football Betting Lines

02/22/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Class was back in session for prospective graduates into the football profession when the world's most celebrated college job fair, the NFL Scouting Combine, got underway Wednesday, even though this year's two most prominent applicants planned to play hooky from a few courses.

But while the unsurprising decisions of quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III to decline from taking part in throwing drills deducts some of the drama from an event that's transformed itself into an offseason staple for fans and draft nicks in recent years, the extensive uncertainty that surrounds the 326 other players who are showcasing their abilities in Indianapolis in the coming days ensures there'll be more than enough intrigue to keep onlookers' attention.

With the two marquee quarterbacks and top candidates for this year's No. 1 overall draft pick limiting their schedule in preparation for their forthcoming pro days, the Combine's spotlight now falls on an interesting wide receiver pool that's as chock full of mystery as high-end talent.

Teams in search of a young pass-catcher with size will have a wealth of promising options available for their perusal because the wideout group is loaded with tantalizing big-bodied prospects. Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, South Carolina's Alshon Jeffrey, Rutgers' Mohamed Sanu and Wisconsin's Nick Toon are among a deluge of receivers weighing 215 pounds or above, with Blackmon the lone member of that lot believed to measure under 6-foot-2.

With so many similarly built alternatives at the position, how each performs in Sunday's 40-yard dash will likely have a significant say in where they're taken in April's draft. And perhaps no one has as much riding on the race as Jeffery, considered a first-round lock entering this past season before showing up out of shape and displaying questionable separation skills during a very disappointing junior campaign with the Gamecocks.

Floyd will be coming in with much to prove as well following a up-and-down collegiate career plagued by injuries, but the former Golden Domer's most important test may be the one that takes place away from the field. With three alcohol-related arrests at Notre Dame and a reputation for being a bit soft, how the 22-year-old handles himself in pre-draft interviews might have the biggest impact on his stock.

The two-time Biletnikoff Award-winner Blackmon's credentials should help combat a possible slip caused by a poor time in the 40-yard dash, but the dynamic All-American could be in danger of dropping out of the top 10 if he runs closer to the 4.6 range than a 4.45. A slow clocking also would create an opening for Kendall Wright, Griffin's former Baylor teammate who's fully expected to burn up the track at Lucas Oil Stadium, to potentially be the first receiver taken in April.

For the defensive hopefuls, the day to watch will be Monday, when the linemen and linebacker groups have their auditions. A 2011 season that produced more yards via the air than any other in NFL history by a cavernous margin has furthered an already pressing need to find and develop effective pass rushers, giving those prospects who can demonstrate explosive qualities in that area the best opportunity to make an impression.

With this also being an era in which multiple defenses are en vogue, players who can exhibit the capability of serving as both a down end in a 4-3 alignment and an outside linebacker in a 3-4 will put themselves in demand. South Carolina's Melvin Ingram, Southern Cal's Nick Perry and 2011 NCAA sack leader Whitney Mercilus of Illinois all starred as disruptive ends in 4-3 fronts, but each would rocket up draft boards by acing the agility drills designed to evaluate one's viability as a standup rusher.

Conversely, Alabama's Courtney Upshaw flourished coming off the edge in Nick Saban's 3-4 scheme, but would surely boost his status by showing the requisite bulk and strength to hold up against the run as a lineman.

With that brief guide to this year's Combine now complete, it's now time to turn the attention to everyone's favorite offseason subject -- the draft. Though conducting a first-round mock prior to free agency is in reality a pointless exercise, here's a stab at the first 10 picks:

1) Indianapolis Colts: Luck

2) Washington Redskins (trade with St. Louis Rams): Griffin

3) Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4) Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

6) Rams (trade with Redskins): Blackmon

7) Jacksonville Jaguars: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

8/9) Carolina Panthers: Devon Still, DT, Penn State

8/9) Miami Dolphins: Ingram

10: Buffalo Bills: Upshaw

EXTRA POINTS

*The first major free agent move of this offseason may wind up as being one of the more curious ones. Kansas City's signing of Oakland castoff Stanford Routt on Monday was a rather obvious indication that the Chiefs deem wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to be a higher priority than Brandon Carr, who could be the most sought-after cornerback of this year's class when he presumably hits the market. But with ample cap space and minus an abundance of pressing needs, the team appeared to have the financial flexibility to bring both key contributors back and bolster a title run in a wide-open AFC West. Though certainly a starting-caliber talent, Routt is three years older than Carr (29 to 26) and led all cornerbacks with 17 penalties this past season.

*Routt, incidentally, made $10 million in 2011 in the first year of a bloated $54.5 million pact he received from the Raiders last February, one of several head-scratching maneuvers made by the late Al Davis that placed the Silver and Black in their present state of cap peril. With Oakland still on the hook for $5 million in guaranteed money, he's set to pocket $11 million this season with this new deal, and that previous bad contract may also have played a part in the Chiefs' expected decision to choose Bowe over Carr as their franchise player. The salary tender for cornerbacks is $10.6 million in 2012, compared to $9.4 million for wide receivers.

*Prior to Routt's signing, the Chiefs had nearly $50.2 million of space under this season's projected cap according to our friends at the South Florida Sun- Sentinel (you can view the chart here: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/sfl-nfl-salary-cap- teams-2012,0,5969798.htmlstory ). That's second only to Cincinnati's $59 million in available funds, with Denver ($48.5 million), Tampa Bay ($48.1 million), Jacksonville ($46.4 million) and Washington ($41.3) also in position to be big spenders in free agency. The Raiders ($15.6 million) are one of four teams presently over the cap along with Pittsburgh ($27.4 million), Carolina ($5.2 million over) and the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants ($1.7 million), with Detroit ($712,000 under) and the New York Jets ($2.3 million under) also lacking much operating room at the moment.

*Speaking of the Steelers, there's been a lot of speculation about Ben Roethlisberger's perceived unhappiness over the team's parting with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The bigger story may be how Big Ben reacts if Pittsburgh loses top receiver Mike Wallace due to its perilous cap situation, as the restricted free agent would be well worth the first-round compensation a contender would have to surrender to sign him away. There's a good chance the Steelers wouldn't be able to match a lucrative competing offer, and franchising Wallace isn't an option either without substantially paring down the payroll.

*ESPN's removal of Ron Jaworski from the "Monday Night Football" broadcast booth isn't overly surprising, especially if the rumors that the World Wide Leader is keeping a seat open in the hopes that Peyton Manning calls it a career are accurate, as the more bombastic Jon Gruden's over-the-top approach is more in line with the network's preferences. Still, it's another example of how the league or its partners cater more to the casual, fantasy-centric fan than the hardcore loyalists who favor insightful and intelligent analysis.

*Quote of the Week: "Hue Jackson was hired by the Bengals last week, but you could say he's been working for them since last October." -- National Football Post's Dan Pompei in reference to Jackson's one-sided trade with Cincinnati for declining quarterback Carson Palmer while then the Raiders' head coach.

Wwmovielink Football Betting News

<< Hawks' Johnson to miss All-Star Game
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson will miss All-Star weekend because of tendinitis in his left knee, the team said Wednesday. Johnson, who is averaging 17.6 points per game, was selected to the All-Star game as a reserve

<< Coyotes obtain Vermette from Jackets
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday acquired center Antoine Vermette from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a pair of draft picks and goaltender Curtis McElhinney. A three-time 20-goal scorer, Ver

<< Nets' Williams has successful surgery, will miss season
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey forward Shawne Williams had successful left foot surgery on Wednesday, the Nets announced in a release. He will miss the remainder of the 2011-12 season. The surgery was performed by Dr

<< The Sixth Man: Lakers' strife was predictable
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Expectations in the NBA are often measured on a sliding scale. Most clubs would consider a 19-13 record that placed them a game behind the division leaders with two days to go before the All-Star break a s

<< Hradecka exits Memphis
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Czech Lucie Hradecka was a second-round loser Wednesday at the $220,000 Memphis International tennis event. Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko came from behind to beat Hradecka 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) on the

Zusi re-signs with Sporting >>
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi has signed a new contract with the club, it was announced on Wednesday, although terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 25-year-old Zusi is coming of

Catania tops Siena to ease relegation worries >>
Siena, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesco Lodi's first-half penalty kick handed Catania a 1-0 win at Siena on Wednesday that lifts the visitors nine points clear of the relegation zone. Wins have been scarce for both clubs in rece

Detriot Tigers >>
Agreed to terms with pitchers Matt Hoffman, Andy Oliver and Adam Wilk, infielder Hernan Perez and outfielder Andy Dirks.

Tsonga wins Marseille opener >>
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the Open 13 tennis event. The 2009 Marseille titlist trounced fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-2 on the i

Ivy power Penn to play two CAA teams >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn will play a difficult non-conference schedule to try to set up a run for the Ivy League football title this year. Penn announced its 10-game schedule on Wednesday and will play five home games and fiv

NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

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.

NFL Wagering

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

About MySportsbook.com:


MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.