Rams make Bradford deal official
Football Betting Lines
07/31/2010 - Earth City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams made it official Saturday and announced they have signed quarterback Sam Bradford, the top overall draft choice in 2010.
While the team did not disclose terms of the deal, the sides reportedly agreed to a six-year deal that is worth a record $50 million in guarantees.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bradford's deal is worth a total of $78 million. The guaranteed money is the most ever for a single contract in league history -- for rookies or veterans.
Bradford, 23, will be counted upon to help a Rams franchise that went a league-worst 1-15 last season. He had been the Oklahoma Sooners' starting quarterback for the last three seasons, despite playing in only three games in 2009 due to an injury to his throwing shoulder.
The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Bradford helped lead Oklahoma to the National Championship Game that season before falling to Florida. That season, Bradford threw for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns, helping the school break an NCAA record for most points in a 14-game season with 716.
The Rams continued a popular trend of teams selecting a quarterback with the first overall pick. Dating back to the Colts' selection of Peyton Manning leading off the 1998 NFL Draft, quarterbacks have been picked first overall in 10 of 13 drafts. St. Louis last picked first overall in 1997 and took Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace.
The Rams have struggled mightily since "The Greatest Show on Turf," led by quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk, produced two Super Bowl appearances, one title, three MVP winners and three straight top-ranked offensive teams from 1999-2001. St. Louis has posted one winning season in the last eight years and has won a total of six games in the last three campaigns -- the fewest in the NFL in that timeframe.
The club's quarterback for the last eight seasons, Marc Bulger, was released earlier in the offseason, so Bradford figures to be in the mix for the starting position as a rookie. The other three signal-callers currently on the roster are veteran A.J. Feeley, Keith Null and Thaddeus Lewis.
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have signed veteran wide receiver Kelley Washington to a one-year contract. Washington caught 34 passes for 431 yards, both career-highs, and a pair of touchdowns last sea
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<< Veteran WR Patten announces retirement
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Patten will not play a 13th NFL season in
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Patriots on Saturday.
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<< Prado has fractured pinky
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado
has a broken right pinky finger and could miss only a week.
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Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shin-Soo Choo went 2-for-5 and hit the go-ahead RBI double in the seventh inning, as the Cleveland Indians edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game series. The victory snaps Clevel
A's recall Bonser, option Bowers >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics have selected pitcher
Boof Bonser from Triple-A Sacramento and optioned pitcher Cedrick Bowers to
the same club.
Bonser joined the Oakland organization on July 2 after being desi
Sadler earns first truck win at Pocono >>
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elliott Sadler held off Kasey Kahne during a
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N.Y. to reveal third designated player Tuesday >>
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York, which recently added French
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Juan Pablo Angel and
Royals extend manager Yost through 2012 >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals extended manager Ned
Yost's contract through the 2012 season on Saturday.
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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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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines
Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow. Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season. Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints. These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order. As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS. The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens. The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.
MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:
Saints +6 @ Colts -6
Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)
Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)
Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5
Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1
Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3
Patriots -5 @ Jets +5
Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5
Steelers -4 @ Browns +4
Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6
Bears +6 @ Chargers -6
Lions +3 @ Raiders -3
Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5
Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4
Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3
Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3
Super Bowl line (2008)
NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5
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