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02/25/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a dramatic victory, the Nashville Predators will try to keep the momentum going tonight, when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
The Predators had a key matchup with the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, and earned a 4-3 overtime victory on Peter Forsberg's goal 2:11 into the extra session.
Nashville now has 86 points and is tied with Detroit for first place in the Central Division and for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Forsberg, who was acquired in a trade with Philadelphia on February 15, posted a goal and an assist for the Predators, who won for the second time in three games. The two points were the first for Forsberg in a Predators' uniform.
Paul Kariya had two goals and a helper, David Legwand scored, while both Kimmo Timmonen and Marek Zidlicky registered a pair of assists. Tomas Vokoun turned in a heroic effort by stopping 41 shots to earn his 20th win of the season.
Tonight marks the beginning of a five-game road trip for the Predators, who are 18-13-0 as the visiting club this year.
On the injury front, Nashville winger Scott Hartnell will miss the next four- to-six weeks with a broken right foot. Hartnell is tied for the team lead with 22 goals on the season.
The Blue Jackets were busy playing the spoiler role on Saturday, as they defeated the Rangers in the Big Apple. Rick Nash scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Columbus erased a two-goal deficit with a pair of short-handed tallies to earn a 3-2 decision.
Anders Eriksson and Jason Chimera both tallied for the Blue Jackets, who won for just the third time in their last 11 games while snapping a three-game slide. Fredrik Norrena was strong between the pipes, finishing with 40 saves for Columbus.
Columbus is 14-15-3 as the home club this season, but just 1-4 in its last five contests at Nationwide.
The Predators have dominated the Blue Jackets this year, winning all six of the encounters. Nashville has also taken 11 of the last 13 encounters overall and three straight in Columbus.
<< Heat continue life without Wade against Cavs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - What was once a can't miss game on the NBA schedule has
lost some of its luster as LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to
Miami to take on the Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat hav
<< Lightning and Pens converge in Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the hottest teams in the NHL over the past few
months meet tonight in Tampa, as the Lightning welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins
to St. Pete Times Forum.
The Penguins have been the best team in the NHL since the middle
<< Magic host Rockets at Amway Arena
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams coming off of setbacks on Friday meet this
afternoon when the Orlando Magic welcome the Houston Rockets to Amway Arena.
Houston was downed by Atlanta, 105-99, despite a game-high 37 points by former
Magic T
<< Wallace returns to Detroit as Pistons host Bulls
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago center Ben Wallace will make his much anticipated
return to Detroit this afternoon when the Pistons play host to the Bulls at
The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Wallace spent the last six seasons in Detroit and earned an
Suns continue road trip in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at the opposite ends of their respective
divisions will meet this evening at Philips Arena when the Phoenix Suns take
on the Atlanta Hawks.
The Suns currently hold an 11 1/2-game edge over the Los Angeles Lakers
Division rival Knicks, Nets tangle in New Jersey >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets will aim to
make up ground in the Atlantic Division this evening when the teams battle at
Continental Airlines Arena.
The Nets are currently second in the Atlantic, five games b
Lakers aim to continue success against Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having stopped one streak, the Los Angeles Lakers will aim
to extend another this evening when they travel to the ORACLE Arena to battle
the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers snapped a six-game losing streak with a 122-96
Pacers welcome Artest, Kings to Conseco Fieldhouse >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings resume a four-game road trip this
evening when they head to Indiana to battle the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Kings have dropped the first two games of the swing, including Friday's
109-96 setbac
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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