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07/30/2010 - Latrobe, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms on a five-year deal with first round draft choice Maurkice Pouncey. He is expected to be with the team for its' first official practice on Saturday.
Financial details of the deal were not released.
The 6-foot-4, 304-pound Pouncey was the 18th overall selection in the 2010 draft and was the first center tabbed in the first round by the Steelers since they took Mike Basrak in 1937.
He was the first Florida player to win the Rimington Trophy, given each year to the best college center, last season after not drawing a penalty or allowing a sack or a quarterback pressure during any of the Gators' 919 offensive snaps.
Pouncey started 39 of the 41 games he played in during his three years in Gainesville and was part of the 2008 national championship squad.
<< Fisher flirts with 59, takes Irish Open lead
Killarney, Ireland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ross Fisher fired a 10-under 61 on
Friday to grab sole possession of first place after the second round of the
Irish Open.
Fisher finished 36 holes at 12-under 130 and is three strokes cl
<< Vikings come to terms with RB Gerhart
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly
signed running back Toby Gerhart.
The Star Tribune revealed Friday that Gerhart, the 51st overall draft pick
back in April, was given a four-year, $3.767 mill
<< German midfielder Khedira joins Real Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid agreed to a transfer for Germany
midfielder Sami Khedira from Stuttgart on Friday. The 23-year-old will sign a
five-year contract after undergoing a physical in Madrid.
Khedira emerged in the re
<< NL Central: Pirates' purge won't be like years past
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The final few days of July are almost always antsy ones for
veteran players of the Pittsburgh Pirates, not to mention an absolute
nightmare for the organization's media relations staff, equipment managers and
clubhouse attend
Redskins' Haynesworth held out of practice again >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert
Haynesworth was held out of practice for a second straight day Friday after
again failing to pass his conditioning test.
Haynesworth was held out of the R
Senators re-sign D Campoli >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have re-signed defenseman
Chris Campoli to a one-year contract, the team announced Friday.
Campoli, 25, appeared in 67 games for the Senators last season, collecting
four goals and 18
Hat Trick: Jets bring back Coles for third time >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets and wideout
Laveranues Coles have renewed relations.
The Jets' Twitter page on Friday revealed the signing, and while terms have
yet to be released, the New York Post repo
Cowboys' WR Bryant injured >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez
Bryant suffered an apparent right ankle injury during Friday's practice.
Bryant was helped off the field after colliding with a defender toward the end
of the se
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
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