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08/10/2010 -
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -New Mexico coach Mike Locksley isn't hiding from his mistakes.
Going into his second season, Locksley has quietly rebounded from a turbulent rookie year, aided by guidance from coaches like Tony Dungy and eager to show his program can make news for more than lawsuits and fights between coaches.
Last season, Locksley was in the wrong headlines. There was a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former administrative assistant, then came an ugly altercation with a former assistant, which led to Locksley serving a 10-day suspension.
Things were rough on the field, too - the Lobos finished 1-11. This fall, they're picked last in the nine-team Mountain West. New Mexico opens Sept. 4 at Oregon.
Still, Locksley remains confident his vision will elevate his team to the heights of conference heavyweights Utah, TCU and BYU. He has accepted responsibility for his off-field problems and moved on after taking more than a few lumps.
``If you look at the non-football news, they were human resource issues,'' Locksley said. ``If I learned anything from it, it's that the head coach is like a CEO. There are structural things involved in managing. As an assistant, you're not put in that role.''
Locksley said he survived last season with help from friends in the business - Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, Larry Fedora at Southern Mississippi and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy.
``Mike has really kind of taken care of himself,'' said Gundy, who worked with Locksley at Maryland early in their careers. ``He'll call every so often and ask questions. He's a smart guy. He wants to gather information and do everything he can to put himself in position for success.''
After last season, Locksley also started regular chats with Dungy, the former NFL coach who won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis. They rarely talk football; More often, it's things like management philosophies or dealing with family in a profession known for long hours.
``It's a wealth of knowledge when you get a chance to speak to him,'' Locksley said.
In the fallout after last year's mess, New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs told Locksley that any more off-field problems would prompt his firing.
Against that backdrop, Locksley kept nearly every member of his coaching staff - only quarterbacks coach Tee Martin left for Kentucky.
Among those who stayed in Albuquerque are Doug Mallory, a member of LSU's national title staff in 2008; George Barlow, who helped craft James Madison into a Football Championship Subdivision national contender; Darrell Dickey, the former North Texas head coach; and Rubin Carter, a standout with the Denver Broncos from 1975-86.
``These guys are big-time coaches who have other opportunities, year in and year out,'' Locksley said.
Then on signing day, defensive tackle Calvin Smith of Hialeah, Fla., stunned viewers on a national cable television show when he announced he was picking New Mexico over Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee. Locksley credited his recruiting contacts and those of his coaches.
He also took a moment to defend himself.
``If this program was as bad as it has been made out to be with me at the head, you'd see a mass exodus,'' Locksley said. ``That's not happening. I think the players believe in their coaches and the coaches believe in me as their leader.''
Over time, Locksley predicts it will mean success. He said he came to Albuquerque with a four-year plan that remains on target ``minus a few more wins last year and less off-the-field issues.''
Krebs and university president David Schmidly staunchly backed him up. In fact, New Mexico's administrators showed a firm commitment to Locksley during those stormy days last fall, leaving no doubt his job was safe when some fans called for his removal.
Krebs said he expects to see improvement on the field this year, but his timeline calls for ``a championship-caliber team'' within three to five years from Locksley's December 2008 hiring - a standard Krebs said he holds for all his new coaches.
``When you get to the core, Mike is a quality person,'' Krebs said. ``He's an outstanding recruiter. He's a guy who deserves a chance to be a head coach. Time will tell how good of a coach he is. I think he's a very good coach, but now he's going to have to prove it.''
Locksley won't discuss the sexual harassment lawsuit, citing a confidentiality agreement. About his altercation with former assistant J.B. Gerald, he said he learned that barriers can become blurred in the workplace when relationships are too close.
Locksley said he wanted to see Gerald succeed - perhaps too much. As offensive coordinator at Illinois, Locksley helped Gerald land a job in 2008, then brought him to New Mexico.
Problems surfaced as Gerald struggled to meet Locksley's expectations. The conflict boiled over during a coaches meeting on Sept. 20, a day after a loss to Air Force dropped the Lobos to 0-4.
Locksley admits grabbing Gerald's collar. Gerald told police that Locksley struck him and split his lip, while Locksley maintains no punches were thrown. No charges were filed and a university investigation couldn't confirm Gerald's claim.
Gerald, now teaching at a middle school in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against Locksley and the university last month. University spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said the school ``will vigorously defend itself and its employees.''
What could Locksley have done differently? He said he could have fired Gerald.
``Maybe as a first-time head coach, I was more likely to work through it,'' Locksley said. ``I was more willing to stand by guys when certain things happened. Maybe I should have been more willing to pull the plug and say we were going in another direction.''
He paused, then added: ``Yeah, I learned quite a bit from that.''
---
AP Sports Writer Jaime Aron in Irving, Texas, contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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