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08/31/2010 -
ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson says nine carries in the preseason is enough to get ready for the season.
The Pro Bowler said he didn't want to play Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Then came the long, rumbling guffaw that has become a Jackson trademark.
``If coach wants me to go out there, I'm fully prepared to go out there and play however long the ones are going to be out there,'' Jackson added. ``But me, personally, no, I don't want to play.''
The finale is a lot more important for Kenneth Darby, Chris Ogbonnaya and Keith Toston, the trio vying to be Jackson's backup. All three are likely to get a lot of playing time.
``This game is always about competition,'' Darby said. ``I love competition. It's what makes me great, makes me better as a player, makes me better as a person also.''
Jackson understands, though, that a little playing time can aid in developing timing with rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. The No. 1 pick will get his second start of the preseason ahead of A.J. Feeley, still recovering from a sprained right thumb, and could be under center for the opener Sept. 12 against Arizona.
``It would definitely be beneficial in letting us grow more chemistry, yes,'' Jackson said. ``But the gentleman asked, 'Do I want to play?' I do think it's probably something what coach will probably want and I'm ready for it if it happens.''
Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday he hadn't finalized the plan for the Ravens game, but anticipated the first-team offense and defense would get some playing time. How much time Jackson gets, if any, hadn't been decided.
``There's a chance he could go out there, but I don't know,'' Spagnuolo said. ``Fifty-fifty on that one.''
The Rams would have given Jackson a light workload in the preseason even if he had not been coming off surgery to repair a herniated disk in April. He's gained 42 yards on those nine carries for a 4.7-yard average, and the Rams have scored touchdowns on both possessions he's played.
Throughout training camp, Jackson has talked about how good he feels heading into the opener at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
``I'm really excited, I'm ready,'' Jackson said. ``As the days go by I'm getting more anxious about it. A few more short weeks and we'll be there.''
The offensive output last week at New England was a positive sign for a unit that was the NFL's worst last season. Bradford threw two touchdown passes in a 36-35 victory.
``It's definitely a confidence booster,'' Jackson said. ``We know we're capable of putting up points.''
Jackson said it's especially impressive considering the youth on the offense. Besides Bradford, there are two rookie tight ends, and the offensive line has one rookie and a second-year player.
``It's very encouraging,'' Jackson said. ``We're going in the right direction.''
None of the three backup candidates have put up scintillating numbers. Toston, an undrafted rookie, has 80 yards and a 2.8-yard average. Darby, the primary backup last year, has 60 yards and a 2.9-yard average. Ogbonnaya, a sixth-round pick last year, has 39 yards and a 2-yard average.
Toston is the only one who hasn't gotten a chance to go with the first-string offense. He's trying not to worry about upcoming roster cuts.
``It's going out just playing every game like it's my Super Bowl,'' Toston said. ``Because it really is. I'm not promised the next game.''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.
<< Seattle still searching for running game solution
RENTON, Wash. (AP) - One week left in the preseason and Pete Carroll still doesn't have an answer for Seattle's stumbling run game.Carroll doesn't need one back to emerge from his group of three competing for playing time. He just wants to see somet
<< Cardinals activate P Motte
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals activated reliever
Jason Motte from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
He had been on the list since August 4 due to an AC sprain of his right
shoulder.
Motte has excelled
<< Nats use homers to down Florida
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn both clubbed a
three-run homer, as the Washington Nationals outlasted the weather to beat
Florida, 9-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium.
Dunn added
<< Angels use long ball to down Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui
all homered in the sixth inning and Ervin Santana was solid through 7 2/3
innings as Los Angeles downed Seattle, 5-3, to open a three-game divisional
set at
Ho hum. It's business as usual for No. 1 Tide >>
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Nick Saban didn't so much as raise his voice. The trademark scowl never made even a cameo appearance.Sure seems as if No. 1 Alabama's top ranking and elephant-sized expectations are becoming the status quo around here, judging
2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 31st >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Group C: Russia 34, Ivory Coast 30 (Ankara)
Halftime - Group D; New Zealand 51, Lebanon 32 (Izmir)
Group C: Puerto Rico vs. China, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: France vs. Canada, 11:30 a.m. (Izmir)
Gro
Surging Rockies try to take down Giants once again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies are up to their old tricks again.
Known for late-season surges, the Rockies appear to be headed in that
direction and will try to stay hot Tuesday in the second installment of a
three-game series again
Carpenter hopes to pitch slumping Cards past Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even with stud right-hander Chris Carpenter on the mound
tonight, the St. Louis Cardinals will not be guaranteed a win over the Houston
Astros in the second portion of a three-game series between NL Central
inhabitants at Min
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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.
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