Colts will be a beast again in '09
Football Betting Lines
01/06/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As a longtime football fan and admirer of the NFL, I've become pretty used to estimating how well a team will fare in the upcoming year. Making a prediction for the 2009 Indianapolis Colts couldn't be any easier -- they will return to becoming the toast of the AFC. And it doesn't matter if New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady makes a triumphant return, either.
Even if head coach Tony Dungy steps down, the Colts will have plenty of steam left from their impressive 2008 run that came to a screeching halt with last Saturday's 23-17 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Why wouldn't Dungy want to return after the club ripped off nine straight regular-season wins to finish 12-4 and capture a playoff berth for a seventh consecutive year? Is he possibly burned out?
"We'll pray about it and see what options we have, and kind of where the Lord's leading," Dungy said. "There are family issues and other things you'd like to do, but the bottom line is we have a fun team to coach. We have some great players and we have a team that I know can win. I still enjoy it. We'll try to balance those two and see what happens."
Dungy has contemplated retirement after each of the previous three seasons and returned each time to coach Indy to the postseason.
In the loss to the Chargers, Dungy's defense was clearly tired in the extra session and never gave the offense a chance with the ball after San Diego won the coin toss. Three penalties for 25 yards during San Diego's game-winning drive also helped send the Colts home with their earliest exit from the postseason since 2002. Indianapolis had reached the AFC Divisional Playoff round in five straight seasons.
Next season will be Super Bowl or bust for the Colts, who have some key players and free agents to lock up in order to achieve the ultimate goal. Standout center Jeff Saturday, running back Dominic Rhodes and cornerbacks Kelvin Hayden and Keiwan Ratliff are a few of those keys to the puzzle, while future Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison has three years left on his current seven-year deal.
The Colts could save some money under the salary cap if they decide to release Harrison, who has his own business to take care of after being embroiled in a possible shooting case in his hometown of Philadelphia dating back to last April. No criminal charges will be filed against Harrison, whose gun was reportedly involved in the incident.
NFL MVP Peyton Manning would sure like to see Harrison back with the team, since the two have connected on levels most quarterbacks and wideouts could only dream of. Last week, Manning became the fourth player in NFL history to be named the league's Most Valuable Player three times, joining Brett Favre, Jim Brown and Johnny Unitas, and led the Colts to an NFL-record sixth consecutive season with 12 or more victories. He is the main reason why Indy will make another deep push into the 2009 playoffs, simply because of his ability to get everyone involved in the offense.
The 11-time Pro Bowl signal-caller threw for 4,002 yards, 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, and recorded 1,054 passing yards and eight scoring strikes with a 130.8 quarterback rating over the last month of the campaign. Manning will have a lot of pressure resting on his shoulders next season, but that should not be a problem for a player who is never lacking confidence and is always complementary of his teammates' work ethic.
Wideout Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark and running back Joseph Addai highlight the rest of the Colts' potent offense, and each will play a major role in helping Indianapolis regain AFC South supremacy. Wayne has recorded 1,000 yards or more receiving in each of the past five years, with at least 77 receptions per year over that stretch, and it seems as if he is gradually taking the torch from Harrison, who was held under 1,000 yards receiving for the second straight season. Addai, meanwhile, missed four games in the regular season and failed to rush for 1,000 yards after hitting the mark in each of his first two seasons in the league. He will be healthy and ready to carry the load once more in 2009. Clark posted career highs in catches (77) and yards (848) this past season.
Indy's defense could have done better against the run, finishing 24th against opposing ground attacks and allowing 122.9 rushing yards per contest. The Colts, however, were solid against the pass with the league's sixth-rated pass defense and ended seventh in the NFL in points allowed (298), thanks in large part to the play of Hayden, Ratliff and safeties Melvin Bullitt and Antoine Bethea.
Bullitt impressed in the absence of All-Pro safety Bob Sanders, who played in just six regular-season games because of injury. Sanders did take part in the playoff loss to the Chargers and finished with 10 tackles, however. Linebacker and leading tackler Gary Brackett missed the last four games of the regular season and the playoff loss at San Diego with a broken right fibula. There's no doubt he will be ready to buckle up the chin strap in 2009, however.
Linebacker Freddy Keiaho and defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis all enjoyed excellent seasons, as Mathis matched a career high and led the team with 11 1/2 sacks. Freeney ended with 10 1/2 sacks, his fifth season with at least that many. Meanwhile, Keiaho led the Colts with a career-high 105 tackles in 2008.
If the Colts can stay healthy on both sides of the ball, and that includes Sanders, the possibility of Indianapolis winning another Super Bowl in 2009 will be great. The chances will be even more promising if Dungy decides to hang on for another year. He is a beloved family man, of which his players are well aware of and grateful for.
"You can't replace coach Dungy," Bullitt said. "He's a great person and I'm not even speaking on coaching abilities. He's someone, you come to work and you like to see him there. If it's (associate) coach (Jim) Caldwell, he's a great person as well. I'm looking forward to whoever is going to be here. Hopefully it's coach Dungy."
Caldwell, who's already been named by the team as Dungy's eventual successor, shouldn't hold his breath waiting on what Dungy ultimately decides to do.
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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
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Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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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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