No end in sight for LT's dream season
Football Betting Lines
12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaDainian Tomlinson has been busy shattering records all season long, but this year it is clear that the superstar running back's ambitions go well beyond personal achievements.
Tomlinson's legend is growing with each passing week, and there is no better way to cement a legacy than by winning a Super Bowl. That team goal is what drives not only Tomlinson, but also the rest of his teammates.
The Chargers (12-2) have won eight straight contests, and each victory in that stretch has helped solidify San Diego's status as the team to beat in the NFL this season. San Diego also has the best record in the AFC, and is still fighting to seal up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The relentless running of Tomlinson is the most obvious reason San Diego may be headed to its first-ever Super Bowl championship season, and LT didn't disappoint in his most recent game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tomlinson rushed for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Chargers to the 20-9 triumph over the visiting Chiefs this past Sunday.
It was another day of record-breaking for Tomlinson, who snapped an NFL record that stood for 46 years. His two TDs this week gives him 186 points on the season, breaking the mark of 176 set by Green Bay Packers halfback/placekicker Paul Hornung in 1960.
Also, he scored multiple touchdowns for the eighth straight week, breaking the tie he held with Washington's John Riggins, who originally set the standard in 1983.
And we can't forget Tomlinson now has 31 touchdowns (28 rushing, 3 receiving) on the season to further improve upon the mark of 28 set by Seattle's Shaun Alexander last year.
"It's happening so much now, I can't keep up anymore," Tomlinson said of the record-breaking season. "To be honest, I don't want to keep up. I'll let everyone else do that. I just want to keep rolling."
Tomlinson's 199-yard day also gave him a good shot at something LT surprisingly can't currently claim on his resume, a rushing title. At this point he leads the NFL with 1,626 rushing yards, and is 110 yards ahead of Kansas City's Larry Johnson.
WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?
While Tomlinson garners the majority of the accolades and headlines, the Chargers defense has become one of the most-feared units in all of football and is another big reason San Diego has become this year's Super Bowl favorite.
San Diego displayed its stingy defense this past week, as it held the Chiefs to just 241 yards of total offense. The Chargers were also able to limit KC running back Larry Johnson to just 84 yards on the ground.
However, the Chargers were most impressive this week in their ability to get to the quarterback. San Diego, which leads the NFL with 54 sacks, dropped KC quarterback Trent Green six times in Sunday's contest.
"We added a few wrinkles that put pressure on the quarterback and created some errant throws and gave us a chance to make some plays in a timely fashion," said head coach Marty Schottenheimer.
Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman was held without a sack, but that's just fine with the second-year star, because that meant more for his teammates.
"They had a pretty good scheme in keeping the outside pass rushers from getting to the quarterback," Merriman said. "Like I've said all along, double- team me and someone else is going to make a play. We saw some of that [Sunday] night. I was proud of the way our guys got after them."
RIVERS RUNS DRY
It was a good thing Tomlinson had another huge day on Sunday, because Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had his worst game of the season.
Rivers, a first-year starter, completed just 8-of-23 passes for 97 yards and two interceptions. That gave the young QB a dismal 12.4 passer rating on the day.
"The passing game wasn't very good," Rivers said. "The first thing that has to be good to have a good passing game is I have to be throwing it well, and I wasn't. But I tell you what, we won and that's what's most important."
Overall, it's been a very good year for Rivers, who is seventh in the NFL with a 91.5 passer rating.
UP NEXT
The Chargers head north next Sunday, when they visit the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field.
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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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