NFL minicamps: Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers held a minicamp for the whole team from April 30 to May 2. The minicamp was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Instead of the camp being seen as a battle for depth chart positioning, it was seen as more of an opportunity for rookies mingle with the vets and get acquainted with NFL football.

Cornerback Richard Marshall was absent from the minicamp. The free agent received an offer that he felt was less than he was worth. He did not sign the offer sheet, and thus was not obligated to attend the practice.

The Panthers did have some positive news regarding their secondary as a result of the minicamp. Sixth round selection Jordan Pugh was a pleasant surprise for the Panthers. The ball-hawking defensive back was everywhere, breaking up and picking off passes.

In the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Panthers selected quarterback Jimmy Clausen out of Notre Dame. The quarterback situation is up for grabs in Carolina as a result of the release of long-time quarterback Jake Delhomme. Matt Moore inherited the starting spot, but Clausen held his own during the workouts and has expressed his intent to be the team’s starter.

With the departure of defensive end Julius Peppers, many are concerned about the state of Carolina’s defense. Linebacker Thomas Davis will have a lot to do with how the defense performs, and he performed well at minicamp. His success is a surprise to the team. About six months ago, he blew out his knee against the New Orleans Saints.

Preview of NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles

A strong season last year with an 11-5 record was the Philadelphia Eagles, but some changes are looked at as the season approaches. Their former starter Westbrook has now been lost by them at running back and a feature back to replace him in this offense is needed. On top of that the Eagles have had question marks around their quarterback situation all offseason and the draft will be a time when they make things happen, molding their team for the future.

By making sure they pick up football betting star CJ Spiller in the first round the Eagles could solve part of their offensive questions. A guy that has the explosiveness to make a difference in the offense no matter who the team has lining up behind the center is Spiller.

The Eagles may not get Spiller as their first choice as he is likely to go early in the first round.  However, some other decent quarterbacks are there available that might help them trade up for Spiller. A pickup like Spiller would really prepare this team for success.

A solid number one receiver for NFL betting favorite team, the Eagles is DeSean Jackson but more help is always looked for by them at this position as it seems nobody has been healthy and consistent at this position in years.  Dexter McCluster from Ole Miss could be an explosive weapon in the 2^nd round. He may not be the most consistent possession receiver, but his speed could spread the field and take pressure off the other receivers on the team.

Some question marks have also been with the Eagles at linebacker with a few offseason changes. The pick of Dekoda Watson from Florida State could solve this problem in the 3^rd round.

Houston Texans: Off-season Picks

It is a huge disadvantage for the Houston Texans as they are playing in the same division as Peyton Manning. Their secondary has the challenge of facing the proficient passer twice a year. As the Texans go into the 2010 NFL Draft,  it makes the secondary even more of a priority as the standout CB Dunta Robinson recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

As the Texans will be looking to add a cornerback and a safety, the secondary is their most obvious priority in the draft.  With Steve Slaton coming off of spine surgery, they will also be looking for a big running back who can carry some of the workload.

Boise State CB Kyle Wilson will be expected to be The Texans’s first round pick (20^th overall) on.  Wilson has seen his stock rise significantly as a result of an impressive senior bowl and combine workout as he had a successful college career.

Getting a running back is a top priority in the draft as have been emphasized by many people from the front office of the Texans organization. Don’t be surprised if they use their second round pick (51^st overall) on Tate although Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer may seem like the more obvious selection and Auburn’s Ben Tate is a good fit with their system.Checkout all Football blog for latest updates on Houston Texans.

For their third round pick (81^st overall), the Texans will likely use on another player in the secondary. Some of the  top-rated safetys projected to go in the third round are Safetys Morgan Burnett (Georgia Tech), Major Wright (Florida), and Chad Jones (LSU).  They may use this pick to take another cornerback, such as Akwasi Owusu-Ansah of IUP who is also a tremendous kick returner.

NFL Betting – 2011 Super Bowl Odds

With the 2010 Super Bowl just ending many fans are getting in on some early betting for favorites of the 2011 Super Bowl. Early lines on all 32 teams to win the Superbowl next year are already set.

With the New Orleans Saints winning the 2010 Super Bowl by a 14-point margin you would think they would rank higher than third to win next year’s NFL championship. The Indianapolis Colts are the odds on favorite to win next year’s Super Bowl in spite of losing to the Saints last season. 7-1 favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl, the Colts are followed by the San Diego Chargers 8-1 odds. New Orleans Saints 9-1 odds, and New England Patriots 10-1 odds round out the leading favorites to win the 2011 Super Bowl.

The Saints are 5-1 favorites to win the NFC championship while the Colts are 3-1 favorites to win the AFC title. Further to the odds, the Colts and the Saints are favored to return to the Super Bowl.

With a dismal 1-15 record, The St. Louis Rams have the worst odds of all NFL teams at 150-1. At 100-1 odds the following teams are also considered to be long shots to win next years’ Super Bowl, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts – AFC Betting Preview

A scrappy New York Jets that just won’t go away takes on an Indianapolis Colts team that’s waiting to prove that resting their starters against the Jets in the regular season was not a mistake.

The NFL betting odds favor Indianapolis (-350) by 7.5-points over New York (+275) and the total is 39.5.

The Jets are coming off of a victory over the San Diego Chargers who are very similar to the Colts.

Both the Colts and the Chargers feature prolific passing attacks, but have a hard time stopping the run which is the perfect match up for the Jets who boast the leagues top passing defense and the leagues top running game.

The Jets run a blitz-heavy defense with a lot misdirection designed to confuse the passer. This worked against stop the Philip Rivers-led Chargers offense, but Peyton Manning is the MVP because Manning can read defenses a lot faster than other quarterbacks and distribute the ball before the blitzers can get to him.

At best, the Jets have to hope to hurry Manning a little into shorter plays.

The Jets rely on running the ball limiting the amount of pressure on their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Early in the season Sanchez struggled with turn overs, but Sanchez has progressed over the course of the season and hasn’t given up a turn over in four games.

Admittedly, his completion percentage isn’t that great, but he’s made a few passes and hasn’t thrown any interceptions.

The Jets’ relentless running game led by rookie Shonn Greene, who has taken over the majority of reps from veteran Thomas Jones, gets better as the game progresses and defenses wear out.

The Colts were successful containing the Ravens last week by rotating their defensive starters out a lot more than normal to keep them rested, fresh and performing at top speed throughout the game. The plan appears to have worked since they were able to hold a very good Baltimore running attack to just 87 yards.

The last meeting between these two teams was the infamous 29-15 Jets victory that ended the Colts perfect season. In case you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, Colts coach Jim Caldwell pulled Manning and a number of other starters midway through the third quarter with the Colts up 15-10 handing the game to the Jets.

Indianapolis may not get the yards that they are accustomed to, but they will still move the ball against the Jets with Manning at the helm and they will score. They seem to have figured out how to defend the run too, so they should be able to slow the Jets running game enough to force Sanchez to pass a little more than he should and all it will take is one mistake for the Colts to cover.

Football Betting: Best Lines Oct. 11-13

No. 11 Gators home faves against No. 4 LSU

The No. 4 LSU Tigers visit the No. 11 Florida Gators in a clash on SEC rivals on Saturday night (8 pm ET, CBS).

Florida is a 6-point favorite, and bettors can get the best juice on the Gators (-105) at Sportsbooks, which also has the best juice on the underdog Tigers (-105).

Sporting bet has the lowest Over/Under total at 46. Most books have the total at 46½ or higher.

Florida (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings. The total has gone under in five of the past six meetings. LSU (4-0 SU, 1-2 ATS) is 5-0 SU in its past five overall.

Do some line shopping for Cowboys-Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys travel to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon (4:15 pm ET, FOX).

Dallas is a 5-point favorite at most sportsbooks. Bettors backing the Cowboys will get the lowest juice (-105) at Sportsbooks, where those taking the Cardinals will also get the lowest juice at -105.

Sportsbooks also has the best moneyline odds for the Cowboys at -210, while Arizona bettors will find +190 at Book Maker and Bet Jamaica. Most books have the Cards at +180 or +175.

Dallas (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) is 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings. Arizona (3-2 SU, 3-2 ATS) is 5-0 SU in its past five at home.

Chargers favored in Sunday Night showdown

The New England Patriots battle the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football at Qualcomm Stadium (8:15 pm ET, NBC).

San Diego is a 5-point favorite and favorite and underdog bettors will get the lowest juice (-105) at Bet Jamaica. The best moneyline odds are the Chargers -230 at BetUS and the Pats +200 at Bet Jamaica.

The total is 44 (-110) at most sportsbooks.

New England (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) is 8-2 SU in the past 10 meetings, and is 5-0 SU in its past five on the road. San Diego (2-3 SU, 2-2-1 ATS) is 8-1 SU and ATS in its past nine at home.

Giants favored at the Dawg Pound

The New York Giants travel to the Dawg Pound for a Monday Night Football matchup with the Cleveland Browns (8:35 pm ET, ESPN).

New York ranges from a 7½- to 9½-point favorite depending on the book. The best juice on the Giants is at Bet Jamaica (-9) at +100.

The best moneyline price for the Giants is -330 for the Browns it’s +290 at Bet Jamaica.

The Super Bowl champions (4-0 SU, 3-1 ATS) have won four straight. Cleveland is 1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS. New York is 5-0 SU and ATS in its past five on the road. The total has gone under in all five of the Browns’ past five at home.

Football Betting: Best Lines this weekend

In NCAA College Football on Saturday night, the No. 23 Oregon Ducks visit the No. 9 Southern California Trojans in a battle of Pac-10 rivals at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (8 pm ET, ABC).

Oddsmakers are expecting the Trojans to bounce back from their upset loss to Oregon State last week, and have made the Trojans 16-point favorites. Bettors will find most sportsbooks are sticking to the 16-point spread, but Sportsbooks is offering the lowest juice, -105.

USC, then ranked No. 1, was upset 27-21 by Oregon State Beavers last week, as 24-point favorites. The 48 points fell under the total of 55.

Oregon Ducks are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. USC is 2-1 SU and ATS.

In the NFL, The Seattle Seahawks visit the New York Giants on Sunday at Giants Stadium (1 pm ET, FOX).

Nearly every sportsbook opened the Giants as 7-point favorites and the line hadn’t moved as of Friday, but bettors will find the best juice – by far – at Bet Jamaica, which is offering the Giants at +100 on the 7-point spread. All other books are -110 or -105.

Moneyline bettors will get the best price (-300) on the Giants at BetUS, with every other sportsbook at -320 or more. Those taking the underdog Seahawks will get the best odds (+270) at Bet Jamaica.

The over/under total of 43.5 is consistent at every book.

New York (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) has won three straight. Seattle is 1-2 SU and ATS.

The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday Night Football at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (8:15 pm ET, NBC).

The Jags are 4-point favorites, and NFL bettors will find the lowest juice at Sportsbooks, which is offering -105 on the spread.

Sportsbooks and BetUS have the best moneyline odds for Jacksonville, at -210. Most other books have the Jaguars at -220. The best moneyline price on the underdog Steelers is +180 at Bodog.

Under bettors will find the highest total (36.5) at BetUS.

Pittsburgh is 3-1 SU and 1-3 ATS. Jacksonville is 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS and has won two straight.

Live Betting available for MLB Playoffs, NFL, NCAA Football

Live Betting, which allows sports bettors to wager on a game while it’s in progress, is the fastest growing segment of the sports betting industry.

Sportingbet.com, a London, England-based sportsbook, has made Live Betting an art form through its IN:PLAY Betting system, and it will have Live Betting available for every game of the MLB Playoffs and the 2008 World Series.

“It looks very likely that we will get every MLB playoff game live,” said Sportingbet.com oddsmaker David Main.

Sportingbet.com will have all three MLB games on Thursday available for Live Betting.

MLB bettors can use IN:PLAY wagering when the Chicago White Sox face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their ALDS (2:30 pm ET, TBS), Game 2 of the NLDS between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies (6:05 pm ET, TBS), and Game 2 of the NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs (9:35 pm ET, TBS).

NCAA College Football bettors can also wager live when the Pittsburgh Panthers visit the No. 10 South Florida Bulls Thursday night (7:45 pm ET, ESPN), and when the No. 20 Oregon Ducks visit the No. 9 USC Trojans in a Pac-10 matchup (8 pm ET).

And on Sunday, NFL bettors will have five games to choose from, including the Washington Redskins visiting the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC East matchup (1 pm ET, FOX) and the Sunday Night Football tilt between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars (8:15 pm ET, NBC).

Join Sportingbet.com and bet the MLB Playoffs live.

Sportingbet Plc, the world’s largest online betting and gaming group, is based in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (LSE: SBT). The company has over 2.5 million registered customers in 200 countries, who place over 1,000,000 bets (casino, poker, sports and virtual games) per day.

NFL Betting: Public backing Eagles against Steelers

NFL Football betting fans like the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, according to public betting information from Sportingbet.com.

Philadelphia is a 3-point favorite in NFL Betting Odds at Sportingbet.com and the over/under total is 44.5. The Eagles are getting 64 per cent of the wagers placed on the game at Sportingbet.com.

Sportingbet.com oddsmaker David Main said Friday the main reason bettors are backing the Eagles is the play of QB Donovan McNabb, who is second among NFL quarterbacks, with 46 completions on 70 attempts for 642 yards and four TDs.

“McNabb looks like he is finally back to his best and may also have (wide receiver) Reggie Brown fit again after his hamstring injury, although even if Brown doesn’t play McNabb does seem very confident throwing to rookie DeSean Jackson,” Main said.

Conversely, the fact that Pittsburgh pivot Ben Roethlisberger is nursing a sore shoulder isn’t helping the Steelers’ chances against the Eagles.

“Roethlisberger is playing with a bad shoulder and again the bettors seem to have picked this matchup out and decided that Philly is the better team.”

Other betting favorites of NFL football bettors this Sunday include the New England Patriots (12½-point favorites) over the Miami Dolphins, with the Pats getting 68 per cent of bets, and the New York Giants (13-point favorites) over the Cincinnati Bengals, with the Giants getting 67 per cent of wagers.

Bet this game at Sportingbet.com, where you get a free $50 bet on your first NFL wager.

Sportingbet Plc, the world’s largest online betting and gaming group, is based in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (LSE: SBT). The company has over 2.5 million registered customers in 200 countries, who place over 1,000,000 bets (casino, poker, sports and virtual games) per day.

NFL Betting: Bettors like Cowboys over Packers

The marquee matchup in Week 3 of the NFL season has the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football (8:15 pm ET, NBC).

Dallas is a 3-point favorite at Sportingbet.com and the over/under is 51.

About 63 per cent of bets placed on the game are on Dallas, according to Sportingbet.com NFL oddsmaker David Main.

The Cowboys beat NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles 41-37 in Week 2 action on Monday Night Football. Dallas failed to cover as 7.5-point home favorites and the score went over the 48-point total.

The Packers beat NFC North rival Detroit Lions 48-25 in Week 2. Green Bay easily covered the 3-point spread and the score went over the total of 47.

Dallas is 2-0 SU and 1-1 ATS, and Green Bay is 2-0 SU and 2-0 ATS.

The total has gone over in 11 of the past 12 meetings. Dallas is 10-2 SU in the past 12 meetings. Dallas is 8-1 SU in its past nine on the road. The total has gone over in all five of Green Bay’s past five, both overall and at home. Green Bay is 7-1 SU in its past eight at home.

Bet this NFL Football game at Sportingbet.com

Sportingbet Plc, the world’s largest online betting and gaming group, is based in London and is listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market (LSE: SBT). The company has over 2.5 million registered customers in 200 countries, who place over 1,000,000 bets (casino, poker, sports and virtual games) per day.