Ramsey, McCray among Saints' final cuts
Football Betting Lines
09/04/2010 - Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Patrick Ramsey and defensive end Bobby McCray were among the highest-profile players released by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, as the defending Super Bowl champions reduced their roster to the NFL maximum of 53.
Ramsey, who was signed in July, had been widely expected to assume the No. 2 quarterback role behind starter Drew Brees. But the former Tulane star, who completed 28-of-45 passes for 400 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the preseason, was beaten out by ex-Missouri standout Chase Daniel.
McCray, who appeared in every game with New Orleans over the last two years and won a ring with the 2009 team, was released by the Saints for the second time this year. The team initially released the six-year veteran in June before bringing him back in July, only to cut McCray again following the preseason.
McCray has 29.5 sacks since breaking into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2004.
Also released on Saturday were running back Ladell Betts, wide receiver Montez Billings, offensive lineman Brandon Carter, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, linebacker Harry Coleman, offensive lineman Na'Shan Goddard, cornerback Reggie Jones, fullback Zak Keasey, offensive lineman Nick Leckey, tight end Tyler Lorenzen, fullback Jason McKie, offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf, offensive lineman Jermey Parnell, defensive lineman DeMario Pressley, defensive lineman Jay Ross, safety Chip Vaughn and defensive lineman Al Woods.
Notables among that group include Betts, an eight-year veteran with the Redskins (2002-09); Clancy, Leckey and Pressley, all of whom appeared in games with New Orleans a year ago; and Woods, the team's fourth-round 2010 pick out of LSU.
New Orleans will open its 2010 regular season slate on Thursday night, when it hosts the Minnesota Vikings in a NFC Championship rematch to kick off the NFL season.
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Broyles posted 142 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions as seventh-ranked Oklahoma nearly wasted a 21-point lead but topped Utah State, 31-24, in the season-opener for both schools at Oklahom
<< Jackson powers Tigers past Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Jackson went 3-for-4 and singled in
the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 win
over the Kansas City Royals in the middle test of a three-game series.
Jackson als
<< Engram, Jennings, McDonald among Browns' final cuts
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Bobby Engram, running back Chris
Jennings and cornerback Brandon McDonald were among the notables released by
the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to 53 players.
Engram,
<< Cornhuskers clobber WKU
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez ran for
three touchdowns and accounted for 263 of Nebraska's 536 yards of offense, as
the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers walloped Western Kentucky, 49-10, at Memorial
Stadium
<< Goalkeeper gaffe gives Columbus win at United
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the lone
goal after a mistake by D.C. United rookie goalie Bill Hamid and the Columbus
Crew won 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium.
Columbus (13-
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer and knocked in four as the Washington Nationals thumped Pittsburgh, 9-2, in the second of three games from PNC Park. John Lannan (7-6) struck out seven in seven
Colts Cut 22, including OT Terry; acquire CB Tryon >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts released 22 players
including veteran tackle Adam Terry on Saturday, also acquiring cornerback
Justin Tryon via a trade with the Washington Redskins amid their "cut-down-day"
transactio
Patriots list LBs Alexander, Burgess, Woods among final cuts >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebackers Eric Alexander, Derrick Burgess
and Pierre Woods, all of whom had a role with the Patriots in past years, were
released as part of New England's "cut-down-day" roster maneuvers on Saturday.
Alexa
Alabama starts BCS title defense with rout of San Jose State >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson each rushed
for a pair of touchdowns, and top-ranked Alabama began defense of its BCS
national title with a 48-3 win over San Jose State.
Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron
FCD extends unbeaten run to 13 with win over Toronto >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas earned a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC
in Major League Soccer action at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night.
Jeff Cunningham's eighth goal of the season and 129th of his MLS career were
enough to propel
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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