Detroit downs Buffalo to finish fine preseason
Football Betting Lines
09/02/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Stanton threw a pair of second-half touchdowns and rookie Paul Pratt returned an interception 102 yards for the eventual game-winning score, as the Detroit Lions rallied for a 28-23 win against Buffalo to put the wraps on an encouraging preseason.
Stanton got the majority of snaps under center and threw for 94 yards on just 5-of-13 efficiency but two were on key scoring plays -- a 25-yarder to DeDe Dorsey and a 16-yard scoring strike to Derrick Williams.
Unquestioned starter Matthew Stafford worked a pair of quick series to start the game -- quick because the Lions' first drive ended in a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Buffalo's Drayton Florence. Stafford ended 3-of-6 for 21 yards with the pick.
Dorsey drove the offense with 33 yards rushing and 59 yards receiving, while fullback Jerome Felton had a rushing touchdown as Detroit ended its preseason slate a promising 3-1. Detroit has just two total wins the last two seasons.
Trent Edwards started for the Bills and did nothing to hurt his chances of being the No. 1 QB come Week 1. He completed all four of his throws for 66 yards in lasting a full quarter. Next in was Brian Brohm, who threw for 78 yards on 7-of-15 attempts with an interception. Rookie Levi Brown finished out the game and was also picked off on the way to a 10-of-18, 92-yard showing.
Marshawn Lynch (ankle) saw limited action, gaining two yards on five carries while rookie starter C.J. Spiller was given the night off. Chad Simpson rushed for a fourth-quarter score and Chad Jackson led the receivers with 59 yards and five receptions.
The Bills raced out to a 16-0 lead in the second quarter before the Lions snuck in a score before halftime. Dorsey kept it going for the hosts on his 25-yard TD grab that made it 16-14 in the third quarter.
Williams hauled in the go-ahead score from Stanton four minutes into the fourth, and with under seven minutes remaining, Pratt was able to seal up the win by intercepting Brown deep in the end zone and taking it the other way to paydirt.
Simpson's one-yard plunge came too late for the Bills, who ended the preseason at 2-2.
Buffalo, coming off a 6-10 season, opens its 2010 campaign against the Dolphins at home on September 12th. The Lions will face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field the same day.
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rhett Bomar's 60-yard touchdown connection to Duke Calhoun in the fourth quarter was the difference as the New York Giants clipped New England, 20-17, in the final preseason game for both clubs f
<< Santana departs early, but Mets hold off Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johan Santana left after five innings, but
limited Atlanta to just one run as the New York Mets avoided a four-game sweep
at the hands of the Braves with a 4-2 win.
Santana (11-9) left the game with a s
<< Steelers QB Leftwich injures knee
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron
Leftwich hurt his left knee during the second quarter of the team's final
preseason game against Carolina.
Leftwich completed an 18-yard pass to Emmanuel San
<< Twins' Baker leaves game
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins starter Scott Baker left
Thursday's game against Detroit because of right elbow pain.
Baker did not return for the start of the third after giving up two runs in
two innings. He allowe
<< NCAA rules Alabama DE Dareus ineligible for two games
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA has declared Alabama defensive end
Marcell Dareus ineligible for two games due to his dealings with sports
agents.
In its ruling, the NCAA said Dareus must repay benefits to become eligi
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Nugent kicked two field goals and Jordan Palmer threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns to lead Cincinnati to a 30-28 triumph over Indianapolis in the preseason wrap-up for both squads. Cedric P
Jaguars hold off Falcons >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brock Bolen's 16-yard touchdown run in the
second quarter helped the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 13-9 win over the Atlanta
Falcons in the preseason finale for both clubs.
Josh Scobee kicked a pair of filed
Tigers' Cabrera exits with biceps tendinitis >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera
left Thursday's game against Minnesota with left biceps tendinitis.
Cabrera did not return to the field in the bottom of the sixth inning, and is
considered day
Ohio State rolls over Marshall in opener >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for 247 yards and three
touchdowns, as second-ranked Ohio State blew out Marshall, 45-7, in the season
opener for both teams.
Pryor, coming off a sophomore season in which he led the B
Red Sox edge Orioles to win series >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ortiz drove in a pair of runs and
Adrian Beltre homered as Boston used an early burst of offense to
down Baltimore, 6-4, in the rubber match of a three-game set from Camden
Yards.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.