Giants Shut Down Winless Bucs

By Ross Everett

The New York Giants used a potent ground attack and a suffocating defense to shut out the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-0 on Sunday. The Giants amassed 397 total yards including 226 on the ground, while the defense held Tampa to 86 yards of total offense and five first downs. The statistical disparity was staggering--the Giants ran 76 total plays to 36 for Tampa Bay, and held the ball for a mind boggling 43:38 to 16:22 for the Bucs. The Giants improved to 3-0 on the season, while Tampa dropped to 0-3 and lost for the seventh straight time dating back to last season.

The Giants easily covered as -6 road favorites, improving their ATS mark to 3-0 on the season as well. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are 0-3 both straight up and against the spread. The 24 points went well UNDER the posted total of 46.

After the contest Giants coach Tom Coughlin talked about his teams priorities for the week:

"We had a game in which we didn't play very well against the run, so we knew that we would be tested and we would have to rise up and do a better job there. We also knew we needed to rush the ball better than we had, so we did a pretty good job with that."

Over in the Bucs locker room, head coach Raheem Morris-who is still looking for his first victory at the helm of a NFL team"had little positive to say about his teams performance:

"They beat us down. We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day. They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close."

"We have no choice but to get better than this performance. You get five first downs and you're 0-for-9 on third down. You have 86 yards total offense. It was completely disastrous."

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs gave much of the credit for the victory to his defense:

"Our defense was very, very, very impressive. I knew they would come out with a chip on their shoulder."

Impressive enough to leave Bucs receiver Michael Clayton hanging his head and looking for answers:

"It was disappointing, a little bit embarrassing. We have to play better."

The Giants will play at Kansas City this Sunday as they try to maintain their unbeaten 2009 regular season record. New York is a -9 road favorite with the total set at 42. Theyll host the Oakland Raiders the following Sunday before playing at New Orleans on October 18. Tampa Bay will play their next two games on the road, beginning this weekend against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are -7 home favorites with the total set at 37. The Bucs will play at Philadelphia the following Sunday before returning home to face the Carolina Panthers on October 18.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on soccer betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Chargers Maul 49ers In NFL Preseason Game

By Ross Everett

With three NFL preseason wins under their belt there was every reason to think that the San Francisco 49ers would phone in their final exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers. And thats exactly what they did"the Chargers scored at least six points in every quarter against the Niners reserves en route to a 26-7 home victory. San Francisco would settle for a 3-1 mark in NFL preseason play, while the Chargers wrapped up their exhibition slate with a 2-2 record.

San Diego's 19 point margin of victory allowed them to easily cover the pointspread. The Chargers had been installed as -3 point home favorites, and that was covered by halftime when they took a 13-7 lead into the locker room.

The game was such an exercise in irrelevance that Chargers coach Norv Turner called for an onside kick to open the contest in order that his team could practice the situation in real world game conditions. Afterwards, Turner explained the unusual opening kickoff play call:

"It's something we may need in a game. It's something you've got to practice. I would hate for a critical situation to be the first time we did it in the regular season. We got a chance to work on it."

The Niners starting offense"including QB Shaun Hill"got to play for one series before calling it a night. Hill said that even the minimal bit of playing time was important:

"We moved the ball a little bit. We weren't able to get any points, but it was good to at least get out there and run some plays and get things started out there. I was happy that I got the opportunity and I think the whole offense felt that way. We think it was important to get some work tonight. We've got a long weekend off, so we were excited about it."

The backup offense score the Niners only points of the game, as third string QB Nate Davis hit Jason Hill for a 21 yard touchdown pass right before halftime. In addition to their opening drive score, the Chargers got a late game touchdown pass from third string Charlie Whitehurst to go with four field goals.

The Chargers will start their regular season next Monday night on the road against their hated rivals the Oakland Raiders with San Diego installed as a -9 road favorite. The Niners will get their 2009 season underway on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. The Niners are a +6 road underdog in that contest, with the total set at 46.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Lions Back On Winning Track With CFL Win Over Roughriders

By Ross Everett

The BC Lions may have turned the corner after a disappointing 1-4 start to the CFL season. This past weekend, a clearly motivated Lions team defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20. The Roughriders dropped to 3-3 in the early going in the CFL season.

Lions defensive end Brent Johnson said that the motivation for this game was simple--his team was just plain sick of losing:

"We were sick of losing. That was our only option - to win tonight. This was the must wins of must wins."

Johnson led a tenacious Lions defense with three QB sacks. Overall, the BC stop unit combined for five QB sacks and three interceptions in their best performance of the CFL season.

Lions running back Martell Mallett caught one touchdown pass, ran for another and generally made himself a problem for the Riders defense all night. After the game, he credited the play of his offensive line:

"We just went out there and executed. The offensive line blocked well. I was just hitting the holes. They opened it for me and I got in it."

BC starting QB Buck Pierce had been hearing some criticism from the Vancouver media suggesting that he lose his starting spot. His solid play in the victory may have turned down the heat for now:

"I was very proud of our offence tonight. "The way we stayed poised, the way we moved the ball. Running and throwing the ball, we were very good."

His Saskatchewan counterpart Darian Durrant blamed the loss on his teams lack of execution:

"It was frustrating. B.C. gave us plenty of opportunities to put more points on the board. We just didn't capitalize."

Despite the satisfying victory, Lions coach Wally Buono realizes that his team still has plenty of work to do:

"We have to play much better football than what we did. I saw the intensity that you need, I see the resilience and I saw some guys make some plays."

BC will travel east to play the struggling Toronto Argonauts. Saskatchewan will head home to face the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

North Carolina Tops #13 West Virginia On Last Second Field Goal

By Ross Everett

The University of North Carolina used a 21 yard field goal on the final play of the game to pull a big college football upset over #13 Virginia Tech on Thursday night, winning by a final score of 20-17. The Tar Heels' #8 ranked defense proved as tenacious as their high national status would suggest, and gave the Hokies fits throughout. North Carolina led for most of the game, but withstood a late game Virginia Tech comeback bid to take the win. Both teams are now 5-3 on the college football season.

College football betting enthusiasts who took North Carolina as +16' road underdogs were never in serious doubt about the eventual payday they'd receive as the Tar Heels never trailed by more than three points. The Tar Heels improved to 3-4 against the college football pointspread, while the Hokies dropped to 3-5 versus the money. The 37 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 43'. North Carolina has gone UNDER in four of six games this season, while Virginia Tech evened their college football totals record at 4-4.

Tar Heels' QB T.J. Yates was in a state of disbelief after the narrow road victory:

"I've never really had this feeling before. Kicking it at the last second? It just sends chills down your spine."

Running back Shaun Draughn spoke of the team's priority to bounce back quickly after they blew a big lead in a loss to Florida State last week:

"We knew we had to get back to the drawing board. To come back and play the way we did definitely speaks volumes about our team."

In the Hokies' locker room, linebacker Cody Grimm spoke of his team's need to regain their focus:

"I think the motivation is to come out here so you don't feel like this again. Ten wins is one thing, but I don't want to feel like this any more and the only way to do that is to win."

Running back Ryan Williams felt doubly bad about the loss, as his late game fumble cemented the victory for North Carolina:

"As of right now, there probably isn't really anything they can say to lift me up because regardless of what anybody says, personally I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today. It was on the line, it was in my hands and I fumbled."

The Hokies will play against next Thursday night, heading to Greenville, NC to face the Skip Holtz coached East Carolina Pirates. They'll play at Maryland on Saturday, November 15 before returning home a week later to host North Carolina State. North Carolina plays their next two at home, starting a week from Saturday against Duke. Miami will come in the following week before the Tar Heels hit the road to play at Boston College on November 21.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Indy Takes NFL Preseason Win Over Philadelphia

By Ross Everett

The Indianapolis Colts offense was in high gear as Peyton Manning threw two TD passes in three series of action, leaving backup Curtis Painter with a 14-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting the game. The Colts would eventually depend as much on their defense as their offense over the course of the subsequent NFL season but on this day the Colts went on to win 23-15 in NFL preseason action at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Manning hadn't been happy with the offense's lethargic opening game performance, and was in much better spirits after this game:

"I think everybody wanted to be in there. The entire offense felt hungry after last week. Sure, there were some mistakes we can learn from, but there were some good things we can learn from."

"I don't think anybody offensively was really happy with what happened last week. It started with me and the entire offensive starting unit. Overall I thought everybody came back and did a better job tonight."

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell was also happy with the performance:

"They [the starters] had a couple of real good solid drives in there, performing pretty well. We were pleased with what we saw."

Eagles coach Andy Reid, meanwhile, wasnt the least bit enthused with what he saw from his team:

"All in all, that was an embarrassing performance and way too many penalties, not enough intensity all the way around, starting with me. It was a poor performance."

The Eagles were missing a number of starters and looked nothing like a team expected to contend for a Superbowl berth.

The Eagles will start the regular season with a road game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13th while the Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer experienced in travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Raiders Rip Cowboys In NFL Preseason Action

By Ross Everett

The Dallas Cowboys received a solid effort from QB Tony Romo in his first action of the NFL preseason, but ultimately went down in defeat to the host Oakland Raiders by a 31-10 final score. Romo went three and out in his first series, but orchestrated a nice drive on his second go-round culminating in an eight yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten.

Theres been a lot of concern about the need to develop more long yardage passing threats after the depar'ture of Terrell Owens. After the game, he brushed aside this talk:

"I don't think it means anything. If one guy caught six straight balls and then we scored, that's fine, too. It's just about whatever the defense allows us on that specific play."

Receiver Roy Williams sounded his vote of confidence concerning the Cowboys offense:

"If we execute like that, any team is going to have trouble. But we're going to have our adversity and have our hard times where we can't get open or the quarterback gets sacked or a bad throw. But tonight it all fell into place."

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell didnt do much in only two series of action, but Oakland coach Bruce Cable still gave him props for a good effort:

"I thought he was very aggressive with the ball, made good decisions. That's what I'm talking about with him. When he plays the game at a fast enough speed, it allows him to be on time and he showed that tonight."

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips chalked the loss up to a learning experience:

"Our second group and our young guys, they made a lot of mistakes. You could see them out there. Those things shouldn't happen but they did. Our guys will learn from those things."

The Cowboys will continue their NFL preseason play hosting the Tennessee Titans on Friday night. Oakland, meanwhile travel across the bay to play their local rivals the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Manning, Colts Destroy Lowly Rams

By Ross Everett

Peyton Manning was unable to tie a NFL record with his sixth straight 300 yard game , but the Indianapolis Colts remained undefeated by ripping the lowly St. Louis Rams 42-6 at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. Manning amassed 235 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions as the Colts made short work of the winless Rams. St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger continued to struggle, with--0 yards passing, two interceptions and no touchdowns.

NFL betting devotees who backed Indy as -14 road favorites easily won their bets as the Colts improved to 5-1 against the spread. After dropping their first game of the year to the number, Indy has run off five straight pointspread covers. The Chiefs dropped to 2-5 against the spread with the setback. The 48 points scored went OVER the posted total of 45.

After the game, Colts' coach Jim Caldwell praised his quarterback:

"He functions pretty well within the system. He does a great job leading our team and being a field general. I don't think he reached 300 yards, but nevertheless he was very effective."

As has become his form, Manning deflected the praise onto his offensive line:

"I really appreciate the protection I've been getting. It's something I don't take for granted."

Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark gave kudos to the Indy fans that made the trip to St. Louis to support the team:

"We had a great following today. It was outstanding. When we were introduced it felt like a home game."

Rams' running back Steven Jackson sounded like a man out of answers:

"We have to learn to put four good quarters together. We don't know how to win a game right now."

The Colts will return home next Sunday to face a potentially tricky game against the San Francisco 49ers. Indianapolis has been installed as -11 point home favorites and the total set at 45. They'll remain at home for the following two games, hosting the Houston Texans the following week and the New England Patriots on November 15th. St. Louis will take on another one of the NFL's bottom feeders next Sunday, playing on the road against the Detroit Lions. The Rams will have a much needed bye week after that before returning to action on November 15th as they host the New Orleans Saints.

About the Author:

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.