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When the biggest play of a NFL football game is an extra point, there’s a good chance it was a dull contest. The big play of the game? A point after touchdown by the Bengals backup kicker, none other than wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco’s PAT would prove to be the margin of victory as Cincinnati beat New England 7-6.

After the game, the always entertaining Chad Ochocinco talked about his love for European soccer:

“‘Esteban’ Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world. Everyone has to remember, I’ve always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now.”

To punctuate his fondness for the sport known as football in the rest of the world, Ochocinco whipped out his iPhone to display a picture of him with former England captain David Beckham before he continued his exposition:

“Soccer’s my first love, Kicking’s easy … like riding a bike. I can kick them from 50, 60 yards, left or right hash mark. … I kicked all through high school.”

Ochocinco was pressed into service as a placekicker when Shane Graham complained of a sore groin in pregame warm-ups. Rather than take any chances, head coach Marvin Lewis let Ochocinco take his place.

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, who was pressed into emergency service as a placekicker while with the Miami Dolphins, wasnt buying Ochocincos talk about kicking being easy:

“It’s not easy. To kick that is something, and he got real good height on it.”

The Patriots could only manage two FGs, while Cincinnati scored their only touchdown on JT OSullivans 24 yard pass to Chris Henry. That set up Ochocincos picture perfect extra point. OSullivan was also amused, but emphasized that his receivers athletic versatility is no joke:

“Nothing surprises me. All joking aside, he still kicked the ball through the uprights and it ended up winning the game. Some people might think its funny, but it’s important.”

Cincinnati will kick off their NFL regular season schedule on Sunday, September 13th as they host the Denver Broncos. The Patriots will get their campaign underway on Monday, September 14th as they play the Buffalo Bills at home.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football 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, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Tom Brady returned to NFL action and looked good in limited playing time as the New England Patriots opened their preseason schedule with a 27-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady played into the second quarter, moving well and showing no lingering effects of his knee surgery.

The Patriots also rewarded their NFL preseason financial backers by winning outright as a +2 road underdog. The combined 52 points scored shattered the posted total of 32 for an easy OVER. With the Pats and Eagles putting 27 points on the board in the first half, the total had almost been surpassed by the halftime break.

Bradys solid play was no doubt a heartening sight to Patriots fans, though he had little to say after the game on the specifics on his performance:

“I need the work, we all need the work. You can’t duplicate this on the practice field.”

Instead, Brady focused on the less tangible aspects of being back under center:

“There’s no place I’d rather be. This is the place where I probably have the most fun and enjoy it the most. Preseason game doesn’t have quite the feel of a regular-season game, but to be out there on the field with my teammates and celebrate after a win, and the bus ride home … those are the things you probably enjoy the most.”

Tight end Chris Baker was more effusive in discussing Bradys comeback effort:

“I thought he was sharp. He went out there and moved us up and down the field and put some points on the board.

New England took a 21-6 lead into the locker room at halftime, but would have to hold on for the victory after Philadelphia responded with a 16 point third quarter. The Eagles had a shot to win the game late, but David Akers missed a 43 yard field goal with just under a minute remaining.

Brady, the two time Superbowl MVP, sat out the entire 2008 preseason with an undisclosed foot ailment. Hes expected to get a significant amount of playing time in exhibition games this year, however, as he tries to regain his regular season form.

The Patriots will open the regular season on Monday, September 14 as they host the Buffalo Bills. Philadelphia will begin their regular season campaign on the road in Charlotte, NC against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted 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 interior secretary James Watt.

Judy Garland famously said in her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz that theres no place like home. The Toronto Argonauts would likely take issue with that sentiment. On Friday night, the Argos lost a close one to the Calgary Stampeders at the Rogers Centre by a final score of 23-20. The loss extended the Argos franchise record home losing streak to ten consecutive games.

Calgary hasnt done well in Toronto in recent years, having lost eight of their last ten heading into this contest. For that reason, Henry Burris was happy with the victory despite the Argos recent struggles on their own field:

“Rogers Centre has never been a fun place for us to play. We’ve had some tough games here against some hard-hitting Argos teams. This team has been through a lot and with the belief we have in one another, we were able to fight back and respond when it really counted.”

Toronto could have tied the game, but Argos coach Bart Andrus kept the offense on the field for a last ditch effort to score a touchdown rather than go for the tie.

Andrus is already hearing some criticism of this decision, and he addressed it after the game:

“I’ll take the heat on the call to not kick the field goal. The distance bothered me. That was my worry. The 57-yarder against Winnipeg came with the roof open. I just wasn’t comfortable with it.”

Medlock all but second guessed his coach when asked about the potential game tying field goal try that he didnt get to make:

“I definitely thought I could’ve made it but never got the chance. Maybe I should’ve run on to the field. I hit the crossbar in practice from 60 yards out.”

Calgary has won both games against Toronto this season, beating the Argos 44-9 at McMahon Stadium earlier this season. After the contest, Stamps coach/GM John Hufnagel indicated his pleasure with his teams effort:

“If it was going to be a close game I wanted our defence on the field at the end to protect the lead and that’s what happened. I think it’s really a big step for this football team. I’m very pleased with the defence, I’m very pleased with the offence in the second half when they had to answer points . . . we got the momentum back each and every time.”

Next up for the Stampeders is a home and home series with their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Eskimos. Calgary will host Edmonton on Labour Day, and the teams will rematch in Edmonton four days later. Toronto and Hamilton will go at it in their traditional Labour Day tilt, with the first game of the set at Hamilton and the rematch back at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and 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 with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Kyle Orton’s debut as the Denver Broncos starting QB didn’t go quite as planned. Orton, who was acquired from Chicago in the off-season, threw interceptions on each of his first three offensive series. San Francisco’s offense did just enough to eke out a 17-16 NFL preseason victory before their home fans.

The good news for Orton is that despite his three interceptions and a solid backup performance by Chris Simms. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels has been steadfast in his support. Orton appeared thankful of this fact in his postgame comments:

“That’s great. That’s certainly what you need in this league is the support of your coach. I’m not worried about it. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself. I think my team has a lot of confidence in me. … I don’t want to make those decisions and throw three interceptions.”

Orton was acquired after McDaniels relationship with NFL pro bowler Jay Cutler soured due to his effort”and subsequent denial”that he was trying to move the quarterback. Its been a rough start to Ortons tenure in Denver”he was even booed during a public scrimmage after throwing an interception.

McDaniels put the fact that it was only the first preseason game into perspective:

“I feel very confident in where we’re at. There’s no reason to start tailspinning into this and that when we’ve only had one preseason game.”

San Franciscos rapidly improving defense made life miserable for Orton all afternoon. Even when he got decent pass protection, they were able to disrupt the passing lanes. Niners’ cornerback Nate Clemens in particular was a huge factor, hauling in one of Ortons three miscues. After the game he commented on the play:

“I saw the route and played my responsibility and he threw it. I like seeing all of our defensive backs get interceptions and just making plays because we’re game breakers.”

The Niners have yet to name a starting quarterback with both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith under consideration. Hill spoke of his first preseason action:

“We were able to move the ball and we had a big conversion on third down. That last sack kind of hurt us. That was completely on me. The offensive line did a great job out there. So I’d like to have that play back and I feel like we could have gotten seven out of that.”

Smith was just glad to be back on the field after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury:

“Obviously, I was raring to go when I got out there. It’s been a long time for me, so I was pretty amped up.”

Denver will head to the Pacific Northwest for a game against the Seattle Seahawks next Saturday night. San Francisco, meanwhile, will host their local rivals the Oakland Raiders. The Broncos open the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th against the Bengals at Cincinnati. San Francisco will get the regular season underway on the same day as they head to Tempe, Arizona to face the Arizona Cardinals.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on football 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 a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The Indianapolis Colts, finding their offense shut down by a relentless Jacksonville Jaguars attack, fought back in kind. The often maligned Indy stop unit matched the ferocity of their Jaguars counterparts play for play, and one touchdown pass from Peyton Manning proved to be enough to earn victory by a 14-12 margin in the NFL season opener for both teams. The victory was Manning’s 118th in a Colts uniform, tying the legendary Johnny Unitas for the franchise lead.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Jaguars as +6 road underdogs were rewarded with the pointspread cover. Indianapolis dropped to 11-16 ATS over the past three years when favored. The 26 combined points went well UNDER the posted total of 45. Despite their reputation as an offensive juggernaut, the Colts have actually trended to the UNDER over the past three seasons, with 19 UNDERs in their past 35 lined games.

After the contest, Manning displayed his characteristic humility when asked about tying the mark held by the iconic Unitas:

“I’ve never felt comfortable with comparisons with him. I think he’s kind of in his own category. But I am proud of those wins.”

Manning was more concerned about the welfare of receiver Anthony Gonzalez who lefthe game with an injury:

“I asked Rashean Matthis what happened and he said, ‘I didn’t even touch him . He has worked so hard in the offseason, I just hope it’s not a season-ending injury.”

Colts coach Jim Caldwell was pleased with the effort of the defense:

“Obviously, the defense played well and came up big at the end. We thought it would be a grind, and it was. I think our team certainly played tough, played hard, played with a lot of energy.”

Jacksonville wasnt overly discouraged after the contest either, pleased with the intensity and their effectiveness in shutting down one of the NFLs best offenses. Maurice Jones-Drew gave props to the Indy defense after the game:

“They just did a great job in the red zone stifling our offense. My hat’s off to them. But we have to learn how to finish.”

Quarterback David Garrard also paid respect to his opponent’s pass rush:

“I thought, ‘Here we go again, we have a great chance. You love to be in that situation. We were trying to get the ball to Maurice, but you’ve got to slow those pass rushers down. We did what we could do.”

The Jaguars will open their 2009 NFL home slate on Sunday as they host the Arizona Cardinals. Theyll travel to Houston for a game against the Texans the following week. The Colts will head to south Florida for a game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. Theyll return to Indy for a date with the Arizona Cardinals on the following Sunday.

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 Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

New York Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez has been a crucial factor in the teams 2-0 start, showing a poise and head for the game very rare for NFL newcomers. Still, there wasn’t much worry at the revelation that hes suffering from tendinitis in his right knee. The Jets announced Sanchez’s injury on Thursday, and hes listed as probable on the official NFL injury report. Based on comments from the quarterback and team officials, the prognosis sounds more optimistic than that.

Sanchez practiced on Thursday, and though he was seen stopping to stretch and rub his right knee on a few occasions didn’t seem to suffer any impairment in his mobility. He participated in the entire practice, and there didn’t appear to be any sort of effort to prepare Kellen Clemens to assume the starting role.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan confirmed the injury while downplaying its significance:

“It’s not that big a deal. He has something. I don’t know how to describe it than just to say its a little tendinitis. But, he’s fine. I mean, he fully participated and moved around great, I thought.”

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was even more emphatic in his statement:

“Mark’s totally fine.”

Ryan then added a sarcastic note that brought laughs from the assembled media: “Make sure he’s on that list. I don’t mean anything by that.”

Ryan was referring to the Jets receiving a fine from the NFL for not properly disclosing injuries to then-QB Brett Favre late last season. Favre was suffering from a torn biceps tendon, though the team didnt list him on the official NFL injury report. The team was fined $75,000 while GM Mike Tannenbaum and former coach Eric Mangini were each fined $25,000 each.

The Jets are less optimistic about the condition of cornerback Donald Strickland, who is suffering from a sprained right ankle. Ryan didnt offer much hope that hed be able to see action on Sunday:

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to play this week. I’m not declaring him out right now, but I don’t think there’s any way he’s playing this week.”

The Jets host the Tennessee Titans at the Meadowlands this Sunday afternoon. After that, the Jets will take to the road for their next two games. Theyll play the New Orleans Saints on October 4th before heading to south Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins the following Monday night.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and 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 Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The Montreal Alouettes withstood a tough challenge from the Saskatchewan Roughriders to win their 7th game of the season by a 34-25 margin. Als rookie QB Chris Leak scored the winning points, flawlessly converting on a third down goal line situation that also happened to be the first play of his CFL career.

After the game, Leak focused on earning the trust of his teammates:

“It’s a about trust – that’s the number one thing. I’m just happy for the opportunity to earn the trust of the coaches and my teammates.”

Saskatchewan has only won twice in their past eleven trips to Montreal, and will have to wait until next season to try and gain a measure of redemption.

The Roughriders held the edge in most of the statistical categories, but were undone by turnovers and a failure to cash in on drives deep into Als territory. Riders coach Ken Miller said in his postgame comments that there was plenty of responsibility to go around:

“It’s a team game and the fault doesn’t lie with any individual. Darian played probably his best. He turned the ball over three times, but he made plays with his feet and was a leader for us. I’m really proud of the way the men battled, but our team still needs to be tuned up some.”

Durants favorite target on the day was Weston Dressler, who caught eight passes for 179 yards and after the game gave a glass half full assessment of his teams performance:

“We were in it until the end. I think we showed we can complete with the best team in the league and I think we just have to keep working at it. We’re really close to being a great football team.”

Both teams will enjoy a bye next weekend, with Montreal returning to action on Friday, September 4th as they travel to Vancouver to play the BC Lions. Saskatchewan will return to action on Sunday, September 6th as they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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 with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

The Montreal Alouettes demonstrated the form that has made them the CFLs top team in a Saturday visit to Winnipeg. Anthony Calvillo threw four touchdown passes and the tenacious Montreal defense all but shut down the Winnipeg offense as the Alouettes prevailed easily over the Blue Bombers by a 39-12 score. The Alouettes improved to 6-1 in CFL play, while the Bombers dropped to 2-5.

CFL bettors who backed Montreal cashed their tickets as the Als easily covered as -8 road favorites. Montreal improved to 5-2 against the number while the Blue Bombers slipped to 4-3 against the spread. Interestingly, this was the first time all season that Winnipeg failed to cover as an underdog, having earned the money in four such roles this season before tonights setback.

Calvillo not only through four TD passes, he through three consecutive passes for touchdowns which is a feat that he cant recall accomplishing before:

“Somebody mentioned that to me out there. I didn’t realize that and they asked me if it’s ever been done or if I’d done it before and I can’t recall.”

Montreals defense held Winnipeg to four FGs and recovered four Blue Bomber turnovers that led to Alouette scores. After the game, Calvillo gave all of the credit for the victory to the defense and insisted that his team had a lot of work to do:

“Our defence put us on the short field throughout the night and we capitalized on the turnovers. We have a lot of work to do. We had a few dropped passes, a few misreads by myself and two turnovers. We’re always looking to improve and we definitely have to improve on offence.”

Kerry Watkins caught one of Calvillos touchdowns and spoke of playing with the CFL legend in his postgame interview:

“It’s a great accomplishment, but something we don’t keep track of. It’s an honour. That’s a living legend. I’ve been so fortunate to play my whole (six-year) career with him.”

Bombers head coach Mike Kelly, who also serves as the teams offensive coordinator, suggested that there was nothing wrong with the offensive tactics:

“There’s nothing wrong with this scheme. I’ve seen this scheme work 1,000 times .If you want to get right down to it, we have to block when we need to block and catch when we need to catch and throw to the right people. And right now we’re not doing those things so we’ll continue to look at it.”

Winnipeg defensive tackle Doug Brown agreed with his coachs assessment:

“Let’s put it this way, we were in a good enough dogfight without as many critical errors as we made ourselves. You play a team of this calibre, the last thing you need to do is dig yourself your own hole with penalties and turnovers and missed tackles and not executing our assignments and so on and so forth.”

Montreal will host Saskatchewan on Friday, while Winnipeg will head west for a game against British Columbia.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and 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 with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

LaDanian Tomlinson is still not fully recovered from a sprained right ankle, and as a result hell miss his second consecutive NFL regular season game this Sunday as the Chargers host the Miami Dolphins. Tomlinson was hurt in the San Diego Chargers season opening victory over the Oakland Raiders and didn’t play last week.

After playing in eight consecutive regular season games last year, the superstar running back has missed three of the Chargers last four games. Most significant was last January, when a groin injury kept LT out of the Chargers AFC playoff loss to the eventual Superbowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tomlinson refused comment when asked about the specifics of his injury:

“I don’t have a comment about it. It is what it is.”

Until his recent bouts with injury, Tomlinson had been one of the most durable running backs in the league. Prior to last season, the only start hed missed in his career was the season finale in 2004 when then-coach Marty Schottenheimer rested Tomlinson and other starters in advance of the NFL playoffs.

While Tomlinson himself was tight lipped, his coach Norv Turner spoke about his injury:

“It’s hard because you’d like to have all your guys. It’s crazy, because on Sept. 1, when people were asking me what I thought about camp, I said it was great that we were healthy and had all our guys, because that’s something we haven’t had in a while.

“I think we’re doing the right thing with L.T. Obviously he couldn’t play this week, you know, but he’s getting better and hopefully he’ll be able to go next week. if not, he’ll be ready to go when the bye’s over.”

The Chargers also have a half dozen players listed as questionable due to flu like symptoms. Turner spoke about their prognosis:

“I think we’re beyond the guys who had it. I obviously have a concern that they’re not too drained, but I think we have a couple days to get them back. My concern is what’s going to pop up tomorrow morning or Sunday morning because obviously it’s going through the building.”

Darren Sproles started in LTs place last week, and has performed well this season. Sproles, who also returns kickoffs and punts, had 524 all purpose yards in two games this season.

The Chargers are a -6 home favorite against the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, with the total set at 44. The first half line on the game is San Diego -3 with the total set at 21. San Diego will travel to the Steel City of Pittsburgh next Sunday to face the Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, and then enjoy a much needed bye week. Theyll return to action on Monday, November 19th hosting the Denver Broncos.

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

Brett Favre may get all of the headlines for the Minnesota Vikings, but NFL insiders are well aware that running back Adrian Peterson is the key to the teams offensive success. Peterson’s threat alone is enough to open up options for the passing game. He’s definitely more than a decoy, however–after winning the NFL rushing title last year hes already off to a great start with 272 yards and four touchdowns in only two games.

There’s been a good deal of concern this week in the Twin Cities media about Peterson’s health. Specifically, there are questions about the severity of a back injury suffered last weekend. Peterson has been limited in his practice activities all week as a precaution, though both he and QB Favre as listed as probable on the NFLs official injury report.

Peterson tried to downplay the severity of his injury in comments to reporters:

“God willing, I will be out there playing. Not a big deal at all.”

He launched into a comedy routine when asked for details on the injury. Asked when the injury occurred, Peterson quipped:

“It happened, like, a week back. But that’s all behind me now.”

Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell didnt sound too concerned:

“I’m comfortable with where he’s at. I know he’s been working hard to rehab. … Right now, I think he’s going to be OK, but we have to continue to go throughout the week with that.”

Peterson ran for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions last weekend. His presence alone makes things much easier for the Vikings passing attack”opposing teams often put 8 or 9 men along the line of scrimmage to try and stop him, giving QB Brett Favre a great opportunity to get the ball downfield to his receivers in single coverage. Without him in the lineup, defenses have an easier time rushing Favre and covering receivers downfield.

The Vikings host a team known for their own potent running game this weekend, as the San Francisco 49ers come to town. The Vikings are a 6 point home favorite with the total set at 39. The line for the first half is Vikings -3, with a total of 20. Theyll remain at home the following week as the Green Bay Packers pay a visit for a game on Monday Night Football. A road game will follow, as the Vikings will head to St. Louis to face the lowly Rams on October 11th.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and 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 Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.