Texans Nip 49ers

• Author: Ross Everett
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: May 31,2010

The Houston Texans have won consecutive games for the first time this season by virtue of a hard fought 24-21 victory over the visiting San Francisco 49ers. The Texans led 21-0 at halftime but fought themselves in a ball game after the Niners scored the first 14 points of the second half. The rally fell short, however, and Houston improved to 4-3 on the NFL season. The 49ers evened their record at 3-3.

Players that bet on NFL football found the game completely irrelevant, however, as it landed right on the pointspread for a disappointing push. After covering their first four of the season against the NFL pointspread, the Niners have a loss and a push in their last two games to leave their record at 4-1-1 versus the number. Houston is now 3-3-1 ATS on the season.

Despite losing a big lead, Houston coach Gary Kubiak was pleased with the outcome:

“We get down, they get up and they all of a sudden grabbed the momentum of the game. But we made some big plays late and defensively Eugene made a big play so it was a big, big win.”

Niners’ coach Mike Singletary benched quarterback Shaun Hill after a terrible first half and replaced him with Alex Smith. Smith responded by throwing three touchdown passes and getting San Francisco back in the game. After the contest, Singletary explained his move:

“I just thought it was time to make the switch. It was as simple as that. No long, drawn-out thought process. But let’s make the change.”

Smith explained that he caught the Texans’ defense playing passive football in the second half:

“Starting the second half, down three scores, you’re seeing some stagnant looks from the defense, they’re not throwing as much at you.”

Top draft choice Michael Crabtree finally made his San Francisco debut after a lengthy holdout and described what the experience was like:

“I was kind of calm. I practiced on getting calm and coming into the game, knowing what I was supposed to do and executing my plays. I think I did a good job, but I’ve got some more work to do.”

San Francisco will travel east to face the Indianapolis Colts next Sunday. They’ll return home for their next two games, hosting the Tennessee Titans the following Sunday and facing the Chicago Bears off a short week the next Thursday, November 12. Houston will play their next two on the road, beginning with a game at Buffalo on Sunday. That game is currently off the board. They’ll play at Indianapolis the following week before a bye week.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

Cincinnati Wins Low Scoring NFL Preseason Battle At New England

• Author: Ross Everett
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 22,2010

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. He then continued his comedy routine:

\”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.\”

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.\”

The Bengals continue their NFL preseason play on Thursday, hosting the St. Louis Rams. New England will be back in action on Friday night as they travel to Washington, DC for a game against the Redskins. 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 well known freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and sports 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, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Rams Beat Bengals On The Road In NFL Preseason Action

• Author: Ross Everett
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 21,2010

Kyle Boller filled in for an injured Mark Bulger, and the St. Louis Rams improved to 2-1 on the NFL preseason with a 24-21 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Bengals TD early in the frame made for some drama down the stretch.

Boller did withstand a hard hit from linebacker Keith Rivers that knocked his helmet off his head. Rather than leave the game, he calmly picked up his helmet and finished the drive. After the game, he talked about the play:

\”I could have slid a little earlier. It is what it is. My chin strap hit just above my eyes. It was a good scramble, but maybe if I can get down a little sooner, the coaches would like that.\”

Rivers also commented on the play, insisting that the hard hit wasnt intentional:

\”I was just trying to get to the ball. It wasn\’t anything intentional.\”

Boller had struggled last week after starting QB Bulger was forced to leave the game with a broken pinkie finger but played well this week. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo gave him credit in his postgame media comments:

\”He moved the team. He drove us down there after the bad start. When you score on a drive, the quarterback deserves the credit.\”

Bengals second string QB J.T. O\’Sullivan didnt have it quite so easy\”he was sacked three times, lost a fumble and had two passes deflected by linemen. The lost fumble added to the Bengals NFL preseason turnover woes\”theyve lost five fumbles and thrown three interceptions for eight turnovers in three games. O\’Sullivan talked about the problem after the game:

\”We\’ve just got to find a way to eliminate it. It puts you in such a disadvantage any time you turn the ball over. That\’s one of the things that has to change immediately.\”

Head coach Marvin Lewis concurred:

\”When you turn the football over, you have a difficult time winning, whether you\’re playing in the regular season, the preseason, junior high, sixth grade, whatever it is.

St. Louis will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals open the NFL regular season at home against the Denver Broncos.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and sports 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, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

New Orleans Wins First Superbowl In Franchise History

• Author: Ross Everett
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 19,2010

The New Orleans Saints used a 14 point fourth quarter to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 on Sunday to win their first Superbowl in franchise history. Drew Brees broke open a tight game midway through the final quarter with his touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, and Tracy Porter scored on a 74 yard interception return as the Colts were driving on the next series to secure the victory. Brees was named Superbowl MVP on the basis of his 288 yard, 2 touchdown, 0 interception performance.

After enthusiasts had come in early on the favored Colts, a good deal of buyback on the Saints had pushed the line to -4\’ and the New Orleans backers were enriched by their team\’s outright victory. The underdog has now covered three straight Superbowls and taken the money in five of the last seven games. The 48 points scored stayed well under the posted total of 57.

In his postgame interview, Brees gave much of the credit to the city of New Orleans:

\”We play for so much more than ourselves. We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way. It means everything. We\’re here because of their strength and everything they fought through here the last few years. They\’ve given us so much support, so we owe it all to our fans.\”

\”Just to think of the road we\’ve all traveled, the adversity we\’ve all faced. It\’s unbelievable. I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. We just all looked at one another and said, \’We\’re going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.\’ That\’s what we\’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.\”

Peyton Manning had little to say after the game particularly about the decisive interception return:

\”Made a great play. Made a great play. Corner made a heck of a play. Certainly disappointing, very disappointing. Disappointing.\”

Saints\’ coach Sean Payton made a bold call at the beginning of the second half when he called for an onside kick. New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Casalis suggested it was a game changing play:

\”We were really excited when he made the call. That changed everything.\”

Payton explained the unorthodox decision:

\”We\’re going to be aggressive. We\’d seen the onside kick all week and guys executed it well. It turned out to be a big change of possession.\”

The city of New Orleans will celebrate their team\’s victory with a parade. With Mardi Gras celebrations already scheduled to begin shortly thereafter, it could be quite some time before New Orleans returns to business as usual. Add New Orleans to cities like Miami, Bar Harbour, Palm Springs and Fire Island as must see spots for any fabulous football fan on the go.

Ross Everett is a consulting sports handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is in charge of providing daily free sports picks to Internet websites and broadcast media outlets. He is a widely published freelance writer specializing in sports handicapping, harness racing, wombat breeding and clogging. He lives in Southern Nevada with three dogs and a herd of wombats.

Eagles Add To Redskins Woes

• Author: Ross Everett
• Filed under: Casinos
• Date: Feb 17,2010

The \’new look\’ Washington Redskins offense under Sherm Lewis looked much like the old offense under Jim Zorn, and the Philadelphia Eagles had little trouble as they opened a 27-10 halftime lead en route to a 27-17 victory on Monday Night Football. DeSean Jackson scored a long touchdown both rushing and receiving, and Donovan McNabb threw for 156 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the victory. The Eagles improved to 4-2 on the season, while the Redskins dropped to 2-5.

The Eagles also rewarded NFL betting enthusiasts with the pointspread cover as -8\’ road favorites. Philadelphia is now 4-2 against the number while the Redskins continued their struggles against the NFL pointspread dropping to 1-6. The 44 combined points went OVER the posted total of 38.

Jackson\’s only complaint after the game was that a sore ankle undermined the artistry of his post touchdown tap dance:

\”I was out there having fun, man, honestly. My ankle was kind of hurting. I really didn\’t feel it, but it did kind of affect my dance a little bit. I could put it to perfection a little bit better than that.\”

Redskins\’ defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth suggested that this team has to learn to play as a unit:

\”You can say but so much. You\’ve got to actually want to. So once we get to that point — where we want to do something — then we\’ll do something. But if we just keep going our separate ways, then we\’ll just keep getting slaughtered like we have.\”

Jim Zorn was apparently more interested in playing \’gotcha\’ with the management that replaced him as the Redskins\’ offensive play caller than in analyzing the game:

\”Well, the result was the same. We got 17 points. It was difficult for me. It was difficult to stand and watch. The hard part is to keep your mouth shut.\”

Washington running back Rock Cartwright expressed Washington\’s struggles in a philosophical light:

\”You have to take the bitter with the sweet. And right now we\’re at a bitter moment.\”

The Eagles will host the New York Giants this Sunday, with the game currently \’pick\’em\’ and the total posted at 44. The Redskins have a much needed bye week before they travel south to play the Atlanta Falcons on November 8. They\’ll host the Denver Broncos the following Sunday before playing on the road against the Dallas Cowboys on November 22.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, fine dining and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett.