NFL Inactives (Saturday, December 23, 2006)

Football Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of the players placed on the inactive squad for this week's NFL games.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT OAKLAND RAIDERS, 8:00 P.M. (ET)

Chiefs - 3rd QB Brodie Croyle, RB Michael Bennett, CB Marcus Maxey, LB Rich Scanlon, G Tre Stallings, DT Tim Sandidge, OT Kyle Turley, DE Jimmy Wilkerson

Raiders - 3rd QB Aaron Brooks, WR Randy Moss, RB LaMont Jordan, CB Tyrone Poole, G Brad Badger, G Corey Hulsey, WR Jerry Porter, TE James Adkisson

Casinoxtc Football Betting News

<< Knight ties Dean Smith for most wins
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight tied the legendary Dean Smith for most career wins in NCAA Division I history after notching No. 879 in a 72-60 triumph over Bucknell on Saturday. Knight now has the

<< No. 10 Crimson Tide rolls over Coppin State
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alonzo Gee scored a game-high 26 points and added nine rebounds as 10th-ranked Alabama hammered Coppin State, 99-49, at Coleman Coliseum. Gee was 12-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point

<< No. 21 Oregon stomps Mercer
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 27 points as 21st-ranked Oregon defeated Mercer, 84-64, at McArthur Court. Brooks was 10-of-20 shooting, but only 1-of-6 from three-point range. Maarty Leunen chipped in w

<< Brother Derek big name in Malibu
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The $250,000 Malibu Stakes for three-year- olds is the opening feature at Santa Anita Park on Tuesday. This is the last chance for these thoroughbreds to race in 2006 before turning four on New Year's

<< Florida crushes Ohio State
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending champs gave Greg Oden a lesson, as Corey Brewer played overwhelming defense and Taurean Green scored a game-high 24 points in fifth-ranked Florida's 86-60 rout of third- ranked

Leafs' Peca out indefinitely >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news on Saturday when they learned that center Michael Peca will be out indefinitely with a broken right leg and torn ligaments in his right knee. Peca suffered the in

Wilhelm signs extension with Chargers >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers signed linebacker Matt Wilhelm to a five-year contract extension Saturday. The deal will keep Wilhelm with the Chargers through the 2011 season. He was due to become an unrestric

San Jose State tops New Mexico in New Mexico Bowl >>
Albuquerque, NM (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Tafralis threw three touchdown passes to lead San Jose State to a 20-12 victory over New Mexico in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium. Tafralis completed 11-of-18 passes for 209 yards

UIC's Collins takes personal leave >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Illinois-Chicago head coach Jimmy Collins has taken a personal leave of absence. No timetable or reason for the leave were given. Associate head coach Mark Coomes will take over the F

Thrashers down Devils >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kari Lehtonen stopped 36 shots as the Atlanta Thrashers downed the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, at Philips Arena. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist and Steve McCarthy, Bobby Holik, Shane Hnidy and Slava Koz

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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