Bradford inks record deal with Rams
Football Betting Lines
07/30/2010 - Earth City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams quarterback and 2010 top overall draft choice Sam Bradford has reportedly agreed to a six-year deal that is worth a record $50 million in guarantees.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bradford's deal is worth a total of $78 million. The guaranteed money is the most ever for a single contract in league history -- for rookies or veterans.
Bradford, 23, will be counted upon to help a Rams franchise that went a league-worst 1-15 last season. He had been the Oklahoma Sooners' starting quarterback for the last three seasons, despite playing in only three games in 2009 due to an injury to his throwing shoulder.
The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Bradford helped lead Oklahoma to the National Championship Game that season before falling to Florida. That season, Bradford threw for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns, helping the school break an NCAA record for most points in a 14-game season with 716.
The Rams continued a popular trend of teams selecting a quarterback with the first overall pick. Dating back to the Colts' selection of Peyton Manning leading off the 1998 NFL Draft, quarterbacks have been picked first overall in 10 of 13 drafts. St. Louis last picked first overall in 1997 and took Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace.
The Rams have struggled mightily since "The Greatest Show on Turf," led by quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk, produced two Super Bowl appearances, one title, three MVP winners and three straight top-ranked offensive teams from 1999-2001. St. Louis has posted one winning season in the last eight years and has won a total of six games in the last three campaigns -- the fewest in the NFL in that timeframe.
The club's quarterback for the last eight seasons, Marc Bulger, was released earlier in the offseason, so Bradford figures to be in the mix for the starting position as a rookie. The other three signal-callers currently on the roster are veteran A.J. Feeley, Keith Null and Thaddeus Lewis.
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista's grand slam and league-leading 31st home run highlighted a six-run fourth, as the Toronto Blue Jays won their fourth straight with an 8-1 rout of the struggling Cleveland Indians at Rogers Centre.
<< Joyce's homer lifts Rays over Yankees; A-Rod held homerless
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Joyce hit a three-run homer in the
sixth inning, lifting the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-2 win over the New York
Yankees in the opener of a critical three-game series.
The Rays entered the serie
<< Cavs sign G/F Graham
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed
guard/forward Joey Graham.
The 6-foot-7 Graham played in 63 games for Denver last season, starting 18,
and averaged 4.2 points and two rebounds per game.
He
<< Braves P Medlen leaves game
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Kris Medlen left
Friday's start against Cincinnati with a right forearm contusion after being
hit by a pitch in the sixth inning.
Medlen was plunked by the Reds' Johnny Cueto i
<< Thompson joined by Chappell in Cox Classic lead
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Thompson carded a six-under 65 Friday to
remain tied for the lead after 36 holes of the Cox Classic.
Thompson, who shared the first-round lead with Steven Bowditch, finished two
rounds at 14-under-pa
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Willingham and Roger Bernadina both stroked a two-run double to back a solid outing by Craig Stammen, as Washington cooled off the surging Phillies, 8-1, and, in doing so, spoiled Roy Oswalt'
Happ's Houston debut a gem as Astros down punchless Brewers >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ pitched six scoreless innings in his
Houston debut, as the Astros handled the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0, in the opener
of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Happ (2-0) and minor leaguers Jonatha
Eagles acquire RB Arrington from Broncos >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running
back J.J. Arrington from the Denver Broncos in exchange for linebacker Joe
Mays.
The Eagles will receive a conditional draft pick in 2012 if Arrington does no
Diamondbacks power past Mets to snap seven-game slide >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Johnson hit a go-ahead two-run homer in
the sixth and Miguel Montero tacked on a three-run shot later in the frame to
help the Diamondbacks snap a seven-game slide with a 9-6 win over the Mets.
Montero
Atlanta's Heyward comes through in extras in Cincy >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Heyward delivered the game-winning
two-run double in the 10th inning as Atlanta upended Cincinnati, 6-4, in the
first of a three-game set.
Brian McCann homered and Chipper Jones added two hits,
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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