CFL Western Division: Eskimos finally play some defense

Football Betting Lines

08/31/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Week nine of the CFL season belonged to Alberta, as both Calgary and Edmonton found the win column. Calgary's victory was expected, but the Eskimos' three-point win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders was, quite possibly, the shocker of the season. Whether Edmonton has found its form remains to be seen, but it suddenly makes the West division more interesting heading into the classic Labor Day weekend showdown.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

All signs pointed to a Saskatchewan blowout, but credit the Edmonton defense for its dominating performance in a 17-14 win. Everything clicked for the Esks, as the Riders failed to score a single point over the final three quarters. After a shaky first, Edmonton settled down and pressured Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant on seemingly every possession. Durant was picked off three times, and fumbled once against Edmonton's d-line wall. Ricky Ray started the game despite nursing a rib injury he suffered against Calgary on August 15th, but Jared Zabransky stepped into action in the second quarter. Ray returned late in the game and is expected to start again in Week 10. Edmonton doesn't have much time to enjoy its victory as it travels to face the league's best team in Calgary next.

Offensive key to the next game (Calgary Stampeders): The Eskimos will need to score more than 17 points to beat Calgary. More consistency at quarterback this week is the only shot Edmonton has for a second straight upset.

Defensive key to the next game: As good as Saskatchewan can be offensively, Calgary is at an even higher level. However, Edmonton's game plan should be the same - force the quarterback to scramble, and the Esks may see the wild side of Henry Burris rather than the calm and cool of recent weeks.

Look ahead: Edmonton fans looking at the future schedule must think their team is being punished severely for something. A home-and-home series with the Stamps followed by a road game in Montreal is not a pleasant thought. Needless to say, this stretch will determine Edmonton's chances of making the playoffs.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

The first quarter of their week nine game against Edmonton was a microcosm of what the rest of the season has been like for the Riders: an entertaining and powerful start getting overshadowed by a lapse in quality of play. The Riders opened the season 3-0, but have gone 2-3 over the last five. Even in those two victories, Saskatchewan has not looked as promising as it did in its first game. Football is a team sport, so placing all the blame on one person isn't fair. However, the Riders have to be concerned about their chances to make it back to the Grey Cup when their quarterback, Durant, throws three interceptions and zero touchdowns against the league's worst defense. The Riders are fading, and fans of the Green Nation are growing restless. Playing prairie rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labor Day Classic may just be the remedy.

Offensive key to the next game (Winnipeg Blue Bombers): Durant obviously needs to be better and remains the key to victory, but the Riders would do well to keep trying running back Wes Cates. He leads all CFL players with nine touchdowns, including eight on the ground.

Defensive key to the next game: Running back Fred Reid is Winnipeg's most dangerous offensive weapon. Logic dictates he should be the focus, but instead the Riders should feast on the weakness of Winnipeg's passing game. You need to go to the air in the CFL to win, and if Steven Jyles can't produce at QB, Reid alone is not enough for the Bombers.

Look ahead: Two straight games against Winnipeg is always a cause for celebration among Saskatchewan fans, but the real game to celebrate takes place in two weeks time. A rematch against the Stampeders in Week 12 may turn out to be the most important game of the season.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Even when Calgary doesn't look good, it still finds a way to win easily. A 48-35 win over the BC Lions in week nine sounds impressive, but there is room for improvement in Cowtown. Quarterback Henry Burris did throw two touchdowns and ran one in for a major, but he also tossed three interceptions. On defense, the Stampeders had a rare bad day at the office when they allowed 35 points against the league's worst offense. More importantly, 15 of BC's points came in the fourth quarter, resulting in a final score that was much closer then it should have been. On the plus side, the Stamps did put up 499 yards of offense against just 266 for BC, showing the league that they don't have to be perfect to be the best.

Offensive key to the next game (Edmonton Eskimos): This home game will come down to whether the Stampeders' receiving corps can carry the load. Sure, Burris needs to be a little more cautious in his decisions, but it is not crucial given the difference in talent level between the Edmonton secondary and Calgary's receivers. Ken Yon Rambo is heating up, and Nik Lewis will be looking to rebound after a lackluster 25-yard performance in week nine..

Defensive key to the next game: The best defense is a good offense in this one: keep possession as long as possible, limit Edmonton's chances to find its rhythm, especially when Ricky Ray has yet to fully recover from injury.

Look ahead: Calgary faces nothing but West opponents for four straight weeks. Winning three all but ensures first-place in the West.

BC LIONS

The Lions no longer share the worst record in the league. Putting up 35 points against Calgary is a positive, but to utterly break down on defense and allow 48 is a new low in a season of lows. BC's inexperience on the o-line has received the most flak for the offensive woes, and deservedly so. But a close second has been the non-existence of any kind of running game. The Lions have averaged just 100 yards rushing per contest and only Montreal has averaged less, but since they have Anthony Calvillo and a well-oiled passing game, this is not as detrimental as it is for the Lions. In week nine, BC rushed for just 44 yards. While running backs can blame the lack of blocking of the line for not opening the holes, the backs themselves also need to shoulder some of the blame.

Offensive key to the next game (Montreal Alouettes): The Lions have to be perfect in all aspects of their game to have a hope of even competing. The most important? Giving kicker Paul McCallum a chance to kick field goals early and often. The kicker is the most accurate in the league this season, and while it seems silly to rely on a kicker to win a game, the Lions have to play a gritty, blue-collared and tightly-contested game if they want to complete the upset.

Defensive key to the next game: The Lions do have one outstanding turn of events they can capitalize on: Anthony Calvillo's absence. He is out with injury, leaving third-stringer Chris Leak to come in and try and fill the shoes of one of the CFL's best-ever quarterbacks. This is the Lions' best chance to beat the Als this season, and to do it, they must rock Leak whenever possible. Prevent Leak from getting confidence and the Lions have a legitimate shot.

Look ahead: BC's best chance of making the playoffs is to cross over to the East. Considering its next three games are against eastern opponents, the time is now for BC to make a move.

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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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FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.