Trades and similar player movements are a fact of life for NFL players. While players may not always be happy with a trade to a new team, more often than not they willingly accept their new assignment and try to make the best of it. That’s apparently not the case with the Oakland Raiders newly acquired defensive end Richard Seymour. Seymour was acquired by the Raiders on Sunday and as of yet has not reported to his new team.

The trade surprised NFL observers, with the Patriots sending Seymour to Oakland for a 2011 first round draft pick. There is some speculation that hes doing a de facto hold out in hopes of getting the Raiders to re-work his contract but this hasn’t been confirmed by anyone involved.

For the time being, Raiders coach Tom Cable is being vague about the situation:

I really have nothing to report on that. Nothing has changed at this point.”

He also declined to comment on questions about a potential new contract, which makes it more likely that money is likely the sticking point:

“I don’t want to comment about anything of that until we have something that’s done and concrete.

Seymours former coach in New England, Bill Belichick also gave his version of a no comment but praised him as a player:

“Because we don’t have rights to Richard, there really isn’t anything I can say about him or his situation. So I’ll have to pass on those questions at this time. There’s a lot of things that Richard did well but that’s the way it is and we’re moving forward and our team’s moving forward.”

Pats defensive coordinator Dean Pees also refused to comment:

“This is not going to be an interview about Richard. It’s really about Buffalo and whoever we have here to face the Bills.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello had nothing to add either:

“Any comment at this time would have to come from the teams.

Most NFL observers think that the Patriots made the move in order to free up money to negotiate with defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. That has raised concern that New Englands defense has quickly become very young and more problematically without a strong leader on that side of the ball. Belichick isnt concerned:

“We have a lot of good leaders on our team and especially on the defensive side of the ball. No doubt about it, it’s different, but I think it’s good.”

The Patriots open their 2009 NFL regular season on Monday night at home against the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders will also kick off their campaign on Monday night as they host their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers. Regardless of how the Seymour situation shakes out, its unlikely that anything will be resolved in time for him to play in the Raiders’ season opener.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and pay per head 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 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, which was the highest over/under number in Superbowl history.

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.”

Never known for his elocution, 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 recovered and 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 diva-like 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. New Orleans is usually as fabulous as flamboyant skater Johnny Weir emerging out of a gold Faberge egg, but will be even more so now.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and pay per head 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.

While its unwise to put too much importance on NFL preseason performances, its hard not to be impressed with the New Orleans Saints offense. In particular, its impossible to not be impressed with the play of starting QB Drew Brees. Brees played only three series against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night, but that was enough–by the time he left the Saints led 21-0 en route to a 45-7 thrashing on their hosts.

All Brees did in only three series was roll up 179 yards on 14 of 17 passing and three touchdowns. After the game, he did a decent job sounding humble despite the overwhelming dominance of his play:

“I just felt like we accomplished what we wanted to there with regards to playing with our tempo and our intensity. We were able to get into a rhythm. When you walk away with three touchdowns on three possessions, that’s what you want to do.”

Brees was aided by the return of last years leading receiver, Lance Moore. Moore had shoulder surgery in the offseason and was glad to be back in game conditions:

“I felt great. I felt like I hadn’t missed a lot. It was great being out there, getting hit and having fun in the game.”

Tight end Jeremy Shockey was also pleased with the effort:

“It looked good on the scoreboard but let’s look at it in the film room. We came all the way to California not for the wine but to get some good work in.

In the Oakland locker room, the mood was somber. Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell took the loss especially hard:

“Everything that could have possibly went wrong, went wrong today. It was very embarrassing today. It was disrespectful to our fans, ourselves and our family to go out and perform that way.”

Though the Saints scored almost at will against the Raiders porous defense, tight end Zach Miller was more concerned with the offense:

“I’ve never felt so lousy after a game, period. The way our offense played was embarrassing so we’re going to fix it.”

The Raiders will look to conclude the NFL preseason with a better effort as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. New Orleans will host the Miami Dolphins on the same night.

Ross Everett is a well known freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

The New England Patriots opened up a 17-7 halftime lead but needed a Stephen Gostkowski field goal in the final minute to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-24 in the first preseason game for both teams. The Super Bowl Champions looked listless and their starting offense sputtered, but got back in the game behind their reserves in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters. New Orleans would tie the game on a Garrett Hartley field goal which would set up Gostokwski’s game winning strike with :53 seconds remaining.

NFL betting enthusiasts that backed the Patriots as -2 home favorites managed to eke out a win. The 51 points scored sailed OVER the posted total of 35. New England has been a good bet as a preseason favorite since 1990 posting a 22-15 ATS mark. The Pats have shown a tendency to come out firing at the start of the preseason, and have now covered 7 of their last 8 Week 1 preseason games. New Orleans has a solid record as a preseason underdog at 29-19 ATS but its important to remember that was compiled during the team’s long run of NFL futility. They’re defending Superbowl Champions now and that’s an entirely different dynamic.

Saints’ coach Sean Payton knows there’s plenty of work to do:

“Too many sloppy things we’ve got to get corrected. I know it’s the first week of preseason; still, a lot of things are disturbing. … I think we’ll put the tape in and we’ll see it wasn’t just young players.”

The Saints know that they can’t rest on their laurels as Superbowl champs, and according to linebacker Jonathan Vilma must commit themselves all over again:

“That’s been our mindset from the start. We’ve got to prove ourselves all over again. We’ve got to keep working and improve on the little things.”

The Patriots, meanwhile, are trying to put the past behind them. Their last game was a 33-14 blowout loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens. Coach Bill Belichick says that’s no longer a concern:

“It’s a new year. We’ve had 20 practices. Whatever happened last year was last year.”

The Saints will host Houston next Saturday night in their home preseason debut, while New England plays at Atlanta on Thursday. New Orleans will open the regular season on Thursday, September 6th at home against the Minnesota Vikings. The Saints are a -6 point NFL betting favorite in this game, with the total set at 48′. New England will also start the regular season campaign at home, hosting Cincinnati on Sunday. The Patriots are a -4′ point home favorite with the total set at 43.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer specializing in sports betting, horse racing and NFL football handicapping. He is a frequent contributor to sports talk radio where he provides free NFL betting picks and sports handicapping advice. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers, a pony and a retired racing wombat.

Widely considered to be the best running back and wide receiver to ever play in the league, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice were inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio. Smith and Rice headlined a group of seven inductees that also included John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little.

Former Dallas Cowboy great Emmitt Smith entered the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. During his career he rushed for 18,355 yards with 164 touchdowns and had 11 seasons with 1,000 or more yards on the ground. He won three Superbowl championships during his career and was named the game’s MVP in 1994. Smith gave these comments in his induction speech:

“Most people only dream. I not only had my childhood dream, I did everything I could to fulfill it. “You know what, I am now the all-time leading rusher. Wow. What an honor.”

“When I go into the hall today, I am not going in alone. I am carrying my grandfather, I’m carrying my father and I’m carrying my son along with me because I bear all their names. Now I can say to my dad and my son, EJ, our name will be forever enshrined in the history of football.”

Jerry Rice, who played most of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, is the owner of every significant receiving record. During his 20 year career he caught 1,549 passes. He gained 22,895 yards, which is 7,600 yards ahead of second place. He scored 208 touchdowns, another all time best for a wide receiver. Rice was known as one of the hardest workers in sports, but ironically he said in his induction speech that was his only regret:

“My single regret about my career is I never took the time to enjoy it. I was always working.”

“I was afraid to fail. The fear of failure is the engine that has driven me my entire life. The reason they never caught me from behind is because I ran scared. People always are surprised how insecure I was. The doubts, the struggles, is who I am. I wonder if I would have been as successful without them.”

Rice moved from the low profile of Mississippi Valley State College to win three Super Bowls and redefine the role of the wide receiver in the modern game. He won three Superbowls with the San Francisco 49ers.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer specializing in sports betting, wombat racing, and NFL football handicapping. He is a frequent guest on a number of online and broadcast media outlets, providing NFL betting free picks and handicapping advice. He lives in Las Vegas with three dogs, an Asian houseboy and a wombat.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback rotation is in fairly good shape, but their preseason preparation has become a mess due to the suspension facing starter Ben Roethlisberger. ‘Big Ben’ will miss up to six games of the regular season, though he’s allowed to practice with the team and play in preseason action. Roethlisberger didn’t see any playing time in Pittsburgh’s 23-7 win over Detroit this past weekend but is expected to see action in the Steelers’ next game on Saturday against the New York Giants.

For now, Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich are battling for the backup quarterback job, which means they’ll be the starter for a good chunk of the season while Roethlisberger serves his suspension. Dixon has performed well, but Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator Bruce Arians isn’t pleased with his tendency to run when he has open receivers to pass to:

“If he’s your starter, you’re not going to expose him to running the football, because they’re going to break him up. That stuff, you can forget about that if he’s the starter. He wouldn’t last two ballgames.”

Despite this admonishment, Arians says that he’s designed an offensive package specifically for Dixon that leverages his superior speed and athleticism:

“And it’s not necessarily with the twos [second unit] or the threes [third unit], it’s a special package. When you play without Ben, you’re going to utilize all the players you have. He’ll have a package, and how he plays within that package will determine how much he plays.”

At this point, however, the more experienced though less mobile Leftwich is #2 on the depth chart. Wide receiver Hines Ward said that the competition is good for the team:

“We have a healthy competition at quarterback. And competition brings out the best in everyone. Dennis, he brings an added dimension to the game than Byron doesn’t. Byron’s a pure pocket guy. Dennis, the one knock on him is he doesn’t have the experience. The two are different but it’s hard to compare two guys when their games are so different.”

Although every indication is that Roethlisberger will see action in the Steelers’ game against the Giants this weekend, neither OC Arians or head coach Mike Tomlin were willing to give any specifics of when or how long they’d have their starter in the game. For the time being, however, NFL betting enthusiasts don’t have to worry about Pittsburgh’s quarterback rotation-the game is currently off the board due to the Giants’ game on Monday night and the ‘questionable’ status of New York starting quarterback Eli Manning.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and an authority on sports betting and horse racing. He contributes NFL football betting free picks for a number of websites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three dogs and a retired racing wombat.

For the first half of their NFL preseason contest against the Dallas Cowboys it looked like the Minnesota Vikings would wrap up exhibition play with a perfect record. After the break, however, Dallas reserves took over the game and rallied with 28 second half points. When the smoke cleared, Dallas had beaten Minnesota 35-31 to spoil their undefeated preseason record. The Vikings would slip to 3-1 in NFL preseason play while Dallas evened their exhibition mark at 2-2.

Minnesota had been set as a -3 home favorite, so NFL bettors who favored the Cowboys cashed their tickets with the outright victory. The two offenses were working overtime, eventually putting a combined 66 points on the scoreboard. This point production sent the O/U result sailing OVER the posted total of 35.

Despite the eventual meaninglessness of the result, Vikings coach Josh Childress wasnt happy that his team blew a big lead at home:

“At times it was embarrassing. I’ll end up putting that on myself, not having them ready to come out of the locker room at halftime. All the quarterbacks I’ve ever coached have some regard for the football and you can’t throw it to them.”

Sage Rosenfelds and John David Booty were the real targets of Chidress ire, with each throwing a second half interception that helped facilitate the Cowboys comeback. Tavaris Jackson didnt throw an interception and that may have been enough to secure one of the two roster spots backing up starting QB Brett Favre. After the game, Jackson talked about his situation:

“I’d love to be here, it’s the only thing I know and I’ve been here for going on my fourth year. If I stay here, I’d love it. But I understand that it’s a business. I’m not going be mad or cry over spilled milk, I’m just going to move on.”

Rosenfelds accepted the blame for his interception:

“It always seems like you want to take back one play and I wish I could take that one back. It was just a bad play by me. I felt real comfortable out there and I thought I did a pretty good job executing the offense other than that one play. I’m going to keep firing and that’s what I did.

Dallas’ Pat Watkins may have earned a roster spot with his all around effort. Playing on defense and special teams, he made several key tackles, returned an interception for a touchdown and blocked a field goal. He said that text messages from well wishers served as motivation:

“I had a feeling like I was going to have a good game, and I had a couple people send me text messages with predictions. Someone predicted six tackles and an interception. Somebody else predicted eight tackles. So after that maybe I need more predictions to help me out.”

The Vikings will open the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns. Dallas will start their 2009 NFL campaign on the road as well, playing at Tampa Bay. Dallas will host the New York Giants in their second game, while the Vikings will head to Detroit’s Ford Field for a week 2 game against the Lions.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer and respected authority on NFL 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 an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

categories: NFL football,sports,recreation,hobbies

While the St. Louis Rams aren’t the toughest opponents the NFL can offer, the Seattle Seahawks played well on both offense and defense en route to a 28-0 opening game victory. Jim Mora made a successful debut as Seahawks coach and Matt Hasselbeck played his first regular season game since last Thanksgiving.

The Seahawks easily covered the spread as -7 home favorites. The ATS victory improved the Seahawks to 18-15 against the number in the past three years. The Rams dropped to a dismal 11-22 ATS in the past three years with a 9-20 mark as an underdog. The 28 points scored went UNDER the total of 41. The Seahawks are 16-16 O/U in their lined games over the past three years, while the Rams have gone UNDER in 17 of their last 30.

Mora hadnt been at the helm of an NFL team since he was fired by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006. He is a native of the Jet City and once worked as a visiting locker room attendant for the Seahawks. He talked about his successful homecoming in his post game interview:

“It was especially emotional for me, because there is some significance to it. I’d be lying if I told you there wasn’t. It was kind of a surreal experience.”

Linebacker Aaron Curry commented after the game that defensive tenacity and toughness are goals for the new look Seattle team:

“The whole offseason, they said our team was soft. We’ve got to change our image.”

While the Seahawks looked to be much improved over last year, the Rams looked to be the same pitiful team that stumbled to a 2-14 record in 2008. It was hardly the debut that rookie head coach Steve Spagnuolo had hoped far as St. Louis gained only 247 yards and 13 first downs. You know things are bad when players point to personal fouls as a positive, as Steven Jackson did in his postgame interviews:

“Would you rather us just get our tail kicked and walk back to the huddle? You saw some fight in this team.”

The Rams looked sloppy and undisciplined throughout, to the point of having their only touchdown of the game negated due to too many men on the field. Clearly, the problems with the St. Louis team run much deeper than coaching.

The schedule wont get any easier for St. Louis, as they hit the road again this week to face the Washington Redskins. The Rams are a +10 road underdog in that contest with the total set at 36. Theyll open their home season the following week against Green Bay before playing another road contest on October 4th against the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle will also play away from home this Sunday, heading down the coast to meet the resurgent San Francisco 49ers. The Niners are a -1 home favorite with the total set at 39. The Seahawks will host the Chicago Bears the following Sunday before a road game at Indianapolis on October 4th.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Most NFL head coaches place a priority on naming a starting QB before the regular season begins. The idea is that it helps the chemistry on the team, as well as helping the quarterback define himself as a team leader. Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini hasn’t named his starting QB yet. Nor will he, at least not publicly. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson will find out if they’re the starting QB in the next couple of days, but the first public confirmation their coach will give is when they trot out on the field after the NFL regular season begins.

Mangini stressed that he’d already made his choice, and that hell meet with both Quinn and Anderson individually to inform them of his decision. He made clear that there would be no public announcement forthcoming:

“In terms of announcing it publicly, that’s not something I plan to do. It will be internal. I understand everybody has a different opinion on it. I respect that. I understand the excitement in relationship to that and I respect that as well. But that will be something that will be internal.”

As of Sunday, both quarterbacks were still up in the air and not saying much. Derek Anderson said he didnt have a clue:

“I know as much as you guys know.

While Quinn suggested that it was a bigger concern for the media than it was for him:

“I’m not worried about it. You guys are more worried about it than I am.”

Mangini may be trying to gain a strategic advantage over the Browns opponents in their opening game:

“It is more difficult to plan for two quarterbacks than it is to plan for one. I’m not saying that’s going to be the difference or not the difference, but I know that there is time allotted to that and you can’t put the same amount of time into focusing on one player.”

Vikings coach Brad Childress said that it really didnt make a difference in terms of his pregame preparation:

“Just schematically, you’re going to go back and look at tape and see what you’ve seen. And then I know, as do our guys, that there will be unscouted looks. They certainly haven’t showed their whole hand, offensively and defensively. So you’re just going back and looking at formation-wise where they’re putting people and what kind of players they are. It will be more about us deploying to what they do.”

The Browns coach concluded his comments by emphasizing that hes happy with the play of both quarterbacks:

“I have been happy with the progress that both guys made. I’m happy with the way they’ve worked. I’m happy with the way they approached this competition, and it’s not always easy to approach a competition in a team fashion, and I respect the way they’ve handled it.”

After hosting the Vikings in their opening game of the 2009 NFL regular season, Cleveland will hit the road for their second game as they take on the Broncos at Denver. Theyll play another away game in week 3, taking on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, September 27.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers 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, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.

The Tennessee Titans are preparing to open the NFL regular season on Thursday night and already they have to struggle with the impact of injuries to key personnel. Of all their injuries none are potentially more devastating than the hamstring injury suffered by wide receiver Nate Washington. The most recent development, however, is a positive one for the Titans as Washington has indicated that hes feeling better and there’s a good chance hell play in Tennessee’s opening game. He remains a game time decision, but this prognosis is upgraded from previous assessments of his condition.

Washington suffered a sprained hamstring in practice, and has been receiving daily therapy in hopes of having him ready for Thursdays NFL regular season opener. As of Tuesday, he indicated to the media that the hamstring was sore but not hurting and that it loosened up well after some stretching and warm-ups. Hes currently listed as questionable on the NFLs official injury report, but will be reclassified on Wednesday afternoon. Ever since the injury Washington has been optimistic about being in uniform for the Titans’ NFL season opener.

Speaking to the local media, Washington indicated that the final decision was out of his hands:

“I don’t know if I am going to play or not, that’s up to coach Fisher. I’m pretty happy with the progress that I’ve made … Nothing is holding me back right now.”

Coach Jeff Fisher, meanwhile, was not giving any indication of his decision:

I’m impressed with what he has done so far.

Some sources close to the team are speculating that Washingtons true status is that of a game time decision. They further speculate that Fisher and Washington could be trying to paint a more positive picture in order to force the Steelers to spend their time game planning for the Titans talented wide receiver. Historically, Fisher has been cautious in similar situations and clearly theres no reason for him to rush Washington back into action and risk further injury and more lost playing time if hes not completely recovered.

The Titans signed Washington to a six year, $27 million contract in the offseason with $9 million guaranteed. Hes expressed his desire to quickly make an impact on his new team:

“I want to come in and have an instant impact. Show not only the coaching staff but the whole Titans’ Nation that this is going to be a new era.”

Washington, along with first round draft pick Kenny Britt were brought in hoping to better diversify the Titans run oriented offense. By establishing a downfield passing threat, it will presumably provide more room to run for Tennessees star running back duo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.