If you were to ask a football fan to name the best two quarterbacks in the league, you’d likely be told that Drew Brees and Peyton Manning earn this distinction. Through the course of the season, these two players led their teams to many wins, and ultimately the Super Bowl.

Very rarely do we see two of the best quarterbacks in the sport facing off against one another in the Super Bowl. This year, the football world will be privileged enough to enjoy such an opportunity. Not only is this the case, but many believed that both teams were tops in the league through the course of the season.

Both the Saints and Colts won their first 14 games, leading many to speculate as to whether these teams would go undefeated through the course of the entire season.

While neither team ended up with an unbeaten record, it clearly didn’t matter in the end. The best team in each conference was good enough in the playoffs to make it through to the game that every football player dreams about.

This year’s Super Bowl matchup is sure to be an exciting one. Two of the best quarterbacks of our generation have the opportunity to go head to head.  Read more...

Have you ever debated with a friend as to the most important position in football? I’m sure the answer has varied depending on who you have asked but by far the offensive linemen are one of the most important positions. If they don’t play their positions correctly then they won’t provide their team with a chance to score.

It isn’t just important that they are making plays it is also important that they are in shape. They need to be in shape in order to continue to play effectively and last for as long as the quarters go. If they cannot last the duration of the quarter than the team suffers as a whole.

One of the commonly used line drills includes using a lineman and 2 defensive lineman on a hill. The point of the exercise is for the lineman to drive the other two up the hill while swapping between them on the command of a whistle. This helps teach the lineman how to engage quickly and with a lot of speed and power. The whistle acts as a way to shift their attention onto another possible defender as quickly as possible. Doing it on the hill of course helps to build more muscle and stamina.  Read more...

Judy Garland famously said in her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz that theres no place like home. The Toronto Argonauts would likely take issue with that sentiment. On Friday night, the Argos lost a close one to the Calgary Stampeders at the Rogers Centre by a final score of 23-20.

Calgary hasnt done well in Toronto in recent years, having lost eight of their last ten heading into this contest. For that reason, Henry Burris was happy with the victory despite the Argos recent struggles on their own field:

“Rogers Centre has never been a fun place for us to play. We’ve had some tough games here against some hard-hitting Argos teams. This team has been through a lot and with the belief we have in one another, we were able to fight back and respond when it really counted.”

Toronto could have tied the game, but Argos coach Bart Andrus kept the offense on the field for a last ditch effort to score a touchdown rather than go for the tie.

Andrus is already hearing some criticism of this decision, and he addressed it after the game:  Read more...

The New York Giants jumped out to a 17-0 lead against their NFC East rivals from Washington, and were never threatened as they went on to beat the Redskins by a final score of 23-17. Defensive stalwart Osi Umenyiora returned from a serious knee injury and scored a touchdown on a fumble return, while the Giants offense controlled the ball well and completely dominated the time of possession. The Giants held a lopsided edge of 36:08 to 23:52 in that department, which helped them overcome a couple of turnovers. Eli Manning played well, throwing for 259 yards and a touchdown to counteract one interception.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Redskins as +5 road underdogs were likely not heartened by the near miss on a backdoor cover. The Redskins scored a touchdown with 1:30 left to get within a ” point of the spread but the Giants still got the cover by the slimmest of margins. The Skins dropped to 13-17 ATS over the past three years with the setback, while New York improved their pointspread mark to an impressive 27-11 against the number. NFL totals players also witnessed a late game change of fortune due to the Skins touchdown, with the 7 points pushing the point total OVER the posted 37.  Read more...

The Pittsburgh Steelers used a 17 point fourth quarter outburst to break open a close game and send the Arizona Cardinals to defeat by a 20-10 score in a NFL preseason rematch of this years Superbowl. The two teams traded first half field goals and played a scoreless third quarter before Pittsburgh turned up the offense late in the game.

NFL bettors who favored the defending Superbowl champions in this matchup cashed their tickets as the Steelers covered as -3 home favorites.

The big catalyst for the Steelers offense was undrafted rookie Issac Redman out of Bowie State. Redman, listed as the Steelers #7 depth chart running back scored two rushing touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter run. The big short yardage back had already impressed the Pittsburgh coaching staff in practice, but he knew that he had to take advantage of the opportunities to demonstrate his skills in a game situation:

“This team prides itself on being able to find those free agents that are capable of playing. Hopefully I can be that next free agent. I knew I had to make an impression, or I might not even make it to the first preseason game.”  Read more...

The BC Lions may have turned the corner after a disappointing 1-4 start to the CFL season. This past weekend, a clearly motivated Lions team defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20. The Roughriders dropped to 3-3 in the early going in the CFL season.

Lions defensive end Brent Johnson said that the motivation for this game was simple”his team was just plain sick of losing:

“We were sick of losing. That was our only option – to win tonight. This was the must wins of must wins.”

Johnson led a fearsome Lions defense with three QB sacks. Overall, the BC defense combined for five QB sacks and three interceptions.

Lions running back Martell Mallett caught one touchdown pass, ran for another and generally made himself a problem for the Riders defense all night. After the game, he credited the play of his offensive line:

“We just went out there and executed. The offensive line blocked well. I was just hitting the holes. They opened it for me and I got in it.”  Read more...

Tennessee put up a gutty effort against #1 ranked Florida in The Swamp, but ultimately the Gators defense were too much for the Vols. Florida held Tennessee to 210 yards of total offense en route to a 23-13 SEC victory on Saturday and in the process won their school record 13th consecutive game.

Sports gamblers who took the points with UT in their bet on college football were smiling at the end, as Florida never really threatened to cover as -29 home favorites. Despite the ATS setback, Florida’s pointspread records remain outstanding–they’re 20-7 ATS overall in the past three years, as well as 13-4 ATS in SEC games and 10-3 ATS at home.

Florida QB Tim Tebow didn’t have a great day, though he did rush for a touchdown. On the other hand, he failed to put a touchdown pass on the board for the first time in 30 games. He sounded almost disappointed that the Gators weren’t able to dish out more of a beating to their hated rivals:

“It wasn’t how we envisioned or hoped. But it’s a win and it’s good enough for all of us.”  Read more...

It wasn’t a game for the ages by the Buffalo Bills, as they blew much of a 17 point lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, they did what they had to do and put some offense on the board en route to a 33-20 National Football League victory.

NFL sports betting enthusiasts who took the Bills as -4 home favorites cashed their tickets with the pointspread cover. Despite a 1-1 straight up record, Buffalo improved to 2-0 against the spread. Tampa Bay has lost both of their 2009 NFL games straight up and against the number for a 0-2 mark in both categories. The combined 53 points put on the scoreboard went OVER the posted total of 41.

Quarterback Trent Edwards expressed his excitement and seeing T.O show some of his ability to be a deep threat for the team:

I was excited and he was excited. I don’t really recall what was said, but I’m honestly hoping that that continues to happen. I think that’s why we have him.”

“We learned our lesson from last week and it’s a valuable lesson we’re going to need throughout the season. We have to finish games and that’s what we did today.”  Read more...

Duke University is far from being a national college football powerhouse, but they’re no longer a team you can take lightly either. #6 ranked Virginia Tech found that out on Saturday, and what they expected to be an easy afternoon became a tightly contested affair. Ultimately, the Hokies would survive for a 34-26 road victory. Virginia Tech improved their record to 4-1, while Duke dropped to 2-3 on the 2009 college football season.

Despite the straight up loss, Duke won where it counted as they rewarded sports players who bet on college football with the ATS victory as +17 home underdogs. Duke evened their mark at 2-2 in their lined games, while the Hokies dropped to 2-3 against the spread. The 60 combined points scored went well OVER the posted total of 48.

The Hokies were saved by the career day posted by their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. Taylor threw for 327 yards on 17 of 22 passing and two touchdown passes with no interceptions. After the game, Taylor modestly downplayed his own impact on the outcome of the game:

“I know we have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball. It’s just my job to get the ball to them.”  Read more...

Gambling is a widespread activity, and so is sports. So if you combine the two, you come up with something that is popular across the world and involves lots of money. Sport betting is very popular, and it takes many different forms.

Horse racing is often referred to as the sport of kings. It is a game for the rich and wealthy. Because these people have money to spend, they have always gambled on the results. Today, you do not have to be rich, as you can bet with only a few dollars. Watching horses race can be exciting, but betting on it is even more so.

A person who is going to bet should be familiar with the terminology used in gambling, so that he or she understands what gamblers are talking about. They should know what the word odds means. Odds deals with how likely someone is likely to win. So for example, if the odds are high that a horse will win the race, then you will get only a little profit if you bet on that horse to win. On the other hand, if the horse’s chances of winning are low and you happen to bet on it, you can win lots of money.  Read more...