Nfl Football Betting Line

2005-11-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Chrebet placed on IR with another concussion
Updated: Nov. 7, 2005, 2:26 PM ET

Chrebet, who suffered another concussion Sunday in the Jets' 31-26 loss to the Chargers, was placed on injured reserve, coach Herman Edwards announced Monday.The wide receiver suffered at least the ninth concussion of his college and pro careers making a big catch in the Jets' loss. Chrebet considered retiring in the offseason, but decided to return for another season.--football gambling--

With the Jets facing third-and-5 with 2 minutes left and driving for a potential go-ahead score, Chrebet caught a 6-yard pass near the left sideline -- another clutch play in a career filled with them. Chargers safety Jerry Wilson drilled Chrebet as he caught the pass and sent the receiver to the ground on his back, and the back of Chrebet's head violently hit the Giants Stadium turf.Chrebet stayed down as team medical personnel rushed over. Television replays appeared to show that Chrebet lost consciousness at least for a few seconds.--football gambling--

"Wayne's as tough as they come, so if he's down there, you know it's serious," running back Curtis Martin said Sunday.--football gambling--

By the time Chrebet got back to his feet and slowly walked back to the sideline with trainers, it was clear something was wrong. And it looked all too familiar to the Jets.--football gambling--

"I have a lot of concern that he'll be OK," quarterback Vinny Testaverde said Sunday. "It's just hard to see not only a teammate, but a very close friend get hurt the way he was."--football gambling--

Back in the locker room after the game, Chrebet needed help untying his shoes and taking his jersey and pads off. He could barely lift his T-shirt off over his head.--football gambling--
Jets GM Terry Bradway stopped in briefly and whispered a few words to Chrebet and shook his hand, before patting him on the leg and leaving. A few minutes later, Chrebet left the locker room without speaking to reporters. --football gambling--

Chrebet finished the game with three catches for 39 yards, including a 20-yard catch on third-and-18 that helped keep the Jets' last scoring drive alive late in the fourth quarter. --football gambling--

Chrebet, in his 11th year with the Jets, had a post-traumatic migraine early in the 2003 season and missed the final eight games that season with postconcussion syndrome. He considered retiring, but instead chose to come back last season. Chrebet played in all 16 games, but sustained a mild concussion in the regular-season finale against St. Louis.--football gambling--

He missed the Jets' first-round win over San Diego, but returned for the divisional round loss to Pittsburgh the following week -- although he had no catches.--football gambling--
Chrebet has 15 catches for 153 yards this season, and his 580 career receptions rank him second to Don Maynard's 627 on the team's all-time list. --football gambling--Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. --football gambling--

2005-11-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Holmes' status uncertain for next game

BY ELIZABETH MERRILL

Kansas City Star

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In his five years in Kansas City, Priest Holmes has scored 76 rushing touchdowns and made nearly that many references about being in tune with his body. -NFL Football-

Holmes' body told him something after Sunday's helmet-to-helmet collision in San Diego, and apparently it's enough to make the Pro Bowl running back iffy for this weekend's game with Oakland. -NFL Football-

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said Tuesday that Holmes is undergoing another battery of tests to make sure he's neurologically sound. Holmes was knocked out of the game in the third quarter after being smashed by Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman, suffering what the Chiefs called a mild head trauma. -NFL Football-

"We're going to get more evaluation on him," Vermeil said, "reports that will confirm to him and give him confidence that he's healthy and ready to go. -NFL Football-

"He's had some problem with a nerve earlier in the season. He wanted to make sure, No. 1, that he feels good about it." -NFL Football-

Vermeil said the Chiefs will update Holmes' status on Wednesday when they release their injury report to the NFL. Two days after Kansas City left the West Coast with a long list of injuries, Vermeil seemed most concerned about Holmes and starting cornerback Patrick Surtain. -NFL Football-

Surtain hurt his knee Sunday, tried to return, then left the game for good. Vermeil said tests showed Surtain's knee is structurally sound, stronger than when he had a physical before he was signed in April. -NFL Football-

"But that doesn't mean he's not sore," Vermeil said. -NFL Football-

Holmes' injury is causing more concern in part because of a shoulder injury he sustained earlier this season. It didn't cost him any playing time, and he leads the team in rushing yards (451) and touchdowns (six). -NFL Football-

With Holmes out, the Chiefs failed to score in the red zone twice in the final 19 minutes and had to settle for a field goal after driving to the Chargers' 3-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter. Holmes has been adept and making something out of nothing in his first seven games, cutting, changing direction and getting creative while the Chiefs have struggled with injuries on the offensive line. -NFL Football-

But even before Holmes' latest injury, Kansas City was struggling to live up to its past glory inside the 20-yard line. In the Chiefs' first four seasons under Vermeil, they had a red-zone touchdown percentage of 64.3 percent. Now they're ranked 23rd in the league in red-zone scoring at 46.2 percent. -NFL Football-

"We have a feeling now what it's like to be a more normal NFL football team," Vermeil said. "Because we haven't been normal down there. We've done the extraordinary down there in terms of rushing touchdowns. No one's done what we've done down there. Nobody. -NFL Football-

"And so you get spoiled. But other teams get better." -NFL Football-

Holmes hasn't been able to finish two of the last three seasons because of injury, and in his recovery time, he's repeatedly talked about being in tune with his body. His body, Holmes says, dictates when he's ready to play. -NFL Football-

It seems to work. At 32, he's still considered the team's main weapon. And the Chiefs still hang on every one of his injury reports. -NFL Football-

"I think everybody's different in those situations," Vermeil said. "We're going through the process with him just like everybody else." -NFL Football-

2005-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Reggie White heads Hall of Fame nominees

Associated Press

CANTON, Ohio - Reggie White, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year who died last year at 43, heads a list of players, coaches and contributors eligible for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. -NFL Football-

White is eligible for the first time along with quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Warren Moon. Other first-year eligible players include running back Thurman Thomas, wide receiver Andre Reed and offensive lineman Dermontti Dawson. -NFL Football-

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and longtime owners Art Modell and Ralph Wilson are on the preliminary list that includes five former head coaches and 11 contributors. -NFL Football-

A member of the NFL's 75th anniversary team, White was named to the Pro Bowl a record 13 straight times from 1986-98. He earned top defensive player honors in 1987 and 1998. He retired in 2000 as the career sacks leader with 198, a mark later passed by Bruce Smith. -NFL Football-

White, who played with Philadelphia, Green Bay and Carolina, died on Dec. 26 in Cornelius, N.C. -NFL Football-

From a preliminary list, Hall of Fame selectors will choose 25 candidates who will advance as semifinalists. That list will be trimmed to 13 candidates, who will join veterans committee nominees John Madden and Rayfield Wright as finalists. -NFL Football-

The Class of 2006 will be announced on Feb. 4, the day before the Super Bowl in Detroit. -NFL Football-

2005-10-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Wilma forces Chiefs, Dolphins to accelerate final preparations
By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports WriterOctober 20, 2005
--- nfl ---
MIAMI (AP) -- Hurricane Wilma slowed down Thursday, prompting the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs to start moving quickly. --- nfl ---
Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas apologetically skipped his normal interview availability, saying he needed to cram two days of film study into a few hours. The Chiefs scrambled to revise travel plans, and league officials worked on new television arrangements and other details.--- nfl ---
When Wilma makes its expected arrival in Florida sometime Sunday, the Chiefs will be long gone. Their visit to Miami was switched to Friday night because of the looming Category 4 hurricane -- which would be the eighth to affect the Sunshine State in the past 15 months--- nfl ---
``This is only about the fifth one of those we've had this year,'' said Dolphins coach Nick Saban, who learned of the schedule switch during Thursday's practice. ``So it's not our first rodeo when it comes to these things, and we know how unpredictable they can be, and we know how dangerous they can be.'' --- nfl ---
It's the third time since the start of the 2004 season that a Miami home game was rescheduled because of a hurricane. The Dolphins lost to Tennessee in last year's home opener pushed up a day by Hurricane Ivan, then were beaten by Pittsburgh in a deluge -- remnants of Hurricane Jeanne -- two weeks later.
They couldn't have picked a better team to send down there and play well,'' said Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, whose team will fly to South Florida on Friday morning. ``That's the way we're approaching it. We'll go down there and play our best football game of the year. The guys are in a good frame of mind. They accept it. We would have liked it to be a different way but we have no choice.''
The game will be televised by CBS affiliates in primary secondary markets in South Florida and Kansas City. But there will be no national telecast.
``We are not extending the telecast to more markets because we want to adhere as closely as possible to the spirit of our longstanding policy not to conflict with high school and college football during their seasons (which means Friday night and Saturday),'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Moving the game would seem to put Jason Taylor's streak of 87 straight starts in jeopardy. The Dolphins' standout defensive end hasn't practiced this week because of a foot injury, and linebacker Junior Seau is still bothered by an injured calf. --- nfl ---
Clearly, the Dolphins would have liked the extra time to get those two players ready to face a Kansas City rushing attack that's averaging more than 127 yards per game. --- nfl ---
``We've got to play sometime,'' said Miami's David Bowens, who may start in Taylor's place. ``It gives us a chance to show how we react to an adverse situation. ... It has been 11 years since I played on Friday night -- high school. It definitely takes me back.'' --- nfl ---
Vermeil lobbied for the game to be played in Kansas City, and the prospects of a long plane ride followed only hours later by a game didn't exactly overjoy the Chiefs. --- nfl ---
``Everyone's concern is the safety of the players and the coaches and the fans. And that's what most paramount,'' Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson said. ``Obviously, I've never watched the Weather Channel as I have in the last 24, 48 hours.'' --- nfl ---
The teams have two common opponents. Kansas City (3-2) beat the Jets 27-7 in the season-opener; one week later, the Dolphins lost to the Jets 17-7. And the Chiefs were beaten 30-10 by Denver in Week 3; Miami downed the Broncos 34-10 in Week 1, Denver's only loss so far. --- nfl ---
``Look at that game and Denver doesn't look like the same team because Miami didn't allow them to be,'' Vermeil said. --- nfl ---
The Chiefs will face a two-runner attack by Miami, with Ricky Williams set to make his home regular-season, post-suspension debut alongside rookie Ronnie Brown, the No. 2 overall draft pick who's rushed for 343 yards in his first five games. --- nfl ---
``Both those guys are great backs, and they can do different things,'' said Chiefs safety Patrick Surtain, who spent seven years in Miami before being traded after last season. ``We're going to have to be on our P's and Q's because both those guys can hurt us at any time. That's the key to the game -- stopping those guys.'' --- nfl ---
Surtain said he was pleased Williams is back with Miami, saying he hopes the 2002 NFL rushing champion ``regains the form he had a couple of years ago.''
For this game, though, Surtain would prefer Williams have the last weekend's form. Williams had five rushes for 8 yards and six catches for 22 more yards last week in Miami's loss to Tampa Bay, his first game since the end of the 2003 season. --- nfl ---
``Once we get through the mental part and get on the field, it will be fun,'' Williams said of the schedule switch. ``We don't have any Monday night or Sunday night games this year, so it's a chance to take advantage of the national attention and make a name for ourselves.'' --- nfl ---
All, of course, before Wilma becomes the only name on the minds of most Floridians. --- nfl ---
``It's inconvenient, no question,'' said Joe Bailey, the CEO of Dolphins Enterprises. ``But it's also an adventure.''--- nfl ---

2005-10-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Bears sign kicker Gould; LB Odom on IR

NFL.com wire reports

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (Oct. 8, 2005) -- The Chicago Bears signed kicker Robbie Gould to the active roster and placed linebacker Joe Odom on injured reserve. - NFL Football -

Gould, a rookie out of Penn State, was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in April. He converted one extra-point attempt for the Patriots during the preseason. Starter Doug Brien has struggled this season, missing three of four field goals. - NFL Football -

Odom played in two games this season before injuring his ankle in a game against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 18. He has played in 28 career games with 49 tackles in three seasons with the Bears. - NFL Football -

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

2005-10-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

NFL eyes Asia and Europe for future regular season games

NEW YORK (AFP) - National Football League (NFL) officials are considering playing regular-season American football games in Europe and Asia if Sunday's groundbreaking matchup at Mexico City is successful.

Arizona and San Francisco will meet at Estadio Azteca in the first gridiron regular season game to be scheduled outside of the United States.

The stadium staged the 1970 and 1986 soccer World Cup finals and attracted the largest crowd in NFL history of 112,376 for a 1994 exhibition game between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers.

The reconfigured stadium will seat 85,000 for what would have been an Arizona home game on Sunday.

Pre-season exhibitions have been played for years in Asia and Europe as well as Mexico, but the logistics of travel and lodging were easier to handle by staying in North America.

Pulling off a regular-season game in Mexico could open the door to following basketball, ice hockey and baseball in staging regular-season matchups in Asia.

"We think it's clearly a doable project," NFL chief operating officer Roger Goodell said.

"We obviously recognize the geographical challenges when you go to Japan or to someplace in the Far East. On the other hand, teams are becoming better at dealing with those issues. The travel from an East Coast site to London is not that much more significant from an East Coast site to Seattle, quite frankly."

A large obstacle would be convincing any team to surrender one of its eight home games in a season to be played in front of an overseas audience versus its own supporters.

The game played in Mexico was originally slated for Arizona, where the Cardinals have struggled to fans. The club might not be as willing to surrender games in future years once a new stadium opens next season.

Copyright © 2005 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AFP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Agence France Presse.

2005-09-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Rhodes to be at game; won't call Seattle's defense

NFL.com wire reports

KIRKLAND, Wash. (Sept. 14, 2005) -- Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes plans to be at the Sept. 18 game against Atlanta, but will not be calling plays.

Rhodes was hospitalized last week after suffering from dizziness. He did not accompany the team to Jacksonville, where Seattle lost 26-14. Linebackers coach John Marshall filled in for Rhodes and will call the defense again against the Falcons.

"He's coming back a little at a time. We're going per doctors orders on this," coach Mike Holmgren said. "If they say 'No, he can't be there,' he's not there."

Rhodes will help with game-planning for the Falcons and is expected to be in the coaches box in a supporting role for Marshall. But Holmgren said team doctors are keeping a close watch on Rhodes.

"Coaching a football game is really not that important compared to getting well," Holmgren said. "He must be smart about this. It's very hard for him to back off, but he must right now."

2005-09-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Three 2004 Cardinals make NFL rosters
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Of the three Ball State football players selected in the 2005 NFL Draft, each one has secured a roster spot after Saturday's final cut down.

Safety Justin Beriault remained with the Dallas Cowboys, but he has been placed on injured reserve for the season.

Punter Reggie Hodges is the only punter listed on the St. Louis Rams roster. He might also be holding for the kicking game as he is listed as the No. 2 holder.

Wide receiver Dante Ridgeway didn't make it with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was picked up by the New York Jets. He was picked up by the Bengals after being cut from the Rams ealier in the week.

According to Dallas's team website, Beriault will miss the entire season with meniscus damage in his right knee. He will have surgery to repair the injury.

The safety recorded two tackles and a sack in a preseason Monday night game against Seattle.

Former BSU punter Brad Maynard, who was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1997 draft, is back for his ninth NFL season and fifth with the Chicago Bears.

2005-08-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

NFL Football 2006

THQ's NFL Football 2006 reprises last year's 11-on-11 play, and attempts to make these full lineups a little wieldier. The camera has been zoomed way out, and several key features have been adjusted, seemingly to more closely resemble Jamdat's competing product.NFL Football 2006 is a decent game of pigskin, but still, artificial intelligence problems and gameplay slowdown are this year's major gripes.

The bird's-eye camera view lets gamers view about 15 yards on either side of the line of scrimmage. Naturally, players appear to be moving more slowly when they're covering a wider distance. Even still,NFL Football 2006 seems to run at a much slower clip than it should--particularly during kickoffs or punts, when the ball seems to hover endlessly aloft.

It wouldn't be reasonable for THQ to pull back the camera any farther, yet the LG VX7000's narrow aspect ratio precludes decent lateral vision. Often, your receivers are just out of view and are represented by the numerical keys that initiate passes to them. This time around, those numbers will change color to indicate the likelihood of reception, much like in Jamdat's footballer. These change rather quickly from green to red, even if only one defensive back has been assigned coverage.

The DBs attempt to prevent passes by charging impotently against your intended receivers, causing a graphical glitch that makes their limbs flail uncontrollably. As soon as one of your men receives the ball, however, he'll suddenly become vulnerable to this arm flapping, and immediately fumble or fail outright to complete the catch. It's as though the defensive backs were spectres, unable to exert influence over the corporeal realm unless its denizens first defile themselves through unholy union with the reconfigured remains of a flayed pig.

When running, it's much too easy to avoid defenders entirely. We can't count the number of times we scored directly from a kickoff reception. You don't have any jukes or spins at your disposal, but directional running alone seems to be enough to thwartNFL Football 2006's lackluster AI. Your teammates will occasionally do you proud by blocking your assailants, but you'll mostly just outrun them.

Interestingly enough, NFL Football 2006 features a two-player mode (in addition to its quickplay and season options), which asks you to swap a single handset back and forth. This means that defense is fully automated. In essence, you and a friend are taking turns besting the computer and not really playing against one another at all. No one will be enticed by this half-baked multiplayer.

NFL 2006's best feature is its playbook, which combines Jamdat's elegant play-sorting system with real plays. Novices will find defensive and offensive maneuvers nicely sorted as "pass," "run," or "kick," and more experienced players will be glad to see the names of familiar plays in their repertoires.

The game's audio is average, featuring some introductory music and a smattering of in-game sound effects. Mostly, you'll hear the call for the hike, and then a few seconds later the low moan of a tackled ball carrier. The uniforms are roughly their correct colors, but the graphics are otherwise unremarkable, other than the glitch mentioned above.

NFL Football 2006 makes some good presentational improvements over last year's game, but fails to ameliorate AI and graphical slowdown problems. Players would be better served by JamdatNFL 2006, which also features full player rosters and stats.

2005-08-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

High-school football teams take their game out of state

High-school football practice starts today, and Bellevue and Issaquah are receiving most of the preseason attention. Rightfully so, because of their matchups against California powerhouses.But they're not the only ones playing an out-of-state opponent.Liberty High School in Issaquah will travel to Portland to face Oregon 4A state champion Sprague High of Salem in the inaugural Les Schwab Kickoff Classic on Sept. 1. The game, the first of a doubleheader, is scheduled for 6 p.m. at PGE Park.The second game features Lynden High, which has reached the 3A state semifinals in three of the past four years, against Scappoose, Ore., at 8:30 p.m.John McCallum, vice president of ProMax Events in Portland, which organized the games, said the original plan was to emphasize the border clash and invite a Washington big-school football champion to play an Oregon counterpart. - NFL Football - "All the schools around here are curious, how will you match up against the schools up in Washington you hear about," McCallum said.But Evergreen from Vancouver, Washington's 4A champion, was already locked into this year's Emerald City Kickoff Classic at Qwest Field on Labor Day against Ferris of Spokane. And Bellevue, the 3A champion, couldn't attend because of a commitment to host Long Beach Poly, Calif., which has more active players in the NFL than any other high school. That game is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 7 p.m., also at Qwest Field. - NFL Football - Issaquah was also considered, but it is playing Mission Viejo, Calif., one of the country's top schools, also at the Emerald City Kickoff Classic."I don't think we were their first choice," said Liberty coach Steve Valach, "but when the chance came, we said, 'Let's do it.' [A trip to] Mount Si [in Snoqualmie] is traveling for us. This is a first-time experience."And why not?
Promoters, who hope for about 7,500 fans per game, are paying for Liberty's transportation on a charter bus, lodging at the Lake Oswego Hilton and all the food, as well as a tour of Nike's headquarters in nearby Beaverton. - NFL Football - "We're definitely biting off a big chunk here," Valach said, "but we feel confident and up to the challenge. We're going down there to win."

The Seattle Times Company

2005-08-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Pro Football Tackles Heatstroke

(AP) A small plaque lies in front of a tree planted in Korey Stringer's honor at Minnesota Vikings training camp. "In Memory of Big K," it reads, in homage to the beloved right tackle who collapsed and died four years ago from heatstroke during a sweltering July day at camp. Now the Vikings, and a few other NFL teams, are giving some of their players a pill that allows trainers to monitor their core temperature in hopes of never again having to create such a memorial. - NFL Football -
The Core Temp Ingestible Core Body Temperature Sensor was developed in the late 1980s by HQ Inc., of Palmetto, Fla., as a research tool used for a number of projects, including monitoring how certain pharmaceutical drugs affect the body's core temperature. In the past two years or so, according to marketing director Susan Smith, the product has evolved into a protective device for athletes in football, tennis, running and other sports who train in intense heat. The Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles are using it to more accurately gauge the effect the suffocating August heat has on huge men running around the field in pads and a helmet. Without the pill, monitoring is anything but an exact science. - NFL Football -
"We've had some people get to 106 degrees and not have symptoms and some get to 102 and have symptoms," said Rick Burkholder, head athletic trainer for the Eagles. "Some guys' core temperature rises after they come off the field and stand around, and other guys it goes down when they come out. It depends on the individual." Such was the case in Mankato on July 31, 2001, with the 335-pound Stringer. - NFL Football -
The heat index soared to 110 degrees on that day, the hottest day of the year in Minnesota. Stringer had left practice early the day before. Determined to stick this one out, he labored during his final practice, but didn't summon a trainer until the session was over. Head coach Mike Tice, who was offensive line coach at the time, said Stringer never showed any symptoms of heat illness. - NFL Football -

The Associated Press

2005-08-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

PRO FOOTBALL: Lengthy holdout delays Pollack's position switch

Georgetown, Ky. --- David Pollack missed out Friday night on a shot at a unique experience. Instead, the former Georgia defensive end continued trading pads for an out-of-town address. Full-tackling intrasquad NFL scrimmages are only slightly less rare than snow in summer.
Pollack, still a holdout with the Cincinnati Bengals, missed the team's 13th training camp session under the lights at tiny Georgetown College. He remains unsigned three days after the scrimmage, and around here they'd kill for so much as a postcard from Snellville, or Athens, or wherever Pollack is during his holdout. - NFL Football -
Bengals linebackers coach Ricky Hunley might be uniquely qualified to relate to Pollack's situation, which is not to say he agrees with him. The Bengals drafted Hunley, an All-America linebacker, No. 7 overall in 1984, and he didn't show up --- ever. Cincinnati traded him in October that season to Denver, where he started in two Super Bowls for the Broncos.
"After being probably the longest holdout in history, I didn't sign until October, 10 minutes before the trading deadline. ... I've told [Pollack], that ain't the way to go," Hunley said. "These days, it's such a slotted deal that things should work themselves out." - NFL Football -
The eight players drafted in front of Pollack, the No. 17 pick overall, have signed contracts, and just three of 15 picked behind him in the first round haven't. By extrapolation, he's in line for a five-year contract worth between $9.5 million and perhaps $11 million with guaranteed money of around $7 million. - NFL Football -
Pollack's agent, Ken Kremer, did not return phone calls, and Cincinnati officials aren't commenting on the holdup, but it is believed to be an issue of how guaranteed money will be distributed.
All this, plus Pollack is learning a new position at the NFL level. That's what Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has in mind for Pollack, who has trimmed 25 or 30 pounds from his 6-foot-2 frame to become a strongside linebacker after playing defensive tackle and end at Georgia. He's listed No. 1 on the depth chart. - NFL Football -
"In our evaluation, David Pollack's shuttle time was so fast, getting off the ball . . . he can move. He's got his weight down, 245 [pounds], 250," Hunley said. "You don't become one of the all-time sack leaders in college football and a three-time All-American and ... all of a sudden fall off the face of the earth. I'm betting David Pollack is going to be as good in his future as he was in his past. This is something he has the ability to do."
The Bengals brought in former NFL standout linebacker/end/pass rusher Kevin Greene to counsel defenders, chiefly Pollack. Lewis was Greene's position coach with the Steelers years ago. - NFL Football -
"It doesn't help you when you miss time," Pollack told the Cincinnati Post while watching a Braves-Reds game last week. "I need all the time I can get. I'm switching positions, learning new terminology --- it's a whole new world. So I need to be in there." - NFL Football -

Matt Winkeljohn

2005-07-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

You'd swear it was the NFL

CROWN POINT -- It isn't the NFL, but considering the time and energy Bob Crowder devotes to it, you'd swear it was.A typical fall Sunday finds some guys attending church in the morning, and many more watching football in the afternoon. Crowder is no exception, but instead of sitting at home watching Fox or CBS, he's off somewhere in the Midwest scouting the Lake County Steelers' next opponent. - NFL Football -
Other times, Crowder is busy trying to get the Region's former blue-chippers (linemen in particular), to come out for the six-year-old semipro team. That's probably the hardest part of his job."It's hard to make chicken salad when you don't have all the ingredients," said Crowder, a 1974 Morton grad who coached Pop Warner football for about 10 years before getting involved with semipro. The players he works with now have to be at least 18 and through high school."With all these teams doing so well -- Crown Point, Merrillville, Andrean, Lake Central -- you'd think a few of those guys would be interested in coming back to play a litle football," Crowder said. - NFL Football -
The Steelers were 1-1 in preseason play, having been swamped by the Bolingbrook Stallions in their exhibition finale, 32-0."We were pretty flat," Crowder said. "Plus we were missing 10 or 12 guys (who have committed to play this season but couldn't make it because of work or other commitments)."Semipro football is a funny thing -- you can be league champs one year and out of business the next. Thanks to shrewd, aggressive promotion, the Steelers have surpassed the average life span of a semipro franchise.The Steelers are one of the few semipro teams with a Web site, and it's updated on a regular basis. - NFL Football -
They enjoy excellent support from the business community, especially since moving to Crown Point in 2003. The team plays at the old Crown Point High School stadium, which remains standing even though the school itself has been torn down."We have lights, a scoreboard, a concession stand and bleachers," Crowder said. "Basically, that's all we need."The Crown Point Community School Corp. still owns the property and is planning to build a new middle school there. - NFL Football -
"We have a very good relationship with the school corporation," said Crowder, who credited assistant superintendent Rick Grandberry with helping accomodate the team.The Steelers have averaged about 100 fans a game, a number Crowder would like to see improve.
Meanwhile, Crowder is trying to enhance the team's visibility in the community. The Steelers are members of the Crown Point Chamber of Commerce, ran a food booth and handed out stylish pocket schedules during the city's Hometown Square Festival, and hosted a "Crown Point Night" at a preseason game to which residents of the city were admitted for free.The Steelers are playing six home games in Crown Point this season. - NFL Football -
Their opener is Aug. 6 against the Kankakee Bisons, and the season finale is Sept. 24 against the Indiana Titans.

DAVID SMEAD

2005-07-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

New-look Patriots win the race to training camp

They were the last team to finish the 2004 season, and now they'll be first to start in 2005. The NFL's shortest off-season will end Wednesday when the New England Patriots gather rookies at Gillette Stadium, beginning their drive to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls. - NFL Football -
New England, which will open camp a full four days ahead of any other team, has changed in a significant way since beating Philadelphia in the last Super Bowl. Both coordinators left the team for head-coaching jobs, and coach Bill Belichick chose not to replace offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, now the Notre Dame coach. Instead, the Patriots will utilize a group approach in which Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady will be heavily involved, with assistant coaches.
The Patriots also added important depth to their roster at cornerback and linebacker, areas where they were hit by injuries and illness. But they face long odds and two strong rivals just to get out of their own division, Buffalo and the New York Jets. Of the seven previous teams that won two straight Super Bowls, three failed to reach the playoffs the third year and three others (including the 49ers in 1990) lost in conference championship games.
But, regardless of what happens this year, the Patriots, who have won 29 of their last 31 games, have made sure they are well positioned to remain a strong team for the foreseeable future. Brady signed a new contract during the offseason and, two days ago, player personnel vice president Scott Pioli, Belichick's right-hand man, signed a contract extension. Pioli, who was voted NFL executive of the year each of the last two years, had been mentioned as a candidate for general manager's jobs with several other teams. - NFL Football -
Miami and Chicago, the opponents in the Hall of Fame exhibition game on August 8, will follow New England as the next teams to open camp, a week from today. The Raiders, in their second year under Norv Turner, begin camp with a three-day rookie session starting July 25, and the 49ers, under new coach Mike Nolan, open their camp July 29. - NFL Football -
At least four teams will go to training camp with new starting quarterbacks, and several others have an unsettled situation at the most important position. Arizona (Kurt Warner), which has become a trendy pick in the soft NFC West, Buffalo (J.P. Losman), Cleveland (Trent Dilfer) and Dallas (Drew Bledsoe) already have anointed new starters. The quarterback situations with the 49ers, Miami and Washington can charitably be called uncertain, although the 49ers hope to have top pick Alex Smith signed and ready to start the opener against St. Louis.
Tom Condon, who represents Smith, said he expected to get a deal completed in the last few days before camp opens. Since 1998, Condon represented three other quarterbacks chosen with the first pick of the draft, and none of them missed any significant training camp time because of contract problems. - NFL Football -
Holdouts could be an issue for several other teams, however.
Chief among them is Philadelphia, where Terrell Owens decided he wanted a new contract after earning nearly $10 million last season in the first year of a new, seven-year deal he signed. The Eagles, who along with the Patriots do the best job in the NFL of managing the salary cap, have a history of refusing such demands and are not likely to change their policy for Owens. It remains to be seen whether he will report on time. - NFL Football -
Green Bay wide receiver Javon Walker and Seattle running back Shaun Alexander are others who have been outspoken complaining about their contract situations. Since player salaries do not begin until the first regular-season game, players risk little financially in holding out of training camp. - NFL Football -
Training camp will also be a time to see whether running back Ricky Williams is serious about returning to the Miami Dolphins after taking last year off from football; Williams will owe the NFL at least a four-week suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy if he decides to play again. Further, a court has ruled Williams owes the Dolphins $8.6 million for breaching his contract. - NFL Football -
Arizona, where second-year coach Dennis Green has upgraded the roster in anticipation of a move to a new stadium in 2006, and Cincinnati are the two long-time losers considered the year's best bets to make a breakthrough. The Cardinals have won just one playoff game in a half-century, and the Bengals haven't had a winning season since 1990, but Arizona is helped by the weak competition in its division, and Cincinnati looks like a contender behind Carson Palmer, who will be in his second season as the starting quarterback. - NFL Football -
Palmer, the first player chosen in the draft in 2003, did not play as a rookie but made dramatic strides during the 2004 season before he was injured. In his last four games, three of which were against defenses ranked in the league's top 10, he threw 11 touchdown passes and completed 71.9 percent of his attempts. It's the 49ers' fond hope that, perhaps, two years from now something similar can be said of Smith. It all starts soon, anyway.

Ira Miller
San Francisco Chronicle

2005-07-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

Bettis, Fields award winners
Writers recognize courageous, charitable deeds

NEW YORK (AP) -- Carolina linebacker Mark Fields and Pittsburgh running back Jerome Bettis are among the winners of the Pro Football Writers Awards, announced Monday.
Fields, who returned to the NFL after battling cancer, won the George Halas Award. It's given to a player who performed despite injury or personal problems off the field. Bettis won the inaugural Good Guy Award, given to a league or club official for his cooperation with pro football writers.
Fields will miss the upcoming season with a recurrence of Hodgkin's disease. Sidelined in 2003 when the Panthers made the Super Bowl, he returned last season and made the Pro Bowl for the second time. He had 60 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.
Atlanta Falcons general manager Rich McKay won the Horrigan Award, which goes to a league or club official for his or her professionalism while helping football writers do their job.
The Philadelphia Eagles' public relations department won the Pete Rozelle Award for its excellence.
Reporter Jerry Green of the Detroit News won the McCann Award for his long and distinguished service.

Associated Press.

2005-07-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

NFL Films tackles video of Middle robbery suspect

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - To solve an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven store in Cape May Court House, township police have handed off video surveillance footage to a company that produces game-day football documentaries.Police sent security camera footage from the June 24 robbery to NFL Films, a Mt. Laurel-based company that edits and produces footage from professional football games.Middle Township police Capt. Scott Webster said NFL Films assists law enforcement regularly by using its editing equipment to enhance blurry or fuzzy security camera footage. The same equipment NFL Films uses to highlight burly linebackers crunching quarterbacks can also be used to enhance and make clearer images of gunmen robbing banks.Webster said the company can fine-tune and enlarge those images, making it easier to identify a suspect."In today's society, it's part of life - security cameras," he said.Webster said police are waiting for the images to come back from NFL Films.An NFL Films spokesman said the company does not publicize its work with law enforcement, but the company enhances video images for many police departments. He declined further comment.On June 24, a white male entered the 7-Eleven convenience store on Route 9 and Dennisville Road, produced a handgun in front of an employee and robbed the store of cigarettes and an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Middle Township police reports. The man then ran west on Dennisville Road and was not seen again, police said. No injuries were reported and an employee was the only one in the store.However, a surveillance camera captured the robbery, and police are hoping an enhanced image will identify the suspect, who wore a red, white and blue scarf around his face.

By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer

2005-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

McCARTNEY MINI-MOVIE FOCUSES ON SUPER BOWL SHOW

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY's appearance at this year's (05) Super Bowl has been turned into a mini-movie.

American football's governing body the National Football League (NFL) filmed the former BEATLE arriving in Jacksonville, Florida and preparing for his half-time show and now officials are releasing the footage as part of a new hour-long documentary, PAUL McCARTNEY BACKSTAGE - SUPER BOWL XXXIX.

The footage, which will premiere on Sunday (03JUL05), features McCartney singing SINGIN' IN THE RAIN when the performance is threatened by a downpour and gives viewers a giggle when he promises he will not be experiencing a wardrobe malfunction.

The rocker also explains he's impressed with the military-style operation to set up his stage and then take it down after his performance - all in 24 minutes.

He says, "It is like a finely tuned jewellery heist. In the movies you see where they guy comes down on the rope and he mustn't cross the laser or touch anything. That is what it is like, or you are busted and the police arrive."

Nfl Football Betting Line

2005-06-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Nfl Football Betting Line
A license to profit sitting down

Stocks? Forget 'em. Bonds? Returns too low. Permanent seat licenses? Now you're talking.

The licenses that the Ravens and some other National Football League teams require fans to purchase to buy season tickets - often to help pay for stadium construction or renovation - have gone from being what many regarded as an extortionary annoyance to what some now consider a dandy investment.
For instance, when the Ravens' stadium opened in 1998, a permanent seat license ranged from $250 to $3,000, depending on the location of the seat covered by the license. Today, the same Ravens licenses cost $750 to $8,000 - up to a 300 percent increase - and that's if you can find one to buy.
And indeed fans can buy PSLs from each other, in a completely above-board white market, on eBay or through newspaper classified ads. The global Internet bazaar has PSLs advertised daily for some of the 12 NFL teams that permit holders of the licenses to transfer them.
"In the beginning, fans figured, 'Well, $2,000 gives me the right to see the team play for a long time,' and they saw that alone as a valuable asset," said Raymond D. Sauer Jr., a professor at Clemson University who teaches a class on sports economics. "As the institution [of reselling PSLs] becomes more widely known, then you realize that you're not throwing your money away - that these are transferable, and then their value goes up."
Because of pro football's popularity and the limited number of games - eight regular-season home contests per team - the premium on NFL tickets is more pronounced than in other sports.
Of the league's 32 teams, 13 require fans to purchase some sort of license or agreement to then buy some season tickets. In most cases, the license is akin to a deeded or titled asset - such as a car or house - and the holder can transfer it with the team recording the transfer, often for a nominal fee. Among NFL teams that have such licenses, only Green Bay prohibits their transfer. Redskins season tickets are not attached to freely transferable PSLs.
But as with real estate, for anyone considering PSLs as a moneymaker, the cardinal rule is: location, location, location.
Soaring in value
Licenses for NFL tickets where fan passions run high - Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Chicago - have skyrocketed in value; some Steelers PSLs have been resold for up to 10 times their original value on eBay. But in cities where enthusiasm is more tepid, such as St. Louis or Seattle, appreciation has been far less.
In Baltimore, the market is so hot that people are able to sell their places in line on the PSL waiting list at big profits, often to ticket brokers.
When the list opened in October, it cost $50 a seat to sign up. In a recent eBay transaction, a fan who had reached No. 25 in line for two Ravens PSLs sold the spot to a San Diego ticket broker for $2,526.
"Anytime you can get your foot in the door for a [football] market like Baltimore, you want to take advantage of it," the broker said.
Apparently, the Ravens are alone in the NFL in making a waiting list spot for a PSL a transferable asset.
"It really came down to creating value on the list," said Baker Koppelman, the Ravens' director of ticket sales, who added that the list will be capped at 3,000, and that the team is expected to go through 200 to 400 spots this year. "We wanted you to know that if you had a good spot on the list, it had value. And we wanted you to know that it belongs to you, and you have control over it."
A St. Louis accountant who recently sold three Rams PSLs and season tickets for a profit of about $1,200 on eBay said he has sold about 30 sets of seat licenses for St. Louis, Tennessee and Philadelphia over the past five years as a lucrative hobby.
Team's performance
"It's all about how the team performs and the size of the waiting list [for PSLs]," said Paul Bequette, the accountant. "If fans see that the waiting list is especially long, that boosts the PSL's value.
"But as a seller you have to be knowledgeable about the value of these things. I had a friend who tried it and flopped. And you have to have some instincts about how the team is going to do. I hit Philadelphia right when I bought some seasons tickets when they were still at Veterans Stadium and then was able to buy the licenses when they moved to the new stadium" in 2003.

Bequette, who has never been to Philadelphia, netted about $10,000 in two sales of Eagles PSLs. "But I missed the boat on Baltimore," he said.
The PSL concept in the NFL - sometimes referred to as personal seat licenses - started in 1993 when Carolina was campaigning to join the NFL as an expansion franchise and the club planned to build its own stadium.

"It was sort of a referendum on the team," said Panthers spokesman Charlie Dayton. "We needed to sell the PSLs in order to get the franchise."
The Carolina PSLs remain some of the priciest in the league; if purchased from the club, they cost $2,000 to $20,000, about triple what they were 12 years ago.
On eBay, Steelers PSLs are the equivalent of waterfront property. A transaction in June saw two Pittsburgh PSLs and the 2005 season tickets with them sell for more than $26,000, an apparent profit of about $20,000. The face value of the tickets was $4,000, and the PSLs initially sold for $960 each before Heinz Field opened in 2001, according to Steelers officials.
Not every NFL city is a seller's market for PSLs, though. In Cincinnati, where the team has struggled, there's no waiting list for licenses, called Charter Ownership Agreements. Still, licenses for extremely good seats can fetch a decent price: Six Charter Ownership Agreements for 50-yard-line perches at Paul Brown Stadium recently went for $18,000 on eBay, double their initial cost.
Professionals' view
Despite healthy appreciation in certain NFL cities, PSLs remain a fringe investment in the eyes of financial professionals.
"I would urge a client to look it as an expense rather than an investment," said Scott Murphy, a portfolio manager for Baltimore-based Hardesty Capital Management. "And at the end of the day, any dollar you can get is [unexpected] return."
Still, Murphy called the handsome appreciation of some PSLs "a classic example of demand outstripping supply."
Whenever PSLs are introduced to a market, fan reaction is predictably sour. After all, the team is asking customers to pay a premium for something that they always had for free - the right to purchase season tickets.
"What's interesting is that as much push-back as we got [from fans] when we announced the PSLs, now that they have value, everyone is ecstatic," Ravens ticket director Koppelman said.
"Of course, some guys will say, 'I'm never going to sell my tickets.' But it's just like your house on a prime piece of property. You may intend to be there all your life, but it's still nice to know the equity is there."

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Printer friendly format By Bill OrdineSun Staff