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06/23/2009 - Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record - 15-5. Playoff Result: Defeated Montreal, 22-14, in the Grey Cup Championship. Stadium - McMahon Stadium. Capacity - 35,650. Colors - Red, white and black
Sixty years after winning their first Grey Cup, the 2008 version of the Stampeders turned the trick yet again, the first time since 2001 and just the sixth time since a football club from Calgary first appeared on the scene nearly a century ago.
Head coach and general manager John Hufnagel has his work cut out for him this season as the rest of the league places a bullseye on him and his Stamps.
What Hufnagel does have working in his favor is the 2008 Grey Cup MVP in Henry Burris. A product of Temple University more than a decade ago, Burris started every game for Calgary in 2008 and set personal highs for pass attempts (591), completions (381), passing yards (5,094) and touchdowns (39), all of which also represented the top totals for the squad since 1994.
More than just a passer, Burris also ranked second on the team in rushing with 595 yards, which means defenses have to be ready for almost anything when he takes the snap from center.
Stretching the field for Burris heading into the new season are wideouts Ken- Yon Rambo and Brett Ralph, while Titus Ryan and Ryan Thelwell will confound defenses as the second string of receivers.
Rambo backed up a career-best season in 2007 by drastically improving his numbers. A selection of the Oakland Raiders during the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft, Rambo logged 100 catches and a league-leading 1,473 yards a season ago, both sets of numbers marking the highest for the club since the 1995 campaign.
Ralph is a Canadian native who tallied 49 catches for 683 yards and five touchdowns in 2008, making him the most productive non-import for the Stampeders, even though he did attend both the University of Wyoming and Boise State before making his way to the University of Alberta in 2004.
Making his way out of the backfield for the Stamps will be Joffrey Reynolds, attempting to continue his growth as a running back who went from placing second in the league in rushing twice to the top of the list in 2008 with his 1,310 yards. Despite the style of play in the CFL leaning more heavily on the pass, Reynolds who has now posted four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, is expected to make another major impact.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, the line has lost a couple of players to the NFL (Charleston Hughes and Pat MacDonald), but that still leaves Mike Labinjo and Miguel Robede who will try to reprise their performances as the co-sack leaders for the Stampeders. With a total of 10 new faces in the mix there will be constant pressure to perform at a high level, which might bring a mixed bag of success depending on how the coaching staff deals with the ups and downs.
The middle of the field will be dominated by Shannon James, the linebacker who last season was regarded as the top defender for the Stampeders. This is the group that seems to be the most stable as both JoJuan Armour and Dwaine Carpenter were also considered regular starters for the unit a year ago. Having released Saleem Rasheed, the move could move Armour into the middle linebacker spot and/or give a handful of gifted additions a shot at plenty of playing time.
The secondary might be a work in progress as the coaches figure out how to fill voids left by a few key performers who helped the group place second in the league in the percentage of completed passes allowed. Brandon Browner stands as the top defensive back, having been named the only defender for the Stamps to make the CFL's All-Star team in 2008. Dwight Anderson, Brandon Smith and Wes Lysack have also shown starting ability and will be pushed by some talented additions.
Given that the majority of the primary pieces to the Calgary puzzle are back in place for another go, there's no reason to think this group can't retrace its steps and end up as the team that everyone else chases in the West Division yet again.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Finish: First
<< Rolling Rockies shoot for another win over Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ubaldo Jimenez goes for a fourth straight winning start as
the Colorado Rockies continue a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels
of Anaheim tonight.
Jimenez is 6-6 with a 3.73 earned run average on the season and h
<< Wang gets another try as Yanks battle Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chien-Ming Wang takes another crack at his first win of the
season this evening, when the New York Yankees open a three-game series with
the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Wang has been absolutely miserable in his six sta
<< It's worst vs. first as Nationals host Red Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A suddenly-thin rotation might mean Boston Red Sox hurler
Brad Penny isn't going anywhere. It doesn't hurt that he has been pitching
well either.
Penny and his current team kick off a three-game set with Washington tonight
<< Hot Seat in South Bend
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Weis took over the Notre Dame
program in 2005, and in his first two seasons at the helm, set coaching
records with a combined 19 victories and two BCS bowl appearances.
Of course, that all seems li
2009 CFL Western Preview - Saskatchewan Roughriders >>
Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record -
12-6. Playoff Result: Lost, 33-12, to British Columbia in the West Division
semifinals. Stadium - Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field. Capacity - 30,945.
Colors - Gree
Roddick, del Potro reach second round at Big W >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time runner-up Andy Roddick and
fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro were a pair of first-round
winners Tuesday at Wimbledon.
The sixth-seeded Roddick hiccupped in the third set in an othe
2009 CFL Western Preview - British Columbia Lions >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - West. 2008 Record
- 12-8. Playoff Result: Lost, 22-18, to Calgary in divison finals. Stadium -
B.C. Place. Capacity - 29,706. Colors - Orange, black and silver
Last season, had
2009 CFL Eastern Preview - Hamilton Tigercats >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS & FIGURES: Division - East. 2008 Record:
3-15. Playoff Result: None. Stadium - Ivor Wynne Stadium. Capacity - 29,600.
Colors: Black and Gold
The 2008 season was one to forget for the Hamilton Tigerca
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
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