Line of Scrimmage: How high is the sky for Redskins?
Football Betting Lines
06/21/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two years ago, an NFL team coming off a 4-12 season made banner headlines by dealing for a highly-decorated veteran quarterback who was expected to return that franchise to glory.
The same team beefed up the offensive line that would be protecting the new QB, and also radically altered the look of its defense as part of a large-scale organizational shift.
And Brett Favre, offensive linemen Alan Faneca and Damien Woody, and defenders Kris Jenkins and Calvin Pace very nearly led that team, the 2008 New York Jets, to its targeted plateau. The record reflects that the Jets experienced a five- game improvement to 9-7, and only missed the playoffs because Favre's shoulder wasn't quite right during a season-ending 1-4 stretch of football.
Two years later, the changes taking place in our nation's capital bear a striking similarity.
Coming off a 4-12 campaign in 2009, the Washington Redskins have themselves an esteemed veteran quarterback in Donovan McNabb, and have brought in two legitimate starting tackles in rookie Trent Williams (Oklahoma) and former Saints Pro Bowler Jammal Brown (obtained in a trade over the weekend) to help protect him.
The defense hasn't brought a slew of marquee names into the fold, but there is a new look on that side of the ball courtesy of coordinator Jim Haslett and the 3-4 scheme he has opted to employ. Haslett will effectively serve as the head coach of the defense, while the real head coach - Mike Shanahan - devotes most of his efforts to overhauling the NFL's 27th-ranked scoring offense of a year ago.
Just like the '08 Jets, the '10 Redskins have made a flurry of moves and owner Daniel Snyder has spent his usual millions in the interests of winning right now. There is no five-year plan here, though Shanahan has attempted to temper expectations somewhat given all the new faces.
"Until you put pads on, you're guessing at a lot of different positions," Shanahan said after a recent OTA. "But what you try to do is learn the system, learn what we're doing offensively, learn the terminology, so once you put the pads on, you can react, you don't have to think. Same thing defensively."
To be sure, this team has some hurdles to overcome. McNabb's play as an Eagle at the end of last season suggests that the 33-year-old is in decline, and his new team is not blessed with a wealth of receiving talent. The Redskins have some big-name talent in the backfield - Larry Johnson and Willie Parker joined Clinton Portis this past offseason - but all of those players are past their sell-by date and who knows how quickly the Skins' zone-blocking scheme will take shape?
Then, of course, there is the elephant in the room, or perhaps more accurately, the elephant not in the room.
Defensive tackle and $100 million man Albert Haynesworth has not shown up for offseason activities, miffed over the fact that the team has transitioned to a 3-4 defense that would seem to marginalize his skills as a penetrating pass- rusher. The Redskins, who gave Haynesworth permission to seek a trade as long as he got it done before April 1st when a $21 million bonus came due, are ticked that the former All-Pro took the money when no trade occurred, yet failed to show to mini-camp.
Haynesworth's teammates in Washington have been fairly vocal in their disagreement with his stance as well, and if and when he does show up, the new- look Skins could already have a locker room rift to deal with.
At the same time, the Redskins are a better team with Haynesworth than without him, and you have to believe that Snyder wants him back if only to save some face over the ridiculous, bloated contract he handed the perennial problem child in free agency last winter.
The Redskins wouldn't be dead without Haynesworth - ex-Raven and Panther Ma'ake Kemoeatu is a capable and lower-maintenance fill-in up front - and Haslett has a nice mix of veterans (London Fletcher, Andre Carter) and talented youngsters (Brian Orakpo, LaRon Landry) to keep the team's head above the waves.
Once all the personnel battles are settled and schemes are in place, the big question for Washington becomes, "Who you gonna beat?" Since the 2002 realignment, there hasn't been a deeper division in football than the NFC East, which boasts four teams that have championship-level resources. The last-place team in the division was 8-8 in both 2007 and 2008.
But the Eagles are young and in transition with the inexperienced Kevin Kolb at QB. The Giants finished 2009 in a tailspin and have much work to do to get back to a Super Bowl level. That leaves the Cowboys - the sensible pick to win the NFC East - but the Redskins have traditionally made life miserable for Tony Romo in their battles with him and won't enter their 2010 encounters with any fear.
The rest of the schedule shakes out nicely for Washington as well. The toughest non-division games, against the Packers (10/10), Colts (10/17) and Vikings (11/28) are all at FedEx Field.
Winning the NFC East for the first time since 1999 might be a reach, but this is a team that can make the playoffs if most of the stars align. If it fails to happen, you can bet we'll be talking about some more headline-grabbing changes for this free-spending organization at this juncture of 2011.
Durban, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There aren't many teams that can afford to lose the first two games at a World Cup and still have a chance at advancing to the next round. But that is exactly the situation for Nigeria when
<< Argentina patiently waiting its turn
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Behind a devastatingly skilled attack and
coached by a personality to match, it is a bit of a mystery as to how Argentina
has faded into the peripherals of South Africa.
Despite having won both its matches
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Greece faces huge challenge against Argentina >>
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its first-ever FIFA World Cup victory.
Dimitris Salpigidis notched Greece's first-e
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Milwaukee Bucks 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Bucks hit a home run with the 10th overall pick in
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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