Jets inch closer to playoffs by edging Dolphins
Football Betting Lines
12/26/2006 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leon Washington's 64-yard jaunt on a screen pass set up Mike Nugent's winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining, as the New York Jets moved closer to the playoffs with a 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins.
It's been a remarkable turnaround for the Jets (9-6), as they've won seven of their last 10 games. New York can earn a wild card berth with a victory at home over the 2-13 Oakland Raiders Sunday.
Washington finished with four receptions for 108 yards, but none was bigger than the slashing catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter. Chad Pennington threw the ball over the middle to the rookie from Florida State, and Washington eluded a couple of tacklers before picking up a block and surging down the right sideline before being tackled by Renaldo Hill at the 16 with 1:54 left.
After three runs by Kevan Barlow, Nugent split the uprights from 30 yards away.
The Dolphins couldn't manufacture a miracle return on the ensuing kickoff, ending the game, which was played in a steady rain.
Pennington completed 14-of-29 passes for 237 yards with a TD to Jerricho Cotchery in the fourth quarter.
Cleo Lemon replaced an ineffective Joey Harrington at halftime for Miami and connected on 11-of-16 passes for 104 yards with a score to tight end Randy McMichael, also in the fourth. Ronnie Brown returned to the Dolphins lineup after missing three games with a broken left hand and rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries.
The Dolphins (6-9), who end their season at Indianapolis on Sunday, lost their second straight.
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Garcia completed 15-of-23 passes for 238 yards and Brian Westbrook led a clock-controlling ground game with 122 rushing yards, as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched a playoff berth and gained the NFC East l
<< Big Unit going back to Diamondbacks?
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson's days with the New York Yankees
could be numbered.
According to a report in the Newark Star-Ledger, the Yankees are in
discussions with the Diamondbacks to trade Johnson, a five-time
<< Wade thrives, Heat shut down Kobe
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade had a spectacular Christmas
afternoon, scoring 40 points, dishing out 11 assists and tying a career-high
with four blocked shots, as the Heat rolled to a 101-85 over the Los Angeles
Lakers.
<< NFL Inactives (Monday, December 25, 2006)
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of the players
placed on the inactive squad for this week's NFL games.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
Eagles - RB Ryan Moats, G Max Jean-Gilles, T Pat McCoy
<< UCLA remains on top of poll; Clemson and Tennessee join Top 25
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the fifth consecutive week, UCLA
remained atop the Associated Press college basketball poll.
The Bruins (11-0) crushed Michigan, 92-55, and also dismantled Sam Houston
State this past week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL has moved this coming Sunday night's game between Green Bay and the Chicago Bears to 8:15 p.m. (et) as part of the flexible scheduling system. There were other games moved back to later in the afte
Rockets stop off in Indiana >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hit the road this evening to take on
the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Houston will visit Indiana and New Jersey on its brief trip and is 8-8 as the
visitor this season. The Rockets have lost t
Grizzlies, Wizards meet at Verizon Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies try and stop a three-game losing
streak tonight when they pay a visit to the Washington Wizards at the Verizon
Center.
Memphis, the NBA's worst team, suffered a 100-97 loss to the Utah Jazz on
Satur
Pistons welcome Nets to The Palace >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons aim for
their fifth straight win when they host the New Jersey Nets tonight at The
Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit, which owns a two-game lead over Chicago in the division, ha
Bulls try to continue strong play at Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are on a roll and will visit the
Minnesota Timberwolves this evening at the Target Center.
Chicago is just two games behind Detroit for the lead in the Central Division
and has won 13 of its last 15 game
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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