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Colts hoping battered line holds up against TexansFootball Betting Lines09/10/2010 - INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Charlie Johnson understands the stakes in Sunday's season opener against Houston. As the Indianapolis Colts' left tackle, he must keep former No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams away from Peyton Manning. As part of the offensive line, he's one of five guys responsible for keeping Manning upright. And as the only veteran with any experience protecting Manning's blind side, well, Johnson needs to play at his best - even if he's hurt. The Colts don't allow anyone to make excuses. ``No matter who is out there, we expect them to play at a high level,'' Johnson said Thursday. ``That's the way it was before I came here, and that's the way it will be here long after I'm gone.'' This is no typical challenge for Indy. The offensive line has traditionally ranked among the league's best at preventing sacks, but is coming off a dreadful preseason in which the Colts allowed eight sacks and committed 12 turnovers. Part of the reason: Injuries. Johnson sprained his right foot in practice Aug. 6 and didn't make it back onto the field until Wednesday. Four days after Johnson got hurt, Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Saturday, the anchor of Indy's line, didn't return until last week. The Colts added another complication Wednesday with their most surprising move of the summer - releasing former second-round pick Tony Ugoh. The Colts were so convinced Ugoh would blossom into the left tackle of the future that they traded a 2008 first-round pick to San Francisco so they could take Ugoh with the 42nd overall pick in the 2007 draft. Things never worked out. After starting 23 games in his first two seasons, Johnson beat out Ugoh for the starting job last summer. This year, the Colts had hoped Ugoh would win the vacant job at left guard. Instead, Johnson's early injury forced Ugoh to return to his old spot, and Jamey Richard wound up the big winner when Johnson went down with a foot injury Aug. 26 at Green Bay. ``Tony certainly has had one of those tough stretches during the preseason, up and down,'' coach Jim Caldwell said Thursday. ``Basically we were not quite certain about his health. We weren't quite certain that he'd get back, so we had to make a decision.'' Ugoh's release could come with a steep price. If Johnson can't play Sunday - and he's making no guarantees - Manning's blind side will likely be protected by 6-foot-4, 311-pound Jeff Linkenbach, an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati. ``I know there's a chance I'll play,'' Linkenbach said. ``If I do, I've just got to go out there and execute.'' Executing in this offense is never easy for rookies. Tight end Dallas Clark has repeatedly said it took him three years to learn all the nuances of Manning's no-huddle system and rookie linemen have contended previously that it takes time to figure out Saturday's calls, too. Just don't expect the Colts to simplify the calls for Linkenbach. ``Link had better get ready,'' Saturday said with a smile. ``We've never done that as long as I've been here. Whoever is out there is the team that we'll field, and we'll run our offense the way we always do.'' The good news for Indy is that it appears Saturday and Manning will be working in tandem at Houston. Though neither Caldwell nor Saturday have officially said Saturday will start, he did go through all drills for the second straight time Thursday. Johnson did only limited work for a second straight day as he tests the foot, but things are sounding better and Johnson insists there is nothing for fans to worry about. ``I'd say if we had two or three first or second-year guys in there, I'd be concerned,'' Johnson said. ``With guys like me and Jeff, though, we have a lot of experience.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Brady's day starts with crash, ends with contract
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - A loud crash. A crumpled front end. A brief stay in an ambulance.It was a very bad start to Tom Brady's day.A new contract. The highest average salary in the NFL. A deal that ties him to the New England Patriots through 2014
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<< United, TFC square off at BMO for 'important game'
<< Findley misses PK as RSL, Seattle battle to draw
Buckeye! All 3 Rams linebackers went to Ohio State >>
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Before they've made a single tackle, the St. Louis Rams' starting linebackers have some notoriety. James Laurinaitis, Na'il Diggs and Larry Grant all played at Ohio State.``It's funny how all the stars kind of align,'' Laurinaitis s
Hogs can expect the unexpected against La.-Monroe >>
Florida CB Brown making gains after years of pain >>
LSU's versatile Shepard sees himself as play maker >>
No. 9 Iowa understandably wary of Iowa St >>
Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit CardsMichael 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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