Veteran point guard Jason Williams is returning to the NBA after a season away from basketball. Williams announced that hes re-entering the league this season, and will do so in an Orlando Magic uniform. Williams is tentatively slated to be the backup for starting playmaker Jameer Nelson.
Williams signed a one year NBA contract to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, but walked away from it without playing a game wanting to spend time with his wife and family. His attempt to be reinstated late in the season was rebuffed by the NBA, and he ended up sitting out the entire campaign.
When the Clippers relinquished their rights to Williams earlier this summer, he became an unrestricted free agent. Ultimately, he settled on Orlando due to its proximity to his home in nearby Isleworth, Florida and the role the Magic wanted him to play on a championship contender. Magic General Manager Otis Smith provided these comments on the signing:
“Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt. He is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal.”
Williams has become more of a consistent player as hes matured, and should provide some valuable depth in the Magic backcourt. When asked to reflect on his NBA and college career”marked by several suspensions and countless other controversies”Williams sounded a philosophical tone:
“Let me tell you this: If I could go all the way back [to the beginning], I wouldn’t do a damn thing different. I know I messed up here and there along the way, but those things I didn’t do right helped me become the person I am now.”
Williams played a crucial backup role during the Miami Heat’s 2005-2006 NBA championship run, and will be expected help the Magic win the sport’s ultimate prize. They’re expected to face a tough test in their own conference, with Cleveland, Miami and Boston all having upgraded their lineups during the offseason. Boston got an additional boost recently with the news that Kevin Garnett had returned to practice and is likely to be back in the lineup when the season begins.
Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
The Arizona Cardinals haven’t looked anything like a Superbowl team in the NFL preseason. They entered their final exhibition contest against the Denver Broncos looking for their first win. The Broncos controlled the contest on both sides of the ball en route to a 19-0 shutout victory over the struggling Cards. Denver managed to improve their preseason record to 1-3, while Arizona ended the exhibition campaign winless at 0-4.
Arizona was installed as -3 road favorites, but NFL preseason bettors who backed Denver ended up collecting the money with the outright win. The Broncos scored 16 of their 19 points in the first half, and the eventual outcome”straight up or against the spread”was never really in doubt after that. The 19 points also went UNDER the posted total of 36.
Denvers biggest issue has been injuries, with their starting QB Kyle Orton and backup Chris Simms both out of action. Orton is suffering from a cut and dislocated finger on his throwing hand, while Simms is recovering from a sprained ankle. That provided a great opportunity for rookie Tom Brandstater, and he may find himself playing next Sunday for real. Brandstater finished with 187 yards on 16 of 30 passing with one interception, but moved the team well as the Broncos managed to avoid the dubious fate of the first winless preseason in nearly 50 years (1960). Afterwards, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels was full of praise for his young signal caller:
“For a rookie quarterback, and I’ve had a chance to coach a number of them, he’s really done a nice job. It’s not too big for him, the game’s not too big for him, the huddle’s not too big for him. He operated with that first unit pretty good.”
Brandstater is keeping it all in perspective:
“Things happen — just last week alone with the Kyle injury. That’s a pretty freak accident that no one can predict at all. I’m glad I got my shot and hopefully I did some good with it. I’m trying to make this team. I still haven’t guaranteed myself a spot in this team and I’m trying to do everything I can to make it just like every guy on the team is.”
Arizona played starting Kurt Warner and their first string offense for several series, but they were again ineffective. Cards head coach Ken Whisenhunt tried to put a positive spin on a winless preseason:
“We’ll clean it up. I still feel good about our football team and the way we’ve been working.
QB Kurt Warner, meanwhile, was much less enthusiastic:
“I never really felt like I got into a rhythm today for whatever reason. I’m looking forward to game-planning a team, putting in some plays and some things we’ve done in the past that we really haven’t done in preseason. I’m looking forward to all of that. But you still don’t leave preseason extremely excited about what we’ve accomplished.”
Arizona will try to put their dismal preseason behind them when they kick off the 2009 NFL campaign at home against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cards are a -6 point home favorite, with the total set at 46. Denver will play on the road against the Bengals at Cincinnati in their regular season opener. Cincinnati has been installed as a -4 home favorite with the total set at 43.
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
Seattles Matt Hasselbeck and Denvers Kyle Orton both played fairly well in the first half, but the Seahawks reserves pulled away in the second half. The Seahawks improved to 2-0 on the NFL preseason with a 27-13 win over the Denver Broncos. The Broncos dropped to 0-2 in their exhibition contests.
Hasselbeck completed 16 passes in 23 attempts including two touchdowns, though he was sacked three times. That was a big concern as he missed considerable time last season due to a back injury, but appeared to suffer no ill effects here. Still, the Seahawks starting QB said it was a traumatic experience:
“It’s just like I remembered- no fun. … I forgot how hard people hit in here. It’s just like a car accident. It’s part of the game … and it was probably good that it happened.”
After a rough opening weekend as the Denver Broncos starting QB, Kyle Orton recovered to post decent numbers. He completed 16 of his first 19 pass attempts including a touchdown before finishing 18 of 26 for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception:
“I’ve got an awful lot of confidence right now, I really do. This is the best offense I’ve ever played with. This is the best talent around me that I’ve ever had. I just feel that my game right now is as good as it has ever been.
Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels was more reserved in his assessment:
“I think he acquitted himself fairly well. He played, you know, fairly well. There’s still obviously room for improvement. But he did what we feel he is capable of doing.
It would have been hard for Orton to have played worse than he did in the Broncos opening NFL preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers last week where he threw three interceptions in his first three drives.
Seattle will get the NFL regular season off and running on Sunday, September 13th as they host the St. Louis Rams. The Broncos will travel to Cincinnati for a game against the Bengals on the opening Sunday of the regular season.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
Kyle Ortons debut as the Denver Broncos starting QB didnt go quite as planned. Orton, who was acquired from Chicago in the off-season, threw interceptions on each of his first three offensive series. San Franciscos offense did just enough to eke out a 17-16 NFL preseason victory before their home fans.
The good news for Orton is that despite his three interceptions Broncos coach Josh McDaniels remained steadfast in his support. Orton appeared thankful of this fact in his postgame comments:
“That’s great. That’s certainly what you need in this league is the support of your coach. I’m not worried about it. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself. I think my team has a lot of confidence in me. … I don’t want to make those decisions and throw three interceptions.”
Its been a rough start to Ortons tenure in Denver”he was even booed during a public scrimmage after throwing an interception.
McDaniels put Orton’s struggles and the loss into perspective:
“I feel very confident in where we’re at. There’s no reason to start tailspinning into this and that when we’ve only had one preseason game.”
San Franciscos rapidly improving defense made life miserable for Orton all afternoon. Even when he got decent pass protection, they were able to disrupt the passing lanes. Niners’ cornerback Nate Clemens in particular was a huge factor, hauling in one of Ortons three miscues. After the game he commented on the play:
“I saw the route and played my responsibility and he threw it. I like seeing all of our defensive backs get interceptions and just making plays because we’re game breakers.”
The Niners have yet to name a starting quarterback with both Shaun Hill and Alex Smith under consideration. Hill spoke of his first preseason action:
“We were able to move the ball and we had a big conversion on third down. That last sack kind of hurt us. That was completely on me. The offensive line did a great job out there. So I’d like to have that play back and I feel like we could have gotten seven out of that.”
Smith was just excited to be back on the field after missing the entire 2008 season due to injury:
“Obviously, I was raring to go when I got out there. It’s been a long time for me, so I was pretty amped up.”
Denver will head to the Pacific Northwest for a game against the Seattle Seahawks next Saturday night. San Francisco, meanwhile, will host their local rivals the Oakland Raiders.
Ross Everett is a freelance writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
NY Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez struggled early, though recovered to throw a TD before he left the game for the night. Despite the score, the Baltimore Ravens held on to defeat the Jets 24-23. Baltimore improved to 2-0 on the NFL preseason while the Jets dropped to 0-2.
Sanchez, who is trying to win the Jets starting QB job threw an errant pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown on his first drive. After the game, he spoke of the play:
“Not obviously the way you want to start. I thought I was doing the right thing; I felt Ray come free on the right side from the protection. I was checking it down to the flat, perfect. Haloti just jumped right in front of the ball and made a really athletic play.”
Ravens defensive leader Ray Lewis said they exploited Sanchez’s inexperience:
“You put a young guy like Sanchez in there and you see our defense, it can be difficult. You saw his eyes get big, and he was jumping around in the pocket. Bottom line: We gave a lot of looks and disguises and we confused him a little bit.”
Sanchez agreed that it was tough adjusting to real world game conditions:
“Oh, they were flying. They were flying around. You practice for it and you see it on film. These guys were doing it. You’re trying to keep one eye on Ed Reed and one eye on Ray Lewis and a D-lineman gets you.”
Jets head coach Rex Ryan was proud of how Sanchez handled the pressure:
“I’m proud of the way he responded. It ain’t going to be perfect; sometimes you have these type of nights. You’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and most of that goes to their defense.”
The Jets will get the NFL regular season underway on Sunday, September 13th as they travel to Houston to play the Texans. The Ravens will host the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre may get all of the headlines for the Minnesota Vikings, but NFL insiders are well aware that running back Adrian Peterson is the key to the teams offensive success. Peterson’s threat alone is enough to open up options for the passing game. After winning the NFL rushing title last year hes already off to a great start with 272 yards and four touchdowns in only two games.
There’s been a good deal of concern this week in the Twin Cities media about Petersons health. Specifically, there are questions about the severity of a back injury suffered last weekend. Peterson has been limited in his practice activities all week as a precaution, though both he and QB Favre as listed as probable on the NFLs official injury report.
Peterson minimized the significance of his injury in comments to reporters:
“God willing, I will be out there playing. Not a big deal at all.”
He turned to deadpan humor when asked for details on the injury. Asked when the injury occurred, Peterson quipped:
“It happened, like, a week back. But that’s all behind me now.”
Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell didnt sound too concerned, but he wasnt playing a comedian either:
“I’m comfortable with where he’s at. I know he’s been working hard to rehab. … Right now, I think he’s going to be OK, but we have to continue to go throughout the week with that.”
Peterson ran for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions last weekend. His presence alone makes things much easier for the Vikings passing attack”opposing teams often put 8 or 9 men along the line of scrimmage to try and stop him, giving QB Brett Favre a great opportunity to get the ball downfield to his receivers in single coverage. Without Peterson in the game, Favre’s passing opportunities don’t come quite as easily.
The Vikings host a team known for their own potent running game this weekend, as the San Francisco 49ers come to town. The Vikings are a 6 point home favorite with the total set at 39. The line for the first half is Vikings -3, with a total of 20. Theyll remain at home the following week as the Green Bay Packers pay a visit for a game on Monday Night Football. A road game will follow, as the Vikings will head to St. Louis to face the lowly Rams on October 11th.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
When the biggest play of a NFL football game is an extra point, theres a good chance it was a dull contest. Such was the case in rainy Foxboro, Massachusetts as the Cincinnati Bengals edged the New England Patriots by a 7-6 score. The big play of the game? A point after touchdown by the Bengals backup kicker, none other than wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.
After the game, the always entertaining Chad Ochocinco was in rare form talking about his love for European soccer:
“‘Esteban’ Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world. Everyone has to remember, I’ve always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now.”
To punctuate his fondness for the sport known as football in the rest of the world, Ochocinco whipped out his iPhone to display a picture of him with former England captain David Beckham. He then continued his comedy routine:
“Soccer’s my first love, Kicking’s easy … like riding a bike. I can kick them from 50, 60 yards, left or right hash mark. … I kicked all through high school.”
Ochocinco was pressed into service as a placekicker when Shane Graham complained of a sore groin in pregame warm-ups. Rather than take any chances, head coach Marvin Lewis let Ochocinco take his place.
Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, another emergency placekicker, wasnt buying Ochocincos talk about kicking being easy:
“It’s not easy. To kick that is something, and he got real good height on it.”
Cincinnati scored their only touchdown on JT OSullivans 24 yard pass to Chris Henry. That set up Ochocincos picture perfect extra point. OSullivan was also amused, but emphasized that his receivers athletic versatility is no joke:
“Nothing surprises me. All joking aside, he still kicked the ball through the uprights and it ended up winning the game. Some people might think its funny, but it’s important.”
The Bengals continue their NFL preseason play on Thursday, hosting the St. Louis Rams. New England will be back in action on Friday night as they travel to Washington, DC for a game against the Redskins.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
The Indianapolis Colts offense was in high gear on Thursday night as Peyton Manning threw two TD passes in three series of action, leaving backup Curtis Painter with a 14-0 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting the game. The Colts went on to win 23-15 in NFL preseason action.
Manning was pleased with the performance of the Indy offense:
“I think everybody wanted to be in there. The entire offense felt hungry after last week. Sure, there were some mistakes we can learn from, but there were some good things we can learn from.”
“I don’t think anybody offensively was really happy with what happened last week. It started with me and the entire offensive starting unit. Overall I thought everybody came back and did a better job tonight.”
Colts head coach Jim Caldwell shared his QB’s pleasure:
“They [the starters] had a couple of real good solid drives in there, performing pretty well. We were pleased with what we saw.”
Eagles coach Andy Reid wasn’t the least bit enthused with what he saw from his team:
“All in all, that was an embarrassing performance and way too many penalties, not enough intensity all the way around, starting with me. It was a poor performance.”
The Eagles were missing a number of starters and aside from a nice touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb early in the game looked nothing like a team expected to contend for a Superbowl berth. The Eagles would go on to choke mightily in the playoffs, an obvious karmic payback for signing unrepentant dog abuser Michael Vick. Vick was ineffectual all year, which made the hubris of bringing him into the fold even less understandable.
The Eagles will start the regular season with a road game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, September 13th while the Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Las Vegas with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
Tony Romo passed for a NFL career best 353 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys got their 2009 season off to a good start with a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raheem Morris went down in defeat in his debut as Bucs head coach.
The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog.
After the game Roy Williams, who will be counted on to take up the slack from the loss of T.O., couldnt resist a wisecrack at his former teammates expense:
“Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? “No, it’s good. It’s good for him. It’s good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed.”
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised:
“They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: ‘Hey. You don’t have this or that.’ But I think we do.”
Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory:
“You don’t think about yards. You’re not judged off of yards. You’re judged off of winning and losing at this position.”
Raheem Morris spoke of the defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:
“Obviously, we’re disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense.”
Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from serious knee surgery and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score masked the fact that the team played well:
“We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.
The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer specializing in travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, flower arranging and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.
A week after being named the New York Jets starting quarterback, Mark Sanchez rewarded his first year NFL coach with a victory. Rex Ryan got his first win at the helm of the Jets as his team held off a 4th quarter comeback to nip the crosstown rival New York Giants 27-25. Both teams are now 1-2 in NFL preseason play.
NFL preseason betting enthusiasts who took the Giants as +3 point underdogs were rewarded with the outright victory. The Jets improved to 2-1 against the pointspread, while the Giants dropped to 1-2 against the money as they dropped their second straight ATS verdict. The combined 52 points went well OVER the posted total of 36. The Jets have gone OVER in all three of their exhibition games, while the Giants have exceeded the total in two of three.
Sanchez finished with 149 yards on 13 of 20 passing and a touchdown pass to former University of South Carolina standout Chansi Stuckey. After the game, he said things were different now that he was the starting QB:
“You get a little more confidence when you know your coach believes in you and has named you the starter. It was similar to that at SC. Once you’re the guy, you talk a little different, you walk a little different and you act a little different.”
Giants defender Mathias Kiwanuka was even impressed with Sanchezs touchdown play, which came with two defenders right in his face:
“I thought we had him. It was a great play. You have to give him credit for seeing down the field with two guys in his face.”
Sanchez remembered it thusly:
“It was one of those plays where you get hit throwing it and you don’t really see what’s going on. You kind of listen. I knew if it was a big roar, it was probably a big play by the Giants, maybe an interception and I’d have to get up quick. But I heard a quiet roar and I said: ‘Oh boy, I think he caught it.’”
Winning coach Ryan commended his young QBs effort:
“He was poised. He is what we thought he was.”
Giants QB Eli Manning had something of an off game, finishing with 91 yards on 9 of 21 passing with a touchdown and interception. He also had receiver Steve Smith drop a perfect pass that would have been a 50 yard touchdown play. Afterwards, he sympathized with his receiver:
“Sometimes it’s good to get those out of the way now. I know Steve feels bad about that. He hasn’t done that all training camp. I know he won’t drop it next time.”
The Giants will get the NFL regular season started with a big game against their divisional rivals as they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday, September 13th. The Jets will start the season on the road as they travel to Houston for a game against the Texans.
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and deep sea diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
Posted on 22 February '10 by Ross Everett, under Sports. No Comments.