With an offense that can strike as quickly as the New Orleans Saints’, they’re never out of a game. The Miami Dolphins found that out the hard way on Sunday as the Saints came roaring back from a 21 point deficit to win going away 46-34. Drew Brees threw for 298 yards and a touchdowns, though gave up three interceptions as New Orleans remained undefeated at 6-0 despite trailing in a game for the first time this season.

Adding insult to injury for NFL betting enthusiasts who backed Miami as +6 home underdogs, the Saints continued their rampage against the pointspread with a late game interception return for a touchdown to cover. New Orleans is 6-0 against the number this season, while Miami dropped to 2-4 against the spread.

After the game, Brees said that his team never lost confidence:

“There was no doubt on our sideline we would come back and win. They had given us their best shot, and we had played about as bad as we could play. All we had to do was string together a few drives and gain the momentum back. We knew it was going to happen, and it did.”

Following a rushing touchdown that gave his team their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, Brees dunked the football over the goal post crossbar:

“There are times in the game when a team just needs an emotional lift. I felt like I had to do something to get everybody hyped. The first thing that came to mind was to dunk it.”

Saints’ linebacker Scott Shanle suggested that the game could portent good things to come:

“It can be a season-defining win. This was a test we hadn’t faced yet, and we couldn’t be happier with the way we responded.”

A dejected Ricky Williams explained how his team had lost:

“This was our game to win. We fought and we fought. They just fought harder at the end.”

Dolphins’ QB Vonte Davis said the defense was aware that with Brees in the game even a 21 point lead was tenuous at best:

“With Drew Brees, it’s like the score is 0-0. We knew they would come back and that it would be a tough game.”

The Saints will now host the Atlanta Falcons next Monday night. New Orleans is a -9 home favorite with the total set at 53′. They’ll then face two struggling teams, taking on the Carolina Panthers at home the following Sunday and playing against the Rams at St. Louis on November 15. The Dolphins will play on the road against the New York Jets this Sunday, with Miami a +3′ road underdog and the total set at 40′. They’ll play at New England the following Sunday before returning home on November 15 to take on the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer specializing in casino gambling, entertainment and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.

The Oakland Raiders scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter and then prevailed in the kicking duel that followed en route to a–9 upset of the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Much maligned quarterback Jamarcus Russell played his best game of the season despite two interceptions, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Oakland now stands at 2-4 while Philadelphia slid to 3-2.

NFL betting enthusiasts who backed the Raiders as a whopping +14 home underdog were never in any trouble as Oakland took the lead late in the first quarter and never relinquished it. Oakland evened their mark against the NFL pointspread at 3-3, while the Eagles dropped to 3-2 against the number.

After the game, Raiders’ coach Tom Cable said for the first time all season his team focused their intensity in the right direction:

“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play. That’s all you can say. There’s no magic words or anything like that.”

Last week’s 44-7 loss to the New York Giants may have served a wakeup call to the Raiders. In particular, they were offended by comments made by Giants’ linebacker Antonio Pierce that the game ‘felt like playing a scrimmage’. Raiders’ wide receiver Louis Murphy didn’t dispute the comments but instead took them to heart:

“That gave me extra fuel. You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn’t play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart.”

The Raiders’ defense received the bulk of the credit for the victory as they pressured Donovan McNabb all day, sacking him six times. The Eagles became the first team in three years to not score an offensive touchdown against the Raiders. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks, and Scott had the following observation:

“I’m sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry. But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go.”

After the game, McNabb had little to say:

“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team.”

The Raiders will try to put together an actual winning streak as they host the New York Jets next Sunday. Oakland is a +7 home underdog with the total set at 35. They’ll play their hated rivals the San Diego Chargers on the road the following Sunday before a bye week. Philadelphia will play the Redskins at Washington next Monday night. The Eagles are a -6′ road favorite with the total set at 38′.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and betting odds portal 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.

After canceling their 2009 season, the Arena Football League has shut down entirely and appears headed for bankruptcy. Earlier this week, the league office released a short statement indicated that it had ceased operations because owners were “unable to reach any consensus on restructuring the league over the past eight months.” The league had reached a new agreement with players earlier this year, but was unable to convince enough owners that they had a viable plan to return to profitability. The leagues statement continued that there are no other viable options available to the league right now.”

Even before the decision was made to cancel the 2009 season this past December, it had been a tumultuous off-season for the Arena Football League. It began with the resignation of long time AFL commissioner David Baker just two days before the Arena Bowl championship game. Though Baker put a positive spin on his resignation saying that he felt it was time, the timing was curious. Imagine the symbolic weight of the gesture were David Stern to resign right before the NBA finals, or Roger Goodell to step down before the Superbowl”even though Baker insisted that it the decision was strictly for personal reasons it doesnt exactly send a positive signal about the stability of the league.

In October, the owner of the New Orleans VooDoo announced that the team would cease operations”despite being one of the league leaders in attendance. In announcing that the team would fold, owner Tom Benson (who also owns the NFL Saints) suggested that the end of the five year old franchise was in no way an indictment of the New Orleans market.

A dispersal draft to reassign the VooDoo personnel was scheduled and postponed several times amid assurances from the AFL office that rumors of financial instability were unfounded.

The inability to get any consensus on a business model for the league reportedly served as the final nail in the AFLs coffin. A major problem was skyrocketing player salaries, and some sort of compensation system tied to team revenues was a necessity. That agreement was reached with the players, but a bigger schism was left between several factions of owners”primarily drawn along lines of overall wealth.

Despite the demise of the Arena Football League, it wont be the end of the road for the twenty two year old sport. The 50 yard indoor war lives on in the AF2 league which, ironically, was originally started as something of a developmental organization for the AFL. The league plays in smaller markets and has a more realistic salary structure. A number of current AFL players”and possibly a couple of AFL franchises”could end up in AF2.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, entertainment and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett.

Though his scoring records have been obliterated by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, former Boston Bruins/New York Rangers center Phil Esposito is still regarded by hockey cognoscenti as one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the game. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, as is his brother Tony Esposito who was a standout goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Esposito was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and his prodigious hockey talent quickly became apparent. He was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a teenager, and made his NHL debut in’64 quickly earning a spot on the teams top line between Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne. In’67, Esposito was traded to the Boston Bruins along with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield. Within a few years Hodge and Stanfield blossomed into All Stars, while Esposito quickly took his place alongside his former teammate Hull as the best scorer in the league. Suffice to say that Boston fans were of the opinion that theyd gotten the best of the deal.

It was as a Bruin that ‘Espo’ began his onslaught against the NHL record book.. In’69, he became the first NHL player to top the 100 point mark (combined goals and assists) for the season”he obliterated the record with 126 points, which would be the first of six times that hed top the century mark. He topped 100 points in five straight seasons between’71 and’75, missing a sixth straight season by a single point with 99 in’70.

Esposito’s greatest single season was in’70-71, when he destroyed the NHL’s single season goal scoring mark with 76. That record stood until Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers broke it in’81-82. Even now, only four other players including Gretzky have scored more than 150 points in a season and only five others have scored more than 76 goals in a season. Perhaps the most amazing element of Espositos game was the frequency with which he put the puck on net”Espo had 550 shots on goal in’70-71. No one has since come close.

In’75, Esposito was traded to the New York Rangers where his experience, intelligence for the game and nose for the puck made him a valuable component of the Broadway Blueshirts offense and he was named team captain. Until the very end of his career, he remained a dangerous scoring threat that all opposing teams were forced to reckon with.

After his retirement in’75, he remained active in hockey. He served as the GM of the Rangers before helping secure an expansion team for Tampa, Florida in’92. Esposito served as the President and GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning until’98. After stepping away from formal duties, he’s remained a very visible member of the hockey media. He hosts a daily hockey radio show on XM Radio, and has even done some acting appearing in a recurring role as a fire chief on the TV series Rescue Me.

Ross Everett is a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority on professional hockey history and NHL hockey betting . He’s a published expert on handicapping theory, as well as financial investment strategy. He contributes to a number of websites providing insight on how to bet on NFL football, mixed martial arts and boxing.

Former Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson got revenge on the team that let him go in the best possible way. Benson amassed 189 yards rushing and led his new team, the Cincinnati Bengals, to a 45-10 rout over the visiting Bears on Sunday. Carson Palmer threw for five touchdowns with no interceptions in the blowout victory. Cincinnati improved to 5-2 with the win while Chicago dropped to 3-3 on the NFL season.

The Bengals also made short work of the NFL pointspread, easily covering as +1′ home underdogs. Cincinnati improved to 4-3 against the number while Chicago evened their ATS mark at 3-3. The 55 combined points sailed OVER the posted total of 42′.

A smug Benson described his feelings after the win:

“Everybody knew it was going to be an emotional day. Everybody knew. What a wonderful day and a wonderful thing, to go out there and strut your stuff.”

Despite the evidence to the contrary, Benson downplayed the motive of revenge:

“I continue to be as graceful as I can be. I’m not shoving anything in anybody’s face. Like I say, it wasn’t a revenge day for me. I just wanted to take advantage of the opportunities.”

He said his biggest problem was trying to keep his emotions in check and play under control:

“There were a few times where I may have gotten a little too hyped up, a little too antsy. A couple of drives, I found myself having to calm myself down and gather my emotions to stay poised. Once I got past that, we were good to go. Keep it rolling.”

Bengals’ receiver Chad Ochocinco had 10 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He shared his thoughts postgame:

“I don’t understand why it went this way today and why it didn’t go that way last week or the week before that. The offensive line played unbelievable. For Ced to run the way he did today and for us to be able to throw, we could have done what we wanted to do.”

Chicago gave up more points than in any game all season, a fact that left defensive end Alex Brown looking for answers:

“That was pretty embarrassing. It’s embarrassing to come out and play like that. I tip my hat to their whole team. Cedric ran the ball like crazy. They did whatever they wanted to do.”

The Bengals will enjoy a bye week before hosting the Baltimore Ravens on November 8. They’ll then play two games on the road at Pittsburgh and Oakland. Chicago will try to get back on track this Sunday as they host the Cleveland Browns. The Bears are -13′ home favorites with the total set at 40. They’ll host the Arizona Cardinals the following Sunday before heading west for a Thursday night game against the San Francisco 49ers on November 12.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, travel and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in the Nevada desert with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.

Alabama didn’t so much win their game against Tennessee on Saturday as much as they escaped. Despite playing one of their worst games of the year they managed to keep their undefeated season alive as nose tackle Terrance Cody blocked a potential game winning field goal on the last play of the game to preserve a 12-10 victory for the Crimson Tide. Alabama held a tenuous 12-3 lead late in the game before a Tennessee touchdown and recovered onside kick had them facing the specter of the defeat for the first time this season. Instead, Alabama improved to 8-0 while Tennessee slipped to 3-4.

College football pointspread players who took Tennessee as +14 road underdogs were in good shape throughout the contest and eventually cashed their tickets. The Vols improved to 4-3 against the spread while the Crimson Tide dropped to 5-3 versus the number.

After the game, Cody recounted his blocked field goal attempt that saved the day:

“I didn’t really get off the ground. I just reached my arm up. That’s how I got it. I knocked the blocker back. He was on his back.”

First year Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t taking a ‘moral victory’ from the game:

“It’s a difficult loss to deal with. You come into a hostile environment and play the No. 1 team in the country, as I said before by far the No. 1 team in the country and the best-coached team around. You come in here and outgain them by nearly 100 yards and miss three field goals. I don’t believe in moral victories, we should have won that game.”

He explained the difficulty that placekicker Daniel Lincoln has getting elevation on his kicks since a quadriceps injury:

“He can’t kick the ball up high. If you kick the ball up high it’s never going to get there, so we can’t allow the penetration up front.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban views the game as a learning experience:

“You talk about how fragile a season is. You’re controlling a game, even though you may say it’s winning ugly. We’re still ahead 12-3 and totally controlling the game with 3 minutes, 29 seconds and the ball. That’s how fragile a season can be. You make one mistake and you have to go overcome it. I hope that there’s a lot of lessons our team can learn from this.”

Alabama has a week off before a tough game at home against LSU on November 7. They’ll play at Mississippi State the following week. Tennessee hosts South Carolina next Saturday and Memphis the following week. They’ll play at Ole Miss on November 14.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer specializing in mixed martial arts, college football and NFL betting. He serves as a consulting handicapper for Sports-1 Sportsbook and is a noted authority on Internet sportsbook betting of all forms. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and several pet geckos.

Bicycles are sturdy and reliable forms of transportation. They also require regular, routine bicycle maintenance and proper care if you want to keep them at the top of their game. While some bike failures are inevitable most of the trouble can be prevented if you are really conscientious about proper bicycle maintenance on an ongoing basis.

The design of modern bikes incorporates the use of some really cool lightweight materials as well as some interesting high tech components. Much like a car, bikes need regular checkup and maintenance. You can learn to do your own technician and mechanic work on your bike. This comes in quite handy when your bike breaks down and you have no one else who can fix it for you. Basic bicycle maintenance is essentially vital.

Start your Bicycle Maintenance with an Inspection

Let’s begin with the first item on the agenda which is cleaning and inspecting your bicycle. This should be done daily if you ride a lot. If you are a sporadic bike rider you may be able to get by with a weekly, or monthly, inspection and cleaning.

Even if you are only keeping your bike in storage, a monthly checkup and bicycle maintenance routine is still the best way to make sure that there are no problems. Just give the bike a cleaning with a soft cloth, small brush and a mild soap solution. While you are rinsing away the dust and grime you can inspect the frame, seat, lights and tires and see if there are any splits or cracks that need attention.

To Ensure Your Safety, Tighten the Bolts

Occasionally you will need to check and then tighten the bolts, especially the stem bolts. However, do not over tighten them since it can damage them, over tightening, can even break your bolts. You should follow the detailed instructions when it comes to tightening your bolts so that they meet their specific torque ratings. You will require the use of a torque wrench to do this.

Tires are Essential

Make sure that there is an adequate amount of pressure in your tires while inspecting them. Properly inflated tires are not so easy to puncture or damage. You will be safer riding a bike with properly inflated tires. Patch any small leak as soon as you can to avoid creating even more problems.

This is an easy step in any bike maintenance checklist but it is often overlooked. Give each tire a spin to check visually for any type of foreign object that may be lodged in the treads. If there are small bits of debris and grit caught in the treads a tire brush will remove them. While you are doing this you can also see if there is any wobble or misalignment that needs a quick adjustment.

Chain Checks

The chain on your bicycle will need an occasional tightening. Check your chain each time before you get on your bike to make sure that it is not loose. Occasionally you will need to oil the chain on your bike.

There are special oils that should be used on bikes. These are thin, non-greasy solutions and you only need to use a few drops at a time. Gears, moveable bicycle parts, and chains require a certain amount of lubrication so that they can work properly. When it comes to basic bicycle maintenance and safety features it is best to exercise that extra “ounce of prevention”.

Dustin Nippert laid out his case for keeping the No. 5 spot in the Rangers’ starting rotation of pitchers in the franchise’s 5.0-2 win versus the Blue Jays in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Next in line, Brandon McCarthy, making his 1st start since departing the pitching rotation in early June for the DL.

Nippert showed far improved finesse than in his most recent appearance last week against the Yankees. In the Bronx, he allowed eleven base runners (4 hits, seven BBs) and got 11 outs. On Tuesday afternoon, he pitched out of trouble to earn his 5th win of the year and 3rd as a member of the starting rotation. Nippert allowed 5 hits, walked merely one. He lowered his earned run average as a starting pitcher to 4.43 and on the whole to 3.91. It was his third quality game in his prior five outings.

Nippert claimed there seriously wasn’t much difference between how he pitched last week and on Tuesday: “Truly able to throw strikes. In New York, I believe I threw one slider in the strike zone. The bigger mess I put myself in, I tried relentlessly to get beyond it. I was truly going the wrong way. I continued walking men, trying to make that flawless pitch.

“Earlier, I was able to throw it ahead in the count, behind in the count. Keep the batters away from my fastball.”

Said manager Ron Washington: “I don’t suppose he was overthrowing. He was balancing with his change-up and his curving stuff. Increased the speed of his fastball.”

Washington and Nippert together indicated Nippert wasn’t playing to protect his place in the pitching rotation. Furthermore Nippert said he will gladly start or come in from the bullpen. Since the Rangers are in playoff contention, each roster member’s function increases in significance.

“I only want to assist this franchise,” he claimed. “It’s good for us that we possess further arms now. Whomever’s pitching well you could choose to start.

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While Coaching Basketball, one of the first things that should be addressed is conditioning. The ability to out hustle, out work, and have more stamina, could be the difference between winning and losing. This is especially the case towards the end of a hard fought season when your team is making a championship run.

Therefore, one of the very first things a coach will do, even before touching a ball, is a week of calisthenics. This can be monotonous for the players during this week of heavily concentrated specialty training. However, although the players may dislike it, it will benefit each and every one of them later on in the season.

Being prepared toward season’s end will promote more success for you and your boys or girls. Not only does conditioning help get a team in shape, but it also helps prevent injuries as well. Being in shape and completing drills such as running, wind sprints and sit ups will help maximize their efforts on and off the court.

Once this week is in the books and the team in shape, most coaches are ready to move to the simple fundamentals of basketball. While this is true, conditioning still be a large part of Coaching Youth Basketball, even though the coach can now focus his attention on other areas of the game.

One of the first things typically addressed is ball handling, which will more than likely start with basic dribbling drills. Some of the drills used in basic dribbling are; dribbling back and forth with one ball, dribbling with two balls at once, and dribbling through legs while walking. In the end, it will help your team protect the ball during each possession.

When your team gets used to this portion of your practice, you’ll definitely see an improvement in their game. Up until now, the coach is probably the most disliked guy on the floor, but he or she is well respected. This is where players may not like the coach, but definitely will listen and can be taught. Just remember that the coach is no longer just someone on the floor yelling, instead he or she becomes a teacher and sometimes even a mentor.

Once the relationship has reached this pinnacle, it gets a bit more fun. Most coaches will then introduce, offensive and defensive drills allowing a player to shoot and have fun. One of the biggest things coaches try to teach is for a player to have fun. Players who enjoy themselves are those who know where to go and what to be doing on the floor at all times. Obviously you want to win more games, but it’s not the main objective.

While Coaching Basketball, you have to have desire, patience, and understanding in what it takes to make a championship team. This alone will help you become a better coach and benefit your kids tremendously.

Just as with any sport, there are certain movements or plays where everyone plays their part and this play is overall designed with one thing in mind, to score points. Basketball Plays may be somewhat hard to follow when one is watching the game at full speed but, rest assured, they are there.

There are some things designed for offensive and defensive maneuvers, and these play types are setup and orderly. Players executing defensive plays are designed to make the opposition do two things - make a bad shot by shooting from a distance with interference from a defending player, and to add extra pressure to the player handling the ball.

Gene Hackman’s performance in the hit movie, “Hoosiers” gave us an in-depth look into the world of basketball, following a team of high school players on their road to the Indiana State Championship. The coach, played by Hackman, emphasized some Basketball Plays designed to build teamwork and discipline. He allowed a minimum of three times for the ball to be passed before a player needed to take a shot, and to catch the defense out of position. This generally led to the team scoring a basket. During the movie, drills included running around wooden chairs and shuffling back and forth across the court.

With all of this, zones came into play heavily as many of the standard play types were such that a player found it necessary to cover a certain area of the court. This allowed for non-specific player targeting since the player needed to guard the zone from whoever from the opposing team happened to come into that area. As a result, it was a mismatch between players.

Because zones typically come with an arm or swinging section, players needed to make adjustments during the game, and this resulted in an opening for a shot.

Man to man plays, where the defensive player guarded a certain opposing team player, where also used. As well, the now famous “Picket Fence” play where three players formed a line in a direct line with the basket forced opposing players to try and get through the block. Usually the best shooter on the team would be the ball handler, carrying the drive to the basket along the formed line. This was considered a desperation, last ditch play.

While there are a number of plays for many different sports, each are tailored to a specific games distinctive events. Basically each Basketball Play can be designed to either stop an opposing team’s efforts to score or to score themselves. This article covers just a few of the numerous and varied basketball plays.