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10/09/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No Hines Ward or Santonio Homes, the starting wideouts? No Casey Hampton or Troy Polamalu, two Pro Bowl defenders? No problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who again stated their case for elite status with a formulaic 21-0 suffocation of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
With the above players working the sideline in street clothes due to injury, you might have expected head coach Mike Tomlin to resort to gimmicks to get his team its fourth win of the season. But you would have been incorrect in that prediction, because the Steelers looked every bit like the Steelers in the victory.
They ran the football a total of 41 times, with Willie Parker (28 carries, 102 yards) bringing the lightning and Najeh Davenport (7 carries, 58 yards) the thunder. It was Davenport who elicited the day's biggest cheers from the Heinz Field crowd, scoring on second-half runs of one and five yards and capping off two seemingly endless drives.
That march was emblematic of an afternoon when the Seahawks defense simply couldn't get off the field. Four different Pittsburgh drives took up 4:49 or more of clock time, including a 17-play march to begin the third quarter that used up 10:17 and actually included 110 Steeler yards. Thirty yards worth of penalties forced Tomlin's team to have to tread the same territory more that once, but also kept the ball out of the hands of Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense for that much longer.
The Steelers ended the day with a whopping 40:45-to-19:15 edge in time of possession, a figure that the vaunted Pittsburgh defense had a little something to do with as well.
Seattle had 10 drives on the day, and Dick LeBeau's defensive group forced punts on nine of them. The one that didn't result in a Ryan Plackemeier punt was ended by Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, who denied the Seahawks their best chance at points all day by intercepting Matt Hasselbeck in the end zone as the first half neared its end.
That drive, at seven plays and 54 yards, was Seattle's best of the day. No other Seahawks march yielded more than six snaps or 18 yards. One of the most consistently strong offenses of the past few years was left with eight first downs and 144 total yards as they departed the Steel City. Amazing.
Even the usually even-keel Tomlin sounded impressed.
"They showed their character today," said Tomlin. "It is something that I knew we had. It was a total team effort...They remained unwavered in the face of adversity. They stuck together. They delivered. The things that we talked about since day one, they displayed today. As a coach, you feel good when you see that."
The shutout was the first for the team since they blanked Cleveland on the road, 41-0, in Week 16 of the Super Bowl season of 2005. To find the most recent previous Heinz Field blanking, you have to go all the way back to Week 8 of the 2000 season, also a whitewashing of the Browns.
But neither of those Bill Cowher-era games came against opponents as generally well-respected as the NFC West-leading Seahawks, and neither came when the Steelers were fighting through a rash of significant injuries.
That Pittsburgh could move to 4-1, in decisive fashion, without a quartet of its heaviest hitters, speaks to this team's staying power on the AFC scene. The Patriots and Colts look like the teams to beat in the NFL at this stage, but neither of those clubs, nor any of the other 29 units from coast to coast, would be wise to want a piece of the Steelers right now.
This team is clearly playing as well as anyone in the league right now, and is intent on bringing it every week, no matter the circumstances.
"They don't put asterisks beside wins and losses," said Tomlin. "Regardless of who's playing, we are the Pittsburgh Steelers."
PASSING FANCY
He didn't string together a number of highlight-reel throws, but Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might have had one of his best days as a pro on Sunday, given the absence of his top two receivers.
With Ward (knee) out for a second straight game and Holmes (hamstring) rendered unavailable just before kickoff, Roethlisberger still managed to complete an impressive 18-of-22 passes for 206 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Heath Miller to open the scoring in the second quarter.
The fourth-year pro also managed to put some distance between himself and his last performance against the Seahawks, in Super Bowl XL, when he posted the lowest passer rating by a winning quarterback in Super Bowl history.
"I hope I'm always a leader out there," said Big Ben of Sunday's effort." When you lose guys, you have to count on guys to step up. Today was one of those things where I took it upon my shoulders to say 'I've got to be able to count on those guys.'...That's the biggest thing -- they have confidence in me, and I have confidence in them, and we found a way to get it done."
Roethlisberger's favorite target on the day was Cedrick Wilson, who caught five balls for 69 yards in arguably his most productive regular season outing since coming to the Steelers from the 49ers via free agency in 2005.
SIMPLY THE BEST?
Following their performance against the Seahawks, the Steelers ascended to the top of several NFL defensive categories.
Pittsburgh jumped ahead of New England into the top spot on the NFL total defense chart, as it is now surrendering just 235.6 yards per game, and is also first in scoring defense with only 9.4 points per game allowed.
Tomlin's crew is second in the league in passing defense (145.6 yards per game), with Week 7 opponent Denver the only team better, and is in a three-way tie with the Giants and Bears for the NFL lead in sacks (17).
The Steelers are also first in yards allowed per play (4.2), and are second in first downs allowed per game (13.4) behind only division rival Baltimore.
On the offensive end, the Steelers rank behind only Oakland, which has played one fewer game, in rushing offense (167 yards per game), and Willie Parker re- assumed the individual lead in rushing yards (507) following his fourth 100- yard game of the campaign.
NEXT UP: BYE WEEK
The Steelers will have the opportunity to nurse their injuries during their designated bye week, following which Pittsburgh will travel to Denver to face the Broncos in a Sunday night contest.
Tomlin said Monday that he expects to have Ward, Holmes, Hampton (hamstring) and Polamalu (torn rib cartilage) back in Week 7, though reserve cornerback Bryant McFadden (high ankle sprain) might be unable to return.
The Steelers are 10-8 all-time following the bye week.
<< Leafs and Hurricanes tangle in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will continue an early-season
homestand tonight, when they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Air
Canada Centre.
Toronto was swept in a season-opening home-and-home series with Ottawa, but
did earn
<< 2007 VS. COLORADO
BATTERS AVG OBA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS EHammock .400 .455 10 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Salazar .375 .545 8 3 3 1 1 0 2 3 3 2 0 0Smith .333 .3
<< 2007 VS. CLEVELAND
BATTERS AVG OBA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS ERamirez .417 .517 24 7 10 4 0 3 7 5 4 0 0 0Pedroia .370 .433 27 3 10 2 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0Clayton .364 .4
<< John Henry euthanized
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Henry, a two-time Horse of the Year, was
humanely euthanized Monday night at Kentucky Horse Park. He was 32 years old.
John Henry, who spent the last 22 years of his life at the Kentucky Horse Park
follo
Vaidisova, Dementieva win Moscow openers >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova and
two-time major runner-up Elena Dementieva of Russia were among Tuesday's
first-round winners at the $1.34 million Kremlin Cup.
Vaidisova got past Russian q
Flyers sign defenseman Fitzpatrick >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers announced Tuesday
that they have signed defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 32-year-old Fitzpatrick playe
Kansas State reports possible NCAA violations >>
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas State is being investigated by the
NCAA for possible rules violations in its football program.
Kansas State director of athletics Tim Weiser said the university has informed
the NCAA of possible vi
Isles sign Berard >>
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders announced Tuesday
that they have signed veteran forward Brian Berard to a one-year deal after
the 30-year old earned a spot following an invite to training camp.
Berard, who ca
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
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