Buccaneers confident they can regain winning edge

Football Betting Lines

10/30/2007 -

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Jeff Garcia tried to put a positive spin on Tampa Bay's third loss in four games.

The team's promising 3-1 start has dissolved into a 4-4 record, however the Buccaneers are confident they will regroup the second half of the season and remain in contention for a playoff berth.

``We can beat ourselves up about a lot of things, but we're only halfway through the season and I'm not going to allow myself to hang my head and be disappointed,'' Garcia said, reflecting on Sunday's 24-23 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

``I think there are a lot of positive things to look at. We have eight games remaining, and I know this team's going to come back this next week, give everything they have to give, fight, battle, and do whatever it takes to turn this season around.''

A lopsided loss at Indianapolis four weeks ago was much easier to swallow than setbacks the past two weeks against Detroit and Jacksonville, which held off the Bucs despite playing without injured quarterback David Garrard.

Tampa Bay outgained the Lions and Quinn Gray-led Jaguars by hefty margins, but undermined themselves with turnovers and other mistakes.

Tampa Bay lost two costly fumbles at Detroit and Garica threw three interceptions during the loss to Jacksonville. Meanwhile, the Bucs defense didn't force a turnover in either game.

``You can go through all the statistics you want, play fantasy football and draft whoever you want. At the end of the day it's turnover ratio that decides football games,'' coach Jon Gruden said.

``We turned it over too many times in two weeks, and we haven't gotten any turnovers. Usually that'll do you in.''

Injuries have been a factor in the slide, but so have youthful mistakes and penalties.

Despite gaining 422 yards against Detroit and 385 against Jacksonville, the offense has struggled to finish drives and score touchdowns. Two of the four TDs the Bucs scored against the Lions and Jaguars came on long receptions by Joey Galloway.

With tailbacks Carnell ``Cadillac'' Williams and Michael Pittman sidelined by injuries, the running game has been inconsistent. The defense also has been affected by injuries, with cornerback Brian Kelly and end Patrick Chukwurah missing significant playing time.

Still, the Bucs are very much alive in the NFC South, where division-leading Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta all have at least three losses.

``If we can get some guys back in the second half of the season, we could hang around and make this interesting,'' said Gruden, whose team has missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons.

Linebacker Derrick Brooks agreed.

``The reality is we're one game out of first place and we play that team again, so let's not hold your heads down,'' said Brooks, though the Bucs actually trail the Panthers (4-3) by a half game.

``We're trying not to get frustrated because we're doing so many things well. On the same token, it's about finding a way to win. For us to not have turnovers (the past two weeks), from my standpoint defensively, is not a way to turn the corner. We've really got to find a way to do it.''

The first step is rebounding next Sunday against Arizona (3-4), which is coming off a bye.

``Right now we're going to find out the true character of this team,'' defensive end Kevin Carter said. ``Basically, we've got to establish whether we're gonna be a playoff contender or not.''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.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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