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08/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's hard to view the Carolina Panthers as anything but a team in limbo, and it's difficult to see 2010 as anything but a way station that precedes the organization's real future.
Start with the head coach, John Fox, who is in the final year of his contract and looks less than 50-50 to return in 2011, whether he wins this year or not. Though Fox is well-respected both inside and outside the organization, and has experienced periods of success, there is a growing sense that a change of scenery could be good for the coach, and a new voice could be good for the Panthers.
Move on to the quarterback situation, which is as tenuous as just about any in the league this side of Arizona. After parting ways with declining lynch pin Jake Delhomme, the team has placed at least temporary confidence in the 26- year-old Matt Moore. Moore's 4-1 record down the stretch last year inspired his elevation to the No. 1 role to begin '10, but the subsequent selection of Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike in the April draft seemed to signal that the Panthers were hedging their bets on Moore.
It is the second-round pick Clausen, not Moore, that looks like the team's future at the position, and the inevitability of his ascension to the starter's role will grow with every Moore misstep.
Meanwhile, Julius Peppers - the team's biggest defensive star and the player that instilled the most fear in opposing quarterbacks and coordinators - is now in Chicago following a rocky eight-year tenure with the Panthers. Though there is still defensive talent, most notably linebacker Jon Beason, the team made no meaningful effort to replace Peppers and a piece of its identity on that side of the ball is gone.
All of the above circumstances have relegated the Panthers to afterthought status in the NFC South, where the Saints are coming off a Super Bowl title and the Falcons have emerged as a 2010 conference dark horse. Though anonymous status is not necessarily a bad thing - remember that New Orleans was an 8-8 team one year before lifting the Lombardi Trophy - the mediocre, at-least-a- year-away perception of this team is something that is going to have to be fought both inside the locker room and out.
Publicly, Fox is putting on the expected brave face, saying the right things and arguing that the youth-and-inexperience movement that seems to define this team at the moment is a good thing.
"I think we've increased our team speed some," Fox said in the spring. "We've got a lot of youth and with youth comes energy, so that's the good news. Now we've just got to direct that energy in the right way."
Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Carolina Panthers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:
2009 RECORD: 8-8 (3rd, NFC South)
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2008, lost to Arizona, 33-13, in NFC Divisional Playoff
COACH (RECORD): John Fox (71-57 in eight seasons with Panthers, 71-57 overall)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jeff Davidson
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Ron Meeks
OFFENSIVE STAR: Steve Smith, WR (65 receptions, 7 TD)
DEFENSIVE STAR: Jon Beason, LB (142 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 INT)
OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 3rd rushing, 27th passing, 21st scoring
DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 22nd rushing, 4th passing, 9th scoring
KEY ADDITIONS: QB Jimmy Clausen (2nd Round, Notre Dame), QB Tony Pike (6th Round, Cincinnati), RB Dantrell Savage (from Chiefs), WR Brandon LaFell (3rd Round, LSU), WR Armanti Edwards (3rd Round, Appalachian State), DT Ed Johnson (from Colts), LB Jamar Williams (from Bears), S Aaron Francisco (from Colts)
KEY DEPARTURES: QB Jake Delhomme (to Browns), QB A.J. Feeley (to Rams), QB Josh McCown (not tendered), FB Brad Hoover (released), WR Muhsin Muhammad (retired), G Keydrick Vincent (to Buccaneers), DE Julius Peppers (to Bears), DT Maake Kemoeatu (to Redskins), DT Damione Lewis (to Patriots), DT Hollis Thomas (not tendered), LB Na'il Diggs (to Rams), LB Landon Johnson (to Lions), CB Dante Wesley (to Lions), S Quinton Teal (to Seahawks), S Chris Harris (to Bears), K Rhys Lloyd (to Vikings)
QB: Moore (1053 passing yards, 8 TD, 2 INT) deserves the shot he is getting, and while the Panthers are hoping for the best in terms of his maturation into a No. 1 NFL quarterback, they also have a keen awareness of his limitations. The former undrafted free agent out of Oregon State would function best as a game-manager who is capable of making the big throw if he has to, which is what he was when the team had success last year. The Panthers are going to be a run- first team and the whole world knows it. Moore just has to keep people honest. If he can't, the Clausen era could begin sooner rather than later. Questions about his leadership abilities and struggles in big games hastened the ex-Notre Dame star's fall to the second round, but there's no doubt he's more physically gifted than Moore. One thing that could hold him back is his toe, on which Clausen had surgery in January but is still experiencing pain. The battle for third string-duties is between sixth-rounder Tony Pike (Cincinnati) and former Louisville triggerman Hunter Cantwell.
RB: Though 2009 will not rank among the most celebrated seasons in Panthers history, the team did make some positive history in an otherwise disappointing year. Running backs DeAngelo Williams (1117 rushing yards, 7 TD, 29 receptions) and Jonathan Stewart (1133 rushing yards, 18 receptions, 11 TD) became the first teammates in NFL annals to cross the 1,100-yard plateau in the same year, with Williams catching fire in the middle of the season and Stewart bringing the Panthers home with an outstanding December. Though the Panthers will ride the two backs hard again this year, their health could determine how far this team goes. Williams missed three games in '09 with knee and ankle problems, while Stewart (who entered the league with injury concerns) has been limited in the 2010 preseason by a bad Achilles'. Mike Goodson (49 rushing yards) looks like the third-string back, though his preseason ankle problems make it more likely that someone like holdover Tyrell Sutton (68 rushing yards, 6 receptions) or Chiefs castoff Dantrell Savage (45 rushing yards, 7 receptions with Kansas City) can make the team. The Panthers are high on second-year fullback Tony Fiammetta, whose play in place of the injured Brad Hoover last year made the longtime Panther expendable
WR/TE: When Moore has to throw the football, the presence of a very shaky receiving corps isn't likely to make things any easier for him. Steve Smith is still a star, and should be well past the broken arm that limited him in the preseason, but following Muhsin Muhammad's retirement it doesn't look like there's anyone taking the pressure off of him on the other side. Dwayne Jarrett (17 receptions, 1 TD) has simply not developed the way the Panthers had hoped, and rookies Brandon LaFell (LSU), Armanti Edwards (Appalachian State) and holdover Kenneth Moore (6 receptions) all elicit more promise at this stage than the ex-USC star. Others looking to make an impression are Jets castoff Wallace Wright (2 receptions with the Jets) and former Buccaneers second-round bust Dexter Jackson. Carolina looks to be in better shape at tight end, where Jeff King (25 receptions, 3 TD), Dante Rosario (26 receptions, 2 TD) and Gary Barnidge (12 receptions) are not a well-known group but are reliable. With the state of the wideout corps, look for all of the tight ends' numbers to increase.
OL: Though much of the focus will be on Moore and the rest of the skill- position players, you could argue that the 2010 Panthers will go as far as this group can take it. Though not often mentioned among the top trench groups in the league, Carolina gave up a modest 33 sacks a year ago and also paved the way for those two 1,100-yard rushers. Back to man the left tackle spot is Jordan Gross, who missed the final seven games of last year with a broken ankle but is solid when healthy (which until last year was always). Travelle Wharton, who slid to tackle when Gross was out, is back to line up at left guard while center Ryan Kalil and right tackle Jeff Otah are also back in place. The big change here is at right guard, where Keydrick Vincent is now starting for the rival Buccaneers and 2008 seventh-round pick Mackenzy Bernadeau is being asked to step in. Swing tackle Geoff Schwartz and fellow 2009 backup Garry Williams are also around should anything go wrong.
DL: Whether you're a fan of his attitude or not, there should be little question that at his best, Peppers provided an edge pass rushing presence that could be equaled by few around the league. Thus, it was surprising that Carolina made a minimal effort to replace him or three former interior line starters - Damione Lewis, Hollis Thomas and Maake Kemoeatu. The main guys off the edge are now lunchpail-type right end Tyler Brayton (45 tackles, 5 sacks), two former early-round picks who have yet to live up to their promise in Charles Johnson (25 tackles, 4 sacks) and Everette Brown (22 tackles, 2.5 sacks), and even younger players like sixth-round rookie Greg Hardy (Ole Miss). Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks is going to have to get mighty creative in finding ways to generate pressure. On the interior, the team took a major gamble in bringing in troubled former Colts tackle Ed Johnson (11 tackles with Indianapolis), who is expected to start alongside Louis Leonard (6 tackles, 1 sack), who missed most of last year with a broken ankle. Holdovers Tank Tyler (31 tackles), Nick Hayden (17 tackles, 1 sack) and 2009 third-round pick Corvey Irvin are trying to insert themselves into the interior mix as well. Irvin missed all of last year with a knee injury.
LB: The Panthers defense was struck a major blow in June, when weakside linebacker Thomas Davis was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered at a team mini-camp. It is a testament to how important weak side coverage is in this scheme that the team subsequently moved star middle linebacker Jon Beason to Davis' spot, inserting backup Dan Connor (16 tackles) into the middle. The former Penn State star Connor is getting his first chance to play meaningful minutes after being drafted in the third-round back in 2008. On the strong side, James Anderson (58 tackles, 1 sack) is back after starting a career-high seven games a year ago. On the backup forces, holdover Jordan Senn (9 tackles), ex-Bear Jamar Williams (40 tackles with Chicago), and rookie fourth-rounder Eric Norwood (South Carolina) will likely garner most of their reps on special teams. Norwood could also see time up front as a situational pass rusher.
DB: There probably isn't an area on this defense that is more settled than the cornerback position. Chris Gamble (58 tackles, 4 INT) and Richard Marshall (83 tackles, 4 INT) are subject to occasional lapses, but on the whole do not make things easy for opposing QBs or wideouts. Captain Munnerlyn (42 tackles), a seventh-round pick in 2009, did a nice job last year and will also have a role. The safeties are a little shakier. Charles Godfrey (44 tackles, 1 INT), who is penciled in at strong safety, has been somewhat hit-or-miss over his two years in the league. At free safety, Sherrod Martin (19 tackles, 3 INT) is a second- year pro who must prove he is ready for his close-up after starting five games a year ago. Depth at safety will be provided by journeyman Aaron Francisco (9 tackles with Colts) and sixth-round rookie Jordan Pugh (Texas A&M).
SPECIAL TEAMS: No change in the kicking game, where 40-year-old John Kasay (22-27 FG) is moving up NFL scoring charts and solid punter Jason Baker (44.1 avg.) is also capable of handling kickoffs. Munnerlyn (9.0 avg.) did credible work on punt returns last year, but who returns kickoffs will probably be determined by the bottom of the depth chart at running back. Mike Goodson (20.7 avg.), Tyrell Sutton (21.6 avg.) and Dantrell Savage (20.0 avg. with the Chiefs) have experience in that realm, but ex-Jaguar Brian Witherspoon (22.9 kickoff return avg. with Jags and Lions) was brought in to compete as well. J.J. Jansen is back for a second season as the Panthers' long-snapper.
PROGNOSIS: The Carolina Panthers are a quality organization with a solid coaching staff, and their middling Q rating at the moment is not necessarily indicative of where they'll finish in 2010. After all, this team has defied preseason expectations more than once in its short history. At the very least, the Panthers are talented enough to be a tough out every week. But it's a stretch to think much will happen beyond that, with questions at quarterback, wideout, and within a defensive front seven that had its problems even with Peppers and Davis in the lineup a year ago. Something close to a .500 finish looks a strong possibility, as Carolina doesn't look like it can compete consistently with the Saints and Falcons in what might be Fox's final season on the job.
<< Young, Murphy help Texas down Oakland
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Young and David Murphy each knocked
in two runs as Texas topped Oakland, 7-3, in the opener of a three-game
series.
Josh Hamilton added three hits and an RBI while Elvis Andrus and Vladi
<< Brees lifts Saints over Chargers
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Brees completed 18-of-27 passes for
240 yards and two touchdowns, as the New Orleans Saints defeated the San Diego
Chargers, 36-21, in the third preseason outing for each team from the
Louisia
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Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Hill drove in the game-winning run with
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Tigers, 3-2, in the second test of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.
Adam Lind
<< Garcia pitches White Sox past Yankees
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Pierzynski and Omar Vizquel both knocked
in two runs to support a solid outing from Freddy Garcia, as the Chicago White
Sox beat New York, 9-4, in the opener of a three-game series between playoff
contenders
Jets LB Pace sidelined, no timetable for return >>
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Blake's grand slam propels Dodgers past Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey Blake's grand slam off Matt Belisle in the
eighth inning gave the Dodgers a 6-2 victory over the Rockies in the opener of
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The grand slam was part
Bergesen, Orioles silence Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Bergesen tossed eight solid innings,
helping the Baltimore Orioles beat the Angels, 3-1, in the opener of a three-
game set.
Bergesen (6-9) gave up one run on four hits to win his third str
Enright solid as Diamondbacks shut down Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam LaRoche belted a three-run home run
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Enright (5-2) cooled off a red-
Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the world’s premier oddsmaking company and the most respected authority on making the lines. Mike Seba is a Senior Oddsmaker at LVSC and has been making lines for the last six years. In our extended interview, Seba explained that there are 4-5 oddsmakers assigned to make lines for each of the major sports (pro & college football and basketball; MLB, NHL, boxing, golf). Each of these oddsmakers bring unique opinions, strengths and weaknesses to the process. Oddsmakers at LVSC are professional sports junkies who love what they do and would probably do it for nothing if you asked them, but they do get paid for it. By necessity their approach is very research-oriented and concise, since with millions of dollars at risk there is little margin for error.
“You either have a passion for it or you don’t,” Seba said.
“The #1 thing for us is to make a line for each game that creates good two-way action. We do this by drawing from past experiences and applying them to current situations. People think it’s much more complicated, but it’s not. “Divided action means the sportsbook is guaranteed a profit on the game because of the fee charged to the bettor (called juice or vig – typically $11 bet to win $10).
Power ratings are the oddsmaker’s value of each team and are used as a guide to calculate a "preliminary" pointspread on an upcoming game. The power ratings are adjusted after each game a team plays. Examples of non-game factors that would require an adjustment to a team's power rating are key player injuries and player trades.
Once a game’s power rating based pointspread is determined, the oddsmaker will make adjustments to that line after considering each team's most recent games played and previous games played against that opponent. Also, adjustments are made after reading each team’s local newspapers to get a sense of what the coaches & players are thinking going into the game.Since the oddsmaker’s ultimate goal is equally dividing the sports betting action, public perception and sportsbook betting patterns must be taken into account. For example, the public might have heavy betting interest week after week on a popular college football betting team such as USC. If an oddsmaker comes up with a preliminary line of USC -7, then an adjustment up to -7.5 or -8 would be made in response to the public’s expected USC bias.
The last step in the line-making process for each oddsmaker is taking one final look to determine whether or not the line "feels right." This is where common sense and past experience with how games are bet enters into the picture.A round-table discussion among the 4-5 oddsmakers involved in making the line for each sport is then conducted and a consensus line is decided upon by the Odds Director before it is released to the sportsbooks. Of the 4-5 oddsmakers, generally the 2 most respected opinions are weighed more heavily by the Odds Director before he decides on the final line.
Experts working for the individual books having a strong opinion on the game
Individual books having players who consistently bet with certain tendencies (such as an extreme bias toward favorites or toward a certain popular team like USC)The purpose of these adjustments, like all line adjustments, is to more equally divide the betting action.
Once betting begins, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time. In doing so they attempt to make more attractive the team that is getting less action. By moving the line, sportsbooks can influence how the public bets on a particular game.For example, if the pointspread on a game is 7 and most of the money is coming in on the underdog (taking the +7), sportsbooks will then move the number down to 6 ½ to try and attract money on the favorite.
Moving the line is the oddsmaker's effort to balance betting action, and often times such moves can have a major impact on a bettor’s decision. Oddsmakers can also change the line depending on various event-related factors such as player injuries or weather. Obviously, if the line comes out a week ahead of the event (which is the case in football), there is much that could happen during the week leading up to the event that could affect the line. Oddsmakers have to determine if any changes are necessary and send out an "adjusted line."“The main objective is that our clients get equal action on both sides,” Seba said. “We’re not trying to pick the team that covers the spread, we’re trying to make it a coin flip, a tough decision (for the bettor). If we’ve done that, we’ve done our job.”
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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