Colts name Manusky defensive coordinator

Football Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have hired Greg Manusky as defensive coordinator.

The Colts named Bruce Arians offensive coordinator earlier this week.

Manusky was the defensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers last year. He held the same position with the San Francisco 49ers from 2007-10.

This past season, San Diego's defense ranked 22nd in the league in points allowed (23.6) and 16th in yards allowed (346.6).

"I met with Greg yesterday and today with Coach (Pagano). I really feel good about him being a part of this," said general manager Ryan Grigson. "(He is) a great fit. He's versatile within the scheme, 3-4, 4-3. It's part of the philosophy of not trying to put a square peg into a round hole. He lines right up with that. He's a football guy, passionate, fire in his eyes. You know when you sit with him for two seconds he's an intense football coach. He's ready to come in here and do some great things with us."

Manusky started his coaching career as linebackers coach with the Washington Redskins in 2001, then joined San Diego in the same role from 2002-06.

The 45-year-old Manusky was a linebacker and a standout special teams performer during his 12-year playing career with Washington (1988-90), Minnesota (1991-93) and Kansas City (1994-99).

Also on Thursday, Grigson named Roy Anderson secondary/safeties coach and Marwan Maalouf special teams coach.

Intercaisno Football Betting News

<< Youzhny rolls; Bogomolov ousted in Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikhail Youzhny cruised into the quarterfinals of the Zagreb Indoors tournament Thursday, while fellow Russian Alex Bogomolov was eliminated by Slovakia's Lukas Lacko. A pair of past Zagreb w

<< Pletcher goes for another Davis win
Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Todd Pletcher has been dominating the Sam F. Davis Stakes in recent years and has another opportunity to win the event with its 32nd renewal on Saturday. The $250,000 stakes, with a field of 11 thre

<< Berdych, Monfils advance in Open Sud
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Tomas Berdych and Frenchman Gael Monfils were among Thursday's second-round winners at the Open Sud de France tennis tournament. Berdych, the Czech Republic native ranked seventh in the

<< In the FCS Huddle: Top recruits not necessarily at top schools
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ever get one of those do-not-open-until- the-holidays packages in the mail? Well, let's just say we will need to revisit this column in about three years. That's because recruiting analysis is so fickle

<< NFL gives 49ers $200 million loan for new stadium
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NFL owners approved a $200 million loan on Thursday to help the San Francisco 49ers build a new stadium in Santa Clara. In December, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority unanimously approved an $850 millio

Chievo hands struggling Novara another loss >>
Novara, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Pellissier and Cyril Thereau scored on each side of halftime as Chievo downed struggling Novara, 2-1, on Thursday in Serie A. Pellissier opened the scoring on 33 minutes and Thereau added a second goa

Louisiana Tech RB dies at off-campus apartment >>
Ruston, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louisiana Tech running back Tyrone Duplessis was found dead at his off-campus apartment on Thursday morning. The 21-year-old was in his third year at Louisiana Tech. The cause of death is not yet known and an

AZ signs coach Verbeek to two-year extension >>
Alkmaar, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AZ Alkmaar gave coach Gertjan Verbeek a two-year contract extension on Thursday, locking him up through the 2014-15 season. Verbeek, 49, joined the Dutch side before the 2010-11 season and led the c

Blue Jackets activate Carter >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated center Jeff Carter off injured reserve. Carter separated his right shoulder during a game against Anaheim on January 8. He has posted 10 goals and 17 points

Sundhage names U.S. women's training camp roster >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. women's national team coach Pia Sundhage named 28 players Thursday for an upcoming training camp, including 19 of the 20 players who were on the recent Olympic team roster. Ali Krieger, who tore the AC

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.