Moreno returns to Broncos practice
Football Betting Lines
09/01/2010 -
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - The Denver Broncos' injured backfield is beginning to get healthy.
Knowshon Moreno was back at practice Tuesday, one month after the starting running back hurt his right hamstring on the opening live drill of training camp.
Moreno said he was ``80-some percent'' healed.
``I think I'll be over it,'' said Moreno, who couldn't guarantee his availability for the Sept. 12 regular-season opener in Jacksonville. ``At the same time, you never know with a hamstring.''
Moreno likely won't play in the Broncos' preseason finale at Minnesota on Thursday night, a game in which Denver's starters are expected to play some, if not most, of the first quarter.
Still, it's significant that the Broncos' projected top three tailbacks - Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and LenDale White - are practicing together for the first time.
``In order to have a good season it all starts in practice,'' Buckhalter said. ``So we're all happy to be out here.''
Buckhalter returned to practice Aug. 24 and, at the time, was far away from the point where he could confidently say he was ready to initiate and take contact. But that week of work has done him good, and his anticipated role in the preseason finale now is welcomed.
``I'm definitely excited about the opportunity to go out there and play and establish that relationship with my linemen and get all of us on one accord so we can have a successful season,'' Buckhalter said.
White won't be around when the regular season starts because he's suspended four games by the NFL under its substance-abuse policy. So the Vikings game will be his last chance to play until October.
Less definitive is Moreno's status.
It's the second straight season he's missed most of August with a significant injury. He sprained his left medial collateral ligament in the 2009 preseason opener then carried the ball eight times in Week 1.
Moreno wasn't getting into specifics about his injury Tuesday and would only say he ``feels good'' and that his priority is regaining his stamina.
``I don't want to call it a setback. It was just an adversity he's got to push through and he's had to push through,'' coach Josh McDaniels said. ``He's handled it the best he could and he's eager to get out there. I think that's where he is mentally.''
Moreno was wearing an orange jersey at practice, alerting players to lay off on contact. He's been studying his playbook and attending meetings in addition to receiving treatment.
``He missed the same period of time last year in training camp so he's gone through this before. He started the season off and really hadn't played much in the preseason. We're kind of in the same boat,'' McDaniels said. ``Hopefully we can start faster with him this year once we start playing the regular season, as soon as he's healthy.''
In addition to Buckhalter's debut, the key to watch in the Vikings game is the continuing competition between rookie Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn for the backup quarterback job.
Quinn, acquired in the offseason, hasn't pulled away for the job and McDaniels called it a ``competitive situation.''
``Both players have done some good things. Both players have turned it over,'' McDaniels said. ``Both players have been able to function in the 2-minute offense. And both players have plenty of room to improve. From that standpoint, I think this game will probably help us determine kind of where we see everything.
``But certainly I don't think either one of them has done so much that either guy has removed himself from the competition at all.''
Quinn remains listed as the backup on the team's depth chart. But he's completed only 51.4 percent of his passes and has yet to throw a TD pass. His 55.1 rating is the worst on the team.
Tebow has been marginally better at 56.5 percent with a scoring toss to Eric Decker against Pittsburgh on Sunday night, along with an interception that led to a Steelers touchdown.
Quinn was asked afterward whether he felt he'd done enough to clinch the No. 2 job.
``It's honestly something I'm not focusing on, I think, until that situation presents itself,'' he said.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.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers knows from experience that it isn't easy to live life as an understudy in the NFL.Now that Rodgers finally has broken free from Brett Favre's shadow to become an elite starting quarterback, he sees a little bit o
<< Leafs sign Hanson
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday signed
restricted free agent forward Christian Hanson to a one-year contract.
In 32 games for Toronto last season, Hanson recorded two goals and seven
assists.
<< Howard, Schneider power Phils past Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard and Brian Schneider each hit a
three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Los Angeles
Dodgers, 8-4, in the second of three games.
Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single f
<< Red Sox release Hermida from minor league assignment
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy
Hermida from his minor league assignment after it became apparent he would not
be recalled to the major league club when rosters expand on September 1.
Hermida h
<< Wozniacki cruises into second round at U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki had
no trouble advancing through to the second round at the 2010 U.S. Open, while
former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova were also among
Tuesday
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - Rocky Boiman isn't going to get a chance to ease his way into the Detroit Lions' defense.It's going to be more like cramming for final exams in his days at Notre Dame.The veteran linebacker signed with the Detroit Lions earl
Long-time Stamps physician Murphy passes away >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary Stampeders physician Dr. Vince Murphy
has passed away at the age of 87, the team announced Tuesday.
Dr. Murphy was associated with the Stampeders since 1957. A release from the
team said Murphy pass
Tickets go on sale for NBA games in London >>
LONDON (AP) -Tickets have gone on sale for the first regular-season NBA games in Europe.The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will play a pair of games at the O2 Arena in London on March 4-5. The NBA is planning a week of activities across Britain
2010 World Basketball Championship update - September 1st >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Group C: China vs. Russia, 9 a.m. (Ankara)
Group A: Serbia vs. Australia, 9:30 a.m. (Kayseri)
Group B: Croatia vs. Tunisia, 9:30 a.m. (Istanbul)
Group C: Ivory Coast vs. Greece, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: Leban
Five-a-Side: Liberty coach Danny Rocco >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Rocco has yet to picket outside NCAA
headquarters in Indianapolis, but if the third Sunday in November goes like
the last three years, don't doubt that he and the rest of the Liberty football
team will
NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.