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08/09/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the eighth straight time, the Calgary Stampeders took down the BC Lions, this time winning 27-22 on the road.
The Stamps were in control in this game as defense again proved to be their strongest weapon. The win gave Calgary sole possession of first in the CFL's Western Division as Saskatchewan came close but couldn't squeeze out a victory in Montreal. Meanwhile, Edmonton lost again, to keep company with BC in the basement in what has become a two-team race out west.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
For a team that's been all about its dynamic quarterback and high-powered offense for years, it's defense that has stolen the spotlight in Calgary this season.
Calgary has allowed far and away the fewest points in the league at just 127 after six games. Yet for all the attention the defense has been getting, quarterback Henry Burris has finally gotten into a rhythm, and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.
Burris got off to a rocky and wild start, throwing five touchdowns to six interceptions over the first three games. However, over the Stamps' recent three games, Burris increased his efficiency by tossing eight TDs and just three picks.
Offensive key to the next game (Edmonton Eskimos): With Burris heating up, Calgary should have no problem putting up points against Edmonton when it hosts its Albertan rivals in Week 7. With the Eskimos struggling to contain running backs, expect Joffrey Reynolds to have his best game of the season.
Defensive key to the next game: The only Edmonton offensive player to have any kind of consistency is running back Arkee Whitlock. Stop him, and Edmonton's sunk.
Look ahead: Head coach John Hufnagel can't help but smile when he looks at his team's next two opponents in Week 7 and 9: Edmonton and another road trip to BC. He can only hope a bye in Week 8 doesn't disrupt the momentum.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
The Riders came oh-so-close to another nail-biting win over the Montreal Alouettes in Week 6. So close that the Riders probably should have taken it.
Saskatchewan held the advantage in first downs, 33-12, and had nearly 200 more yards on offense. In the end, however, the Riders just couldn't overcome a 14- point deficit in the first half, ultimately losing 30-26.
Montreal's defense didn't allow a single point in the fourth quarter, something Darian Durant took the blame for after the game.
Durant's line of 445 yards on a whopping 35-for-62 pass attempts, speaks to how dependant this team is on its pass offense. Not too surprising given the depth among receivers, but when you have Wes Cates rushing with the ball, the Riders should do a better job of making plays and creating space for their standout running back.
Offensive key to the next game (BC Lions): The Riders put up 37 points against their Western rivals in their first meeting of the season on July 10. In that game, Cates had 93 yards and Durant made just 29 pass attempts. Another balanced outing like that and expect the Riders to steamroll BC once again.
Defensive key to the next game: BC's O-line has shown its inexperience this season and it's something the Riders should exploit mercilessly. Get to Lulay early and often, force him to make desperate throws, and not only will the Lions fail to advance down the field, they will turn the ball over again and again.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
The Eskimos just can't catch a break.
With victory in sight last week, Toronto ruined the party by scoring a game- winning touchdown with less than 30 seconds to play.
Though heartbreaking, Edmonton should feel good that it at least made a game of it, coming back from 19-7 to score 14 unanswered points in the third quarter. It has been by far Edmonton's best stretch of the season, offset by being outscored for the sixth straight week in the final quarter.
Offensive key to the next game (Calgary Stampeders): A road game in Calgary spells another loss, but if Edmonton wants to head into the break in Week 8 with a win, Ricky Ray will need to be lights out, something along the lines of at least 300 yards passing with no interceptions.
Defensive key to the next game: Burris has shown some weakness when he's knocked off rhythm, so that's what Edmonton will look to do against the Stamps. Contain the former Most Outstanding Player, hurry the quarterback and knock him down whenever possible.
Look ahead: A bye in Week 8 will be a huge blessing for the Eskimos. Edmonton will likely head into the break with a 1-6 record, meaning the second half of the year has to be looked at as a completely new season. Getting up to Calgary and Saskatchewan's heights is unlikely, but with all the uncertainty in the East, a crossover is still a possibility come playoff time.
BC LIONS
For the first time in Wally Buono's career, he starts the season 1-5. It's unfamiliar ground for someone who has more career wins than every other coach in the CFL combined.
To get back to getting the wins he's accustomed, that broken record first heard in Week 1 will have to be mended: fix the offense.
Travis Lulay may be a good quarterback someday, but right now he's playing behind a below-average offensive line, Lulay's shortcomings become crystal clear.
The 26-year-old has thrown just one touchdown compared to five interceptions. Though he did better holding onto the football rather than forcing it, he still threw the ball away in a game-changing interception late in the third quarter.
The CFL is all about offense and, right now, the Lions just don't have it.
Offensive key to the next game (Saskatchewan Roughriders): Lulay needs to stop being picked off and Jamal Roberston has to start showing his worth. The Riders, while not the best defensively in the league, did hold BC to just 18 points in Week 2. The Lions will need their young QB and veteran running back to lead their team error-free to have a chance.
Defensive key to the next game: All of Saskatchewan's offense begins and ends with Darian Durant, but he's also supported by one of the best receiving corps in the league. It's impossible to match up against all those wideouts, but BC. has the ability to cover the backfield enough to make things frustrating. The Lions failed in their first meeting, they can't afford to do it again in the rematch.
Look ahead: Like Edmonton, a bye week will help the Lions lick their wounds from a devastating first half and start anew. You can count on Buono getting things reorganized for a strong second half, though a date with Calgary coming out of the break will be a tough start.
<< Montero leads Sounders past Houston
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Sounders FC earned a 2-0 victory
over the Houston Dynamo in front of over 36,000 fans at Qwest Field on Sunday
night in Major League Soccer action.
Freddie Montero scored a goal - the game winn
<< Jeter passes Ruth on hits list; Yankees rough up Beckett
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Jeter punctuated a five-run fifth inning
with a two-run double and the Yankees received a quality performance from
emergency starter Dustin Moseley, as New York beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-2, in
the thi
<< Raiders sign QB Brennan
Napa, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Raiders added depth to the quarterback
position on Sunday by signing former Hawaii standout Colt Brennan.
Due to nagging injuries to Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye, there's a chance
Brennan could
<< Cowboys top Bengals in Hall of Fame Game
Canton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Romo connected on half of his passes during
his lone offensive series and the Dallas Cowboys kicked off the preseason with
a 16-7 win over Cincinnati in the annual Hall of Fame Game.
Both starting quarterb
Cards hope Carpenter can slice into Reds' NL Central lead >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cardinals trail the Reds by two games for first place
in the National League Central. They have to feel good about their chances of
cutting that deficit in half tonight with Chris Carpenter slated to pitch
tonight's open
Athletics open series with hosting Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's still over a month of baseball left and nobody
knows that more than the Oakland Athletics.
The A's are still alive in the playoff hunt and will hit the road for six
games starting with Monday's opener of a three-ga
Giants return home to face Cubs, Zambrano >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants have to be elated to see the
Chicago Cubs in the Bay area after the tumultuous road trip they just had. The
playoff-hopeful Giants look to get back on track Monday night in the opener of
a four-game s
Saints visit the White House >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints were guests of
President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday.
Saints owner Tom Benson, head coach Sean Payton and other members of last
year's Super Bowl champions w
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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