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08/27/2010 -
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Just two days ago, the only time Greg Camarillo figured to be spending in Minnesota was when his Miami Dolphins play here in September.
Now he lives here.
The Vikings acquired Camarillo in a trade on Wednesday for cornerback Benny Sapp. Minnesota is hoping the shifty slot receiver can help add depth to a group that is depleted with Sidney Rice's hip injury and Percy Harvin's migraines.
``It's hard,'' Camarillo said after a practice at the Metrodome on Thursday. ``It's incredibly difficult because South Florida was home. I've moved. I've left that behind. I'm just excited to be out here playing football.''
Camarillo was an unknown coming out of Stanford in 2006. He spent one season with San Diego before going to the Dolphins. Despite tearing an ACL in 2008, Camarillo has rebounded to catch 105 passes for 1,165 yards and two touchdowns in the past two seasons.
He was targeted 73 times last season and did not drop a pass, an impressive level of consistency that made him attractive to the Vikings, who have a dearth of proven producers at receiver.
``I've said it about a thousand times, a receiver by definition should receive,'' coach Brad Childress said. ``He's got A-plus hands. If you put a ball around him, he's got great 'pluck' characteristics.''
The Vikings sure need all the pluck they can get. Rice, who led the team in receiving and earned a Pro Bowl berth last season, will likely miss the first half of the season after having hip surgery on Monday.
Harvin, the reigning offensive rookie of the year, has only participated in six practices this preseason while struggling with migraines. He missed practice again on Thursday while having some more tests done and Childress said he will not play until doctors have cleared him.
The Vikings signed free agent Javon Walker on Tuesday, hoping the veteran can regain the form that made him a feared deep threat in his early days with Green Bay and Denver. Then they added Camarillo on Wednesday as insurance in case Harvin continues to miss time with his headaches.
Camarillo goes from catching passes from youngster Chad Henne to being on the receiving end of throws from Brett Favre in Minnesota.
``Been a fan of his since I was a little kid,'' said Camarillo, who was 9 years old when Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. ``One of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. What more as a receiver could you ask for than to come play with that type of quarterback? You have to elevate your game to match his game and he'll bring you along with him. It's a great opportunity.''
The Vikings have two more preseason games before opening the regular season on Sept. 9 in New Orleans. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time for Camarillo to learn a new offense and a new quarterback. So he doesn't expect to see much of the Twin Cities during the next month or so.
His head will be buried in a playbook cramming like he did for final exams at Stanford.
``It's going to take a while to figure that out, to see exactly where I fit in,'' he said. ``It's a powerful offense. I'm just trying to run my routes, catch the ball and find a spot.''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.
<< Liriano strong, Lee falters as Twins down Rangers
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francisco Liriano pitched seven innings to
win his sixth consecutive decision as the Twins pounded Cliff Lee early and
held off Texas, 6-4, to avoid a four-game sweep in a battle of division
leaders
<< Packers lay waste to Colts
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Rodgers threw for 195 yards and three
touchdowns, as Green Bay flexed its offensive muscle in a 59-24 rout of
Indianapolis at Lambeau Field.
Rodgers completed 21-of-29 passes to increase his p
<< Stakhovsky stuns Baghdatis to reach New Haven semifinals
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ninth-seeded Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky won
a pair of matches Thursday, including stunning top-seeded Cypriot Marcos
Baghdatis in three sets to reach the semifinals at the $750,000 Pilot Pen
Tennis
<< Jackson stellar again as Sox shut out Orioles
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edwin Jackson continued to shine in a White Sox
uniform, leading Chicago to an 8-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles in the
rubber match of a three-game series.
Jackson, acquired from Arizona at the trade dead
NY gov could face charge over World Series tickets >>
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. David Paterson could face a criminal charge over his testimony surrounding tickets he secured last year from the New York Yankees for the opening game of the World Series.The state's former chief judge, acting as a special c
Hurricanes get a surprise visit from LeBron >>
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - LeBron James went back to school Thursday, working out against the Miami Hurricanes.The NBA's two-time reigning MVP and some of his new Miami Heat teammates made a surprise stop at the university's basketball facility for s
FCS Season Preview: Pioneer Football League >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pioneer Football League might be
renamed the Parity Football League if its hierarchy of programs isn't
careful.
There's been a different champion in each of the last four seasons, from San
Diego in 20
Delaware, Pittsburgh announce 2014, '19 games >>
Newark, DE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Delaware and the University of
Pittsburgh have announced they will meet in non-league games during the 2014
and 2019 seasons.
The two teams have never met before in football.
Delaware's Foot
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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