Jackson, Kampman and Gould earn NFC's weekly awards

Football Betting Lines

12/27/2006 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, Green Bay Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman and Chicago kicker Robbie Gould have been selected as the NFC's top players for Week 16 of the season.

Jackson earned the offensive award after racking up 252 yards from scrimmage with a pair of touchdowns in the Rams' 37-31 overtime win over Washington. He had 33 carries for 150 yards and caught six passes for 102 yards.

The Pro Bowl back's 64-yard touchdown reception pulled St. Louis within 28-21 in the third quarter and he scored the winning touchdown in overtime with a 21-yard run to help keep the Rams' playoff hopes alive. It was also his first career Player of the Week honor.

Kampman notched his second career defensive award -- and second of the season -- in Green Bay's 9-7 victory over Minnesota. He had a team-best seven tackles and tied his career high with three sacks to help the Packer defense hold the Vikings to just 104 total net yards as Green Bay kept its playoff hopes alive.

Gould drilled four field goals in Chicago's 26-21 win over Detroit to capture the special teams award for the second time. Three of his kicks came in the fourth quarter as the Bears rallied from a 21-17 deficit.

Other nominees for the offensive award included New Orleans running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister. Bush had a career-high 126 rushing yards with a touchdown and caught two passes for 23 yards in a 30-7 rout of the New York Giants, while McAllister ran for 108 yards with a score.

A pair of Eagles were also considered, as quarterback Jeff Garcia threw for 238 yards with one touchdown and running back Brian Westbrook carried 26 times for 122 yards in a 23-7 Christmas Day win over Dallas.

Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks was among those nominated for defensive honors after notching six tackles and a 21-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 22-7 win over Cleveland. Two other Bucs were considered, as safety Jermaine Phillips had seven tackles with a pair of interceptions and defensive tackle Greg Spires notched five tackles with two sacks.

Special teams consideration went to Packers kicker Dave Rayner, who accounted for all of Green Bay's nine points with three field goals, including the game- winner from 44 yards away with 1:34 remaining.

Rouelette Football Betting News

<< Stars' Morrow out indefinitely
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow will be out of action indefinitely following successful surgery Tuesday night to repair severed tendons in his right wrist, general manager Doug Armstrong said on Wednesd

<< Thornton leads West All-Star balloting
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton leads all Western Conference players in fan balloting for the NHL All-Star Game. Thornton has received 614,753 votes and has a lead of more than 70,000 votes on Anaheim d

<< Grizzlies are locked in the cellar
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies three-year playoff run is in serious jeopardy. They are a league-worst 6-23 and are six games behind the fourth place New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in the Northwest Division. The Griz

<< Wolves' numbers keep coming up
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Numerologists would have a field day with the 2006-07 Chicago Wolves, who continue to put up offensive numbers rarely seen during the American Hockey Leagues 71-year history. Chicago wrote another headline

<< Redskins place Springs on IR
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins have placed cornerback Shawn Springs on injured reserve because of a fractured shoulder blade. Springs, who suffered through an injury-filled 2006, was hurt in the first quarter of

Angels' Rivera has surgery for broken leg >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Juan Rivera underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a broken left leg. Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Michael Abrahams inserted a rod into Rivera's left tibia and screws

Braham set to call it quits >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Bengals center Rich Braham is apparently ready to call it a career. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis made the announcement at his Wednesday news conference. Braham suffered a knee injur

Buffalo extends Lindell >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo placekicker Rian Lindell signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Bills though the 2011 season. Since joining the Bills before the 2003 campaign, Lindell has connected on 83 percen

Vikings place Smoot on IR following car accident >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, five days after being involved in a single-car accident in his home state of Mississippi. Vikings head coach Brad Chi

Eagles' Sheppard and Lewis questionable for Falcons game >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard and strong safety Michael Lewis are both listed as questionable for Philadelphia's game against Atlanta this Sunday. Sheppard, who recorded three tackles and a ke

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.