Chicago Bears 2007 Draft Preview
Football Betting Lines
04/04/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Bears front seven was pushed around a fair amount in the latter stages of the 2007 season, so Chicago GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are likely to focus on that area on the first day of the draft. A replacement for disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs could come in the first round. Safety help should also be a priority for a team that has the oft-injured Mike Brown and Rams and Redskins failure Adam Archuleta on the current depth chart there. Offensively, there has been some lip service paid to allowing special teams ace Adrian Peterson back Cedric Benson at running back following the Thomas Jones trade, but it seems highly likely that Chicago will select a running back on the first day. Depth at wideout and along the offensive line will probably be among the second-day fare.
2006 Record: 13-3
First Pick: No. 31
Number of Selections: 7 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7)
RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2006 - none; 2005 - Cedric Benson (RB, Texas); 2004 - Tommie Harris (DT, Oklahoma); 2003 - Michael Haynes (DE, Penn State), Rex Grossman (QB, Florida); 2002 - Marc Colombo (OT, Boston College); 2001 - David Terrell (WR, Michigan); 2000 - Brian Urlacher (LB, New Mexico); 1999 - Cade McNown (QB, UCLA); 1998 - Curtis Enis (RB, Penn State); 1997 - none; 1996 - Walt Harris (CB, Mississippi State); 1995 - Rashaan Salaam (RB, Colorado); 1994 - John Thierry (DE, Alcorn State); 1993 - Curtis Conway (WR, Southern California); 1992 - Alonzo Spellman (DE, Ohio State); 1991 - Stan Thomas (OT, Texas); 1990 - Mark Carrier (S, Southern California).
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The performance of the Dallas secondary was beyond poor during the second half of last season, and the emphasis in drafting corners and/or safeties this year will likely be focused on their ability to cover more than hit. Ano
<< Ducks welcome rival Sharks to Honda Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will try for their fourth consecutive
victory tonight, when they welcome the rival San Jose Sharks to the Honda
Center.
The Ducks, Sharks and Dallas Stars have already clinched a playoff berth, but
are s
<< St. Louis Rams 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rams were extremely active in free agency, signing
arguably the top wide receiver on the market (Drew Bennett), a very good tight
end (Randy McMichael), serviceable linebacker (Chris Draft), two players with
potential to
<< Seattle Seahawks 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seahawks surrendered their first-round draft pick to
New England when they obtained Deion Branch via trade last September, and
expecting the team to add a potential starter at the No. 55 spot is probably a
bit of a stretc
<< Pirates target sweep in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will attempt to gain some early
control in the NL Central when they go for a series sweep of the Houston
Astros at Minute Maid Park.
For the second straight game, Pittsburgh beat up on Houston's bul
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona has long featured one of the weakest lines in the league, and with disappointing-yet-serviceable tackle Leonard Davis now a Cowboy, the Cardinals could be setting their sights on a player like Penn State's Levi Brown
Atlanta Falcons 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Falcons have multiple needs on defense, and with the
No. 8 overall pick (obtained in the Matt Schaub trade) could justify selecting
any of the following players - safeties LaRon Landry (LSU) and Reggie Nelson
(Florida), t
Green Bay Packers 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Ahman Green now a Houston Texan, the Packers have a
hole at running back that the franchise has not experienced heading into a
season since the pre-Edgar Bennett days. Head coach Mike McCarthy says he's
comfortable with
San Francisco 49ers 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Niners are in major need of a No. 1 receiver after
releasing Antonio Bryant, and might have to look long and hard at multi-
talented Ohio State standout Ted Ginn, Jr. There are also secondary needs,
though the signings of
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If he is still available at No. 4, there is no way the
Buccaneers can pass up Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. However, if
another team trades up to snatch Johnson with one of the first three picks, it
won't be the
SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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