11/17/2008 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham is likely done for the season with a right ankle injury suffered in Sunday's 19-13 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Bucs head coach Jon Gruden addressed the injury in a Monday press conference.
"Graham's ankle looks to be a serious injury and his status for the rest of the season is very much in question," Gruden said. "His season could be in jeopardy right now. I'm just very disappointed for our guy. He's done so much for us here. he's a key reason why we are where we are."
The five-year veteran was hurt on his first carry of the game and had to be helped to the sideline. After being attended to by trainers, he was taken to the locker room for further examination. He had also been nursing a knee injury in the week leading up to the game.
"He just landed awkwardly in a pile and it's unfortunate," Gruden added.
The injury means former first-round draft pick Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who was activated off the physically unable to perform list early last week, will most likely see extended time at the running back position.
Williams has not played an NFL game since September 30, 2007 when he suffered a torn patellar tendon in a contest against Carolina. He returned to practice late last month after an arduous recovery and rehab.
To make room for Williams on the active roster, the Bucs released running back Michael Bennett last week. He was quickly claimed by the San Diego Chargers.
"I don't live in hindsight," Gruden said, addressing the sudden need for another back. "You've got an injury -- you've got to respond to it. We'll bring in some other backs that we like."
Graham and Warrick Dunn had split the running back duties to this point. Graham leads the team with 563 yards and four touchdowns, while Dunn has chipped in 476 yards and one score. Both are averaging more than four yards per carry.
<< This Week in Golf - November 18th through November 23rd
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LPGA TOUR - ADT CHAMPIONSHIP, Trump
International Golf Club, West Palm Beach, Florida - This week's ADT
Championship marks the end of a season -- and, more importantly perhaps, the
possibl
<< Drogba admits FA charge, faces suspension
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has admitted
a charge of violent conduct relating to the coin-throwing incident during last
week's Carling Cup defeat by Burnley.
The Ivory Coast striker was charged by
<< FCS weekly honors go to Gowins, Barnes, Parent and Warner
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edwin Gowins, Ryan Barnes, Matt Parent and
Larry Warner have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines's FCS national players of the
week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Edwin Gowins, Stony Brook, 5-10, 220, Freshman
<< Falcons' Dubnyk named AHL Player of the Week
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Springfield Falcons goaltender Devan
Dubnyk has been named the American Hockey League Player of the Week for the
period ending on Sunday, it was announced on Monday.
In three starts this week, Du
Runners-up Harrington and Els get bump in rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els got bumps
in the world rankings this week after they tied for second place behind Jeev
Milkha Singh at the Singapore Masters on Sunday.
Tiger Woods remained No. 1, of c
Pro Bowl safety John Lynch retires >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro Bowl safety John Lynch announced his
retirement at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls at the safety position during his 15-year
career with Tampa Bay and Denver.
Guy out as Utah State head coach >>
Logan, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah State head football coach Brent Guy will
not return to the team next year.
Athletic director Scott Barnes announced Monday that Guy will step down
effective the end of the current season.
The
Falcons exchange wingers with Stockton >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Springfield Falcons recalled left
winger Bryan Lerg from their ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder, and sent
right winger Colin McDonald down, the American Hockey League club announced on
Monday.
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 sportsbook 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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