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03/12/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers announced the signing of free agent cornerback Donald Strickland to a two-year contract on Friday.
Strickland, 29, saw his playing time diminish with the New York Jets last season, appearing in 11 games with only two starts. He finished the year with 25 tackles, two sacks and four passes defensed.
The seven-year veteran has also spent time in Indianapolis (2003-05), Philadelphia (2005) and San Francisco (2006-08).
In 58 career games -- 24 starts -- Strickland has compiled 185 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and 20 passes defensed.
<< Prospal, Rangers down sliding Thrashers
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vinny Prospal had two goals and an assist as
the New York Rangers took a 5-2 decision over the Atlanta Thrashers in a
battle between playoff contenders.
Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists while
<< Collins, Kansas blow past Texas A&M in second half
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 26 points and dished
out six assists, and top-ranked Kansas used a big run late in the second half
to post a 79-66 victory over No. 23 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the Big 12
Tou
<< Kovalchuk, Devils clip Pens to tighten Atlantic race
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk posted a goal and two assists and
Martin Brodeur stopped 34 shots as New Jersey clipped Pittsburgh, 3-1, at
Prudential Center.
Patrik Elias and Andy Greene also scored for the Devils, who hav
<< Georgia Tech downs Maryland to reach ACC semis, boost resume
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iman Shumpert scored 14 points and handed
out four assists to help Georgia Tech fend off 19th-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in
the quarterfinals of the 2010 ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.
The Yellow Ja
Harding solid as Wild escape Sabres >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Harding stopped a season-high 43 shots, as
Minnesota escaped from Buffalo with a 3-2 win at HSBC Arena.
Andrew Ebbett, Andrew Brunette and Guillaume Latendresse lit the lamp for the
Wild, who halted a fou
Durant sets franchise mark, Thunder slide by Nets >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant poured in 32 points and
pulled down 12 rebounds, as the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the lowly New
Jersey Nets, 104-102.
Durant's 30-point game was his 36th this season, breaking
Anthony leads Nuggets over Hornets >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carmelo Anthony put up 32 points to go with
12 rebounds, and Denver pulled away late for a 102-95 win over New Orleans.
Chauncey Billups recorded 21 points and seven assists for the Northwest
Divisio
Memphis downs struggling Knicks >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Randolph had 24 points and 11 rebounds, as
the Memphis Grizzlies held on to take a 119-112 victory over the New York
Knicks.
O.J. Mayo had 22 points and Rudy Gay provided 20 for Memphis, which led by
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 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.
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