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Missed opportunities cost ColtsFootball Betting Lines02/08/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning was one quarter away from capturing his second Super Bowl title in four years, but the four-time league MVP didn't get enough support from his teammates, and in the end a costly interception proved part of the downfall for the Indianapolis Colts. Four years ago, Manning reached the summit by leading the Colts over Chicago in Miami to win the Super Bowl. Same stadium, same game, different result against a team that was destiny's pick - the New Orleans Saints. Manning threw an interception that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Tracy Porter late in the fourth quarter to seal New Orleans' 31-17 win in Super Bowl XLIV. "I don't think it will have any bearing on his legacy," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said of the interception. "Obviously, he's a great player. It never comes down to just one single play in the game." For everything that went right for the Colts in the first quarter, periods two and four were the complete opposite. The Colts dominated the opening quarter, outgaining the Saints in yardage, 154-36. The Saints ran just 10 offensive plays in the period, but the Colts had just six in the second quarter. Indy was outgained 143-15 in the second quarter, but still maintained a 10-6 lead. The turning point of the game though came on the opening play of the second half when rookie kicker Thomas Morstead, actually the Saints' punter, put down a perfect onside kick. Colts wide receiver Hank Baskett was in position to come up with the ball, but it squirted away and New Orleans' Jonathan Casillas came away with the football. The Saints scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, part of a 31-7 surge in points to end the game for New Orleans in that franchise's first Super Bowl title. "They kind of kept the momentum from there," Manning said. "We just didn't play well enough in certain times and in certain phases." Manning finished 31-of-45 for 333 yards with a TD pass to Pierre Garcon to cap a 96-yard drive in the opening quarter. The Colts had their opportunities, but they never got a sustained pass rush and one dropped pass in particular hurt their chances. Dwight Freeney started for the Colts despite playing with a torn ligament in his right ankle. He had a one-handed sack of Saints quarterback Drew Brees in the second quarter, preventing a possible drive for a touchdown and limiting New Orleans to three points. Freeney had the ankle re-taped, but wasn't much of a factor in the second half. "I tried to figure out ways to keep it warm, keep it going," Freeney said. "The problem is once it gets stiff it's tough to bring it back." Joseph Addai was the catalyst on offense for Indianapolis. He had 13 rushes for 77 yards and a TD and caught seven passes for 58 yards. Already ahead 10-0 in the second quarter and facing a third down at their own 28, Garcon dropped a sure first-down catch with plenty of open space ahead. Even when they were up 17-16 early in the fourth, the Colts couldn't add to their lead as Matt Stover's 51-yard field goal hooked wide left. The Saints went ahead on the next possession when Brees connected with Jeremy Shockey for a two-yard TD pass. "They just made the plays," Colts offensive lineman Jeff Saturday said. "The bottom line is when the game was on the line they made the plays and we didn't."
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 millionIn the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree. And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so. Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal. So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them. Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.) The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money. As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached. The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs. In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season. Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done. And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting. So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year. There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve. So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal. And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million. There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.) Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft. Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey. Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year. So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs. MySportsbook.com is the Internet’s largest online sportsbook site serving customers in more than 80 countries worldwide. Founded in 1997, MySportsbook.com was the first sports book to introduce reduced margin wagering, using a -105 pricing model that gives bettors up to 50% better value on wagers than traditional bookmakers. With low minimum bet requirements and the highest maximum limits on the Web, MySportsbook.com has earned an industry leading reputation for providing consistent value to the player, professional customer service and the quickest payouts online. Fully licensed and regulated in Antigua and the UK, the company offers a secure environment for sports betting, horse racing and online casino games. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs. |
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