Sum greater than parts at Stephen F. Austin

NCAA Football Betting Lines

07/22/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach J.C. Harper attributes Stephen F. Austin's turnaround over the past few seasons to a belief in the system he established.

"We had a plan, stayed on task with the plan, and haven't gotten off of it," the 2009 Southland Conference Coach of the Year said.

"That system relies on contributions from every aspect of Stephen F. Austin's football program, from the coaching staff, to the recruiters, to the athletic department to the players on the field. Harper notes that he "recruited guys that fit the system."

The system is now bearing considerable fruit.

In the midst of the turnaround is senior quarterback Jeremy Moses. The 2010 Walter Payton Award nominee is a deserving symbol of the Lumberjacks' improvement. He was the 2009 conference co-player of the year and is on pace to become the Southland's all-time leader in completions, touchdown passes, passing yards and total offense. With Moses at the helm last season, the Lumberjacks finished first in the Southland in total offense (468.9 yards per game) and second in points scored (34.8 ppg).

Harper is quick to sing Moses' praises, but continues to stress his "total team effort" philosophy. "In football, it is easier to talk about the offense," Harper said.

Generally, this tends to be the case. Most fans prefer the glitz and glam of a flashy offensive over the grit and gristle of a stalwart defense. It's the bright lights that make the eyes gleam, and it's touchdowns that make the fans scream.

Studying Harper's pedigree, it is clear to see which side of the ball he comes down on. Before taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Harper spent the vast majority of his career scheming to stop players like Moses. After a two-year graduate assistantship with Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, in which he worked with the offense, Harper began his career with defensive line coaching positions at Southwest Missouri State and Western Michigan. He has served as defensive coordinator for Southwest Missouri State, Northwestern State, Western Michigan and Stephen F. Austin.

Not surprisingly then, Harper points to a defender when remarking on his team's strides.

In 2007, Harper's inaugural head coaching season, the Lumberjacks failed to win a game. Decimated by injury, the team lost five players on opening day, including their top three running backs. In all, they utilized 12 players at the position throughout the season, including then-freshman linebacker Jabara Williams. Harper remembers how in one game Williams started at both running back and linebacker, while also contributing on special teams.

"I remember telling Jabara, 'I promise I'm gonna get you on one side of the ball,'" Harper said.

Harper kept his promise. In 2008, as the Lumberjacks improved to 4-8, Williams led the Southland Conference in tackles and was named First-Team All- SLC at linebacker. In 2009, the Jacks went 10-3 and earned an FCS playoff berth, eventually advancing to the second round.

Harper touts the system and Williams has proved to be an essential system guy - an individual willing to sacrifice personal gain for the betterment of the team.

Now Williams is entering his senior season as a Buck Buchanan Award nominee. He heads a unit which in 2009 ranked second in the SLC in both total defense and points allowed.

Aside from Williams, Harper says defensive linemen Kenneth Charles, Jacob Fincher and Rainey Sternes are players pivotal to the team's success.

Charles is another system guy. Last year, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive end moved inside to tackle at Harper's request. Charles ended up earning Second-Team All-SLC honors.

Fincher, Harper hopes, is a defensive end capable of replacing departed playmaking lineman Tim Knickey. "He has shown it in practice, and is more powerful than Knicky," Harper said.

Sternes, a fifth-year senior, is expected to battle for a starting spot at defensive end.

Despite their varying status on the team, Harper considers all of these players pivotal - a potential defensive player of the year, a versatile all- conference performer, an unproven replacement and a fifth-year senior. It's a microcosm of "total team effort."

Harper's philosophy and the team's effort have proven to be effective. If patterns carry any weight, Stephen F. Austin should again prove to be an FCS playoff contender in 2010.

"We should know by our fifth game where we are at," Harper predicted. The Jacks open with tough games against Texas A&M, Albany, Northern Iowa and McNeese State.

Still, given his recent track record, it is safe to predict that Harper's team will be in a good place.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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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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