10/07/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Its beginning to look more and more like 2003 for the Carolina Panthers. The teams 4-1 start is its best since that magical season five years ago, when the Panthers won their first five games and eventually came within a whisker of defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Muhsin Muhammad was a highly-valued contributor to that 2003 squad, and the veteran wide receiver was an even bigger part of Carolinas offense the following year, when he established career bests of 1,405 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. The 2004 campaign would also be Muhammads last as a Panther, with the Midwest native bolting for Chicago as a free agent following a decorated nine-year career with the Cats.
After three relatively unproductive years with the Bears, Muhammad is back with his original team and thriving in his return. Through the first five games of 2008, the now 35-year-old has racked up team-highs of 25 receptions and 358 yards and is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season in four years. Muhammad showed hes still got plenty left in the tank with an eight-catch, 147-yard outburst in Carolinas 24-9 victory over Atlanta in Week 4. The Panthers all-time leading receiver backed that effort up with a 47-yard touchdown connection with quarterback Jake Delhomme during last Sundays 34-0 home rout of the wayward Kansas City Chiefs. The reception was Muhammads longest gain since 2004.
"Moose, he never lost it," cornerback Ken Lucas remarked after the Atlanta win. "Its just someones opinion, saying he lost a step when he was playing for another team. Its just about getting a chance, and Jake has given him a chance and the Carolina Panthers have given him a chance by bringing him back, and hes shown his promise out there this year." Muhammad, who finished with 71 yards on three grabs against Kansas City, played more of a supporting role in Sundays win. The star of the show was running back DeAngelo Williams, who torched the overmatched Chiefs for 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding a 25-yard score on a short pass from Delhomme.
The Panthers amassed 205 yards on the ground what turned out to be the most lopsided victory in team history, bettering a 44-11 dismantling of Atlanta in the 2005 regular-season finale. That gaudy yardage total also came without the services of both regular offensive tackles, as both left-side starter Jordan Gross (concussion) and rookie Jeff Otah (ankle) missed the game due to injury. Fourth-year pro Frank Omiyale made his first career start in place of Gross, with veteran Jeremy Bridges filling in for Otah.
In other team injury news, wide receiver D.J. Hackett hurt his knee on the games opening kickoff and did not return. His status for this weeks matchup at division-rival Tampa Bay has yet to be determined.
NEXT UP: The Panthers, now alone atop the NFC South following Tampa Bays loss to Denver over the weekend, will attempt to stay there after Sundays showdown with the defending division champion Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Carolina has beaten the Bucs five straight times in Tampa, including a 31-23 decision in Week 17 of last season.
ATLANTA: The Falcons continue to make excellent progress in year one of the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan era, as evidenced by the young squads gritty 27-24 triumph over reigning NFC North champ Green Bay in Lambeau Field. Atlanta had lost its first two road tests of the season, with both coming at the hands of fellow division members Carolina and Tampa Bay by identical 24-9 scores, and had dropped five in a row as the visitor dating back to last season.
The Falcons appeared to be possibly headed towards another road loss after the Packers scored 10 unanswered points in the second half to tie the contest at 17-17. Instead, the team responded with a couple of big plays from its special teams and defense to reclaim the lead for good.
After Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered a 25-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings to knot the score early in the fourth quarter, Falcons running back Jerious Norwood returned the ensuing kickoff 54 yards to help set up Jason Elams go-ahead field goal with 7:19 to play. Less than three minutes later, Rodgers was intercepted by Michael Boley deep in Packers territory, with the pick leading to a Michael Turner touchdown run that gave Atlanta a cushy 27-17 advantage.
Turner ended with 121 rushing yards on 26 carries and has now averaged better than 148 yards in Atlantas three victories this year. Ryan came through with an effective day as well, as the rookie signal-caller completed 16-of-26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Most of his throws went in the direction of standout receiver Roddy White, who burned Green Bays injury-plagued secondary for 132 yards and a score on eight catches.
The Falcons improved to 3-2 under first-year head coach Smith with Sundays performance and are now just one win shy of matching their entire victory total of last season.
NEXT UP: Atlanta will try to get that next win at the expense of the Chicago Bears, who visit the Georgia Dome this Sunday for a battle between surprising clubs. The Bears are also off to a 3-2 start and will bring a two-game win streak into this Week 6 tilt after this past Sundays 34-7 pasting of Detroit in the Motor City. The Falcons are 2-0 at home so far this year, having outscored the Lions and Chiefs by a combined 72-35 count.
NEW ORLEANS: For the second time in three weeks, the Saints dominated their opponent statistically but still came up short on the scoreboard because of a myriad of mistakes.
New Orleans committed three costly first-half turnovers that were converted into 10 Minnesota points during Monday nights 30-27 loss to the Vikings at the Superdome. Seven more points came courtesy of a blocked field goal attempt in the first quarter that Minnesotas Antoine Winfield returned 59 yards for a touchdown.
The Saints outgained the Vikings by a 251-120 advantage in total yards for the first half, but went into the break trailing 20-10 as a result of all their miscues. The club was also penalized eight times for 50 yards over the initial two quarters.
"Simply put, there were too many penalties and too many turnovers and they came back to get haunt in the end," said Saints head coach Sean Payton. "You can't win football games by shooting yourself in the foot like we did."
The loss was eerily similar to a 34-32 setback in Denver during Week 3, in which New Orleans piled up 502 yards of total offense but was done in by critical errors at crucial times.
Mondays disappointing defeat also overshadowed a tremendous individual performance from running back Reggie Bush, as well as the best showing of the season for New Orleans much-maligned defense.
Bush became the 12th player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in a single game, with the former Heisman trophy winner registering a 71-yard score in the third quarter and a 64-yarder early in the fourth that gave the Saints a short-lived 27-20 lead. The electrifying running back also added 64 receiving yards on a team-high seven catches on the night.
The defense, which entered the game having allowed a submissive 5.2 yards per rush and was missing rookie standout Sedrick Ellis (knee) along the interior line, managed to limit All-Pro back Adrian Peterson to a mere 32 yards on 21 carries on Monday. The second-year sensation didn't have a run longer than seven yards.
NEXT UP: The Saints, now residing alone at the bottom of the NFC South standings with a 2-3 record, hope to get back on track when the dysfunctional Oakland Raiders invade the Superdome this Sunday. Oakland is coming off an eventful bye week highlighted by the long-speculated firing of head coach Lane Kiffin. Tom Cable will make his debut as interim head coach for the 1-3 Raiders, who will be visiting New Orleans for the first time since the 2000 season.
TAMPA BAY: Whenever the Buccaneers lose a game, a quarterback controversy is sure to follow.
Tampa Bays 16-13 defeat at Denver on Sunday was headlined by a elbow injury suffered by Brian Griese, who replaced Jeff Garcia as the teams starting signal-caller after the latters shaky showing in a season-opening loss at New Orleans. Garcia took over under center after Griese was forced to the sidelines following a hard hit from blitzing Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey in the third quarter.
Neither quarterback was particularly effective on the afternoon. Griese completed 13-of-19 throws before exiting, but managed only 88 yards and failed to lead the Bucs into the end zone. Garcia was only slightly better, hitting on 13-of-17 passes for 93 yards and throwing a touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard in the closing minutes. He was also intercepted once.
With Grieses status for Sundays key clash with Carolina in question, Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden may now have a reason to play musical chairs with his quarterbacks once more. Although Tampa Bay won its first three starts with Griese at the helm, the well-traveled veteran had thrown six interceptions over the clubs previous two games and ranks near the bottom of the league with a 64.6 passer rating.
Tampa Bay also suffered a key injury on defense in Sundays loss, as middle linebacker and leading tackler Barrett Ruud sprained his right knee in the fourth quarter and is unlikely to suit up against the Panthers. Speedy wide receiver Joey Galloway sat out a third straight game due to a foot sprain, while valuable fullback B.J. Askew also missed the Denver game because of a torn hamstring.
Askew is expected to miss at least another week with his injury, but Gruden is hopeful that Galloway will be able to return for Sundays tilt.
NEXT UP: Tampa Bay begins a stretch of back-to-back home games with this weeks showdown with the Panthers, who currently hold a one-game lead on the Bucs in the division standings. Tampa will also host defending NFC West champion Seattle during its homestand. The Buccaneers are 2-0 at Raymond James Stadium so far this season, having posted a 24-9 win over Atlanta in Week 2 and a 30-21 triumph over Green Bay two weeks ago.
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"I ha
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
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