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09/14/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cam Cameron and Trent Green will have a prime chance to win over their home fans on Sunday afternoon, when the new head coach and starting quarterback of the Miami Dolphins contend with the Dallas Cowboys in the Fins' home opener.
Cameron and Green have both endured a rocky start in South Beach, with both figures hearing catcalls before they ever took the field for a meaningful game.
The Dolphins' selection of wideout/return man Ted Ginn, Jr. over quarterback Brady Quinn in the April Draft led Cameron to hearing vociferous displeasure when he addressed the fan base following the pick, and the preseason play of Green didn't lend much credibility to Cameron's choice.
Green, who arrived from Kansas City in a trade during the offseason, was booed lustily after struggling in his first preseason home game as a Dolphin. The veteran posted a miserable 47.9 passer rating in the preseason, but was a sturdier 24-of-38 for 219 yards and a touchdown in last week's 16-13 overtime loss to the Redskins.
On Sunday, the coach and quarterback will try to steer Miami away from its third 0-2 start in the past four seasons.
Dallas comes into Week 2 a bit more relaxed than its opponent, as the Cowboys opened with a thrilling 45-35 win over the New York Giants last Sunday night.
Quarterback Tony Romo threw for a career-high 345 yards in the Dallas debut of head coach Wade Phillips, and the strong play of the offense helped wash away a defensive effort that was severely lacking for most of the night.
The Cowboys will on Sunday have an opportunity to start 2-0 for the first time since 1999, when they went on to finish 8-8 under head coach Chan Gailey.
SERIES HISTORY
Dallas has a 7-3 lead in its all-time series against Miami, but was a 40-21 home loser when the teams last met, in 2003. The Cowboys won the previous meeting, a 20-0 blanking of the Dolphins at Texas Stadium in 1999, and were 29-10 winners when they last met Miami on the road in 1996. The Fins are 2-1 in home games played in the series, with the wins coming in 1978 and 1984.
In addition to the regular season series, the clubs also met in Super Bowl VI from New Orleans, a 24-3 Dallas victory.
The most infamous game in the series came on a snowy Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium in 1993, when a blocked Miami field goal was needlessly touched and ultimately fumbled by Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett, leading the Dolphins to an unlikely 16-14 victory.
Phillips is 3-4 in his head coaching career against the Dolphins, with all of those games dating back to his tenure with the Bills (1998-2000) That record includes a 24-17 loss for Buffalo at Miami in a 1998 AFC Wild Card game. Cameron will be meeting both Phillips and the Cowboys for the first time as a head coach.
WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL
Dallas rolled up 478 yards of total offense in its opener against the Giants, faring well whether it chose to run or pass. Running backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber III combined for 131 yards on a total of 27 carries (4.9 yards per rush), and Barber punched in his first touchdown of 2007 in the second quarter. But the story of the night for Dallas was Romo, who completed 15- of-24 passes for 345 yards with four touchdowns and an interception while taking just one sack. Tight end Jason Witten had a big night, hauling in six balls for 116 yards and a score, and No. 1 wideout Terrell Owens caught three passes for 87 yards and a pair of TDs, all after halftime. With the status of Terry Glenn (knee) in doubt for the foreseeable future, Patrick Crayton (3 receptions, 51 yards) will continue to fill the role of No. 2 receiver for the Cowboys.
Miami's defense took a major hit in Week 1, as starting strong safety Yeremiah Bell was lost for the year with a ruptured Achilles sustained against the Redskins. In reaction, the Dolphins signed former Jaguars star Donovin Darius and ex-Titans starter Lamont Thompson, both of whom could play this week, to fill the void. Miami's secondary got interceptions from cornerbacks Renaldo Hill (2 tackles) and Travis Daniels (6 tackles) a week ago, but also allowed a career-high 162 receiving yards to Washington's Antwaan Randle El. The front seven was gutted by the Redskin running game, which piled up 191 ground yards, and a unit led by end Jason Taylor (5 tackles) and middle linebacker Zach Thomas (13 tackles) will have to do a better job in that area while facing Jones and Barber. Taylor and Thomas had Miami's only two sacks against Washington in Week 1. Outside linebacker Joey Porter (3 tackles), who missed all of the preseason with a knee injury, will make his home debut as a Dolphin on Sunday.
WHEN THE DOLPHINS HAVE THE BALL
Green's numbers were decent in Week 1, though 12 of his 24 completions in the loss went to running backs Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman. The veteran's favorite non-back target was wideout Chris Chambers, who caught six passes for 92 yards, while reserve tight end Justin Peelle caught Green's first TD pass as a Dolphin at the end of the first half. Ginn played only a minor role offensively, gaining seven yards on a reverse for his lone offensive touch. The running game struggled to find movement behind a young o-line, with both Brown (11 carries, 32 yards) and Chatman (7 carries, 15 yards) failing to do much of note in that area. The running back duo did make its 12 combined catches count for 88 yards, however. The Dolphin line was under fire for much of the day, but officially allowed just two sacks.
Though their offense carried the day, the Cowboys showed in Week 1 that they are a work in progress on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas allowed the Giants to rack up 438 yards on the night, and had no answer for New York wideout Plaxico Burress (8 receptions, 144 yards, 3 TD) or former third-string running back Derrick Ward (13 carries, 89 yards). The beleaguered secondary could get a break if cornerback Terence Newman (foot) is able to return this week. If not, Jacques Reeves (3 tackles, 1 INT) will continue to get a lot of work opposite Anthony Henry (7 tackles). Safety Roy Williams led the Cowboys with eight tackles in Week 1, but remains a major coverage liability. In the front seven, where Dallas gave up 124 yards on the ground last week, Dallas will have to begin life without nose tackle Jason Ferguson (torn biceps), who is out for the year. Ferguson's backup, Jay Ratliff, had the Cowboys' only sack versus New York. Linebackers Bradie James and Akin Ayodele turned in seven tackles each in the win.
FANTASY FOCUS
After their performance against the Giants, most members of the Dallas offense will merit a start in Week 2. Romo, Witten, Owens, and the two running backs should all be fantasy starters at present, though the same certainly can't be said for the Cowboys defense. That said, there's really nobody on the Miami offense that can be counted on from a fantasy standpoint, though Chambers looks like he's going to be something of a reliable play. Kicker Jay Feely, who had a couple of field goals last week, might also warrant a look.
OVERALL ANALYSIS
The Dolphins tend to be a different team at home than they are on the road, but the fact that Miami played poorly in all aspects means you can't necessarily expect them to bounce back quickly with a win. Romo won't light up the Miami defense like he did the Giants, but should be able to make enough plays to keep Dallas' collective head above the waves. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will continue to struggle offensively behind a line that is still paper-thin, and will contribute enough mistakes to the proceedings to end the day at 0-2.
Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 24, Dolphins 16
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In 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.
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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