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In a NFL preseason game characterized by rainy weather, sloppy field conditions and a quick exit for both teams starters, the Miami Dolphins outlasted their in-state rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars by a 12-9 score. Only one touchdown was scored in the game, which was a battle of field goal kickers until the third quarter. Miamis game winning score came on a 33 yard touchdown strike from Chad Henne to tight end Ernest Wilford.

Miami’s Ernest Wilford recently converted to tight end from wide receiver, and gave the football an emphatic spike after his game winning touchdown reception:

“There’s a sense of urgency for me. I want to play well this year. It’s a good start. That was a lot of frustration right there. I didn’t play that much last year, so I had to let it out.”

Dolphins QB Henne, who is being groomed as the heir apparent to starter Chad Pennington, was happy with his performance in his first action of the preseason:

“Overall I thought I played pretty well. I got some points on the board and had us moving.”

Jacksonville QB David Garrard gave a by the book assessment of his teams opening game performance:

“We have to get better at some of the protection issues. I have to make sure I get everybody lined up in the right spots.”

Newly acquired Jaguars wide receiver Tory Holt was happy with his only reception of the game:

“I had been anticipating this day for a long time. I enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun. I am looking forward to many more.”

Despite not scoring a touchdown, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio was generally upbeat about his teams effort:

“We are going to be physical up front. I liked what we did up front.”

The most heated battle for a starting spot was between the Dolphins placekickers. Current PK Dan Carpenter made a 48 yard fieldgoal and a PAT, while his challenger Connor Barth hit a 28 yard FG.

Jacksonville will host their other NFL rival from the state of Florida on Saturday as they welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town. Miami will remain at home as they take on the Carolina Panthers.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The NFL preseason got underway on Saturday with the annual Hall of Fame Game, and the Tennessee Titans earned the victory as they built a 21-3 first half lead before holding off a late Buffalo Bills comeback to prevail 21-18. The Titans offense looked sharp in the first half, while the Bills never really got anything going in their offensive efforts. Buffalo didn’t score an offensive touchdown, and thats not going to get it done in the NFL regular season.

Tennessee starting QB Kerry Collins and backup Vince Young both looked sharp as they combined to lead the Titans offense to three first half touchdowns. Collins, who signed a two year $15 million contract during the NFL off season, sounded optimistic about his teams prospects this year based on the opening game results:

“I’m encouraged. It doesn’t take as long to get ready, but I’ll take advantage of the work I’m going to get.”

Young struggled early and after the game admitted that getting back in the groove was just the nature of the beast in the NFL preseason:

“It happens, man. I know everybody wants me to go out and be perfect, but it’s not happening like that. You can’t just jump into it.”

The only memorable offensive production for Buffalo came courtesy of Terrell Owens. T.O. was only on the field for one possession, but had two catches for 27 yards from Trent Edwards. After the game, Owens shrugged off talk of it being a statement:

“It was just what was open, Trent saw it and threw it to me. Whether or not it was a statement remains to be seen. I feel comfortable with the offense. I like it in Buffalo, but we all have a lot of work to do.”

Bills QB Edwards focused on the positives he saw in his team’s opening offensive series:

“We can build off that one opening series. Preseason is about getting comfortable. You make mistakes, then work on them. But you can take a good drive like that and go with it, too.”

The NFL preseason continues for both teams this weekend. Buffalo will play host to the Chicago Bears while the Titans will play a home game against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

Despite losing to the New Orleans Saints in their NFL preseason opener 17-7, the Cincinnati Bengals had a lot to be happy about. Most significantly, they were elated over the return of QB Carson Palmer after he’d missed most of the last NFL season with an elbow injury. His return elated the city of Cincinnati, which led to mass celebration in the streets that their NFL football franchise once again had a serviceable quarterback.

New Orleans had their share of offensive highlights, with QB Drew Brees hooking up with tight end Jeremy Shockey for three completions including Shockey’s first touchdown reception in a Saints uniform. It was a harbinger of things to come, as Shockey would later catch a touchdown pass in the Saints’ remarkable Superbowl victory over the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts. Many suggest that Bayou ‘root doctors’ have more to do with the win than the team’s actual play.

Saints fans were well aware that their QB would produce after hanging over 5,000 yards on the board last year, but Palmers return brought a sigh of relief from Bengal backers. Palmer missed 12 games last season because of a partially torn ligament and tendon in his passing elbow. His passing highlight was a 55 yard play to Chad Ochocinco.

After Shockeys TD staked the Saints to a 7-0 lead, the Bengals tied the game before halftime when Palmers backup J.T. O’Sullivan hit Chris Henry on a 14 yard touchdown pass.

The Bengals will continue their NFL preseason this Thursday as they travel to Foxboro, Massachusetts for a game against the New England Patriots. The Saints will also play away from home, heading over to Houston for a game against the Texans on Saturday. Both teams will kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday, September 13th with the Bengals hosting the Denver Broncos and the Saints welcoming the Detroit Lions to New Orleans.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

After a horrible NFL preseason, the Denver Broncos have actually looked pretty good since starting the 2009 regular season campaign. On Sunday, the Broncos used a tough defense and QB Kyle Ortons efficient and mistake free play to top the Cleveland Browns 27-6. The Broncos also had a productive running game, and outgained the Browns by a margin of 449 yards to 200.

Individuals with an interest in playing a bet on NFL football were rewarded by backing Denver as -3 home favorites, and the Broncos easily covered the pointspread. The Broncos are now 2-0 both straight up and to the number, while the Browns dropped to 0-2 straight up and against the spread. The 33 combined points went UNDER the total of 39.

Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil led the effort with four sacks in one half, tying a Denver franchise record. Veteran linebacker Andrea Davis marveled at his dubiously named teammates performance:

“Man, that was amazing. You don’t see a guy get four sacks in one half. He really turned it on.”

Dumervil maintained that hes still not 100% comfortable in the Broncos new 3-4 defensive scheme:

“Yeah, I guess I’m a linebacker now. It’s fun, though. I get to play linebacker and I still get to do what I love — rush the passer. I’ve found my niche. … It makes me a complete player.”

Denver coach Josh McDaniels added his praise for Dumervil:

“You are reaching for him but he can get his hands on you first and he’s got leverage and he can get underneath you and just push you back to the quarterback. His skills set is pretty much alone in this league.”

Browns coach Eric Mangini dismissed suggestions that hed consider changing his starting QB, saying that he was looking for improvement throughout the entire team:

What I’m looking to do is play better across the board. The offense had nothing to do with the two long defensive plays. That’s a risk you take when you blitz.”

The Browns have scored only one touchdown in their last 33 quarters of football, while Denver has allowed only one touchdown so far this season.

Cleveland will face another tough defense on the road this weekend, heading to Baltimore for a game against the Ravens. The Browns are a +13 road underdog in that contest, with the total set at 38. Theyll return home to play in-state rival Cincinnati the following Sunday before traveling to upstate New York to face the Buffalo Bills on October 11th. Denver will play at Oakland this week, with the Broncos installed as -1 road favorites and the total set at 36.

Ross Everett is a widely published freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and sports handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel missed the first game of the NFL regular season, and his status remains questionable for the teams second game of the year against the Oakland Raiders. Although he appeared to be running more briskly and favoring his knee less in practice this week, Chiefs coach Todd Haley maintains that hes still a game time decision. In addition to playing without their starting quarterback, Kansas City is woefully lacking in playmaking wide receivers.

The bright spot in all of his misery was the play of Brodie Croyle in the opening week loss to Baltimore. Croyle completed 16 of 24 passes for 177 yards and two TDs against the fearsome Ravens defense. Still, Haley is anxious to get his #1 quarterback in the lineup and says that Cassel is working hard to make that a reality:

“Matt is doing everything he can to be ready. I would hope I would know a little sooner this week, although right now I can’t give a definitive answer. But the player’s doing everything he can to be ready, which generally helps speed the healing process.”

Haley also spoke of the teams struggles at the wide receiver position:

“We’re looking and digging all the time. If there’s somebody out there we think makes us better, we’re going to do what’s necessary to get that done. I’m looking for guys that do it the way we want it done. Talent is the great separator. There may be some guys who are doing everything the way we want it done, but maybe they’re just not good enough. Then there’s some guys who potentially can be really good, but they’re not doing it the way we want it done.

“I want physical receivers just like I want physical players at every other position and guys that help block in the run game and are football players, not just pass-catchers.”

That comment was a thinly veiled reference to the teams top receiver, Dwayne Bowe, who was demoted to third string in the preseason.

Cassel, who has improved over the course of the week, commended his backup on his performance:

“I think Brodie played the type of game he had to play to give us a chance to win.

After facing the Raiders on Sunday, the Chiefs face a pair of tough NFC East opponents as they take on the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles in successive weeks. Several reports suggest that Haley is now weighing his options and trying to decide whether Cassel would benefit more from an extra week of rehab or getting a game under his belt.

Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, casino gambling and NFL football handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, falconry and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has long been one of the United States most polarizing media figures. He may soon become one of the National Football Leagues most controversial owners. On Tuesday, Limbaugh announced that he is teaming up with David Checketts to make a bid to purchase the struggling NFL team. The Rams are a pitiful 5-31 since 2007 and are currently mired in a league high 14 game losing streak.

Limbaugh issued a statement that was short on details due to various confidentiality agreements, but made clear his intention to purchase the football team:

“Dave Checketts and I have made a bid to buy the Rams and we are continuing the process.”

The statement didnt place a value on the Limbaugh/Checketts bid, nor did it specify any other individuals whod be involved in the bid. He did specify that he and Checketts would be responsible for the operation of the team. Forbes Magazine has estimated the value of the franchise at just over $900 million.

The team is currently owned by the estate of Georgia Frontiere, specifically her children Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez who inherited 60% of the team upon her death in 2008. The remaining 40% is owned by Stan Kroenke.

A statement issued by the Frontiere estate revealed very little additional information:

“Our strategic review of our ownership of the Rams continues. We will make an announcement upon the completion of the process.”

Checketts and the National Football League both declined comment.

Limbaugh is a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri and an avid sports fan. He once worked in a sales capacity for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and had a short stint as a studio analyst on Monday Night Football.

The rumor of the sale has raised concern in St. Louis. The city has already lost one NFL team, when the Cardinals moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1987. The NFL passed over St. Louis for an expansion franchise in 1993, awarding it instead to Jacksonville, Florida. In 1995, Frontiere”a St. Louis native”was persuaded to move the team back to her hometown. There is a clause in the Rams lease that would allow the team to relocate without penalty as soon as 2014 if their current home at the Edward Jones Dome is not deemed to be one of the top 25% of NFL stadiums.

Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on baseball betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.