Foster emerges as top back for Texans
Football Betting Lines
08/31/2010 -
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston running back Arian Foster wants to get one of his offensive linemen into the Pro Bowl. He certainly wouldn't turn down an invitation for himself.
Foster has emerged as Houston's top running back at training camp. That's a hopeful sign for a team that ranked 30th in the league in the category last season (92.2 yards per game).
Foster capped an impressive training camp with an 18-carry, 110-yard performance against Dallas on Saturday. He's secured the starting job heading into Thursday's preseason finale against Tampa Bay, a remarkable accomplishment after he went undrafted last spring and spent most of last season on Houston's practice squad.
The 6-foot-1, 227-pound Foster rushed for 2,964 yards in four seasons at Tennessee, second on the school's career list. He could've jumped to the NFL after his junior season, but opted to stay in school, a decision he now regrets.
The Vols went 5-7 in 2008, Foster rushed for only 570 yards and his draft stock slipped.
He was invited to play in the Senior Bowl after the season, but pulled a hamstring in the final practice before the game. Foster missed the NFL combine, and couldn't recover in time to impress scouts before the 2009 draft.
He spent the weekend of the draft in Arizona with family and friends, playing cards and golf while the teams made their picks. When he wasn't chosen, Foster virtually gave up hope he would ever play in the NFL.
``Initially, I was just distraught,'' he said. ``As a little kid, you just want to get your name called. That's what you dream about. That didn't happen, so I basically thought that my career was over. I really didn't know anything about the undrafted free agent process. I thought I was done.''
But teams did start calling, and the Texans saw enough potential to sign him.
``We saw a lot of talent in college,'' coach Gary Kubiak said. ``There was some knocks (on him) coming out that were keeping him from being a drafted player. We took a chance on him, and we battled him last year with some of those knocks, and he's kind of grown up.''
Kubiak encouraged the rookies before training camp began, but Foster's new teammates weren't so supportive in the locker room.
``When I first started coming in here, you could feel the looks like, 'Oh, he's going to be gone.''' Foster said. ``You could just feel it. They might not mean it intentionally, but they say it with their eyes. You could see it, you could feel it.''
Foster injured his other hamstring at camp, and was demoted to the practice squad. He tried to impress coaches with his work ethic throughout the season, but worried every day that he'd be cut by the following week.
``You're always doubting because on the practice squad, it's like you're expendable, very expendable,'' he said. ``If they need somebody, and they need room, you're the first to go. That's hard living like that. It's tough, but you try to make it so they don't want to let you go.''
While Foster quietly worked, Houston unsuccessfully searched for a dependable running back. Ryan Moats and Chris Brown fizzled, and Steve Slaton, who led all rookie rushers in 2008, fumbled too much the next season and missed the last five games with a neck injury.
The Texans finally turned to Foster, who ran for 218 yards in Houston's final two games, both victories.
``When the opportunity came,'' he said, ``I made the most of it.''
Foster said that he's got something to prove to every team that snubbed him in last year's draft. Undrafted free agents rarely make it in the NFL, but Foster is proud to live up to the tattoo on his left biceps that reads, ``Against All Odds.''
``I've been told that I shouldn't accomplish anything that I have in my life,'' he said. ``I wasn't supposed to go to college, I wasn't supposed to play on varsity in high school. I definitely wasn't supposed to go to the NFL, I definitely wasn't supposed to start.
``I wasn't supposed to make any noise,'' he said. ``Now, it's that I'm not going to play for very long. I like hurdles, man. They define you.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
RENTON, Wash. (AP) - One week left in the preseason and Pete Carroll still doesn't have an answer for Seattle's stumbling run game.Carroll doesn't need one back to emerge from his group of three competing for playing time. He just wants to see somet
<< Cardinals activate P Motte
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals activated reliever
Jason Motte from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
He had been on the list since August 4 due to an AC sprain of his right
shoulder.
Motte has excelled
<< Nats use homers to down Florida
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn both clubbed a
three-run homer, as the Washington Nationals outlasted the weather to beat
Florida, 9-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium.
Dunn added
<< Angels use long ball to down Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Bourjos, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui
all homered in the sixth inning and Ervin Santana was solid through 7 2/3
innings as Los Angeles downed Seattle, 5-3, to open a three-game divisional
set at
<< Rockies score two in ninth to stun Giants
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez tripled home the tying
run in the top of the ninth inning and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing
error, as the Colorado Rockies rallied past San Francisco, 2-1, in the opener
of a th
ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson says nine carries in the preseason is enough to get ready for the season.The Pro Bowler said he didn't want to play Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Then came the long, rumbling
ECU's McNeill embraces challenge of 1st game week >>
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -The smoke will billow near East Carolina's locker room, the pyrotechnics will sparkle and they'll blast Jimi Hendrix's ``Purple Haze'' over the speakers.Then, for the first time, Ruffin McNeill will lead the Pirates onto the f
Ho hum. It's business as usual for No. 1 Tide >>
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Nick Saban didn't so much as raise his voice. The trademark scowl never made even a cameo appearance.Sure seems as if No. 1 Alabama's top ranking and elephant-sized expectations are becoming the status quo around here, judging
2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 31st >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Group C: Russia 34, Ivory Coast 30 (Ankara)
Halftime - Group D; New Zealand 51, Lebanon 32 (Izmir)
Group C: Puerto Rico vs. China, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: France vs. Canada, 11:30 a.m. (Izmir)
Gro
Surging Rockies try to take down Giants once again >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies are up to their old tricks again.
Known for late-season surges, the Rockies appear to be headed in that
direction and will try to stay hot Tuesday in the second installment of a
three-game series again
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
Stanley Cup Odds
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook that aims to keep betting fun. The company sees itself as a premier provider of a top-shelf gambling entertainment experience. MySportsbook knows that this can not be accomplished if gamblers are struggling through the betting process, so the emphasis is put on simplicity and ease of use.
Established in 1997, MySportsbook was the first sportsbook to offer the Instant eCheck method, and has since continued on to be one of the most innovate and fastest growing internet sportsbooks the industry has seen. A player doesn’t have to look very far before coming across one of the many sportsbooks that have cloned MySportsbook’s written policies, web pages and advertising campaign, hoping to bottle some of MySportsbook’s magic.
Although MySportsbook’s growth is largely attributed to their talented in-house marketing team, every successful bookmaker will agree that bringing the players in is only half of the battle. In a time when most internet sportsbook were nickel-and-diming players, MySportsbook was creating ways to make bonuses automatic and absent of fine print, while offering all payouts free of charge. This sportsbook also accepts Visa & Mastercard sportsbook.
Almost everything on the online sportsbook site is set in the model of simplicity, making the CS clerk’s job easy as well. Each account action made online results in an automated email sent to the client. When calling MySportsbook, the player feels as if his call is in the united states as no accents can be heard through a state of the art telecommunications system. Few online sportsbooks can compete with My Sportsbook when it comes to offering a fun and hassle-free experience to the small to moderate sized gambler.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.