...ect division for low-scoring games. With Steve Spurrier at the helm, they could never play this type of football -- they were too loose and gave up too many big plays. Now, in just one season under Joe Gibbs, the Skins have turned this defense into what many have been hoping it would blossom into for years. In '04 they were 7th in the league in pass defense (186.1 yd/gm) and amassed a solid 40 sacks (T-9th). With numbers like that, it would be natural to assume their run defense was suspect. Not so! In fact, it was quite the opposite, ranking 2nd in the league at just 81.5 yards per game, allowing league bests of 3.1 yards/carry and 76 total first downs on the ground! It's hard to score on a team with numbers like these. Perhaps that's why the Skins were 5th in the league in points against (16.6 per game) and tied for 4th in the league in total touchdowns against (30). Now, Spurrier would have thought this cake was finished cooking and let it simply cool by the window. However, Gibbs is a wise old man and decided to tinker with the icing a bit, drafting CB Carlos Rogers (Auburn) with the 9th pick in the draft and adding a couple of solid linebacking prospects with his 5rd and 6th round picks. Rogers has brought a nice little position battle to camp, which should raise the levels of play of all involved. This defense will by dangerous again this year and, perhaps, is worth your pick on fantasy draft day.

1. Buffalo Bills: Our top sleeper choice for fantasy defenses for the 2005 season has to be the Buffalo Bills. This team has all the ingredients, has passed the taste-test, and is ready for Betty Crocker's cookbook. Look at the numbers here. The Bills were 8th in the league allowing just 17.8 points per game in 2004. They allowed just 6 rushing touchdowns all season, good for 2nd in the league. Their passing defense was 3rd in the league at just 164.0 yards per game, totaling 45 sacks, good for third in the league. This well-rounded D was also 7th in the league against the run at 100.2 yards per game. Ok, now, sit down and brace yourself. Without much press, this Bills team grabbed a league best 39 turnovers! Only Carolina had more interceptions and only 3 teams recovered more fumbles. Overall, Buffalo allowed under 10 points 3 times last season and 20 or less points in 12 of their 16 contests. You could almost make the argument that this was the best defense in the league and almost certainly top five. Not much has changed in the offseason and this team continues to improve on offense, which should help the defense as well. Further, the Bills dodge the Colts again this season and play a soft out-of-division schedule including Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Oakland, which should help in turnover differential and low point totals. This is the steal of the fantasy draft this season, so if you have the chance, be sure to grab up the Buffalo Bills defense on draft day.more

NFL Superbowl odds: Public Perception Will Skew the Line

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Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the source and creator of most, if not all, of the betting lines of sports games. Casinos and online sportsbooks rely on LVSC to set the odds, thus ensuring a universal line among all sportsbooks. During the early days of the sportsbooks, many different casinos had different lines, thus enabling the savvy gambler to middle, a practice that ensures a virtual low risk, but high return gamble. So, what is the ...more

FA Cup Third Round - Back The Top 30 At Home

...lsea @ 1.15 vs Watford. Result: 4-0

Fourth Round
Portsmouth @ 1.23 vs Scunthorpe. Result: 2-1
Birmingham @ 1.33 vs Milton Keynes. Result: 1-0

Fifth Round
Millwall @ 1.79 vs Burnley. Result: 1-0
Sheffield Utd @ 1.41 vs Colchester. Result: 1-0

Quarter Final
Millwall @ 1.56 vs Tranmere. Result: 0-0

As you can see, 13 of the 15 matches produced wins for the higher positioned teams with two matches ending as a draw after 90 minutes. Using the above odds as a guide and 10 level stakes, a profit of 32.40 would have been achieved using this strategy.

The figures suggest the gap between the top 30 and the rest is wideni...more

Premiership Betting Review - 5 February 2006

...Alan Shearer broke Jackie Milburn's all-time Newcastle scoring record with his 201st goal in a vital 2-0 win over relegation strugglers Portsmouth. The Magpies were playing their first match under temporary manager Glenn Roeder and were 4/5 to win before kick off. An opener from Charles NZogbia and a second from Shearer gave Newcastle their first Premiership win in seven attempts.

In another personal goal scoring feat, Thierry Henry netted his 200th goal for Arsenal as the Gunners overcame their away day fragility to win 2-0 at Birmingham City. Arsene Wengers side had not won away since beating Charlton Athletic on...more

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