Sorgi to back up other Manning

Football Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants inked quarterback Jim Sorgi on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Wisconsin product, who was the backup to Peyton Manning in Indianapolis for the past six seasons, now gets the chance to compete with Rhett Bomar to provide support for Giants' starting signal-caller Eli Manning.

"Both are elite players," said Sorgi. "I had a great time working with Peyton, and I learned a lot, obviously. The experience was invaluable as far as my development as a professional. I hate to see my time in Indianapolis come to an end, but I am as excited about working with Eli as I am sad about leaving Peyton, and I look forward to working with Eli and helping him any way I can. I have been fortunate to work with Peyton, who has one of the greatest minds in the game."

Sorgi appeared in one game for the Colts last year, and did not throw a pass or make a rushing attempt, before a shoulder injury cut his season short. He went 22-of-30 for 178 yards in one game two seasons ago.

"I thought my workout was excellent and my shoulder felt great," said Sorgi. "I just need to continue to work on maintenance with it, but I want to be a player the Giants can count on to get the job done if need be. I am excited to be here."

Since 2004, the Michigan native has completed 99-of-156 passes for 929 yards, six touchdowns and one interception over 16 games. He was a member of the Indianapolis club which won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears following the 2006 campaign.

Cowboycasion Football Betting News

<< Rangers acquire Ramirez from Yankees
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired pitcher Edwar Ramirez from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. Ramirez was designated for assignment in late February when the Yankees signed Chan Ho Park

<< Edwards receives three-race probation for Atlanta incident
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards avoided suspension but received a three-race probation period from NASCAR after intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski in last Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedwa

<< NBA suspends Granger, Frye
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association on Tuesday levied one-game suspensions without pay against Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger and Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye. Both men were hit with the penal

<< Cooke hit, GM meetings give NHL shot to protect players
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here we go again. The NHL has yet another chance to address the issue of blows to the head, and while it's never a good thing when a questionable hit brings the topic into the limelight, the latest infract

<< Rooney returns to training for United
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United has been handed a big boost ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last 16 second leg clash with AC Milan after Wayne Rooney was able to take part in training on Tuesday morning. Roon

Turf to Dirt Angle Works Best >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of Saturday's three-year-old Kentucky Derby preps were won by horses that raced on the turf in their previous start. One was favored at Aqueduct while the other was the sixth choice in the betting at S

UL-Lafayette to look for new men's hoops coach >>
Lafayette, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Louisiana-Lafayette has decided not to retain men's basketball coach Robert Lee, whose contract expired at the conclusion of this season. Lee had spent the past 14 seasons with

NASCAR suspends crew members for substance abuse violation >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Tuesday indefinitely suspended two crew members for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy. According to a news release, William Keith, a crew member of the No.38 Front Row

Pats make it official with Wilfork, Neal >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots officially announced the signings of defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and guard Stephen Neal on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a report from Bost

Big East Conference Tournament Recaps >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dominque Jones scored 20 points with nine rebounds as South Florida downed DePaul, 58-49, in first-round action at the Big East Tournament. Mike Mercer added 14 points and five boards for the Bulls (20-

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.