NFL Inactives (Saturday, December 23, 2006)

Football Betting Lines

12/24/2006 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of the players placed on the inactive squad for this week's NFL games.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT OAKLAND RAIDERS, 8:00 P.M. (ET)

Chiefs - 3rd QB Brodie Croyle, RB Michael Bennett, CB Marcus Maxey, LB Rich Scanlon, G Tre Stallings, DT Tim Sandidge, OT Kyle Turley, DE Jimmy Wilkerson

Raiders - 3rd QB Aaron Brooks, WR Randy Moss, RB LaMont Jordan, CB Tyrone Poole, G Brad Badger, G Corey Hulsey, WR Jerry Porter, TE James Adkisson

Casino-internet-casino Football Betting News

<< Knight ties Dean Smith for most wins
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight tied the legendary Dean Smith for most career wins in NCAA Division I history after notching No. 879 in a 72-60 triumph over Bucknell on Saturday. Knight now has the

<< No. 10 Crimson Tide rolls over Coppin State
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alonzo Gee scored a game-high 26 points and added nine rebounds as 10th-ranked Alabama hammered Coppin State, 99-49, at Coleman Coliseum. Gee was 12-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three-point

<< No. 21 Oregon stomps Mercer
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 27 points as 21st-ranked Oregon defeated Mercer, 84-64, at McArthur Court. Brooks was 10-of-20 shooting, but only 1-of-6 from three-point range. Maarty Leunen chipped in w

<< Brother Derek big name in Malibu
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The $250,000 Malibu Stakes for three-year- olds is the opening feature at Santa Anita Park on Tuesday. This is the last chance for these thoroughbreds to race in 2006 before turning four on New Year's

<< Florida crushes Ohio State
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending champs gave Greg Oden a lesson, as Corey Brewer played overwhelming defense and Taurean Green scored a game-high 24 points in fifth-ranked Florida's 86-60 rout of third- ranked

Leafs' Peca out indefinitely >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs got some bad news on Saturday when they learned that center Michael Peca will be out indefinitely with a broken right leg and torn ligaments in his right knee. Peca suffered the in

Wilhelm signs extension with Chargers >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers signed linebacker Matt Wilhelm to a five-year contract extension Saturday. The deal will keep Wilhelm with the Chargers through the 2011 season. He was due to become an unrestric

San Jose State tops New Mexico in New Mexico Bowl >>
Albuquerque, NM (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Tafralis threw three touchdown passes to lead San Jose State to a 20-12 victory over New Mexico in the inaugural New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium. Tafralis completed 11-of-18 passes for 209 yards

UIC's Collins takes personal leave >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Illinois-Chicago head coach Jimmy Collins has taken a personal leave of absence. No timetable or reason for the leave were given. Associate head coach Mark Coomes will take over the F

Thrashers down Devils >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kari Lehtonen stopped 36 shots as the Atlanta Thrashers downed the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, at Philips Arena. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist and Steve McCarthy, Bobby Holik, Shane Hnidy and Slava Koz

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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