ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
2005 NFC East Football Preview
OVERVIEW: NFC EAST The Eagles once again appear to be the top team in the NFC for 2005, however, I wouldn't look for them to win 13 games this season due to the fact that each of the other teams in the NFC East should improve this year. A look at the Eagles schedule for 2005 reveals the fact that Philly will face the league's third easiest schedule when considering the Eagles 2005 opponents combined for a 118-146 straight up record last season. One would expect that with the Eagles posting a straight up record of 54-20 over the past four seasons that they would eventually have a bad draft due to having to choose from the draft leftovers, however, that has not been the case as the Eagles once again had a pretty good draft which is a testament to just how good HC Andy Reid is with regard to being able to wheel and deal in the draft as well as his ability to pick talent. The Eagles weren't all that active in the free agent market but were able to snag a quality backup QB in Mike McMahon from Detroit who became expendable when the Lions picked up QB Jeff Garcia. It should be no surprise that the Lions picked up Garcia when considering that Garcia was Detroit HC Steve Mariucci's QB when both were in San Francisco. Cowboy HC Bill Parcells used free agency to bring in RB Anthony Thomas to backup Julius Jones and also snagged QB Drew Bledsoe to run his offense for 2005, however, Parcells main focus during the off season was to fix what ailed his defense which allowed 406 points in 2004. Parcells appears to have been successful with a quality draft head lined by picking up DE Demarcus Ware, DE Marcus Spears and LB Kevin Burnett with his top three selections in the draft. Overall Parcells had an excellent draft and used six of his eight draft selections on defensive players which should serve to shore up a shaky pass rush which allowed opposing QB's time to toss 31 TD's last year. The Giants threw last season away by using QB Eli Manning under center earlier than they probably should have, however, the playing experience gained in 2004 should serve Manning well this season and especially since QB Kurt Warner is now in Arizona which means that Manning will not be looking over this shoulder. The Giants only had four draft choices which was the fewest amount in franchise history, however, they were able to pick up CB Corey Webster out of LSU in the second round, Webster should have been a top 10 or top 15 pick but fell to the Giants with the overall 43rd pick in the draft due to injuries sustained in College, the G-Men used free agency to bring in QB Tim Hasselbeck to back up Manning and signed a go-to WR in former Steeler Plaxico Burress for Manning to play catch with. By not addressing glaring needs on offense Washington appears set to bring up the rear in the NFC East for 2005, last year Skin HC Joe Gibbs brought in former Jag QB Mark Brunell to run his offense, however in the nine games Brunell started last year he only completed 49.79% of his passes and at seasons end finished with a QB rating of 63.90. In contrast QB Patrick Ramsey started seven games in 2004 and completed 62.13% of his tosses which was good enough to post a QB rating of 74.8, the Skins used their second draft selection on QB Jason Campbell out of Auburn which was probably a bit of a reach as Campbell will need lots of work, however, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Patrick Ramsey will be the starting QB for 2005. Regardless of whether the Skins decide to go with either Mark Brunell or Patrick Ramsey at QB for 2005, Washington still needs to fix their offensive line play which was atrocious to say the least and was the main reason for the Skins averaging a meager 15 points scored per contest last year. The Skin defense appeared set to be the bright spot for this team once again in 2005, however, the arrest of safety Sean Taylor on gun charges, the free agent loss of CB Fred Smoot and the off season ankle injury/stress fracture to top draft choice CB Carlos Rogers leaves that open to debate. In closing the Eagles posted an overall mark of 15-4 straight up and 12-7 ATS last year, I fully expect to see the public back these Eagles in most outings in 2005, however, a check of last season shows that 3 of the Eagles 4 straight up losses occurred against AFC teams and 4 of the Eagles 7 spread losses came against the AFC. A check of the past three seasons reveals the fact that Philly has only lost a total of 14 games in this time frame, however, 7 of those 14 losses came at the hands of AFC teams, and to think that in the past three years these Eagles only played AFC teams a total of 13 times!! This of course leads me to believe that 2005 road games at Kansas City and at Denver might very well be prime spots to go against Philly and especially if the Eagles are installed as road favorites when considering that the Eagles have gone 4-9 ATS overall against AFC teams over the past three seasons, in road games (not counting the SB) against AFC teams during this same time span Philly posted a mark of 2-4 ATS. I would be careful in picking my spots with regard to Dallas, New York, and Washington this season until after the fourth game of the year because of the QB situation at each location, with that being said keep an eye on the Cowboys who could very well end up being the surprise team in this division as well as in the NFC this year if QB Drew Bledsoe can remain healthy and the Dallas defense shapes up like I think they will. Jim Campbell is one of the nations most respected Sports Handicappers, he specializes in College and Pro Football, you can visit Jim at his website located at footballforecastor.com for all of your handicapping needs including free play selections, College and NFL stats, trends and award winning analysis on upcoming games. With over 30 plus years experience in the handicapping profession Jim has built a solid reputation, his web based handicapping service at footballforecastor.com as been in existence since 1997 and year after year proves to be one of the very best handicapping services in America.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Your POSITION Of Power In Holdem In Hold'em poker, the importance of your position in relation to the dealer can not be stressed enough. The reason for learning position is that the later your position is the more information you will have about the other players. If you are in the last, or dealer position, you have the most information of all the other players, because they all have to act before you have to make a decision. Football Handicapping List This will not be a long ad to buy our picks, but it will be a reminder to have all your ducks lined up so you, not us, are ready for the season. On our site we have several articles that cover most of the checklist below. Go through the checklist to help you understand what being ready for the season means. Play Online Slot Machine Game Coin in - spin - hold your breath......Watch those symbols.....Will it or won't it? Heart racing ..... the dials slow down and IT'S A WINNER!!!! Three bells in a row! But wait - there's more to come - The screen is flashing, bells are ringing, and yes, it finally happened - YOU WON THE JACKPOT!! Bingo ? Good for the Mind? When we think of bingo, genius and brainpower don't always spring to mind; these attributes have tended to be reserved for poker and other games of skill and luck. The image of a grandparent sitting in a community hall with a cup of tea and a card of bingo does not lend itself to the intrigue of psychology and mental agility. However, according to a study by the University of Southampton's Psychology Department, bingo may not be the trivial pastime many would take it for. Researchers there insist that bingo keeps the mind sharp and equate this as especially important to people as they get older. How to Win Free Online Poker Games Online poker is very popular, but not everybody plays for real money. The free games are a good way for inexperienced players to get a feel for how the games are played and develop some card sense. It is important, however, to realize that the free games are different than real money games. In order to win in the free games, one must make modifications to the strategy they might use when playing for money. Here are some suggestions based on what has worked for me. Poker on TV Poker on TV has been the catalyst that allows millions of people to view real poker being played by today's young guns and poker legends. A day does not go by without advertising for another Texas Hold'Em TV poker scheduled event for cable or television. It is becoming the basis for corporate investment in a growing industry and a motivation for players to enter numerous tournaments that offer millions of dollars. Software is being developed for hand held devices and cell phones to play poker. Deals are being made to broadcast live tournaments over the Internet from land based casinos. Calculating Poker Odds - The Easy Way! To be successful at poker you should, at any time during the play of a hand, be able to calculate the odds of catching your hand to the odds the pot is giving you. Online Poker Played by Bots? I've just read one of the most interesting stories I've read for a while. Concern is growing in online chat rooms and news groups devoted to poker that sophisticated card-playing robots ? known as "bots" in the nomenclature of the Web ? are being used on commercial gambling sites to fleece newcomers, the strategy-impaired and maybe even above-average players. Slot Machine Basics 101 Let's begin with a little bit of basic knowledge about slot machines. Poker Tournament Freerolls Payout in Seven Figures Poker tournaments freerolls are free poker tournaments that are hosted daily by the best online poker rooms. Poker tournament freerolls are often just called freerolls. Freerolls are loved by the poker playing community as they offer the poker players the chance to practice their tournament skills and win some cash prizes without spending a dime. The entry to these freerolls is ? as the name suggests ? free and prize money can range from a few dollars for a placing to a million dollars for winning the largest Texas Holdem poker tournament freerolls. Be Careful or Your Poker Nuts Will Get Crushed! The origins of the phrase "poker nuts" are uncertain although it is thought to have come from old slang meaning "delightful thing, practice or experience". It is a "delightful thing" of course, because in Texas Holdem the poker nuts is the best possible hand that you can have at any point in the game. Help Become a Consistent Winner at Online Low-Limit Texas Hold ?Em by Playing at the ?Easy? Tables Select Advantageous Tables My Casino Blackjack Variation Game I have played millions of hands of blackjack. I started sneaking into the casinos when I was 16. I have played online blackjack, I have counted cards, and worked with a team for a short while. With all that said I have still lost a lot of money at blackjack. The casinos have made it nearly impossible to beat the game. The Secret of Multiple Odds Tables Pssst...! Wanna know a secret? Casino Food 101 Over the years, the various gambling games and the gambling joints or the casinos have undergone a change, making the experience riskier, adventurous and unique in itself. An often overlooked, but yet important component in the entire casino experience is the food. The casino towns have a variety of buffets and joints to offer to its tourist population. Cities like Las Vegas, Atlantic and Monte Carlo are revolutionizing their food regime. Three Card Poker Betting A player must be aware of how to place bets in three card poker. The playing area both live and online will have three areas where you place bets. The three areas are as follows: Wisconsin Casinos, The Top Three I have been gambling in Wisconsin since I was 16 years old! I snuck in for two years straight. After legally gambling at the age of 18 for a few months they moved the age limit up to 21. So I was forced to sneak in for a few more years. I only played blackjack. I hate slots and it would be my luck to hit a jackpot and not be able to claim it because I was under age. So, since the age of 16 I have played at nearly every casino in Wisconsin. I am a diehard gambler and many times when I was just 16 I would drive 2 hrs to Ho Chunk casino. All the time at risk of not getting in as I was only 16! Spread Betting Basics Spread betting is a complicated venture; the statement is nothing but a popular misconception. Proponents of this form consider it to be real easy, once the new player has understood the concept. It enables you to win or loose money depending on how close off or far you are in your betting. Spread betting can be an exciting way to win or loose money, either in casino or while playing online. Win or loss depends majorly on your grasp of the understanding of the betting process. 5s in Blackjack Counting cards in blackjack is a way to increase your chances of winning. If you're good at it, you can actually take the odds and put them in your favor. This works because card counters raise their bets when a deck rich in cards that are advantageous to the player comes around. As a general rule of thumb, a deck rich in 10's is better for the player, because the dealer will bust more often, and the player will hit a blackjack more often. 2005 World Series of Poker -- Complete Report Over 29,000 poker players came to Las Vegas from 40 different countries all over the earth to play in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament events. This generated a total net prize pool of over $103,000,000 dollars, more than twice the total prize pool amount in 2004. New records were being made and old ones being broken so fast the challenge was to keep up with them all. Here is a "complete report" of what went on at this years World Series of Poker. It is complete because it covers tournament events #1 to #45.
|
|
|
|
|
