How New England Patriots Safety Patrick Chung Has Revitalized His Career. posted by Patriots Fan

Patrick Chung was a promising safety out of Oregon, but after a dismal career 

was on the brink of irrelevance after lasting only one year with the Eagles. 

Yet his time with the Patriots has given his career a boost. He’s become a utility safety that can cover the deep half as well as step up and fill the box, which has been key for the Patriots who have a much depleted front seven.

Now that the Patriots are transitioning from a zone heavy team to a more man to man coverage defense, Chung’s physicality has become increasingly vital to the team’s success. Being able to re-direct larger, more physical tight ends while being able to come up and fill the outside edge on running plays, allows the Patriots to leave their corners more on an island without the fear of giving up the edge or having tight ends and backs slip underneath to the flats.

Now, Chung’s success has come at an opportune moment as the Patriots had no other options to turn to, but given how Chung has been playing, arguably the best run fill safety in the league, it is hard to ignore his added value to this defense, and even harder to remove him from the starting line up once the Patriots ailing defenders get healthy and return to the field.

Yet, if history is any indicator, this is not the first time Chung has shown his abilities in the past, only to then follow it up with disappointing inconsistency. The Oregon Duck is nearing the twilight of his career and this may be the last chance he will have to impress hic coaches and teammates and make him an indispensable asset to their defensive scheme.

The 2014 New England Patriots posted by Patriots Fan

The Patriots remain one of the best teams in the league. Last year, it finished with a 12-4 record and the franchise hopes that it can compete in the Super Bowl this time around. The Patriots will have to get more from quarterback Tom Brady, who showed signs of slowing down last year.

While Brady threw 25 touchdowns and 4,343 yards last year, he had a completion percentage of 60.5 percent and a less than ideal YPA of 6.9. At 36, Brady will be needing his supporting cast to improve their play if they want a fourth Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, one of their best players, tight end Rob Gronkowski has been injury prone the past few years. Last season he tore his ACL and while he says he’s in shape now it is still doubtful that he’ll be in 100 percent condition.

Last year, the team signed Danny Amendola with the belief he’ll be a better player than Wes Welker but he disappointed with just 54 receptions. Julian Edelman proved to be a better option with 105 receptions. Look for Brady to continue searching for him, as well as second-year pro Aaron Dobson.

For the Patriots to advance further in the offseason, they should protect Brady better. Brady endured 40 sacks last season, the most he’s had in years.

In terms of defense, the Patriots hope their new acquisitions would immediately contribute. Darrelle Revis was signed to a $12 million deal. It makes sense as Revis is still at the top of his game and the deal is just a year-long.   Dominique Easley was selected in the first round and will be a disruptive interior past rusher to help out the defense.

Here Are Three Tips for Being a Sharp Sports Bettor from Bankroll to Winning posted by Patriots Fan

With the coming NFL season next month there will be bettors who are gearing up to win big this season. There are many points to consider when it comes to being a good sports bettor. It is important to know what works because nobody wants to lose. So with this in mind, let us take a look at what makes for successful sports betting.

Here are three main tips from Rich Allen's betting systems for being a sharp sports bettor. The first is to manage the bankroll, second is don't place bets based on emotion and last is don't bet parlays.

Let's look at how to manage your bankroll. Face the facts that this should be number one since no money means no winning. That seems like a no brainer, but surely there is more meat to this idea than realized. It feels great to win and winners get bored easily. It is a fact that the more excited a winner gets, the more they want to risk. Keeping up this line of logic will quickly put an end to the bettor's bankroll. With careful money management you can limit your bankroll and come out ahead. It is about discipline and using good sense.

Placing bets based on emotion is a great way to guarantee a loss. While it is true that people win, regardless of emotions, it is true that emotions play in poor decision making. It is important to keep ones cool when placing bets. When emotions come into play the blood pressure tends to rise and body heat also tends to increase. It is hard to think clearly in this with the pressure cooker mentality. This is why it makes more sense to use logic and leave emotions to the wayside while betting. When the game is over and the money is counted, that is the time to let out a whoop.

Free Agency 2013: Two Weeks Later posted by Joe Anello

Okay everyone, it’s been long enough since my last check-in that a slew of impactful transactions have taken place in NFL free agency. So without further adieu, let’s go around the league!

(Here are my takes on the moves from day one and days two and three of free agency.)

WR Greg Jennings signs a 5-year $47.5 million deal ($18M gtd.) with the Minnesota Vikings

This move was almost a necessity for the Vikings AND Jennings. Minnesota was in dire straits at the receiver position after they traded away Percy Harvin to the Seahawks. Jennings wasn’t getting any more money than the Packers offered him, so he oddly walked away from that deal and signed with the division rival. He’ll be THE focal point in Minnesota at the receiver position. Maybe this eases Adrian Peterson’s rage over the trading of Harvin. Maybe.

LT Jake Long signs a 4-year, $36 million deal ($16M gtd.) with the St. Louis Rams

Shabam. And the real domino in the tackle game falls. Long’s extended physical delayed this deal from getting done sooner, but he’s now a Ram. If he’s legitimately healthy and returns to form, the Rams aren’t going to miss that money in the slightest. So what does this mean for incumbent LT and former second-round pick Roger Saffold? Uh… it means he’s on his way to the right side. Or to a trade. Once Long was signed, it set a real benchmark for other tackles on the market, as we’ll see later.

Free Agency 2013: Days Two and Three posted by Joe Anello

Welcome back everyone! I would have posted this last night but the lack of sleep Monday night really caught up with me. Now I’m back and ready to pick apart the transactions of days two and three of NFL free agency. Let’s get that money man!

OG Gosder Cherilus signs a 5-year, $34 million deal with Indianapolis Colts.
Additional signings: OG Donald Thomas (4 years, $14 million), LB Erik Walden (4 years, $16 million), S LaRon Landry (4 years, $24 million)

This is a group of Colt signings that I didn’t discuss in the day one recap because I was exhausted and there were too many to address. Cherilus was overpaid, but I get it. Thomas’ deal is tolerable and revamps the interior of their line. I don’t feel confident that Walden’s contract will prove to be money well spent. Still, signing Landry as well gives Chuck Pagano a play-making safety in his secondary. The Colts are spending, but not as crazily as the Dolphins.

WR Wes Welker signs a 2-year, $12 million deal with the Denver Broncos

Okay, I have a LOT to say about this deal. I took to Twitter to express my thoughts shortly after the news broke, but I felt utterly hindered by the 140-character limit. I was really upset by the news that New England only offered Welker $10 million (including incentives). He’s only been one of the hardest workers on your team for the past six seasons and this is how he gets rewarded? EFF YOU PATS.

Welker’s caught 100 balls in his entire run with the Pats and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. So imagine my surprise when I heard the Broncos only had to pay him $12 million… for two years!  If he, in this odd-as-hell receiver market, shouldn’t get more than $6M a year, I obviously don’t know football.

The Final Drive: 2013 Conference Championships posted by Joe Anello

Conference Championship Sunday left two teams in sheer jubilation while two other squads will be left at home for the Super Bowl. Let’s take a look at how two road teams pulled out the win in The Final Drive!

(13-4-1) San Francisco 49ers 28

(14-4) Atlanta Falcons 24

The first quarter of this game looked almost exactly the same as the Falcons’ last game, with a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. San Francisco mounted a whopping -2 yards on offense in the opening frame, stifled by a Falcon defense that had a surprisingly decent pass rush in the quarter.

Julio Jones came out ready to play for keeps, racking up over 100 yards in the first quarter. He was held relatively in check for the rest of the game, totaling “only” 182 yards. Matt Ryan seemed to be able to expose the Niner secondary all day, especially safety Dashon Goldson, who was torched by Jones on his first score. A second crazy catch by Jones to start the second quarter made the score 17-0 in favor of Atlanta. Luckily the Niner offense figured it out eventually, getting two touchdowns in the second period to make the game competitive again. But after the Falcons drove right back down in the two minute drill to pull away at 24-14, I was left to wonder: where was that vaunted Niner defense everyone kept telling me about? I think they forgot that this was an elimination game. Someone must have told them at halftime, because San Fran’s defense came out and utterly shut down the dirty birds.

As their Niner defense tightened, recovering a fumbled snap to Ryan, Colin Kaepernick and the offense thrived. Kaep continued to make key passes from inside the pocket. The read-option plays became deadly, especially at the goal line, where Frank Gore scored two rushing touchdowns. The Niners went up 28-24 in the middle of the fourth quarter and never looked back.

The Opening Drive: 2013 Conference Championships posted by Joe Anello

Okay everybody, Conference Championship Sunday is here and I could not be any more excited. Aside from the drama that is surrounding each of these fantastic games (you know, because whoever wins plays in that little Super Bowl), I’m also 3-5 on my picks going into the day, meaning the only way I get above .500 for the postseason is if I get everything right from here on out. No pressure. There’s been some movement on these lines (San Fran got a lot of juice and is now a four point favorite. Baltimore saw some action while the line was at 9 points, whittling it down to 7.5), so as an FYI I’m picking against the spread as the odds are currently, not where they began. Let’s stop prattling on and get into The Opening Drive!

*As always, lines pulled from VegasInsider.com. 

(12-4-1) San Francisco 49ers at

(14-3) Atlanta Falcons

3:00 PM ET, FOX

You’re going to be hard-pressed to find any unit in this game that favors the Falcons. The Niner offensive line is playing the best of any unit still in the playoffs, as they’ve been utterly dominating defensive fronts at the line of scrimmage. There’s a reason Colin Kaepernick ran utterly untouched against the Packers. Even as he gets a bit older, Frank Gore is the best running back in this game. Michael Crabtree has been stepping up as of late, looking at times like the number one receiver he was always supposed to be. Randy Moss is a somewhat credible threat on the outside, but this team really suffers from the loss of Mario Manningham. But Kaepernick might be able to reproduce a similar performance from last week with the benefit of a dome and faster turf. Without a fully healthy John Abraham (ankle), are the Falcons

The Final Drive: 2013 Divisional Round posted by Joe Anello

The 2013 Divisional Round is completed! The best weekend in football lived up to the hype, with crazy finishes (double overtimes) and historic performances. Let’s not put off this any longer. It’s time for The Final Drive!

(12-6) Baltimore Ravens 38

(13-4) Denver Broncos 35

After the Ravens were forced to punt on their opening possession, this game got crazy… fast. Trindon Holliday took that punt return back 90 yards for the first score. A 59-yard pass to a streaking Torrey Smith (who was torching Champ Bailey deep most of the day) from Joe Flacco tied the game up. On Denver’s ensuing drive, a pass from Peyton Manning tipped off the hands of Eric Decker into the arms of Corey Graham, who boomeranged it to make the score 14-7 Ravens. Manning took the ball right back and marched his team 74 yards in 11 plays, ending with a pinpoint pass to old friend Brandon Stokley on the side of the endzone. 14-14. Were you still breathing at this point? A score from both teams in the second quarter kept the game tied at 21 going into halftime. And the drama did not subside in the start of a crazy NFL weekend.

Denver Head Coach John Fox will (and should) catch a lot of flak for not even attempting to try to get in field goal range with two timeouts and 20-plus seconds left on the clock. (As we would see later in the weekend, that’s not an impossible feat to accomplish.) Fox got extremely conservative in the offensive play-calling, leaning on the run too often when he had one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time on the field. (Though doesn’t Peyton have full authority to change those calls at the line? Hm.) Not going for a third down conversion late in the fourth allowed the Ravens to get the ball back with just enough time to make something happen. And they certainly did.

The Opening Drive: 2013 Divisional Round posted by Joe Anello

Alright everyone, it’s my favorite football weekend of the entire season! At this point we have the eight best teams left in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy, including the two greatest QB’s of our era in the AFC and a crazy Saturday night rematch in the NFC. I have stumbled out of the gates with my picks, currently standing at 1-3 after the wild card round. I owe that to every favorite covering last week and my apparently desperate need to pick against almost all of them. This week shall be different! I hope. Let’s get to The Opening Drive of the Divisional Round! (As always, point spreads are obtained from VegasInsider.com.)

(11-6) Baltimore Ravens at

(13-3) Denver Broncos

4:30 PM ET, CBS

This is the first of two AFC rematches that were completely one-sided in the first go-rounds. The Broncos slapped around the Ravens 34-17 in week 15, part of their 11-game winning streak to end the regular season and claim the one seed. In that game, Peyton Manning had very pedestrian numbers, but was bolstered by ground game that featured 45 carries, the most of any Manning team in his career. Their 163 yards pounded a then-short-staffed Raven defense. This game will be different, in that Baltimore is much healthier now. Ray Lewis is back, as is linebacker Danel Ellerbee. Still, the Raven corners are average at best, so they’re not going to be able to contain Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker on the outside.

Your Chances of Winning with New England Patriots on NFL Football Betting posted by Patriots Fan

Betting in America has always been a risky past-time as previously if you were interested in NFL football betting, you would need to find a bookie, make a visit in person, place the bet with hard cash, and pray that you will get your money if you win. Now all this is unnecessary, as online sportsbooks accept your bets with various payment options, and winnings are settled promptly online. Secondly, these betting websites provide more locations for placing wagers, thus improving your chances of finding a better line. This not only minimizes risks but also increases your chances of winning over the long term. Once you start exploring the numerous possibilities and advantages of online betting, you will be surprised at how much you can win within a short period.

Coming back to NFL football wagers, the New England Patriots seem to be a promising team. The team’s offense was already legendary and it seems it has got better for the season with Brandon Lloyd, who is an excellent receiver. This great catch for the Patriots did not cost much, as Lloyd signed a three-year contract for only 12 million dollars, which is quite below his value in the market. However, it is a good career move for Lloyd, as he is teaming up with Josh McDaniels, the best coordinator for offense.

Another impressive player, Tom Brady, is now at the top of his game and is playing quite well this year. This excellent quarterback, together with Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker, and Rob Gronkowski can be quite formidable for any NFL team to handle. New England Patriots also landed Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney, who might replace Deion Branch, as he lacks the burst. Gaffney has quite an impressive record in the last year with five touchdowns, and catching 68 balls in 947 yards - it may be worth placing a bet on him catching a few balls one game even.

Months after letting him go as coach, Giants welcome Coughlin to Ring of Honor (Shutdown Corner%

Ernie Accorsi, the team’s general manager who hired him in 2004, and defensive end Justin Tuck, drafted in 2005 –will be inducted into the ring on Nov. 14, when the Giants host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. “It was a great privilege to be the 16th head coach of the New York Giants, and it’s a privilege and a tremendous honor to be a part of those great names in Giant folklore that are in the Ring of Honor,”Coughlin said, via the team website. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Watch: Patriots' Julian Edelman hits a ball over Fenway's Green Monster (Shu

Edelman, entering his eighth season in the NFL, was at Fenway Park on Wednesday, before his adopted team, the Red Sox, hosted his childhood team, the San Francisco Giants. According to Edelman, he hit “six or seven”balls over the famed Green Monster. Edelman got to spend some time with Red Sox third-base coach Brian Butterfield, a huge Patriots fan, and also met third baseman Travis Shaw, who like Edelman played at Kent State. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Browns' Josh Gordon to be reinstated by NFL, can attend training camp (Shutdown Corner

Some good news for the Cleveland Browns: receiver Josh Gordon, who had a sensational 2013 season, only to find himself on the sideline for much of the past two years thanks to repeated failures in the NFL drug testing program, can return to the team on a conditional basis. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has given Gordon permission to participate in training camp and preseason games, but Gordon will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season. Since he is suspended under the substance abuse policy and not the performance-enhancing drugs policy, Gordon will be able to be at the Browns’facility and take part in meetings during his suspension. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Comeback route: NFL reinstates wide receiver Josh Gordon (The Associated Press)

Josh Gordon's curious and complicated career has taken a new turn. The talented but troubled wide receiver has been reinstated on a conditional basis by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who met face to face with Gordon last week and said he believes the 25-year-old can ''make the right choices'' going forward. The Browns have their first practice of training camp Friday. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Texans star J.J. Watt on PUP list after back surgery (Yahoo Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo Sports