10/14/2008 - Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska notched a win, while sixth-seeded heavy Swiss crowd favorite Patty Schnyder was among Tuesday's first-round upset victims at the $600,000 Zurich Open.
The world No. 10 Radwanska rolled past Russian qualifier Vera Dushevina 6-4, 6-1, while Schnyder succumbed to Czech qualifier Petra Kvitova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on the indoor hardcourts at Hallenstadion. Schnyder titled here in 2002 and was the runner-up in 2005.
Another upset came when Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu ousted seventh- seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
In other opening-round play, Italian Francesca Schiavone doused Dane Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues grounded Chinese wild card Na Li 6-2, 6-4 and France's Marion Bartoli blitzed struggling Hungarian Agnes Szavay 6-4, 6-0. Bartoli will meet second-seeded French Open champion and Australian Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic in the round of 16.
On Wednesday, third-seeded Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will take on Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in a second-round affair.
This week's top seed is red-hot world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who is seeking her fourth title in four events. She captured her latest title in Moscow last week and was last month's runner-up at the U.S. Open.
This week's winner will claim $95,500.
<< NFC South: Garcia the guy again in Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The quarterback situation for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
could very well turn out to be a season-long revolving door, but the status
quo will be maintained for at least one more week.
Head coach Jon Gruden stated shortly a
<< AFC East: Could Jets Soon Be 7-2?
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Looking ahead in the National Football League is a
dangerous thing indeed.
For proof of that fact, ask the Redskins and Giants how those games against
the lowly Rams and Browns, respectively, went this past weekend.
But
<< Timberwolves' Telfair suspended for three games
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves guard Sebastian Telfair
has been suspended without pay for three games for pleading guilty to a
weapons possession charge in the state of New York, the NBA announced
Tuesday
<< First-place Houston hopes to open gap vs. San Jose
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston has won consecutive MLS Cups without one
Western Conference title, but can take a major step toward clinching its first
regular season crown Wednesday against San Jose.
The Dynamo finished second in th
NFC East: More drama in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL's most-watched soap opera, more commonly known as
the Dallas Cowboys, just added a few more juicy storylines over the past few
days.
The intrigue began last Wednesday, when the hardly surprising news broke out
of
Nadal, Murray win openers at Madrid Masters >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion
Rafael Nadal and U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray were among Tuesday's second-
round winners at the $2.78 million Madrid Masters -- the eighth of nine ATP
Masters Ser
Ravens lose starting guard Yanda for year >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens placed starting
right guard Marshal Yanda on injured reserve Tuesday, effectively ending the
second-year player's season.
Yanda, who suffered an injury to his right knee in S
AFC South: Johnson comes through in the clutch for Texans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson had a costly
fumble during this past Sunday's game versus the Miami Dolphins and just
wanted another chance to redeem himself.
With less than one minute to play in the game, Johns
The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting