11/26/2008 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson were each limited in practice Wednesday as the two offensive stars try to recover from injuries in time for Sunday's game against Miami.
Bulger left last week's game against Chicago with a concussion, while Jackson has missed the past three games with a thigh injury.
"Marc passed his test," Rams head coach Jim Haslett said of his quarterback, who needed medical clearance to practice. "I don't know if he passed with flying colors, but he passed and he did alright [in practice]. Steven took limited reps, but he took more reps than he has taken in five weeks. We scripted the reps out that we needed to see and we will give him a little more tomorrow based on how he feels."
Jackson was initially hurt in an October 19 game against Dallas when he ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns. He sat out a week and returned for the November 2 game against Arizona, but was limited in that contest and hasn't played since.
Despite playing in only seven games, Jackson leads the team with 525 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Bulger was hurt last week early in the first quarter when he took a shot to the head on a sack by Chicago defensive tackle Adewale Ogunleye. He had completed each of his two passes for 11 yards before being replaced by veteran Trent Green.
"I felt a lot better Monday morning so we were optimistic then," Bulger said. "I came in and worked out [Tuesday] and didn't feel any effects. I got through practice and I think we'll be fine this week."
For the season, Bulger has completed 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
<< Report: Bears CB Vasher out with fractured hand
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher will
reportedly miss at least Sunday's game with the Minnesota Vikings with a
fractured right hand and an injured right wrist.
According to the Chicago Tribune
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When I wandered over to Monmouth, N.J. on
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would be playing in the NCAA playoffs in November.
Trailing 17-14 with 2:49 remainin
<< Eagles CB Samuel doubtful; RB Westbrook practices
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante
Samuel sat out practice Wednesday, while running back Brian Westbrook was a
full participant in practice in preparation for Thursday night's matchup
against
<< Bordeaux keeps CL hopes alive with draw against Chelsea
Bordeaux, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alou Diarra's header with seven minutes to
play helped Bordeaux claim a valuable 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Wednesday in
Champions League Group A play.
The goal canceled out Nicolas Anelka's opener on
LSU true freshman Jefferson to start at QB vs. Arkansas >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - True freshman Jordan Jefferson will start
under center for the defending national champion LSU Tigers on Friday against
the Arkansas Razorbacks, head coach Les Miles announced Wednesday.
Regular starter
Rockets F Battier back on the court >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier is back
in action Wednesday against the Pacers for the first time since missing all of
the preseason and the first 15 games of the regular season.
Battier underwent art
Coyotes' Jokinen leaves with injury >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Coyotes center Olli Jokinen left
in the first period of Wednesday's game against Columbus with an unspecified
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Ovechkin's hat trick lifts Caps past Atlanta >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexander Ovechkin recorded his sixth
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Vikto
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 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.
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