08/26/2008 - Greenville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - East Carolina and head coach Skip Holtz have agreed to tentative terms that would keep him with the team through 2013.
Specific details of the contract cannot be released until final approval by the university's board of trustees.
Holtz, 44, was named head coach in December 2004 and has led the team to back- to-back winning seasons and bowl appearances for the first time since 1999-2000. The Pirates went 7-6 in 2006 and 8-5 last season, when the team beat Boise State 41-38 in the Hawai'i Bowl.
Since taking over the team, Holtz has compiled a 20-17 record with a 15-9 record in Conference USA play, including two consecutive second place finishes.
Holtz coached the quarterbacks under his father, Lou Holtz, at South Carolina in 2004. It was his sixth campaign on the South Carolina staff, serving as the offensive coordinator from 1999-2003.
His time in Columbia appeared to be over after the elder Holtz retired, paving the way for former Florida coach Steve Spurrier to return to the college ranks at the helm of the Gamecocks.
Before going to South Carolina in 1999, Skip was the head coach at the University of Connecticut for five seasons and held a 34-23 overall record. In his last season in Storrs, he led the Huskies to a 10-3 campaign and a berth in the second round of the Division I-AA playoffs. UConn had not yet made its move to Division I-A or the Big East at that time.
Holtz' coaching career began as an assistant at both Florida State and Colorado State in the late 1980s. He then joined his father at Notre Dame, where he guided the offense as coordinator in 1992 and 1993.
<< Nationals' Kearns headed back to DL
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals placed
right fielder Austin Kearns on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday for the
second time this season. Kearns has a stress fracture in his left foot.
Kearns mis
<< Bears part ways with Manning
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears terminated the
contract of veteran cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. on Tuesday.
Manning came to the Bears in 2006 as a free agent and in 31 games, he has
posted 106 tackles,
<< Edmonton's Harris highlights CFL weekly awards
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Harris and Dario Romero of the Edmonton
Eskimos were among the top players for the CFL for Week 9.
Harris earned offensive honors after running for a CFL season-high 189 yards
and a score, plus 30
<< Confidence bubbling to surface for Red-hot Bulls
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It started out as a small bubble on
July 19, when the New York Red Bulls battled to a 2-2 draw with the Los
Angeles Galaxy to snap a two-game losing streak in Major League Soccer play.
A couple more bub
MLB enacts instant replay for home run calls >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that
it will enact instant replay for home run calls this week, becoming the last
of the four major North American sports leagues to do so.
The use of replay will
Detroit calls up Lambert to make debut >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers purchased the contract of
pitcher Chris Lambert from Triple-A Toledo to make his major league debut
Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.
Lambert, 25, was 12-8 with a 3.50 earned r
Panthers sign WR Parker >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers signed wide receiver
Samie Parker on Tuesday.
Parker, who was signed by Denver as an unrestricted free agent on April 15 and
released on Monday, spent the first four seasons of hi
Report: Strahan to stay retired >>
East Rutherford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Giants defensive end
Michael Strahan will reportedly remain retired, turning down an offer to come
back and play for the Super Bowl champions.
According to a report on FoxSports.c
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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