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Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson isn't one to take the easy road in strengthening his anatomy (see NFL.com Fantasy ad) and alternative medicine just doesn't fit with the man better known as A.D. (All Day) or Purple Jesus. Peterson, of course, is undergoing extensive rehab on a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee suffered during a 33-26 win over Washington on December 24. Already getting over a high ankle sprain, Peterson said he knew something was bad after taking a blow from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes.
"Any time you take a blow to the knee like that, you're concerned about the ACL, MCL," Peterson said after he received a harsh gift on Christmas Eve. "I'm trying to stay as positive as I can."
"I'm happy with the progress that I'm making so far," Peterson said on KFAN-FM 100.3 last week. "I'm extremely happy."
Peterson, who owns the most rushing yards in a single game with 296 back in his rookie year of 2007, added that he's getting muscle tone and strength back in his legs. Flexibility and bending used to be an uphill battle and now sitting in a tight airplane seat has no effect on the precious limb. Peterson was recently in New Orleans for the funeral of a friend's wife and mentioned no issues with traveling. Swelling in the knee has subsided, save a minor patch in the joints.
Peterson, eyeing a return to the Twin Cities at the end of February or early March, failed to reach 1,000 yards (970) in his fifth year in the league. Already at 6,752 career rushing yards, Peterson still has a long road ahead and it wouldn't be a surprise if he misses all of training camp and the start of the regular season. If that's the case, perhaps the Vikings will use the third-overall pick in April's NFL Draft on a running back. QB Christian Ponder still has to go through some learning curves and a reliable running back behind him can only aid in his production.
"Whether we make a big splash or not, if there's someone out there we think can help us then we're willing to spend a lot of money," Spielman was quoted on the Vikings' website. "We'll definitely look at those options."
Minnesota has plenty of time to wheel and deal on turning things around, but for now the majority of the attention will be monitored on Peterson and his battle back to prominence.
Jenkins, who played his first seven seasons for the Packers, took to Twitter once the news broke.
The Central Michigan product helped the Packers to the Super Bowl title after the 2010 season before joining the Eagles.
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills will not play a preseason game in Toronto this summer because of a scheduling conflict at the Rogers Centre. The Bills will still play a regular-season game at the Toronto venue during the 2012 campaign and is trying to extend the original five-year agreement to continue the series that first began in 2008.
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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