New England Patriots 2007 Draft Preview

Football Betting Lines

04/02/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Patriots have endured perpetual health problems in the secondary, particularly at safety, where Rodney Harrison has missed most of the last two years due to injury. If New England doesn't target secondary help with one of its two first-round picks, it will be a surprise. At linebacker, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin and free agent pickup Adalius Thomas will all be in their 30s when the season starts, so some potential successors at that position are in order. New England was active in acquiring skill position players in the offseason (wideouts Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker, Kelley Washington, running back Sammy Morris and tight end Kyle Brady), but after releasing Corey Dillon, might look to add another young running back in the event that Laurence Maroney falls victim to injury.

2006 Record: 12-4

First Pick: No. 24

Number of Selections: 10 (1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7)

RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2006 - Laurence Maroney (RB, Minnesota); 2005 - Logan Mankins (OL, Fresno State); 2004 - Vince Wilfork (NT, Miami (FL)), Benjamin Watson (TE, Georgia); 2003 - Ty Warren (DT, Texas A&M); 2002 - none; 2001 - Richard Seymour (DT, Georgia); 2000 - none; 1999 - Damien Woody (C, Boston College), Andy Katzenmoyer (LB, Ohio State); 1998 - Robert Edwards (RB, Georgia), Tebucky Jones (S, Syracuse); 1997 - Chris Canty (CB, Kansas State); 1996 - Terry Glenn (WR, Ohio State); 1995 - Ty Law (CB, Michigan); 1994 - Willie McGinest (LB, USC); 1993 - Drew Bledsoe (QB, Washington State); 1992 - Eugene Chung (OL, Virginia Tech); 1991 - Pat Harlow (OL, USC), Leonard Russell (RB, Arizona State); 1990 - Chris Singleton (LB, Arizona), Ray Agnew (DL, North Carolina State).

Cbssportslone Football Betting News

<< Baltimore Ravens 2007 NFL Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ravens filled their most pressing offseason need by trading for running back Willis McGahee on March 8th, but following the defections of right tackle Tony Pashos (Jaguars), guard Edwin Mulitalo (released) and fullback Ov

<< Pittsburgh Steelers 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite expectations that he would introduce his 4-3, Tampa-2 defense in Pittsburgh, new head coach Mike Tomlin appears set to keep Dick LeBeau's 3-4 zone-blitz scheme, at least for now. Still, you can expect the Steelers to

<< Houston Texans 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since Houston's braintrust of head coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith focused much of their attention on defense last season, tabbing defensive end Mario Williams and linebacker DeMeco Ryans in the first two rou

<< Tennessee Titans 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Titans' needs could change drastically between now and draft day, depending on what happens at two important positions. After losing Travis Henry to free agency, Tennessee is in need of a running back, and is reportedly c

<< Line of Scrimmage: Draft '07 - What Will Oakland Do?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We all want choices in life, but there can be no denying that having a multitude of options can be both a blessing and a curse. Too many options can lead us to overanalyze, and the more choices we have, th

New York Jets 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jets could use some assistance in the secondary, where safety Kerry Rhodes is the only player that warrants special notation in the opposing scouting report. New York added a wealth of players to the front seven via free

Miami Dolphins 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The million dollar question for the Dolphins involves the quarterback position. Joey Harrington was released, Daunte Culpepper cannot realistically be viewed as a reliable option, and Dan Marino does not appear ready to come

Kansas City Chiefs 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though defensive-minded head coach Herm Edwards would probably rather shore up his area of expertise, there is no disputing that Kansas City has more significant needs on offense. The Chiefs have long lacked a first-rate No.

Cincinnati Bengals 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati had its problems defensively last season, then lost reliable players like linebacker Brian Simmons (released) and safety Kevin Kaesviharn (free agent to Saints) in the offseason. The Bengals need to get younger and

Oakland Raiders 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Draftniks everywhere are sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what the Raiders will do with the No. 1 pick. Conventional wisdom says that offensively-challenged will select strong-armed LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell,

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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