Chiefs have yet to address problems with front 7

Football Betting Lines

08/04/2010 -

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) -In a busy offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs went after just about everything except what many fans think they lacked the most.

They picked up a 1,000-yard rusher to go with the 1,000-yard rusher they already had and drafted a speedy wide receiver, a tight end and a guard.

Except for Eric Berry, a badly needed safety drafted in the first round, they didn't do much for a defense that finished a laughable 31st against the run. Everybody is back on the front seven - everybody who had a hand in enabling journeymen running back Jerome Harrison to rush for 286 yards and erase the great Jim Brown's Cleveland team record.

If fans were surprised that Berry was the only significant pickup on that side of the ball, they were not alone.

So were the players.

``It's a boost to know they have confidence in us and they believe we're going to get it right,'' said lineman Glenn Dorsey. ``We've got a lot of chemistry and we believe we can get it done. And it's good to know they think so, also.''

Harrison was one of only six rushers who went over 100 yards against the Chiefs' newly installed 3-4 defense. So rather than a bunch of new faces or an overhaul, management's mandate to the mostly young, underachieving front seven is clear: Get better.

``As I've said before, you can't get everything that you want or you may think you need,'' said coach Todd Haley. ``In the NFL, the way I know you can have continued success is to develop the young; the first, second and third-year players you have on your team. That is mandatory. If you're not developing young players on your team, you probably have very little chance of success.''

And the Chiefs will have little chance of success without a big improvement on the defensive front. One reason for hope is that everybody is more familiar with the defense. A year ago, a new coaching staff took players who were acquired and trained in the 4-3 and switched them to the 3-4. Growing pains were obvious.

``A lot of it was technique,'' said defensive end Tyson Jackson, the third overall selection in the 2009 draft.

While the players remained the same, that cannot be said of the coaches. Former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel was brought in as defensive coordinator and Tim Krumrie was replaced as defensive line coach by Anthony Pleasant, a 15-year veteran. Crennel's specialty is the defensive line and he's been giving that element extra attention.

Another new wrinkle is the presence of grandmaster Joseph Kim. The taekwando expert is working with the pass rushers, teaching them how to use their hands and hips as he's done with several other NFL teams, including the Cowboys, Dolphins, Browns and Bills.

``It's going to help a lot,'' said lineman Glenn Dorsey. ``At first you think some of the things he tells you to do don't seem natural. But they are.''

Getting better hardly seems like much to ask of the Chiefs' front seven. Dorsey, Jackson, and linebackers Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson were all first-round picks. The Chiefs have invested more money in that part of the team than any other.

But they have yet to get full value in return.

``I cannot stress it enough - those are the guys that have to take that next step, whether they're backups that become starters, starters that become stars or third-teamers that become backups,'' Haley said. ``Those guys have to take steps and have to make that next step, and that will help us.''

Dorsey, drafted No. 5 overall in 2008, believes it will happen.

``Everybody's got a better grasp of what the coaches are asking for this year,'' he said. ``We realize we lost a lot of close games last year and we're concentrating this year on not making the same mistakes we made then. We challenged each other this year. We've been through that hard season and we're determined to get better. We're confident in each other.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Hamkooki Football Betting News

<< Teammates say Favre texted them of plans to retire
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -With everyone assuming Brett Favre was returning for a 20th NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings were enjoying a relatively calm and quiet training camp as they started preparations for another run at the Super Bowl.All that tranqu

<< Sabres cut ties with Kennedy
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres waived and will buy out forward Tim Kennedy's contract after he was awarded a $1 million, one-year deal from an arbitrator last Thursday. The buyout is worth $333,333 over the next

<< Mariners' Bedard to have surgery again
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oft-injured Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erik Bedard will have left shoulder surgery on Friday. It will be the lefty's third surgery in as many years on his pitching shoulder, and this procedu

<< Jags rookie DT Smith may miss season
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith may miss the entire 2010 season after suffering an injury to his right Achilles' tendon. According to The Florida Times-Union, Smith,

<< Pirates' McCutchen leaves with neck bruise
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen left Tuesday's game against Cincinnati after being struck in the neck with a Mike Leake pitch in the second inning. McCutchen fell to the ground imm

Zvonareva, Radwanska advance at Carlsbad >>
Carlsbad, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Vera Zvonareva and fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $700,000 Mercury Insurance Open. Zvonareva, who is participating in her first tournamen

Vikings hope to sway Favre with more money >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If Brett Favre does decide to retire, he will apparently be turning down more money from the Minnesota Vikings. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which on Tuesday first broke the news of Fa

Rockets and Nets to play in China >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA will again head to China for the preseason, as the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets will meet for a pair of games in October. This will be the fifth set of preseason games in China for the NB

Rookie defender Ream the best value in New York >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York pays rookie defender Tim Ream $40,000 a year, or about $1.8 million less than striker Juan Pablo Angel, if that offers a better perspective. But the 22-year-old Ream has been just as valuabl

Lions make it official with Suh >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions made it official on Wednesday and agreed to terms with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Lions president Tom Lewand said Wednesday morni

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


NFL Football Office Pools : NFL Football Contests

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules

Welcome to our free football office pool page. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.

Football Pickem Pools: Your basic office pool format, where you pick the winner of each game, either against the spread or straight up. Spice up your pool by using confidence ranks, key picks, and other options. Pick 5 pools available. You can print NFL Football Office Pools here. Custom ranks available. Custom point spreads. Use Pro and/or College games, even D1AA games can be included. Many many other options.

Football Survivor Pools: Also known as Knockout, Suicide, Eliminator, Survival and Loser pools. Pick one team each week. If they win you advance to the next round. If they lose, you're out. The catch: You can only pick a team once. Many options like Pick a Team Only [Once,Twice,Unlimited], [1,2,3,4,5] Strikes and You're Out, Double Picks, Bye Weeks, Alias Entries and more. Very easy to set up and manage.

Football Share Pools: Pick college and/or pro football game winners using Vegas odds in our own unique Share Pool format. Accumulate points by picking pointspread and over/under winners. Risk as many points as you want on any game. The person with the most points (shares) at the end wins. Perfect for the Playoffs and Bowl Seasons.

Fantasy Football Pools: Fantasy football pool managers love our easy to use interface and custom settings. Points and head to head leagues, custom points, offline drafts, live scoring, waiver wire, trades and more. Live customer service by email or phone. $50 flat fee.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.