Gronkowski's 1st catch comes on record-tying drive
Football Betting Lines
02/05/2012 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took Rob Gronkowski nearly an entire half to make his first catch in the Super Bowl.
The injured Patriot, who set the tight end record for receiving yards and touchdowns during the regular season, was several tortured inches away from one final catch that would have gone down as one of the greatest in NFL history.
Gronkowski, who played despite suffering a high ankle sprain in the AFC title game two weeks ago, had two catches for 26 yards in New England's 21-17 loss.
His first catch of the game was a 20-yarder for first down during a 96-yard touchdown march near the end of the first half that tied a Super Bowl record for the longest drive.
Later, Gronkowski was targeted on a long heave by an under-pressure Tom Brady that was intercepted by Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Gronkowski, who was wearing a walking boot until earlier this week, flashed open and waved his hand to get Brady's attention as three defenders closed on the quarterback.
But he just wasn't able to recover in time to get position on Blackburn, who picked the pass off at the Giants' eight-yard line.
And Gronkowski didn't react quickly enough -- or couldn't react quickly enough -- on a last-second Hail Mary that Brady threw into the end zone from beyond midfield after the Giants took the lead with 57 seconds remaining.
Fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez, surrounded by three Giants defenders, leapt for the ball, which was deflected away.
Gronkowski stumbled forward and reached down, but the ball fell incomplete just out of his grasp.
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New England Patriots wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, released a day before the Super Bowl, sent dozens of tweets during the game Sunday but didn't have much to say immediately after it was over.
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Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eli Manning and the New York Giants did it
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Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remai
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Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants lost tight ends Jake
Ballard and Travis Beckum to knee injuries in Sunday's Super Bowl against the
Patriots.
Ballard went down with a left knee injury early in the fourth quarter. Re
<< Patriots lead Giants 17-15 after 3rd quarter
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Brady set a Super Bowl record for
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that helped the Patriots take a 17-15 lead over the Giants after three
quarters.
Brady's
<< Monaco titles in Chile
Vina del Mar, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed Juan Monaco defeated seventh-
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At one point in his life, Jason Pierre-Paul didn't want to be a football player. But after a broken leg ended his basketball career in high school, Pierre-Paul made a decision that sent him on a path to winning a Super B
Gronkowski: 'Almost isn't enough' on Hail Mary pass >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took Rob Gronkowski nearly an entire
half to make his first catch in the Super Bowl.
Later, the injured Patriots tight end was several tortured inches away from
snaring a Hail Mary pass that would
Manning wins another Super Bowl MVP >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Is Eli Manning elite? That's likely no
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Manning won his second Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award Sunday after
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FCS Giants bask in Super Bowl triumph >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're Super beyond the FCS level.
A contingent of former FCS players are reveling in the New York Giants' 21-17
win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night.
The Giants' roster inc
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - How many times does a gambler like a horse and wish the
odds could have been much higher than they were? It does not happen that often
but when the unforeseen takes place, it's best to take the money and ask
questio
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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