Friday, November 18, 2011
Sports World |
| Ravens taking it one game at a time Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:47 AM PST Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh has insisted this week that he is not looking past this weekend's showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals – even though his side faces a potential showdown next week against the San Francisco 49ers, who just happen to be coached by his younger brother, Jim. This should be exciting for live in-play betting. With the game against San Francisco already having a certain level of family bragging rights attached to the result, the fact that it is also the Thanksgiving night fixture will make it extra special to all involved – but the Ravens' coach insists that he won't be letting sentiment stand in the way of ensuring that they take care of business this Sunday: "This week is Cincinnati. Next week will be whoever we play next week, whenever we play them. But this week is Cincinnati – absolutely." Whether or not you believe his claim that the game against the 49ers is of no more importance to either his side – or to him on a personal level – there can still be no doubting that Baltimore can hardly afford another slip-up with their season currently standing at 6-3 in the conference. They sit just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers who have a 7-3 record to date, and f they want that gap to close then nothing less than a victory this weekend will do for Harbaugh's outfit. Those looking for online bets will want to keep an eye on this. Certainly by paying respect to the Bengals, he has avoided giving the Cincinnatti team any added motivation to damage his side's chances of making the playoffs – an important factor following the unexpected losses against the Jaguars and Seahawks which have already cast a shadow over their season. Certainly the Ravens will need all the wins that they can muster if they plan to improve on their impressive 2010 showing when they made the divisional playoffs.  |
| Posted: 18 Nov 2011 10:43 AM PST Detroit Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford was defended again by his coach this week following another poor showing in blustery conditions – but many are now wondering whether Jim Schwarz is simply hiding the full extent of his recent finger injury to maximize his re-sale value. This should make for some interesting online bets. Stafford threw four intercepted passes with a meager 52% completion rate during the Lions' 37-13 loss against the Bears at Soldier Field on Monday night, and although the weather was far from ideal, the fact that his form has dropped so sharply after he fractured a finger on his throwing hand has led many to wonder whether the damage might be more serious than the Lions' medical staff are letting on. Schwarz however, defended his talisman, stating that whilst Stafford was clearly not at full fitness yet, he would certainly get there given more game and recovery time. Moreover he has insisted that Stafford would not be benched for Sunday's game against Carolina at Ford Field. Conspiracy theorists will always have their say though, and some have suggested that they are simply downplaying the full extent of the damage to his hand to avoid having him labeled as injury prone – knowing what harm that can do to both the confidence of a player, as well as his commercial value. We will clearly know more after their game on Sunday, but a growing number of people are starting to see Schwarz's wind argument as simply being full of hot air. The live in-play betting will be fascinating for this game. Given the player's use of both splints to support the joint as well as gloves to help him grip, there is clearly a fairly major issue – which will inevitably turn into a problem for the Lions as a unit, after the string of strong performances that Stafford put in earlier in the season.  |
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