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.
<< Again! Giants top Patriots to win Super Bowl
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eli Manning and the New York Giants did it
again, beating the New England Patriots with another game-winning drive in the
Super Bowl.
Ahmad Bradshaw scored on a six-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remai
<< Giants lose TEs Ballard, Beckum to injuries
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
consecutive completions and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez
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-
seeded fellow Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-1 in the championship
match at the VTR Open clay-court tennis event.
The 27-year-old Monaco now owns fou
(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
longer a concern for the New York Giants quarterback.
Manning won his second Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award Sunday after
leading the Giants on another
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
I'll Have Another - The Overlay of the Century >>
(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 : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
Mysportsbook.com online online sportsbook accepts Visa & Mastercard