Floridamarlina Soccer Betting News

<< Barca offers Eto'o new contract
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Confusion surrounds Manchester City's hopes of signing Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o after the Cameroon international's agent confirmed that the 28-year-old had been offered the chance to extend his stay

<< Wolfsburg coach Veh denies Dzeko rift
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg coach Armin Veh has played down reports of a bust-up with AC Milan target Edin Dzeko. Dzeko, who has told the Italian media that he is being forced to stay at Wolfsburg against his wish

<< Kyiv makes offer for Shevchenko
Kyiv, Ukraine (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ukraine international Andriy Shevchenko has been handed the chance to return to his homeland by Dynamo Kyiv. The 32-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge just over three years ago from AC Milan but has fa

<< WPS All-Stars to play Swedish champions
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Women's Professional Soccer announced Tuesday that Swedish Champions Umea IK will play in the WPS All-Star Game on Aug. 30. The game is being played eight days following the WPS Championship, feat

Pirates get Milledge, Hanrahan from Nats in four-player deal >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Lastings Milledge and right-handed pitcher Joel Hanrahan from Washington in a four-player deal on Tuesday. In return, the Pirates gave up outfielder Nyjer Mor

Sol's Marta wins WPS Player of Week >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles forward Marta was selected Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 14 on Tuesday after scoring three goals to lead the WPS-leading Sol to wins over the Saint Louis Athletica and

Grafite extends Wolves contract >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite has signed a new one-year contract extension with the Bundesliga champions. The 30-year-old struck up a deadly partnership with Edin Dzeko last term and new coac

New Motherwell boss ready to make changes >>
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Gannon hopes to bring up to six new players to Fir Park after being confirmed as Mark McGhee's successor as manager of Motherwell. The 40-year-old takes on the post just two months after being axed

Football Betting

The 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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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.