Bengals ink top pick Gresham

Football Betting Lines

08/02/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to terms with tight end Jermaine Gresham, their first round draft choice.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, it is a five-year deal worth $15.85 million, with $9.6 million guaranteed. He is expected to join the Bengals for their afternoon practice on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-5, 261-pound Gresham did not play last season after suffering a knee injury, but that did not dissuade the Bengals from using the 21st overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft on him.

As a junior in 2008, Gresham caught 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end.

During his three years with the Sooners, he made 111 receptions for 1,629 yards and 26 scores.

Playsoccergamble Football Betting News

<< Youkilis leaves with thumb injury
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis left Monday's game against the Cleveland Indians with an injured right thumb. In the second inning, Youkilis lined out to shortstop and grabbed his right hand.

<< Vanderbilt's Caldwell has interim tag removed
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vanderbilt has reportedly removed the interim tag from head football coach Robbie Caldwell's title. The Tennessean said that Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams II announced the move Monday a

<< Sabres sign defenseman Morrisonn
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres have agreed to terms with defenseman Shaone Morrisonn on a two-year contract. No terms of the deal were announced. The 27-year-old Morrisonn scored one goal and added 12 assists in

<< Cardinals agree to terms with first-round pick Williams
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Cardinals and defensive tackle Dan Williams, the team's first-round pick in the 2010 draft, have agreed to terms on a five-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Williams, the 26th o

<< Castroneves penalized for post-race outburst at Edmonton
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IZOD IndyCar Series on Tuesday handed driver Helio Castroneves a $60,000 fine and placed him on probation for the remainder of the season following his post-race altercation with officials last mo

Indians C Santana injured in play at the plate >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana was injured in the seventh inning of Monday's game against the Boston Red Sox on a play at the plate. With Ryan Kalish on second and one out in the frame, Daniel Nava plu

Wood, Cairo lead Reds past Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cairo knocked in a pair of runs and rookie Travis Wood tossed seven shutout innings, as the Cincinnati Reds earned a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Par

Hellickson wins debut as Rays topple Twins >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Hellickson shut down the red-hot Twins in his major-league debut and Matt Joyce highlighted the Rays' three-run fifth inning with a two-run double in a 4-2 victory to open a four-game set. Minnes

Phillies' Howard to have ankle examined >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is set to have his injured left ankle evaluated Tuesday in Philadelphia. Howard will not be with the Phillies as they begin a three-game series against the Marlins in Flo

Colts sign first-rounder Hughes >>
Anderson, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have signed defensive end Jerry Hughes, their first-round draft choice. No terms of the deal were disclosed but the Indianapolis Star is reporting that it is a five-year deal for

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

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)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

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