Brady's day starts with crash, ends with contract
Football Betting Lines
09/10/2010 -
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - A loud crash. A crumpled front end. A brief stay in an ambulance.
It was a very bad start to Tom Brady's day.
A new contract. The highest average salary in the NFL. A deal that ties him to the New England Patriots through 2014.
It was a very good ending.
The shaggy-haired star quarterback was involved in a two-car crash near his home in Boston's Back Bay at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday and was unhurt. One of the NFL's marquee players stood beside the damaged black Audi he had been driving with a fire engine behind him.
Then his day began to improve.
Brady made it to Gillette Stadium for the walkthrough practice beginning about 10:45 a.m. and participated with his teammates, all in full uniform, in a practice beginning shortly after 1 p.m. Everything appeared normal as he stretched then lofted passes to both sides of the field.
And then he wrapped up some unfinished business.
Brady agreed to a four-year contract extension beginning in 2011, two people with knowledge of the contract said Thursday night. It has an average annual value of $18 million - and a total of $48.5 million guaranteed, one of those persons said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the paperwork had not yet been filed with the NFL.
The extension was first reported by Peter King of Sports Illustrated during halftime of NBC's telecast of the Minnesota-New Orleans game.
This season Brady will make $6.5 million in the final year of a four-year extension that averaged $12 million.
The two-time Super Bowl MVP wanted to get his new deal done before the season opener Sunday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, although he said he wouldn't let it distract him. Considering that he sustained a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener, having a deal in place before his first snap of the season provides security in case of another injury.
``I don't assume anything any more in life,'' Brady had said Wednesday when asked if he was excited about possibly being with the Patriots for a long time. ``I don't think anything is guaranteed to us beyond what we have today and I really feel that way. That's the approach I've taken over the years, because you never really know when your last day will be.''
Brady wants to play even beyond his new deal, which expires when he's 37. He's entering his 11th season and has said he'd like to play 10 more years.
``I think we're fortunate to get paid for something that we love,'' he said Wednesday. ``There's no better job in the world that I'd rather have, to do what I'm doing. That's why I want to do it for a long time. Everything else in my life pales in comparison to how much I love this.''
He kept doing it Thursday despite the car crash.
The 21-year-old driver of a red minivan involved in the crash, Ludgero Rodrigues, was cited Thursday for failing to stop at a red light, based on witnesses statements, police said. Two other people left the minivan and had no visible injuries, they said.
The police report didn't name Brady but said the driver of the Audi had no visible injuries and was evaluated by Emergency Medical Services. A 49-year-old passenger in the minivan was freed with the Jaws of Life and taken to a hospital.
Brady went to work.
From a sixth-round draft choice out of Michigan in 2000 to a three-time Super Bowl champion and 2007 NFL MVP, he has come from obscurity to reach the top of his sport. And now he's getting paid like it.
The average value of Brady's deal surpasses that of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who agreed this year to a six-year, $97.5 million ($16.25 million average) extension starting next year. He's making $9.4 million this season.
Peyton Manning is in the final year of a seven-year, $98 million deal ($14 million average) and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he intends to make his quarterback the NFL's highest paid player.
But for now, after a very eventful day, that distinction belongs to Brady.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
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