Colts hoping battered line holds up against Texans
Football Betting Lines
09/10/2010 -
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Charlie Johnson understands the stakes in Sunday's season opener against Houston.
As the Indianapolis Colts' left tackle, he must keep former No. 1 draft pick Mario Williams away from Peyton Manning. As part of the offensive line, he's one of five guys responsible for keeping Manning upright. And as the only veteran with any experience protecting Manning's blind side, well, Johnson needs to play at his best - even if he's hurt.
The Colts don't allow anyone to make excuses.
``No matter who is out there, we expect them to play at a high level,'' Johnson said Thursday. ``That's the way it was before I came here, and that's the way it will be here long after I'm gone.''
This is no typical challenge for Indy.
The offensive line has traditionally ranked among the league's best at preventing sacks, but is coming off a dreadful preseason in which the Colts allowed eight sacks and committed 12 turnovers.
Part of the reason: Injuries.
Johnson sprained his right foot in practice Aug. 6 and didn't make it back onto the field until Wednesday. Four days after Johnson got hurt, Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Saturday, the anchor of Indy's line, didn't return until last week.
The Colts added another complication Wednesday with their most surprising move of the summer - releasing former second-round pick Tony Ugoh. The Colts were so convinced Ugoh would blossom into the left tackle of the future that they traded a 2008 first-round pick to San Francisco so they could take Ugoh with the 42nd overall pick in the 2007 draft.
Things never worked out.
After starting 23 games in his first two seasons, Johnson beat out Ugoh for the starting job last summer. This year, the Colts had hoped Ugoh would win the vacant job at left guard.
Instead, Johnson's early injury forced Ugoh to return to his old spot, and Jamey Richard wound up the big winner when Johnson went down with a foot injury Aug. 26 at Green Bay.
``Tony certainly has had one of those tough stretches during the preseason, up and down,'' coach Jim Caldwell said Thursday. ``Basically we were not quite certain about his health. We weren't quite certain that he'd get back, so we had to make a decision.''
Ugoh's release could come with a steep price.
If Johnson can't play Sunday - and he's making no guarantees - Manning's blind side will likely be protected by 6-foot-4, 311-pound Jeff Linkenbach, an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati.
``I know there's a chance I'll play,'' Linkenbach said. ``If I do, I've just got to go out there and execute.''
Executing in this offense is never easy for rookies.
Tight end Dallas Clark has repeatedly said it took him three years to learn all the nuances of Manning's no-huddle system and rookie linemen have contended previously that it takes time to figure out Saturday's calls, too.
Just don't expect the Colts to simplify the calls for Linkenbach.
``Link had better get ready,'' Saturday said with a smile. ``We've never done that as long as I've been here. Whoever is out there is the team that we'll field, and we'll run our offense the way we always do.''
The good news for Indy is that it appears Saturday and Manning will be working in tandem at Houston.
Though neither Caldwell nor Saturday have officially said Saturday will start, he did go through all drills for the second straight time Thursday.
Johnson did only limited work for a second straight day as he tests the foot, but things are sounding better and Johnson insists there is nothing for fans to worry about.
``I'd say if we had two or three first or second-year guys in there, I'd be concerned,'' Johnson said. ``With guys like me and Jeff, though, we have a lot of experience.''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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Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe 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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