Texas Rangers

The Rangers will be ready to head back home after a road trip that saw them lose four of their first five games in Toronto and Detroit, and they’ll be aiming to avoid a sweep in the Motor City on Thursday afternoon against the Tigers. That leaves the Rangers with a one-game lead over the Angels in the West ahead of that matinee with the Tigers, and Texas will head back home in time for the beginning of their weekend set against Cleveland, who are trying to keep pace with Detroit in the Central, so you know they’ll bring their A-game. Following that series, the Rangers will welcome Seattle to the Ballpark and will likely be the MLB betting favorites, but Texas has to get their act together and do the little things that they seem to have trouble with on the road.

Dallas Cowboys

The lockout ended last week and the Cowboys wasted no time; the major releases were Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Marc Colombo and Kris Brown, while rookies Tyron Smith, DeMarco Murray and Bruce Carter were signed. Linemen Doug Free and Kyle Kosier were re-signed, and along with Smith, they’ll be counted on to keep quarterback Tony Romo on his feet. But you don’t need a Bet Online review to tell you that the Cowboys have to sort out their problems in the secondary, and they missed out on claiming cornerback Nmandi Asomugha, who signed with Dallas’ NFC East rivals from Philadelphia. There isn’t much else out there as Antonio Cromartie decided to re-sign with the New York Jets, so the Cowboys have to deal with who they have, and they can’t afford another season like 2010, when their secondary was lit up on a consistent basis. Philadelphia has improved (although Dallas fans should keep an eye on the contract discussions between DeSean Jackson and the Eagles), while the New York Giants should have a solid aerial attack and Washington…..well, the Eagles and Giants will be tough to stop. It’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys can swing any more moves before Week 1 kicks off on September 11^th in New York (technically, New Jersey) against the Jets. However, the Cowboys begin preseason action on August 11^th at home against Denver, and they should be the sports betting favorites for that contest.

When the dust settled, the NFL betting lines had definitely changed. But Cowboys fans were left wondering what the plan was at Valley Ranch and if the team was trying to gear up for a Super Bowl run. Last year was the ultimate in disappointment if you are a Cowboys fan. This year there have been some changes, but fans will have to see if it will be enough for the Cowboys to make it to the playoffs in 2011.

The first area to look at to see how the Cowboys did in free agency is to see what kind of activity Dallas had in the NFL open market. With all of the potential help that was out there in the defensive secondary, the Cowboys made no free agent signings. Asomugha, cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the Jets and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from the Cardinals were all on the open market and none of them went to Dallas. Much to the dismay of Cowboys fans, Asomugha and Rodgers-Cromartie both went to the Philadelphia Eagles. A change like that in Philly could go a long way to pointing out the inadequacies of the Cowboys’ own defensive secondary.

The Cowboys did manage to keep some key players and prevent them from getting into the open market. Offensive tackle Doug Free was going to be a hot free agent until the Cowboys signed him to a four-year deal. Defensive end Marcus Spears was retained by Dallas, along with offensive guard Kyle Kosier.

The betonline reviews on the players that the Cowboys let go is mixed. Veteran wide receiver Roy Williams never seemed to fit in to the Dallas offense, so letting him go was a natural move. Running back Marion Barber became part of a crowded Dallas backfield and was the odd-man out. Offensive tackle Marc Colombo and defensive end Stephen Bowen could have been contributors to the Cowboys’ success in 2011, but both were allowed to leave the team via free agency.

The one player that has not been signed by the Cowboys, or any other team at this point, that stands out is safety Gerald Sensabaugh. The Dallas Cowboys have continually ignored their weaknesses in the defensive backfield for the past two or three years. When quality players are available in free agency, the Cowboys do no pursue them. When the Cowboys needed a safety or offensive lineman in the 2010 draft, they took wide receiver Dez Bryant instead.

With Sensabaugh still not signed to a contract, it shows that the Cowboys feel that they have a plan in the backfield but they are unwilling to let anyone know what that plan may be. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has his hands full trying to put together a defense that can compete for Dallas. Considering the moves that Dallas made in free agency, Ryan’s job just got more difficult.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers ended the week poorly after winning two of three at home against Toronto last weekend, but all is not lost; they can still earn a split of their four-game set at the Ballpark against Minnesota with a win on Thursday night against the Twins. Texas exploded for 20 runs on 27 hits in the first game of the series, but MLB betting players watched Neftali Feliz continue to have a strange campaign as he blew his fifth save of the year in a 9-8 loss, and then the Rangers were thumped 7-2 on Wednesday night. The Rangers will head to Toronto and Detroit next week, and it’ll be interesting to see what the team looks like by the time they arrive in the Motor City, as Texas is in the running to acquire closer Heath Bell from San Diego, but they missed out on slugger Carlos Beltran, who was dealt by the New York Mets to the San Francisco Giants.

Dallas Cowboys

Whatever attention the CFL was getting will now be taken over by the NFL as the lockout ended on Monday, and the Cowboys have been hot on the heels of free-agent cornerback Nmandi Asomugha, who would really provide a spark in a secondary that was often burned last season. A number of players have been or are on their way to being released, such as running back Marion Barber, receiver Roy Williams, tackle Marc Colombo and kicker Kris Brown, among others. One signing that the Cowboys did make was tackle Doug Free, who received a four-year deal worth $32 million, and Dallas knows that they have keep quarterback Tony Romo on the field after last season’s broken clavicle. Guard Kyle Kosier was also re-signed to a three-year deal worth $9 million, and they will be joined up front by rookie tackle Tyron Smith and center Andre Gurode, but they have to find a replacement for guard Leonard Davis, who is on his way out of Dallas. Now, look for the Cowboys to focus their efforts on Asomugha, the jewel of the free-agent market and one of the top three cornerbacks in the game. If the Cowboys can lure him to “Jerry’s World”, look for their sports betting odds to make a move.

The betting experts are starting to re-think their NFL predictions in the preseason that the Dallas Cowboys would be NFC East champions. But, as some of the Cowboys like to point out, it is not all the Cowboys’ doing.

In their week five loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Dallas Cowboys point to a questionable call by the referee as just one example of how the Cowboys seem snake-bit this year. When tight end Jason Witten scored the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter he handed the ball to offensive lineman Marc Colombo. After Colombo spiked the ball, he chest-bumped Witten and fell to the ground. The referees flagged Colombo for excessive celebration. With the 15 yards tacked on to the kick off, the Cowboys were unable to pin the Titans with the kick. The Titans marched down the field and won the game.

The referees did not put the Cowboys in a hole that required a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and they also did not help the Titans to score the game-winning touchdown at the end of the game. But the Cowboys point to that penalty as an example of the little things that keep haunting the Cowboys this season.

The NFL betting world loves to play the “if the season ended today” game, but the Dallas Cowboys do not have time for speculation. The Cowboys have admitted that one of the things that is killing their season is the penalties they are taking and the mental mistakes that are causing turnovers and big plays against them. Linebacker and defensive team captain Keith Brooking refers to the brand of football that the Cowboys are playing as “stupid football” and has challenged his defensive teammates to work harder to cut down on the mistakes.

In order to understand how costly the Cowboys mistakes have been this season, one only needs to look at how the team is playing in comparison to their record. The Cowboys offense is ranked second in the league with an average of 422 yards per game. The passing game has been throwing for an average of 326 yards per game, the running game is gaining an average of 95.2 yards per game and the team is scoring an average of 20 points per game. The Dallas defense is holding opposing offenses to just 305 total yards per game, but the defense is giving up almost 22 points per game. Mistakes, penalties and bad positional playing is costing the Cowboys big this season.

While many of the NFL scores have not been on the side of the Cowboys this season, there has been on mystery surrounding Dallas that has been resolved. Rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant was indeed tricked into paying the entire tab for the offensive team’s dinner at the beginning of the season. The total wound up being $54,896, and Bryant recognizes it as a rookie hazing. Bryant laughs the incident off and says that apologies, and re-payment, from his teammates are not necessary.

Dallas Cowboys vs Tennessee Titans Preview
The Cowboys have everything going for them this week, they are coming off a bye and will face a struggling Titans team at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys need to take advantage of their good fortune this time. Last week the Titans couldn’t get anything going on offense or defense against the Broncos. Outside of running back Chris Johnson the Titans have looked lost for most of this season. Their defense struggled against the Broncos passing attack last week, and will face a Cowboys team with even more weapons.

If the Cowboys can play the like they did against the Texans they will have no problem dispatching the Titans. The bye week came at the right time, giving the long list of injured Cowboys a chance to rest: Jason Witten (knee), Kyle Kosier (knee), Dez Bryant (ribs, hips), Marc Colombo (knee) and Mike Jenkins (knee).

NFC East Division Standing and Week 5 Opponents
The Dallas Cowboys got off to a slow start this season, but with a win over the Tennessee Titans in week 5 they will be right back in the thick of things. The NFC East is still wide open, the Cowboys are only half a game out of first. Let’s take a look at the NFC East standings and this weeks opponents before getting into the Cowboys Titans preview.

1. Washington Redskins
   • Record: (2-2)
   • Week 5: vs Green Bay Packers (3-1)
2. New York Giants
   • Record: (2-2)
   • Week 5: at Houston Texans (3-1)
3. Philadelphia Eagles
   • Record: (2-2)
   • Week 5: at San Francisco (0-4)
4. Dallas Cowboys
   • Record: (2-2)
   • Week 5: vs Tennessee Titans (2-2)

The Redskins should lose to the Packers even though the game is in Washington, the Giants will have their hands full with the Texans, and the Eagles aren’t sure who the quarterback will be this week in San Francisco.

NFL Week 5 Preview: Dallas Cowboys vs Tennessee Titans – Parking, Tickets, TV Channel, Announcers
Cowboys-Titans Day / Date: Sunday – October 3rd 2010
Cowboys-Titans Location: Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX
Cowboys-Titans TV Kickoff: 3:15 PM Central Time
Cowboys-Titans TV Channel: CBS
Cowboys-Titans TV Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
Cowboys-Titans Over / Under: 41.5
Cowboys-Titans Point Spread: Cowboys -6.5
Cowboys-Titans Parking: Cowboys Stadium Parking Information
Cowboys-Titans Tickets: Cowboys Titans Tickets (StubHub.com!)

NFL Week 5 Game Information

Sources: Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo! Sports

Image Credit: fantasy-info.com

Cowboys-Redskins This Week: This week the Cowboys will play the Redskins at home after 2 weeks on the road. The Boys were able to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia, but couldn’t overcome mistakes and injuries to beat the Packers.

The Cowboys will need to beat the Redskins in order to ensure they stay alone atop the NFC East standings. The Redskins have been terrible this year, their front office has been a mess for most of the season, but last week the Washington Redskins beat the Denver Broncos. So what does this mean? The Redskins won the game after getting the momentum from a touchdown on a fake punt, and an injury kept Denver QB Kyle Orton sidelined in the second half, so not much. The Cowboys should beat the Redskins if they can sort out the offense, mainly the offensive line. Prediction: Cowboys 21 Redskins 17

Cowboys-Redskins Game Information
Cowboys-Redskins Game Time: 12:00 Noon – Central Time
Cowboys-Redskins Day / Date: Sunday – November 22 2009
Cowboys-Redskins Location: Cowboys Stadium – Arlington TX
Cowboys-Redskins TV Channel: FOX
Cowboys-Redskins Broadcast Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

Cowboys-Redskins Betting:
• Odds – Point Spread – Advice
• Early Point Spread: Cowboys -11.5
• Early Over-Under: 41.5

Cowboys-Redskins Tickets:
• Dallas Cowboys Tickets as low as $45 at StubHub!
• Cowboys Stadium Parking Information

Dallas Cowboys Injuries
David Buehler K | Toe – Did not practice
Marc Colombo T | Ankle – Did not practice
Ken Hamlin S | Ankle – Did not practice
Allen Rossum CB | Hamstring – Did not practice
Marion Barber RB | Thumb – Full practice
Mike Jenkins CB | Elbow – Full practice
Gerald Sensabaugh S | Thumb – Full practice
DeMarcus Ware LB | Foot – Full practice

Washington Redskins Injuries
Albert Haynesworth DT | Ankle – Did not practice
Clinton Portis RB | Concussion – Did not practice
Mike Williams T | Ankle – Did not practice
Ladell Betts RB | Ankle – Full practice
Chris Cooley TE | Ankle – Out will not play