Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 8/8 (MLB, WNBA, CFL, Misc.)

[Udog]

CFL

Week 7

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Argonauts at Alouettes: What bettors need to know
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Toronto Argonauts at Montreal Alouettes (+2, 52)

A bye week and a change at coach give the Montreal Alouettes a chance to put their rough start to the season behind them. General manager Jim Popp will be on the sidelines when the Alouettes host the East Division-leading Toronto Argonauts on Thursday. Dan Hawkins lasted only five games as coach as his offensive schemes failed to gel with quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who expressed frustration with the coaching after a Week 2 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Argonauts entered their bye week on a high note after backup quarterback Zach Collaros led them to a 38-12 home victory over the BC Lions. An extra week’s rest means starter Ricky Ray will likely return Thursday, but Collaros showed his value by throwing 253 yards and three touchdowns against one of the best defences in the league. Toronto’s defence limited the Lions to field goals on four red-zone opportunities in its strongest performance and could prove very difficult for a Montreal offence that has only produced only seven touchdowns.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN

ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS (3-2, 3-2 ATS): Running back Chad Kackert remains out with a knee injury, meaning backup Curtis Steele will likely start Thursday after recording a pair of rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter against BC. Steele looked comfortable with Collaros, but will need to play a larger blocking role for Ray, who plays a more traditional style under centre. Defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell recorded a sack against his old team and was not flagged for any penalties in Week 5 - something Toronto’s defence needs to replicate to remain effective.

ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (2-3, 2-3 ATS): Despite the early struggles, Calvillo has still thrown for 1,035 yards, connecting with slotback S.J. Green for 347 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Brandon Whitaker recorded 162 yards and one touchdown in Week 5 - his strongest performance since returning from injury. Montreal’s defence, led by linebackers Chip Cox and Shea Emry and safety Kyries Hebert, has been solid despite allowing 139 points. Cox leads the team with 39 tackles, while Hebert has 31 and a team-leading seven sacks and Emry has two of the team’s league-leading seven interceptions.

TRENDS:

* Under is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Montreal.
* Under is 5-0 in the last five meetings.
* Argonauts are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 meetings.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. The Argonauts defeated the Alouettes 27-20 in the East Division finals last year en route to their Grey Cup victory.

2. Popp - Montreal’s general manager since 1996 - has served two previous stints as coach: one game in 2001 and for 22 games over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, compiling a 10-13 regular-season record.

3. Toronto is 2-0 against East Division opponents.


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[Udog]

Preseason Tidbits

August 8, 2013

Around the NFL, every team approaches the preseason differently. Some teams are working in an entire new coaching staff with new philosophies. Some teams have established quarterbacks while others have a competition among 2-3 players. Some just want to keep players healthy and don't show much of their offensive or defensive game plans. Knowing some of recent trends can help you find favorable matchups and get you off to a quick start before the regular season even kicks off. Enjoy our 'tidbits' for the NFL exhibition season.

-- Arizona Cardinals are 1-7 ATS in their last eight preseason games. They are under a new coaching regime. New head coach Bruce Arians is breaking in a new offense with a new quarterback, Carson Palmer. Arians was 3-1 ATS in the preseason as a member of Indy's coaching staff last year.

-- Buffalo Bills are 1-8 SU & 2-7 ATS in the last preseason games. Head Coach Doug Marrone is in his first season as an NFL head coach. He has an all new coaching staff with new offensive wrinkles. Expect the Bills to be more competitive as they break in a new offense with a heated battle between Kevin Kolb & EJ Manuel at quarterback.

-- Carolina Panthers are 1-10 SU & 3-8 ATS in the last 11 preseason road games. The Panthers haven't been strong on the road in preseason. They play at Philly on August 15 & at Baltimore on August 22.

-- Cincinnati Bengals are 1-6 ATS in the past seven preseason road games. Cincy will play its first preseason game on the road at Atlanta on August 8th and will be playing without top WR, AJ Green.

-- Denver Broncos are 1-5 ATS the past six preseason games as favorite. QB Manning won't see much action in the preseason, especially in the first couple of games. Expect a lot of uneven play from Brock Osweiler, Ryan Katz, and Zac Dysert splitting reps under center.

-- Detroit Lions are 9-2 SU & ATS the last 11 preseason games. Detroit has a proven backup QB in Shaun Hill and behind him Thaddeus Lewis has experience. This offense will stay strong the entire game with proven backup QB's. The Lions are also 7-3-1 OVER in the last 11 preseason games.

-- Green Bay Packers are 15-5 OVER the last 20 preseason games. Aaron Rodgers won't see a ton of plays, but there's a strong quarterback battle for the no. 2 spot between BJ Coleman and Graham Harrell. This offense has strong depth and we expect it to continue to put up points even with Rodgers on the bench.

-- Jacksonville Jaguars have played six straight preseason OVERs. Jacksonville has allowed 29.3 points per game over that stretch. New head coach Gus Bradley is a defensive specialist and will want to change that. The offense is still in rough shape with uncertainty at the QB position, so the Jags could be in for some low-scoring affairs in the preseason.

-- Kansas City Chiefs are 5-28-1 ATS in their last 34 preseason games. There is a new coaching staff but don't expect much of a change in their preseason woes. Head Coach Andy Reid never put a heavy emphasis on preseason in Philly as he went 9-13 ATS in his last 22 preseason games.

-- New England Patriots are 1-5 SU & 0-6 ATS their last six preseason games. New England hasn't put a lot of emphasis on preseason action under Bill Belichick. Tom Brady won't see many snaps and they'll opt to keep their top playmakers healthy. The Pats are also 45-27-1 OVER under Belichick in the preseason.

-- New York Giants UNDER is 8-2 their last 10 preseason games. The GMen have never been big on showing a lot of their starting offense in the preseason. Eli Manning won't see a ton of action and coaches will want to keep star WR's Cruz & Nicks healthy. Expect more low scoring games as they try to get their swagger back on defense as well.

-- New York Jets are 0-5 SU & ATS past 5 preseason games. Coaches are trying to determine if rookie QB Geno Smith is a better option than the embattled Mark Sanchez. Both Smith and Sanchez will see a good share of reps under center. And we don't expect stellar results from either.

-- Oakland Raiders are 2-8 SU & ATS past 10 preseason games. There isn't a ton of talent on this team and very little depth to speak of. QB Matt Flynn will try to hold off Terrelle Pryor and rookie Tyler Wilson. None of the three QB's are great and the receiving corps is very weak. It'll be tough to score and the Raiders' woes may continue this preseason.

-- Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS in their past seven preseason games. Pittsburgh has also won 11 straight preseason home games since 2007.

-- St. Louis Rams are 11-3 SU & ATS past 14 preseason games. St. Louis is the buzz-team of the summer. A lot is expected from this up & coming team and the excitement could spill over into another solid preseason.

-- Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is a strong 19-9-1 in preseason action (4-0 in 2012). He has a strong stable to QB's to work with as well. Tavaris Jackson and Brady Quinn compete to backup star sophomore Russell Wilson.

-- Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 9-2 ATS past 11 preseason road games. Tampa Bay plays at New England on August 16th and at Miami on August 26th. The Bucs apparently aren't sold on Josh Freeman as the starting QB of the future, so expect rookie Mike Glennon to get a long look under center.

-- Washington Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan is a career 44-34-2 ATS and 50-30 OVER in preseason games. Star QB Robert Griffin III is not expected to take any reps in the preseason.

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