Sunday, July 14, 2002
Bookies predict 7 wins for Bengals
NFL insider
By BOB MATTHEWS
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle
Are you looking for some overrated and underrated teams for this NFL season? Here are the futures over-under victory 2002 projections from Las Vegas sports books:
• 11 1/2 — St. Louis.
• 10 1/2 — Green Bay, Pittsburgh.
• 10 — Philadelphia, San Francisco.
• 9 1/2 — Denver, Indianapolis, Miami, Oakland, Tampa Bay.
• 8 1/2 — Chicago, Cleveland, New England, New York Jets, Seattle, Tennessee, Washington.
• 8 — Minnesota.
• 7 1/2 — Atlanta, Baltimore, Kansas City, New York Giants.
• 7 — Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New Orleans, San Diego.
• 6 1/2 — Arizona, Dallas.
• 6 — Detroit.
• 5 1/2 — Carolina.
• 4 1/2 — Houston.
The most tempting propositions at the odds are Cincinnati (should be at least 8-8 with halfway decent QB play), St. Louis (the Rams are loaded and will be hungry coming off the disappointing loss in Super Bowl XXXVI), Tampa Bay (lots of talent, and the offense should improve with new coach Jon Gruden replacing defensive-minded Tony Dungy) and Indianapolis (Dungy's arrival should upgrade the defense, and the offense should bounce back with a healthy Edgerrin James).
The most overrated teams at the odds are Carolina (1-15 last season, and it wasn't all departed coach George Seifert's fault; the Panthers ranked 30th on offense and 31st on defense), Denver (QB Brian Griese's shoulder is a legitimate concern, and the defense could be slipping), Baltimore (the Super Bowl XXXV champs are fading fast) and Buffalo (the Bills will be better and more fun to watch, but wouldn't 6-10 against a tough schedule be quite an improvement over 3-12?).
COWBOYS: Four hundred pounds plus 20 pounds plus 2 pounds equals one Aaron Gibson. Or so said the Cowboys' roster.
Their biggest offensive lineman doesn't dispute the number.
“That was the number on the scale when I weighed in in May,” an unabashed Gibson admitted.
He weighed 410 earlier last week.
What he disputes is the idea he is the first official 399-plus player to play in the NFL.
“I'm not the first 400-pound player,” the 6-foot-6 Gibson said, laughing. “I'm just the first one to admit it.”
VIKINGS: A judge issued an injunction preventing Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper from doing an advertisement for sports apparel maker Reebok International, Ltd. until a lawsuit filed by rival Nike Inc. is settled.
After a marathon hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Portland, a judge issued an interim injunction pending a trial. No trial date has been set.
“I am disappointed with that decision, but I am confident that the jury will reach a more favorable conclusion,” Culpepper told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.
In its complaint, Nike argues that Culpepper renewed his contract in October 2001 but violated that contract when he agreed to do an ad for Reebok.
The complaint says Culpepper gave Nike a right of first refusal when he signed his original contract in 2000.
DOLPHINS: Miami quarterback Jay Fiedler will miss the start of training camp following hip surgery Saturday.
Fiedler had surgery to repair a tear in his left hip joint, the opposite hip he injured during the 2000 preseason.
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Bookies predict 7 wins for Bengals
