NFL Thu, Aug 19, 2004
T.O. vs. Ravens feud may push the under
Ryan Stetson
Maybe the books have finally figured out that when the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens are on the field the under has been a lock for total bettors.
Heading into Friday’s game, each of the last seven meetings between the two clubs have checked in under the total. Now, oddsmakers have reacted by posting a 32 ½-point total for tomorrow’s game, the lowest over/under for a Philly-Baltimore game since 1996.
But is it too little, too late to get in on the under trend?
Philadelphia’s limping defense will give Baltimore’s questionable-at-best attack a break. Linebackers Dhani Jones (high ankle sprain) and Nate Wayne (hamstring) will likely be riding the pine, while the team’s top pass-rusher, N.D. Kalu, is gone for the year after tearing his ACL. But they won’t be alone. A total of 10 of the 13 injured Eagles are defensive players.
“You're going to have (injuries) at training camp,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson told reporters. “Everybody is going to have it in the NFL. Now we all of a sudden just got a bunch on defense, and I can't explain it.”
“We'll be OK,” Johnson continued. “We just hope we don't get anyone else banged up.”
Meanwhile, there's been a ton of talk that the Ravens, and especially Ray Lewis, are planning on banging up Terrell Owens on Friday after the wideout nixed a trade in the offseason that would have had him playing in Baltimore this season instead of in Philly. The two superstars have been trading barbs all season, but whether anything out of the ordinary comes of it on Friday night is another thing all together.
“I think Ray is a smart enough player that if he’s out there running around looking for T.O. in a preseason game, he’s out of his game,” Eagles linebacker Ike Reese told reporters. “And if he does something ridiculous, he’s going to get fined for if it’s malicious, or with intent to hurt somebody.”
It all sounds fairly unlikely, but if Lewis is looking for Owens, he’ll probably have plenty of time to find him. Philly coach Andy Reid plans to play his offensive starters for about half of Friday’s game, while Baltimore will probably yank its first-string offense sometime in the second quarter.
Still, an intense, hard-hitting affair wouldn’t hurt the under. And Baltimore’s defense has started the preseason playing as stingy as ever. Last week, the Ravens spanked the Atlanta Falcons 24-0 as a 3 ½-point favorite, forcing the Falcons into eight three-and-outs.
Oddsmakers have the Eagles set as 3-point favorites.
T.O. vs. Ravens feud may push the under
Ryan Stetson
Maybe the books have finally figured out that when the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens are on the field the under has been a lock for total bettors.
Heading into Friday’s game, each of the last seven meetings between the two clubs have checked in under the total. Now, oddsmakers have reacted by posting a 32 ½-point total for tomorrow’s game, the lowest over/under for a Philly-Baltimore game since 1996.
But is it too little, too late to get in on the under trend?
Philadelphia’s limping defense will give Baltimore’s questionable-at-best attack a break. Linebackers Dhani Jones (high ankle sprain) and Nate Wayne (hamstring) will likely be riding the pine, while the team’s top pass-rusher, N.D. Kalu, is gone for the year after tearing his ACL. But they won’t be alone. A total of 10 of the 13 injured Eagles are defensive players.
“You're going to have (injuries) at training camp,” defensive coordinator Jim Johnson told reporters. “Everybody is going to have it in the NFL. Now we all of a sudden just got a bunch on defense, and I can't explain it.”
“We'll be OK,” Johnson continued. “We just hope we don't get anyone else banged up.”
Meanwhile, there's been a ton of talk that the Ravens, and especially Ray Lewis, are planning on banging up Terrell Owens on Friday after the wideout nixed a trade in the offseason that would have had him playing in Baltimore this season instead of in Philly. The two superstars have been trading barbs all season, but whether anything out of the ordinary comes of it on Friday night is another thing all together.
“I think Ray is a smart enough player that if he’s out there running around looking for T.O. in a preseason game, he’s out of his game,” Eagles linebacker Ike Reese told reporters. “And if he does something ridiculous, he’s going to get fined for if it’s malicious, or with intent to hurt somebody.”
It all sounds fairly unlikely, but if Lewis is looking for Owens, he’ll probably have plenty of time to find him. Philly coach Andy Reid plans to play his offensive starters for about half of Friday’s game, while Baltimore will probably yank its first-string offense sometime in the second quarter.
Still, an intense, hard-hitting affair wouldn’t hurt the under. And Baltimore’s defense has started the preseason playing as stingy as ever. Last week, the Ravens spanked the Atlanta Falcons 24-0 as a 3 ½-point favorite, forcing the Falcons into eight three-and-outs.
Oddsmakers have the Eagles set as 3-point favorites.
