Dallas Cowboys 2007 Draft Preview

Football Betting Lines

04/04/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The performance of the Dallas secondary was beyond poor during the second half of last season, and the emphasis in drafting corners and/or safeties this year will likely be focused on their ability to cover more than hit. Another pass rusher would also be a welcome addition to the defense. Offensively, Dallas has to be looking at the respective ages of Terrell Owens (33) and Terry Glenn (33 in July) and searching hard for an impact receiver. Elsewhere within the attack, free agent pickup Leonard Davis does not solve the club's offensive line woes in and of himself. Don't be surprised if three o-linemen take their place among the team's 10 selections.

2006 Record: 9-7

First Pick: No. 22

Number of Selections: 10 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7)

RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2006 - Bobby Carpenter (LB, Ohio State); 2005 - Demarcus Ware (OLB, Troy), Marcus Spears (DL, LSU); 2004 - none; 2003 - Terence Newman (CB, Kansas State); 2002 - Roy Williams (S, Oklahoma); 2001 - none; 2000 - none; 1999 - Ebenezer Ekuban (DE, North Carolina); 1998 - Greg Ellis (DE, North Carolina); 1997 - David LaFleur (TE, LSU); 1996 - none; 1995 - none; 1994 - Shante Carver (DE, Arizona State); 1993 - none; 1992 - Kevin Smith (CB, Texas A&M), Robert Jones (LB, East Carolina); 1991 - Russell Maryland (DT, Miami), Alvin Harper (WR, Tennessee), Kelvin Pritchett (DT, Mississippi); 1990 - Emmitt Smith (RB, Florida).

Jazzspots Football Betting News

<< Ducks welcome rival Sharks to Honda Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks will try for their fourth consecutive victory tonight, when they welcome the rival San Jose Sharks to the Honda Center. The Ducks, Sharks and Dallas Stars have already clinched a playoff berth, but are s

<< St. Louis Rams 2007 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rams were extremely active in free agency, signing arguably the top wide receiver on the market (Drew Bennett), a very good tight end (Randy McMichael), serviceable linebacker (Chris Draft), two players with potential to

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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seahawks surrendered their first-round draft pick to New England when they obtained Deion Branch via trade last September, and expecting the team to add a potential starter at the No. 55 spot is probably a bit of a stretc

<< Pirates target sweep in Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will attempt to gain some early control in the NL Central when they go for a series sweep of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. For the second straight game, Pittsburgh beat up on Houston's bul

<< Thrashers continue quest for division title against Caps
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers will try to move closer to winning their first-ever division title when they welcome the lowly Washington Capitals to Philips Arena tonight. The Thrashers have already clinched the club's first postse

Chicago Bears 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Bears front seven was pushed around a fair amount in the latter stages of the 2007 season, so Chicago GM Jerry Angelo and head coach Lovie Smith are likely to focus on that area on the first day of the draft. A replacemen

Arizona Cardinals 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona has long featured one of the weakest lines in the league, and with disappointing-yet-serviceable tackle Leonard Davis now a Cowboy, the Cardinals could be setting their sights on a player like Penn State's Levi Brown

Atlanta Falcons 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Falcons have multiple needs on defense, and with the No. 8 overall pick (obtained in the Matt Schaub trade) could justify selecting any of the following players - safeties LaRon Landry (LSU) and Reggie Nelson (Florida), t

Green Bay Packers 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Ahman Green now a Houston Texan, the Packers have a hole at running back that the franchise has not experienced heading into a season since the pre-Edgar Bennett days. Head coach Mike McCarthy says he's comfortable with

San Francisco 49ers 2007 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Niners are in major need of a No. 1 receiver after releasing Antonio Bryant, and might have to look long and hard at multi- talented Ohio State standout Ted Ginn, Jr. There are also secondary needs, though the signings of

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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