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COLLEGE FOOTBALL '06: Quinn blossoms into a star under WeisFootball Betting Lines08/10/2006 - SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Brady Quinn still vividly remembers hearing coach Charlie Weis' booming Jersey accent at practice last year after the Notre Dame quarterback had trouble with his footwork, causing a pass to miss its mark. ``This is why you're always going to be a 50-percent completion passer,'' Weis yelled. The quip might not seem particularly insulting, but for Quinn - unhappy with his 50.8 percent completion rate over his first two seasons at Notre Dame - the remark stung. ``He just always makes little comments like that that kind of stick with you,'' Quinn said. ``That's probably the one that has I guess more or less motivated me and stuck with me.'' Under Weis, who helped groom New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady into one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, Quinn went from marginal to magnificent, completing 64.9 percent of his passes last season and setting nearly every school passing record. Another season like that in '06 and Quinn could become the first Irish quarterback in 42 years to win the Heisman Trophy. The change is the result of a special relationship between Weis and Quinn. The coach who was a mediocre high school lineman and the player most outspoken about the firing of Weis' predecessor, Tyrone Willingham, have formed a partnership that has Irish fans dreaming again of a national championship. Quinn already had the raw skills to be a topflight passer before Weis arrived. He just wasn't able to pass with consistency and his best days almost always came during Irish losses. Weis tweaked some small mechanical problems, such as the way Quinn awkwardly squatted before taking a snap, making it harder to drop back in the pocket properly. Primarily, though, Weis changed the way Quinn thought, transforming him through Weis' teaching, not-so-gentle prodding and constant presence. Weis believes Quinn should be an extension of him on the field. ``He wants to be right there with you,'' Quinn said. But Weis knows he can't teach Quinn everything he needs to be a great quarterback. That is why he arranged for Quinn to talk this summer with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. ``They were able to give him advice that I can't give him. I only can give him advice coming from a coach, but I can't give him advice like Tommy can or like Peyton can or like Brett Favre did,'' he said. The three talked to Quinn about some of the obstacles they have faced and the way they approach being quarterbacks. Quinn found his talk with Manning especially helpful, because Manning has been through what Quinn is about to go through. He was a high-profile quarterback for a highly rated school who went through the stress of being a Heisman Trophy candidate. Manning finished second to Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997. ``He takes a business approach to everything,'' Quinn said. Quinn plans to take a similar approach. He's also looking forward to Weis giving him more responsibility in running the Irish offense. It's part of Weis' plan to challenge Quinn more. Weis said it's no longer good enough for Quinn to simply run a play well. ``Sometimes when you look at a play in a game and it's a completed pass, you say, 'Oh, it's a nice job.' But I might be mad that he didn't go to the guy he was supposed to,'' Weis said. Weis plans to get on Quinn even if he passes for a 15-yard gain if his first choice was supposed to be a receiver open out on the flat. ``You're going to say, 'Nice job. Move the chains.' I will now say to him: 'What's your first read? Was he open? Did you see him? Did you even look at him?'' Weis said, his voice rising. ``Now you're taking him to a whole different level of thought process.'' Weis also plans to give Quinn more responsibility. In the first week of practice this month he began letting Quinn use hand signals to change a pass route for a receiver based on the way a defensive back lines up. For now Quinn can use it on one play the Irish run often. Weis plans to give Quinn more opportunities like that. ``That is not something you give to anybody. That has to be somebody you trust,'' Weis said. ``What you can now do is get in a position where he can get you in a better play than the one you had called.'' Quinn's already pushing the issue, asking Weis if he can use the signals on a different play. Weis won't let him - not yet anyway. ``You have to let him know what he can do and can't do,'' Weis said. It's not only Weis challenging Quinn, though. Quinn keeps Weis on his toes as well. Weis has to be careful around Quinn because if he makes a mistake when he's talking about a play, Quinn notices immediately. ``I can't hide if I made a mistake with him. Because if I call a play and I call it a little bit wrong, he'll say, 'Do you mean this?' He loves it too - like, 'Got yah,''' Weis said. ``I like this kind of challenge personally.'' He also has the challenge of finding ways to get under the skin of Quinn, who made a joke at media day about how he was eager to hear Weis' new routine. Of course, Quinn is used to tough love. He said Weis has nothing on his mother, Robin, who used to threaten to take him home after a bad pitching performance when they were traveling Ohio for baseball game when he was growing up. She still is his harshest critic, sometimes even criticizing what he does on the sidelines. ``It's about everything. Sometimes it's not even necessarily about something like completion percentage,'' he said. ``She's a stickler. She's tough.'' As tough as Weis can be, he tries to keep his digs to a minimum so they will have maximum impact. He already knows one thing Quinn is going to hear often from him when he slips up. ``Every time that Quinn throws an incomplete pass, he already knows it's coming. You can ask him because he already knows it's coming. I will say, 'Yeah, there's my Heisman Trophy winner.''' Irish fans are hoping Weis is saying that in New York on Dec. 9. Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Sun Belt crowded with contenders
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Three teams got a taste of what it's like to play for the Sun Belt Conference championship on the last day of the season in 2005.And for the first time in the football conference's five years in existence, North Texas was not one o
<< A case of mistaken identity, and the worst day of Eddie Johnson's life
<< Thursday's MLB Transactions
<< Dolphins' McKinney undergoes neck surgery
<< Moulds' departure means big changes for Bills receiving corps
Terrell Owens' day in training camp >>
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) -A look at Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens' day in training camp Thursday.NOT TODAY, KID: Owens missed his 11th straight practice because of a sore hamstring, but ran hard and rode the stationary bike, even donning cycling
Auburn clears athletic officials in probe of professor accused of helping athletes stay eligible >>
Schottenheimer apologizes for remark about bullets >>
White Sox manager Guillen ejected >>
UNDATED: 28 chances. >>
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich. The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs. Ryder Cup Odds
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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change TeamsIt’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column. We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side. Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor. Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season. Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference. The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs. |
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