Patriots list LBs Alexander, Burgess, Woods among final cuts

Football Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebackers Eric Alexander, Derrick Burgess and Pierre Woods, all of whom had a role with the Patriots in past years, were released as part of New England's "cut-down-day" roster maneuvers on Saturday.

Alexander was a special teams ace who appeared in 45 games with New England over the past six seasons (2004-09), including a career-high-tying 14 appearances for the LSU product last season.

The former two-time Pro Bowler Burgess appeared in all 16 games with the Patriots last season, recording five sacks, and looked to have a good chance to make the team after being re-signed in May.

Woods appeared in 52 games with New England over the past four seasons (2006-09), including five starts at linebacker a year ago.

Also released were wide receiver Sam Aiken, safety Sergio Brown, offensive lineman George Bussey, tight end Carson Butler, running back Thomas Clayton, wide receiver Buddy Farnham, wide receiver Darnell Jenkins, offensive lineman Ted Larsen, tight end Rob Myers, offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger, wide receiver Rod Owens, quarterback Zac Robinson, running back Chris Taylor, defensive back Ross Ventrone, offensive lineman Thomas Welch, linebacker Thomas Williams and cornerback DeAngelo Willingham.

In other news, the team placed safety Brandon McGowan, an 11-game starter in 2009, on season-ending injured reserve with a chest injury.

Also on Saturday, the Patriots acquired veteran linebacker Tracy White from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for an undisclosed 2012 draft choice, as well as obtaining safety Jarrad Page from the Chiefs for a conditional choice.

White is a seven-year NFL veteran with previous experience as a member of the Eagles (2008-09), Packers (2006-08), Jaguars (2005) and Seahawks (2003-04).

Page, who was involved in a contract dispute with the Chiefs and did not report to the team in training camp, started 39 games with Kansas City from 2006 through 2009.

On Friday, New England released offensive lineman Eric Ghiaciuc and defensive lineman Damione Lewis.

The Patriots will begin their regular season next Sunday, when they welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to Gillette Stadium.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.