Dolphins release LBs Porter, Ayodele

Football Betting Lines

03/05/2010 - Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins on Friday terminated the contracts of linebackers Akin Ayodele and Joey Porter along with safety Gibril Wilson.

Miami attempted to release Porter, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, back on February 12, but the NFL didn't allow the transaction to take place because it would have violated the salary cap.

Porter's release was finalized on Friday due to the fact that there is no cap in the league this year.

Porter inked a five-year deal with the Dolphins after the 2006 season, and in his three years in Miami, he compiled 32 sacks and 154 tackles in 46 games. The 32-year-old played in 14 games last season, logging 41 tackles and nine sacks but battled knee injuries through most of the year.

The Colorado State product spent the first eight years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he recorded 498 tackles, 60 sacks and 10 interceptions. His sack total ranked fourth in team history at the time of his release.

His 92 sacks rank second on the active list behind Jason Taylor's 127 1/2.

Ayodele started in 15 games for the Dolphins last season, ranking third on the team in tackles with 70. Miami acquired the Purdue product from the Cowboys on April 26, 2008 in exchange for a '08 fourth-round draft pick.

In 128 career games with the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Dolphins, the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder has compiled 630 tackles, 9 1/2 sacks, and seven interceptions.

Wilson recorded 93 tackles and one sack in 16 games last season, his first in Miami.

Miami may be close to adding unrestricted free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby, who visited with the Dolphins Friday. The 28-year-old Dansby has spent his first six years in the league with the Cardinals.

The Auburn product has 437 tackles, 25.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions in 90 career games.

Narketwatch Football Betting News

<< Report: Falcons nab CB Robinson with six-year contract
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly made great strides in improving their secondary, agreeing to terms with free agent cornerback Dunta Robinson on a six-year contract. The Atlanta Journal-Consti

<< Villegas and Kim share Honda Classic lead
Palm Beach Gardens, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim are tied atop the leaderboard after Friday's second round of the Honda Classic at PGA National. Villegas shot his second consecutive four-under 68 and Kim matched t

<< Stuttgart hopes to continue climb at Bremen
Bremen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart has moved safely out of the drop zone in its first nine games since Christian Gross became manager in December, and now sits within reach of a European spot with 10 weeks left in the season. Stut

<< Habs' Lapierre suspended for hit on Nichol
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre has been suspended four games for a late hit on San Jose forward Scott Nichol. Nichol had just hit the post with a shot when Lapierre shoved him into the end boards

<< Real starts crucial week against Sevilla
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid welcomes Sevilla to the Bernabeu on Saturday for the first game of a two-game span that could ultimately define the Spanish giant's season. Real spent nearly $400 million during the offseason, in

Ravens acquire WR Boldin from Arizona for picks >>
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens have added the big- name receiver they have long been after, acquiring wide receiver Anquan Boldin from Arizona. The Ravens sent their 2010 third- and fourth-round picks to Arizona w

Roethlisberger accused of sexual assault >>
Milledgeville, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault at a Georgia nightclub, according to several media reports. The alleged incident took place Thursday night at a club ca

Report: Wilfork signs long-term deal with Pats >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork have reportedly agreed to a five-year contract worth $40 million. According to Boston.com, which cites Wilfork's agent, the deal has $25 mil

Jets release Thomas Jones, Strickland >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets announced the release of veteran running back Thomas Jones on Friday. The team also released cornerback Donald Strickland. Jones, 31, ran for a career-high 1,402 ya

Duke holds on down the stretch to edge Maryland >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jasmine Thomas scored a game-high 21 points, and ninth-ranked Duke survived down the stretch to beat Maryland, 66-64, and advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Joy Cheek added 14 points, five r

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.

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