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08/12/2010 -
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -When it comes to replacing Toby Gerhart and his 28 touchdowns, 1,871 rushing yards and countless big plays, Stanford will have a hard time finding one person to fill the job.
Gerhart's running duties will likely be shared by Jeremy Stewart, Tyler Gaffney, Stepfan Taylor and a collection of young backs looking to follow in the footsteps of last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Quarterback Andrew Luck will be counted on to carry an ever bigger load after his breakthrough first season as starter.
And even the defensive players know they will have a lot more responsibility without Gerhart there to rescue them like he did so often last season.
``We're definitely taking it to heart,'' nose tackle Sione Fua said. ``People have been saying our defense needs to get better to get Stanford to the next level. We're taking it to heart. We want to be a strength of this team. We want to win games 3-0 and the other team never scores. We want to shut everyone out and just be a strength this season.''
The defense was far from a strength last season when it allowed 31.4 points per game. The Cardinal scored at least 27 points in four of their five losses with an offense that was clearly good enough to win the Pac-10.
Stanford is shifting to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio, who has spent the past 24 seasons coaching in the NFL, in hopes of improving the struggling unit.
That was one of the few negatives last year as the Cardinal completed their turnaround from the 1-11 team Jim Harbaugh took over following the 2006 season.
Harbaugh led the Cardinal to upsets of Southern California and rival California in his first season and fell one win shy of a bowl bid his second year before leading Stanford to its first bowl bid in eight years last season as the Cardinal finished 8-5.
Expectations are high again this year.
``It's a double-edged sword there,'' Harbaugh said. ``The main thing is we have to understand that because we went to a bowl and won eight games we're not entitled to go to a better bowl and win 10 games or 11 or 12. All those have to be earned. From the other side of the coin, the team has the knowledge and the evidence that it can be done and also has the blueprint for doing it.''
That blueprint will be to ride the strong right arm of Luck, who is considered one of the top pro prospects in all of college football after playing just one season at Stanford.
Luck, who sat out his freshman year as a redshirt, completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 2,575 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions despite missing the Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma with a broken right index finger.
``We knew he was a great talent but he had never played in a football game,'' Harbaugh said. ``Andrew far exceeded our expectations of what a freshman quarterback would do. He worked extremely hard. Part of his ability is he's very blessed and very talented but he's also a tremendously hard worker. He may surprise us again and exceed expectations.''
That may be necessary this year now that Gerhart isn't around. Gerhart carried the team down the stretch, especially when he almost single-handedly beat Notre Dame by running for 205 yards and three touchdowns and then throwing a game-tying 18-yard TD pass to Ryan Whalen to help the Cardinal win it.
That was just one of many examples of Gerhart's brilliance last season, when he narrowly lost to Alabama's Mark Ingram in the closest Heisman Trophy vote ever.
Gerhart is off to the NFL and Stanford has few proven backs to replace him. Stewart is the most experienced of the runners, having rushed for 526 yards and three touchdowns his first three years at Stanford.
He played sparingly last year because of a high ankle sprain and stress fracture but entered fall camp this year as the starter for the Cardinal.
``We definitely have the talent around us to replace Toby,'' Stewart said. ``It's a great opportunity for me and the rest of the running backs. We love it. Toby helped put Stanford on the map and people are noticing us now. I'm excited about it.''
Stewart will be pressed by Taylor and Gaffney, who got limited playing time as freshmen. Taylor replaced Stewart as Gerhart's primary backup and finished with 303 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries.
Freshmen Anthony Wilkerson, Ricky Seale and Usua Amanam also could be in the mix as Harbaugh may go to a running-back-by-committee plan after relying so heavily on Gerhart last year.
``Toby's production has to get replicated,'' Harbaugh said. ``Whether that's one back or two backs or three backs that produce that production, along with the quarterback contributing by throwing the ball, those yards have to be replicated. Maybe I'll be surprised and it will be one guy. But most likely it will be two or three.''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.
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Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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