Ricky Williams calls it a career

Football Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former All-Pro running back Ricky Williams has decided to retire after 11 NFL seasons.

The 34-year-old Williams was a star at the University of Texas and a heralded first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints. He spent the majority of his pro career with the Miami Dolphins and played his final season with the Baltimore Ravens.

"The NFL has been an amazing page in this chapter of my life," Williams said in a statement released by the University of Texas, where he won the 1998 Heisman Trophy. "I pray that all successive adventures offer me the same potential for growth, success and most importantly fun. I want to thank all my fans, teammates, coaches and supporters for the strength they've given me to overcome so much."

Williams ran for 10,009 yards with 66 touchdowns in 147 NFL games, but he will also be remembered for his numerous violations of the NFL's drug policy, an anxiety disorder and a solid final few seasons after coming back from a sudden retirement and year-long suspension.

The former NFL rushing champion assumed a reserve role with the Ravens this past season, gaining 444 yards and scoring two touchdowns while backing up Ray Rice. The news of Williams calling it a career comes two weeks after he said that he intended to return to the Ravens for the final season of his two-year contract.

"I have to thank Coach [John] Harbaugh and the Ravens organization for the opportunity they gave me this year," Williams added in the statement. "I had so much fun and really appreciated the chance to finish on such a great note."

Williams spent his first three NFL seasons with the Saints, who traded all six of their choices in the 1999 draft, and two picks the following year, to move up and select the former Texas standout with the fifth overall pick in 1999.

After twice reaching the 1,000-yard plateau with the Saints, Williams led the NFL with 1,853 rushing yards in his first season with Miami in 2002. He added 1,372 yards the following year, then abruptly retired just before training camp in 2004.

Williams rejoined the Dolphins in 2005, only after the team had demanded that he return bonus money for breach of contract. He then was suspended for the 2006 season after his fourth violation of the league's drug policy.

Unable to play in the NFL in 2006, Williams inked a one-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. With the Argos, he rushed for 623 yards on 124 carries and caught 24 passes for 193 yards. He also missed two months of the season due to a broken arm.

Williams played just one game in 2007 before rebounding to rush for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns two years later. He was no longer the feature back in his final season with the Dolphins, totaling only 673 yards in 2010.

His accomplishments at Texas included back-to-back NCAA rushing titles in 1997 and 1998. He is still the school's all-time rushing leader with 6,279 yards.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.