Argos start season on right foot, blow out Tiger-Cats
Football Betting Lines
07/01/2009 - Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kerry Joseph threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns, as the Toronto Argonauts got the CFL season started with a 30-17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a battle of 2008 also-rans.
Joseph completed 14-of-29 passes for Toronto (1-0), which snapped a nine-game losing streak, dating back to last season, and won in new head coach Bart Andrus' debut with the club. Jamal Robertson added 124 yards on the ground with a touchdown, while Arland Bruce caught five passes for 73 yards and a score.
Toronto and Hamilton were the only two teams that didn't qualify for the Grey Cup playoffs last season, as the Argonauts finished with a 4-14 record while the Tiger-Cats were 3-15.
Quincy Porter went 26-of-40 through the air for 229 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Hamilton (0-1), which has lost five straight, dating back to 2008, and 11 of 12 overall. Prechae Rodriguez hauled in seven balls for 55 yards and a score, while Terry Caulley scored Hamilton's other touchdown through the air.
Toronto jumped out to a big lead with 20 points in the first quarter.
Four minutes into the game, Joseph found Bruce from 21 yards out for a touchdown for an early 6-0 lead after a missed PAT attempt.
With 4:43 left in the quarter, Joseph hit Reggie McNeal on a seven-yard touchdown pass to cap a 10-play drive, and the extra point made it 13-0.
Then, on the final play of the opening frame, Robertson ran from five yards out to finish a three-play, 39-yard drive in just 44 seconds to give Toronto a commanding 20-0 lead.
Hamilton finally got on the board, as Caulley hauled in a three-yard touchdown reception from Porter a little over two minutes into the second period, cutting the team's deficit to 20-7.
The Tiger-Cats added three more points on Nick Setta's 18-yard field goal with three minutes left until halftime, but Eddie Johnson answered for the Argonauts with a 25-yard field goal 43 seconds later, accounting for the 23-10 halftime score.
Toronto restored its 20-point cushion early in the second half, as Joseph tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Matt Lambros two minutes into the quarter.
Hamilton added a touchdown late, as Rodriguez caught a 21-yard scoring pass from Porter with just over a minute to go in the fourth. The Tiger-Cats, though, were stopped from that point, and Toronto went home victorious.
Game Notes
Robertson also caught three passes for 53 yards...Porter was Hamilton's leading rusher with 61 yards on nine attempts...Hamilton went 2-1 last season against Toronto, accounting for 67 percent of the Tiger-Cats' wins.
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Football Sports Lines: Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
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