08/27/2008 - Canton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey have been selected as the senior nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2009.
Hayes and Humphrey will join 15 still-to-be-named modern-era candidates on the list of finalists from which the Class of 2009 will be selected. The Hall of Fame selection meeting will be held on January 31, 2009, the day before Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida.
To be elected, Hayes and Humphrey must each receive the same 80 percent voting support that is required of all finalists. The Hall's Board of Selectors will elect between four and seven new members during next January's meeting.
Hayes and Humphrey were nominated as finalists for the Hall in years past.
A seniors committee candidate in 2004, Hayes was a wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys from 1965-74 and San Francisco 49ers in 1975. A track star who earned the label as "World's Fastest Human" for his performances during the 1964 Summer Olympics, Hayes led the NFL the following year with 12 touchdown catches and an average of 21.8 yards per catch.
Hayes, who played in two Super Bowls with the Cowboys, compiled 371 career receptions for 7,414 yards and 71 touchdowns during his career. He also returned 104 punts for 1,158 yards and three scores.
Humphrey, a modern-era finalist in 2003, 2005 and 2006, was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1968 with Atlanta after the Falcons made him the third overall pick of the draft. He remained with the Falcons through the 1978 season, then spent three years with Philadelphia and was unofficially credited with 122 sacks. Sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Humphrey led the Eagles with 14 1/2 sacks in 1980 and helped Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl that season.
The 2009 Class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be inducted on August 8 in Canton, Ohio.
<< Red Sox pick up Kotsay from Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox bolstered their outfield on
Wednesday by landing veteran Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves in exchange
for minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.
Just a day after sending outfielder J.D. D
<< DE Harvey ends holdout, signs with Jaguars
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive end Derrick Harvey
ended his 33-day holdout on Wednesday, and has agreed to a deal with the
Jacksonville Jaguars that could reportedly be worth more than $33 million.
Harvey
<< Kuznetsova reaches third round in NYC
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion and last year's
runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova was a second-round winner Wednesday at the U.S.
Open.
The third-seeded Kuznetsova, of Russia, was tested in the first set before
cruisi
<< Davydenko cruises in U.S. opener
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian star Nikolay Davydenko was
an easy first-round winner Wednesday at the 2008 U.S. Open.
The fifth-seeded Davydenko drubbed Israeli Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 at the USTA
Billie Jean King Nationa
Rossi to miss start of La Liga season for Villarreal >>
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi will
miss the start of the new La Liga season after injuring his ankle in training.
Last season's 11-goal marksman is likely to miss the opening two league games
agai
Kuznetsova, Dementieva reach third round in New York >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former champion and last year's
runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova and Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva were
a pair of second-round winners Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
The third-seeded Kuznetsova w
Merriman to try to play without knee surgery >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebacker Shawne Merriman told the San Diego
Chargers on Wednesday that he has elected not to undergo surgery on his
injured left knee, and instead will try to play this season despite reportedly
having
Senderos joins AC Milan on loan >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal have confirmed that Switzerland
international Philippe Senderos has joined AC Milan on a season-long loan
deal.
A brief statement on the Gunners' official website read: "Everyone at Arsena
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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