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Washington hopes to avoid using backup plan at QBNCAA Football Betting Lines04/08/2010 - SEATTLE (AP) -It's a scenario that everyone at Washington hopes will remain an emergency plan during the 2010 season. But if something were to happen to quarterback Jake Locker that put the Huskies' star on the bench for more than a few downs, the job would fall to either an unproven redshirt freshman or a true freshman with unmatched bloodlines. The most comfortable option for coach Steve Sarkisian would likely be redshirt freshman Keith Price, an athletic QB now in his second season in Washington's system. The more appealing option could be true freshman Nick Montana. And yes, it's that Montana, the son of Hall of Famer Joe Montana, and one of the more high-profile recruits Sarkisian has landed in his short time at Washington. It's a precarious debate for Sarkisian as the Huskies go through spring practice and develop their plan for when fall camp arrives in August. Price has more experience in Sarkisian's system and has already used his redshirt season. Montana may be more talented, but is still young and could benefit from a season of spectating. Ultimately, it's a decision everyone hopes is moot. ``I want to see ... who is the best prepared for that spot. And if Keith is that, so be it, that's great for us,'' Sarkisian said. ``I don't know if (having backup settled) is high on my wish list yet.'' This wasn't supposed to be a concern for the Huskies. The plan was for Montana to get his redshirt season without question and for Price to serve as the No. 3 quarterback, giving each another year to mature before competing for the starting role after Locker graduates. That was before last year's backup, Ronnie Fouch, announced he was transferring to Indiana State in the hopes of getting more playing time. Fouch started eight games in 2008 when Locker was injured, but threw just one pass last season. ``I wasn't worried about where I was on the depth chart, because I was redshirting, I had so much stuff ahead of me,'' Price said. ``After the season ended, I started picking up the system and then I began thinking, 'I'm coming for the second spot.''' Price wasn't unnoticed when he arrived at Washington. Some scouting services considered the shifty 6-foot-1 QB among the top 50 signal callers in the country coming out of St. John Bosco in the Los Angeles area. He threw for 2,260 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also running for 579 yards and 10 scores as a senior. But he can't match up to the name Montana, who is being held from speaking with the media until the fall as part of Sarkisian's team rules on newcomers. Montana graduated early from Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif., in time to enroll at Washington for spring quarter and get on the field for practice. Playing for one of the most star-studded programs in California - on the same team with the sons of Wayne Gretzky and Will Smith - Montana stood out, throwing for 2,636 yards and 34 touchdowns. Now, he's getting inundated with new language and new plays, trying to process it and be impressive enough that the Huskies would consider not redshirting him. Price understands it better than anyone else, having gone through the same indoctrination less than a year ago. ``I sit back and laugh, because Nick is getting a lot of stuff thrown at him. It's tough. I tell him to keep his head up,'' Price said. ``I was in the same spot.'' When it comes to determining who Locker's backup will be, Sarkisian said a redshirt season isn't as crucial for quarterbacks as other positions if they are mentally capable. ``Keith Price when we go to fall camp, day one this year compared to last year, is going to be night and day difference of a player. You're seeing it already,'' Sarkisian said. ``Nick Montana, the value of getting a redshirt would be great, but that remains to be seen if we'll get that luxury.''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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FOOTBALL BETTING LINESNFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count. New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend. His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates. HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game. The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup. RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day. First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08. The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition. These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years. New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5. You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff! Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines . |
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