Brady's day starts with crash, ends with contract

Football Betting Lines

09/10/2010 -

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - A loud crash. A crumpled front end. A brief stay in an ambulance.

It was a very bad start to Tom Brady's day.

A new contract. The highest average salary in the NFL. A deal that ties him to the New England Patriots through 2014.

It was a very good ending.

The shaggy-haired star quarterback was involved in a two-car crash near his home in Boston's Back Bay at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday and was unhurt. One of the NFL's marquee players stood beside the damaged black Audi he had been driving with a fire engine behind him.

Then his day began to improve.

Brady made it to Gillette Stadium for the walkthrough practice beginning about 10:45 a.m. and participated with his teammates, all in full uniform, in a practice beginning shortly after 1 p.m. Everything appeared normal as he stretched then lofted passes to both sides of the field.

And then he wrapped up some unfinished business.

Brady agreed to a four-year contract extension beginning in 2011, two people with knowledge of the contract said Thursday night. It has an average annual value of $18 million - and a total of $48.5 million guaranteed, one of those persons said. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because the paperwork had not yet been filed with the NFL.

The extension was first reported by Peter King of Sports Illustrated during halftime of NBC's telecast of the Minnesota-New Orleans game.

This season Brady will make $6.5 million in the final year of a four-year extension that averaged $12 million.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP wanted to get his new deal done before the season opener Sunday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, although he said he wouldn't let it distract him. Considering that he sustained a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener, having a deal in place before his first snap of the season provides security in case of another injury.

``I don't assume anything any more in life,'' Brady had said Wednesday when asked if he was excited about possibly being with the Patriots for a long time. ``I don't think anything is guaranteed to us beyond what we have today and I really feel that way. That's the approach I've taken over the years, because you never really know when your last day will be.''

Brady wants to play even beyond his new deal, which expires when he's 37. He's entering his 11th season and has said he'd like to play 10 more years.

``I think we're fortunate to get paid for something that we love,'' he said Wednesday. ``There's no better job in the world that I'd rather have, to do what I'm doing. That's why I want to do it for a long time. Everything else in my life pales in comparison to how much I love this.''

He kept doing it Thursday despite the car crash.

The 21-year-old driver of a red minivan involved in the crash, Ludgero Rodrigues, was cited Thursday for failing to stop at a red light, based on witnesses statements, police said. Two other people left the minivan and had no visible injuries, they said.

The police report didn't name Brady but said the driver of the Audi had no visible injuries and was evaluated by Emergency Medical Services. A 49-year-old passenger in the minivan was freed with the Jaws of Life and taken to a hospital.

Brady went to work.

From a sixth-round draft choice out of Michigan in 2000 to a three-time Super Bowl champion and 2007 NFL MVP, he has come from obscurity to reach the top of his sport. And now he's getting paid like it.

The average value of Brady's deal surpasses that of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who agreed this year to a six-year, $97.5 million ($16.25 million average) extension starting next year. He's making $9.4 million this season.

Peyton Manning is in the final year of a seven-year, $98 million deal ($14 million average) and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he intends to make his quarterback the NFL's highest paid player.

But for now, after a very eventful day, that distinction belongs to Brady.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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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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