If healthy, Blackmon provides versatility for Pack

Football Betting Lines

08/17/2010 -

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -Sometimes, Will Blackmon's versatility even surprises his teammates.

Exhibit A came early in training camp, when wide receiver Greg Jennings ran his route and plowed straight into a safety. Then Jennings looked up and did a double-take.

``He looked up and said, 'Safety?,''' Blackmon said. ``He said, 'I didn't know you were at safety.' I said, 'Yeah, they're not getting rid of me.'''

Blackmon spent the offseason preparing to move from cornerback to safety, although he'll still try to get some snaps at cornerback when the Packers deploy their nickel and dime defenses. And he'll try to play a featured role in the Packers' return game.

If he can stay healthy, that is.

Blackmon is less than 10 months removed from surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament, the latest and most serious in a string of injuries that have held back the 2006 fourth-round pick out of Boston College.

Blackmon has been a sporadic participant in Packers camp so far. But he was practicing Tuesday after an extended absence, and insists he will be ready for the Sept. 12 opener at Philadelphia.

``It's not even a concern about the opener,'' Blackmon said. ``The main thing is just make sure that I do this, come back strong, do it right. Because I will say this whole injury is a nine to 11 month (recovery). I'm in month nine. So I could sit there, be cool and be prideful, and be like 'I came back in seven months, I came back in eight months,' tell them how strong I am. The bottom line is, six-seven-eight-nine-10-11 months, as long as you're ready by the first game, that's the most important thing.''

With depth issues in the defensive backfield and a need for a consistent threat in the return game, Packers coach Mike McCarthy hopes Blackmon can get back on the field consistently - and stay there.

``I had a chance to watch Will out there today,'' McCarthy said. ``He looks really good in the return game. It was good to have him back there. But Will is definitely a factor at the safety position and the corner position. It's good just to get Will healthy and hopefully we can stack some practices with him.''

Injuries have limited Blackmon to only 32 regular-season games in four seasons.

Foot problems plagued him in 2006 and 2007 but he had a productive 2008, playing 16 games and scoring twice on punt returns. Then he sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 last season.

``Unfortunately and fortunately, I've gone through something before,'' Blackmon said. ``Obviously this is the major one of them all, but I'm still here, I have confirmation from the doctors that I'm going to be back to elite form. Because that was my main concern when I got hurt, it was like, 'Aw, man, will I be the same, will I be elite?' And then as I started progressing, I started getting more and more confidence.''

Blackmon credits a unique nutritional program for his quick recovery this time around.

``I grew up, I had digestive problems, I lost my mother to Crohn's, which is a digestive disease,'' Blackmon said. ``So my main thing is I wanted to make sure that my system was OK.''

So Blackmon said he started working with an enzyme chemist.

``I feel like that kind of sped up a lot of stuff,'' he said. ``Because for me having all my situations, like non-contact, like self-inflicted (injuries), then there must be something wrong with me internally, so we were trying to figure that out and we thought that was one of the things that could help.''

Blackmon admits he still has something to prove. It's one thing to identify the calls he'll need to make as a safety in the meeting rooms, and another thing to do it quickly and correctly on the field.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers acknowledged that Blackmon is in a tough spot.

``It's been awful hard,'' Capers said. ``I mean, it's hard for a guy that's played the position not getting reps. But a guy that's making a move and not getting reps, it's extremely hard.''

But Blackmon is confident he can make his mark this season, both in the defensive backfield and on special teams, where the Packers are trying to create competition in the return game.

``The bottom line is, I'm still here,'' Blackmon said. ``They've still got to compete. I know what I've done. So I'm making sure I get myself back to full strength so that I can continue to do what I was doing.''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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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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