Tight end shuffle: Browns sign Watson, release Heiden

Football Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns shifted their focus at the tight end position on Friday, signing unrestricted free agent Benjamin Watson to a multi-year contract and also releasing Steve Heiden.

Financial terms of the deal for Watson, a former member of the New England Patriots, were not disclosed, but the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported it to be three-year pact worth $12 million, including $6.35 million guaranteed.

"We viewed Ben as one of the top all-around tight ends in the free agent market," said Browns general manager Tom Heckert. "Because of his athleticism and intelligence, he has proven valuable as both a receiver and blocker during his career, and has performed well in both facets. He comes from a winning program in New England and possesses the traits that we like in a player. We feel as though he can help us in many different areas and we are excited about his addition to our team."

Watson spent each of his first six seasons with the Patriots, who made him the 32nd overall pick of the 2004 draft. He has 167 receptions for 2,102 yards with 20 touchdowns in 71 regular-season games.

In addition, the Georgia product has also appeared in nine playoff games and has 19 catches for 195 yards with three scores.

The 29-year-old Watson caught 29 passes for 404 yards with five touchdowns in 16 games, including seven starts, last season. His most productive season was 2006, when he hauled in 49 passes for 643 yards.

Heiden played in seven games for the Browns in 2009 before being placed on injured reserve on November 18th. He spent eight seasons with the organization and started 83 of the 148 games in which he appeared. Heiden caught 201 passes for 1,684 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Browns also announced linebacker Jason Trusnik has signed his contract tender. Trusnik along with wide receiver Chansi Stuckey, was acquired by the Browns in a trade with the Jets during last season.

Bigno Football Betting News

<< Lehigh tops Lafayette for Patriot League title
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. McCollum poured in a game-best 20 points to go with seven rebounds, as the top-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 74-59 victory over the third-seeded Lafayet

<< Thunder rookie Harden expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard James Harden is expected to miss the next 2-to-4 weeks with a strained right hamstring. To replace Harden on the roster in the interim, the team recalled guar

<< Iowa State's Brackins to enter draft
Ames, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iowa State junior forward Craig Brackins will forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NBA Draft, men's basketball coach Greg McDermott confirmed Friday. Brackins ranked in the top-10 in the Big 12 in bo

<< Packers ink DT Pickett to extension
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers signed nose tackle Ryan Pickett to a long-term extension through the 2013 season on Friday. Pickett, 30, who has spent the last four seasons of his nine-year career with the Packers, t

<< Packers sign Pro Bowl S Collins through 2013
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers announced Friday that the team has signed safety Nick Collins to a multi-year extension through the 2013 season. Collins had been a restricted free agent, and the team previously

Bobcats' Wallace leaves game with ankle injury >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace left Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a sprained left ankle. With 1.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Wallace stole the ball fr

Onuaku day-to-day with right quadriceps injury >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse forward Arinze Onuaku is day-to-day with a right quadriceps injury. Onuaku was hurt in Thursday's 91-84 loss to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. He underwent an MRI on

Moore and Purdue down Northwestern in Big Ten quarters >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - E'Twaun Moore scored 28 points and JaJuan Johnson added 22 with eight rebounds, as sixth-ranked Purdue defeated Northwestern, 69-61, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference Tournam

Holloway leads Xavier over Dayton in A-10 quarterfinals >>
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrell Holloway led all scorers with 22 points to lead the No. 24 Xavier Musketeers past the Dayton Flyers, 78-73, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. Jordan Crawford added

James returns, powers Cavs over Sixers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 23 points and Mo Williams chipped in 21, as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the Philadelphia 76ers. James, who missed the previous two games due to a mildly sp

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

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