08/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the final week of October 2010 arrives, and the attention of the South Florida sports fan is focused on the Miami Dolphins, you'll know things are going very well for Tony Sparano's team.

If the Dolphins are, say, 3-3 after they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 24th, that probably isn't going to cut it.

Two days later, the Miami Heat travel to meet the Boston Celtics to open what many expect to be a momentous 2010-11 season for one of the most talented NBA rosters ever assembled.

Chad Henne, Brandon Marshall and Karlos Dansby may have their own brand of star power, but their collective Q rating is unlikely to be a match for that of King James, D-Wade, and Chris Bosh.

All the Dolphins can hope to do is win enough football games to divert a portion of the local attention. While the Miami brain trust of Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland and Sparano is hardly worried about the impact the stars of the hardwood will have on the Dolphins' local profile, they have assembled a team that they expect to be competitive well into the winter.

One season after orchestrating a 10-game turnaround that included an AFC East title in 2008, Miami took a step back to 7-9 last year, and subsequently made offseason moves to prevent further slippage.

On offense, a long-sought-after weapon was added when the team traded for the Pro Bowl wideout Marshall, and the interior o-line was also tweaked.

Defensively, Parcells and Co. swapped out coordinator Paul Pasqualoni with Mike Nolan, and brought in talent like Dansby, ex-Saints pass rusher Charles Grant and rookies Jared Odrick and Koa Misi to turn around a flagging unit.

All of the moves were necessary for the Dolphins to stay competitive in a division where the Jets are the league's media darlings heading into 2010, and where the Patriots haven't had a losing season since Tom Brady was a rookie reserve.

Though few are talking about the Fins in the expectant tones reserved for the Heat, a couple of the right breaks could have the teams competing fiercely for attention in the local papers.

For Sparano, the lack of headlines - and the disappointing way the 2009 season unraveled - should have Miami eager to pile up wins and change perceptions about the direction of this team. In fact, the Dolphins' motto this season is "Feed the Wolf," and the consumable in this case is wins.

"I had a meeting with the group and kind of got into them a little bit during that practice about 7-9 not being good enough and how this football team shouldn't be fat," Sparano said early in training camp. "They should be starving; they should be hungry and want to feed the wolf."

"From our end out here," Sparano continued, "we feed the wolf when we do something good and that's what our guys understand. Small successes will lead to bigger successes down the way."

Below we take a capsule look at the 2010 edition of the Miami Dolphins, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

COACH (RECORD): Tony Sparano (18-14 in two seasons with Dolphins, 18-14 overall)

OFFENSIVE STAR: Brandon Marshall, WR (101 receptions, 1120 yards, 10 TD with Denver)

KEY ADDITIONS: WR Brandon Marshall (from Broncos), G Richie Incognito (from Bills), G John Jerry (3rd Round, Ole Miss), OL Cory Procter (from Cowboys), DL Jared Odrick (1st Round, Penn State), DE Marques Douglas (from Jets), DE Charles Grant (from Saints) LB Karlos Dansby (from Cardinals), OLB Koa Misi (2nd Round, Utah), ILB Tim Dobbins (from Chargers), DB Kevin Hobbs (from Lions)

KEY DEPARTURES: WR/RS Ted Ginn Jr. (to 49ers), G Justin Smiley (to Jaguars), NT Jason Ferguson (retired), DE Phillip Merling (out for season/injured), OLB Jason Taylor (to Jets), OLB Joey Porter (to Cardinals), LB Akin Ayodele (to Broncos), LB Reggie Torbor (to Bills), CB Nathan Jones (to Broncos), S Gibril Wilson (to Bengals)

QB: Though his first season as an NFL starter could not be called spectacular, Henne (2878 passing yards, 12 TD, 14 INT) showed enough positives to suggest that he can be a consistently capable signal-caller down the road. Henne went 7-6 after taking over for Chad Pennington four games into the 2009 campaign, making the occasional mistakes you would expect of a 24-year-old quarterback but also displaying general accuracy and leadership qualities. With a year under his belt and Marshall in the fold as a bona fide No. 1 target, Henne should take a step forward this season. The battle to back Henne up will be between Pennington (413 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) and Tyler Thigpen (83 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), and may not be settled until late in the preseason. Pennington is 34 and has 86 games worth of starting experience in the NFL, but has also had three shoulder surgeries and can't be completely counted on. Thigpen is athletic but is short on NFL experience and even shorter on winning experience. Pat White (81 rushing yards), a second-round pick in 2009, looks a failed experiment and could be asked to play wideout.

RB: One of the bright spots for the Dolphins in 2009 was the play of Ricky Williams (1121 rushing yards, 35 receptions, 13 TD), who became the first back in NFL history with five years between 1,000-yard seasons. Williams is 33 but is still in outstanding condition, and will be a major part of the Fins' two- back system again. The main component of that system, if he stays healthy, will be Ronnie Brown (648 rushing yards, 8 TD, 14 receptions). Brown's 2009 season ended due to a foot injury suffered in mid-November, marking the second time in the last three years the former No. 2 overall pick has failed to last the year. Patrick Cobbs (36 rushing yards) comes off a major knee injury, but if he recovers sufficiently, he should make the team ahead of Lex Hilliard (89 rushing yards, 20 receptions, 3 TD) due to his abilities on special teams. Lousaka Polite (123 rushing yards, 11 receptions) appeared in all 16 games for Miami at fullback last season, and is expected to remain in that role.

WR/TE: The Dolphins passing game lacked explosive outside options last season, and that deficiency was something that Parcells and GM Jeff Ireland addressed by dealing for Marshall. Marshall has had off-the-field problems and has never been much of a team player, but it's hard to argue with his three consecutive 100-catch, 1,000-yard seasons. His presence should help free up the rest of Miami's wideout group, which includes Davone Bess (76 receptions, 2 TD), Brian Hartline (31 receptions, 3 TD), and Greg Camarillo (50 receptions). Look for Hartline to win the job opposite Marshall, and for Bess to end up in the slot. The Fins also have high hopes for Patrick Turner, a 2009 third-round pick who appeared in just two games last season and did not have a catch. There are some familiar names at tight end, where Anthony Fasano (31 receptions, 2 TD) , Joey Haynos (19 receptions, 2 TD), and Kory Sperry (3 receptions, 1 TD) all return from last year's crew, and David Martin is back with the team after missing all of last season with a knee injury.

OL: Though there is some uncertainty on the Miami offensive line, it's not on the outside where tackles Jake Long (left side) and Vernon Carey (right side) are firmly entrenched. Long has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, and Carey has not missed a start since 2005. Nate Garner, who started eight games at guard last season, looks like the top tackle backup and will also be in the mix at guard. There's a better chance the starting guards will be brand new, however. The Dolphins signed the volatile but serviceable Richie Incognito in free agency, and spent a third-round pick on mauler John Jerry. Their presence spells trouble for 12-game 2009 starter Donald Thomas, and ex- Cowboy Cory Procter is not a sure thing either. At center, Jake Grove and Joe Berger split time as the starter last year, and are battling for the job again in the preseason.

DL: The ability of the Dolphins defense to rebound from a disappointing 2009 will hinge largely on the development of a new-look three-man front. Following the retirement of nose tackle Jason Ferguson and the loss of end Phillip Merling for the season due to injury, the Fins must have players like nose tackles Paul Soliai (25 tackles) and Randy Starks (56 tackles, 7 sacks), young ends Jared Odrick (1st Round, Penn State) and Kendall Langford (43 tackles, 2.5 sacks), and incoming vets Marques Douglas (64 tackles, 1.5 sacks with the Jets) and Charles Grant (44 tackles, 5.5 sacks with the Saints) converge to form a reliable group. Starks and Odrick are both being asked to take on different responsibilities than they've been accustomed to. As they go, so might go this unit.

LB: In keeping with the general offseason demolition of the Miami front seven, the linebacking corps will have a radical new look as well. Gone are outside mainstays Joey Porter and Jason Taylor, while inside regulars Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor have waved goodbye too. Inside linebacker Channing Crowder (51 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) is the lone starting holdover from this group, and should love playing alongside Dansby. Dansby makes a ton of his plays and his energy will offer an instant upgrade. Things are less certain on the outside, where second-round rookie Koa Misi (Utah) is an unknown quantity and former CFLer Cameron Wake (23 tackles, 5.5 sacks) is being asked to take on a much larger role after a solid 2009 as a reserve. Holdovers Charlie Anderson (17 tackles, 2 sacks) and Quentin Moses (6 tackles, 1 sack) will have to beat out ex-Lions bust Ikaika Alama-Francis for a reserve job on the outside. Former Charger Tim Dobbins (53 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT with San Diego) looks like the No. 1 backup at ILB.

DB: Though their rank of 24th in NFL passing defense a year ago, might suggest differently, the strength of the Miami defense entering 2010 could be in the secondary. Corners Vontae Davis (52 tackles, 4 INT) and Sean Smith (39 tackles) are still learning, but did a credible job in '09 and should continue to improve. At strong safety, Yeremiah Bell (114 tackles, 3 INT, 1.5 sacks) made his first Pro Bowl last year and has appeared in all 16 games during four of the past five seasons. The biggest question in the defensive backfield is at free safety, where new coordinator Mike Nolan has to choose between Chris Clemons (13 tackles) or promising fifth-round draft choice Reshad Jones (Georgia). Tyrone Culver (32 tackles, 1 INT) is still around as well, but is best utilized in a backup role. The corner depth is thin, with shaky former first-rounder Jason Allen (22 tackles) and former Lion and Seahawk Kevin Hobbs (32 tackles with the Lions) looking like the best options there at the moment. Will Allen (21 tackles, 1 INT), who is coming off a knee injury, is uncertain to be available for Week 1.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Dolphins should be all set in the kicking game. Dan Carpenter (25-28 FG) was among the league's most accurate kickers a year ago, and Brandon Fields (46.3 avg.) was solid at punter. The departed Ted Ginn made his biggest contribution as a Fin in the return game, but the team shouldn't lose much sleep without him there. Davone Bess (7.5 punt return avg.) and Patrick Cobbs (22.6 kickoff return avg.) look like the answer on punt returns and kickoff returns, respectively. John Denney returns for his sixth season as the Miami long snapper.

PROGNOSIS: For all of the expectations attached to the Jets, and to a lesser extent the Patriots, this season, it's important to note that the Dolphins went 3-1 against those teams (including a sweep of the Jets) last year. Though the record reflects that this was a a 7-9 club in the end, Miami actually had a 7-3 stretch of football at one point and was very much in the playoff hunt before falling apart in the final three weeks. Against that backdrop, an optimist might suggest that the Dolphins should be very much in the mix for the 2010 AFC East title. A pessimist, though, will point to two separate three-game losing streaks as evidence of how things seem to go south quickly in Miami, and how a roster chock full of new faces doesn't necessarily lend itself to consistent football. In a contentious division race, the needle seems to lean closer to the Dolphins being on the outside of the postseason looking in when all is said and done, but you can also bet on Sparano's squad being a tough out each and every week.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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Miami Dolphins 2010 Season Preview

Football Betting Lines

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS