Sports betting odds on the Cleveland Browns the past couple of years have placed them as underdogs a lot.The online sports betting odds could be changing though as Cleveland continued to make strides under new team president Mike Holmgren. The Browns acquired cornerback Sheldon Brown and linebacker Chris Gocong from Philadelphia for linebacker Alex Hall and two draft picks.
Sports betting results last season on Cleveland indicated that they went 5-11 straight up but 10-6 against the spread. Cleveland is trying to make some moves that will improve their team and getting Brown from Philadelphia is a nice step. It should be noted that new Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert spent the past four years as the GM in Philadelphia. He knows Brown well. Upgrading a defense that ranked last in the AFC last online sports betting NFL season is a huge priority for Cleveland. Sports betting statistics indicate that Brown is a former Pro Bowler who has not missed a game since 2004. He will be on the opposite side of Eric Wright which means the Cleveland secondary should be vastly improved in 2010. Brown had five interceptions last season for the Eagles. He teamed with Lito Sheppard in 2005 as the Eagles reached the Super Bowl. “Sheldon Brown has been a very good football player for the Eagles over the last eight years,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “He’s a good person, a legitimate tough guy and he’ll do a good job helping the Browns. Chris did a good job converting from defensive end to linebacker and helped us win a lot of football games. We wish both of them all of the best.”
Cleveland is going to be better next season and they could be a team to consider in sports betting. Mike Holmgren and Heckert are remaking the Browns. They got rid of quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn and now they are making defensive moves.
The Eagles are hoping that Alex Hall can provide them some depth at linebacker. “Alex Hall is a big, athletic linebacker who we’ve had our eyes on over the last couple of years and he’ll have a chance to compete at the SAM linebacker spot,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. That may be wishful thinking. Sports betting handicappers believe it may also be optimistic to expect that Ellis Hobbs can replace Brown at cornerback.