Sum greater than parts at Stephen F. Austin

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07/22/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Head coach J.C. Harper attributes Stephen F. Austin's turnaround over the past few seasons to a belief in the system he established.

"We had a plan, stayed on task with the plan, and haven't gotten off of it," the 2009 Southland Conference Coach of the Year said.

"That system relies on contributions from every aspect of Stephen F. Austin's football program, from the coaching staff, to the recruiters, to the athletic department to the players on the field. Harper notes that he "recruited guys that fit the system."

The system is now bearing considerable fruit.

In the midst of the turnaround is senior quarterback Jeremy Moses. The 2010 Walter Payton Award nominee is a deserving symbol of the Lumberjacks' improvement. He was the 2009 conference co-player of the year and is on pace to become the Southland's all-time leader in completions, touchdown passes, passing yards and total offense. With Moses at the helm last season, the Lumberjacks finished first in the Southland in total offense (468.9 yards per game) and second in points scored (34.8 ppg).

Harper is quick to sing Moses' praises, but continues to stress his "total team effort" philosophy. "In football, it is easier to talk about the offense," Harper said.

Generally, this tends to be the case. Most fans prefer the glitz and glam of a flashy offensive over the grit and gristle of a stalwart defense. It's the bright lights that make the eyes gleam, and it's touchdowns that make the fans scream.

Studying Harper's pedigree, it is clear to see which side of the ball he comes down on. Before taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Harper spent the vast majority of his career scheming to stop players like Moses. After a two-year graduate assistantship with Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, in which he worked with the offense, Harper began his career with defensive line coaching positions at Southwest Missouri State and Western Michigan. He has served as defensive coordinator for Southwest Missouri State, Northwestern State, Western Michigan and Stephen F. Austin.

Not surprisingly then, Harper points to a defender when remarking on his team's strides.

In 2007, Harper's inaugural head coaching season, the Lumberjacks failed to win a game. Decimated by injury, the team lost five players on opening day, including their top three running backs. In all, they utilized 12 players at the position throughout the season, including then-freshman linebacker Jabara Williams. Harper remembers how in one game Williams started at both running back and linebacker, while also contributing on special teams.

"I remember telling Jabara, 'I promise I'm gonna get you on one side of the ball,'" Harper said.

Harper kept his promise. In 2008, as the Lumberjacks improved to 4-8, Williams led the Southland Conference in tackles and was named First-Team All- SLC at linebacker. In 2009, the Jacks went 10-3 and earned an FCS playoff berth, eventually advancing to the second round.

Harper touts the system and Williams has proved to be an essential system guy - an individual willing to sacrifice personal gain for the betterment of the team.

Now Williams is entering his senior season as a Buck Buchanan Award nominee. He heads a unit which in 2009 ranked second in the SLC in both total defense and points allowed.

Aside from Williams, Harper says defensive linemen Kenneth Charles, Jacob Fincher and Rainey Sternes are players pivotal to the team's success.

Charles is another system guy. Last year, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive end moved inside to tackle at Harper's request. Charles ended up earning Second-Team All-SLC honors.

Fincher, Harper hopes, is a defensive end capable of replacing departed playmaking lineman Tim Knickey. "He has shown it in practice, and is more powerful than Knicky," Harper said.

Sternes, a fifth-year senior, is expected to battle for a starting spot at defensive end.

Despite their varying status on the team, Harper considers all of these players pivotal - a potential defensive player of the year, a versatile all- conference performer, an unproven replacement and a fifth-year senior. It's a microcosm of "total team effort."

Harper's philosophy and the team's effort have proven to be effective. If patterns carry any weight, Stephen F. Austin should again prove to be an FCS playoff contender in 2010.

"We should know by our fifth game where we are at," Harper predicted. The Jacks open with tough games against Texas A&M, Albany, Northern Iowa and McNeese State.

Still, given his recent track record, it is safe to predict that Harper's team will be in a good place.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.