No need for Pronger to rush back to Flyers

Hockey Betting Lines

08/19/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a few weeks time, the importance of NFL training camp will be called into question when Brett Favre starts the regular season under center for the Minnesota Vikings.

At 40 years of age, Favre will get just over three weeks of practice in with his teammates before the start of the 2010 season, and the abbreviated training camp will likely give the legendary quarterback more than enough time to get back into the swing of things.

The Philadelphia Flyers could learn a thing or two from Favre when contemplating the situation concerning their No. 1 defenseman Chris Pronger, who is currently recovering from surgery to his right knee.

Pronger underwent a procedure on July 27 to remove loose bodies from his knee and his recovery time is expected to bleed into the start of training camp. There is also concern that the veteran blueliner will not be ready to play for the defending Eastern Conference champion Flyers when they begin the regular season in Pittsburgh on October 7.

Like Favre, Pronger is a seasoned professional who at this stage of his career needs little time to get prepared for a season. Unlike NFL players, Pronger doesn't even need to study a bulky playbook to get ready for the campaign; he simply needs to be physically fit.

It's no secret that Pronger is an immensely unpopular player amongst NHL fans (unless he suits up for your favorite team, of course), but there are few people who can deny the mammoth defenseman's work ethic and passion for the game of hockey. His current injury and the way he battled through it during the Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring stands as a testament to his determination.

Pronger originally suffered the injury in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, but the ailment never caused him to miss a game. In fact, Pronger still wound up leading the entire league in ice time during the postseason, averaging just over 29 minutes of action per contest. He even managed to log a whopping 37 minutes and 33 seconds of ice time just six days after hurting the knee.

But, that was the playoffs, the time of the year when players of Pronger's ilk prove what their true value is to an NHL team. There is little doubt that Pronger will do everything in his power to be back for the start of the regular season, but both he and the Flyers know that the former Hart and Norris Trophy winner's overall health is the bigger priority.

"I do not have a time frame. The team knows that," said Pronger last week. "I spoke to the doctor and trainer and it is really just about when my knee feels good and strong again. I don't want to come back early and play a couple of games and then be out of the lineup and then play a few more and be out. I want to come back when the knee is as close to 100 percent as possible so I can play every single game from then on."

The fact that the Flyers have shored up their blueline over the course of this offseason should also be a factor in Pronger taking his time getting back into game shape. Philly acquired Andrej Meszaros and Matt Walker in separate trades with the Tampa Bay Lightning and also signed veteran Sean O'Donnell. That trio, combined with Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn, could be a solid six-man rotation for the Flyers while the club waits to regain the unique skill set Pronger brings to the ice.

The Flyers should be able to keep their heads above water if Pronger happens to miss the start of the season. After all, unlike the NFL, the regular season in hockey is an 82-game marathon and not a 16-game sprint.

Just as Favre knows the importance of getting on the field in time for the start of the campaign, Pronger has been around long enough to realize that his club can hold on for a couple of weeks before he joins them on their long road to qualify for the playoffs.

It's not an ideal situation for the Flyers and Pronger, but it's also not an issue that should have a big effect on their postseason dreams.

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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