Tank Johnson re-signs with Cincinnati

Football Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals have re-signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson.

Johnson originally signed with Cincinnati last offseason and recorded two sacks and 29 tackles in 14 games last season.

"Signing Tank now is a positive step for both him and the defensive team," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "He was a very consistent performer last season and was a big part of our improved run defense. He is a tough-minded man who is a great pro during the week and brings a competitive attitude to the field on Sunday."

The 28-year-old University of Washington product spent the previous two seasons in Dallas, primarily as a backup nose tackle. He was originally a second-round pick of the Bears in 2004 but was released by the team in 2007 following numerous off-field issues, including an arrest for violating probation on a gun charge, which also drew an eight-game suspension from the league.

In 84 career games, Johnson has recorded 125 tackles and 14 sacks.

Waskjeeves Football Betting News

<< Report: Woods working with Fleischer on return
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods may be returning to the PGA Tour in two weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, according to a report in the New York Post. In a story Thursday, the Post credits "two sources in the gol

<< Red Bulls sign former TFC 'keeper Sutton
Secaucus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York signed goalkeeper Greg Sutton, the Major League Soccer club announced on Thursday. "We have been impressed with Greg's performances during his time with us in preseason," New York

<< Chivas USA's Victorine retires
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA midfielder Sasha Victorine has retired from Major League Soccer after 10 seasons, the club announced on Wednesday. During his MLS career, Victorine scored 32 goals and 41 assists i

<< Rockies give Helton contract extension
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies and first baseman Todd Helton have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension that will allow him to finish his career with the franchise. The new deal will take Helton throug

<< Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pro football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen died early Thursday morning in California after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old. Olsen was a two-time All-American at Utah State, playing both the

Reyes to rest after additional tests on thyroid >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets said shortstop Jose Reyes will not participate in any baseball activities until his thyroid levels return to normal. Reyes underwent additional blood tests this week after being diag

Chiefs sign Urban >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have signed wide receiver Jerheme Urban. Urban spent the past three seasons with Arizona after playing his first three years in the NFL with Seattle. He has 87 career recepti

Lions bring back OT Jansen >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions re-signed veteran offensive tackle Jon Jansen and linebacker Vinny Ciurciu to one-year contracts on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 34-year-old Jansen signed wit

Canadian MLB players primed for impact year >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As the boys of summer prepare for the upcoming MLB season, the ones north of the border are sure to get some extra attention. Tracking some of Canada's top players for the MLB 2010 season: HITTERS JUS

United enters into partnership with Japanese club >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United and Japanese club FC Machida Zelvia have entered into a technical, developmental and marketing partnership, the Major League Soccer club announced on Thursday. "This is particularly an exciti

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.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.