In the FCS Huddle: Librty QB hopes to make statement against JMU

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09/16/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If nothing else, watching Liberty quarterback Mike Brown during film session this week gave James Madison coach Mickey Matthews and his staff a few good-hearted chuckles.

"He made me laugh earlier this week," Matthews said. "I was watching the N.C. State game and he scrambles out to his right, N.C. State has two linebackers in hot pursuit and I told all the coaches in the room, 'I'm gonna bet a steak dinner neither one of these guys lays a hand on him.'

"And neither of them did. The whole room just started laughing."

Hopefully for Matthews, he got all his Brown-oriented jokes in, because if the senior quarterback is scrambling right against the Dukes and burns a pair of defenders, the coach certainly won't be smiling.

A dual-threat quarterback, Brown is hoping he'll be the one cracking a smile Saturday when No. 22 Liberty hosts No. 13 James Madison at 7 p.m. (ESPN3) at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.

It's by far the biggest non-conference game of the season for the Flames, as the in-state rival Dukes not only bring an opportunity to establish state bragging rights but also a measuring stick on whether or not Liberty can finally launch itself into the FCS playoffs with a win against a talented CAA team.

"If you want to be considered a great team, or a really great team, you have to gain respect in your home state," Brown said.

Not only has Liberty failed to gain widespread respect in Virginia - Matthews called it a "Super Bowl-like" game and a "much bigger" game for the Flames than the Dukes - but also have failed to impress enough to reach the playoffs, despite winning at least a share of four straight Big South titles.

That doesn't sit well with Liberty's seniors, a group which is truly living in a now-or-never type of season.

"Expectations are really high," Brown said. "I guess the one neat thing about this year is the leadership on our team each and every week. I think guys are really starting to understand what people need to do week in and week out."

Like his teammates, Brown - a back-to-back Big South Offensive Player of the Year - is refining his skill set by drawing from experience gained in difficult losses.

"I've learned a lot from lots of games," Brown said. "I guess the game I actually learned the most from is that one against JMU last season (a 10-3 JMU win). We had so many missed opportunities in that game - a missed block here, a missed throw there. When those opportunities come up, we have to take advantage."

More often than not, Brown capitalizes on those chances with even more success as he's matured and evolved from a tuck-it-and-run type of quarterback when pressure arises to a patient, accurate pocket passer at times.

"He's developed and become more and more patient in the pocket," Liberty coach Danny Rocco said. "He's no longer just starting to scramble and move out of the pocket. Instead he's stepping up in the pocket, finding his read and making smart plays."

However, even though he might be more patient in the pocket, Brown is still one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the FCS.

Having rushed for 120 yards - a number that would be higher if sacks didn't count against a quarterback's total - and passed for another 488, Brown has dazzled this season, demolishing Robert Morris and at times giving North Carolina State defenders trouble. With five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing), it's more of a question of how Brown will score, rather than if he will.

With that being said, Brown has yet to taste the end zone against the Dukes and a victory Saturday could be a major statement for Liberty and its talented, decorated quarterback.

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Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.

As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.

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The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.

Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).

But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.

Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.

Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1

Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2

New York Giants - 9 - 2

Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).

Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.

So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.

And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.

They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.

Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.

But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.

Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.

Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.

Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.

Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?

Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.

In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.

Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.

Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.

The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.

The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.

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