Philadelphia Sports Betting Roundup

ndy Reid’s QB controversy a few weeks back seems like a mosquito bite compared to the hornet's nest that’s been stirred up in Washington.

Former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is under fire from his head coach, Mike Shanahan, who benched McNabb in the final minutes of the Redskins’ 37-25 loss to the Detroit Lions two weeks ago.

Shanahan has given plenty of reasons why he choose to put in backup Rex Grossman with the game still in the balance, claiming McNabb was out of shape and didn’t know the playbook well enough to guide the team in the crunch like he did so many times in Philadelphia.

Although Washington has had a week to put this mess behind it, Eagles backers can expect to face a rattled team when the Redskins host Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. Oddsmakers at BetUS have the Eagles set as 3-point road favorites against a team that came into Lincoln Financial and stole a 17-12 win as a 5-point pup in Week 4.

Maybe last Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts could have something to do with that spread. But, more than likely, books sense the dissension in the ranks in D.C. and can’t imagine Washington giving the points with this dark cloud hanging over its head.

Andre would be giant

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t as good as their 5-3 ATS mark lets on. The Sixers fell to 2-6 SU with a 109-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, managing to sneak away with the backdoor cover as 8.5-point road underdogs.

Coach Doug Collins is blaming this latest loss on his team’s inexperience in close games. That problem should be remedied, at least a bit, when small forward Andre Iguodala returns from an Achilles injury – possibly against the Dallas Mavericks this Friday. Iguodala’s leadership and energy could give Philadelphia the lift it needs to survive its current five-game road trip.

Flyer grounded

James van Riemsdyk had better find a comfortable place on the Flyers’ bench, as he could be sitting down for awhile. Philadelphia head coach Peter Laviolette has decided to bench his young winger, hoping to spark some sort of urgency in van Riemsdyk after his slow start to the season.

The 21-year-old forward looked sharp in the team’s tuneup games this preseason but flopped once the schedule started, recording only four assists and failing to score in his first 13 games. Laviolette has replaced van Riemsdyk with Andreas Nodl, who has a goal and an assist in the last two outings. Expect to see more of Nodl and less of van Riemsdyk when the Flyers visit the Carolina Hurricanes as -115 road faves at 5Dimes Thursday.

Open season

The Temple Owls begin their march to a fourth straight A-10 title this Friday when they open their college basketball schedule against the Seton Hall Pirates. Temple is ranked at No. 22 in the preseason poll and has its sights set on a deep run in the NCAA.

Junior Juan Fernandez is back at the point for Fran Dunphy’s Owls. Fernandez received high praise from his coach, who is comparing his skill set to former St. Joe’s point guard Jameer Nelson. The Argentine import averaged just under 13 points per game last season and has a knack for finding space as well as being lethal from beyond the arc.

Temple is a +10,000 longshot to win the national title this season at BetUS. I’m sure Dunphy would settle for a win in the NCAA, something the Owls haven’t done since 2001.