Colts dealing with setbacks on offense, defense and special teams

WESTFIELD – The Indianapolis Colts held training camp practice No. 15 at Grand Park on Wednesday and are currently dealing with several setbacks as the injury-bug has spread throughout the locker room.

First Team All-Pro linebacker Shaquille Leonard had back surgery in June and has sat out all of training camp without putting the pads on during practice. Leonard agreed to undergo surgery to address a nerve issue that caused a nagging pain in his left ankle during the 2021 season. The defensive leader for the Colts has thus acted as the energetic voice on the field of dreams facility that has been his training camp home since his rookie year in 2018.

Punter Rigoberto Sanchez ruptured the achilles in his right, kicking leg on Tuesday at the end of practice while the team was running sprints. After an unfortunate test result, the Colts have confirmed that Sanchez, one of three players to earn AFC Player of the Week honors for his Week 4 and Week 7 performances, is out for the season.

“I feel like it’s my own son that got hurt. How much time he’s put in and the work, I just appreciate him so much,” Colts special teams coach Bubba Ventrone said. Indianapolis signed former Bills punter Matt Haack after a successful workout amongst several other free agent punters on Wednesday.

Pro bowl center Ryan Kelly did not practice on Wednesday after testing positive for COVID-19. 

The medical staff attended to defensive end Kwitty Paye when he went down after a play during 11-on-11 drills, but are optimistic that the knee injury suffered at practice is not too serious. 

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor acknowledged that there are more things to accomplish and aspects in his game to improve on to become a complete player. For the key skill player on the roster to pay attention to the details of each play, he must care just as much during the plays that are not designed for him.

“Well No. 1, you know that you’ve never arrived,” Taylor said. “If you have arrived, you would already be in the Hall of Fame, they would try to put you in there right now.”

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor earned First Team All-Pro honors in 2021, while leading the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Jonathan Taylor sprints through individual drills with Colts running back coach Scottie Montgomery during the joint-practice with the Detroit Lions on Aug. 16. (Photo by Thomas Butler-Guerrero)

Head coach Frank Reich and the offense demonstrated heavy run plays with three towering tight ends Mo Allie-Cox (6’5”), Kylen Granson (6’3”) and rookie Jelani Woods (6’7”) all earning reps.

Matt Ryan favored Michael Pittman Jr. twice as much as any other receiver during training camp and the pair were in sync on Wednesday, connecting for multiple 15-yard slant routes during team drills. Ryan finished 6-for-8 during 7-on-7 drills and threw a 35-yard TD pass to Parris Campbell during 11-on-11 team drills.  

The practice scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday has been moved indoors to the Grand Park Events Center. With one day left in training camp and preparing to host the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, the Colts still have major decisions to make towards the roster that will be cut to 53 players next Tuesday.

TradeMarc Flex Picks: NBA Finals Game 4

Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 9 pm ET as the Milwaukee Bucks aim to even the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns. Giannis Antetokoumpo scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Bucks dubbed the Suns in Game 3 by a final score of 120-100.

Phoenix is 6-3 on the road during this postseason. The Suns lead the NBA with a road record of 30-15. The Western Conference champions have covered the point spread in 10 of the 14 games played as the road underdog, which is the best winning percentage in the league. Phoenix has won four of the five meetings against Milwaukee during this 2021 championship campaign.

For the two-time MVP, Game 3 was the fifth time during this playoff run in which Giannis reached a performance level of +20. The Bucks are 8-1 in nine home games this postseason, with the only loss coming against the Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Milwaukee has won 34 of the 45 games played at the Fiserv Forum, which is the fifth-best home record in the NBA.

Player-Performance: Giannis Antetokoumpo has recorded 16 double-doubles in 18 playoff games. The All-NBA forward has averaged 31 points and 14 rebounds in his first three NBA Finals games. At +244 odds, a sharp same-game parlay is Giannis to score 30+ points, grab over 12.5 rebounds, and the Bucks to win Game 4 at home.

Chris Paul is averaging 24.6 points for Phoenix in the NBA Finals. The 36-year old guard is shooting 57 percent from the floor and 50 percent from deep in his first ever finals appearance. At +340 odds, a sharp same game parlay is CP3 to score 20+ points, record 8+ assists, make 2+ threes, and the Suns to cover the point spread at +4.5. At +225 odds, a sharp player-performance double is CP3 to drop 20+ points and the Suns to take a 3-0 series lead tonight.

Deandre Ayton has recorded 13 double-doubles in 18 postseason games. At +260 odds, a safe player performance double is Ayton to record a double-double and the Suns to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Milwaukee.

Same-Game Parlay: At +2333 odds, a sharp 10-leg same game parlay for the Bucks is Lopez to score 10+ points, Holiday to score 15+ points and dish out 6+ assists, Middleton to score 15+ points, grab 6+ rebounds, hit over 2.5 threes, Giannis to score 30+ points, grab 12+ rebounds, hit the alternate total over of 219.5 and the Bucks to win Game 4.

At +1822 odds, a sharp 10-leg same game parlay includes the following: Jae Crowder to grab 4+ rebounds, Mikal Bridges to hit 2+ threes, Deandre Ayton to score 10+ points and grab 10+ rebounds, Chris Paul to score 20+ points, record 8+ assists and and hit 2+ threes, Devin Booker to score 20+ points, the Alternate Over of 219.5, and the Suns to cover the spread at +4.5.

Sharp Lock: The over has cashed in four of the last five games involving either of these two competitors. 57 percent of games played at the Fiserv Forum surpassed the posted total when the Bucks were competing as the home favorite. All five contests between the Suns and Bucks this season got over the TradeMarc Alternate Total of 219. The Suns won 19 of the 25 games (76%) played after a loss, which is the best winning percentage in the NBA. My sharp locks for this matchup are Bucks ML, Over 219.5.

TradeMarc Flex Picks ATS: 52-22 (70%)

TradeMarc Flex Picks Over/Under: 41-17 (70%)

TradeMarc NBA Playoff Record: 55-31 (63%)

TradeMarc Summer Debut

The legalization of sports betting is one of the most imminent methods of allowing fans to become more interactive with the games. Sports gambling is a form of wagering money or anything of relevant value towards an event that has no predetermined outcome. Sport books use basic probability, chance and analytics to place the betting lines of each matchup.

The stake of a bet, such as money, is the treasured item being wagered. An agreement will be made that one will be risking something of value in order to receive back a prize of greater value. Certain bets are quick-paced and take seconds to play, while others can take months to finish completely. A few examples of fast-paced bets include rolling dice, playing blackjack or horse racing. A wager placed on a tournament or a future prediction of a team’s season outcome can take longer to accomplish.

The point spread, by definition, is a prediction of the number of points by which a stronger sports team is expected to defeat another team by. The odds change constantly and live in-game bets can always be placed online.

Typically, the spread would be on a -110 point balanced scale, meaning you would have to risk $1.10 to win back $1, or risk $110 to win back $100.

Although the point spread is fairly common, there are several other forms to flip currency. Betting the total score of a contest is another popular form of wagering. The totals (over/under) bet would be defined as the overall points combined by both teams in the game. A parlay is a collection of two or more straight bets combined into one ticket. All of the individual bets on a parlay need to be correct in order for the ticket to win. In the modern age of gambling, there are several unique services to assist fresh gamblers to the basic terms, principles and law guidelines of a wager.

™️ FLEX PICKS

Ever since the debut of this journaled journey, TradeMarc Flex Picks carries a 33-7 record AGAINST THE SPREAD through 40 games. Of the 35 total lines bet with TradeMarc, 25 have been correct. Eight of the 16 basketball parlays have cashed out completely and four of the eight baseball parlays have also hit for the subscribers. Through June 6, the overall parlay-performance record is 81-21 in 24 placed bets.

The objective of this Summer series is to provide the best opportunities to increase win rate and gain general knowledge of the gambling system on a daily basis. Once the NBA play-in tournament began, our system has glorified a record of 13-4 ATS and 11-5 to the over/under in playoff basketball bets. Daily access to the TradeMarc summer column is at a low cost of only $5 per day. Please share this with a person that would be intrigued to learn more about the legalization and value of efficient sports betting.

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TBG📓: Colts Training Camp (8/8)

WESTFIELD – At the midway point of training camp, an initial sign of vulnerability within this Colts team is the lack of communication and cohesiveness within the offense that was apparent at Grand Park on Monday.

TWO MINUTE DRILL:

The two-minute drill against the defensive backups could have lasted just two downs as Matt Ryan threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage that fell into the arms of undrafted corner Dallis Flowers. After hitting receiver Michael Pittman on a hitch route for the first play, Ryan attempted to sling it down the sideline that must have caught Pittman napping on his assignment.

Whether it be the predominantly young receivers on the roster or pairing them with a free agent quarterback in a new offensive scheme, the offense has shown several mishaps in full pads for the second consecutive day.

Pittman was targeted three times in the first four plays of the two minute drill as Ryan connected with him on a slant route for ten yards on second-and-long. Ryan went 7-for-10 in the drill which included a handful of checkdowns, a few early targets for Pittman and the interception. 

It was the first time during training camp that Ryan had been picked off during team drills. Earlier in the 7-on-7 drills, Julian Blackmon ran down and intercepted a sailed pass from Ryan as receiver Ashton Dulin was not on the same page as the Colts new QB. 

Only Jameis Winston has thrown more interceptions than Ryan in the past five seasons, so the vertical threat may not be as formidable for an offense that is led by the reigning rushing champion Jonathan Taylor. Ryan finished practice 11-for-19 with six completions to Pittman. 

Head coach Frank Reich unveiled an offensive scheme centered around the strengths of Ryan such as quick delivery and rhythmic timing on plays. Ryan completed several passes as receivers were breaking out of routes and quick screen plays. With just two practices remaining before a trip to Buffalo for the first test against the Bills, the Colts must correct the mental miscues and break in the new QB with the flow of the offense. 

Outstanding Performance

Keke Coutee played several reps with the 1s as Parris Campbell sat out of practice with a tight hamstring. He made two spectacular plays including a 1-handed snag in the back of the endzone during a goal line drill and ran for 50 yards scoring on a screen during 7-on-7. 

Double-Down on the Defense

The defense that features the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year CB Stephon Gilmore and 2021 pro bowlers DT DeForest Buckner, LB Shaquille Leonard and CB Kenny Moore II should anchor the Colts this season. Against the backup offense, the defense earned a three-and-out which included a sack by newly signed DL Yannick Ngakoue. The strong safety position seems up-for-grabs as veteran Rodney McLeod and rookie (3rd Round, Pick No. 96) Nick Cross split reps.

The Colts will take Tuesday off and host the Detroit Lions for a joint-practice scrimmage a week from the next team practice on Wednesday.

First Play from scrimmage during 2-minute Drill
Colts QB Matt Ryan is intercepted on the second play from scrimmage by UFA Dallis Flowers.

™️ Betting Trends: August 1

National League

Cincinnati Reds (Green) vs Miami Marlins (Luzardo)

CIN has 16 road wins, which is LAST in the MLB.


Over/Under: 56% of Marlins home games surpass the total; third highest percentage in the MLB. The over is also 6-1 in the last 7 road games for the Reds.

New York Mets (Scherzer) vs Washington Nationals (Corbin)

WSH is 4-17 this season when Corbin takes the mound.
WSH 16 home wins; LAST in MLB WSH (2-12) in the last 14 games at home.
WSH 8-36 vs NL EAST; LAST in MLB

Mets have won six consecutive games and 7 of the last 8 matchups on the road.

Interleague Matchup

Arizona Diamondbacks (Davies) vs Cleveland Guardians (Quantrill)

ARI has lost 3 straight games and 5 of the last 6 starts for Davies. The D’Backs 18 road wins is among the worst five teams in baseball.


CLE covers the run line in 56% of home games when favored in the matchup, which is the second highest percentage in MLB. The Guardians are 5-1 in the last 6 starts for Quantrill & have covered the run line in each of his last four outings.

American League

Seattle Mariners (Gonzales) vs New York Yankees (German)

Mariners are 15-4 in the last 19 road games, but have struggled to compete against the Yankees.


Yankees are 40-13 at home, which is the best record in the league. NYY is 21-11 after taking a loss and 9-2 in the last 11 matchups against Seattle.

Detroit Tigers (Skubal) vs Minnesota Twins (Sanchez)


DET has just 16 wins in 51 road games, which is the worst record in the MLB. The Tigers have lost 5 of the last 6 matchups against the Twins and 15 of the last 20 games overall.

Over/Under:
65% of Tigers road games stay beneath the total; highest percentage in the MLB.
56% of Twins home games stay beneath the total; third-highest percentage in the AL.

Baltimore Orioles (Watkins) vs Texas Rangers (Gray)


BAL is 5-1 in the last 6 starts for Watkins.
The Orioles are 30-21 ATS as the road underdogs, but have lost 58% of their road games.
TEX is 7-3 in the last 10 starts for Gray, including a 4-1 home record this season.

Kansas City Royals (Keller) vs Chicago White Sox (Kopech)

Chicago has won each of the last 3 starts for Kopech and 5 of his last 6 outings stayed beneath the posted total. Kopech has allowed 3 ER or less in 7 of his last 9 starts.

The Royals are 1-6 in the last 7 road games. KC has lost 32 of 50 road games, which is the third most losses in the MLB. In two starts against the White Sox this season, Keller has allowed just 4 ER in 14 IP.

Boston Red Sox (Eovaldi) vs Houston Astros (Garcia)


HOU: 33-15 at home, which is the third best record in MLB and the Astros have covered the run line in each of the last 4 starts for Garcia at home.

Boston is 1-6 in the last 7 road games and has lost 13 of the last 17 games overall. Eovaldi has allowed 17 Runs in his last 3 starts.
(11+ ERA in July and allowed 9 runs in just 1.2 IP against the Astros back in May)

Overnight

Colorado Rockies (Senzatela) vs San Diego Padres (Clevinger)

Colorado has won 8 of the last 9 meetings with San Diego. Senzatela allowed just 1 ER in 6 IP vs SD this season

SD is 0-2 vs COL this season when Clevinger takes the mound and has lost 6 of the last 9 divisional games.

COL: 16-30 on the road; WORST IN NL
SD: 16-33 ATS at home; WORST in NL

Over/Under:
58% of Padres home games stay beneath the posted total, which is the third-highest percentage in the MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers (Heaney) vs San Francisco Giants (Webb)

LAD: 33-18 road record is the best in the MLB. The Dodgers have won 7 of the last 8 road games and have outscored opponents 26-9 in 4 starts for Heaney this season.

SF has lost 8 of the last 11 games. Since the beginning of July, the Giants are 2-4 in the last 6 starts for Webb. He allowed just 1 ER in 6 IP vs the Dodgers just 10 Days ago as LA won by a final score of 5-1.

Over/Under:
62% of Dodgers road games stay beneath the posted total, which is the second highest percentage in the NL. The under is 4-1 in the last 5 games for the Dodgers and only 3 of the last 10 meetings between these two divisional rivals has surpassed the posted total.™️

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Minnesota Gophers Predictions

In a rescheduled matchup, two Big Ten teams clash as the Illinois Fighting Illini battle the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Illinois (9-3) has won 2 straight games after dominating Missouri nearly 2 weeks ago. The Illini rank 23rd in the nation scoring at 81.2 points per game and 6th in crashing the glass with 43 rebounds per game this season. Led by junior center Kofi Cockburn averaging 21.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Illinois is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games overall and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings with Minnesota. The Illini have also won 9 consecutive games against Big Ten conference opponents.

The Gophers come into this conference matchup having won 3 in a row and first year head coach Ben Johnson is off to a tremendous 10-1 start. But the Gophers have split the 2 conference games thus far with a loss against Michigan State followed by a victory over Michigan. The Gophers are led in scoring by sophomore forward Jameson Battle who is coming off a 23-point performance in the last win against Green Bay.

™️: The issue in this matchup will be defending Cockburn and struggling to get boards. Minnesota ranks among the bottom five teams in offensive rebounding, so the offense will have to efficiently score on their home floor to keep this contest within reach. The Illini backcourt threats of Trent Frazier and Alfonso Plummer along with the dominant Cockburn will be too much for the Gophers to keep this game within single digits. Take the Illini to cover the point spread for a fourth consecutive meeting against the Gophers in this conference matchup on the road.

*Illinois -6.5 at the time of publishing; playable at -7.*

Over/Under: Illinois ranks 11th in the country in offensive efficiency and 12th in 3-point percentage. Each of the last 8 games for the Illini have surpassed the posted total and the over is 9-3 for the Illini this season. Illinois has surpassed 80+ points in 6 of the last 7 games and during that span, the team collectively averaged 88.9 points per game. The over has cashed in 4 of the last 5 games for Minnesota overall and home meetings with Illinois. In fact, the over is 6-1 in the last 7 games for the Gophers against Big Ten Conference opponents. Take the over with confidence for this conference matchup in Minneapolis tonight.

*Over 139 at the time of publishing; playable at 140.*

College Basketball: 7-4 ATS | 7-4 O/U (64%)

TradeMarc NBA Parlay: Nov 16

Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets

Three former teammates will meet at the Barclays Center on Tuesday as Steph Curry and the first place Golden Warriors compete against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. Golden State (11-2) currently hold the best record in the NBA, but dropped the first game of this road trip in a 106-102 loss in Charlotte. The Warriors scored just 14 points in the final quarter and the loss snapped a 7-game winning streak. Early in the season, the Warriors lead the NBA in team scoring, 3-point field goals made per game, assists, steals and defensive rating.

Brooklyn has won three consecutive games and eight of the last nine overall. The Nets lead the association in 3-point field goal % and true shooting percentage. Despite a 3-7 head-to-head record in the last ten meetings with Golden State, the Nets have covered the point spread in seven of those contests. As Kyrie Irving is still out indefinitely, the Nets have struggled to score at home. Brooklyn averages just 105 points per game at the Barclays Center and ranks dead last in offensive rebounding.

Both Durant (29.6 ppg) and Curry (28.1 ppg) lead their respective conference in scoring. All-star guard James Harden currently ranks second in the NBA with 9.3 assists per game, but has recorded three straight double-double performances. In fact, Harden has reached double-digit assist totals in six of the last eight games and double-digit rebounds in half of those matchups too. At +170 odds, a sharp player performance double includes Harden to record a double-double and the Nets to win.

Seven of the last nine matchups between these two teams have stayed beneath the posted total. For Brooklyn, the under is 4-1 in the last 5 home meetings with Golden State and 5-1 in the six home games overall. The under gas cashed in 69% of the Warriors’ games this season, which is tied for the sixth-highest percentage in the league. Without Irving (Unvaccinated), Joe Harris (ankle), and Paul Millsap (Personal), Brooklyn will need an MVP-caliber performance from its two superstars to keep up in this matchup. My sharp plays for this matchup are Warriors +3.5, Under 222.5, and the odds boost for both Curry and Durant to drop 30+ points.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Utah Jazz

Philadelphia aims to end its current 4-game losing skid in Utah against the Jazz who have also been defeated in their last two games. The 76ers have been competing without the all-star duo of Joel Embiid (COVID-19) and Ben Simmons (Personal) this month. Danny Green (hamstring) and Matisse Thybulle (COVID-19) are also out for Philadelphia tonight whereas Rudy Gay (heel) is listed as out for Utah. Due to the absence of their star talent, the defense has struggled mightily for the Sixers.

All four losses for the 76ers have been within single-digits during this bad stretch. The lack of depth on the road will be the x-factor in tonight’s contest. Philadelphia plays at the slowest pace in the NBA and ranks last in rebounding. For Sixers bettors, a sharp same-game parlay for this matchup is Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey to score 15+ points, Tobias Harris to score over 19.5 points, Andre Drummond to record 10+ rebounds and the Sixers to cover the point spread at +11.5.

Utah is the healthier team, has the deeper roster and commands their dominant home court advantage in this matchup. Since the beginning of the 2020 season, the Jazz are 39-9 at home, which is the best record in the league. Utah has emerged victorious in 14 of the last 16 games when competing against Philadelphia at home. Each of the last three games for the 76ers have surpassed the given total. My sharp plays for this matchup are Jazz ML, Clarkson to score 15+ points, and the player-performance double of Rudy Gobert to record a double-double/Jazz to win.

San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Clippers

Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs at the Staples Center on Tuesday. The Clippers have won seven of the last eight ballgames, including a 5-1 record in the last six home games. Despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard (ACL), the Clippers carry the second best defensive rating in the association. Los Angeles was held to just 90 points in Sunday’s home loss to Chicago, which snapped their 7-game winning streak.

San Antonio will competing tonight without key interior players Jakob Poeltl (COVID-19) and Zach Collins (Foot). The Spurs have been defeated in seven of the last ten games, including two straight. In eight games as the underdogs this season, the Spurs are 1-7. San Antonio is 2-9 in the last 11 road games and has lost four of the last five meetings with the Clippers. Opponents are shooting over 46% from the floor against the Spurs this season, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the league.

PG-13 ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 26.5 per game and fifth in steals with 2.2 per game. The Clippers will aim to bounce back tonight and secure a home victory against the Spurs who are tied for the third-worst record in the Western Conference. Los Angeles allows just 102 points per game as the home team where as San Antonio ranks among the bottom ten teams in points allowed. The Clippers rank third in the league in third quarter scoring so a sharp quarter prop for this matchup is Clippers 3rd Quarter ML.

This is the final game of a 6-game home stand for Los Angeles so expect a dominant performance on the defensive end. The Clippers rank fifth in the league in fast-break points and have the perimeter defenders to contain the only offensive threat for the Spurs in Dejounte Murray. Half of the wins for San Antonio this season are against the Orlando Magic and the sole upset as the underdog was against a Bucks team without three starters. My sharp plays for this matchup are Clippers -6.5 and Paul George to score 25+ points.

TradeMarc Flex Picks: 12-3 (80%)

ML: 4-1 | ATS: 3-1 | O/U: 5-1