NFL Betting – Cowboys, Not Giants, Team To Beat in East
2008 NFL betting:
- Can the Dallas Cowboys learn from their playoff failure?
- Are the Super Bowl Champs ready to defend?
- Can Donovan McNabb lead the Philadelphia Eagles back to the playoffs?
Is it worth it to lay the juice on the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East? Online betting fans clearly favor the Cowboys. They won 13 games last year and only improved their team in the offseason. But let's take a look to see if there's some value in the odds for the other three teams in the NFC East.
Three of the four teams in this division made the playoffs last year and no team finished below .500, so the disparity from first to worst is not huge. The Washington Redskins (+400) and Philadelphia Eagles (+250) are the two teams with the longest odds.
The Redskins have had an interesting offseason, to say the least. Their cleaned out their All-Star coaching staff (Joe Gibbs, Al Saunders and Gregg Williams) and hired a new staff in this order: offensive and defensive coordinator first, head coach second.
The changes on offense means that – dating back to college – quarterback Jason Campbell will be working with his seventh offensive coordinator in eight years. He probably knows every offensive playbook in the league.
Not only will this hamper Campbell's development, but it will continue to limit an offense that produces sporadically. The Redskins did add Pro Bowl defense end Jason Taylor to their defense but their issues stem from stopping opposing running games, not passing games. The Redskins have too many holes to take a chance on their odds.
The New York Giants (+300) and reigning NFL Champions, aren't the favorite or runner-up in the odds: the oddsmakers have them slated to finish third in the division.
The Giants are being written off by virtually everyone. The general consensus is to be skeptical of a team that hit a hot stretch at the perfect time. I'm part of that consensus.
The offensive line is strong – and overall, the offense is good – but it is hard to have faith in Eli Manning. What we saw from him late last year was the aberration, not the trend, and until he proves that he can carry it over, not enough people will take the Giants seriously.
The defense also has to replace Michael Strahan and Gibril Wilson, two of their top players from last year.
The Philadelphia Eagles have had a quiet offseason and have the best shot to unseat the Cowboys in the East but they don't have the star-studded roster that Dallas possesses.
Donovan McNabb is healthy, which should make the offense click, and the defense should be back to its usual Jim Johnson level.
The Dallas Cowboys (-125) won 13 games last year and added Pacman Jones and a number of first-round picks to supplement their roster. The schedule isn't too demanding and unless they stumble badly against their division rivals, then the Cowboys should comfortably finish atop their division.
NFC East Odds:
Dallas Cowboys -125
Philadelphia Eagles +250
New York Giants +300
Washington Redskins +400
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Stan Simmons first tasted football through the college game, but his football handicapping has strictly focused on the professional sport. Not many people devote as much time to the NFL as Simmons. For six days a week he works, labors and handicaps the sport, and on the seventh he rests as the games play out. Thoughts or questions?
