NFL Football Futures Betting – Baltimore Ravens Rebuilding
Sports betting – Baltimore Ravens
- Is the Baltimore Ravens defense still Super Bowl caliber?
- Who will start at quarterback?
- Is Willis McGahee still a franchise running back?
When examining NFL football futures betting lines, the Baltimore Ravens look like a team that is going to hit their under. Oddsmakers have their regular season win total set for six wins but with a new head coach and a new starting quarterback, the situation figures to get ugly.
Head coach John Harbaugh is in a very unique position. Most coaches take over a team that has bottomed out and is now at their low-point but the Ravens are still in decline.
Whether it is former first-round bust Kyle Boller, inexperienced second-year player Troy Smith or raw rookie Joe Flacco, the starting quarterback role will be a recurring problem.
Regardless of who starts, Flacco, this year's first-round pick, figures to be in line to take over at some point shortly.
The offensive line is one of the weaker units in the NFL after perennial Pro Bowl tackle Jonathan Ogden retired.
The backfield was supposed to be a strength with running back Willis McGahee returning after a strong season but he returned in bad shape and a poor work ethic. The new coaching staff hasn't been pleased with his effort. On the flipside, second-round pick Ray Rice has looked fantastic in training camp and those who follow NFL football futures betting should recognize that he is the future at the position.
The Ravens have problems aplenty on offense and will struggle mightily to score points. In the past, that hasn't been too much of a problem because the defense has been stellar but that might not be the case this year.
Ray Lewis, Chris McAllister, Samari Rolle, Trevor Price and Kelly Gregg are all on the wrong side of 30 and all are past their prime. That's a significant group of starters from a defensive unit that used to be among the best in the business.
On top of that, linebacker Terrell Suggs held out through a chunk of training camp and is disgruntled with his contract.
Harbaugh is taking over a veteran team and a lot of these players are used to playing for division championships and Super Bowl rings. This team is far removed from those days so it will be interesting to see whether the veterans feel like playing hard for their new coach or whether they will mail it in like they did at the end of Brian Billick's tenure.
For the purposes of the NFL football futures betting lines, the Ravens will not be able to make it to seven wins to go over the number. Playing in a division with three potential playoff teams and that having to face the NFC East and AFC South teams is too much for a rebuilding team to handle.
Stan Simmons' Pick: Under 6.5
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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?
