NFL Betting - 2009 Team Odds [UPDATE]
The NFL season is just a few months away, and as teams head into training camps soon, it’s never too early to examine the team-by-team landscape of the league. Here’s our 32 team capsules of what to expect from each squad in the coming season:
2009 NFL odds: Patriots still looking strong
- With Brady back, Patriots are Super Bowl favorite
- Steelers will again contend with a strong unit and an easier schedule
- Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings threaten with new quarterbacks
Terrell Owens steps onto the scene in Buffalo, which gives the city the biggest start they’ve ever had, but will he help them to the playoffs? Head coach Dick Jauron is under a lot of pressure, and if the young defense doesn’t improve - or if quarterback Trent Edwards doesn’t take steps forward in his growth - the Bills will be playoff-less again, and Jauron will be jobless.
The Miami Dolphins were one of the biggest surprises in the NFL last season, but can they follow it up? They have the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2009, and that will be their first problem. Secondly, they won’t be overlooked by any of their opponents this year. The Dolphins are still a solid team, but expect them to come down to Earth this year and miss the playoffs.
The New England Patriots were still dangerous without Tom Brady – how good will they be now that he’s back? While Brady missed the 2008-09 season with a knee injury, the Patriots developed their defense and improved their offense. Now they’ve added Joey Galloway and Fred Taylor to the fold, which makes this Super Bowl contender even scarier. This is clearly the team to beat in the NFL.
New head coach, same expectations. The New York Jets have had a bit of a makeover in the offseason, but with a roster full of veterans, the fans are expecting more success. With rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez taking the reins, the fans should temper those lofty expectations, but as we’ve come to find out in the pressure cooker that is the Big Apple, it’s win or go home.
The Baltimore Ravens will hope that sophomores John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco don’t slump after such an impressive opening season. The Ravens defense did take some hits in the offseason with the departure of coordinator Rex Ryan and linebacker Bart Scott, but most of the constituents are still there. Even so, the defense isn’t getting any younger and no significant weapons have been added to the offense. The Ravens will be in the mix in the AFC North but they are not a Super Bowl contender.
By Bengals standards, they have had a quiet offseason, which might be exactly what they need. As well, the return of a healthy Carson Palmer will make all the difference. Chad Ochocinco is onboard, Cedric Benson appears to be a capable runner, and the offensive line has improved. On defense, the squad is loaded with young talent and first-round picks, which means a vast improvement could be made. They have been the downtrodden losers of the NFL for a little while but now this could be the surprise team of the year.
The Cleveland Browns have had a change in regime as Eric Mangini now takes over. The Browns still don’t have the talent to compete for a playoff spot - or even a winning season - but the goal of 2009 will be to lay the foundation for the future. Mangini is a head coach that will instill plenty of discipline, and that alone should steer the Browns in the right direction.
The Super Bowl Champions Steelers had a phenomenal 2008 season, and there is little reason to believe they won’t be able to repeat their success. The offense returns virtually intact but 2008 first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall should be more of a factor this year. Meanwhile, the defense returns in its dominant form. Last year, the Steelers endured the toughest schedule in the NFL, so an easier workload could keep them fresher and stronger when the playoffs approach.
The Houston Texans do have sleeper potential, but their success will be contingent on the health of quarterback Matt Schaub. With Schaub, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels, the Texans could have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. But if Schaub isn’t healthy – and he’s only played in 22 games in the last two seasons – the offense will sputter. On defense, the pieces are falling into place, as first-round pick Brian Cushing should provide some heart in the center of their defense. With DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams, the Texans now have a handful of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
There will be a changing of the guards for the Colts as head coach Tony Dungy and Ron Meeks is in. Peyton Manning still runs the show on offense, but one has to wonder if some chinks in his armor are beginning to show. The offense will still put up points, but without a healthy Marvin Harrison, the unit isn’t as dynamic. As for the defense, we’ll find out how good they really are now that Dungy has retired.
The Jacksonville Jaguars took a huge step backwards in 2008, but after retooling their offensive line, they should be back to being a smash-mouth offense this year. Maurice Jones-Drew is ready for a breakout year and David Garrard should rebound after a tough season, but the Jaguars are still not a Super Bowl contender. Their defense went soft last year and their passing game still lacks weapons. They’ll have to prove they can get over those humps if they plan to compete.
The Tennessee Titans were a juggernaut in the regular season last year, but can that continue? Kerry Collins is back as the starting quarterback, but how long can this unit survive with just a caretaker at quarterback? The running game will still churn out yards and the defense will still be stalwart, but there is no reason to believe this team will exceed the benchmarks they set last year.
No team had a more tumultuous offseason than the Denver Broncos, as new head coach Josh McDaniels made it his first order of business to trade away Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler. That has left the cupboard fairly bare, as the Broncos are now without a quarterback and are in the process of rebuilding a horrible defense. McDaniels has skipped the honeymoon stage and is already on the hot seat, and if the team doesn’t show signs of life early on, he’ll be in trouble in just his first season.
Herm Edwards did a decent job of gathering a crop of young talent, and now Todd Haley will try to make the most of it. The Chiefs traded for Matt Cassel in the offseason, which has given this franchise a new face. If Cassel is the real deal, then the Chiefs got a steal and could immediately be a threat in the weak AFC West this year. But dealing with Bill Belichick is always dangerous, and Cassel could be a fraud, which would set the Chiefs back a few more years.
The Oakland Raiders had a good finish to the 2008 season, but who knows what they’ll accomplish in the coming season. JaMarcus Russell is still a big and often overweight question mark, and who knows how good of a head coach Tom Cable is. The defense is a mixed bag, and overall, there are too many questions to trust a team like this for a winning season.
With Kansas City, Denver and Oakland rebuilding, the Chargers should breeze to another AFC West crown. They’ll need a bounce-back season from LaDainian Tomlinson if they plan making a Super Bowl run, and a healthy Shawne Merriman is imperative. But if those two players can return to form, then the Chargers will be in the same conversation with the Steelers and Patriots as Super Bowl favorites.
The Dallas Cowboys lost Terrell Owens in the offseason, but return with virtually the rest of their roster. Nobody ever questioned talent on this team, but heart and coaching are often a problem. Quarterback Tony Romo will have to improve his December play and the offense will have to find more of a rhythm now that Owens is gone. Another playoff miss will result in some heads rolling.
The New York Giants faded down the stretch of the 2008-09 season, and there are some concerns heading into this year. Plaxico Burress is gone and Derrick Ward departed via free agency, so there is some anxiety in regards to the offense. The Giants should be vastly improved on defense as they’ll get Osi Umenyiora back after a season-long injury, and the team has added Chris Canty, Michael Boley and Rocky Bernard in the offseason. Dating back to the last two offseasons, the offense has now lost Jeremy Shockey, Burress and Ward, and Eli Manning will have to show that he can take those changes in stride.
The Philadelphia Eagles had another productive offseason, which might fuel another Super Bowl run. The Eagles added running back LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin in the draft and guard Stacy Andrews via free agent, which should bolster an already strong unit. On defense, Lito Sheppard and Brian Dawkins are gone, but the Eagles seem to evaluate their defensive talent better than anyone else. Look for another productive year from the Eagles - if they stay healthy, they will have Super Bowl potential.
The Redskins are perennially an enigma in the NFL and this year should be no different. Owner Daniel Snyder once again opened up his checkbook to sign Albert Haynesworth and re-sign DeAngelo Hall. But will that translate into more wins? The Redskins have a lot of talent and are good in many areas, but they aren’t dominant in any one place. If Haynesworth can help the defense take that next step, then this team will be a contender.
The Chicago Bears have been looking for a quarterback for years, and they may have found their man. Jay Cutler fell into their laps when the Denver Broncos ran him out of town, which could make the Bears a surprise Super Bowl contender. The Bears defense has been dominant for years in spite of the offense. Now that the offense will be capable, this whole team should be better.
The Detroit Lions can’t get any worse, so how much better will they get? There’s a new direction with Jim Schwartz at head coach and rookie Matthew Stafford at quarterback, but is the foundation finally in place? Calvin Johnson is a stud, Kevin Smith is a good prospect, and first-round pick Brandon Pettigrew looks like a nice weapon. This is the year that will tell us whether the Lions have in fact turned a corner.
The Green Bay Packers didn’t necessarily lose a lot of talent when they switched from an over-the-hill Brett Favre to a young Aaron Rodgers, but the team did lose its identity. The direction is still unclear – is this a run-first team or a pass-first team? The defense is in flux as well with two elderly cornerbacks on the outside while the interior changes from a 4-3 to a 3-4. This figures to be another trying season for the Packers.
Minnesota Vikings odds [UPDATE]
Now that Brett Favre has unretired, the Minnesota Vikings will be a serious contender - assuming he doesn’t retire again. Although Favre is over the hill, he is still an upgrade at the position and finally gives this team a threat in the passing game to complement their dominant running game with Adrian Peterson. With a dominant defense, the Vikings don’t have any noticeable holes, but will Favre’s shoulder hold up for a full season?
The Atlanta Falcons had a great season in 2008 and sophomores Matt Ryan and Mike Smith will be looking for more in the coming year. The team added Tony Gonzalez to the offense which, combined with Michael Turner, an improved Ryan and Roddy White, makes them scary good. Meanwhile, Smith is working on improving the defense, which is his forte. A lot of people might think this team was a fluke in 2008, but they aren’t going to disappear in the upcoming year.
The Panthers have laid a foundation for success, which means they will be a winning outfit in 2009 once again. With two lethal running backs, a powerful offensive line and a competent quarterback, the Panthers will control many ball games. But the problem is that their defense is only slightly above average, and quarterback Jake Delhomme is not getting any younger. It will be hard for the Panthers to surpass their second-round playoff appearance of last year, but they’ll win in the regular season.
The story is still the same for the Saints: no defense, no running game, and it’s Drew Brees all the time. The Saints have failed to get Brees a more competent runner or to surround him with a reliable defense, which means the Saints can expect lots of shootouts again. Management has done a poor job of helping Brees out, and one of the best quarterbacks of this generation is being wasted on 8-8 seasons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a miserable offseason that saw them lose their head coach, defensive boss and starting quarterback. The loss of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin figures to be huge, as the defense never struggled in his long tenure with the team. On offense, whether it’s Byron Leftwich or rookie Josh Freeman running the show, not many pundits put faith in either quarterback leading the team to many wins. This will be a very long season in Tampa Bay.
The NFC’s Super Bowl representative might be in for a rude wakeup call in 2009. They did add Chris Wells to help make the offense two-dimensional, but the reality is that this team wasn’t very good until they got hot in the playoffs. The Cardinals finished with just nine wins, and six of them came against their feeble division mates. If each team improves, the Cardinals will struggle to get to back to .500.
The San Francisco 49ers were more competitive down the stretch of 2008-09 after switching to Mike Singletary as their head coach, but they still have plenty of issues. At the top of the to-do list is to find a quarterback, and with Shaun Hill and Alex Smith as the options, the future isn’t exactly bright. The offense still lacks weapons in the passing game and it’s hard to gauge what to expect from this defense. Singletary will make this team competitive, but even guts and glory can only take you so far.
The Seattle Seahawks could be ready for a big bounce-back season now that quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is healthy. The team added T.J. Houshmanzadeh in free agency - which should provide a reliable weapon for Hasselbeck - and with the emergence of tight end John Carlson, this offense could be back to its explosive self. The defense has plenty of talent, but was hung out to dry by an inept offense last year. Now that the team is back to full strength, a lot of things – including another division crown – could fall into place.
Few teams are a bigger mess than the St. Louis Rams, who finished with just two wins last year. They are hoping that new head coach Steve Spagnuolo can coach up the defense, but right now, there isn’t much talent to work with. On offense, the talent has thinned out, not to mention the wide receiving corps is desolate and nobody knows how good Marc Bulger is anymore. The Rams have the least talent of any team in the NFL.
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? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
