NFL Props Betting – Favre saga opens door for Minnesota Vikings
- How good are the Green Bay Packers with or without Brett Favre?
- Can Tarvaris Jackson lead the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs?
- Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears still stuck in the basement
Handicapping the NFC North has been complicated by Brett Favre's retirement/comeback. If you're a fan of betting sports, you need to know whether he's playing or not. As of right now, the answer to that question remains a mystery, which is why the odds to win this division seem a little out of whack.
If you are betting on the Green Bay Packers (+175), there's no question in your mind that your team is better with Favre than without him. His offseason shenanigans have created quite the distraction for a team that was an overtime loss away from reaching the Super Bowl.
If favre returns, the offense should be fine but the defense might not be as strong as it was last year. The defensive line will be without Corey williams, who was traded in the offseason, and potentially Johnny Jolly, who was slapped with felony drug charges. Jolly's arrest could be crucial as 2007 first-round pick, Justin Harrell, has spent more time in the trainer's room than on the field.
With Favre, though, the Packers are the team to beat in this division. Without him, the door is open for someone else to take the reigns.
That someone is likely to be the Minnesota Vikings (+125), if they can get their own quarterbacking problems in order.
Tarvaris Jackson was 8-4 in his first year as a starter last year but three 12 interceptions and only nine touchdowns. The team drafted john david booty, signed veteran Gus Frerotte and is rumored to be after Brett Favre should he sever ties with the packers, which gives you a clear indication of how they feel about Jackson.
The good news for Jackson is that he'll have plenty of help around him. The Vikings added the NFL's leading sacker, Jared Allen, to a defense that wasn't lacking much outside of pressuring the quarterback. On offense, Jackson will be helped by the NFL's top running game with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor and the receiving corp should be improved with free agent signing Bernard Berrian and the growth of Sidney Rice.
The other two teams in this division, the Chicago Bears (+250) and Detroit Lions (+600), are a long shot to win the division.
The Bears have 11 players working together that has some semblance of an offense but they aren't very good at what is the goal of most offenses: scoring.
With Rex Grossman, or Kyle Orton - or any other scrub the bears can find to play quarterback - running the show, the Bears are going to be very limited on offense. Add to that that their offensive line is terrible and their running game is in the hands of either rookie Matt Forte, Kevin Jones or the other Adrian Peterson, and the bears look worse off than the unit that ranked 27th in the league last year.
While the Vikings and Packers will battle for first place, the Bears and Lions will battle for last.
The Lions have been one of the worst franchises in the NFL for a long time and it's unlikely that this year will be the one where they turn the corner.
The Lions enter the season with Jon Kitna as their starter at quarterback and Tatum Bell as their starting running back. Good luck. The running back situation shouldn't be so bad with rookie Kevin Smith in the mix but don't expect the same solid production out of Kitna – or any other quarterback – now that Mike Martz is off in San Francisco.
Head coach Rod Marinelli was supposed to bring the defensive intensity and fortitude that he was known for in Tampa Bay. But instead, the lions have been painfully frail on defense and that may not change this year.
The secondary was made over and might have as many as four new starters while the linebacking corps is still weak outside of Ernie Sims. The third year is the make or break for a head coach and if the Lions aren't a winning team this year, expect a full cleansing from all the way from the front office down to the coaching staff.
NFC South odds:
Minnesota Vikings +125
Green bay Packers +175
Chicago Bears +250
Detroit Lions +600
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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?
