Football Betting Predictions – Owens, McNabb Headline Offseason Pickups
While online betting players didn’t see any NFL players making an hour-long televised special about where they would play this season, there were still a few big moves that will affect the NFL betting odds for the upcoming campaign. Here’s a look at what we think the top five moves were.
Terrell Owens, Cincinnati
Chad Ochocinco has been calling for it, Carson Palmer worked with him and was actually the one who put it all together, so now we’re all waiting to see how long it takes for this to blow up in the Bengals’ face. To be fair, they’ve dealt with troubled characters before, and we think that Owens is now old enough to realize that he’s a secondary option to Ochocinco, who has been calling himself the Robin to Owens’ Batman. Any way you slice it, the Bengals are going to be the most talked-about team this year, for better or worse.
Donovan McNabb, Washington
The Redskins automatically upgraded their quarterback position by getting McNabb for second and fourth-round picks in the 2010 and 2011 drafts, respectively, and not only that, they weakened a division rival, Philadelphia. The Redskins are also now coached by Mike Shanahan, who won a couple of Super Bowls with an older John Elway, and McNabb has much more left to offer to the Redskins’ NFL betting odds.
Jason Campbell, Oakland
Someone had to lose a job when McNabb went to Washington, and that was Campbell, who was moved to Oakland to replace the bust that was JaMarcus Russell, the biggest waste of a No.1 pick there ever was. It’s not that Campbell is a poor quarterback; he has shown glimpses of his talent, but too often in Washington, he was running for his life behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league (good luck, Donovan McNabb), and their receivers were never all that great either (again, good luck, Donovan McNabb). Then there’s the terrible play-calling that went on in Washington. Wait, Campbell will face the same problems in Oakland. Maybe he’s the one who needs the luck.
Anquan Boldin, Baltimore
Joe Flacco has never really had many receiving options outside of Derrick Mason, tight end Todd Heap, and last season running back Ray Rice emerged as a receiving threat. But the Ravens picked up Donte Stallworth and Boldin, one of the best possession receivers in the NFL. Boldin’s ability to go over the middle and make the tough catches will stretch out the field for Mason and Stallworth, and they still have Heap and Rice, giving the Ravens what should be their best passing attack in ages.
Antonio Cromartie, New York Jets
This move makes the list on the grounds that Cromartie may now be the Jets’ top cornerback, if Darrelle Revis decides to sit this year out. Revis, arguably the best cover corner in the NFL, and the Jets are far apart in contract negotiations and there are whispers that Revis may not play at all this year. Picking up Cromartie was supposed to give the Jets a brilliant No.2 option, a guy who had 10 interceptions in San Diego just three seasons ago. Now, Cromartie may be pressed into bigger action, left on an island (many receivers felt isolated on ‘Revis Island’ last season) in the Jets’ aggressive scheme, and he may have a bigger effect on New York’s sports betting odds than he thought he would.
