Super Bowl Wagering Futures

The perennial NFL laughingstock heads into 2006 with a new home and high hopes

By Jason Brough
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

The Arizona Cardinals will move into a new stadium on Aug. 12 when they host the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in a preseason game. Considering fans of the historially awful team have been baking on the bleachers of Sun Devil Stadium since 1988, the retractable roof facility is big news around Phoenix.

But it's not the biggest news.

That honor goes to Edgerrin James, the former Colts running back who signed a four-year, $30-million contract with the Cards on March 12.

James is a four-time Pro Bowler who's carried the ball 2,188 times for 9,226 yards and 64 touchdowns in his seven-year career. He takes over a rushing attack that ranked last in 2005, averaging just 71.1 yards per game.

"It's a great situation. All they really need is a back," James said at a news conference following the signing. "They've got an MVP quarterback [Kurt Warner], they've got two Pro Bowl receivers [Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald]. They got a back and they're going to shore up the offensive line."

Oddsmakers and bettors agree the addition of James has significantly improved Arizona's title chances. On Feb. 13, following a 5-11 regular season, the Cardinals' odds to win the Super Bowl at the Bodog Sportsbook were 80/1. They've since moved to 30/1. That 167-percent line change represents the largest summer move - up or down - of any NFL team.

Straight from the Bodog Sportsbook: "We've been booking a good deal of futures bets on the Cardinals since James came on board. In fact, of all the teams with a legitimate shot at winning it all, we might end up cheering against Arizona the hardest. Any bettor who got in at 80/1 has to be feeling like a genius right about now."

More Offseason Movers and Shakers

The Cowboys were another team that, according to oddsmakers, had a successful offseason. That, of course, has to do with the March 18 addition of wide receiver Terrell Owens.

There is no question Owens, one of the most explosive offensive players in the game, makes the Cowboys an improved team. Even better for Dallas backers, he makes fellow receiver Terry Glenn more dangerous. (If you're a defensive coordinator, who do you key on?) Throw tight end Jason Witten and running back Julius Jones into the mix and quarterback Drew Bledsoe has any number of reliable weapons to choose from.

The big challenge will be for coach Bill Parcells. Can he keep Owens happy in a ball-control offense, one where the 32-year-old, five-time Pro Bowler won't always be the first option? That's two big egos in the same locker room. God forbid new kicker Mike Vanderjagt gets "liquored up" and starts a war.

Do you think Mike Martz knows the Lions are being given a better shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy than his former team in St. Louis (60/1)?

His appointment as offensive coordinator in Detroit came on the heels of another underachieving year for what, on paper, should be a capable, if not explosive, offense.

Under the direction of new head coach, Rod Marinelli, Martz is hoping to turn one of Josh McCown or Jon Kitna into the 2006 version of Kurt Warner, circa 1999. That's some high hoping, but whether or not receivers Charles Rodgers and Roy Williams can quickly learn Martz's complex schemes is the big question. If they can, an NFC North title is not out of the question. (It's not exactly smack-dab in the question either, but the Bears, Packers, and Vikings are hardly a deadly trio.)

Not every team got better in the eyes of sports gamblers. The Raiders, a popular pick last year following the addition of Randy Moss, find themselves lumped into a group of long shots with New Orleans (75/1), Cleveland (85/1), New York Jets (90/1), and Buffalo (90/1).

The hype surrounding Art Shell returning to coach the silver and black after 12 years has been predictable. They say the Raiders will get back to "Raider football". But talk is cheap, and walking it will be pretty tough with overly carefree Aaron Brooks - fresh off a career-worst 70.0-passer-rating season in New Orleans - at quarterback.

Straight from the Bodog Sportsbook: "We typically take a fair number of futures bets from those in the Raider Nation, regardless of the odds. This year, we've had to up the ante in order to attract the action. Not to mention, Oakland's schedule doesn't help its case. Non-divisional trips to Baltimore, Seattle and Cincinnati will be tough."

If they've seen the future in San Diego, his name is not Philip Rivers. Not yet, at least.

Thee 24-year-old Rivers has spent the past two seasons watching Drew Brees - now with New Orleans - put together back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons. He takes over quarterbacking duties with the added pressure of being known as "the QB who got picked before Ben Roethlisberger".

Granted, the Chargers still boast the best running back in the game, LaDainian Tomlinson, All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates, as well as a solid defense. But even the most optimistic forecaster would have trouble ranking them higher than fourth-best in the AFC. Add Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver and Miami into the second-tier below conference favorites Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and New England and 16/1 looks about right for San Diego.

 

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PHOTO: Edgerrin James has the fans in Arizona excited about the upcoming NFL regular season. (Getty Images photo)

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