NFL Offseason Handicapping

(Thursday June 15th)

We are now less than two months away from the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio that opens up the Preseason NFL schedule. That said there is no better time than now to take a look at some of the winners from this year’s draft and off-season. A full recap of the draft is not necessary here as that information is available everywhere. The goal to accomplish here is to take a look at some of the teams that did so much that we may see some real betting value with those teams. That will be the case for not only the regular season but also the upcoming preseason. That’s because the preseason is when many of the new players get their biggest number of reps on the field.

AFC East - The Patriots picked up the running back that many feel was second only to Reggie Bush when they grabbed Laurence Maroney. The fact that the Patriots also got the top receiver in the draft in Chad Jackson plus a solid tight end in David Thomas means this was a very strong draft for the Pats. Note also that tight end Garrett Mills was highly productive in College and could end up being a pleasant surprise. The Patriots addressed offense much more than usual in this year’s draft and landed some playmakers.

AFC North – It looks like the Ravens will end up with former Titans QB Steve McNair. That is a key acquisition as the Baltimore quarterback situation has been a question mark for years. Now the Ravens have reunited McNair with his favorite target in WR Derrick Mason. With TE Todd Heap the Ravens offense already looks much more potent with McNair under center. As for the defense, the drafting of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata means a lot as he is huge and can clog up the middle. That will open things up for LB Ray Lewis and increase his playmaking abilities.

AFC South – The Jaguars added some playmaking ability with RB Maurice Drew and TE Mercedes Lewis. Those two UCLA Bruins will help the offense as QB Byron Leftwich can add Lewis to Matt Jones and Reggie Williams as great targets for his passes. The Jaguars also added to their defense with acquiring linebacker Nick Greisen and drafting another LB Clint Ingram. Neither are Arrington but those two should produce.

AFC West – The Broncos acquisition of WR Javon Walker was a huge pickup. Then drafting QB Jay Cutler was super as it will continue to push QB Jake Plummer who has improved during his time at Denver but certainly can’t rest on his past accomplishments. Many feel Cutler was the most polished quarterback available in this year’s draft and the Broncos added to their offense greatly with Cutler and Walker.

NFC East - The Eagles draft was not “sexy” in terms of big name players at the skill positions but I loved it. Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid believes games are won in the trenches and there is a lot of truth to that. The Eagles drafted linemen with their first four picks and they added some excellent talent for the trenches. Everything went wrong for the Eagles last season with the “T.O. situation” and a rash of injuries. Rest assured there is still a lot of talent on this roster and it was only the season before that they were in the Super Bowl. Look for a bounce back year in Philadelphia.

NFC North – The Lions did a great job of addressing their needs in this year’s draft. They picked up some defense with their first two picks of the draft and that was an excellent move as the offense already has a lot of skill at the playmaking positions. Now that they can put the Joey Harrington saga behind them the Lions offense will be ready to go. Adding safety Daniel Bullocks and LB Ernie Sims in the draft will further solidify this team.

NFC South – A very strong division with the Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers. But also keep an eye on the Saints this season. QB Drew Brees is fired up about showing the Chargers what they let get away. RB Reggie Bush is ready to make fans in the city of Houston get very sick as they come to realize what the Texans passed up on. New Coach Sean Payton has plenty to work with in New Orleans as the Saints also picked up Center Jeff Faine and defensive tackle Hollis Thomas in off-season acquisitions. After the Hurricane took so much away from the city of New Orleans in ’05, look for the Saints to be the “feel good” success story of the ‘06 NFL season.

NFC West – The Cardinals. Keep an eye on the Cardinals. They drafted QB Matt Leinart, G Duece Lutui, and TE Leonard Pope. They acquired RB Edgerrin James from the Colts. This team already had a ton of talent at the WR position and now they have added some key personnel to make Arizona a formidable team in this division. The new stadium will also help motivate the Cardinals and look for a very strong season led by Coach Dennis Green.

Keep an eye on all the teams above as we feel they may provide some nice wagering opportunities in the upcoming NFL season. Note that these opportunities may come up as soon as the the NFL Preseason. It will all be getting started in less than two months. As always, best of luck.....Scott Rickenbach

More Handicapping Articles...