 Chicago
Bears 2008 NFL
Regular Season Wins
Total Odds
The Chicago Bears
2008 NFL regular
season wins total
odds have been set
at -130 UNDER 8 at
Bookmaker.com.
The payout should
the Chicago Bears
win more than 8
games is going to be
even odds (meaning
that a $100 bet
would pay out $100).
Oddsmakers are
leaning slightly
towards the Bears
winning fewer than 8
games.
Chicago finished
dead last in their
division last
season. The
Bears rebounded from
a 5-11 last-place
finish in coach
Lovie Smith’s first
season as coach in
2004 to claim NFC
North Division
crowns with marks of
11-5 in 2005 and
13-3 in 2006.
“We’ve been in this
situation before, so
it’s not new to us,”
Smith said. “We’ve
been in last place
and we’ve climbed
that mountain. So
that’s the message
going in. It’s
always good to be
the underdog. Right
now most people are
counting us out. We
like that position.”
Perhaps the biggest
obstacle the Bears
will have to
overcome is the
quarterback
controversy that has
ensued even during
the time in which
Chicago made it to
the 2006 Super Bowl.
Bears quarterbacks
Rex Grossman and
Kyle Orton will
resume their
competition for the
starting job in
training camp. The
battle could last
well into the
preseason with an
emphasis on how the
two veterans perform
against live
defenses.
“You can’t judge an
awful lot right
now,” Smith said.
“The guys have done
what we’ve asked
them to do. There’s
been a lot of great
mental work going
on, but we have to
get them in a
situation where
there’s real
pressure on them and
grade them more on
that. If you asked
me right now, I
would say that the
competition is
even.”
One thing that will
not happen is Brett
Favre joining the
team as Green Bay
made it clear this
past weekend that
Favre will not be
released from his
contract.
The Under 8 total
regular season wins
in 2008 may not be a
bad bet, according
to some. One
would have to
lay $130 to win
$100 on the Under,
which isn't
necessarily a huge
risk (the $130
original bet is paid
back only if the
Bears win less than
8 regular season
games in 2008).
The offense may be
abysmal, according
to Walter
Cherepinsky of
WalterSports.com,
who predicts the
Bears will win a
mere 4 games this
upcoming season.
I have every
reason to believe
that the 2008 Bears
could challenge that
Seattle squad as
having the worst
scoring unit in
modern-day history.
Seriously, I can't
think of one
redeeming quality
Chicago has in its
offense. Starting at
quarterback, Lovie
Smith will see who
sucks less between
Rex Grossman and
Kyle Orton to
determine who the
starter is. Does it
really matter?
Grossman has more
upside because of
his arm strength,
but he can't make
reads, his accuracy
is abysmal and he
can't stay healthy.
Grossman has more
career picks (33)
than touchdowns
(31), and is
infamous for his
fumbling woes.
Grossman actually
played well at times
in 2007, however,
going 66-of-116, two
touchdowns, one
interception and
three fumbles in his
final full three
games of the season.
But of course,
Grossman suffered a
knee injury in Week
14 and missed the
rest of the year.
So, what about
Orton? The Purdue
product has a good
shot to win the
starting gig because
he's way more
careful with the
football. But if the
Bears fall behind?
Forget about it.
Orton's arm strength
rivals that of a
12-year-old girl's.
Actually, now that I
think about it,
Smith should rotate
quarterbacks in and
out depending on the
score. If Chicago is
ahead, let Orton
milk the clock,
convert third downs
and take care of the
football. If Chicago
is behind, allow
Grossman to bomb it
downfield.
Seems like an
effective plan based
on how horrid the
signal callers are,
but there's one
problem - there
aren't receivers for
Grossman to throw
to. The team's two
leaders in receiving
yards, Bernard
Berrian and Muhsin
Muhammad, are both
gone. That's 111
receptions, 1,521
yards and eight
touchdowns the Bears
will have to replace
with bums like Marty
Booker and Brandon
Lloyd. Once upon a
time, Booker
registered
back-to-back
1,000-yard seasons.
Since 2003, however,
Booker has never had
more than 747 yards.
His production
dropped to 556 yards
and one touchdown in
2007. Booker will be
32 in August, so I
can't see him
reverting to his
former self.
The Chicago Bears
odds to win the NFC
North was set at
+270 (a $100 bet
would pay out $270).
Their odds of
winning the NFC
Championship was
listed at +1600 for
a $1600 payout on
every $100 bet.
The Chicago Bears
odds of winning the
2008 Super Bowl came
in at +3200 for a
$3200 win on a $100
bet.
All odds courtesy
of Bookmaker.com -
which was offering a
20 percent signup
bonus at press time
July 14, 2008
----
Dan Shapiro,
Gambling911.com
Originally published
July 14, 2008 9:56
am EST
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