 Odds
to Win the NFC South - 2007
Odds to win the NFC
South - 2007 have been posted at Sportsbook.com.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Michael Vick,
who we now know won't be playing again until at
least November, the online gambling site has offered
long odds of 5 to 1 for the Atlanta Falcons to win
the NFC South - 2007. Not long enough perhaps.
All betting odds to
win the NFC South are available at
Sportsbook.com
(signup, sign in and click on the FOOTBALL TAB -
it's that easy).
1. New Orleans Saints Odds to win the NFC South 6-5:
Key additions: TE Eric Johnson, LB Brian Simmons, CB
Jason David, S Kevin Kaesviharn, K Olindo Mare
Key loses: K John Carney, TE Ernie Conwell, WR Joe
Horn
Behind a high powered offense that snuck up on
everyone to rank first in the NFL in yardage and
fifth in scoring, the Saints might have been the
best story in the league last season. With the
addition of first WR Robert Meachum pass catching TE
Eric Johnson, the offense shouldn’t skip a beat
despite the loss of Joe Horn (679 yards 4 TD). If
their passing attack wasn’t enough, the Saints
should pose one of the most devastating and
versatile ground games in the NFL. Look for Deuce
McAllister to do what he does best: grinding out the
tough yards, the occasional long scamper and getting
in the end zone with regularity. Rookie Reggie Bush
lived up to the hype with his 1307 rushing &
receiving yards and 8 TD and there is no reason to
believe that he won’t increase on these numbers
drastically. Ranking 11th in the NFL, the Saints
defense was solid last season but they were tied for
second worst in takeaways. The strength of the unit
is their DE tandem of Charles Grant and Will Smith
who combined for 16.5 sacks last year. The
linebacking unit has been upgraded a bit with Brian
Simmons replacing the undersized Mark Simoneau. Same
can be said for their secondary as they added CB
Jason David to an already average group of d-backs
that gave up way too many long pass plays a year
ago.
All betting odds to win the NFC South are available
at
Sportsbook.com
(signup, sign in and click on the FOOTBALL TAB -
it's that easy).
2. Carolina Panthers odds to win the NFC South 9-5
Key additions: QB David Carr, S Deke Cooper,
Terrance Melton LB
Key losses: LB Chris Draft, WR Keyshawn Johnson, QB
Weinke, DE Al Wallace
With a .500 record and missing the playoffs, the
Panthers were perhaps the biggest disappointment in
the league last season. The usually steady Jake
Delhomme was extremely inconsistent but will have
former #1 pick David Carr to push him early on. The
running game was also a huge disappointment last
season. Neither DeShaun Foster nor rookie DeAngelo
Williams really did too much to get Panther fans
overly excited about the ground attack for this
season but don’t be surprised if the Williams
overtakes Foster in the starting role. The receiving
core is a one man show, Steve Smith. Arguably the
best receiver in the NFL, this dynamic talent will
most likely be paired opposite rookie Dwayne
Jarrett. It is no question; Carolina is driven by
their defense which ranked 7th in the league and
gave up only 19.1 points per game. There is no
reason not to expect another monstrous year out of
DE Julius Peppers and with a healthy DT Kris
Jenkins; they form one of the top d-line tandems in
the league. Carolina’s linebackers and secondary are
both solid but not spectacular. A healthy Dan Morgan
would make this defense even stronger but don’t hold
your breath.
All betting odds to
win the NFC South are available at
Sportsbook.com
(signup, sign in and click on the FOOTBALL TAB -
it's that easy).
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers odds to win the NFC South
4-1
Key additions: DE Kevin Carter, QB Jeff Garcia, LB
Cato June, TE Jeremy Stevens, OT Luke Petitgout, FB
BJ Askew
Key losses: G Sean Mahan, LB Shelton Quarles, T
Kenyatta Walker, DE Simeon Rice
New quarterback Jeff Garcia should improve the
offense greatly in Tampa but then again that
shouldn’t be too difficult considering they averaged
a measly 13.2 points per game a year ago. Cadillac
Williams was an absolute stud his rookie season but
suffered the sophomore slump last season. Much of
this had to do with a banged up offensive line and
the fact that they played behind too early and
often. He is too talented not to bounce back this
season. Like the Panthers, the Bucs have only one
weapon at receiver in Joey Galloway. The once
dominant defense is old and mediocre. They did add
DE Gaines Adams in the draft, who should compete for
a starting job, especially with the release of
Simeon Rice. The linebacking core should be solid
once again with 10 time Pro Bowler anchoring the
unit alongside newcomer Cato June. CB Ronde Barber
returns for another year, unlike his brother, and
remains one of the better CB in the NFL. Don’t be
surprised if the Bucs rebound nicely this season but
with all of the age and injury problems, don’t
expect too much.
4. Atlanta Falcons odds to win the NFC South 5-1:
Key additions: WR Joe Horn, QB Joey Harrington, OG
Toniu Fonti, K Aaron Elling
Key losses: DE Patrick Kerney, FB Justin Griffith,
QB Matt Schaub, WR Ashley Lelie, LB Ed Hartwell
In case you have been under a rock, the Falcons are
a complete mess. With the disaster that is Michael
Vick, the Falcon’s offense is a complete joke as of
now. What makes matters worse is that they traded
their up and coming backup Matt Schaub during the
off season. So it looks as if Joey Harrington will
get another chance to live up to the hype that
surrounded him coming out of college. Warrick Dunn
is coming off three consecutive 1000 yard seasons
and had a career high 286 carries last season.
Despite these impressive numbers, it is hard to
expect too much from him considering he is now 32
years old. 35 year old Joe Horn joins a less than
average receiving core which is anchored by one of
the best tight ends in the league in Alge Crumpler.
Despite having All Pro DeAngelo Hall in their
secondary, the Falcon’s passing defense ranked 29th
in the NFL last season, yielding almost 230 yards
per outing. 1st pick Jamaal Anderson should step in
for the departed Patrick Kerney. A major key to
Atlanta’s defense is the health of John Abraham. If
he can return to form, he will obviously boost the
pass rush which will assist the less than ideal
defensive passing stats as well. The linebacking
unit is decent with the steady Keith Brooking along
with the up and coming Mike Boley.
All betting odds to
win the NFC South are available at
Sportsbook.com
(signup, sign in and click on the FOOTBALL TAB -
it's that easy).
Sportsbook.com’s NFC South odds:
To Win the NFC South:
New Orleans 6-5
Carolina 9-5
Tampa Bay 4-1
Atlanta 5-1
To Win the NFC:
New Orleans 6-1
Carolina 8-1
Tampa Bay 20-1
Atlanta 25-1
To Win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans 15-1
Carolina 25-1
Tampa Bay 50-1
Atlanta 60-1
---
Carrie Stroup,
Sports911.com
Originally
published August 7, 2007 4:46 pm ET
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