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When SBG Global first opened odds on the 2008/2009 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers were listed as the 4th most likely team to win the Super Bowl, ahead of the San Diego Chargers and New York Giants. Only the Patriots, Cowboys and Colts had shorter odds.
All that has changed with the off season's most talked about NFL story - Brett Favre wanting to come out of retirement. And as the story goes, the Packers have not budged in releasing Favre from his contract to go play somewhere else. Stay put in Green Bay and the legendary quarterback was put on notice he would be playing second fiddle to Aaron Rodgers.
The distractions have forced SBG Global to list the Green Bay Packers odds to win the NFC at +1300 or 13/1, paying $1300 for every $100 bet. Their odds to win the NFC North are just shy of 2/1 and their odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl were +2300 or 23/1.
This is terrific value assuming Rodgers can carry this team on his shoulders.
Michael J. Jones of Real GM Football:
Now that this is Rodgers' team for at least the 2008 season, other questions have sprouted up like weeds. One of those is how good can Rodgers be and how far can he take the Packers?
Rodgers will be hard-pressed to take the Packers to another 13-3 season. However, just like Favre in 2007, he won't have to do it alone. He has Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, who combined for 14 TD's and close to 2,000 yards receiving, coming back at wide receiver. He also has tight end Donald Lee, who caught 6 TDs in 2007 and won't have to share tight end duties with Bubba Franks this season. Finally, there's Ryan Grant in the backfield, who gained 956 yards and scored 8 TD's, and a young defense that should still be as good as last year.
Packers' Coach Mike McCarthy also seems to believe that Rodgers can hold his own, telling the Chicago Tribune, "I understand the importance of the quarterback position in the NFL," he said. "But it's what's around him too. Do we have the ability to make that quarterback successful? I think we have the talent. We have a good solid team in all three phases to help the quarterback be successful."
It should be noted that the odds makers at SBG Global have Green Bay Packers winning UNDER 8 games the favorite at -130, which means that they are slightly leaning towards the Packers having an under .500 season. Of course, Green Bay shocked us all in 2007 getting as far as they did.
As for Brett Favre, he remains the wild card and ultimately whatever he or the Packers team decide, it seems that the decision will likely have little impact on Green Bay's performance in 2008 unless Rodgers should somehow fail miserably.
In his season-opening news conference at Lambeau Field on Saturday, Packers coach Mike McCarthy strongly affirmed the team's commitment to Rodgers and reiterated that players and coaches spent the offseason planning to move forward after Favre retired in March.
"Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers," McCarthy said. "That's been stated over and over again. I hope we can finally understand that. That's where we are as an organization and as a head coach of the Green Bay Packers. I don't know how else to answer that question."
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Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
