The start of the football season is closer than you think. Now’s the time to start thinking about what pre-season nfl betting you’re going to place while the betting is good (who am I kidding, the betting is always good.) Well, at least before injuries, trades and holdouts change the odds around. So let’s preview some teams and see if they’re a good bet.
Let’s take a look at the NFC and AFC champs from last year, starting with the Arizona Cardinals. Right now, they’re a 22/1 shot to win the 2010 Super Bowl. The odds makers aren’t too keen on the birds repeating as conference champs, and frankly I can’t blame them. Each year the RB (James) and QB (Warner) get a little older, while on the other hand the wideouts (Boldin, Fitzgerald) get a little more seasoned. This year you’ll see Larry F. as the #1 guy for looks, yards and, likely, TD’s. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly long odds, this team has a ton of offensive power still. They also, though, have too many questions to not only bet for the title, but to really even bet on a week-to-week basis. Where does Lienert fit in? Should Arizona fans pray Kurt doesn’t get hurt? Are the talented corners enough to support a dense weaker up front? Can they see past the fact that everyone outside of their mothers think they were a fluke? There are 13 teams in the NFL that get better odds right now to win the Super Bowl. That’s astounding.
One of those teams is, of course, the Steelers. Although the latest nfl odds are at 9/1, they still trail the Patriots (9/2) who we’ll discuss in a future article. Ward, now signed through 2013, has clearly still got the jets when it counts, although he doesn’t look like the Hines Ward of a few years ago, he still looks damn good. Paired with Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller (TE), the trio once again join Willie Parker in providing a ton of options and a nice comfort zone for Ben Roethlisberger. That is if Ben can keep his knees in tact. What the Steelers will have over the Pats this year, though, is a defense that can shut down a team when it matters most. Even with a healthy Brady, the Patriots don’t have the defense they used to. Look for the Steelers, if they stay healthy, to get back to the big game. And right now, I don’t see anyone out of the NFC capable of shutting them down, unless the right team gels early on. So put some money on the Steelers now and forget about it. Those odds are only going to drop if they start winning early. Is Big Ben a health risk? Of course, but it’s football, everybody’s a health risk.