Dallas Cowboys 12-to-1:
The Cowboy’s odds have been pretty steady at 12/1 since early February and look to stay there barring a significant offseason move. Jerry Jones sticking with Wade Phillips and no rumblings coming from the Dallas locker room (and no Jessica Simpson), the talent level and continuity makes Dallas a favorite in the East, but their 2009 success may hurt them in the 2010 NFL Betting season.
Should there be a failure on the part of the NFL and the Player’s Union to come to an agreement, 2010 may become an uncapped year. While this sounds like the NFL free agency will become a free-for-all like the MLB, think again. Not only will the unrestricted status be changed to include players with 6 years in the leauge (meaning only players who signed contracts before 2004 and become free agents in 2010 will be able to go wherever they want), but teams will also have 3 franchise tags as opposed to the usual 1 tag to put on their choice of unrestricted free agents.
Additionally, the NFL will impose at Top 8 rule, meaning that the top 8 teams of 2009 (Arizona, Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans, Baltimore, Indianapolis, N.Y. Jets, San Diego) will be limited to how much they can spend. And the four teams that advanced to the conference championship games (Vikings, Saints, Colts, Jets) are limited in the number of free agents that they may sign; the limit is determined by the number of their own free agents signing with other clubs. They cannot sign any unrestricted free agents unless one of theirs is signed by another team.
Thus, Dallas will have to make do with their talent most likely, which isn’t too bad of a cupboard to work with, but still, don’t expect any big signings in Dallas this offseason to help them out. Moreover, no team has ever played in a super bowl at their home stadium. Still 12-1 odds may be selling Dallas short, possibly making this future a solid play.
New York Giants 22-to-1:
Things have been going downhill for the Giants. Not only finishing horribly, but locker room problems have been making the odds worse and worse for New York. Recently cutting Antonio Pierce, once an All-Pro linebacker who missed the second half of the season with a neck injury, and now dealing with defensive end Osi Umenyiora telling a New York radio station that he refuses to play unless he is a starter has taken the Giants from 18/1 odds to 22/1 odds in just over two weeks .
In all likelihood the Giants will have another subpar year resulting in head coach Tom Coughlin being fired, but if you want a solid pay out in 2012, I like the Giants as a long shot futures bet for the fact that they will have the ability to build in the offseason upon core of players that have won a super bowl and a coach that knows how to win.
Eagles 16-to-1:
16/1 odds seems slightly inflated with Donovan McNabb getting older and older, Brian Westbrook most likely not coming back for another season, and a defense that was in the middle of the pack in 2009. Again, the lack of locker room turmoil and the bright futures of players like DeShaun Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy at running back and new singing of CFL rookie of the year running back Martell Mallett, obviously has the bookies high on the Eagles for 2010.
I’m not sold on the Eagles making a super bowl run of any kind but I with a solid draft and some significant offseason moves, Phili’s odds may go up, making them a less attractive futures bet in my mind. If they can stay around 18/1 odds I think it’s worth putting some cash down and enjoying the ride.
Washington 55-to-1:
New coaching staff, uncertainty at quarterback, running back and a terrible offensive line makes Washington one of the longest shots there is for the super bowl in 2012. Returning a top 5 defense and hiring Mike Shanahan as their new coach is the only thing keeping the Redskins at about 55/1 odds as opposed to the rest of the bottom dwellers at 100/1.
New GM Bruce Allen will have to build a substantial offensive line this offseason and really take advantage of the draft and free agency if the Skins are going to have any chance at a super bowl. The Redskins futures upside is that if Washington can really kill the draft and pick up some huge free agents (owner Dan Snyder has no problem spending cash on free agents – see Deion Sanders, Adam Archuleta, ect.) we could see a Shanahan guided offense and an already dominate defense (now coached up by D guru Jim Haslett) make a really surprising run late in the season. A couple bucks on 55+ to 1 odds could be worth it next February.
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