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Football Betting Odds - Will Arizona Switching to Matt Leinart End the Cardinals' NFC West Run by D.S. Williamson
Will the Arizona Cardinals switching starting quarterbacks from the now retired Kurt Warner to the hot tub, beer and breast loving Matt Leinart end the Cards' run as the kings of the NFC West?
The NFL odds makers believe so. The Cardinals are the +250 second choice in the sportsbook to win the NFC West this season. Who's favored? How about the San Francisco 49'ers who supposedly have figured out their QB situation by sticking with Alex Smith?
Let's take a look at the NFC West for this upcoming NFL Season.
NFC West Division
1. Arizona Cardinals +250
Matt Leinart, if he stays away from the ladies of Tempe, should be just fine as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals. His QB rating blew in 2009, yes, but that's because he didn't throw a single touchdown. He only threw 3 picks out of 77 attempts and actually completed over 66% of his passes. Those aren't horrible stats. More importantly, he was only sacked twice. He's going to be okay because he won't be expected to do the things that Kurt Warner did. Also, Larry Fitzgerald is the best wide receiver in the game. Also, both Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells are going to be very, very good carrying the ball this season for the Cardinals. The problem might be on the defensive side where safety Antrel Rolle has left Arizona for the New York Giants and the defensive line appears susceptible to being pushed around. Still, I'm not ready to put a fork into these guys because the West is once again the NFC's weakest division.
2. San Francisco 49'ers -110
I believe that the Niners have a shot to win, just like, apparently, a lot of other NFL betting fans, but I'm not exactly sold on them at -110. I wish I could be, but questions still surround QB Alex Smith and Frank Gore has proven to be injury prone. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree has the tools but he doesn't have Calvin Johnson type tools meaning that he'll need Smith to be very good in order to be effective. The ballyhooed defense, led by coach Mike Singletary, appears solid in the front seven but cornerback Nate Clements has proven to be a serviceable CB not a shutdown CB and Shawntae Spencer is a Clements clone. This team will be okay, but they're not worth wagering on at -110 to win the NFC West.
3. Seattle Seahawks +275
Hey, they can't be any worse with Pete Carroll at the helm, right? They've actually got a shot because if there's one thing Carroll is good at doing it's making players feel a million bucks. Hasslebeck is still a decent QB and both Julius Jones and Justin Forsett together make an okay running back. Alone, they both have issues, but together they can get the Seahawks through the season. Every real NFL fan knows that T.J. Houshmandzadeh was always better than Chad Ochocinco. He might finally get a chance to prove that to everybody else this season. The defense could be okay to very good if linebacker Aaron Curry improves in his second season and Lofa Tatupu play will be improved now that his former coach has arrived. Pete's got some things to work with.
4. St. Louis Rams +1500
I feel bad for Stephen Jackson. As the only, let me repeat, only offensive option for the St. Louis Rams in 2009, he ran for over 1400 yards, a 4.4 average and…4 measly TDs. I told you that I feel bad for him. He gets some help with Mike Karney at fullback and Jason Brown and Jason Smith along the offensive line, but drafting Sam Bradford and starting him at QB is going to make Jackson's life more horrible than last year. Bradford will lead this team to victory that often in his rookie season. Defensive coordinators are really going to key in on Jackson because Bradford doesn't have a great, maybe an okay but not great, offensive line or very good wide receivers and…he's a rookie. We haven't forgotten that, have we? So, the Rams' offense might actually be worse this season. Damn, that sucks because the defense is still young with a capital "Y".
NFC West Pick: I'm not taking the bait on the 49'ers, not at those NFL odds. Yes, they'll be okay this season, but I haven't bought into the belief that their defense is going to be "awesome" and that the offense has enough to be better than the Cardinals' offense. The best wide receiver in the NFL plays for Arizona. 'Zona's offensive line is better and the defense will be okay. I'm going with the desert birds to win the NFC West again. For my underdog, I'll back Pete and the Seahawks.
Courtesy of BetUS.com |
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