NFL Pro Football Futures Betting - Houston to Go by Ground
BetUS Sportsbook has its sports betting odds up for winning the Super Bowl, as well as each of the NFL's eight divisions and two conferences. In the AFC South, any team looking to make a big move this season truly has its work cut out for it. Three teams from the division made the playoffs last season, and the fourth club, the Houston Texans, reached the .500 mark. Is this the year the Texans can break though under Gary Kubiak? We'll explore that today.
First let's look at the NFL odds to win the AFC and AFC South divisions, as they appear in BetUS Sportsbook:
BetUS NFL Futures Odds
To Win AFC south
Indianapolis Colts -175
Jacksonville Jaguars +200
Tennessee Titans +600
HOUSTON TEXANS +1600
To win the AFC Championship
New England Patriots +180
San Diego Chargers +450
Indianapolis Colts +500
Jacksonville Jaguars +800
Pittsburgh Steelers +1200
Cleveland Browns +1600
Tennessee Titans +2200
Denver Broncos +2200
Cincinnati Bengals +3000
Baltimore Ravens +2500
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HOUSTON TEXANS +3500
Buffalo Bills +3500
New York Jets +3500
Miami Dolphins +8000
Kansas City Chiefs +6000
Oakland Raiders +4000
Last season the Houston Texans finished with an 8-8 record for the first time in their brief existence. That was a major accomplishment for this young franchise, but head coach Gary Kubiak hopes that is just the beginning. There is really no secret as to how the Texans plan on reaching the next level. They are going to run the ball. And toward that end, they have brought offensive line coach Alex Gibbs on board. Gibbs, generally known as one of the best at what he does, uses a zone-blocking scheme that has in the past produced a number of 1000-yard rushers for the Denver Broncos.
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This is obviously good news for the offensive line, which was adequate but not outstanding. Tackle Duane Brown was drafted in the first round out of Virginia Tech, and center Chris Myers comes over from Denver. Another step in this process, however, is improving the quality of the running backs. Ahman Green is always hurt, and the team didn't add any genuine impact players, although Chris Brown, who is capable when healthy, comes over from Tennessee and Steve Slaton, who got some Heisman buzz (albeit briefly) the last couple of years, was drafted out of West Virginia.
Matt Schaub was the "quarterback of the future" acquired from Atlanta last off-season, but he lost a lot of time with injury. Sage Rosenfels proved to be a pretty capable backup, and he returns. Andre Johnson is generally considered one of the NFL's better wide receivers, and while he was out during the first half of the season, a few of the other wideouts, including Kevin Walter, Andre Davis and Jacoby Jones demonstrated that they could be useful.
Houston has the makings of a strong defense. Mario Williams developed into a dangerous pass rusher, and recorded 14 sacks. He should have made it to the Pro Bowl. Amobi Okoye, last year's first-rounder, should continue to improve at defensive tackle. DeMeco Ryans, the middle linebacker, made it to Hawaii last season. Dunta Robinson will miss at least seven or eight games as he is recovering from knee surgery. That leaves a void in the secondary. So it's a good thing that Houston signed former Cowboys cornerback Jacques Reeves. Will Demps and C.C. Brown are fine at the safety spots.
The Texans aren't likely to lose a lot of games on special teams under coach Joe Marciano. Placekicker Kris Brown and punter Matt Turk are both very solid. And two of the team's wide receivers also have tremendous value on the kicking units. Andre Davis managed to return three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2007, and Jacoby Jones averaged 9.5 yards per punt return.
The problem for Houston is that it resides in perhaps the most competitive division at all. And it would be hard to argue that Indianapolis, Jacksonville or Tennessee have taken backward steps. The program installed by Kubiak and Gibbs will pay dividends, but maybe the personnel relative tot he running attack needs to be upgraded before it really shows. Unless they can pull off some surprises in division games (where they went 1-5 last season), we may be looking once again at a team that is staring a .500 record right in the face.
JAY'S PREDICTION FOR 2008:
Houston Texans -- 8-8, 4th place, AFC South
(+1600 to win division, +3500 to win AFC, +7500 to win Super Bowl in the BetUS NFL futures betting odds)
The 2008 NFL betting season is coming, and if you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of games, totals and propositions, and you will also find NFL future lines up for the Super Bowl as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!
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