NFL: BILLS REMAIN A LONG-SHOT
Signing Terrell Owens did nothing to impress oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com as the Buffalo Bills remain a 60:1 long-shot to win Super Bowl XLIV.
While Owens is still a productive receiver, the chances of him elevating a young Buffalo team in a division that includes the Super Bowl favorite New England Patriots, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins is a tough sell.
“There’s no doubt that he’ll help their offense but he’s not going to step in and fix a team that went 2-8 in their last 10 games last season,” said Sportsbook.com spokesman Dave Staley. “The Bills still have a young quarterback, a running back that’s getting in trouble with the law and a defense that needs some improving.”
Perhaps more surprising than the Bills’ odds not moving is the fact that oddsmakers actually like the Cowboys more now than they did last week. Dallas moved from 12:1 to 10:1 odds as bettors feel that better chemistry on the team will offset the production he brought.
“Owens tore that team apart,” said Staley. “As good as he was on the field, he was just as bad in the locker room and he really split that team and caused a disruption that fueled their late-season collapse.
“The Cowboys still have the weapons on offense and defense to make a run.”
Ironically, the other team that made a big-name acquisition isn’t getting any love either.
Washington Redskins owner, Daniel Snyder loves to acquire the highest profile guys and this year was no exception with Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth. However, the Redskins are still 40:1 to win the whole thing, while the Titans are 15:1 despite losing their defensive anchor.
The New England Patriots (6:1 odds) remain the favorite, moving from 7:1 after signing running back Fred Taylor and tight end Chris Baker. The big move for the Pats though was trading quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to Kansas City.
Moving Cassel proved to the rest of the league that coach Bill Belichick is comfortable that Tom Brady will be recovered from his knee injury. New England still needs to get a pass rusher to replace Vrable (hello Jason Taylor?) but they look ready to make another Super Bowl run.
A team that is holding steady at 10:1 but appears undervalued is the New York Giants. The G-Men held on to bruising running back Brandon Jacobs. They also added defensive linemen Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley to an already solid defense.
Don’t forget that this Giants team looked like the best in football last year until Plaxico Burress decided to go gunslinger on himself, and the Giants are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the lead to win the NFC Conference at 4:1.
Another team that added major pieces on defense is the New York Jets. Coach Rex Ryan loved the ‘D’ he built with the Baltimore Ravens, so he signed two of his former players in linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonard.
The Jets also traded for cornerback Lito Sheppard from Philadelphia. If you compare the Jets team on paper to the Patriots, there is not much separating them besides the quarterback position and the coaches’ resume.
The Jets still need to figure out which quarterback will lead them next year, either Brett Ratliff or Kellen Clemens, but they are very intriguing with a giant payout of 30:1 odds.
