[Lefty Noob]

Saw this interesting story posted on the Philadelphia Daily News website where it said the odds of the Eagles winning Super Bowl XLI were listed at 20-1 by the MGM Mirage Race & Sports Book in Las Vegas.

So, you know, just for fun I thought I'd see if I could track down the entire list and see what the oddsmakers think. It was... interesting, to say the least. The Colts and Patriots are listed as the AFC Favorites while the Seahawks have a slight edge on the Panthers in the NFC.

Here are the current odds as of Feb. 6, 2006:

Indianapolis Colts - 4/1
New England Patriots - 4/1
Seattle Seahawks - 5/1
Carolina Panthers - 6/1
Pittsburgh Steelers - 6/1
Dallas Cowboys - 10/1
San Diego Chargers - 10/1
Denver Broncos - 10/1
New York Giants - 15/1
Chicago Bears - 15/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 15/1
Cincinnati Bengals - 18/1
Washington Redskins - 20/1
Philadelphia Eagles - 20/1
Miami Dolphins - 20/1
Jacksonville Jaguars - 22/1
Kansas City Chiefs - 22/1
Atlanta Falcons - 25/1
Minnesota Vikings - 25/1
Green Bay Packers - 35/1
Baltimore Ravens - 40/1
Cleveland Browns - 50/1
St. Louis Rams - 50/1
Buffalo Bills - 50/1
Detroit Lions - 50/1
Oakland Raiders - 60/1
Arizona Cardinals - 60/1
Houston Texans - 75/1
New Orleans Saints - 75/1
San Francisco 49ers - 100/1
Tennessee Titans - 100/1
New York Jets - 100/1

What do you guys think about the Texans - the team with the No. 1 pick - getting better odds than the Titans, Niners or Jets? Or what about the Cardinals getting worse odds than the Browns, or the Ravens below the Vikings and Packers? Doesn't quite jive with me...

[GigEmAgs]

I can't really speak authoritatively about betting odds, but I can't see the Cowboys having odds as good as a 10 to 1. Now, I do have great confidence in Keyshawn and Parcells as forces to hold the team together, and the franchise does have some other good players, but I have to think that the Cowboys are in a rebuilding stage right now. That's not bad or anything -- it's just a natural part of the cycle. In a few years they'll probably be contenders.

That said, I'd love to be wrong. As long as CityofBrotherlyShove doesn't set himself on fire if the Cowboys win sometime in the next five years, like he said he would.

[Lefty Noob]

I agree 100%. I'd love to know why these guys thought that Dallas had a better chance of winning it all next year than the Bengals, Dolphins or Falcons.

Cincy is probably because of Palmer's injury, but they wouldn't lose too much with Kitna, as long as he's getting the snaps in practice and not forced to come in cold like he did in the playoffs.

Miami is a team on the rise that might just take their division next year, as long as they steer clear of T.O. I love their defense, although they need to find some answers in the passing game. Just not Owens.

Atlanta might have some issues, what with Vick coming out blasting the playcalling, but if they can crank up the defense back to its 2004 level and maintain the running attack, they'll be a force.

Sleepers on this list - how about the Ravens if they sign Kerry Collins? Arizona will be great if they can add one or two more pieces, particularly a quality RB. Any others?

[GigEmAgs]

I would love to see the Texans do well this year, but I don't see how that could happen. They're too new. While it's not impossible for a new team to go all the way -- look at the Florida Marlins in baseball a few years back -- Houston isn't some jigsaw team expensively put together from many of the best players in the league, like the Marlins were. In the normal course of things, it generally takes some time for everything to gel properly, not just from the player side but from the management side as well. Of course, the previous Houston team was there for quite a while, and how many Super Bowls did they play in, huh?

I don't see the point in offering odds this early. XL's not even two weeks in the past. That said, 75 to 1 odds against; imagine putting a few C-notes down on the Texans today and having them win XLI. There'd be more than a few celebratory beers drunk that night, I think.

[Lefty Noob]

60 to 1 on the Raiders would look awful nice if they land Culpepper...

[Jcomp]

Wow. I'm a Cowboys fan and even I'm scratching my noggin as to how they got 10 to 1 odds of winning next year's Super Bowl. Granted, they were one reliable field goal kicker away from winning 3 more games or so this year and making the playoffs, but they wer also wildly inconsistent on offense and defense throughout the year. Besides that, Bledsoe's only getting older and more statuesque in the pocket, I'm not sold on Julius Jones as a feature back (that Marion Barber kid looked pretty good though) our recievers are old and slowing down, and we still have a questionable secondary.

I think the Eagles will bounce back pretty well this coming season (and that hurts to say, believe me). I expect Pittsburgh to contend, and the Pats still have some fire left in them. I thought San Diego would actually be poised to make a run, but now that they're letting Brees explore the market who knows what kind of offensive chemistry they're going to have.

[rmjvol]

Welcome, jcomp. You sound like you're about as pessimistic about your Cowboys as I am about my Vols. I know I'm in for another football season of pain. Any bright points with the Boys? How do you think someone came up with those 10 to 1 odds of the Cowboys winning the Superbowl?

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by Jcomp

Wow. I'm a Cowboys fan and even I'm scratching my noggin as to how they got 10 to 1 odds of winning next year's Super Bowl. Granted, they were one reliable field goal kicker away from winning 3 more games or so this year and making the playoffs, but they wer also wildly inconsistent on offense and defense throughout the year. Besides that, Bledsoe's only getting older and more statuesque in the pocket, I'm not sold on Julius Jones as a feature back (that Marion Barber kid looked pretty good though) our recievers are old and slowing down, and we still have a questionable secondary.

I think the Eagles will bounce back pretty well this coming season (and that hurts to say, believe me). I expect Pittsburgh to contend, and the Pats still have some fire left in them. I thought San Diego would actually be poised to make a run, but now that they're letting Brees explore the market who knows what kind of offensive chemistry they're going to have.

Wow, I wish there were more Cowboy fans like you.

10-1 on the Cowboys is definitely the big ringer on the list.

Also, you heard it here first: Steelers are lucky to win a Wild Card spot.

[Jcomp]

Originally Posted by rmjvol

Welcome, jcomp. You sound like you're about as pessimistic about your Cowboys as I am about my Vols. I know I'm in for another football season of pain. Any bright points with the Boys? How do you think someone came up with those 10 to 1 odds of the Cowboys winning the Superbowl?

Only way I see someone giving them those odds is based on the facts that the NFC was so weak and wide open this year, and that some people expect Vinatieri to rejoin Parcells since he's a free agent. Even with that, it's a tough road ahead. I'd love to see them give a young quarterback a shot, and get at least one young reciever who actually gets a decent amount of playing time. If Marion Barber stops fumbling the ball he's definitely the starting running back in my opinion. He showed better agility and explosiveness than Jones, and Parcells obviously had more faith in him than in Julius on 3rd down and in the red zone.