By: Jordan Sharp
The Patriots seem to be continuing to load up on offense, and worry about defense later. They franchised wide receiver Wes Welker, despite the conflicts between the two sides about a long term deal. They also re-upped with Deon Branch, and they signed Brandon Lloyd, which will give them yet another target for Tom Brady. They also stole injured tight end Jake Ballard away from the G-Men.
Throughout the next few weeks, I will be breaking down each division and the odds surrounding each team to win the conference and the Super Bowl. We will kick it off with the AFC East, a team with the defending AFC champion in it, and three other teams looking up.
New England Patriots +200 AFC & +450 Super Bowl
The Patriots are now officially the consensus odds on favorites in NFL Future odds to win the Super Bowl. The Pats lost a heart breaker to the Giants in the Super Bowl last season, and they have now been retooling their roster in preparation for another run at a ring.
The Patriots seem to be continuing to load up on offense, and worry about defense later. They franchised wide receiver Wes Welker, despite the conflicts between the two sides about a long term deal. They also re-upped with Deon Branch, and they signed Brandon Lloyd, which will give them yet another target for Tom Brady. They also stole injured tight end Jake Ballard away from the G-Men.
If the Pats can stay healthy, they will run away with the AFC Eastrather early. While the AFC will be down a bit this season, they will still have several competitors such as the Ravens and Texans, but +200 to win the AFC might be a pretty nice value to take for New England.
New York Jets +1300 AFC & +3000 Super Bowl
See the drop off from where the Patriots are in the odds to the next team? While the Jets are capable of making a playoff run, (something they failed to do last season) they aren’t getting much love from the odds makers. Mark Sanchez has been under much scrutiny, and with the arrival of Tebow fever, it could make New York an even more volatile place.
They will obviously still have the talent on defense, but their offensive struggles from last season don’t look like they will be getting any better. The Jets ranked in the bottom third of the league in passing and rushing. Plus, Plaxico Burress still has yet to re-sign, and although they still have some good receivers, if Sanchez is really an average quarterback, the Jets have no chance against the Patriots, or the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills +2300 AFC & +5000 Super Bowl
Down to the bottom of the barrel, the Bills are just above the Dolphins for the sportsbook’s third place choice in the AFC East. The Bills started very well last season, but an incredibly bad run in their last eleven games brought them down to another disappointing season.
The Bills are kind of a dark horse team however, because everyone saw how well they played in the first five games of 2011. Their offense will still be very potent if Fred Jackson can continue to play well and Ryan Fitzpatrick can manage the games well again. While in no way am I endorsing taking them to win the Super Bowl, a total wins bet might be in order. They are sitting at over/under 7 ½ wins; however, they do have a pretty tough schedule.
Miami Dolphins +2500 AFC & +6000 Super Bowl
The bottom dweller team in the AFC East is the Dolphins, and with a quarterback controversy and not much more than Reggie Bush on offense, this might prove to a be a long season for the Dolphins. Their total wins number is 7.5. And at first glance, that number looks like a lock to go under.
The Dolphins ranked well against the run last season, but they were in the bottom of the NFL against the pass. They drafted no secondary help, and they lost their number one receiver to the Bears. It will be a long season for the Dolphins.
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