in NFL Betting Trends

A neat little anecdote for BetUS Sportsbook bettors who are interested in the NFL:

I got a call on Saturday afternoon, about ten picks before the end of the NFL Draft, and someone was telling me the St. Louis Rams were going to make Idaho linebacker David Vobora the final selection. "Can you get down on it, can you get down on it?" the caller was asking, in an excited tone. Jeez, where's the right prop around when you need one? I wish I could find who's going to cover pointspreads that easily!

Anyway, what I wanted to do here was to discuss who the most immediate winners of this draft might be - not necessarily the teams who had the best drafts, but the teams who might have actually improved their chances to win the Super Bowl through this year's draft process, admittedly an occurrence that is not frequent. These teams have to see the light at the end of the tunnel already, which means they have a chance to at least win their division or get a wild card berth (in other words, Kansas City, Miami and Oakland need not apply). Here are the top candidates for that, along the lines of such criteria. And it's no coincidence that all but one of them are in the NFC, since with New England, San Diego and Indianapolis in the other conference, quantum leaps on the part of others are generally not going to be available.

First, let's review the latest odds to win the Super Bowl at BetUS Sportsbook:

BetUS NFL Futures Odds

To Win Super Bowl XLIII

St Louis Rams +7500

Here are my teams who may have improved their chances:

DALLAS COWBOYS (+800 in BetUS odds) -- Dallas got a great situational back in Felix Jones, who may not share carries with Marion Barber, but will have plenty of opportunities to break some plays, on kickoff returns as well. Jones averaged nine yards per carry at Arkansas and would have had a lot more yardage if he weren't sharing the backfield with Darren McFadden. I don't think anyone really knows how good this guy can be. He provides a greater speed element and an overall upgrade from Julius Jones, who has departed. Cornerback Mike Jenkins has had some attitude problems, and work habits sometimes come into question. But he is a potential shutdown cornerback and could become a key player right away. The Cowboys also got some depth in the backfield with Tashard Choice, who was very productive at Georgia Tech before getting injured, and replaced tight end Anthony Fasano, who they traded, with Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M, who has good size but could improve his pass-catching ability.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (+5000 in BetUS odds) -- The Panthers are one of those teams who can conceivably correct things quickly. Let's assume, for the sake of this story, that quarterback Jake Delhomme can come back and have a healthy season. That's great news in and of itself, because the team fell apart when he went down last season. With first-rounder Jonathan Stewart , a strong between-the-tackles runner, they get someone else to team up with D'Angelo Williams. Stewart replaces DeShaun Foster, who was always injured. Jeff Otah, from Pitt, is going to be a quality left tackle. And Iowa cornerback Charles Godfrey may become a useful player if he's eventually moved to safety. Best of all, perhaps, was Penn State linebacker Dan Connor, a first-round talent who lasted until the third. He'll be able to play right away. This is a genuine talent infusion, and if Julius Peppers can bounce back and give them a pass rush, the Panthers can contend with New Orleans and Tampa Bay in the NFC South (I still feel funny saying that).

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (+2800 in BetUS odds) -- First of all, the Vikings traded draft picks to get Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen, who dramatically improves the pass rush, so that has to be factored into the whole draft mix. They also have a potential starter at safety, with a nice upside, in Arkansas State's Tyrell Johnson. Let me give you some of my logic here - Minnesota is so solid on the defensive line, offensive line and int he running game, that in a division that could be suddenly wide-open after Brett Favre's retirement, even passable quarterback play might get them to the playoff level. Maybe John David Booty can play in his rookie for them, maybe he can't. But he did play in a pro-style system at USC and at the very least, he'll be pushing incumbent QB Tarvaris Jackson, who is expected to make a move this season or get out of the way.

CHICAGO BEARS (+4500 in BetUS odds) -- In the suddenly wide-open NFC North (see above), the Bears addressed a few needs. Vanderbilt offensive tackle Chris Williams should be of considerable assistance in pass protection, and as far as high-production running back Matt Forte of Tulane (2127 yards) is concerned, anything would be an improvement over Cedric Benson. Craig Steltz, the safety from LSU, is a big hitter and will improve special teams coverage. Wide receivers Earl Bennett (Vandy), a smart player with good hands, and Marcus Monk (Arkansas), a slot receiver with great size, will help.

ST. LOUIS RAMS (+7500 in BetUS odds) -- This may surprise some people, but consider this - who's bulletproof in the NFC West? Seattle is shaky, and San Francisco and Arizona are unreliable. St. Louis has the best quarterback in the division (Marc Bulger), a running back who's as good as anyone when healthy and will be available from the start (Steven Jackson), and the offensive line, which lost five players at one point last season, will undoubtedly be healthier, especially with Orlando Pace back. The Rams lost Isaac Bruce, but got younger at wide receiver with Houston's Donnie Avery, a good route-runner who is very dangerous in the open field, and Kentucky's Keenan Burton, a heady player who will work in the multiple-receiver sets. Chris Long, the second pick in the draft, helps make this a solid young defensive front. And a lot of people like the ability of Justin King, the defensive back out of Penn State who is raw but a true size-speed guy. Scott Linehan will have a much better hand to play with in 2008.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (+1400 in BetUS odds) -- My lone AFC candidate. Hey, the Jags aren't too far from getting there. One of the priorities was returning to a menacing pass rush, which was tied for ninth in the league last year with 37 sacks. And coach Jack Del Rio goes a step further. "The most important thing is the disruption of the quarterback," he told the Florida Times-Union. "Whether we're bringing blitzes, whether we're using waves of people or whether we end up with a player or two who can legitimately get after the quarterback, we're going to find a way to make sure we disrupt the quarterback." They addressed this problem with two premier defensive ends - Derrick Harvey of Florida, who is loaded with speed and quickness, and Quentin Groves of Auburn, who brings some baggage (had a heart procedure last year) but can really run down QB's and ball carriers. Those guys had better work out, because Jacksonville only had five picks.

The 2008 Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of http://www.ebookies.com is a member of the NFL too - that is, "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)