2006
Super Bowl – The Odds And Who Could Get There
As I write this, the
silence surrounding the National Football League is deafening.
The stadiums are calm, with only the echoes of past conquests reverberating
through the corridors. The talk radio lines are full of the excited
whispers of eager fans. There is no clamoring for the backup. There
are no coaches blowing gaskets in media sessions. And the talking
heads are nearly out of stupid questions (for now).
Hope.
It's like Christmas Eve, New Year's Day, and that 15 minutes after
Confession rolled into one. Right now everyone's record is perfect.
There have no blown assignments or missed calls. No one has dropped
a pass or mismanaged the clock during a two-minute drill.
Hope.
At this moment, endless possibility is coursing through the veins
of all 32 teams in the NFL. Right now, players and fans across the
nation are sitting somewhere thinking, "This is our year" or "Why
not us?" Anyone can be the next Warner or Roethlisberger or Brady.
Anyone can be a champion.
Hope.
But it won't last. It can't. Come Monday morning it will all have
changed. The menacing vibrations will have overwhelmed the silence.
Pride and desperation will sink in, and so many people will be wretched
back into reality. Nature will take its course, and the fittest
will survive.
So enjoy it while it lasts. And remember, "Hope is a good thing,
maybe the best of things. And no good thing every dies."
Super Bowl XL will be held on Feb. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
As of right now the AFC is a 4.5 point favorite over the NFC. Here
are the odds for every team to get to and win the Big Game and some
2006 Super Bowl predictions:
Arizona Cardinals (40/1) - Dennis Green has them on the right
track.
Atlanta Falcons (15/1) - Franchise has never had back-to-back
winning seasons. Their schedule is brutal.
Baltimore Ravens (14/1) - This defense isn't as good as the
one that won it in 2000. But it's close.
Buffalo Bills (35/1) - I know it's pretty much impossible
for a rookie QB to win a Super Bowl. But who say's that Losman will
be under center all season?
Carolina Panthers (14/1) - SI cover jinx, anyone? Oh, and
Steve Karsay's kickoff out of bounds in 2003 is the most underrated
Super Bowl choke ever.
Chicago Bears (65/1) - They're a QB and a WR away from being
a serious contender. I'm dead serious. But I guess you could say
that about a lot of teams.
Cincinnati Bengals (40/1) - If they were in the NFC, I'd
have them in the playoffs. But they're not.
Cleveland Browns (150/1) - Don't get crazy.
Dallas Cowboys (22/1) - Parcells' last stand. Nice value
here for a team with talent and veteran leadership.
Denver Broncos (33/1) - Do you trust Jake Plummer? After
last season I vowed never to defend him again.
Detroit Lions (40/1) - I still don't see a playoff team here.
Green Bay Packers (38/1) - Favre will go down with his guns
blazing. Too bad he'll have to because the defense is easier to
score on than Tara Reid.
Houston Texans (60/1) - Front office has mismanaged this
team horribly. They should be a contender by now.
Indianapolis Colts (5/1) - If they get home-field advantage
it's over. Manning better restructure his deal soon so they can
get some defense. Why do I see him not realizing that until it's
too late and he's past his prime?
Jacksonville Jaguars (25/1) - I like this team a lot. Defense
is smothering, and Leftwich is going to have a breakout year.
Kansas City Chiefs (20/1) - Last stand for an old team. If
they had this defense two years ago they'd have a ring.
Miami Dolphins (100/1) - Still good for an upset or two.
Minnesota Vikings (15/1) - Very rarely does a team undergo
as much turnover as they have and make the Super Bowl the next year.
New England (6/1) - Who's going to bet against them? Three
of four is ridiculous. However, no team has ever won three straight
Super Bowls.
New Orleans (60/1) - It's hard to even talk about this team,
given everything that's happened. I feel obtuse even saying it,
but if there were no Katrina, they may have been a sleeper. New
York Giants (65/1) - Week 6: "Plexi sucks! Plexi sucks! Plexi
sucks!"
New York Jets (20/1) - High odds for the third best team
in their division.
Oakland (30/1) - Every week this is the team no one wants
to play. And if they somehow make the playoffs, watch out.
Philadelphia (6/1) - The last four Super Bowl losers didn't
even make the playoffs the next year.
Pittsburgh (14/1) - If this team gets healthy, they have
the toughness to make a run in January. That's a big if.
San Diego (28/1) - Marty Schottenheimer's career record in
the playoffs is 5-12. It's too bad because this is a well-balanced
team.
San Francisco (200/1) - Think Alex Smith has gone gay yet?
Seattle (28/1) - They still have a team out there?
St. Louis (35/1) - Mad Martz will do something to screw up
all of this talent. Bet on that.
Tampa Bay (50/1) - In some warehouse there's a few thousand
Chucky dolls that will never see the light of day.
Tennessee (65/1) - All I'm going to say is that two years
ago they were 13-3 and a bad intentional grounding call away from
the AFC title game.
Washington (40/1) - This franchise is a wreck. The defense
isn't.
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