If you are interested at all in Sports Betting you will want to understand what's going on in the AFC East. Does Coach Bill Belichick have any more rabbits to pull out of his hat? After half a decade of being the perennial favorite to win the Super Bowl, and winning three of them, the New England Patriots enter the 2006 as a seemingly average looking team. The naysayers will point to the loss of defensive coordinator, Eric Mangini, to a head coaching job for the Jets, and also the heart and soul of the stalwart defense, Willie McGinnist (LB) to Cleveland in free agency. The faithful will pointas they always doto the brilliant game planning of Belichick and "Mr. Clutch", Tom Brady (QB). Though the Patriots went 10-6, Brady had his best regular season as a pro, and Belichick was constantly juggling an injured roster, anything but a Lombardi Trophy is viewed as a disappointment in Foxboro. Running back Corey Dillon will be on the hot seat this season as Father Time and rookie Laurence Maroney will be looking to cut into his playing time. Also, did the Pats make a mistake in letting Adam Vinatieri (PK) leave as a free agent? The odds makers say, "No", as they make New England a 7-1 favorite to return to the top of the mountain. You can cut the excitement and anticipation in Miami with a knife. It appears that second-year head coach, Nick Saban, is one step closer to returning the Miami Dolphins to prominence in the NFL, and atop the Eastern division. Gone are Sam Madison, the Ricky Williams and David Boston soap operas and offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan. However, hope springs with the addition of Duante Culpepper (QB) and a slew of solid free agents. Culpepper claims he is fully recovered from major knee surgery that sidelined him for the bulk of last season. Additionally, a breakout season could be in store for Ronnie Brown (RB). Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor still anchor one of the League's best defenses; however, the secondary has been completely revamped. Vegas books aren't totally convinced about the resurgence of the Fins, as they are only 15-1 shots to win it all. Where have you gone Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Rison? About the only thing for Buffalo Bills (2005: 5-11) fans to be thankful about is that they aren't Jets fans. Bills ownership decided to tear it all down this off-season to build it back up again, beginning with new head coach Dick Jauron (formerly of Chicago). The Bills brought in four new offensive linemen, two wide receivers (Peerless Price and Andre' Davis) and a third quarterback, Craig Nall, to compete with J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb for what may be a year-long tryout for 2007. Willis McGahee (RB) seems to be the only bright spot on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, it doesn't get much better. The signing of Larry Triplett (DT) and a healthy Takeo Spikes should keep them floating, but for the most part; the entire team will likely be treading water this season. The Bills are a long, 50-1 in Vegas. That leads us to the New York Jets, and the only thing that Jets fans have to be thankful for is that the Knicks' Isaiah Thomas is not their GM. After a dismal 4-12 season in 2005, few teams needed to make impact moves more badly than the Jets, and few teams did a worse job in acquiring key players than the Jets. The problems with the Jets seem to begin and end at the quarterback position with the uncertainty of the health and true talent of Chad Pennington. First-year head coach Eric Mangini at least made the decision to try to keep Pennington upright by drafting "next big thing" offensive tackle, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold. The team lost All Pro John Abraham at defensive end, and replaced him with former Pittsburgh Steeler, Kimo von Oelhoffen. For those with a taste for long shot bets, you can find the Jets listed at 75-1. |
