The online betting at the beginning of the 2009 NFL season was weighed heavily in the New York Giants favor. When the Giants started out strong, the whole league thought that the Giants were headed for the Super Bowl again. Then Eli Manning showed that he is not worthy of being the highest paid player in the league, the Giant defense fell apart and Tom Coughlin got to keep his job. None of those conditions bode well for the 2010 New York Giants.
The NFL football betting world knows that the NFC East is the best division in football. It also has some of the most colorful owners in football with Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and Daniel Snyder of the Washington Redskins. The NFC champion will probably come out of the NFC East, and the NFC East lead will probably change hands all season long.
There is no run-away favorite in the NFC East as the NFL preseason betting has all of the teams pretty bunched up, except for one. The Dallas Cowboys clock in as the odds-on favorite to win the division at +130, the Giants are at +250, the Eagles are at +275 and the Washington Redskins are at +500. Things in the NFC East are not what they seem.
If a couple of gambles made by NFC East teams do not pay off, then the Cowboys will run away with the division. The Washington Redskins are trying to compete, and they will be better with the addition of head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb. But the Redskins problems are at the offensive and defensive lines, and the team has done almost nothing to address those problems. Donovan McNabb may not be that effective when he is running for his life, just as Jason Campbell did. Grabbing a marquee player like McNabb may seem like a good move, but the Redskin fans will find out that Jason Campbell was not the problem in Washington.
Eli Manning cannot catch a break. He threw for 4,021 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2009, but he still cannot put together drives to win key games. Part of the problem for the Giants is they keep losing good wide receivers, and the other problem is Tom Coughlin. Coughlin is not the stable influence that a quarterback like Manning needs, and the combination of Coughlin and Manning is starting to lose its magic quickly.
The Dallas Cowboys are absolutely bent on being the first home team to play a Super Bowl in the history of the game. Jerry Jones has already turned Super Bowl XLV into a circus, and he will look a little foolish if his team does not make it. Especially since he has been promising that the Cowboys will play in the big game all summer long. As long as Tony Romo does not have a meltdown, or get distracted by a round of golf or a vacation in Las Vegas, then the NFC East is a lock for the Cowboys. Romo and his maturity and credibility as a leader is the key.
The Philadelphia Eagles took a huge chance on trading their franchise quarterback to a division rival. When quarterback Kevin Kolb had an effect on NCAA football betting, he was a solid pocket passer that could get the job done. But Kevin Kolb is not Donovan McNabb. When McNabb was injured, the Eagles could not win regardless of who played quarterback. The Eagles may have made a move that could blow up in their faces as they watch the Redskins pass them in the standings.
Picks:
Dallas Cowboys (13-3)
New York Giants (10-6)
Washington Redskins (8-8)
Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)
