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Brett Favre, Pacman Jones top NFL news
Is he or isn't he? Only his agent knows for sure if Brett Favre's seriously contemplating a Roger Clemens move as rumors are swirling about the longtime Green Bay Packers QB coming out of a short-lived retirement. Meanwhile down in the Lone Star State, the Dallas Cowboys have added veteran LB Zach Thomas to the corral and looking to strike a deal with Pacman Jones.
Rumors of Brett Favre’s retirement appear to be greatly exaggerated.
The Green Bay Packers are coming off a tremendous 13-3 season (12-3-1 against the spread). They took the New York Giants to overtime in the NFC Championship Game. It’s exactly the kind of team Favre wanted to play for – a Super Bowl contender. So it’s no surprise that his retirement is being taken with a grain of salt.
Green Bay opened at 7-1 on the futures market to win Super Bowl XLIII, but slipped to 12-1 after Favre decided to put an end to his brilliant 17-year career. This makes the Packers more valuable for handicappers; Aaron Rodgers has been groomed to take over the starting job for the past three years. Early indications are he will succeed.
Rodgers was 20-for-28 in 2007 with a touchdown pass, mostly in Week 13 against a tough Dallas Cowboys team. It wouldn’t be a stretch to project the Cal product to approach Favre’s numbers. He’ll have the outstanding Packers offensive line to protect him – Green Bay allowed just 19 sacks last year and led the NFL in sack rate at 3.1 percent. And there’s always the chance Favre could change his mind and come back for another kick at the can. It’s almost expected of him.
While Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds have taken a hit, other teams have improved their title chances. The Dallas Cowboys have added linebacker Zach Thomas and are apparently on the verge of bringing cornerback Pacman Jones to Texas. Dallas is now alone in second place on the odds list, moving from 6-1 to 9-2. The New England Patriots, who may have hastened Favre’s retirement by re-signing Randy Moss, are the favorites at 5-2.
These numbers will all be reassessed after the draft on Apr. 26-27. The Miami Dolphins will probably stick around at 150-1 to win the Super Bowl (tied at the bottom with the Atlanta Falcons) despite having the first overall pick. Mock drafts are gravitating toward Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long; it is expected Bill Parcells will draft a lineman, and the Dolphins need Long to shore up the No. 22-rated run blocking line in the NFL.
Whoever ends up with running back Darren McFadden may be in for an odds adjustment. The former Arkansas Razorback is considered the top man in the draft by Scouts, Inc., but could fall to the New York Jets (75-1) at No. 6. This is a Jets team that has gone 10-6, 4-10, 10-6 and 4-10 in their last four seasons. A consistent running threat would help New York back to 10 wins. Thomas Jones didn’t fit the bill at 3.6 yards per carry, but McFadden could be an Adrian Peterson clone.
And what about the defending champions? The New York Giants are getting love from the betting public, moving from 12-1 to 10-1 on the Super Bowl futures market. This runs counter to the flow of talent leaving Big Blue: Linebackers Kawika Mitchell (Bills) and Reggie Torbor (Dolphins) departed as free agents, as did safety Gibril Wilson (Raiders). Wilson will be the hardest to replace; Sammy Knight is probably not the man to do it, even though he led the Jacksonville Jaguars in tackles last year with 93.
In other early changes on the NFL futures market, the Seattle Seahawks have jumped from 18-1 to 15-1, the Chicago Bears are up from 25-1 to 18-1, and the Minnesota Vikings are 30-1 after opening at 38-1. That makes five of six NFC teams moving up the Super Bowl XLIII charts. Is the AFC hegemony over for good? We’ll start finding out in September.
Brett Favre, Pacman Jones top NFL news
Is he or isn't he? Only his agent knows for sure if Brett Favre's seriously contemplating a Roger Clemens move as rumors are swirling about the longtime Green Bay Packers QB coming out of a short-lived retirement. Meanwhile down in the Lone Star State, the Dallas Cowboys have added veteran LB Zach Thomas to the corral and looking to strike a deal with Pacman Jones.
Rumors of Brett Favre’s retirement appear to be greatly exaggerated.
The Green Bay Packers are coming off a tremendous 13-3 season (12-3-1 against the spread). They took the New York Giants to overtime in the NFC Championship Game. It’s exactly the kind of team Favre wanted to play for – a Super Bowl contender. So it’s no surprise that his retirement is being taken with a grain of salt.
Green Bay opened at 7-1 on the futures market to win Super Bowl XLIII, but slipped to 12-1 after Favre decided to put an end to his brilliant 17-year career. This makes the Packers more valuable for handicappers; Aaron Rodgers has been groomed to take over the starting job for the past three years. Early indications are he will succeed.
Rodgers was 20-for-28 in 2007 with a touchdown pass, mostly in Week 13 against a tough Dallas Cowboys team. It wouldn’t be a stretch to project the Cal product to approach Favre’s numbers. He’ll have the outstanding Packers offensive line to protect him – Green Bay allowed just 19 sacks last year and led the NFL in sack rate at 3.1 percent. And there’s always the chance Favre could change his mind and come back for another kick at the can. It’s almost expected of him.
While Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds have taken a hit, other teams have improved their title chances. The Dallas Cowboys have added linebacker Zach Thomas and are apparently on the verge of bringing cornerback Pacman Jones to Texas. Dallas is now alone in second place on the odds list, moving from 6-1 to 9-2. The New England Patriots, who may have hastened Favre’s retirement by re-signing Randy Moss, are the favorites at 5-2.
These numbers will all be reassessed after the draft on Apr. 26-27. The Miami Dolphins will probably stick around at 150-1 to win the Super Bowl (tied at the bottom with the Atlanta Falcons) despite having the first overall pick. Mock drafts are gravitating toward Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long; it is expected Bill Parcells will draft a lineman, and the Dolphins need Long to shore up the No. 22-rated run blocking line in the NFL.
Whoever ends up with running back Darren McFadden may be in for an odds adjustment. The former Arkansas Razorback is considered the top man in the draft by Scouts, Inc., but could fall to the New York Jets (75-1) at No. 6. This is a Jets team that has gone 10-6, 4-10, 10-6 and 4-10 in their last four seasons. A consistent running threat would help New York back to 10 wins. Thomas Jones didn’t fit the bill at 3.6 yards per carry, but McFadden could be an Adrian Peterson clone.
And what about the defending champions? The New York Giants are getting love from the betting public, moving from 12-1 to 10-1 on the Super Bowl futures market. This runs counter to the flow of talent leaving Big Blue: Linebackers Kawika Mitchell (Bills) and Reggie Torbor (Dolphins) departed as free agents, as did safety Gibril Wilson (Raiders). Wilson will be the hardest to replace; Sammy Knight is probably not the man to do it, even though he led the Jacksonville Jaguars in tackles last year with 93.
In other early changes on the NFL futures market, the Seattle Seahawks have jumped from 18-1 to 15-1, the Chicago Bears are up from 25-1 to 18-1, and the Minnesota Vikings are 30-1 after opening at 38-1. That makes five of six NFC teams moving up the Super Bowl XLIII charts. Is the AFC hegemony over for good? We’ll start finding out in September.