SPORTS BETTING

• Super Bowl Odds & Darkhorses: Five Value Bets

  Posted on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  The following article comes with a disclaimer: These teams are not our picks to win the Super Bowl. From New Orleans to Tennessee, all of the value plays to go all the way listed below have holes and question marks.

  That’s the point, and that’s why these teams are value plays. If bettors only wagered on the chalk, then no one would make any money. New England and Pittsburgh are at the top of the odds list, but they also provide the smallest returns. If you’re looking for better value in your Super Bowl outright plays, these teams should be on your handicapping list:

  New Orleans Saints (+1800)

  Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the best quarterbacks in the league, but Drew Brees was the best man under center last season. Anytime you have that type of talent running the offense, you have a fighting chance in the playoffs, where the Saints (8-8, 10-5-1 ATS) should be this season.

  New Orleans was a .500 football team last year, but it was tied or led in four of its losses. Turn that around and all of a sudden the Saints are the best team in the NFC. New Orleans could do just that with an improved defense and a healthy Jeremy Shockey on board.

  Arizona Cardinals (+1835)

  Putting the Cardinals (9-7, 9-7 ATS) on the list is a double-edged sword. We all know about the Super Bowl runner-up curse the following season, so on that alone Arizona should be disqualified. On the other hand, the Cards were minutes away from winning the big game last season, so it wouldn’t take much for them to do it again.

  Kurt Warner has another year left in the tank, and he still has the best wide receiver duo in the NFL in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Arizona made it to the Super Bowl without a running game, so if it gets even modest improvement that could be enough.

  Carolina Panthers (+1825)

  It’s amazing what one bad game at the wrong time can do to a football team, and the Panthers (12-4, 9-6-1 ATS) found out the hard way in the NFC Divisional Round against the Cardinals. Arizona rocked Carolina on its home turf, and the rest of the season is history.

  The Panthers are back for another chance at the Super Bowl, and they certainly have the horses to get them there after putting up the best record in the NFC last season. Carolina has one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL with DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith at Jake Delhomme’s disposal.

  Chicago Bears (+1825)

  Don’t underestimate what a franchise quarterback like Jay Cutler can do for a football team. That’s the argument for taking the Bears (9-7, 6-8-2 ATS) to win the Super Bowl. If Cutler comes as advertised, there’s good reason to think he can catapult an already-winning team into the playoffs.

  The Bears might be a wide receiver short of making this bet a reality, but you’ll be surprised how much Cutler will elevate the games of the players around him on offense. Running back Matt Forte in particular will benefit from Cutler running the show.

  Tennessee Titans (+1825)

  The Titans will miss defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, but it’s hard to ignore a team that went 13-3 SU and 12-4 against the number at this price. Kerry Collins is supposed to be dead and buried as a NFL quarterback, but he managed the Tennessee offense well enough last season.

  When you can run the ball and stop the run as well as the Titans, you’ve already won half the battle. It’s unreasonable to think Tennessee won’t be a winning team this season, so this could be the year they put it all together for Jeff Fisher.