NFL Teams Naming Starters While Odds Makers Adjust
The NFL has just finished the second week of preseason games for 2013, and for many teams that means it is time to name starters at key positions. The dominoes began to fall on Monday, and with starters being named, it has left odds makers to adjust the future betting odds.
The biggest announcement so far this preseason came on Tuesday afternoon when new Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly announced that Mike Vick would be the teams starting quarterback this season. Kelly not only committed to Vick for now, but for the duration of the season.
"No one is going to be looking over their shoulder," said Kelly, when announcing Vick as the starter. The decision to keep Vick altered the Eagles betting odds to win a championship.
By the time the Vick announcement hit the media outlets, odds makers had moved Philadelphia to a 40/1 choice to win the Super Bowl. It is not much of a decrease in odds for a team that is picked to finish last in its division.
Another decision that was made Tuesday involved the St. Louis Rams starting running back. Daryl Richardson, who backed up Stephen Jackson last season in St. Louis, was named the starter for this year.
The Rams were not much of a choice to win a title before the decision, and their current odds are 70/1 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
In the coming week, the starters for most teams are expected to see the most snaps they will the entire preseason. The third game of the preseason is the time most starters play at least a half.
Once the final preseason games are played next week, odds makers will consider any injuries that occurred during the preseason and will make one final adjustment to the future betting odds before the season officially begins the following week.