Sports fans do not worry, the 2009 NFL Football Season will be here in just a couple of weeks. If you may have taken the summer off from the betting world or just ready for football season you are not alone. Anticipation for the upcoming football season is at an all time high because there are so many big stories heading into 2009. Tom Brady makes his return under center in New England, the ongoing saga in Dallas, and Jay Cutler becoming the new quarterback in Chicago are just a few of the headlines. It is safe to say the 2009 NFL season will be one that will be fun to watch. The NFL training camps are only about two weeks away as we begin to learn a little bit more about the teams and what to expect. We have examined all the off-season transactions and draft selections and are ready to take advantage of all available betting lines. As we transition our focus to football we look forward to bringing you the best betting strategies on hand. The season odds are most favorable before the teams take the field and we will try to pinpoint the best prop bets available for 2009 NFL Season.

Prop Bet #1 – Winning the AFC North Division (Click here for AFC Divisional Odds)

Baltimore Ravens +320
Cincinnati Bengals +800
Cleveland Browns +900
Pittsburgh Steelers -225

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated this division a year ago on route to winning their record 6th Super Bowl. The Steelers will again be big favorites to win the division over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers beat the Ravens on 3 different occasions last season. Pittsburgh 3 wins may consider that they just blew down the division. However, the two regular season games were decided by a combined 7 points including an overtime game in the first meeting. The Steelers then battled in another great football game with Baltimore in the AFC Championship beating the Ravens by 9 points. We expect things to shape out differently in 2009. While this is still a two horse race in the division, we like Baltimore to extract some revenge. The Ravens passing attack improved tremendously in 2008 behind young quarterback Joe Flacco. Baltimore consistently tested the deep ball towards the end of the season proving how much trust they had in their young quarterback. Baltimore is anticipating another promising season. Both teams have the most dominating defenses in the league. Last season Pittsburgh come up with big plays at the right times mainly from WR Hines Ward. We expect the road will be more difficult as it always is when defending a Super Bowl winning season. Add to the fact, Baltimore won the last 6 out of 9 in the series before last season and the Ravens should be primed for the upset. Take advantage of Baltimore’s profitable pre-season odds and consider a wager.

Pick – Baltimore Ravens +320

Prop Bet #2 – Odds to win the AFC Championship

Notables:
Baltimore Ravens +900
Indianapolis Colts +650
New England Patriots +350
Pittsburgh Steelers +450
San Diego Chargers +650
Tennessee Titans +900

The AFC will sport a load of talent in 2009. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Indianapolis Colts won their last 9 games of the regular season and many are promising them to have a breakout season. Tennessee got off to a perfect 10-0 start before faltering down the stretch. San Diego came on strong during the playoffs and Baltimore is an up and coming contender as well. However, the team that has dominated the last decade will be amongst the biggest favorites and rightfully so. The Patriots had a perfect regular season at 16-0 in 2007 in what people will remember as one of the greatest teams ever. New England lost their superstar quarterback Tom Brady last year and the team struggled to return to dominance. However, many people were surprised to see how good the Patriots could contend with an inexperienced quarterback. New England finished 11-5, but this season promises to be much better with Brady back under center. Randy Moss and Wes Welker both eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau in 2008 and we believe they will have even bigger season in 2009. Not a big surprise of a pick, but this team has the potential to flirt with their 2007 undefeated status. The Patriots return to dominance will be felt in 2009.

Pick – New England Patriots +350

Prop Bet # 3 – Who will have the most regular season passing yards?

The top 3 quarterbacks in terms of passing yards in 2008 were Jay Cutler, Kurt Warner, and Drew Brees. Brees dominated in nearly all passing statistics throwing for an amazing 5,000 plus yards in the New Orleans pass happy offense. Brees also led the league in passing touchdowns with 34 scores as well. Jay Cutler and Kurt Warner were both very impressive as both starts threw for over 4,500 yards. Warner will again be a threat as he has two of the most talented receivers in the game in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. However, it is unlikely the veteran quarterback can reach those impressive numbers again as age is should start taking a toll. Cutler is now in Chicago and that is anything but a 4500 yard passing type of offense. Meaning the only other contenders would be Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning who both barely eclipsed the 4,000 yard barrier. Drew Brees should be just as big a threat in 2009. Backed by a solid offensive front, the pass happy offense will go to the air early and often. Do not be surprised to see very similar numbers from the Saints biggest star in 2009.

Pick – Drew Brees +250