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One of the greatest things about the Super Bowl from a betting standpoint is the enormity of betting opportunities for sports bettors.  The Super Bowl has always been the single most popular game in the world when it comes to sports betting. Just to give you an idea of the money involved, Nevada is expecting nearly 100 million in wagering just within the state’s borders for this year’s Super Bowl. As a result, online bookmakers have taken advantage offering countless proposition and exotic betting lines for side action. For this year’s Super Bowl, bettors can literally wager on anything from the outcome of the coin flip to what color top Kim Kardashian will be wearing at the game.  In a previous post below, Rodney recently shared some tips for betting props along with some of the top prop odds and Super Bowl betting bonuses. With so many lines available, bettors can easily get caught up in all the excessive action in all the wrong ways. Since there are so many betting opportunities available, many bettors will wager money with a “careless” attitude and risk money on many chance bets. I spent some time breaking down some of these prop lines and to provide some predictions that will increase your chances of ending the season in the black.  Below are a few prop that I believe deserve some attention heading into the Super Bowl. All of the prop odds below can be found at Bodog Sportsbook (10% Bonus – Accepting Credit Card deposits for the Superbowl)

Prop Bet #1 – Will the Indianapolis Colts score every quarter?

Yes  +130
No  – 160

The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are two offensive powered teams that will collide with a lot of points expected. The Saints secondary has been questionable all season and that throws up red flags for many reasons against Peyton Manning’s offense. In fact, the Colts have scored in 3 of 4 quarters in both postseason match-ups. While history may tell us that a team scoring all 4 quarters is unlikely in a Super Bowl, the Colts have a great chance. The reason is they have to keep the pressure on the Saints and their offense will not let up with the lead. The Saints hung 45 on the Cardinals and 31 on the Vikings. Therefore, Manning should get plenty of opportunities with the football and it’s doubtful the Saints defense will have an answer for the fast pace Colts offense. With some profitable juice, this is a great risk to consider.

Pick – Yes

Prop Bet #2 – The first 1^st down will be either a passing or rushing play?

Passing -200
Rushing  +160

Unless there is a 1 yard conversion, a passing play should be the result of the first 1^st down in the game. Neither offense has much confidence in their running game. In fact, both teams use their running games to control the clock rather than looking for success on the ground. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are two of the top quarterbacks in the league and it is no secret that both offenses heavily favor the pass. Both offenses will keep the ball in the hands of their star quarterbacks and hope they both get into a rhythm early. Unless there is a early short yardage situation, the passing game will be used nearly every down especially early in the game. Consider this a high percentage play that a passing play will result in opening first down of the game.

Pick – Passing

Prop Bet #3 – Total receiving yards – Robert Meachem

Over 45 ½  +105
Under 45 ½  -135

Robert Meachem has played a solid role in contributing to the Saints lethal passing attack this season. However, in recent weeks Meachem has been nearly ineffective. Over the last 3 games, Meachem has caught just 4 passes totaling 31 yards. The reason may be because the Saints have run the ball better and have gotten help from a ton of outside passing options. Whatever the case may be, Meachem has not even been targeted by Drew Brees but very rarely in the past few games. Running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas have been used more frequently catching balls out of the backfield taking some of those outside options away from Meachem. Wide outs Devery Henderson and Marques Colston will remain the primary targets in the passing game. If the Saints continue to use their backs in the passing game with effectiveness, Meachem may be left out of the picture once again.

Pick – Under 45 ½

Prop Bet #4 – Who will throw more interceptions?   

Drew Brees  -105
Peyton Manning -125

All eyes will be on both quarterbacks this Sunday and rightfully so. The Colts have Peyton Manning who before it is all said and done could go down as the greatest quarterback every. The Saints have Drew Brees who has absolutely mastered the New Orleans air attack. While most may agree that Manning is the better of the two, he is also the most vulnerable to giving up an interception. Manning threw 16 interceptions during the regular season while Brees threw just 11 total. In fact despite the Saints secondary that lacks respect against the pass, they actually picked off 26 interceptions during the regular season equaling the 3^rd most in the NFL. Safety Darren Sharper tied for the most picks in the NFL with 9 and the Saints defense will need those turnovers this weekend to pull off the victory. Even if the Colts prevail, Manning normally gives up at least one interception and that may be one more than Brees will throw this Sunday.

Pick – Manning

Prop Bet #5 – Team to receive the opening kickoff 

New Orleans Saints  -115
Indianapolis Colts  -115

This particular betting line is offered every year, but nearly always seem to go the opposite direction from what the betting public expects. However, we believe we got this year’s decision for both team’s figured out. The perceptions here is that both teams want to put their offenses on the field first which is why the line is considered a toss up. However, the Colts may elect the alternative if they do happen to win the toss. The Colts defense has played extremely well at times this year and their momentum tends to set the tone for the offense. I believe the Colts will put their defense on the field first to try and force a quick change of possession putting the advantage to their offense. On the other side of the coin, I just do not see how the Saints could put their defense on the field first allowing Peyton Manning the first opportunity to score. If the Saints win the toss, they will accept the ball and look to make an opening statement.

Pick – Saints

Underdogs are typically the way to go… This bodes awfully well for New Orleans, particularly catching so many points. The only teams to cover a spread higher than four points in recent Super Bowls have been these Indianapolis Colts in 2007 (-7 vs. Chicago Bears) and the Denver Broncos in 1999 (-7.5 vs. Atlanta Falcons). Aside from that, dogs larger than four points have been golden, going 6-2 ATS dating back to 1996. The underdog has covered six of the L/8 Super Bowls overall as well.

Run, run, run, as much as you can… Once again, in all likelihood, this is a huge trend that will be solid for the Saints. In the previous 43 Super Bowls, the team running the ball more in the game went a stellar 37-4 SU. (In Super Bowl V, both the Cowboys and Colts ran the ball 31 times. The same happened when the Bills and Cowboys rushed the pigskin 29 times apiece in Super Bowl XXVII) The Colts pass the ball on almost 63% of their offensive downs. New Orleans is still a pass-happy squad, but it only puts the pill in the air 55% of the time. The Saints are averaging carrying the ball 6.3 times per game more than Indianapolis does. Don’t think that the Colts don’t know about this stat though. An aerial based team in 2007 itself, the Colts still ran the ball 40 times combined with RBs Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, and that’s why they captured Super Bowl XLI.

All Over the Under… Reaching 56.5 points in any NFL betting battle is difficult, but the truth of the matter is that it’s very possible, especially when you consider how good these two offenses are that will take the field on Sunday afternoon in Miami. However, keep in mind that only eight Super Bowls have exceeded 56 points in NFL history, and none have gotten there since 2004. It’s not like there has been a lack of offensive firepower in the big game either of late. Last season, the Cardinals had one of the highest-flying offenses in the league. The same could be said about the record-setting Pats of 2007-08 and the Colts from ’06-’07. Chew on this as well. Indianapolis only had three games this season, including the playoffs, get to that 57+ point mark. New Orleans has played both of its playoff games beyond that number and did play six games past that point in the regular season. However, only three of those occurred away from the Superdome.

Watch out for moneyline value… Normally speaking in the regular season, teams that are favored by 5.5-6 points are usually lined around -250 or so on the moneyline. But this is the Super Bowl, and the majority of money either comes in on the favorites to cover the football betting line, or the underdog to win outright on the moneyline. The end result? Deflated numbers for the favorites to win SU. Right now, at Diamond Sportsbook, you can find Indianapolis lined at -220, and if you shop, you may be able to find a -200 or so by game time.

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The 2009 NFL Football Season is in some cases upside down from the way the league looked in 2008. The Tennessee Titans who started their 2008 season a perfect 10-0 remain winless at 0-3. The same can be said for the Carolina Panthers who were tied with the Giants for best regular season record in the NFC just one year ago. At least the Panthers are just 2-0, but are pretty sizeable underdogs entering tomorrow night’s battle with Dallas. Still, if you look at some of the teams in the league who would have thought the Jets at this time appear to be the best team in the AFC East over the Patriots and San Francisco sits a top the NFC West at a perfect 3-0.

It just goes to show that no matter how much preseason predictions and reviews that nothing truly matters until teams actually step onto the gridiron. While the season is definitely going to have its twist and turns throughout the remaining 13 weeks of the regular season, we are going to break down some of the teams that may have a shot at the 2010 Super Bowl based what we have seen thus far in the year. Keep in mind that you will have teams that get cold and hot, and things will definitely change. However, it’s hard to pass up the chance to catch the Super Bowl odds while they are at their most profitable. Take a second to look at a few teams who are considered to be 2010 Super Bowl Champion contenders.

#5. New Orleans Saints – 9 to 1 (@ BetUS)

The New Orleans Saints quick 3-0 start may be a surprise to some, but if you paid attention to our preseason predictions we had the Saints to win the NFC South due to their potent offense. Well the season has a long way to go, but so far Drew Brees is proving us right. The Saints are 3-0 including an impressive win over Philadelphia in that stretch. Brees already has 9 touchdowns in just 3 games and is completing 70% of his passes while owning the highest quarterback rating in the league at 118.1. The Saints offense which is averaging 40 points per game remains one of the most prolific passing attacks in the NFL. Last season the Saints were extremely good on offense, but the defense was just as horrible giving up 25 points per game. The Saints defense definitely will not be the strong point of the team. However if they can have more similar performances like they did last Sunday holding Buffalo to 7 points and 243 total yards, then they are going to be extremely difficult to beat.

#4. Minnesota Vikings – 12 to 1 (@ BetUS)

Lets just first start off by saying “wow” to another Brett Farve classic last week. If you missed it, Farve threw a 50 yard laser from the 40 yard line to the back of the end zone finding WR Greg Lewis with 2 seconds to go lifting the Vikings over the 49ers in what has to be the play of the year by season’s end. Farve is the reason the Vikings could contend by the end of the season if he can stay healthy. The reason is not that he is the most important player on the field because that role goes to Adrian Peterson, but because he can make the plays when needed with his arm. The Vikings have struggled to find a quarterback that could move the ball without giving up 17 interceptions as they did in 2008. Farve has thrown just 1 pick this year even though he has thrown more than any other quarterback in his career. However, do not expect to see a lot of picks thrown by the 40 year old this year. The Vikings will keep the work load on running back Adrian Peterson who is undoubtedly the best rusher in the NFL fresh off a 1,760 yard season in 2008. The Vikings won the NFC North with all the troubles in the passing game last year. Imagine if they get consistency in the passing game and the defense continues to improve.

#3. New England Patriots – 8 to 1 (@ Oddsmaker)

First off let’s go ahead and state that the Patriots have looked absolutely nothing like a Super Bowl caliber team thus far this season. However, it’s hard to think a team this talented will not explode back to the dominating team that has ruled the NFL over the last decade. Tom Brady got off to a rusty start and perhaps has not looked as sharp as normal, but that can be expected following a knee injury. However, the offense has too many weapons to be contained. Sure, the New York Jets are playing well but the Patriots remain favorites to win the Super Bowl. New England bounced back last week beating up on the Atlanta Falcons 26-10 which should indicate even when they are not playing their best they are still among the best in the league. Brady has not been on target when the deep throws and the offense has yet to get the production needed from Wes Welker. However once those few misfires start sparking again, the Patriots are going to be tough to beat in the latter part of the season.

#2. Baltimore Ravens – 9 to 1 (@ BetUS)

It may be difficult to judge just how good the Ravens are considering they have yet to play any team with a winning record from 2008. However, we still have some high praises for this team. It all starts with the defense which is again among tops in the league. The Ravens defense ranked 2nd overall just a season ago and they could be well on their way to another strong year. We predicted the Ravens to pull of the upset over Pittsburgh in the preseason and they are going to have every opportunity. The reason the Ravens may be destined for more success in 2009 is due to the offense that has matured into a productive unit. QB Joe Flacco threw for a career high 342 yards in last week’s blowout over Cleveland 34-3. Flacco has looked sharp in just his 2nd year in the league and as a result 4 different wide receivers are already over 100 yards receiving. Add to the fact, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee are coming along nicely in the backfield and this team is going to be as dangerous as any in the AFC. The Ravens offense has slowly but consistently improved and they are going to be solid this season. As long as the defense does not fade, the Ravens could easily make a run at the AFC Championship.

#1. Indianapolis Colts – 12 to 1 (@ BetUS)

These odds are very inviting with the Colts sitting as +1200 to win the Super Bowl. Manning has been red hot in the opening games throwing over 300 yards in each contest. The Colts blew out the defending NFC Champions last week in Arizona 31-10. The Colts defense is playing extremely well holding opponents to just 15 points per game thus far in the season. The Colts defense will play a huge factor in the Colts success, but as of now everything seems to be on track. If Manning stays on fire, the Colts return to glory may be inevitable. Still, they are going to need Joseph Addai or rookie Donald Brown to get the running game going. The Colts are going to face some situations where they need their running backs to pick up first downs so it is imperative the rushing game come out of extinction. If that happens, there is not any other team in the league playing better right now.

Honorable Mention –

I’m sure some may wonder why the New York Giants are not on the list even though they may be Super Bowl contenders. The Giants are receiving 7 to 1 odds to win the Super Bowl and off to a solid 3-0 start. However, the Giants still are a concern because they way they fall apart last year. The Giants barely escaped a Washington team that was beaten by Detroit last week and hit a game winning field goal in their win over Dallas who many would consider as a bit over rated. QB Eli Manning has played well but that is nothing new for the Giants early in the year. Their biggest challenge is a lot like their biggest foes the Dallas Cowboys. The question is how will the team hold up later in the year? The big play threat at the receiver position is still in question. Steve Smith has played well and so has the emergence of Mario Manningham. However, it will be interesting to see how those young guys hold up. If they get better and do not fade, the Giants will be right in the mix. If not then it will be another disappointing story like the 2008 season.

Current odds to win the Super Bowl From BetUS (as of 9/29/09)
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NFL/College Football News & Headlines Cycle:

• ESPN; Problem With Jumbo-Tron At New Cowboys Stadium (video)
• ESPN; Lou Holtz Picks Notre Dame For BCS Championship Game (Video)
• Denver Post; Brandon Marshall To Miss Broncos Next Game At Seattle
• NOLA.com; Saints Jammal Brown Opts For Surgery – May Be Ready For Opener
• Newsday; Stucky Wants To Be A Solid Number 2 To Jerricho Cotchery
• TampaBay.com; Lawyers Debate If Blow That Benched OSU Player Was Sucker Punch

Blogisphere & Football Opinion/Entertainment Cycle:

• Bankroll Sports; Complete List of 2009 Free Football Contests on the Web
• The Scores Report; Jaguars To Have Home Games Blacked Out In 2009
• NFL Touchdown; Miami Dolphins Lessons From Preseason Week One
• The Steel Curtain; More Evidence in Ben Roethlisberger’s Legal Battle
• Frying Pan Sports; Saints Will Come Marching Into The End-Zone Often
• Frying Pan Sports; 8-8 No Longer Good Enough For The Houston Texans
• NFL Galore; New York Jets; Five Things To Watch For in 2009
• Taking It To The House; Top 5 Preseason Stories Besides Favre and Vick
• Wii Hotties; 20-Year Evolution of Madden Football Video Game
• Josh Q. Public; Why I’m Rooting For Vince Young
• Heisman Pundit; 2009 Preseason Heisman Watch

2009 Fantasy Football Cycle:

• All Football 24/7; What’s Your First Round Pick Preference?
• Razzball; To Everything; Return, Return Return
• Sports of Boston; Fantasy Football Focus: The Starting 11 – Mock Talk
• Cippin on Sports; AFC North Breakout Players In 2009-10
• Wall Street Journal; Fantasy Football Insurance Is Here
  

About Our Weekend Football Links Cycle:
Interested in adding your stories to our Weekend Football Links Cycle? We are always looking for more quality football related stories and blog posts. Our staff reads through thousands of sports stories every day. We post the stories we find the most relevant or the blog posts we think our readers will find the most entertaining. Do you have a quality sports/football related web site or blog? Do you offer football stories and opinion at your site? If yes, then please contact us and let us know about your site so that we can add it to our list of online publications. We can’t add your stories if we haven’t seen your blog.

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NFL/College Football News & Headlines Cycle:

• ESPN; Mark Sanchez to Start for Jets in Their Next Preseason Game
• NFL.com; Michael Vick Shows off Arm in First Practice w/ Eagles (Video)
• NY Daily News; Source Say Plexico Burress Faces Half-Season Ban
• National Football Post; Derrick Brooks Close To Signing With Saints
• SF Gate; Owner, John York Confident Niners & Crabtree Will Make Deal
• Fox Sports; Oakland Raiders Sign Cornerback, Ricky Manning Jr.

Blogisphere & Football Opinion/Entertainment Cycle:

• Cippin on Sports; AFC East Breakout Players in 2009
• Bankroll Sports; Our College Football Top 25 With Links To Others
• Frying Pan Sports; Lions Rookie QB Matthew Stafford is the Real Deal
• Bama Beat; Reviewing College football’s Rule Changes
• Josh Q. Public; My Top 5 Favorite Running Backs
• My Sports Rumors; Samkon Gado’s 77-Yard Touchdown Run (Video)
• Sporting News; Ranking The College Football Top 100 Teams
• Wiz of Odds; Reporter’s Notebooks (August 15, 2009)

2009 Fantasy Football Cycle:

• The Daily Blitz; Consensus Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
• RootZoo; Consensus Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
• Sharapova’s Thigh; Fantasy Football Pre-Draft Roundup
• Sports Overdose; 2009 Player Rankings: Quarterback
• America’s White Boy; 2009 Fantasy Football Sleepers
• Sports of Boston; Fantasy Focus: Schedule Talk
• Sportmeisters; Top 5 Fantasy Football Quarterback Sleepers
• Pro Football Fans; 2009 Player Rankings; Tight End, Defense, Kicker
• Armchair Association; 10 Commandments of Your Fantasy Football Draft

About Our Weekend Football Links Cycle:
Interested in adding your stories to our ‘Weekend Football Links Cycle”? We are always looking for more quality football related stories and blog posts. Our staff reads through thousands of sports stories every day. We post the stories we find the most relevant or the blog posts we think our readers will find the most entertaining. Do you have a quality sports/football related web site or blog? Do you offer football stories and opinion at your site? If yes, then please contact us and let us know about your site so that we can add it to our list of online publications. We can’t add your stories if we haven’t seen your blog.

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As our expert handicappers continue to prepare for the upcoming football season, my fellow Bankoll Sports bloggers and staff writers will continue to find the best preseason odds and picks for all your football props and futures.  And, we will continue to offer up our picks.  My colleges have already broken down the conference previews and given you full explanations of what you might expect to see from the NFL in 2009. However, we will now take this a step further and make our over/under picks for how many wins some of these teams will accomplish this season, taking advantage of the odds that some of these books (including; Superbook / 50% cash signup bonus using this link & BetUS Sportsbook – 100% match play bonus when using this link) have posted.  As always, the Bankroll Sports website continue to bring to you free football picks picks that are sure to beef up your bankroll for the 2009 post season. 

You also can get the premium football picks from our expert handicapping team for the entire (regular & post) season along with every baseball release for the rest of the (regular & post) season for just $349.95 by checking out our 2009 Football Season Special Promo.  This is the lowest price in 15 years that our bosses have put on their complete football season special.  It’s also the earliest that they have ever offered this early bird season special as it includes all of our expert handicappers’ baseball releases for the entire second half of the season.  This is, by far, the best offer you are going to find for our complete football package.

Check our what the writers and I have come up with for our 2009 NFL team win totals.

Free Pick #1: New Orleans Saints

Over 9 Wins -115
Under 9 Wins -115

The New Orleans Saints return the NFL’s best offense from 2008. Drew Brees racked up over 5,000 yards to lead the best passing attack in the NFL. The Saints offense will again be among the best in the NFL this season, but they still have concerns on defense. The defense ranked in the bottom 7 in scoring defense last season allowing nearly 25 points per game. However, the defense should be much improved this season. Defensive ends, Charles Grant (triceps) and Will Smith (hernia) both played with injuries last year and the Saints struggled to get and pressure at all on the quarterback. Both of these key players should be healthy heading into the season, making the defensive front stronger. Also, the secondary will get the addition of Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins. Despite not having any experience, Jenkins will play immediately. The Saints also added CB Jabari Greer from Buffalo to their secondary that gave up 221 yards per game. New Orleans may not have one of the best defenses this season, but they should be highly improved. Even with the horrible defense in 2008, the Saints were a factor in nearly every game. Their 8-8 record can be a bit misleading considering 6 of those losses were by 5 points or less. Expect some things to fall their way this year and watch for a breakout season from the highly talented New Orleans Saints.

Pick – Over 9 Wins

Free Pick #2: Chicago Bears

Over 8 ½ Wins -140
Under 8 ½ Wins +110

Basically if you are going to try and get me to believe the Bears will win less games than they did in 2008 I would love to hear your explanation. Chicago landed one of the best young quarterbacks in the game over the off season in Jay Cutler. The problems that have plagued the Bears for the last few years are finally over behind center. Sure, the Bears may not have any big play-maker at wide out like most experts like to say or is that argument legit? Devin Hester has tremendous speed but we have never been able to see how effective his speed is because there has not been a quarterback that could hit him down field. Cutler can make all the throws on the field including the bombs down field so we will really get to see what the receiving core can do. Plus there are some talented young receivers in the stable as well. The Bears defense is popularly known for being strong every year. The defense did not have the season expected on paper in 2008, but a lot of that could be blamed on the offense which gave up 27 turnovers. There is just no way the Bears will be worse than last season with Cutler behind center. In fact they should be focusing more on the winning the NFC North than having to worry about improving their record.

Pick – Over 8 1/2

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Free Pick #3: Detroit Lions

Over 4 ½ -125
Under 4 ½ -105

This line maybe a sucker bet, but I will bite. The Detroit Lions will definitely be improved behind new coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions loaded up on talent during the NFL draft landing the number 1 overall pick with quarterback Matthew Stafford and also grabbing tight end Brandon Pettigrew late in the first round. However, they still have the worse offensive line in football and they are not going to be able to protect Stafford. The offensive line gave up 52 sacks in 2008 and they have yet to sign the first player that could turn that around. Plus the biggest problem last season was not only the offense, but perhaps even bigger the problem lie on the defensive side of the ball. The Lions allowed 404 yards per game last season by far the worse in the league. Detroit also ranked dead last in scoring defense allowing 32 points per game. The Lions added some players on defense like cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon (Tampa Bay) and Anthony Henry (Dallas). Detroit also drafted Louis Delmas (Western Michigan) to add support in the weak secondary. However, these players are not the ones that will turn things around. They still have major issues up front and stopping the run. I believe the Lions win a few games, but 5 wins may be a bit too optimistic.

Pick – Under 4 ½

Free Pick #4: Baltimore Ravens

Over 8 ½ -175
Under 8 ½ +145

The odds on this line may not be the most profitable, but I believe this bet is probably the best of them all. I had the Ravens to upset the Steelers this season in the AFC North despite getting beat 3 times by the Steelers in 2008. The Ravens defense ranked 2nd in nearly every category behind Pittsburgh last season. They may have some aging veterans on that side of the ball, but I would expect no less than a top 3 defense again this season. Rookie Joe Flacco had a tremendous season behind center and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to progress. Flacco really controlled the ball well towards the end of the season and you could also see the confidence building behind Flacco through the play calling. The Ravens attempted a good bit of deep balls towards the end of the season and I’m guessing they will attempt even more early this season. WR Derrick Mason is one of the best in the league even though he may not get the credit he deserves. LeRon McClain led the team in rushing with 902 yards in 2008. However, McClain will be making the move to fullback this season. Willis McGahee and Ray Rice will get the bulk of the carries in the backfield. However, having McClain in the back field as well should give defenses extra concern in the running game. The Ravens may become a much bigger offensive force this season and that is one reason I predicting them to take down the AFC North. The defense would have to fall apart and the offense become motionless for the Ravens to be held under 9 wins.

Pick – Over 8 ½

Free Pick #5 (Best Bet): Carolina Panthers

Over 8 ½ -105
Under 8 ½ -125

I have the Carolina Panthers listed as a team that could really be in some serious trouble this season. Do not get me wrong, they do have some talented personnel that can perform. However, they are a team with a lot of issues. One of these issues is quarterback Jake Delhomme. I have believed Delhomme has held this team back for years. My theory was backed up in the playoffs last year against Arizona when he threw 5 interceptions. If it wasn’t for the playmaking ability of Steve Smith, the passing game in Carolina would be non-existent. The Panthers strength last season was the ground attack led by Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. The two combined for nearly 2300 yards as one of the best duos in the league. The offensive line should get a lot of that credit for the strong running attack. Carolina will have another strong front five again this season. However, the offensive line will have very little depth heading into this season, meaning if the big guys start going down, then so will the running game. Another reason the unit maybe heading for destruction in 2009, is their very poor run defense. The rush defense allowed over 120 yards per game ranking in the bottom of the NFL. Star defensive end Julius Peppers signed a one year deal even though it was obvious he wanted out of town. However, the Panthers franchised Peppers for a one year deal worth just under 17 million. Rookie Everette Brown will be the long term replacement for Peppers, but it will take him a while before he is terrorizing quarterbacks and turning heads. The defensive front could really take a step back this season which is a bad combination with the already shaky secondary. Those combinations on offense and defense will just be too much for the team to overcome this season. History shows that the NFC South usually flip flops every season. The Panthers may have won the division in 2008, but do not be surprised if they are at the bottom of the NFC South in 2009.

Pick – Under 8 ½