Sportsbook future odds on the Arizona Cardinals don’t give them much respect now that Kurt Warner has retired. The question at the Internet sportsbook of who will quarterback the Cardinals next season took another turn on Wednesday as Arizona signed former Cleveland Browns starter Derek Anderson to a two-year contract.
SBG Sportsbook oddsmakers know that Arizona signed Anderson to a two-year deal with $7.25 million. It is also laden with incentives that could make it worth up to $18.25 million. The Cardinals are hoping that Matt Leinart is the answer at quarterback but if not, they are buying some insurance with Anderson. In 2007, Anderson was very good for Cleveland as he threw 29 touchdown passes and made the Pro Bowl. He was not very good the past couple of seasons though and Cleveland released him.
Arizona is not going to be the same team that they were last year when they had Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin. Warner retired and Boldin is now with Baltimore. The Cardinals are not even the favorites to win the NFC West anymore and they are considered longshots at the sportsbook in terms of the Super Bowl. Things can change so quickly in the NFL. Just over a year ago the Cardinals were in the Super Bowl and now they are considered a .500 team at best in the NFC. The Cardinals passing attack was feared with Warner throwing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and to Boldin. It will now be interesting to see how much of a drop off Arizona will suffer without their future Hall of Fame quarterback and their second best receiver.
The Cardinals will be interesting to watch next season though. Leinart has never shown that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL and now he has some competition with Anderson on the team. The sad part for Arizona fans is that neither Leinart nor Anderson is going to be anywhere close to as good as Warner. The Cardinals were a threat to vs. the Internet sportsbook odds in any game that Warner was in. Without him they could lose any game they are in next season. He made that much of a difference with Arizona as he led them to the Super Bowl and nearly pulled out a win before Pittsburgh beat the Cardinals with a late touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII.