Sportsbook fans watched a strange drama unfold in Denver in the early months of 2009. Online sportsbook fans of the NFL witnessed franchise QB Jay Cutler engineer his trade from the Denver Broncos to the Chicago Bears after the most statistically productive season of his sportsbook career. It’s hard to know which was stranger: Cutler’s behavior or the Broncos’ decision to jettison their best player; nevertheless it happened and the topography of the upcoming NFL online sportsbook season has been drastically altered.
Sportsbook oddsmakers would have made the Broncos one of the team’s to beat in the AFC East and even a favorite for the playoffs. Sans Cutler, this team will suffer in the sportsbook odds and be lucky to finish over .500. The Bears on the other hand are a team on the rise in the minds of most oddsmakers.
The bears have long been favorite contenders in the NFC and even made an appearance in the Super Bowl several years ago, capping one of the best season’s for the team in history. The team has always had a superb defense and decent trench play but the piece that’s been missing from the sportsbook formula was a decent QB.
The Bears have never had a decent QB. In fact, the team has generally had one of the worst QBs in the sportsbook competition in recent years. Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are likely the worst set of starters that any team has put on the field in the online era. But with Cutler’s arrival the Bears look as good on paper as they ever have. This is likely the best chance in the odds that the team has ever had.
The defense is not quite the dominant force it once was, but it’s still one of the better units in the NFC competition. But the pressure should be off these guys now that Cutler has taken the helm. No defensive unit has had to more heavy lifting than the Bears over the past five online seasons. Now that the offense can actually put points on the board and stay on the field for a series or two, the defensive unit should be well rested.
The NFC North is no cake walk with teams like the defending champ Vikings and the talented Packers, but the Bears could very well be the favorites to win the division. Cutler will have all the pressure in the world on his shoulders but chances are he’ll thrive.