The 49ers are the football wagering choice to finish 1st in 2010 as the NFL lines review are favoring a new team and new era in the NFC West Division.
NFL preseason odds also prefer another title run by the Cardinals with the Seahawks a wild card and the Rams a football gambling long shot.
Mike Singletary returns for his 2nd full season on the job as head coach of the 49ers after taking over on an interim basis midway through the 2008 season. Singletary has shown somewhat of a temper in the past, but is trying to develop his “coaching etiquette”. The San Francisco 49ers have formulated the personality of their coach as a hard hitting and hard running squad that has seen notable improvement on defense.
With better play, Quarterback Alex Smith is finally starting to come up as the number 1 draft pick that he was in 2005 as well. He was competing for the starting quarterback position with Shaun Hill in several recent seasons. After losing that battle for many seasons, he was named starting quarterback following a Week 7 match when he replaced Hill and performed very well. Since that time, he has displayed signs of progress, in spite of the team’s 2-5 losing track record in his 1st 7 starts. San Francisco ended 8-8 straight up and lost just 4 games versus the spread proving to be an excellent value in 2009. It was the team’s 1st non-losing season since 2002.
It’s easy to understand why the San Francisco 49ers are such a popular choice with NFL oddsmakers with the remainder of the division weakened.
The Arizona Cardinals have won the NFC West the last 2 seasons but managed it with the currently retired Kurt Warner as their quarterback. Matt Leinart has been a disappointment at this point since being drafted by the Big Red in 2006 as their immediate starter. With a second chance as the starter, Leinart now has the opportunity to resurrect his career.
One positive that gives gamblers cause for comfort is the remarkable Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Arizona was 10-6 straight up and 9-7 versus the spread a year ago whilst going under the total in 11 games.
As Pete Carroll arrives in Seattle after a hugely successful, though dubious reign, as head man for college football’s USC Trojans, another huge name coach joins the division this year.
Carroll was a .500 NFL coach in 2 previous jobs with the New York Jets and New England Patriots and takes control of a team with plenty of question marks that make them a less than popular option with the football odds. The standing of oft injured quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is of immediate concern in NFL betting.
The St Louis Rams are still available for sale and are a lottery type of longshot with the NFL preseason probabilities. They are still attempting to sign top draft pick Sam Bradford and will have another long season irrespective of his position as the expertise is thin and a 1-15 history from 2009 doesn’t inspire confidence.
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