San Diego - Chicago favored to make next year's Super Bowl

[BOSSHOG]

Chargers - 9-2
Colts 5-1
Patriots 9-1

Bears - 7-1
Saints - 12-1
Seawhawks - 15-1

Oakland at the bottom of the list at 150-1.

Source: NOLA T-P Sports section with no attribution

[northzax]

1. so San Diego is going to fire Marty?

otherwise, I'll give you 100-1 odds on them making the SuperBowl, that's free money for a bookie.

[Poiuyt]

3. I thought I heard he was coming back

[northzax]

11. as I said

now we can consider them more favourites.

[MrSlayer]

2. Eagles 8-1.

You seem to have neglected them.

The Bears need a QB if they want to win it and the Chargers need a coach who can get over the hump.

[rep the dems]

5. Eagles are taking back the NFC in 2007!!!!

But we gotta re-sign Stallworth. He's the man.

[MrSlayer]

6. I agree if certain moves are made.

Stallworth is a must to start. We need a strongside linebacker in the worst way and a fat runstopper in the middle and we're right there. All this drama has to stop though. Reid's kids are really fucking up the program here.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Stallworth

spent a lot of time in Payton's doghouse last summer for work habits but it worked out best for both teams, The Eagles got a quality receiver and the Saints picked up an all-pro candidate in Marques Coulston in the 4th to last pick. Also, due to trades the Saints have a nice linebacking core, Fujita, Simoneau and Shanle; not one superstar but a helluva unit.

If the Eagles are looking for another receiver, Joe Horn may soon be available. Ya got a DB available?

[MrSlayer]

10. Actually.

Rod Hood who is our nickle corner is available as a free agent and probably won't be back here as he wants to (and can anywhere else) start and we have two pro bowl guys already. We don't need Horn though if Stallworth re-signs. The offense is fine here, it's the defense that needs to be tweaked a bit.

[Awsi Dooger]

12. The Eagle offense is hardly fine

Don't let Andy Reid brainwash the city into believing that. Run the ball often, pass the ball well. That's the blueprint for successful football and always will be. Reid has been trying to pretend a short pass is the equivalent of a rushing attempt for years and that's rank idiocy. I could give tons of stats but let's stick to two basic ones. First, 82% of NFL games are won by the team with higher number of rushing attempts. That is not a residue of running out the clock in the 4th quarter. The stat holds up almost identical if you use halftime or end of 3rd quarter numbers.

Now, look at Philadelphia's number of rushing attempts per year:

2002: 489
2003: 417
2004: 376
2005: 365
2006: 416

The only proper number in that block is the first one, slightly over 30 rushes per game in 2002. Reid has become more and more pantyhose and that puts the team at severe disadvantage. Frankly, you're lucky the Eagles are in the weaker NFC. No way numbers like that could make the playoffs in the AFC.

Plus, the 2005 and 2006 numbers are skewed high, since Reid only began running the ball more once McNabb got hurt. The 2005 trend was heading toward a laughable 300ish rushing attempts until McNabb went out. Then in 2006 the Eagles began to run the ball much more often when Garcia took over. I'll be interested to see if Reid is wise enough to keep it up once McNabb returns. I tend to doubt it, based on all the comments he's made like if it were up to him they would never run the ball. The shame is the Philadelphia offensive linemen are plenty talented in run blocking. Hell, I'd kill for my Dolphins to have some of those guys, like Shawn Andrews.

For reference purposes, the regular season rushing attempt numbers for the last four Super Bowl champs are 473 and 524 by New England, 549 by Pittsburgh, and 439 by Indianapolis.

[BOSSHOG]

8. The list I was referring to

in the local paper had the Cowboys 18-1 and the Eagles 20-1. I think that's way low for the Eagles. I agree that they will be back in the hunt next year and go way deep in the hunt, if not all the way

2007 - Tribune Media Services, Inc.

[Awsi Dooger]

4. Early future book odds are notoriously ripoff

The sportsbooks put them up before the current Super Bowl is even played, so they can take and hold money for an entire year, from the visitors in town to bet this year's Super Bowl.

Reputable books will have odds much higher than that.

[Phredicles]

7. Seahawks are better in odd-numbered years

since Holmgren became coach. I'm hopeful we'll be back.