Like the 49ers, there is plenty of hype surrounding the Arizona Cardinals this season. However, the Cards have been stagnant around the five win mark for a number of years now so one has to wonder if there is a little bit too much hype on the Cards right now. Much of the optimism is due to the promising rookie season of QB Matt Leinart along with arguably the top receiving tandem in the NFL. Sportsbook.com has posted the Arizona Cardinals betting odds at 40 to 1 to win Super Bowl XLII.
Anquan Boldin lead the team with 1203 yards on 83 catches but only got in the end zone four times. Larry Fitzgerald’s numbers were down big from his 2005 campaign but still managed 946 yards and 6 touchdowns despite having injury problems. Running back Edgerrin James was a big disappointment in the desert last season but did rack off his only three 100+ yard rushing games in his last five games. It is hard to get excited about the Cardinals defense. Last season they ranked 29th in the NFL, giving up 349.4 yards per game and 24.3 points per game.
"Edgerrin James is better than last season indicated he will bounce back with big season," stated Point-Spreads.com NFL expert handicapper Brad Marchetti. "There is a lot of young talent on this team but Leinart is still a year or two away. I think the 5 to 2 betting odds to win the NFC West is a little slim at this point for Arizona."
The strength of the defense is Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson. Two newcomers will most likely be joining Wilson in the secondary in safety Terrence Holt and corner Roderick Hood. Outside linebackers Bertrand Berry and Chike Okeafor form a good tandem but Berry will have to avoid injury problems that have plagued him the last couple seasons. The Cards definitely have some All Pro talent on both sides of the ball but they are still probably not deep enough on defense to make a serious run.
Sportsbook.com has posted the following Arizona Cardinals betting odds:
Win the NFC West:
Seattle Seahawks 8-5
San Francisco 49ers 2-1
Arizona Cardinals 5-2
St. Louis Rams 4-1
Win the NFC:
Seattle Seahawks 7-1
Seattle Seahawks 7-1
San Francisco 49ers 7-1
Arizona Cardinals 18-1
St. Louis Rams 20-1
Win the Super Bowl:
San Francisco 49ers 15-1
San Francisco 49ers 15-1
Seattle Seahawks 25-1
St. Louis Rams 30-1
Arizona Cardinals 40-1
