New York Jets: No Love From Vegas Bookies

Even after a dynamic offseason in which "Gang Green" added a number of playmakers to the team, they still get no love from the bookies, getting 12:1 odds to win it all this year.

That puts them at seventh overall on the list, sitting behind the Colts (8:1), the Saints (9:1), the Chargers (10:1), the Pats (10:1), and Dallas (11:1).

Okay, I understand why the Colts and Saints are favored over the Jets. I understand it. I don't agree with it, but I won't argue with it either.

Those are proven teams that made it all the way last year. The Jets aren't fully proven yet, so I get that the odds makers believe that they have a better shot at winning the Super Bowl in 2011.

But I'll tell you why the Jets are better than the other three teams that Vegas believes are better fit to win the championship.

We'll go right down the line, so that means San Diego is up first.

Did the Jets beat them in the divisional round of the playoffs last year?

Didn't they pick off Phillip Rivers twice, a quarterback who only averaged just about one interception every two games.

Didn't they give up 128 yards and a touchdown (a 53-yard touchdown) to a rookie running back?

Forget that game, because that was only a view of how much better the Jets are in a microcosm.

They have added a cornerback, pass-rusher, another cornerback, an offensive lineman, a running back, etc. Add in Mark Sanchez's experience and a guarantee from me that he will have shaken those rookie jitters (because my word means that much) and you know that the Jets are better than San Diego.

Who's there starting running back? Darren Sproles?

He can't carry the ball that much.

Ryan Mathews? He's a rookie. He might be great but I don't know how quickly he can transition from college starter to pro starter.

The pro game is much more demanding and there are more games.

Next up: the Patriots.

First of all, Wes Welker. He could miss two to three months of the coming season. He is Brady's go-to guy.

As Randy Moss continues to decline and continues to give up on routes and continues to show more and more just how lazy he is, Tom Brady continues to lean on Welker as his crutch.

But Welker won't be there this time, and Julian Edelman can't do that much.

They're running game can't be the backup plan because there isn't anyone worth giving the ball to. They've had issues with the run game for the past few years and it will be very noticeable this season.

Maroney. Morris. Faulk. Taylor. There is no clear starter.

There are massive holes on their defense as well.

They have some players in Tully Banta-Cain, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Meriweather, and Leigh Bodden.

They have a lack of players at defensive end (Gerrard Warren...who?) and outside linebackers (Gary Guyton...who?) inside linebacker (Tyrone McKenzie...who?... he is coming off an ACL tear by the way) and they have a decent, and that's a compliment, cornerback in Jonathan Wilhite.

The Jets might not be flashy at every position, but they don't have holes like this team does. I think those holes will show in the coming season.

Lastly: the Dallas Cowboys.

I am actually amused that I have to argue that the Jets are better than the Cowboys.

Tony Romo still isn't a proven quarterback. He still has a lot of issues and he has still struggled with consistency.

Their running game struggled last season.

Marion Barber didn't show up.

Felix Jones is a solid back but him and Tashard Choice and aren't exactly the choice running corps (clever, right?).

Roy Williams is a failed project.

Miles Austin is GREAT, but if you double him there isn't really another viable option.

Patrick Crayton is mediocre at best.

And as good as DeMarcus Ware and Terence Newman are, their defense isn't special either.

I'm not sure what the bookies see in this team. They will probably win their division again, but I'd expect an early exit from the postseason.

So should the Jets be the favorite to win it all? Probably not.

But I do think they are better than the Colts and the Saints on paper.

Obviously, the team hasn't played an actual football game together yet, so it is hard to put them as the favorites while the Colts and Saints haven't done much over the offseason.

If Darren Sharper doesn't sign, I think it would be hard to put them as the runner-up on that list.

He was a huge playmaker last season. He changed the game with his ability to make big plays in clutch times.

The Colts are still the best team in the league in my opinion, but Peyton Manning's postseason failures make it hard for me to call them Super Bowl favorites.

His record as a regular season starter and his record as a postseason starter are not comparable at all. He simply isn't a good playoff quarterback.

So I have changed my mind, why aren't the Jets the favorites to win the Super Bowl?

Who's better than them?

Not the five teams that Vegas has as better.

Right behind them are the Packers, Vikings, and Steelers.

The Pack still doesn't have much of an offensive line, the Vikings probably won't have a quarterback, and the Steelers lost Ben for the start of the season and no longer have Santonio Holmes.

I'm starting my own bookie agency, and my first line: Jets 4:1 to win Super Bowl XLV.