Kim Kardashian’s Bust or Reggie Bush’s Legs?

Every season a team comes from relative obscurity to have a great season and make a playoff run. In 2009 that team could be the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars slipped to an awful 5-11 last year but they made some nice off-season moves and could be poised to jump right back into the playoffs this season. Jacksonville is considered a longshot which makes them a nice value in NFL wagering to win Super Bowl XLIV as they are listed at 45-1.

The Jaguars really cleaned house in the off-season. They got rid of Fred Taylor, Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Mike Peterson, Khalif Barnes, Paul Spicer, Jerry Porter, Drayton Florence and Gerald Sensabaughnees. What could also help the Jaguars make a big improvement this season is the pressure on head coach Jack Del Rio. The Jaguars also have a new defensive coordinator as Gregg Williams is gone, replaced by Mel Tucker.

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The Jaguars finally did something about their poor receiving corps by getting Torry Holt in the off-season. He immediately makes their offense a lot better. He gives quarterback David Garrard the receiver he has needed for years. This is a make or break season for Garrard so the heat is on in Jacksonville. The Jags still have a very good running game led by Maurice Jones-Drew. He is a great runner and receiver and is the key player on offense. He led NFL running backs in receiving yards last year. Receivers looking to get playing time alongside Holt are Mike Walker, Troy Williamson and rookies Mike Thomas and Jarett Dillard. Mercedes Lewis is a solid tight end. The offensive line should be a lot better in 2009. Three starters are back from injuries and the Jags took Eugene Monroe out of Virginia at #8 in the draft and they also got Eben Britton of Arizona. The team also signed free agent tackle Tra Thomas. Jacksonville is going to be a lot better on offense in 2009 with a healthy and talented offensive line.

The defense is a question mark for the Jags. Tackles John Henderson and Rob Meier are okay but nothing special while ends Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves don’t excite you either. The linebackers are solid even without Peterson. Daryl Smith could be a start while Clint Ingram and Justin Durant should be in the mix. The secondary is led by cornerback Rashean Mathis who is back from injury. The problem for the Jags is they don’t have much behind him. They are hoping draft pick Derek Cox can step in and play this year. They also picked up safety Sean Considine from the Eagles and they added Gerald Alexander and Marlon McCree. The Jaguars have a great kicker in Josh Scobee while Steve Weatherford is a solid punter.

The Jaguars should be vastly improved in 2009 and are a team that could go from 5-11 into the NFL wagering odds playoffs this season.

It would be tough to find an NFL team that underwent more changes in the off-season than the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have a new head coach and a new quarterback as they head into the 2009 season. If they weren’t playing in the worst division in the NFL, the Broncos would be totally dismissed in terms of Super Bowl Wagering Odds. Even though they play in the AFC West, the Broncos are still 40-1 longshots in NFL odds this season to win Super Bowl XLIV.

A new era begins at Denver this season as Josh McDaniels has taken over for the fired Mike Shanahan. Also gone is quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago. Without ever having coached a game the pressure is already on McDaniels to produce. The fans are blaming him for the loss of Cutler and the Bronco’s lack of success the previous three seasons has really taken a back seat to the drama. Denver has not made the playoffs in three straight seasons so McDaniels would have stepped into a low pressure situation but not anymore.

The Broncos are turning the offense over to Kyle Orton who they got in the Cutler trade. Orton does not have Cutler’s arm but he should have Brandon Marshall to throw to. That is good news because Marshall is one of the best receivers in the game. Combined with Eddie Royal and Brandon Stokley, the Broncos have a good receiving corps. The backfield is a question mark though so it will be up to rookie Knowshon Moreno to win the job and take the pressure off of Orton. McDaniels wants to run the ball so the key to Denver’s season could be the play of Moreno.

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It is not all bad news for Denver. They hired former San Francisco head coach Mike Nolan to run the defense and Nolan will definitely make some changes. The Broncos have a weak defensive line and they did nothing in the draft to improve. The linebackers may not be any better especially if Boss Bailey doesn’t come back from an injury. The secondary is led by Champ Bailey but he is getting older and the team doesn’t have much behind him. That was one reason they added veteran Brian Dawkins from the Eagles and signed Renaldo Hill from Miami. The special teams in Denver are just average as kicker Matt Prater struggled at times in 2008 as did punter Brett Kern.

Overall the Broncos look weaker than they were a year ago when they slipped to a .500 record. Matching that 8-8 record of a year ago seems unlikely although Denver does play in a weak division with Oakland and Kansas City.