The Carolina Panthers are 40-1 long shots in football betting to win the Super Bowl. They are hoping that quarterback Matt Moore is ready to be a full-time starter but if not, they have rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen waiting in the wings. Clausen could be the long-term answer for the Panthers and it is even possible he could impact NFL football betting odds this season.
Football betting odds are unpredictable on Carolina since the team is great one week and terrible the next. They were 8-8 last season and that is exactly the type of team they have been. Perhaps Clausen will eventually win the job and change the perception of the Panthers. Carolina signed him to a four-year contract that includes $2.53 million in guarantees.
Carolina took Clausen in the second round out of Notre Dame. Clausen got pretty good money considering he is a second round pick. His total deal could be worth as much as $6.3 million. He begins the preseason as the third string quarterback but most people believe he will eventually challenge starter Matt Moore. He will almost assuredly start the season ahead of Hunter Cantwell. Carolina has given the starting job to Moore since Jake Delhomme was released in the off-season.
Some draft experts rated Clausen as a first round pick in the NFL Draft while others were not as high on the former Notre Dame star. Clausen should get his chance in Carolina to win the starting job. Moore did play well last season late in the year but he does not have a great deal of experience. If Clausen is the great quarterback that some people predicted, he should be starting at Carolina before the season is over.
Carolina was 9-7 last season vs. the NFL betting odds. The Panthers really were not a very good team for most of last season. They had to win their final three games of the season to finish at .500 straight up. When a team wins late in the season to cover up a bad season it is really hard to predict how they will do the next year. That is the case with Carolina as they are really a tough team to handicap in 2010 NFL odds.