Pro Bowl Odds 2009: What to Watch For

This year the Pro Bowl will be as tight as ever with neither the AFC nor the NFC having a major advantage over the other, at least on paper. But one thing that seems certain is that no matter who wins the Pro Bowl this year it should be an exciting contest.

Pro Bowl fans should expect to see a close game and the Pro Bowl betting to be very interesting. There some very interesting things on both sides of the ball that any Pro Bowl odds bettor should watch for in order to get a better idea of how the course of the game should flow.

For starters, due to the rule changes in Pro Bowl competition that prohibit the blitz, the star-studded AFC defense could be somewhat muted. The stifling defense of Ravens D-coordinator Rex Ryan is based on a variety of blitz packages, none of which will be allowed in the Pro Bowl betting contest. Also, the mandatory 4-3 defensive alignment required by the Pro Bowl rules will also be a bit foreign to almost all the front seven players on the AFC Pro Bowl  squad. Add to this the fact that no nickel back can be brought in on passing downs, which means that the AFC’s regular season advantages on defense will be nullified in the Pro Bowl betting contest.

However, the flip side to these quirky Pro Bowl rules also requires that offense can’t put players in motion or overload any side of the formation. This is at least some consolation for the Pro Bowl odds defensive units which will have their hands full. However, in the passing game the NFC seems to have a huge advantage as the starting wide outs will be most likely be seeing man-to-man coverage for the majority of the Pro Bowl competition and as even the most casual of Pro Bowl odds fans knows there is not a human alive that can singlehandedly cover Larry Fitzgerald.

The NFC also seems to have a better pair of cover corners than their AFC counterparts and this facet of the game could favor the NFC in the Pro Bowl odds on both sides of the ball. Pro Bowl odds bettors should also recall that the MVP of last year’s Pro Bowl betting competition was none other than Adrian Peterson, the same running back who will be starting in the NFC backfield once the Pro Bowl odds game gets underway.

So even though the AFC may seem favored on paper for a regular season match up, the rule changes in the Pro Bowl odds game seem to favor the NFC squad in an all star game.

Open a New Account and start your Pro Bowl action at SBG Global!