The Baltimore Ravens made some news on Monday at sports betting companies as they signed wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. While the move got a lot of national attention it did not move the sports betting odds at SBG. Houshmandzadeh is a marquee name receiver but he is not a player who impacts the odds anymore. He was good with Cincinnati a few years back but he did very little with Seattle. The Ravens took a shot though and signed him to a one-year deal.
Low Risk for Baltimore – The Ravens really have nothing to lose by signing Houshmandzadeh. They are paying him $855,000 for this year and that makes him a bargain. Seattle still owes him $6.15 million so they are the team that is losing out. The Ravens thought enough of Houshmandzadeh that they traded Mark Clayton to the St. Louis Rams. Discarding Clayton is a great move as he has been a total bust in Baltimore.
Ray Lewis Wanted Houshmandzadeh – Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis seems to have been instrumental in the Ravens getting Houshmandzadeh. He had a conversation with Houshmandzadeh and convinced him that Baltimore was the place to be. Houshmandzadeh said he chose the Ravens because he believes they can win the Super Bowl.
Houshmandzadeh’s Numbers – Since 2004 Houshmandzadeh has very good numbers. He is actually ranked second among all receivers with 524 receptions and he is 10th with 39 TDs. Last season he caught 79 passes for 911 yards and three touchdowns. He did well to catch that many passes in Seattle’s rotten offense.
The Ravens have some receivers that can make plays. They got Anquan Boldin from Arizona in the offseason to go along with Derrick Mason. They also have Donte’ Stallworth although he is out with an injury until late next month. The Ravens have gotten a lot of attention from gamblers at sports betting companies. Baltimore is now one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Ravens are 9.5 to win to win the Super Bow. They are just over 5-1 to win the AFC. The Ravens have a tough season opener though as they are sports betting underdogs on Monday night at the New York Jets. The Jets are 2.5 point favorites in that game with the total listed at 35.5.