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The San Diego Chargers odds to win the 2009 Super Bowl have been set at 6/1 for an early payout potential of $600 for every $100 bet at Bookmaker.com.
Nathaniel Shockey of North Star Writers:
They were one gutsy LeDanian Tomlinson performance away from bringing down the Pats last year. It's not hard to imagine them moving in to take a legitimate number two spot in the AFC, as opposed to their usual three spot behind the Indianapolis Colts and the Pats. And really, who has a better chance at bringing down number one than number two, especially when it's a team that nearly succeeded with a one-legged quarterback just two NFL games ago?
The Chargers are too good to be called a sleeper. So how about this? Look for them to win it all this year. Unless the Patriots come to their senses defensively, the Chargers just might come out atop the AFC ready to gobble up the Cowboys.
The San Diego Chargers return with nearly an identical roster from last year.
"Everything you can think of a team can go through, the highs and lows, we've gone through," quarterback Philip Rivers said this week. "The majority of us are still here. Now it's kind of like, I don't like to say it's all or nothing, but what are you going to say - 'Hey, we did the same thing we did last year'? All the more there is to accomplish is the whole deal."
There are 22 players on the roster who have been with the Chargers since 2004. That includes 14 starters. More than half of the players (28) expected to be on the final roster have been here since 2005, including 17 who will be starters this season.
"We definitely have matured as a group," center Nick Hardwick told the San Diego Tribune. "We're getting into our fifth and sixth years. We've got a lot of good experience. When we were younger we had that stupid confidence, where you don't know what you don't know. Now it's a mature confidence, where we know what we have to do."
The Chargers allowed only 10 touchdowns last season from opposing teams at home, tied with Pittsburgh for the fewest. They are aiming for their 5th straight year of scoring at least 400 points.
Reason for Concern? None
Believe it or not, there are a few reasons Chargers fans should hold off on booking flights to Tampa, writes Michael Ash of Scout.com
Throughout his seven-year NFL career, LaDainian Tomlinson has been remarkably durable, missing just one regular-season contest since his rookie season in 2001. Although he's been able to rehab his postseason knee injury without going under the knife, head coach Norv Turner said the injury was serious enough that Tomlinson probably would have missed six weeks had it occurred during the regular season.
While that may not sound like a long time, keep in mind that six weeks was all Shaun Alexander missed in 2006 after breaking his foot. Many point to that injury as the beginning of the end for the former league MVP, who is currently unemployed after being released by the Seahawks in April.
While such a rapid fall from grace would be extremely unlikely for Tomlinson, one has to at least consider the possibility that the now 29-year old running back won't bounce right back from this injury.
Could it be a sign of things to come? Could the problem continue to linger on the way Alexander's foot issue seemed to?
At 6/1 odds (+600) to win the 2009 Super Bowk, the San Diego Chargers could be a steal.
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Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
Originally published July 28, 2008 2:38 pm EST
