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If you were thinking about betting on the Arizona Cardinals to win the 2009 NFC Championship and ultimately the Super Bowl, payout odds are the best and as we learned last year with the New York Giants, betting on the big underdog can sometimes be rewarding. Make no mistake about it, the Cardinals are the big underdog among the four teams playing this weekend.
"It's understandable," commented Gambling911.com's own Don Shapiro. "All the historic stats point to the Eagles beating Arizona handily."
The head-to-head history alone shows that Philadelphia has gone 3-1 over the last 4 games.
Two of the most remarkable stats of all: The Eagles on the money line (winning outright) are 10-2 in the last three seasons when coming off a division game while they are 17-3 Against The Spread off a division game in the last three seasons.
But last week's unprecedented blowout on the road against a very solid Carolina Panthers team showed that these are not the same Arizona Cardinals we grew up with. Okay, these are not the same Cardinals we were watching last year or even earlier in the regular season.
Andrew Bagnato of the Associated Press put it this way: Now that the Cardinals are one win away from their first Super Bowl, it only seems fair to give the line credit for keeping oft-injured quarterback Kurt Warner in one piece. With time to throw the ball, Warner has put together one of the best seasons in his stellar career.
"We've been protecting Kurt all year, we've obviously put up (offensive) numbers, and we take big pride in that," guard Reggie Wells said after practice Friday. "We're obviously no stranger to negativity around here, but that's just the way it is around here. This group has never really bought into all that. We know what kind of talent we have and what kind of group we have. We've been consistent all year."
The line has helped the Cardinals shift from a pass-first offense to a more balanced attack in playoff wins over Atlanta and Carolina, which doubled the franchise's postseason victory total, Bagnato points out.
Reed Albergotti of the New York Times has even reported on how Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald might have some type of super natural powers - at least that is how he seemingly explains how Fitzgerald catches footballs with his eyes closed.
Mr. Fitzgerald's acrobatics are the talk of the NFL. They have also stirred up a mystery: in photographs, Mr. Fitzgerald can often be seen doing something almost unfathomable: making catches with his eyes closed. "I don't understand it myself," he says.
For Mr. Fitzgerald, this means that after scanning a newly thrown ball with his quiet eye, he turns on the microprocessor in his head and downloads every similar pass he's seen until he's made a calculation about where this ball is likely to land. Mr. Fitzgerald may have a better mental computer than most NFL receivers.
Whether Superman - along with quarterback Kurt Warner - can help Arizona overcome amazing odds remains to be seen. The reward will be a cool $500 for every $100 bet should they go on to win the 2009 Super Bowl at SBG Global
Remember, Gambling911.com is reporting around the clock to bring you the latest 2009 Conference Championship betting odds coverage.
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
