By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com
I'm in the beginning stages of preparing for my first NFL season as a beat reporter. So where did I start? Same place as any sportswriter: with the Las Vegas odds, obviously.
I was not stunned to learn that the Redskins check in as long shots -- 60 to 1, to be exact -- to win Super Bowl XLVII, according to the most recent odds.
Not great. But, hey, at least they're not the Jags, whose odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy are 125 to 1. Or the Browns and Colts, each of whom are currently 80 to 1.
And it's better than it was when the lines opened not too long after the Super Bowl. The Redskins were 75 to 1 to win it all then. Although we don't know for sure, I have to think that the acquisition of that new quarterback, that kid who goes by RG3, has something to do with that. I have to doubt that the signing of Brandon Meriweather could move the needle like that.
Within the NFC East, the 'Skins rank last, which is not all that surprising given last year's 5-11 record and the fact that they're starting a rookie quarterback. The Giants and Eagles, meantime, are both 12 to 1, while the Cowboys are 20 to 1.
Is this the wrong place to remind folks that Vegas bookmakers are, generally speaking, pretty good at their jobs?
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