NFL: Can Brees Shake the “Madden Curse”

Strap on the helmets boys, the NFL offseason has come to an end and pigskins are about to fly again.

Training camp draws near for a number of teams, including the defending champion New Orleans Saints, who begin prepping for the regular season on July 29 in Metarie, Louisiana.

It’s been a good offseason for many of the returning Saints, especially quarterback Drew Brees.

Brees has done the talk show circuit after leading his team to the Super Bowl back in February and more recently, he took home a number of ESPY awards.

On top of that, he was selected to be on the cover of the Madden 2011…queue the scary music…as we all know this honor can be more of a curse than anything else.

Will the “Madden Curse” strike Brees?
Online sportsbooks are weighing in on that exact question. SPORTSBETTING.com posted up a “Madden Curse” prop. Bettors can wager on whether Brees will start all 16 games this season. Currently they have Brees listed at -150 not to be the Saints’ starting QB in all 16 regular season games and on the other side, he is +120 to start each one.

Last season the New Orleans Saints’ pivot completed 70.6 percent of his passes (NFL record) for 4,388 yards with 34 TDs and a league-high 109.6 QB rating.

Brees is also a popular choice in a couple of other NFL Future betting related categories. The sports betting public have been betting that he will lead the league in passing yards this season. Last year he ranked sixth overall amongst all quarterbacks. He is listed at +400 to toss for the most yards in 2010-2011.

He is also getting action in the MVP category. Brees has odds of +1400 to be the MVP of the league. So far, he is right in the mix with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in terms of wagering volume. Manning has the most action, but Brees is second with 15% of all MVP betting on him.

As for the actual team, the Saints went 13-3 during the last regular season, jumping out to a 13-0 record before losing their final three games and would regain that winning form in the playoffs en route to a Lombardi Trophy.

What about this season?

The Saints are listed at +450 and +900 to repeat as NFC and Super Bowl champions respectively.

Saints Season Win Totals:
As for the regular season, the Over/Under on New Orleans’ regular season wins is set at 10.5.

Are the defending champs headed for another 13-win regular season?

The Saints haven’t done well against teams from within their own division, going 5-6 straight up and 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 overall vs. NFC Southerners.

The AFC division that New Orleans will be playing this season is the North and the Saints are once again on the losing end of things as they are 3-5 SU and 2-5-1 ATS in eight games against the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens  dating back to 2002.

Regardless, as you’d expect, the Saints are still the odds-on favorites to take the NFC South division, currently listed at -175.

It was a magical season for New Orleans last year, but the party is over as they start the defense of their championship.

You can check online sportsbooks for all the updated NFL Future Odds.