Las Vegas has the Chargers as a longshot to win the Super Bowl and one popular gambling site has the Bolts at 50-1. Nick Canepa of The San Diego Union-Tribune says he isn’t a gambling man, but if he were, that’s a wager he would take. Canepa doesn’t expect the possibility of a relocation to affect the locker room and he also notes that the Chargers have won without the services of Antonio Gates, who will be suspended for the first month of the season. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..
- Seahawks fans are intensely focused on Russell Wilson‘s contract situation, but the future of tackle Russell Okung is also uncertain at this time, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times writes in his latest mailbag. Okung, a first-round choice in 2010, is entering the final season of his original six-year, $48.5MM pact. So far, there has been no indication that the Seahawks are working on a new deal, meaning that it will probably wait until after the 2015 season. Okung, 28 in October, has struggled to stay healthy over the course of his career, missing 21 games in total. Last year, Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) was less than enamored with Okung’s play, giving him a slightly below average grade of -1.5.
- Earlier today, Wilson conducted a Q&A at The Rock Church in California (YouTube link) and fielded a wide range of questions, including one pertaining to the possibility of playing baseball. When asked which sport he prefers, the Seahawks quarterback simply replied, “Both.” When asked if he will ever play both, Wilson responded: “I have no idea..I believe if anybody could do it, I could. And I believe God’s put me…gave me the ability to do it. I’ve done it my whole life.”
- Six Broncos players who have started games for the team are poised for unrestricted free agency at season’s end, as Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com notes. That list includes Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller, who was John Elway’s first selection on the job when he was taken No. 2 overall in the 2011 draft. 2013 was a struggle for Miller, beginning with a six-game suspension for attempting to cheat a drug test and ending with a torn ACL that ended his year early. However, advanced metrics suggested that Miller was far and away the best 4-3 outside linebacker in the league, even in that down year. In 2014, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Miller as the No. 2 4-3 OLB in the league, right behind Oakland standout Khalil Mack. Back in November, PFR’s Luke Adams evaluated Miller as an extension candidate.
I recall the Chargers having 40-to-1 odds for the Super Bowl at this time last year, which I thought at the time was a good bet. A slew of injuries derailed their 2014 season, and I’m a little less confident in this year’s version, with some key players gone and Gates suspended. But the Broncos don’t look as tough as they were a couple years ago, and if Rivers doesn’t have a new extension in place soon, he’ll be very motivated to have a big season in a contract year. It certainly wouldn’t shock me to see them win the AFC West.