Betfair.net

There is a game that is jumping out at me this week, which has some great football odds on offer here on Betfair. The Miami Dolphins visit the Atlanta Falcons for their opening game of the season on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.

Both teams turned under par 2007 seasons into big successes in 2008 and will be looking to prove that it was no fluke. Both teams clocked up eleven wins last season and now that the teams and organizations have had time to gel they will be looking towards post-season campaigns this time around.

Back in 2007 Atlanta were without Michael Vick who was locked up due to his dog fighting ring and new coach Bobby Petrino who left the team during the season. In 2008 under the leadership of coach Mike Smith they turned to their first round pick, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. Nobody was really expecting it, but things got much better for them from then on. Ryan put on a great display and has been brilliant ever since.

There have been plenty of personnel changes ready for this season; the Falcons have been working on their defence in particular. Tye Hill and Brian Williams step in as starting corners, Domonique Foxworth returns and the Falcons also picked up three defensive backs in their first five rounds of the draft.

Miami fans were not expecting much at all when the 2008 season started. The first couple of games saw losses and though there were obvious improvements it looked like it was going to be another bad year.

Week three saw the Dolphins visit the New England Patriots. While the Pats were weakened by the absence of Tom Brady both Pats fans and the odds makers gave Miami no chance here. Miami won, and not only that, they won in style, unveiling the Wildcat offense with devastating effect on the Patriots.

From then on they were a new team, perhaps it was just a confidence boost that was needed. New quarterback Chad Pennington soon won the hearts of fans and ended up having a great season bringing the Dolphins to 10th in the league in passing last year at 227 yards per game. New Head Coach Tony Sparano looked to have really turned things around, the season culminated in victory in the AFC East.

This season the Miami Dolphins must try to build on their success, but with a tough schedule and the Patriots back to full strength many think they will not be able to keep hold of the AFC East title, let alone make the post-season. Indeed, you can get odds of [9.0] on Miami regaining the title in the East. I am not one of these people however, and am looking for a great performance this season. A bet on the Divisional title might prove to be a good trading opportunity come mid-season.

My view on the betting in this game is that the odds on Miami to win offer great value. If they do win then it will be the last time we see the odds so high for a while. As with the divisional betting, this game offers a great trading opportunity if you like to bet that way. It is going to be a tough game for sure and probably one of the better opening games to watch.