NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year on Bodog

Here's a new set of NFL player proposition bets on Bodog.

Who will the the 2007-08 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?

Patrick Willis - 7/1
Gaines Adams - 8/1
Jamaal Anderson - 12/1
Lawrence Timmons - 12/1
Anthony Spencer - 12/1
LaRon Landry - 14/1
Adam Carriker - 15/1
Amobi okoye - 18/1
Darrelle Revis - 18/1
Paul Posluszny - 18/1
Brandon Merriweather - 20/1
Jarvis Moss - 22/1
Reggie Nelson - 25/1
Justin Harrell - 30/1
Michael Griffin - 30/1
Aaron Ross - 30/1
Ikaika Alma-Francis - 30/1
Jon Beason - 30/1
Alan Branch - 35/1
David Harris - 35/1
Leon Hall - 40/1
Victor Abiamiri - 50/1
Field (Any Other Player) - 4/1

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Defensive ends make good rookie of the year candidates. First of all, you can easily measure the impact of a pass rusher. Tally up the sacks and you have a good, though incomplete, picture of the contribution a defensive end is making. That's easy for the media to wrap its collective brain around. If one kid gets 10 dramatic sacks, he's a candidate for rookie of the year.

Two, pass rushing is an athletic skill. Sure, there are techniques to learn. Some players need to gain strength or quickness to fully realize their potential. But a natural pass rusher doesn't have to learn the defensive scheme to contribute to the team. Some pass rushers hit the ground running.

Julius Peppers and Jevon Kearse are a couple of DE rookies of the year in the last ten years. So if you are betting on a guy, look at one of these fellows as the prototype for what to bet on. You can either go the Peppers route, the quick yet overpowering type; or you can go the Jevon Kearse type, the fellow so quick that offensive tackles have trouble adjusting to him.

THE DE CANDIDATES

Gaines Adams, Jamaal Anderson and Jarvis Moss have potential to win the award. Adams is considered the most talented DE in the draft, mainly because he combines pass rushing ability with a larger frame than Jarvis Moss or Anthony Spencer. Gaines Adams probably fits the mould of Julius Peppers, in this regard.

Jarvis Moss is more in the way of a Jevon Kearse. He is a pure pass rusher going to a perennial playoff contender in Denver. The Broncos are like the Cowboys; their defense is considered talented, but needs a better pass rush. If Moss is the difference maker, he could be a Rookie of the Year candidate on a playoff contender.

LINEBACKERS

Six of the last seven NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year awards have gone to linebackers. If you look for the best bet among these selections, choose a linebacker.

Americans have a love affair with the linebacker. The linebacker is the quintessential defensive football player. He's the big, tough guy in the middle of the field, terrorizing quarterbacks, running down running backs and ambushing receivers crossing over the middle.

When choosing one of these guys, there are two options: the pass rusher and the tackling machine.

Pass rushing OLB's like Terrell Suggs and Shawn Merriman have won in recent years. If you are looking for that type of player, consider Anthony Spencer of the Dallas Cowboys.

THE CASE FOR ANTHONY SPENCER

Mel Kiper is Spencer as the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Spencer will need to learn the other skills to make him a complete oLB in the 3-4, but he's a natural pass rusher. Placed opposite Demarcus Ware in Wade Phillips' defensive scheme, and you have a kid who could collect a lot of sacks. The Dallas defense showed promise in the first half of the season last year, but fell apart when Greg Ellis went down with injury. Many think the Cowboys D has the talent to be special, but needs a better pash rush to cover up Roy Williams' deficiencies in coverage. If Spencer is that man, he could be Rookie of the Year.

If you are looking for a tackling machine, there are several of those on the list. Paul Posluszny should start in Game 1, due to the fact the Bills let most of their linebacking corps go in free agency. Posluszny fell in the draft due to lower production in his senior year, but this was due to a position change and injuries. When healthy and in the right position along the Bills front seven, I predict he will become a fan and media favorite.

The Bills lost a lot in the offseason, so they might be behind a lot this year, too. If that's the case, then teams will run it a lot to run out the clock. That means a lot of tackles for the Bills linebackers and safeties. Demeco Ryans is the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year as a backer for the Houston Texans, based mainly off of the same dynamic.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Cornerbacks and safeties are a little like defensive ends. Due to the interception stats, they have a measurable which can help them as rookie of the year candidates. This is especially true of cornerbacks, though many of them struggle in their first look at the NFL.

Rookie corners are usually picked on by offenses. Quarterbacks like to test the new guys. That means rookie cornerbacks could wilt under the pressure, or have lots of chances for interceptions.

Look at Darrelle Revis. If he's really the most talented corner in this draft, he could be in a great spot for rookie of the year consideration. He's in New York City, so if the Jets have another strong year and Revis makes a couple of dramatic interceptions at the right time, he could be touted. The problem is, Revis is going to play in a division full of big play receivers. Rookies tend to have difficulties in coverage, so I wouldn't spend too much money on this, but the New York factor should always be considered as a tiebreaker.

REGGIE NELSON

A few of the safeties have solid chances. Reggie Nelson is my favorite, because he will be a Day 1 starter on one of the strongest defenses in the league. That means Nelson should be protected from some of the ordeals a rookie goes through. He should be freed up to roam the field looking for big hits and bigger interceptions.

All in all, though, I wouldn't bet on a d-back as rookie of the year. It has been 1998 with Charles Woodson since a defensive back has won this award. Only three in the past twenty years has won. It's just a bad bet.

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year on Bodog