posted August 7, 2007 at 18:52 in NFL Articles

The NFL betting season kicks into gear Thursday night with the real start of the NFL preseason. The Indianapolis Colts’ Super Bowl defense doesn’t officially begin until the regular season, but bettors get their first look at the Colts on Thursday when they take on the Dallas Cowboys.

The Colts still have a championship-caliber offense, but their defense remains suspect. As long as Peyton Manning has Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to rely on, Indianapolis should have no trouble scoring. Dominic Rhodes used his impressive Super Bowl performance to earn a nice payday in Oakland, so Joseph Addai will be carrying the full load this season after splitting the carries with Rhodes during his rookie year.

The Colts’ big guns likely won’t see much action on Thursday, but rookie Anthony Gonzalez could get some game time to evaluate his talent. The Colts’ defense lost linebacker Cato June and corners Nick Harper and Jason David, which could hamper an already-questionable squad. The Colts’ backup QBs should get in as much work as they can in the preseason, because unless Manning gets hurt during the regular season they’ll be watching from the sidelines all year long.

The Cowboys are back in Super Bowl-or-bust mode after upgrading their offensive line and defense during the offseason. Leonard Davis could be a nice addition to the O-line if he finally lives up to his potential, while safety Ken Lucas should shore up what was a shaky secondary at times last season.

New head coach Wade Phillips should also be a big boost for the defense’s pass rush attack. The offense will be Tony Romo’s from the start this season and he’s surrounded by talent, starting with Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn and ending with Julius Jones and Marion Barber. Glenn won’t be in the lineup Thursday after having his knee scoped a few weeks ago, while Owens could also be held out after having an MRI on his ailing back earlier in the week. Romo played a ton during the preseason last year, but don’t expect a repeat of that this year now that he’s the starter.

The early NFL odds for this game set the hometown Cowboys as a 3.5-point favorite, but once the backups and third-stringers enter the fray this game could easily go either way. When the Cowboys and Colts clashed last season (with the starters in from start to finish), Dallas came away with a 21-14 win as a 1-point home underdog.

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