Vegas says its the Pats - Indy will wet bed.
Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Indianapolis Colts, who vanquished the New England Patriots and won the National Football League title last season, can't beat their nemesis in Las Vegas.
The Colts are second choice with Nevada bookmakers behind the Patriots to repeat as Super Bowl winners this season. New England is listed at 5-1, Indianapolis at 11-2 and the San Diego Chargers 6-1, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which advises Nevada sports books on betting lines. A $2 winning wager on the Colts would yield an $11 profit.
Indianapolis, which was eliminated from the postseason by New England after the 2003 and 2004 seasons, beat the Patriots on Nov. 5 and again in the American Football Conference championship game. The Colts, who went on to defeat the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, probably won't win again because champions seldom repeat, Mike Seba, a senior oddsmaker at Las Vegas Sports Consultants, said in a telephone interview.
``It's just hard to be that hungry again,'' Seba said. ``It also depends on what they do in the offseason, and New England addressed all their needs.''
The Patriots added receivers Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker during the offseason. The Colts, who host the New Orleans Saints in tonight's season opener, lost key players on the offensive line and on defense.
Few Repeaters
Of the 41 Super Bowl champions, only eight were able to repeat the next year. The Patriots were the most recent, winning titles after the 2003 and 2004 campaigns to add to the championship that followed the 2001 season.
In April, they got five-time Pro Bowl selection Moss in a trade with the Oakland Raiders. Moss, 30, who was the first player in NFL history to gain more than 1,000 yards receiving each of his first six seasons, had 42 catches for 553 yards and three scores last season for the Raiders, who ranked last in total offense.
New England also signed Stallworth, who had 38 catches for 725 yards and five touchdowns with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Welker, who had 67 receptions for 687 yards and a score with the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots' leading receiver last season, Reche Caldwell, didn't make the team this year.
The Colts' Tarik Glenn, a three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman who protected quarterback Peyton Manning, retired. Cornerback Nick Harper, who had 15 interceptions in six seasons with the Colts, signed with Tennessee, and linebacker Cato June, also a Pro Bowl pick, joined Tampa Bay.