NFL Thoughts: Week 2 in the AFC

Since they're were no cross conference games this past week I'll post the AFC today and the NFC tomorrow or Wednesday.

Broncos/Chiefs
If the Broncos are 0-2 with the way Plummer is playing then I might be tempted to agree with the entire Denver area which is begging for Jay Cutler right now. But they're not winless anymore. They managed at least one win with Plummer reverting back to his Arizona form. You'll notice I said managed. That means you sucked donkeys but you still won. But hey you know, maybe Plummer will hit his stride soon. For his health and well being he'd better. I think I saw a crazed woman in the stands with a John Elway jersey and a sign that read "Jake I know where you live". She probably doesn't want a date. These people want a strong armed gun slinger and Plummer doesn't fit the bill. Unfortunately for Jake it doesn't get any easier as they play the Pats on the road next, then get a bye and a whole week to ruminate if things don't go well against Brady and co. , then they get the suddenly resurgent Baltimore Ravens. So cheers Jake. If he can survive that gauntlet Oakland comes to town in week 6 and then it's part-ay time. On another note, the Bell/Bell RB tandem is really bugging me. When stats are listed or the announcer says "Bell for 5 yards, I'm not exactly who they are talking about. I shouldn't have to deal with that kind of an inconvenience should I?
--As far as the Chiefs play in this game, I mean what can you say? Their offense was worse than Denver's. They have Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez. That's it. And if you only have two weapons and you don't or can't use one of them (Gonzalez, 2 catches 7 yards) then you're pretty much screwed. But at least their defense came to play. That's a bonus especially in K.C. where defense has been about as sharp as George Bush's vocabulary skills.


Bills/Dolphins
Speaking of QBs who are getting booed. How about Culpepper's performance in this game? The stat sheet says he threw for 250 yards. But man was that an ugly 250. Apparently some fans were even chanting Joey Harrington's name near the end. Please. Culpepper's been bad but believe me Miami fans you don't want any part of Joey Harrington as your starter. Still Culpepper is destroying many people's confidence and predictions of a successful comeback (hand raised) along with any hopes at a division title. On the bright side I thought Ronnie Brown played really well. He looks good running and catching the ball.
Maybe we should give some credit to a scrappy Buffalo team. Their offense hasn't looked great but it hasn't given the games away either. And their defense has been awesome so far. The Bills might just be that non-playoff team that nobody wants to play this year.


Patriots/Jets
Jet's WR Jerricho Cotchery hands down wins best catch of the day. His 71 yard TD reception is a little like my bedroom skills. Pure magic. Coles TD catch was pretty fun to watch as well. All in all a pretty entertaining second half. Brady rules though. I'm actually wondering if I ought to release some of my hate and anger for the guy and start to appreciate one of the best QBs to come around in a while. ..... Or not.



Bengals/Browns
The Colts comparisons are obvious. The Bengals throw the ball really well just like their Indy pals. Palmer to me is one of the top 3 quarterbacks in the game now. The Bengals and Colts are very similar in another more disturbing way. They're leaving their star QB in the game too damn long. Exactly what the hell are Marvin Lewis and Tony Dungy thinking? Both games are blowouts and yet halfway through the 4th quarter Palmer and Manning are still in there flinging it. Lewis especially is an idiot with Palmer coming off knee surgery. I could care less about running up the score. This isn't high school. Nobody cares about hurt feelings in the NFL. But what a smart head coach ought to be worried about is their franchise going into the toilet because of a stupid injury in garbage time. The only thing I can figure is Dungy and Lewis each have their own guy as their starting QB in a fantasy league. Other than that there is no reason for them to be playing at that point in the game. ....Well alrighty then. I'm glad I got that off my chest.



Chargers/Titans
I'm not sure what to think of the Chargers. The defense has obviously been great. And they will still probably be great when they actually play an NFL team this year. So far the Titans and Raiders don't qualify. But at least Rivers actually threw the ball this week. And he looked good doing it. Will he do it against better competition? I'm optimistic about it. I like the Chargers. Any team with a bolt of lightning on the side of their helmet is fun to root for.
As far as the Titans are concerned; what did Volek do to piss Jeff Fisher off? I mean it must be a real doozy. Like urinating in front of his wife or stealing Fisher's Snickers bar before practice (as if he didn't know you just don't steal something so satisfying). It can't be because he couldn't play better than Collins because of course he could. This is mystifying. Vince Young will probably be starting a little sooner than expected. All because Volek can't buy his own damn candy bar....or pee out of sight of the coach's wife....or well...you pick a theory.



Ravens/Raiders
The Ravens should have won this game by even more than they did. Because well....the Raiders are back to their old tricks. And it ain't David Copperfield stuff. It's more like those dumb ass David Blaine "look at me I'm in a block of ice for 80 days" type tricks. It's getting ugly in Oakland. Aaron Brooks' injury will be a good excuse to start Andrew Walter although there is absolutely no offensive hope in Oakland right now. Just read their team's post game comments. And boy does Art Shell looks clueless. Is it any wonder coaches turned this job down right and left. It's like asking someone if it would be alright to give them an STD. The answer should be "thanks for the offer but I'm currently virus/Al Davis free and I'd like to stay that way". You'd have to be crazy to work for this organization. Judging by Shell's in-game demeanor, he qualifies.


Colts/Texans
It's the same old story here. The Colt's kick the Texans' asses and Payton stays in the game too long. I've already ranted about this aspect in the Bengals section so I'll spare you. I will say that the Colt's running game looked better this week. After watching Addai have a decent game here I'm thinking the Colts need to start feeding him the ball more. I'm also thinking Payton Manning has entered Donovan McNabb Chunky Soup territory. In other words Payton we're sick of your goofy commercials and it's only two weeks into the season. Is this a preemptive strike to get us mesmorized by his acting ability and forget about his playoff ability? Damn he's a sneaky bastard.

Jags/Steelers
Prior to seeing this I thought it had the look of being defensive and ugly. It lived up to it's billing. I know it's early but this season so far has the potential to have a league populated with defensive powerhouses that will shut you down. The Jags and Steelers are on the list along with the Ravens, Chargers, and of course the Bears headlining the group. But the entire NFC East has the potential to dominate defensively along with Seattle, Buffalo and Miami. For an fan of unadulterated offense this does not bode well. Thank heavens for Manning, Brady, Palmer, Tomlinson, and all those who would break this evil wall down.

College Football Thoughts Part 1

I'll be brief. Irish loss: good. Miami loss: even better. Boston College win: frustrating. I'm having trouble really getting into the college games this year. Give me a couple more weeks and I'll care a little bit more.

NFL Picks: Week 2

I didn't do this last year but I think for this season I'll post my pre-game picks. It's an invitation for public ridicule to be sure, but a little humiliation never hurt anyone. I missed posting my picks last week due to a business trip. The picks I got wrong ( made in my head but never made it to the blog) were Miami, Carolina, Washington, Tennessee, & Dallas. Sure you don't know if I'm lying or not but it's my blog so I'm posting the results in my record for the season anyway. I picked the obvious ones that most everyone else did based on their opponent in the first week. Indy, New England, Philly, Seattle, Cincinnati, Chicago, Arizona, and San Diego just weren't brain stumpers. The other games like Baltimore, St. Louis, New Orleans, were more of a crap shoot but I guessed right.

Season record: 11-5

So onto Week 2:

Panthers over the Vikings
a tough win on the road will have everyone hopping back on the bandwagon.

Dolphins over the Bills
Miami pulls it together for an entire game this time .

Giants over the Eagles
It won't be pretty but the Giants get a must win with Seattle looming next week

Saints over the Packers
Bush will give us a spectacular play and Favre will be frustrated again.

Colts over the Texans
Next

Chicago over Detroit
Detroit's defense looked great last week. But Chicago's D is still better.

Cincinnati over Cleveland
The battle for orange supremacy goes to the Tiger stripes.

Bucs over the Falcons
I'm going to go with the rebound game here for Gruden's crew.

Ravens over the Raiders
This has blowout written all over it

Seahawks over the Cardinals
After last week's performances by both teams I'm tempted to take the redbirds. But I won't.

Rams over the 49ers
This week we'll actually see a TD by the Rams.

Chargers over the Titans
Maybe this week Marty will take the training wheels off Rivers.

Patriots over the Jets
Last week was nice. But Brady shreds the Jets this week.

Broncos over the Chiefs
Plummer rebounds and silences the cries for Cutler for at least a week.

Cowboys over the Redskins
I 've got to take the Cowboys at home especially if Portis is not playing or not 100%. Then again the Skins pulled the upset at Dallas last year.

Jaguars over the Steelers
The Jags are home and win in a squeaker.

NFL Thoughts: Week 1

First let me say that my 1st trip to NYC was quite an experience. Living in rural Utah doesn't give this country boy much of a chance to experience mass humanity in all it's glory. New York is dirty, smelly, horribly overcrowded and pretty damn loud. So of course I loved it! I sluffed most of my business meetings and hit all the required tourist spots. I even caught a Mets game. Now that I'm back home, I'm pretty much going through sensory deprivation. Everything is so freaking quiet here that I feel like screaming "hey I'm walking here!" at the next person that even gets close to me at work tomorrow.

As I mentioned, I missed all the games on Sunday except for the Giants/Colts circus that I recorded and then watched when I got home (I'm in the doghouse for that incidentally....apparently proper homecoming etiquette with the wife you haven't seen for 6 days involves something other than watching football at 1 a.m. ......was I really supposed to know that when she told me she was looking forward to sleeping with me, she actually meant I was supposed to fall asleep with her after our "getting reacquainted session" (that's sex for the erotically impaired) ? Please! I had a football game to watch! Anyway I caught other game highlights the next morning and read what I could. I saw about half of the two Monday night games as well. Here are my abbreviated thoughts for my abbreviated look at the first week.


Colts/Giants
So at least we know where the constipated looks come from with the Manning Brothers. Mom and Dad Manning put on a pretty nice display of pained expressions Sunday night. What a horrible experience they had to endure. I mean wow, two of their multi-millionaire starting QB kids had to play each other. I just want to give them a hug. Or kick them in their private parts. I haven't decided yet. Pretty good game though. The Giants were robbed with the pass interference call near the end of the game. Nice to know the officiating crews picked right up where they left off last year. Also, a couple of other thoughts I had while watching this thing. 1. Tiki Barber still looks great. He should be in any discussion concerning the top running back in the league 2. The Colts had better figure out their running game. Last year's run-pass ratio was pretty nice for them. True they choked in the playoffs but their regular season game plans were right on. They'll need a ground game eventually.


Dolphins/Steelers
I was surprised that Batch didn't totally blow chunks. Just goes to show you that sometimes a really good team can survive a less than average QB---temporarily. I'm not ready to give up on Culpepper figuring out he used to be good. He has a good enough team that he doesn't have to win it by himself. He just can't lose it by himself by throwing costly interceptions.


Saints/Browns
McAllister and Bush are going to give New Orleans a powerful rushing attack. With one of my favorite QB's on board now (Brees), I finally have a team in the NFC South that I will honestly root for every week.


Jets/Titans
Collins, Volek, Young? None will provide the answer this year. On the flip side, is Pennington back to 2002 form? I'm wary. Don't get too excited yet Jets fans....except over the fact that you no longer have Herm Edwards.



Rams/Broncos
How many times do we need to be reminded that the 1st week of the season is no time to over-react? Plummer's not done yet. Before Cutler is anointed by Denver, the Snake needs a chance to show that last year's solid season was no fluke. As far as the Rams are concerned,...they need to be concerned. Where the hell are the touchdowns? I'm happy for Jeff Wilkins. I mean, I was a kicker in high school (no smirking allowed) and I would have killed for a day like that. Well maybe not killed...that's a bit strong....but I would have at least beat a few cheerleaders senseless for a six field goal performance. But seriously, I liked the game Steven Jackson had running the ball and I loved the defensive performance. Still, redzone production has to improve.


Seahawks/Lions
Fans who watched this in person probably demanded a refund.


Bengals/Chiefs
Trent Green's hit was unfortunate but he wasn't going to change the outcome of this game. The Chiefs have some work to do. The Bengals have to be happy with Palmer's rehabilitation and his progress so far.


Bills/Patriots
Shocker of the week for me. I would have pegged this a 35-7 blowout. Instead the Bills almost knock the Pats off. I'm speechless. Or at least I would be if you were here and I was talking. Except that would mean I wouldn't talk. So you know, like I said, speechless.


Ravens/Bucs
Another surprising game for me. Not that the Ravens won.....I actually thought they might. But that the Bucs looked so bad. In Baltimore the D is back strong and a decent QB is making them confident.


Eagles/Texans
If McNabb looks this good the rest of the season then the the rest of the NFC East is in trouble.
Still it was Houston and week 1, so again, no over-reacting. Except to say Eagles rule!. Oh wait I'm a Ram fan....Rams rule!....not overreacting...just rambling.



Cardinals/49ers
So the Cardinals can pass but not run. Edgerin James is a really good locker room guy though. He's playful and a winner. At least that's what I've read. And they have a really nice stadium. Or so I've heard. The 49ers looked pretty good against them. So either Alex Smith is really improving or the Cardinals defense really sucks. Which one would you bank on?


Bears/Packers
The Bears with some potent offense just might cause opposing team's to wet themselves. The Defense obviously is going to be good and opportunistic again. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Favre and the Packers. However, the Bears D is not the best barometer for the Packer offense. Not every defense will be that good. If the Pack stink it up against everyone else then we'll be able to ask the question that Favre is going to be asked all year long. "do you regret coming back?" And of course his reply should be, "no I just regret that one night stand with your mamma". Cause Yo Mamma jokes always play well.


Cowboys/Jaguars
I'm not a Bledsoe fan but I would say again that this is not the time to jump ship with him. Maybe Romo is the future but Drew's regular season play last year earned him a little grace period here (I can't believe I'm saying that). It's still a good team. So are the Jags. Nice Defense, and a solid QB. If Fred Taylor can stay healthy then maybe this offense can post enough points to win some more tough games like this.


Chargers/Raiders
Everyone seems to be saying that it was a good thing Philip Rivers only threw 11 times in this game. Break him in slow. Are you serious? Oakland was a gimme even if he threw a couple of picks. Why not let him throw a few more times and get into a groove (which he totally would have) and gain confidence against a bad team. He's going to need it when they play better teams. They are not going to be able to run on three straight 3rd down plays like I saw them do in this one. I hate "Marty ball". It's stupid and doesn't work in the playoffs. And by the way, Does Art Shell ever talk into his headset? Everytime something bad happened (pretty much anytime Brooks took a snap) he just stood there with a dazed expression. He sort of had that look I get when I have a really bad fart and I'm in crowded room. It's smells but you just have to get through it. Don't try to over-compensate by talking or joking. Look straight ahead and maybe no one will notice the devastation. Then again, we all notice a train wreck and the Raiders certainly qualify.


Redskins/Vikings
I'm worried about Daniel Snyder's health. The Skins can't tease him with a year like last season and then go back to business as usual (sucking) without some nasty consequences. Wait, I'm not over-reacting this week, so Daniel you just hang in there buddy because there is plenty of time left in the season to act irrational and crazy. The Vikes looked so-so which is about what I expected. Everything about them screams .500 team to me.

Oh well

Just got in from a late night flight from New York. I plan to post some thoughts on the first official week of NFL action later today or tomorrow. I can't believe I was on a plane while the first week of games were going on. What was I thinking when I planned the trip?

AFC South Predictions

Indianapolis Colts
So once again I see many experts on the major sports websites picking the Colts to win it all. It's like last year never happened. Remember the Colts were the hot pick then as well. In some ways I can understand this need/want to pick the Colts to finally do it. Their defense has come a long way in two years. I mean they have Freeney and Mathis on the D-line and Cato June will headline a group of linebackers who if not huge will at least be quick. The secondary has Bob Sanders who is in that Roy Williams, Sean Taylor "leave em convulsing" vein as a safety. It's the offense that worries me. Weird huh? Payton will be his usual self and rack up a ton of yards and TDs. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne will be great as well. And their running game won't suffer that much of a drop without James. Payton may get sacked a few more times (James was good at picking up blitzes) but still they'll score enough points to win games during the season. So what's the problem then you ask? To that I would say, have you not watched each of the Colt's elimination games the last few years? Manning has looked terrible. He is truly a head case in the playoffs. I simply can't accept that he is the best QB in the land when he tends to stink when it counts. And believe me I want to. I root for the Colts every year. After my Rams, the Colts are probably the team I have watched the most and cheered for the most. After the Rams , they are probably the team that has pissed me off the most as well. So until Manning shows the cojones of Tom Brady (may he and his Patriots rot in hell), I just can't believe in the power of the horseshoe.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: AFC Championship game and a suicide watch for Manning afterwards



Jacksonville Jaguars
I hope the Jags really make some noise this year. I like them as a team and I want to pick them for a Wild Card but I think that the Ravens or the Dolphins will just slip by them for that final spot. They look great again on defense with linebacker Mike Peterson leading a very tough group. Their offense will need to show they can score more points this year though. Jimmy Smith is no longer a safety valve for Leftwich. And speaking of Lord Byron (as some in the Jacksonville fan base have at times called him), I think he is getting better as a QB and has ended any mini-QB controversy that may have been there last season. I was one of those people that wanted to see if backup QB David Garrard could do better. Garrard has had plenty of opportunity to show his stuff and has blown chunks. Leftwich is the man and he has some promising rookies that could develop in TE Mercedes Lewis and RB Maurice Drew. Still, like last year the offense will be inconsistent at times and ultimately doom them.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: Just miss



Tennessee Titans
It's not a good omen for a season when Kerry Collins can be brought in just before the real action starts and become your starter. At least I'm guessing like everyone else that he might be the starter at some point. Volek must have really pissed Fisher off. Some think Vince Young could see action this season. I'm holding off on that one but realistically, although talented, the offense doesn't inspire a lot of confidence right now. I do like Givens and Bennett at WR and Troupe and Kinney at TE but I'm not sure their backfield is going to be as good as people think. Chris Brown and Travis Henry have been inconsistent at times and Lendale White needs some more carries to see what he can do. Defensively they are average and pretty much all people remember last year about them was overblown clips of Pac-man Jones getting burned. Defensive backs should never be loudmouths because it doesn't matter how good you are, with rules favoring receivers, you will get burned at times. Champ Bailey gets burned too but you don't see him getting scorched in the press for it like Jones did last year. Just a thought.

Division Prediction: 3rd
Playoff Prediction: Another year at home



Houston Texans
The sack stat is the key here. Will it haunt them like last season (68 sacks)? If the O-line improves, which I think they will slightly, then Carr may actually get the ball out of his hands. I would say this is his make-or-break year. If he doesn't show significant improvement then he is going the way of Joey Harrington. Of course they should have taken Bush, but they didn't, and they will now have to live with Wali Lundy or newly acquired Ron Dayne as their starter at tailback (Davis injured and Antowain Smith cut). Yeah I had never heard of Lundy either. Glad that Mario Williams thing is working out so well. Actually that's not really fair. Hey Williams could become a sack monster and revitalize their defense. Or he could end up being the biggest bust ever while he watches Reggie Bush zoom all over the field and pick up endorsement contracts. So you know, no pressure.

Division Prediction: 4th
Playoff Prediction: looking to the draft again

AFC West Predictions

Denver Broncos
Is Mike Shanahan arrogant to the point of recklessness when it comes to his running game? Is Dick Cheney a lousy shot? Yes and Yes. How else do explain letting Portis and Mike Anderson go, and then telling us that rookie Mike Bell is going to start over veteran Tatum Bell who had 921 yards last year and a freaking 5.3 yards per carry! He's convinced it's his system and with the right type of runner (no-name or not) he can get the production he's looking for. And you know what?, Mr. Freaky eyes may just have something. I mean how can I question the results? It's worked so far. What I don't get is why more teams don't copy the Broncos zone blocking. Anyway, if Jake Plummer has another regular season like he did last year, Denver should cruise to another Division title. Their defense is going to be really good with great linebackers and a solid secondary, so if Mr. Snake can keep the turnovers down like he did last year, the Broncos are going to be good again.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: They'll make it to the 2nd playoff weekend



San Diego Chargers
Make no mistake about it, the San Diego Chargers are loaded as a team. Look at the players they have with Tomlinson, Gates, Merriman, etc. Had Brees not torn up his shoulder and had they then decided to keep him, I would be probably picking this team for the Super Bowl. But all that didn't happen and being a Drew Brees fan I am of course a little skeptical of the team's chances this year. But you know what, maybe Philip Rivers will be as good as Brees was the past couple of years or even better as they all hope and pray. Maybe he becomes exactly what they need to take it to the next level. He has what Ben Roethlisberger had when he was a first year starting QB and had success; namely a great team around him and a favorable schedule. He would be bucking the odds and that ultimately is the clincher for me. I think he needs another year before he will be able to deliver as needed. The problem with that of course is that the rest of the team is ready now.

Division Prediction: 2nd
Playoff Prediction: maybe next year



Kansas City Chiefs
First of all I don't like Herm Edwards as a coach. Nothing personal but I jut think he sucks. His slimebag exit from the Jets was on par with a Larry Brown move. Not very endearing. I don't think this team will challenge for the playoffs this year. Their defense is suspect, Trent Green is looking worse with each season and with offensive lineman abandoning ship in droves towards retirement (well, ok only two have retired but I tend to exaggerate every now and then. sue me) it's not a given that Larry Johnson will have the same success he had last season. Although I really hope Dante Hall recaptures some of his kick return magic from a couple of seasons ago.

Division Prediction: 3rd
Playoff Prediction: nope



Oakland Raiders
A couple of big problems with this team. First Al Davis is still alive and owns this team. Wait, scratch that. I'm happy Al is still kicking. Seriously. He was a very innovative owner in his time. At least that's the impression I got from a Sportcentury documentary I watched on ESPN this summer. He was a maverick, an out of the box thinker, a pretty cool guy. But now he's like 150 (sorry exaggerating again) and somebody more in tune with the times should be running this team. The other problem is the infamous Aaron Brooks. He giveth and he taketh away. I'm betting Randy Moss blows up over a lack of balls coming his way or over his head, or into the other team's arms, etc. Raider fans prepare. I like Lamont Jordan but he's got to average over 4 yards a carry this year for the Raiders to stick with him. With a defense that has some speed but lots of inexperience they are going to struggle against decent offenses. I feel bad for Art Shell. He's a good guy and actually did a good job coaching the Raiders in his last stint, but this season is going to give him ulcers. He may kick it before Al.

Division Prediction: last
Playoff Prediction: not for a while

AFC North Predictions

Pittsburgh Steelers
I doubted the Steelers all the way to the Super Bowl last year and they really gave me the finger. A Super Bowl ring finger to boot. I've learned my lesson. Kind of. I don't think they'll win it all but I am going to pick them to win this division. They still are stacked on defense and the offensive line. They may miss Bettis in short yardage situations but again that offensive line will open up some holes even for Parker or Staley. Roethlisberger is solid and they are well coached. It won't be easy but I think they'll be seeing the playoffs again.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: One and done



Baltimore Ravens
I'm picking the Ravens to take a Wild Card spot based solely on Steve McNair. That might be just a little crazy but I'm sticking to it. They still have a tough defense led by Ed Reed and Ray Lewis and if McNair can stay healthy (it's a big if I know) and their running game can get back to business after taking a year off then they will be a tough team to play. This may not be the smart pick for a Wild Card but didn't we already establish that I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed? (Just don't call me a hoe). My gut tells me it may just be the Ravens year to do something. Well.....it's either that or just some really bad pizza that hasn't settled yet.

Division Prediction: 2nd
Playoff Prediction: Wild Card game



Cincinnati Bengals
After watching the Bengals dismantle the Packers on Monday it would seem fairly silly not to pick them for the playoffs. Hell they may be a Super Bowl team this year. And on paper it's the right pick. Except Carson Palmer's knee is not on paper, it's on the field week after week. I just think one of these feel good, miraculous comeback stories from the offseason (Brees, Culpepper, Palmer, etc.) has got to end badly. Wouldn't the odds say one of these guys will have some bad luck and get reinjured? So I rolled the dice with McNair staying healthy for the Ravens and I'm betting that the opposite happens for Palmer. If he's healthy then the Bengals are going to be fine but if he misses significant time with knee swelling or reinjury then I think they are screwed. By the way, the orange socks have got to go.

Division Prediction 3rd
Playoff Prediction: Bad luck will kill them again



Cleveland Browns
This could be one of those teams that catch everybody by surprise. Crennel is a Bellichick disciple and supposedly he is installing a winning attitude again. Frye, Edwards, Winslow, Green, and Droughns have shown flashes of talent on offense but will they become scary? I'm not sold on their defense even with ex-pat Willie McGinest. They'll improve and maybe contend next year.

Division Prediction: last
Playoff Prediction: still looking to the future

AFC East Predictions

Two teams will compete and two teams will look again to the draft. Hopefully the Dolphins can make this division somewhat competitive this season.

New England Patriots
Look this is a no-brainer as long as Tom Brady is at the helm and the Patriots have a decent team to surround him. True, they have lost some key players in the last few years and maybe it caught up with them in the playoffs last season. I think (translated: I hope) that this will hurt the Pats again this year but the cupboard is not bare enough on either offense or defense to sink them into the abyss that that they rightfully deserve to plunge headfirst into screaming and kicking........um......moving on...(what can I say, I'm a Ram fan who has never recovered from Super Bowl XXXVI). Anyway, Brady will have another outstanding season and prove again that he is the best QB in the game. Dillon will be better than he was last year unless he is relegated to the bench by a sharp looking Laurence Maroney. But whether they share time or Maroney takes over full time, the running game is going to balance out this offense again. That's not good news for the AFC. Richard Seymour will lead a defense that won't dominate but will still be better than average. I hate to do this but I'm picking them to rebound from last year's playoff loss and win it all. Excuse me now while I go urinate on a picture of Bill Belichick.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: Super Bowl Champs



Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins used to be my AFC team of choice when Marino was around (my passing game bias again) and maybe Culpepper can spark that Dolphin love again.
I think this team is significantly better with Culpepper and as long as "getting his roll on" refers to on-field activities for him this year then he's going to make Miami fans very happy. Ronnie Brown is going to have a good year running the ball but it's the wideouts that are going to really to impress if Culpepper comes close to regaining his form. Chris Chambers enjoyed a breakout season last year with 82 catches and 1118 yards (should have happened sooner) and this year he will become a household name. They will still wreak havoc on defense with Thomas and Taylor still the headliners. They are not going to catch the Patriots but I think they see post-season action.

Division Prediction: 2nd
Playoff Prediction: Wildcard game



New York Jets
The Jets are playing QB roulette again. I'm not sure why if Pennington is healthy. I doubt he can ever be the QB he was in 2002 but I do think he deserves one more shot to prove he can be. They ought to go ahead and name him the starter already. The buzz is that Clemens could be good but even if that's true it wouldn't hurt him to ride the bench while the rebuilding offensive line gets some experience under their belt. With Curtis Martin out and Marshall Faulk gone, my two favorite running backs in the league are pretty much done. It's a little sad. With Martin's injury the Jets are really thin at RB and Kevin Barlow is not the answer. Unless someone surprises (like a Willie Parker situation) us they are going to have to rely on the QB's arm and with Pennington or any other that's pretty iffy. Defensively, Vilma is good at linebacker but since cloning him is illegal right now their D is pretty much screwed. They'll get torched.

Division Prediction: 3rd
Playoff Prediction: Hopeless


Buffalo Bills
This team would have better off sticking with Losman for the entire season in 2005. Holcomb is a backup period. He' s good backup to have but the Bills need to realize Losman is the one with talent. Whether he fulfills that talent is another question but they need to give him a chance. So he sucked at times last year, big deal. The Bills weren't going anywhere anyway and I've got news for them this year--they won't sniff the playoffs again. So for Hell's sake leave Losman as the starter for the entire year and really get an idea of whether or not to draft or trade for a QB next year. Ok then, I got that off my chest. Anyway, turning to defense; the switch to cover-2 defensive scheme will probably fit their players better but the D is still a work in progress. --As is their hunt for a playoff position.

Division Prediction: 4th
Playoff Prediction: nope

NFC South Predictions

I think this division is going to be a good one. This is it for my NFC predictions. Next week it's on to the AFC. Soon the season will be upon us and we can see how really useless pre-season predictions are. Wow that statement totally undermines everything that I'm about to write. Oh well.

Carolina Panthers
Despite losing linebacker Will Witherspoon to the Rams (yes!) the Panthers still have plenty of studs left on defense. Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Rucker, Kris Jenkins, and Julius Peppers should drive QBs crazy as a defensive line and Dan Morgan and Mike Minter headline a decent group of linebackers and defensive backs. It's really the defense that has carried this team the past few years but they will need another solid year from QB Jake Delhomme and WR Steve Smith. If DeAngelo Williams and Deshaun Foster can make their running game a threat and Keyshawn Johnson can take a little pressure off Smith then the Panthers should be fine. Then again maybe they won't. The smart thing to do would be to pick these guys for the division, maybe even the Super Bowl. But my sister tells me I'm the stupid one in the family so of course I'm picking them to miss the playoffs.

Division Prediction: 2nd
Playoff Prediction: Just Miss


Tampa Bay Bucs
I like the Bucs. I think their defense is going to be really good and their offense better than it was last year. Both Simms and Carnell Williams should take another step in their progression and they will be in the hunt for the division title right until the end. That's when Gruden's head will explode and everything gets very messy. On second thought I think I'll pick them to win the division. They were 11-5 last year and Simms is out to prove that blonde is beautiful.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: won't get to the championship game


Atlanta Falcons
Another good defense makes this southern division loaded on that side of the ball. It's the Falcons offense that worries people. What Vick will we see? An exciting runner but otherwise mediocre QB that was exhibited last year? Or the exciting runner that played pretty well two years ago and has actually improved his touch and accuracy this year? I'm hoping for the latter. Warrick Dunn is aging but still is quick as a cat and has the moves that make him dangerous. He is the most underrated running back in the game today hands down. Crumpler is solid at TE and will save Vick many times like he did last season. Unfortunately it's another season missing the playoffs for the birds.

Division Prediction: 3rd
Playoff Prediction: on their couches


New Orleans Saints
How stoked are they that the Houston Texans are dumb asses? Reggie Bush is a real coup and although the Saint's line isn't good enough for the running game to really thrive, Bush is Bush so sometimes he doesn't need a line. Deuce McAllister will get plenty of carries also and I don't care if Brees is not fully healed, he will be better than the Aaron Brooks nightmare (how Brooks continues to be a starter is one of the great mysteries of our day. Sort of like crop circles. Oh wait...haven't they been proved to be a hoax?....hey!....just like Brook's career. ---Anyway, I'm a big Drew Brees fan. If he turns out to fully recover, his departure might be the biggest mistake the Chargers have ever made. Still, the Saints have a lot of holes in their defense and other areas and despite much improvement they are still a year away from competing for the division.

Division Prediction: last
Playoffs: Maybe next year