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When last season ended for the Cowboys (very disappointingly) I quickly jumped to the keyboard and wrote how I thought the Cowboys would be the team to beat now in the '08 season. Instead of giving away whether my mind has changed in the first paragraph, I think I'll wait till the end of this post... you know, build a little drama.
Last year I picked the Patriots to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. Not a shocking prediction because everyone and their mother was picking the Pats. This year's road to the playoffs will not come as easily to the Pats. The Jets may have retooled themselves this offseason, but I don't think they closed the gap enough between them and New England. Although I think the Jets are a 10+ win team and will make the playoffs, I think the Pats win the East with a 12 win season. It will be tougher than last year, but I think thats what the Patriots needs. The Bills didn't do enough to upgrade (cue Beyonce) this offseason. That offense is basically Marshawn Lynch and a whole lot of nothing. With no certifiable QB to get the ball to Lee Evans (not sold on Trent Edwards yet) they will be facing a lot of 8 man fronts. Sorry Mr. Lynch. The Dolphins will be better. They will start out slow (like most Parcells reclamation projects) but I'm sure the will be very competitive in the second half of the season.
In the AFC North I don't see the Browns as being able to overtake the Steelers. In fact I think they will miss the playoff again. They don't have enough on defense to run with the big boys yet. If Pittsburgh can get their o-line straightened out they could be the second best team in the AFC. The Bengals are in the same boat as the Browns. Great offense, porous defense. Must be something in that Ohio water. The Ravens will battle, but this is really a transition, rebuilding season for them.
The AFC South I think will be the most competitive division in the AFC. I think they can actually place 3 teams in the playoffs. Two of these teams (Colts and Jags) have a legitimate shot to go all the way. The Colts and Jags will battle for first place all season. They are more similar than most people think. High powered offense, fast defense. The area where the Colts blow the Jags away is in gamebreaking receivers. That will be the difference between those squads. I mean who would you rather throw to. Harrison, Wayne, Gonzalez and Clark or Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis. Easy pick for me. If Manning is health the Colts will have the best record in the conference. The third team from the South I think will make the playoffs are the Houston Texans. I think they made huge strides last year and are poised to make a wild card run. I think they are a year or two from making real noise, but I think they make the leap to playoff team in 08. The Titans while being competitive and well coached (love Jeff Fisher) will miss the playoffs in the stacked AFC.
The AFC is a one team conference, The Chargers. There is a huge dropoff after them. On paper they are the most talented team in the AFC, but they have so many injury questions its hard for me to pick them to make a deep run come January. They will run away with this conference and make the playoffs, but I don't see them making a lot of noise. The Broncos will be competitive but fall short of the playoffs. The Raiders will be a .500 team with their easy schedule and new offensive star in McFadden. The Chiefs have a shot at being the worst team in the AFC. Too many question marks and unproven players.
Now onto the NFC...
The NFC East is the toughest division in football. All 4 of these teams could conceivably make the playoffs and a deep run. My guess are that only two teams will make it out of the East. The Dallas Cowboys should win the East and have about 13 or 14 wins. They have the look of the 95 Cowboys to me. The thought the Giants had a serious shot at defending their title and then injuries decimated them. The Redskins should be fun to watch under Jim Zorn and while they will compete I think they just fall short of the playoffs to the Eagles. That is of course if the Eagles can stay healthy. A big if. A veteran team that is not very deep could be in serious trouble if anyone goes down. I think they make the playoffs behind the play of Westbrook and McNabb.
The other conference to place two teams in the big dance should be the NFC North. Everyone's sexy playoff pick is the Vikings. I to think they will make the playoffs, but I think they will come in second place in the North. I'm not ready to believe that mistake prone Tavaris Jackson is ready to lead a team to the playoffs. While the running game is magical, and the defense is improved I still don't think they can overtake the Packers. The Packers had the youngest team in the league last year and were an interception away from making the Super Bowl. Even with Aaron Rodgers taking over for the great one, I don't thin the Packers miss a beat. They have a bevy of young talented receivers and tightends and a young stud back which should help ease Rodgers development. The hardhitting defense also remains in tact. All of which will make for an uphill battle for the Vikings. The Bears and Lions are both about a year away. Both are trying to infuse a new back into the offense and should hover around .500 ball. The Bears do have lots of studs coming back from injury on the defensive side of the ball. If those guys can stay healthy and if the Eagles slip up don't be surprised to see a playoff run by Chicago.
The Saints should win the NFC South. I think they have all the pieces in place to be a top team in the NFC. Strong O, improving D, great young coach. They should be fun to watch. It will be important for them to avoid a slow start like last year. The Panthers and Bucs should both play well but barely miss out on the playoffs. Both have strong defenses but question marks on offense. The Falcons should be competitive, but are definitely a few years away. I think they might have the worst record in the NFC, but they will play hard and be fun to watch.
The West has a bunch of teams with question marks. The Seahawks should win the division. The Cards, Rams and Niners are all toss ups. I think the Cards could make a run at unseating the Hawks but theyd have to be healthy and mistake free. Traits that are not typically Cardinals trademarks. Rams and Niners should both be better than last year (they both couldn't be worse than last year).
I see the Pats and Colts meeting in the AFC Championship game and the Pats just barely squeaking by the Colts to get to the Super Bowl. In the NFC, I have the Cowboys hosting the Packers and blowing them out to reach the big game. I think the Pats after being humbled by last years Super experience find a wayy to pull out a close one over the Cowboys. Pats over Boys in the Bowl, 35-31.
Now on to my other crazy predictions. Matt Ryan will infuse the Falcons with energy and be the offensive rookie of the year. He'll get more reps than McFadden, plus the Falcons need a good story at QB. Aaron Rodgers will make the Pro-Bowl. He should throw for 3,800 yards and 25 touchdowns. Vincent Jackson is poised for a breakout 1,000+ yard season. Were everyone predicted this last year, I didn't. Now with Chambers opposite him for a full season we'll see that Jackson's output during the Chargers playoff run was no fluke. Ben Utecht will prove to be a revelation at tightend for the Bengals. I think he could easily surpass 700 yards and 8 TD's. DeMarcus Ware will be the Defensive Player of the Year. Dominant player in a defensive scheme perfectly suited to his needs. Brian Westbrook will win the MVP. He does it all for Philly, and as long as he can stay healthy he could run away with this award. Now that Ted Ginn Jr. finally has a QB look for him to make a big splash with a 1,100 yard season. In the same offense, look for Ricky Williams to top 1,00 yards as well while winning the Comeback Player of the Year. Also look out for these 3 young running backs to make noise as third down backs as well as change of pace backs: Darius Walker, Tim Hightower and Felix Jones.
This should be an amazing football season. I can't wait.
Last year I picked the Patriots to beat the Bears in the Super Bowl. Not a shocking prediction because everyone and their mother was picking the Pats. This year's road to the playoffs will not come as easily to the Pats. The Jets may have retooled themselves this offseason, but I don't think they closed the gap enough between them and New England. Although I think the Jets are a 10+ win team and will make the playoffs, I think the Pats win the East with a 12 win season. It will be tougher than last year, but I think thats what the Patriots needs. The Bills didn't do enough to upgrade (cue Beyonce) this offseason. That offense is basically Marshawn Lynch and a whole lot of nothing. With no certifiable QB to get the ball to Lee Evans (not sold on Trent Edwards yet) they will be facing a lot of 8 man fronts. Sorry Mr. Lynch. The Dolphins will be better. They will start out slow (like most Parcells reclamation projects) but I'm sure the will be very competitive in the second half of the season.
In the AFC North I don't see the Browns as being able to overtake the Steelers. In fact I think they will miss the playoff again. They don't have enough on defense to run with the big boys yet. If Pittsburgh can get their o-line straightened out they could be the second best team in the AFC. The Bengals are in the same boat as the Browns. Great offense, porous defense. Must be something in that Ohio water. The Ravens will battle, but this is really a transition, rebuilding season for them.
The AFC South I think will be the most competitive division in the AFC. I think they can actually place 3 teams in the playoffs. Two of these teams (Colts and Jags) have a legitimate shot to go all the way. The Colts and Jags will battle for first place all season. They are more similar than most people think. High powered offense, fast defense. The area where the Colts blow the Jags away is in gamebreaking receivers. That will be the difference between those squads. I mean who would you rather throw to. Harrison, Wayne, Gonzalez and Clark or Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Matt Jones and Marcedes Lewis. Easy pick for me. If Manning is health the Colts will have the best record in the conference. The third team from the South I think will make the playoffs are the Houston Texans. I think they made huge strides last year and are poised to make a wild card run. I think they are a year or two from making real noise, but I think they make the leap to playoff team in 08. The Titans while being competitive and well coached (love Jeff Fisher) will miss the playoffs in the stacked AFC.
The AFC is a one team conference, The Chargers. There is a huge dropoff after them. On paper they are the most talented team in the AFC, but they have so many injury questions its hard for me to pick them to make a deep run come January. They will run away with this conference and make the playoffs, but I don't see them making a lot of noise. The Broncos will be competitive but fall short of the playoffs. The Raiders will be a .500 team with their easy schedule and new offensive star in McFadden. The Chiefs have a shot at being the worst team in the AFC. Too many question marks and unproven players.
Now onto the NFC...
The NFC East is the toughest division in football. All 4 of these teams could conceivably make the playoffs and a deep run. My guess are that only two teams will make it out of the East. The Dallas Cowboys should win the East and have about 13 or 14 wins. They have the look of the 95 Cowboys to me. The thought the Giants had a serious shot at defending their title and then injuries decimated them. The Redskins should be fun to watch under Jim Zorn and while they will compete I think they just fall short of the playoffs to the Eagles. That is of course if the Eagles can stay healthy. A big if. A veteran team that is not very deep could be in serious trouble if anyone goes down. I think they make the playoffs behind the play of Westbrook and McNabb.
The other conference to place two teams in the big dance should be the NFC North. Everyone's sexy playoff pick is the Vikings. I to think they will make the playoffs, but I think they will come in second place in the North. I'm not ready to believe that mistake prone Tavaris Jackson is ready to lead a team to the playoffs. While the running game is magical, and the defense is improved I still don't think they can overtake the Packers. The Packers had the youngest team in the league last year and were an interception away from making the Super Bowl. Even with Aaron Rodgers taking over for the great one, I don't thin the Packers miss a beat. They have a bevy of young talented receivers and tightends and a young stud back which should help ease Rodgers development. The hardhitting defense also remains in tact. All of which will make for an uphill battle for the Vikings. The Bears and Lions are both about a year away. Both are trying to infuse a new back into the offense and should hover around .500 ball. The Bears do have lots of studs coming back from injury on the defensive side of the ball. If those guys can stay healthy and if the Eagles slip up don't be surprised to see a playoff run by Chicago.
The Saints should win the NFC South. I think they have all the pieces in place to be a top team in the NFC. Strong O, improving D, great young coach. They should be fun to watch. It will be important for them to avoid a slow start like last year. The Panthers and Bucs should both play well but barely miss out on the playoffs. Both have strong defenses but question marks on offense. The Falcons should be competitive, but are definitely a few years away. I think they might have the worst record in the NFC, but they will play hard and be fun to watch.
The West has a bunch of teams with question marks. The Seahawks should win the division. The Cards, Rams and Niners are all toss ups. I think the Cards could make a run at unseating the Hawks but theyd have to be healthy and mistake free. Traits that are not typically Cardinals trademarks. Rams and Niners should both be better than last year (they both couldn't be worse than last year).
I see the Pats and Colts meeting in the AFC Championship game and the Pats just barely squeaking by the Colts to get to the Super Bowl. In the NFC, I have the Cowboys hosting the Packers and blowing them out to reach the big game. I think the Pats after being humbled by last years Super experience find a wayy to pull out a close one over the Cowboys. Pats over Boys in the Bowl, 35-31.
Now on to my other crazy predictions. Matt Ryan will infuse the Falcons with energy and be the offensive rookie of the year. He'll get more reps than McFadden, plus the Falcons need a good story at QB. Aaron Rodgers will make the Pro-Bowl. He should throw for 3,800 yards and 25 touchdowns. Vincent Jackson is poised for a breakout 1,000+ yard season. Were everyone predicted this last year, I didn't. Now with Chambers opposite him for a full season we'll see that Jackson's output during the Chargers playoff run was no fluke. Ben Utecht will prove to be a revelation at tightend for the Bengals. I think he could easily surpass 700 yards and 8 TD's. DeMarcus Ware will be the Defensive Player of the Year. Dominant player in a defensive scheme perfectly suited to his needs. Brian Westbrook will win the MVP. He does it all for Philly, and as long as he can stay healthy he could run away with this award. Now that Ted Ginn Jr. finally has a QB look for him to make a big splash with a 1,100 yard season. In the same offense, look for Ricky Williams to top 1,00 yards as well while winning the Comeback Player of the Year. Also look out for these 3 young running backs to make noise as third down backs as well as change of pace backs: Darius Walker, Tim Hightower and Felix Jones.
This should be an amazing football season. I can't wait.
Labels: Sports
posted by LEV at
10:14 AM
2 Comments:
Nice run down. I love your SB prediction. I'm on board with most of your picks. I too like Ginn, Jr. for whatever reason. Pennington has success with that type of WR. Not sure about Rodgers, but he has the weapons.
By
Lester's Legends, at 4:20 AM
Pennington totally does have a nice track record with shifty receivers in the Ginn Jr. mold... Nice call. I think Rodgers has all the weapons at his disposal. Big O-line, strong running game and a talented group of young wide receivers. Could equal a solid recipe for success on the frozen tundra
By
LEV, at 10:45 AM
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