--(note to mod(s): you might want to delete the thread "NFL I started. I hit return by accident and it got posted.)--
Since the 1st game is a week away, I thought I'd start off the predictions thread.
(#) - Rank in conference * - Wild Card
NFC
East: 1. NY Football Giants (2) 2. Dallas (5) 3. Philly 4. Washington
Toughest division in football. Giants will improve upon last year. Parcells holds TO in check just enough for Dallas to get to playoffs. Philly improves, but not enough to get a WC spot. Redskins happen to be stuck in a division with quality teams.
North: 1. Chicago (4) 2. Minny 3. GB 4. Detroit
Conversly, the WORST division in football. Chicago is the only decent team in the bunch. Minny had a bit of a "Ewing Theory" run last year after Culpepper went down, but I see them coming back to earth. Up in Green Bay, if this was the Favre of 5 years ago, it might be enough to get GB to the playoffs, but this isn't 5 years ago. Detroit is still Detroit.
South:
1. Carolina (1) 2. Atlanta (6) 3. New Orleans 4. Tampa Bay
Probably the next toughest division in the NFC. Panthers end up with regular season conference title, and Altanta makes it back to playoffs. New Orleans is a surprise, but I think is a year or 2 away from the playoffs. Tampa, like Washington, has the bad luck of having good teams in their division.
West: 1. Seattle (3) 2. AZ 3. St Louis 4. SF
NFC is a funny conference. They have arguably the 2 best division in football (East, South) and have arguably the 2 worst divisions in football (North, West). Seattle wins this division again, but their not as good as last year. AZ makes a push for the WC, but comes up short. St Loius falls a little farther back this year. SF is still lousy.
Playoffs: Seattle (3) beats Atlanta (6) Dallas (5) beats Chicago (4)
East: 1. NE (2) 2. Miami (5) 3. NY Jets 4. Buffalo
Miami is a trendy pick to take the AFC east among some people. I see them as a WC team, but it's still the Pats division to lose. Pennington gets the start in NY? Which will have more hangtime; punts by the Jets kickers or one of Chad's pass attempts? Buffalo will pull Losman from the starting spot by week 6.
Despite losing Bettis and Randall-El, I think the Steelers win the AFC north title. Chosing between Baltimore and Cincy was tough. Cincy still has the better offense, but Baltimore closed the gap a bit with McNair, and Baltimore's D is better than Cincy's. If McNair can't stay healthy and/or Lewis doesn't return to his old form, then Cincy could get the last playoff spot. Cleveland comes in last again, even though they do improve a bit from last year.
While losing James hurts, Indy is still good enough to win the AFC regular season title. I see Indy, NE, and Pitt being seperated by maybe a game and a combo of tiebreakers. The other teams in this division have some combo of too much youth, injuries, and lack of talent.
West: 1. Denver (4) 2. KC 3. SD 4. Oakland
Tight battle for the AFC West between KC and Denver. I think Denver wins out in the end. SD takes a step back losing Brees. Oakland had to pull Jeff George out of moth-balls. Another long season for the Raiders.
East: 1. NY Giants (2) 2. Dallas (6) 3. Philly 4. Washington
At the outset of the season, what we have here is two out of the four teams has their best offensive player on the mend and not at 100% (Owens, Portis) and Phily still seeming to be shorthanded on offense, while the best team in the division is relatively healthy. If the Giants win the early divisional games, they could run and hide from the pack early. Dallas sneaks into the playoffs over Tampa on a December surge after the Giants decide the division.
North: 1. Minnesota 2. Chicago 3. Green Bay 4. Detroit
I'm a little wary of Chicago. In 2002, when they had a similar team based on D and no one really set on offense, the result was a severe off-year after hosting a 2nd-round game the year before. Then again, I'm a little wary of everyone in this division. Chicago for their offense, Green Bay for their inexperience, Minnesota for their inconsistency (and for having a coach that looks like Tobias Funke) and Detroit for thier Detroit-ness. The Vikes might have the steadiest starting QB in the division in Brad Johnson (Favre would be the most explosive, but he's in his Marino '99 stage at this point) and an improved D, which in this clusterfuck of a division just might be enough.
South:
1. Atlanta (3) 2. Carolina (5) 3. Tampa Bay 4. New Orleans
Atlanta-Carolina has become the best rivalry in the NFL that no one really talks about. Over the last couple of years, it's managed to act as a mini-playoff for both teams, in that they who controls this series goes to the playoffs and they don't go home. Plus there's some real good hittin' going on. Carolina has a fantastic D and possibly the biggest little weapon in football. Meanwhile, you have to think that at some point, the light bulb is going to go off for Vick, and I'd like to see that happen before he's rendered immobile. This division gets decided on Xmas Eve. I like Tampa but they didn't really improve AND they have a mofo of a schedule: that spells 7-9.
West: 1. Seattle (1) 2. Arizona 3. San Francisco 4. St. Louis
By second place, I mean that Arizona goes 8-8 this year. There's simply Seattle and then there's the other three teams, and no Silver Medal Madden Jinx is going to change that. San Fran will either take a small step forward (read: 6-10) if the Niners don't stage a mutiny before then. Meanwhile, the cuppboard is getting barer and barer in St. Louis. They'll be fighting it out for mediocrity honors with San Fran, but they're probably about two key injuries away from 4-12.
Playoffs: Atlanta (3) beats Dallas (6) Carolina (5) beats Chicago (4)
Carolina (5) beats Seattle (1) NY Giants (2) beats Atlanta (3)
Carolina (5) beats New York (2)
AFC
East: 1. Miami (3) 2. New England (5) 3. NY Jets 4. Buffalo
First off, damn you Sports Illustrated for predicting Miami would be going to the Super Bowl. I'd call you to complain but you still haven't sent me the phone I was entitled to back in 1987. Of course that said, I'm tempting about 48 types of fate by picking Miami first.
Since this is the division/team I know best, I'll say I like how Culpepper looks, I love how the defense looks so far and Miami's pass-blocking has improved tremendously from the disaster that was 2004. And I take an opposite view on Ronnie Brown than everyone else: he was ALWAYS in the condition to be a full-time guy...he just hasn't had to until this year. Miami's two biggest problems this decade have been their passing game and their coaching. Both have been seemingly corrected within the last two years. But don't take my word for it: Rams coach Scott Linehan, who has been around the NFL longer than Nick Saban has taken a lot of Saban's template with him and has admitted to it openly.
Then again, Saban is going to have to beat the coach whose template HE borrowed: Bill Belichick. Truly the NFL Circle Of Life. New England has always prided itself on slotting in players to fill injuries/departures, but this might be the year it catches up with them. The New Up-Cycle in the NFL has about a 5-6 year window before the salary cap catches up with them. The Pats won their first title 5 years ago and the window might be closing.
As for the rest of the division, New York should be better than last year, but have the misfortune of playing a difficult schedule with a team that's already lost it's #1 RB and a QB whose right shoulder might as well be ticking. But they're third simply because they have more than the next team, who might be hearing the following come the end of the year:
It's not the toughest division in football, but it's the most potentially even from 1-3. Pittsburgh had one of the best December-and-beyond runs of any team in NFL history last year, but lost Bettis and A-R-E. Of course, Randle-El is imminently replaceable and Bettis was a luxury item kept around beyond his prime thanks to the pay cut he accepted (an important one, but a luxury item nontheless). Ben has looked skittish in the pocket post-accident and the D has looked a little human at times, so it may take Pittsburgh a month to get it together this year, but they should before it's too late.
Perhaps Palmer's return was overrated by the fact that it was against a bad Packers D, but there wasn't anything wrong with his arm or his comfort level in the pocket. Plus the D should get better, Thurman or no Thurman in September. This is a young unit that's only going to get smarter, and it's Lewis' baby anyway. Baltimore will make a run at some point where McNair will for a few weeks set the WABAC machine for 2002, but not for all 16 games.
Oh, and HELLO CLEVELAND. Welcome back to the cellar.
First things first before the obvious pick. Jacksonville, contingent on the health of their backfield, will challenge Pittsburgh for that last playoff spot right down to the last week. Theirs is possibly the best D that no one knows about in the NFL and if they can put 24 points on the board that's all they'll need. As for the Colts, Manning is still Manning and the RB by committee Indy is fine with. Other than that, they're they same team that won home field last year.
West: 1. Denver (3) 2. KC 3. SD 4. Oakland
The joke that none of us thought of: Jeff George Blanda. Thank you, I'll be here all week.
Denver didn't lose anybody, but didn't really gain anyone either: so they're the same team that earned a bye last year, it's just that other teams got better. But they're still rock-solid and a sleeper pick for the Super Bowl if only for their secondary and their 9-headed running game. KC's window is closing in a hurry, and might have been expediated with the departure of Dick Vermiel to the winery and Al Saunders to Washington. San Diego is a question mark with no track record at QB and no WRs for that guy to throw to and Oakland along with the Bills, Lions and Browns might also find themselves in the Brady Quinn Sweepstakes.
Playoffs: Denver (3) beats Pittsburgh (6) New England (5) beats Cincinnatti (4)
Indy (1) beats New England (5) Denver (3) beats Miami (2)
Atlanta slips to last as all their free agent signings leads to no chemistry and the fact that they have a rb as a qb screws up their season again. The Bucs have a tough schedule and that will cost them the division, but they will be game tested and ready for the playoffs.
East NY Giants 2 Washington 6 Dallas Philly
The ultimate chemistry issue will keep the Cowboys from a winning season. The Giants have too many weapons to deny them from winning the East. The addition of Stallworth is not enough to keep an old and injury prone Philly offense from having another mediocre year.
West Seattle 1 Arizona St. Louis San Francisco
I still think we're one year off from Arizona challenging the Seahawks.
North Chicago 4 Green Bay Minnnesota Detroit
NFC Playoffs 6 Washington over 3 Carolina 5 Tampa Bay over 4 Chicago
1 Seattle over 6 Washington 5 Tampa Bay over 2 NY Giants
1 Seattle over 5 Tampa Bay
AFC
East New England 2 Miami Buffalo NY Jets
Miami's offense might have finally caught up with their defense. Which, mainly talking bout the secondary here, means their defense has lost a step or two. The Patriots take this by default seeing as Losman isn't going to be winning a division any time soon and Pennington is a joke.
North Cincinnati 1 Pittsburgh Baltimore Cleveland
If Carson Palmer is back to form, and it looks like he is, then the Bengals are the front runners here. The Steelers will have a Super Bowl slump, losing Bettis, Randle El and some of their trick play capabilities won't help. Baltimore will give the Steelers a run, but come up short when Mc Nair can't make it through the season. The Browns will be better but still a year or two from Frye, Droughns and Edwards getting them to the playoffs.
South Jacksonville 3 Indianapolis 5 Houston Tennessee
The Jags defensive line is huge and will cause massive problems for any team they play. Look for the Jags to steal some games with trick plays from Matt Jones a la the Steelers. The Colts and Peyton are gonna see some very thick coverages and are going to see very quickly how good Rhodes is.
West San Diego 4 Kansas City 6 Denver Oakland
KC will have the good year they were supposed to have last year. The Broncos defense is another year too old and while they're going to be fun to watch, they're also going to lose a bunch of shootouts. Phillip Rivers is going to prove that anyone can be a good qb when they've got LT, Gates and Mc Cardell.
AFC Playoffs 3 Jacksonville over 6 Kansas City 4 Indianapolis over 5 San Diego
1 Cincinnati over 4 Indianapolis 3 Jacksonville over 2 New England
1 Cincinnati over 3 Jacksonville
Super Bowl 41
Cincinnati over Seattle
(edited by Santa Sangre on 31.8.06 1319) "I'm one of the last cats, puttin the flavor back into rap"
I'm not up right yet for doing a whole prediction, but I have to ask why everyone is so down on St. Louis this year? I know I'm from here so maybe I'm biased, but I don't see them being that bad.
Last season they won six games, only had their starting QB play seven games total, had no backup QB worth a darn, never ran the ball, and had a mess of a coaching situation. This season they added to their defense, still have a lot of talent on offense including a more reliable backup in case Bulger goes down again, and have new coaches for both sides of the ball with an emphasis on a great young running back. I guess I don't see how that adds up to them being worse. I'm not saying they're a top team, but certainly a playoff contender.
Originally posted by wmatisticI'm not up right yet for doing a whole prediction, but I have to ask why everyone is so down on St. Louis this year? I know I'm from here so maybe I'm biased, but I don't see them being that bad.
Same reason everyone is down on Cleveland this year. It seems like they only base things off of last year's standings and some "big news" signings from the offseason. Well, Cleveland has signed four big names to their offensive line in the last two years, then upgraded their defense considerably through the draft and free agency. They are in the second year of the same offense and defense, yet damn near everybody is writing them down for 5-11 or worse. I have news for the league: the whole AFC North is going to be a damn competitive division, and Cleveland will be right there in the thick of things this year. With Mount Washington in the middle of the D-line and a fast corps of linebackers freed up as a result, there will not be the teams rushing for 200+ yards as they have in the past.
Will they make the playoffs? I hope so, but I realistically have to say probably not. But they will not be a cakewalk, and 8-8 is not out of the question.
As a stone cold homer, I'm obligated to balk at stuff that doesn't say my team rulz. Really though, the idea that the losses of Jerome and Randle-El are anything approaching significant has been a headshaker for me all summer. We're talking about a half-short yardage back, half-mascot and a co-starting wide receiver who caught 35 passes. Both are awesome dudes and provided obvious intangibles that were paramount in winning it~ all~, but from a talent standpoint (especially considering El has been more than adequately replaced with both a 1st and a 3rd round pick), there is no dropoff whatsoever.
Cincy can kiss my ass, by and by, seeing as how we had the same record last year and two of our losses came sans Benjamin. (I ROOT FOR MY TEAM TO WIN OVER THEIRS.)
Originally posted by JustinShapiroAs a stone cold homer, I'm obligated to balk at stuff that doesn't say my team rulz. Really though, the idea that the losses of Jerome and Randle-El are anything approaching significant has been a headshaker for me all summer. We're talking about a half-short yardage back, half-mascot and a co-starting wide receiver who caught 35 passes. Both are awesome dudes and provided obvious intangibles that were paramount in winning it~ all~, but from a talent standpoint (especially considering El has been more than adequately replaced with both a 1st and a 3rd round pick), there is no dropoff whatsoever.
Cincy can kiss my ass, by and by, seeing as how we had the same record last year and two of our losses came sans Benjamin. (I ROOT FOR MY TEAM TO WIN OVER THEIRS.)
Hey don't look at me. Seems that I'm the only one so far that has the Steelers winning their division.
NFC East NY Giants (2) Philadelphia Dallas Washington
2-4 could really be any combination of Dallas-Washington-Philadelphia. I can easily see the Giants going something like 12-4 and then everyone else at either 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7. TO couldn't make it out of training camp before touching off a media frenzy, and that'll kill the 'Boys this season.
NFC Central Chicago (4) Green Bay (6) Minnesota Detroit
Call me a fool (which is more than likely), but if this is Brett Favre's final year (which it probably is), I see him having one more run. Not to the Super Bowl, mind you, but the Pack will be playing Wild-Card weekend.
NFC South Carolina (3) Tampa Bay Atlanta New Orleans
The Bucs narrowly miss a playoff bearth.
NFC West Seattle (1) Arizona (5) St. Louis San Francisco
The Cardinals probably won't challenge the Seahawks, but I see a playoff bearth ahead.
AFC East New England (3) Miami (5) NY Jets Buffalo
Until someone shows me otherwise, it's the Pats division to lose. If Miami makes the playoffs, next year's predictions might be different. The Jets are riding on a shoulder hanging by a thread, and if the thread snaps, it'll be a 4-12 year. If it holds, they'll take 7-9 or 8-8 and run with it. As for Buffalo, I've got tickets for the game on November 5th against Green Bay, if they maintain at least a semblance of competitiveness until then, I'll be thrilled.
AFC North Pittsburgh (2) Cincinnati (6) Baltimore Cleveland
As goes Carson Palmer, so go the Bengals. If he's a semblance of last season's quarterback, it's another playoff trip. If not, then they're done after week 17
AFC South Indianapolis (1) Jacksonville Houston Tennessee
The Colts will probably win the AFC again, but there's one or two more years left in this window for this team to make a Super Bowl. Jacksonville should challenge for the playoffs, and Houston just needs to show some steps toward .500 or the David Carr experiment is going to end rapidly.
AFC West San Diego (4) Denver Kansas City Oakland
Probably the division that I know least about, aside from the fact that if the Oakland Raiders are in a situation where Jeff George is trying to take them to the playoffs, heaven help them.
Wild-Card Weekend Chicago over Green Bay Carolina over Arizona Miami over San Diego New England over Cincinnati
Divisional Round Seattle over Chicago NY Giants over Carolina Indianapolis over Miami Pittsburgh over New England
Championships Seattle over NY Giants Indianapolis over Pittsburgh
Super Bowl Seattle over Indianapolis
For reasons of creative incompetence, this space will be left blank. Advertising opportunities are avaliable though!!! Contact (Number removed due to pending litigation) for details!
NFC East --------- Philadelphia (4) NY Giants Dallas Washington
Far too many questions for all of these teams. If Westbrook is able to stay healthy the Eagles should be able to finish ahead of the others. For the Giants, the question is which is the real Eli... For the 'Boys, the issue is TO vs Parcells, and the less said about that, the better. In the end, I have no faith in any Drew Bledsoe led team in the last 1/2 of the season. For the 'Skins, Portis is already not 100% and Brunell sucks.
NFC Central ----------- Chicago (3) Minnesota Detroit Green Bay
The Bears are the best of a bad lot. Something tells me the Brian Griese is going to get another shot at taking a team to the playoffs. The Vikings could surprise again. The Lions are, well..., the Lions.
I feel terrible saying it, but Favre is a step slower and his team is a billion steps worse. Too bad he ends his career with his only 2 losing seasons as a QB.
NFC South --------- Carolina (2) Atlanta (5) Tampa Bay New Orleans
The Panthers are always there at the end. Solid coaching and a great game planning team makes them the choice here. The Falcons should make the playoffs. The Bucs will fight for the last WC spot, but I think they get edged at the line. The Saints will go through growing pains, but just wait, they are going to be there in the coming years!!
NFC West -------- Seattle (1) St. Louis (6) Arizona San Francisco
The Seahawks are the class of this division, not that it means a lot. If the Rams stick to the game plan and run Steven Jackson, they will make the playoffs. Finishing with games against the Raiders, Redskins and Vikings should help. I think the Cards will be better, but it remains to be seen whether E.James can run through the Swiss Cheese line he has now. Hey San Fran, you are on the clock again...
-------------------- Wild-Card Weekend -------------------- St Louis(6) over Chicago(3) Philly(4) over Atlanta(5) ------------------ Divisional Round ------------------ Seattle(1) over St Louis(6) Carolina(2) over Philly(4) ------------------ NFC Championship ------------------ Carolina(2) over Seattle(1)
AFC East --------- New England (3) Miami (5) NY Jets Buffalo
This should be a dog fight right to the end, but even though I am a big time FinFan, I have to agree with kwik. Until the Pats lose the division, it's theirs. That said, I think the Dolphins make a playoff appearance this year. I think the Bills might surprise some people this year, but not enough to make it anywhere. The Jets might be fighting with San Fran for the draft clock. (Helly Brady Quinn!!)
AFC North ---------- Cincinnati (2) Pittsburgh (6) Baltimore Cleveland
The Bengals look to challengs the Colts for the conference title. Unfortunately there are no pushovers in this division for them. They also get to play the NFC South, which will make it tough. The Steelers always seem to be there and should be again. The Ravens D gets another year older and there is no way McNair makes it through the season unscathed. It will be an interesting year for Charlie Frye in Cleveland.
AFC South ---------- Indianapolis (1) Jacksonville Houston Tennessee
The Colts will probably win the regular season AFC again, but then comes their achilles heel, the playoffs. It remains to be seen if they have the wherewithall to make it to the big one. Jacksonville is a solid organization, who should be fighting for the playoffs right down to the end. Houston looks like they should improve, but haven't we been saying that for the last 3 years too?? Get ready for a lot of Vince Young and LenDale White in Tennesee.
AFC West --------- Kansas City (4) San Diego Denver Oakland
Slugfest between the top three. Does LT or LJ take their team to the playoffs. Too many questions about Rivers in my mind, whereas I have more faith in Trent Green. (never thought I would say that!!) I never know what to expect from Denver and the Raiders will be in that battle with the Jets and 49ers. All of the Raider Nation is praying for Brady Quinn, rather than Jeff George.
------------------ Wild-Card Weekend ------------------ Miami(5) over Kansas City(4) Pittsburgh(6) over New England(3) ----------------- Divisional Round ----------------- Indianapolis(1) over Pittsburgh(6) Cincinnati(2) over Miami(5) ----------------- AFC Championship ----------------- Indianapolis(1) over Cincinnati(2)
------------ Super Bowl ------------ Indianapolis over Carolina
Where the wild are strong, and the strong are the darkest ones, you're the Darkest One.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroAs a stone cold homer, I'm obligated to balk at stuff that doesn't say my team rulz. Really though, the idea that the losses of Jerome and Randle-El are anything approaching significant has been a headshaker for me all summer. We're talking about a half-short yardage back, half-mascot and a co-starting wide receiver who caught 35 passes. Both are awesome dudes and provided obvious intangibles that were paramount in winning it~ all~, but from a talent standpoint (especially considering El has been more than adequately replaced with both a 1st and a 3rd round pick), there is no dropoff whatsoever.
Cincy can kiss my ass, by and by, seeing as how we had the same record last year and two of our losses came sans Benjamin. (I ROOT FOR MY TEAM TO WIN OVER THEIRS.)
This has been eating at me since the season ended. Randle El, while a good guy and a nice little gadget play weapon, usually specialized in falling on his face while attempting to do seven moves at once.
Bettis was a bigger loss, mainly because he carried the squad through a must-win game in the muck against Da Bears, but the Steelers have very capable replacements. Verron Haynes seems to be poised for a big year. Willie Parker should be even better...the list goes on.
Here's the big thing. I still fear the Patriots. I think that it was a stroke of luck that Brady got eaten alive in Denver last year. The men in black and gold are going to have to go through New England at some point this year if they want to make it back to the Super Bowl. Benjamin is going to have to be better than he was his rookie year when this meeting occurs.
Yes, I know this reply completely ignores every other team in the league, but for me, it's all about the Steelers and the Pats.
Scene: Mark DeRosa's brain. The year is 2005. Part of Mark DeRosa's brain: Come on, another position change? One day it's second base, the next day right field, now it's third? Why, I oughta go into Buck's office and throw his talking fish on the floor! Other part of Mark DeRosa's brain: Hold on, other part of the brain. We're making $500,000 this year. Last year we made $725,000. All for playing a damn kids' game. This is, as they say in Brainland, a no-"us"-er. We're not going to complain. Part of Mark DeRosa's brain: You're right, dude. Let's go back to looking at this crazy porn Teixeira gave us!
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... AFC EAST 1. Miami Dolphins (4) 2. New England Patriots 3. Buffalo Bills 4. New York Jets
Deion Branch's holdout changes the whole dynamic at the top of this division. Bill Belichick may be a miracle worker and Tom Brady may be an ice man, but with an aging Troy Brown and a bunch of scrubs at the receiver position, the Patriots go from division title to just missing out on a wild card. The key for Miami will be Daunte's knee holding up, which I think it will. They have all the other pieces together and momentum from last season going their way.
AFC NORTH 1. Cincinnati Bengals (1) 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6) 3. Baltimore Ravens 4. Cleveland Browns
Two things will happen here which explains my rationale: 1) Carson Palmer will be his old self much quicker than people expect - the Green Bay game was proof of that, despite the fact that Green Bay's D is awful, because of the extent of the bitch-slapping the Bengals handed down. 2) Pittsburgh will miss the Bus a lot more than people expect, and I don't mean his production - I mean the intangibles and the leadership he brought to create a winning environment.
AFC SOUTH 1. Jacksonville Jaguars (3) 2. Indianapolis Colts (5) 3. Tennessee Titans 4. Houston Texans
The same thing happens in Indianapolis. As powerful as Peyton Manning and those receivers of his are, Edgerrin James was the glue of that team - note how Indy struggled in 2001 and 2002 while Edge dealt with injury - and I don't think the Colts will have an easy time replacing it. The key for Jacksonville will be Fred Taylor and Byron Leftwich holding up - and if they do (and I think they will), the Colts will get bumped from the top in that division.
AFC WEST 1. Denver Broncos (2) 2. Kansas City Chiefs 3. San Diego Chargers 4. Oakland Raiders
The top three in this division is a mess. Denver has a rookie starting at RB, Kansas City is still trying to turn its D over, San Diego is breaking in what is essentially a rookie at QB (since Rivers has had nothing but clipboard duty for a few years now). The reason I put Denver at the top is because Mike Shanahan has proven multiple times in the past that your average construction worker could rush for 1,000 yards in that system.
AFC PLAYOFFS (3) Jaguars over (6) Steelers (5) Colts over (4) Dolphins ----- (1) Bengals over (5) Colts (3) Jaguars over (2) Broncos ----- (1) Bengals over (3) Jaguars
NFC EAST 1. Washington Redskins (1) 2. Dallas Cowboys 3. New York Giants 4. Philadelphia Eagles
This division is like the AFC West - a mess between the top three. The key to the choices here is remembering that especially in this conference (excepting the West), defense is king. That leaves the Giants on the outside because of weaknesses with linebacking and the secondary that they still haven't really solved, and I don't have faith in Eli to be an asset this year rather than a liability. In the end, Washington's stability wins out over Dallas' TO-created instability for the division title.
NFC NORTH 1. Chicago Bears (3) 2. Minnesota Vikings 3. Detroit Lions 4. Green Bay Packers
While Chicago is still the pick to win the division (thanks in large part to their ludicrously easy schedule) they'll continue to go nowhere in the playoffs until the offense proves it's capable of shouldering the load, and I think it's still a year away. Minnesota, on the other hand, is my sleeper team to go deep into the playoffs. They've cleaned house of the chaos that swept the team last year and even with a weakened receiver corps, they have the pieces in place and a solid mind at the QB position, unlike Chicago.
NFC SOUTH 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2) 2. Carolina Panthers (6) 3. Atlanta Falcons 4. New Orleans Saints
As usual, the Bucs get no respect. The schedule is tough, but Chris Simms is an ice man with an ever-so-slowly strengthening wall in front of him, Cadillac will contend for the rushing title, and the D is still a monster that can still carry the team. The Panthers made all the right moves, but unlike the Bucs they are short on depth at certain key spots on offense, and the injury bug will likely bite again and cause a dogfight to the end with Tampa for the division title. Atlanta will remain on the outside looking in unless the receivers surprise out of nowhere, which they won't.
NFC WEST 1. Arizona Cardinals (4) 2. Seattle Seahawks (5) 3. St. Louis Rams 4. San Francisco 49ers
Believe it. Just look at what happened in Washington last year when the Nationals arrived, and then take that same mindset and apply it to a stronger team that's ready to take the leap. The schedule is manageable, and Edgerrin James will do better than many expect behind the much-maligned Cardinals line. Consequently, Seattle gets bit by the Super Bowl-loser curse, and its name is Steve Hutchinson. The damage won't be bad enough to knock them out of the playoffs, but it produces the year's most surprising result when they get there.
NFC PLAYOFFS (6) Panthers over (3) Bears (4) Cardinals over (5) Seahawks ----- (1) Redskins over (6) Panthers (2) Buccaneers over (4) Cardinals ----- (2) Buccaneers over (1) Redskins
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
F U Josh Mann. Roethlisberger miraculously survives his wreck and plays the entire preseason ... only to have an appendectomy four days before the opener. Now he won't be in uniform for his conquering hero's welcome/hooray you're not dead ovation. And neither will his appendix.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroCincy can kiss my ass, by and by, seeing as how we had the same record last year and two of our losses came sans Benjamin.
And yet I'm sure you're ok with beating the Bengals sans Carson in the playoffs. :)
Originally posted by JustinShapiroF U Josh Mann. Roethlisberger miraculously survives his wreck and plays the entire preseason ... only to have an appendectomy four days before the opener. Now he won't be in uniform for his conquering hero's welcome/hooray you're not dead ovation. And neither will his appendix.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroCincy can kiss my ass, by and by, seeing as how we had the same record last year and two of our losses came sans Benjamin.
And yet I'm sure you're ok with beating the Bengals sans Carson in the playoffs. :)
Looking through the standings in the NFC East, I am shocked. Philadelphia 5-2 Washington 3-4 New York 3-4 Dallas 3-5 The NFC East is the worst conference in the NFC for the first time in nearly a decade.
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