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Okay, so the Giants have already beaten the Redskins, but that's only the first game and I feel like there's still time in the 45 minutes before the REAL kickoff of the season to enter my predictions for the coming NFL season.
NFC East - Dallas wins this one on a lark. The Giants best asset was the best DE tandem in football and now they're both gone. Philly is a perpetual wildcard loser at this point. Kinda like an AAAA player in baseball: good enough to make it to the show but not good enough to survive there.
NFC South - This is an intriguing division. New Orleans should win it, they have the most talent, but I'm picking the Bucs. It's a bad division, overall, maybe even worse than the North, but New Orleans still lacks the defense, O-line, and consistent ground attack you need to win consistently. The Bucs have veteran Jeff Garcia with a steady if untalented hand on the tiller, I say they pull it out.
NFC North - Hold on folks, news flash, Jon Kitna is the best quarterback in the NFC North. Wow. Unfortunately, this does NOT mean that the Lions will win the division. Both the Packers and the Vikings are solid at almost every position EXCEPT quarterback. Rogers should be a better QB than Jackson, but Jackson does have an entire year and a half under his belt that Rogers doesn't. Minny's D is much better against the run, Packers D is much better against the pass. In the end, Minny has a better O-line and a potentially explosive back to carry the ball in AP with a solid back-up, Chester Taylor, who can share the load. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Minnesota wins it this year. Lions finish third.
PS - Keep an eye on the Packers. They would have easily been the second best team in the NFC if they took Favre back but opted to usher in the Rogers era. Ballsy choice, I'm interested to see which way it goes.
NFC West - You know what? I'm picking the Rams. A lot of their struggles last year can be attributed to a lack-luster O-line with an injured Orlando Pace. This year, O-line is healthy, Stephen Jackson is healthy, Marc Bulger is one of the most reliable QBs in the NFC, and I think the Seahawks are done. This division is also bad, and I think the Rams can win it.
AFC East - Yeah, it's gonna be the Pats. They're a year older and a year slower on D, their O-line is starting to show cracks, they lost both staring corners from last year, the absence of Stallworth will affect them some, and Brady may be nursing a broken bone in his foot. All told, this is NOT the unbeatable team of last year. That being said, they're still REALLY good and nobody else in this division is ready to challenge them. Favre makes the Jets a legit playoff contender, but not gonna beat the Pats.
AFC South - This is a little trickier. I think a lot of people are overlooking the Colts. Okay, the loss of Jeff Saturday is a HUGE blow, people never seem to realize how crucial a position center is, but they are going to have a left tackle with a full year of experience this year, which might help them deal with it. What's more, if Freeney is back to top form, the Colts may have one of the best defenses in football, a fact that is often overlooked. With Addai and Gonzales both a year wiser, I think the Colts might make some real noise this year. That being said, the Jaguars have consistently gotten better every year and look to be ready to take that next step. I'm picking the Colts, but watch those Jags.
AFC North - Steelers! They lost Alan Faneca, which will hurt them, but they still feature one of the most feared defenses in football, Big Ben is underrated and beginning to flash a lot of talent as a passer and not just a game manager, their receiver corp is scarily good for a team as dedicated to the run as they are, and Mendenhall should be an excellent compliment to Willie Parker. This is the toughest division in football, don't get me wrong, but I think the Steelers are a team that, like the Colts, is poised to reassert themselves in the AFC.
AFC West - Lemme see, this is a tough one... Oh yeah, the Chargers are not only one of the best three teams in football, they're the only team in this division that doesn't suck.
Playoffs - NFC Wildcards - Packers and Giants
AFC Wildcards - Jaguars and Jets
NFC Title Game - Cowboys and Giants
AFC Title Game - Chargers and Colts
Superbowl - Colts over Cowboys
You know, I've been doing a pretty good job picking the superbowl winner over the last couple years. I got the Colts two years ago, and the Pats last year was DAMN close. This year, no team sticks out to me. I'm reasonably certain it's either Dallas or one of five AFC teams (Chargers, Pats, and Colts with Jaguars and Steelers running well behind them), but the AFC playoffs could go a LOT of ways. Honestly, I think whichever team secures homefield in the AFC playoffs could do it, which would favor the Chargers in the door-mat division. That being said, I think Manning and Dungy are among the all-time greats in football and they have yet to really cement their legacy given that they've had to share the stage with Brady and Belichick. I think, Saturday or no, they have regained some of that hunger and they're much more polished and experienced than a more talented Chargers team. Only time shall tell!
RS,
JPA
11:15 PM
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