Is your NFL team good enough to have a legitimate shot at the title this year? That's the kind of NFL preview that I have for you today.
I am not going to go thru and predict every division and how teams will finish. I don't think that makes much of a difference, unless you're a crazy Minnesota Vikings fan wondering whether the Vikings are going to finish last in the division or not (they probably will).
So I am going to go thru each team and tell you simply whether or not they have any shot at all, of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the upcoming NFL season. Sounds simple enough right?
NFC North:
Chicago Bears--Yes. Even with a QB like Rex Grossman they will be very good this next year. Still won't win it all though.
Detroit Lions--Yes. Here's my surprise of the year. I am just throwing this out there. They play in a weak division and have talent. But we've never bet the house on pure talent alone.
Minnesota Vikings--No. Their QB situation is a complete mess. Not a good enough team as a whole to cover up huge gaping hole at QB.
Green Bay Packers--No. But they could easily win the division. Let's see how their running game figures into the equation this year. This team is younger now and could surprise a lot of teams.
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons--No. I feel sorry for Joey Harrington, but too much distraction for this team. Too much turmoil to deal with. Plus, if Harrington IS going to somehow get his career back on track, it ain't gonna be this year.
Carolina Panthers--No. They've been the team that was supposed to win the NFC for how many years now? They will be average at best. Plus keep an eye on the QB situation here...very interesting.
New Orleans Saints--Yes. Their magical season long fairy tale last year was no fluke. Reggie Bush will be better. Brees will be better. And their defense will be better. They should take the division.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers--No. Who is going to be their QB this year? I have no clue. I guess Jeff Garcia. The Bucs just don't have enough young talent to be very good.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys--Yes. Romo will be legit. Sadly, TO probably won't (and can't) keep quiet and just shut up. They still have a great defense. Even without the big Tuna at the helm, they will be fine.
Philadelphia Eagles--No. Barely. I don't ever know what to think about this team. They seem to have a split personality. McNabb is good, but is getting older and is banged up all the time. I just don't see any of their players besides McNabb making them that much better than just average.
Washington Redskins--No. Joe Gibbs will probably be fired after the mediocre season that this team will go through. They really need to find a QB that isn't either too old or too young to do anything beneficial for the upcoming season. Or for the future of the franchise for that matter.
New York Giants--No. Does anyone else get as much of a kick out of watching Eli Manning talk trash with Tiki Barber? I friggin love it. He looks like he's 12 yrs old. It's great TV. Anyway, when was the last time the New York football Giants were supposed to be great and were mediocre or just plain old crappy? Oh yeah, the last five seasons or so.
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals--No. Love this team's potential. But that is all it is...potential. Their time to shine will be in a couple years. They'll be competitive this year. No more MNF meltdowns like against the Bears last year.
San Francisco 49ers--Yes. Great outlook for this young team. I think Alex Smith will make leaps and bounds of progress this season. More so than any other young QB in the league. Mike Nolan is building something special.
St. Louis Rams--No. Great individual players on this team. They're getting older though, and will have a tough time breaking even at 8-8. Steven Jackson is quite the bright spot however.
Seattle Seahawks--Yes. This team is one of the 3 best in the NFC hands down. They have succeeded in recent years by flying under the radar. Most of the same "pieces of the puzzle" guys are still there from when they went to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. (and got ripped off against the Steelers, by the way.)
AFC East:
New England Patriots--Yes. They are the preseason favorite. Just like every other year, right? But this year they have legitimate weapons all over the field, especially at WR. Brady will finally be able to outscore teams with targets like Stallworth, Wes Welker & of course Randy Moss. They will have the best regular season record in the league.
New York Jets--No. They gave a good effort last year in Coach Mangini's first year, but it was all a fluke. Hell, Kellen Clemons might win the starting job from Pennington. Just plain nutty.
Buffalo Bills--No. Too young right now. Their time is still a few years off. Wait, hasn't that been the case for like 4 seasons??
Miami Dolphins--No. Their team is very old and it's only Cam Cameron's 2nd year as head coach...and the team is really really old. No chance.
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens--Yes. They've reloaded on defense (as is always the case) and McNair is still better than having Kyle Boller behind center taking the snaps. Also, Willis McGahee is an improvement over Jamal Lewis from last year.
Cleveland Browns--No...way in hell. I like this team, but do I really have to give any reason why they have no chance? I don't think so. The QB position battle will be the most interesting thing this team does all year.
Cincinnati Bengals--Yes. They will have a shot at the title, if their entire team doesn't get arrested and thrown in jail before the season is over. Either that or they can hope that the jail sentences don't interfere with the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers--No. The offense isn't potent enough to score as much as they need to score game in and game out. There are a lot of talented players who can make an impact with this team, but too many ifs that come along with those players.
AFC South:
Indianapolis Colts--Yes. This team is going to be just fine. Harrison is getting old, but they drafted Gonzalez from Ohio State to add some young fresh legs to the receiving corps. Don't expect a repeat in Indy though.
Tennessee Titans--No. Not experienced enough anywhere in the lineup. And Pacman Jones not lining up on defense will really hurt this team, as sad as I am when I say that.
Jacksonville Jaguars--Yes. If this team can somehow figure out the QB situation (meaning if Leftwich can put together a decent year and not get injured), they will be there at the end of December competing with every other team in the AFC for the title.
Houston Texans--No. They will be more improved from last year, but still a no-go on any type of apparent success. Despite all the hype, Matt Schaub is still a HUGE question mark.
AFC West:
Denver Broncos--Yes. Jay Cutler is the obvious key to success for Shanahan and the Broncos. They should be very good this year but not quite as good as the Chargers. Javon Walker is going to be huge for them.
Kansas City Chiefs--No. Larry Johnson is going to be great. But what has that got them in recent years. Hardly anything to brag about. And you can't even dream of winning with Croyle & Huard fighting over the starting QB job.
Oakland Raiders--No. Ummmm do I really need to explain this one?? They can't even fork over enough money to get their "QB of the future" & the only decent player that they have on offense signed to a contract? You can't get any lamer. (is that even a word?)
San Diego Chargers--Yes. This is a no brainer. They have the best roster top to bottom in the NFL. They just need a little bit more playoff experience...meaning about one more year. Which will be this year. They'll be fine.
So there you have it. If your curious to know who I got in the Super Bowl, I am taking the Patriots over the Cowboys/Saints. The reason that I am taking two teams from the NFC because it doesn't really matter who comes out of the NFC, the Pats will beat them.
I am not going to go thru and predict every division and how teams will finish. I don't think that makes much of a difference, unless you're a crazy Minnesota Vikings fan wondering whether the Vikings are going to finish last in the division or not (they probably will).
So I am going to go thru each team and tell you simply whether or not they have any shot at all, of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the upcoming NFL season. Sounds simple enough right?
NFC North:
Chicago Bears--Yes. Even with a QB like Rex Grossman they will be very good this next year. Still won't win it all though.
Detroit Lions--Yes. Here's my surprise of the year. I am just throwing this out there. They play in a weak division and have talent. But we've never bet the house on pure talent alone.
Minnesota Vikings--No. Their QB situation is a complete mess. Not a good enough team as a whole to cover up huge gaping hole at QB.
Green Bay Packers--No. But they could easily win the division. Let's see how their running game figures into the equation this year. This team is younger now and could surprise a lot of teams.
NFC South:
Atlanta Falcons--No. I feel sorry for Joey Harrington, but too much distraction for this team. Too much turmoil to deal with. Plus, if Harrington IS going to somehow get his career back on track, it ain't gonna be this year.
Carolina Panthers--No. They've been the team that was supposed to win the NFC for how many years now? They will be average at best. Plus keep an eye on the QB situation here...very interesting.
New Orleans Saints--Yes. Their magical season long fairy tale last year was no fluke. Reggie Bush will be better. Brees will be better. And their defense will be better. They should take the division.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers--No. Who is going to be their QB this year? I have no clue. I guess Jeff Garcia. The Bucs just don't have enough young talent to be very good.
NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys--Yes. Romo will be legit. Sadly, TO probably won't (and can't) keep quiet and just shut up. They still have a great defense. Even without the big Tuna at the helm, they will be fine.
Philadelphia Eagles--No. Barely. I don't ever know what to think about this team. They seem to have a split personality. McNabb is good, but is getting older and is banged up all the time. I just don't see any of their players besides McNabb making them that much better than just average.
Washington Redskins--No. Joe Gibbs will probably be fired after the mediocre season that this team will go through. They really need to find a QB that isn't either too old or too young to do anything beneficial for the upcoming season. Or for the future of the franchise for that matter.
New York Giants--No. Does anyone else get as much of a kick out of watching Eli Manning talk trash with Tiki Barber? I friggin love it. He looks like he's 12 yrs old. It's great TV. Anyway, when was the last time the New York football Giants were supposed to be great and were mediocre or just plain old crappy? Oh yeah, the last five seasons or so.
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals--No. Love this team's potential. But that is all it is...potential. Their time to shine will be in a couple years. They'll be competitive this year. No more MNF meltdowns like against the Bears last year.
San Francisco 49ers--Yes. Great outlook for this young team. I think Alex Smith will make leaps and bounds of progress this season. More so than any other young QB in the league. Mike Nolan is building something special.
St. Louis Rams--No. Great individual players on this team. They're getting older though, and will have a tough time breaking even at 8-8. Steven Jackson is quite the bright spot however.
Seattle Seahawks--Yes. This team is one of the 3 best in the NFC hands down. They have succeeded in recent years by flying under the radar. Most of the same "pieces of the puzzle" guys are still there from when they went to the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. (and got ripped off against the Steelers, by the way.)
AFC East:
New England Patriots--Yes. They are the preseason favorite. Just like every other year, right? But this year they have legitimate weapons all over the field, especially at WR. Brady will finally be able to outscore teams with targets like Stallworth, Wes Welker & of course Randy Moss. They will have the best regular season record in the league.
New York Jets--No. They gave a good effort last year in Coach Mangini's first year, but it was all a fluke. Hell, Kellen Clemons might win the starting job from Pennington. Just plain nutty.
Buffalo Bills--No. Too young right now. Their time is still a few years off. Wait, hasn't that been the case for like 4 seasons??
Miami Dolphins--No. Their team is very old and it's only Cam Cameron's 2nd year as head coach...and the team is really really old. No chance.
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens--Yes. They've reloaded on defense (as is always the case) and McNair is still better than having Kyle Boller behind center taking the snaps. Also, Willis McGahee is an improvement over Jamal Lewis from last year.
Cleveland Browns--No...way in hell. I like this team, but do I really have to give any reason why they have no chance? I don't think so. The QB position battle will be the most interesting thing this team does all year.
Cincinnati Bengals--Yes. They will have a shot at the title, if their entire team doesn't get arrested and thrown in jail before the season is over. Either that or they can hope that the jail sentences don't interfere with the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers--No. The offense isn't potent enough to score as much as they need to score game in and game out. There are a lot of talented players who can make an impact with this team, but too many ifs that come along with those players.
AFC South:
Indianapolis Colts--Yes. This team is going to be just fine. Harrison is getting old, but they drafted Gonzalez from Ohio State to add some young fresh legs to the receiving corps. Don't expect a repeat in Indy though.
Tennessee Titans--No. Not experienced enough anywhere in the lineup. And Pacman Jones not lining up on defense will really hurt this team, as sad as I am when I say that.
Jacksonville Jaguars--Yes. If this team can somehow figure out the QB situation (meaning if Leftwich can put together a decent year and not get injured), they will be there at the end of December competing with every other team in the AFC for the title.
Houston Texans--No. They will be more improved from last year, but still a no-go on any type of apparent success. Despite all the hype, Matt Schaub is still a HUGE question mark.
AFC West:
Denver Broncos--Yes. Jay Cutler is the obvious key to success for Shanahan and the Broncos. They should be very good this year but not quite as good as the Chargers. Javon Walker is going to be huge for them.
Kansas City Chiefs--No. Larry Johnson is going to be great. But what has that got them in recent years. Hardly anything to brag about. And you can't even dream of winning with Croyle & Huard fighting over the starting QB job.
Oakland Raiders--No. Ummmm do I really need to explain this one?? They can't even fork over enough money to get their "QB of the future" & the only decent player that they have on offense signed to a contract? You can't get any lamer. (is that even a word?)
San Diego Chargers--Yes. This is a no brainer. They have the best roster top to bottom in the NFL. They just need a little bit more playoff experience...meaning about one more year. Which will be this year. They'll be fine.
So there you have it. If your curious to know who I got in the Super Bowl, I am taking the Patriots over the Cowboys/Saints. The reason that I am taking two teams from the NFC because it doesn't really matter who comes out of the NFC, the Pats will beat them.
