NFL Preview

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well, I figured since , every team has now played one preseason game I start this off. Okay I am really psyched I think this season will be very competitived and I am hopefull of my team KC. Here is my analysis of each division and who I think will win it.

AFC East
This is going to be a great division, you have the super bowl champs New England Patriots who should still be a pretty good team and should make the playoffs, you have Miami who aquired one of the best running backs in the game, Ricky Williams, the Bills could be a surprise team with Drew Bledsoe as there QB, and well the Jets, I don't expect much from them.
Prediction: New England in a close race, hey it could still go to Miami, I think it will go down to the last weekend

AFC South
One of two new division this one should be dominated by the Colts who look poised to compete for the Super Bowl in my opinion, Dungy gives them so much and could help there defense enough to get to the SB. Tennessee should be competive and could give the Colts a run, Jacksonville is in a lot of trouble and are basically going no where, and the Texans are an expansion team that might win two games
Prediction: no contest here the Colts

AFC Central
This could be an interesting division depending on what happens with the Steelers. If Stewart plays like he did in the AFC championship game too much next season they might have some problems but I actually think he won't hurt them too much in the regular season and they should repeat as champs in a weak division. Cleveland could be a factor though they came on strong towards the end of last season and should be better this year. Baltimore is really in rebuilding mode and 8 wins will be a challange, and Cincinnati, well is Cincinnati
Prediction: Steelers

AFC West
I think this could be the most competive division in the AFC all 4 teams could win the crown, first Oakland: well they lost there coach they are getting old and those two things could hurt, still they could win 10 games and win this divisions if certains things go for them. Denver has a lot of ifs, if Davis can stay healthy, if Griesie can play like he did 2 years ago, also there defense looks weak to me and I see them struggling, Kansas City, could have a great year 10-11 wins and maybe have a chance in the playoffs or they could go 7-9 or 8-8, a lot will depend on two things, Gonzalez signing that one year deal before the season, and two there defense has to improve, those two factors could depend on what they do, San Diego should be interesting, Schottenhiemer is a good coach and he has a pretty good team they could surprise people or they could just go 6-10.
Prediction, I am going to be biased and pick the Chiefs, the other teams have more ifs in my opinion

AFC Champs Colts

NFC East
The East is more balanced this year, while Philadelphia is easily the dominant team they could competite for the SB, Dallas should be interesting, they could even make the playoffs, Washington is an experiment with Spurrier, but he doesn't have a QB so they will struggle in the early goings, NY Giants are an average team that will probably go 8-8
Prediction Philadelphia

NFC South
This is by far the weakest divison in football, you have the Bucs who should win but they have underachieved so much recently I have no clue what they will do. Atlanta could be interesting with Vick and might win this division. New Orleans has a lot of question marks in my opinion and Carolina, no comment
Predicition, suprise Atlanta

NFC Central
The central looks really weak IMO, Chicago, I think was a fluke and now that they are playing in Champaigne for the season, I think they will not make the playoffs. Green Bay should be good as usually and could be a SB threat, Minnesota isn't going anywhere especially if they think Alexander is a good reciever, Detriot, well at least they are going in the right direction with Harrington.
Prediction Green Bay

NFC West
Now the West is the going to be hardest division in football, every team is good with two great teams, one pretty good team and above average team. St Louis, should triumph here again but I think they might win one less game that might cost them a chance at home field and have to play in Green Bay or Philadelphia. SF, should win enough games to make the playoffs, although they will be challenged by Seattle who is a pretty good team, Arizona has some talent but will get lost in this division
Prediction St Louis

NFC Champ: Philadelphia I think they will shock people and get home field putting the Rams out in the cold, the best way to stop there offense.

SB Champ The Colts they look like they might come up this year and give Dungy what he probably should have had in Tampa.

Still this is complete speculation and I am trying to pick an odd pick and this is as about odd as I could think though I was tempted with going with Atlanta vs Cleveland or something like that but its really hard to figure out where the next Ravens or Patriot team might show up.

[JonathanLB]

This year, the Niners are going to take their rightful place ahead of the Rams.

The increased experience of the Niners combined with a much stronger defense than they started last year with, plus a refreshed Garcia (in the playoffs last year he was suffering from a knee injury that prevented him from scrambling), this team is going to be too much for the Rams when they meet in San Francisco's Candlestick Park this October, I believe it is. :)

The Niners won 12 games last season. They were an awesome team, not just a good team. 12-4 is excellent and in almost any year in NFL history that would be good enough for home field advantage in your first game at least, but instead all it earned them was a lousy wild card birth because those stupid Packers, so then they had to play in Earth's equivalent to hell, i.e. Lambeau Field. The worst place on Earth. Miserable place to live, miserable place to play football, nobody ever beats Green Bay there. Home field is going to be important this year.

The Niners really need to play well and if they want to be assertive they're going to need to win that first game vs. St. Louis and they will need to go 13-3 this season. I think they are a serious Super Bowl contender.

[JMK]

Another perfect season for my Dolphins! 16-0!:D

[Jedieb]

01 Patriots
00 Ravens
99 Rams

What do these last three champs all have in common? No one in their right mind would have predicted them to be champs at the start of the season. Yeah, the Ravens had a few believers, but not many outside of family members and Baltimore residents. So who's going to shock us this year? I'm not saying we're going to see another surprise champion, but I think we'll see a surprise or two in the conference championships. There's going to be a sleeper there somewhere. These new divisions should make it interesting. Here are my picks;

AFC
EAST
Miami 11-5 (Should win the division with the addition of Williams.)
Buffalo 10-6 (Bledsoe will make them playoff contenders.)
New England 9-7 (They were a fluke and they're going to fall on their face, mark my words.)
NY Jets 8-8


NORTH
Pittsburgh 12-4 (Should've gone to the Superbowl, but Special Teams and a rusty Bettis cost them their due. They'll rebound.)
Baltimore 9-7 (They're done. They could easily miss the playoffs alltogether.)
Cincinnati 8-8 (8 wins is generous, they're the Bungles after all.)
Cleveland 6-10

SOUTH
Indianapolis 12-4 (Dungy's defense can have an impact. A healthy E. James could take them to the Superbowl.)
Tennessee 10-6 (They could be finished, but they may have one last run left in them.)
Jacksonville 8-8
Houston 4-12

WEST
Kansas City 11-5 (Could be the surprise of the AFC. But Green has to be healthy.)
Oakland 11-5 (Another victim of the New England lottery. They may be too old and bitter to rebound.)
Denver 9-7 (Davis is hurt, yet again!)
San Diego 9-7


NFC
EAST
Philadelphia 11-5 (They're not going to be as good as people think. Where's the offense outside of McNabb?)
Dallas 10-6 (The Boys may be back and a playoff birth may be in the future.)
Washington 8-8 (They'll probably beat the Cowboys for the first time in 5 years, but I still don't see a real NFL QB there.)
NY Giants 6-10 (They suck.)

NORTH
Green Bay 11-5 (They're the pick of the division. They could end up with 12 or 13 wins if the Bears fall on their faces.)
Chicago 8-8
Minnesota 7-9 (Prepare for an entire season of Moss bitching and moaning. He'll be living in the land of the double and triple team now than Carter is gone. He's going to find life without him more difficult than he ever imagined.)
Detroit 5-11 (They suck.)

SOUTH
Tampa Bay 11-5 (I'm still upset over how Dungy was treated, but Gruden may be the answer they've been looking for. Or, it may be Sam Wyshe all over again.)
Atlanta 8-8 (Vick is great, but the rest of the team sucks.)
New Orleans 7-9 (They'll implode.)
Carolina 6-10 (They suck.)

WEST
St. Louis 13-3 (Can they recover? You know they thought that Superbowl was in the bag. They'll score, but can the defense play well again? It'll be tougher than last year.)
San Francisco 11-5 (Can the defense keep the torrid pace it set last year? Will Owens bitch and moan and disrupt the team? Will this be Mariucci's last year in SF? No, yes, and yes.)
Seattle 7-9 (They suck.)
Arizona 5-11 (They suck.)

Conference Championships
NFC Rams V. Tampa
AFC Indy V. Pittsburgh

Superbowl
Rams beat the Colts.

Everybody will have different picks come week 8, but it's preseason. I really can't wait to see who's going to surprise everyone and who's going to fall on their face.

[JMK]

As much as I love the Fish, even with Williams they aren't going to win anything, even if he stays healthy. Why? Fiedler is a slacker and hasn't any of the qualities it takes to be a winner.

[Daiquiri Van-Derveld]

*Snivels and cries and yearns for her Niners team of the '80's*

Gods, how I still miss my Tom Rathman!! *sigh*

[Figrin D'an]

AFC:

East
1) Miami
2) Buffalo
3) New England
4) New York Jets

North
1) Pittsburgh
2) Baltimore
3) Cleveland
4) Cincinnati

West
1) Tie - Oakland and Kansas City
3) San Diego
4) Denver

South
1) Indianapolis
2) Tennessee
3) Jacksonville
4) Houston


NFC

East
1) Philadelphia
2) Washington
3) New York Giants
4) Dallas

North
1) Green Bay
2) Chicago
3) Minnesota
4) Detroit

West
1) St. Louis
2) San Francisco
3) Arizona
4) Seattle

South
1) Tampa Bay
2) New Orleans
3) Atlanta
4) Carolina


AFC Title Game: Colts def. Steelers
Surprise Team: Buffalo

NFC Title Game: Eagles def. Rams
Surprise Team: Washington

Super Bowl XXXVII: Colts def. Eagles



As much as I would love to pick Green Bay to win it all, I think maybe next season will be a better chance, once the young wide receiving corp gets a little more experience. San Francisco could make a run in the playoffs, as long as they avoid St. Louis until the NFC title game. The NFC is loaded at the top and really bad at the bottom... the Rams, Niners, Packers and Eagles are all SB contenders... then, you have Detroit, Carolina, Arizona and Seattle, all of whom will be horrible again this season. The AFC is much more wide open... the Steelers, Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, Chiefs or Titans could all make things interesting. Throw in Buffalo w/Bledsoe, Baltimore and maybe San Diego, and things could get really interesting if those teams play well.


"...so then they had to play in Earth's equivalent to hell, i.e. Lambeau Field. The worst place on Earth. Miserable place to live, miserable place to play football..."

It's only "hell" and a "miserable place to play football" because of exactly what you said... "nobody ever beats Green Bay there" ... especially not in the playoffs. :) Best home field advantage in professional sports, IMO. Sure, the cold in December and January can make a difference, especially for warm-weather or dome teams, but it's more so the fans that make Lambeau Field what it is. Almost a 40 season streak of home game sell-outs, and a season ticket list that is measured in years... that's dedication to a team.

[JMK]

That is impressive. That takes either dedication, or lots of mind-numbing beer.

[Jedieb]

That is impressive. That takes either dedication, or lots of mind-numbing beer.
:lol
Beer.... so much a part of Green Bay football. I wouldn't want to face Green Bay at home in the playoffs, in any era. But Green Bay would have to win 13 games to get home field throughout, and I just don't see that happening. I'm really anxious to see the season get started. Preseason football is like watching Luke kiss Leia. You know it's not going anywhere and it's kind of disturbing if you pay attention too closely.

[JMK]

I could also use the break from the joke that has become MLB.
BTW, what did you think of Sosa yanking himself out of Saturday's game after jacking three bombs out of the park by the 6th inning? I thought it was rather lame, but that's just me...

[Jedieb]

As a fan, you want to see him get a shot at 4, maybe 5 home runs. However, I admire the sportsman in him for pulling himself out (I've heard Sosa asked to sit out) of a rout so as to not humiliate his opponent. Baylor pulled him from a game a few years ago for the same reason. If the game had been closer I think Sosa would have stayed in, but at 14-1 I think he took a classy step. A dissapointing one, but a classy one.

On a positive note, the players DIDN'T set a strike date today. Most people are shocked that the refused to set one as a sign of good faith. I think the situation is looking a bit brighter. Yes, the luxury tax is still the big hurdle, but I don't think the players want to strike. There may be hope yet.

[JMK]

The first thing that entered my head about the matter was that the other team's fans were giving him a standing O. I don't think they cared at that point that their team was getting destroyed, they wanted to see Sammy make history. With a work stoppage looming, the fans could have used something to cheer about IMO.

As for the work stoppage, I think a strike is the only thing that will make baseball viable in the long term. Any agreement that they come to now would probably be another short term solution and we'd be going through the same crap in another 5 years from now just as the sport is recovering.

[CMJ]

Keep hope alive. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think they will get something worked out though you are right, JMK they will be going through this whole mess in another 5 years or so.

As far as the NFL I will be glad when the preseason is over to I can't even watch the games, they mean nothing and a lot of teams play that way. I am really looking foward to seeing what the Chiefs do, I think they could be a surprise team this year, but that will depend on the Gonzalez situation, he said the other day h would sign a one year deal just to play.

[Admiral Lebron]

I will blindly follow the Ravens. Been with them since the beginning. Go them! Honestly they wont win it this year :( as since their super bowl victory caused them to drop a lot of good backups. :cry

[JonathanLB]

San Fran's defense last year was NOT very good, so that is not accurate. They got a lot better towards the end of the year. They started playing so much better during the last 6 to 8 games, so second half of the season. Hopefully they can build upon that.

Steve M. will be around a while longer, not just this year, that'd be horrible. He's a great coach. Owens is the best receiver in the NFL besides Moss, and Moss has a horrible attitude. Owens doesn't. That is such a load of press BS. I read about him playing summer league basketball and he went OUT OF HIS WAY to sign autographs for fans and be a nice guy. Yeah, he had disagreements with the coach for the Niners but that's not the end of the world. In general he is quite a good guy. One time he got this whole bag full of mail asking for autographs and the coach of the summer league team handed him the bag and was like, "I don't know what you want to do with these, but these are for you." Well he signed every single one of the autograph requests and told the guy to send them back to the fans who wrote. I think he has a much worse image than he deserves...

Owens is a great player, that's what I care about most.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I haven't heard much about Owens so I don't know the situation, also I think Marruci will survie since the team that wanted him the most was Tampa last year and S.F wouldn't let them have him. As far as the niners they will win at least 10 games maybe 11 or 12, it will depend on how Seattle is, which already lost Dilfer for a while and he is there best QB.

[jjwr]

Ooh Football!

Well I'm a Patriots fan through and through, years of humiliation finally paid off!

I don't really care to touch on each division but a few I will comment on.

AFC East - This looks like it could be the toughest division in football yet again. Starting with the Jets who are always competitive, not necessarily SB level but good enough to knock just about anyone off at any given time. The Bills could be very good with Bledsoe. For years Bledsoe has been my favorite player, sadly he's not on the Patriots anymore and I'll cringe those 2 games a year but I'm still cheering for the guy.

The Dolphins....I just don't see them doing it with Fiedler, Ricky is good no doubt but can Fiedler really pull it off?

The Patriots....we're entering year 3 of the Belechik rebuilding period, last year was a rebuilding year but the stars aligned and they took it in. On paper they're a better team this year, they've added 2 new Wide Recievers who should help stretch the field and give Brady tons of targets. A big 6'4" deep guy and a speed guy from the 2nd round. Add in a number of quality Tight Ends and you could see a very effective offense from the Patriots. The defense, it was very good last year and its added some solid Veterans.

They've got a killer schedule but should do ok.

I don't think the Colts are quite ready yet, Dungy will help the defense but that defense gave up something like 550pts last year, he's added a ton of rookies and a few FA's, I can't see them becoming a SB caliber defense in one year. Next year they'll be scary as they will have a year under their belts and be that much better.

My pick to win the AFC, if Kordell plays well the Steelers should be in it, lots of iffy teams, San Diego, Kansas City, Oakland, I think the Patriots will do well and the Bills will do well.

NFC, top 4 teams should be Philidelphia, Green Bay, San Fran and the Rams. Out of those I think Green Bay is the weakest. Any of the other 3 could easily be playing in the SB. Until the niners prove they can beat them I still say its the Rams though.

My darkhorse, watch out for the Redskins if they start to click.

[JMK]

You're right jjwr, Fiedler won't do it. 220 yards passing per game won't win very much in this league, even though defence wins championships. Ricky Williams will have to play at the top of his game all year and stay healthy for them to contend.

Keshawn Johnson is another good receiver, but also has (had?) a pretty big mouth to go along with it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am wondering too, if there will be another surprise, in terms of the Super Bowl, the last 3 years a team nobody thought at the beginning of the year won the Super bowl, so can it happen again? If it does it would be one of these teams, Atlanta, Kansas City, San Diego, Cleveland, Dallas, Ny Giants, Seattle, those teams are more likely I don't count the Colts or Titans because I don't think anybody would call them a huge surprise.

[Jedieb]

That's a good list of surprise teams JMC. These last few years have just been so incredible. As I look back at each of the last 3 Superbowl champions the only one that even looked like a serous contender was the Ravens. And even then NO ONE would have predicted they'd field a defense that rivaled the 85 Bears or that Dilfer would be the QB to lead them to the Superbowl. I mean Trent Dilfer!!?! I think KC or Dallas could end up surprising a lot of people. But the Giants are done in my opinion. I really think they'll occupy the cellar in the NFC East. The Redskins could surprise us. If Warner can come out of nowhere, then maybe Spurrier could turn one of his journeyman QB's into something special. The Falcons are going to be fun to watch with Vick and Warrick Dunn. That's a lot of speed for teams to deal with.

I think we're bound to get at least 1 surprise team (look at the Bears last year). Who's it gonna be...

[JMK]

I haven't been able to fully concentrate on the NFL yet, as my focus is still on my hometeam CFL team which is going for a franchise record 8-0 start tonight at home vs the defending champs. Should be a terrific game!

Here's a side note to you all. Remember Lawrence Phillips? Well he's our RB right now. Of course, this is just a one year stint with the team until an NFL team decides to take a chance on him next season. His attitude has totally changed and he's a real solid talent.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am not convicned of Philips but that is another story, wouldn't be surprised if somebody else picked him up, though. Also I am intrigued by San Diego and Seattle both have pretty good teams and could suprise some people, Seattle has a chance at the Wild Card while San Diego could win that wide open AFC West, I thought Cleveland would be a surprise but they lost there best defensive player for the season and I am not sure if they can survive that.

[JMK]

How long is Dilfer gone? Are the Seahawks really expected to seriously contend with him gone?

[Figrin D'an]

I'm not convinced about Seattle at all... especially now with Dilfer out for 8 weeks. Hasslebeck is a decent QB, and they have Shaun Alexander, a solid RB, and one good receiver. On defense though, they're awful. Combine that with having to now play St. Louis and San Francisco twice a year each... I think it's going to be a long year for Seahawks fans...

San Diego could pull some surprises though... they started out so well last season, then everything came apart. Tomlinson will lead the offensive attack, but the receivers are a lot better now, and Fletcher make for a good threat coming out of the backfield. I think Brees is the better choice for Schottenheimer's system, but it's about 50/50 right now between him and Flutie. The defense got better through the draft, and it looks like Junior Seau will be back at 100% soon. The AFC West will be tough, with Oakland and a much improved KC team, but if one of them stumbles, the Chargers could end up battling for a playoff spot.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well, I wasn't sure how long Dilfer was going to be out, with him healthy I felt like they had a chance, but now it is going to be very tough I have to admit. I agree about San Diego, really the only team I think in the AFC West that might not compete is Denver, Davis might be forced to retire, Griese may have lost it and there defense is average at best. KC could be interesting depending if they can get Gonzalez to sign that one year deal, he said he will but not until after the next preseason game, and I am not sure about there #1 pick the whole signing bonus with Roy Williams and Dallas has made it more difficult and I am not sure where things are going at this point.