NFL predictions

[Styrofoam]

Starting with the NFC..

The NFC has been getting steadily stronger, in my opinion. They are generally having more success with the draft and building their teams through the draft...

NFC North:

Vikings 12-4
Packers 10-6
Lions 7-9
Bears 4-12

I have the vikings winning the North on the strength of their defense now with jared allen, and if the rumors are true and the packers ship Favre to them, then there is no doubt in my mind that they will win the division. Packers will be 2 games behind as i'm not sold on aaron rogers. The lions, IMO shot themselves in the foot when they let RB jones go last year. Despite being injured this guy was a great addition to the team 2 years ago, and has shown he can still compete when he worked out for other teams. The bears, with their uncertain QB situation and their aging defense... dead last. again.


NFC South:

Tampa 10-6
Carolina 8-8
New Orleans 8-8
Atlanta 3-13

Nothing special at all about this division. Tampa is not even a great team IMO and the division reeks of mediocrity (if you ask me) but still, someone has to win it, and Tampa seems like the best choice. There's always a chance that Favre could come to 2 of the 4 teams in this division (Tampa and Carolina) which would make them instantly more competitive. The saints and NFL love child Reggie Bush won't produce to expectations and Atlanta is w/ a rookie head coach in Mike Smith(I do like him) and rookie QB. Expect them to remain in the cellar in this division for 2 more years.

NFC West:

Arizona 9-7
Seattle 9-7
San Fransisco 6-10
Saint Louis 4-12

I like Arizona here. No real reason other than I don't like Seattle. I think that it'll be a competitive division and that the cardinals will win it on tie breakers. Who knows? I just want to put the Cards in the playoffs, and i don't see a wild card coming from this division. They've had a shot at the division in the not so recent past even with a 7-9 record. I think 8-8 could actually win this division.

NFC East:

Dallas 13-3
New York 11-5
Washington 9-7
Philadelphia 5-11

At the top of the NFC are the cowboys. Unfortunately, they are a better all around team than the Superbowl champion Giants, and as such i have to put them on top. The redskins i think hurt themselves next year by trading for Jason Taylor. He is 34 and coming off a not so great season... his best football is quite obviously behind him. The eagles still have no wide receiver to go to, and brian westbrook cannot take the entire team on his shoulders every play. Also, when is McNabb out? Didn't they draft his replacement last year in Kolb?

NFC Playoffs:

1: Cowboys
2: Vikings
3: Bucs
4: Cardinals
5: Giants
6: Packers

WC round: Packers over the Bucs Giants over the cards.
Divisional: Cowboys over the Pack Vikings over the giants
NFCCG: Vikings upset the cowboys


AFC outlook:

AFC North:

Cleavland: 11-5
Pittsburgh: 10-6
Baltimore: 5-11
Cinci: 5-11

I like cleavland here. they've upgraded nearly every problem area over the offseason. Their center is back from injury from last year, and if derek Anderson plays as well as he did in the first half of the season, there's no real stopping them. They have arguably the best Receiver AND tight end in Edwards and Winslow. The defense has been upgraded now, and it looks like a team ready to make the first playoff appearance in almost 10 years. Despite how the Steelers played last year, they are largely a rebuilding team. I see them doing well, but i think they'll drop more games this year and ultimately lose the division to the browns. I'm not sold on Flacco for the Ravens, and the defense is getting a lot older. Despite having Chad johnson, I don't see the bengals doing well this season.

AFC South:

Indy: 12-4
Jacksonville: 12-4
Houston: 9-7
Tennessee: 7-9

Depending on how the Manning surgery went and continues to go, the jaguars COULD overtake the colts. But, I still see this as the colt's division. HOWEVER if Dwight freeney, Marvin Harrison, and Manning are all less than 100% or if manning misses more than 1 game, its possible the jaguars could catch up some ground on them. The jaguars have added speed at the WR position, and added Drayton florence on the defensive side of the ball moving Brian Williams to last years problem position Strong safety. If the Draft pick Defensive ends play up to expectations, expect them to make some noise in the playoffs. The Texans are a team on the rise. Expect them to make some noise in the playoff race but just miss out, but they will still have made their first winning season in franchise history this year. The titans were an overachieving team last year. With the loss of BOTH starting defensive ends, the pressure on the QBs will be minimal. Vince young is abysmal at the QB position. The only strong point is kicker Rob bironas, who incidentally pulled a groin muscle in practice and may not be ready to come back before the start of the regular season.

AFC West:

San Diego: 11-5
Denver: 8-8
Oakland 5-11
KC: 4-12

The chargers are the only good team in this division. There's not much to be said about it. Denver is mediocre and have no receivers for a mediocre Jay cutler to through to. Brandon Marshall may be suspended for 4 games as it is. Kansas City is likely going to have the first pick in next years draft, and are very obviously rebuilding. Oakland looks to improve but its not hard to do in this division.

AFC East:

New England: 15-1
New York: 8-8
Buffalo: 6-10
Miami: 2-14

The only thing New England can do to improve last season is to win the superbowl. They will likely drop at least one game this season, and will not repeat the 16-0 perfect regular season. The jets are largely improved on offense and a better line on both sides of the ball. Unfotunately, they have no real QB to operate behind it. A lot is being said about the bill's chances, and i do not see a great team up in new york outside of the New York football giants. I do not know about Edwards being a great QB, and the best WR they have is Lee evans. I expect them to have 2 more years (counting this one) before they can challenge for a WC spot because lets face it, no one is dethroning the Patriots in this division. Miami is rebuilding, and IMO, they're doing it right. They took a Left Tackle as the #1 pick in the draft instead of a QB. The battles are won upfront in the trenches and solidifing the LT spot for 10-15 years to come with Jake Long was a smart move.

AFC playoff picture
1: Patriots
2: Colts
3: Browns
4: Chargers
5: Jaguars
6: Steelers
(although the 2nd and 5th seeds could easily be switched)

WC round: Browns over the Steelers, Jaguars over the Chargers
Divisonal Round: Jaguars upset the colts, Patriots wallop the browns
AFCCG: Patriots over the jags

Superbowl: Vikings over the patriots. 24-21

[Kadian]

I don't have the patients to do all that, so like last year I will just correct your NFC north picture, first of all there is no way the Vikings will be that good. Aaron Rodgers has more promise than you give him credit for, if he did end up starting he would do very well and in no way hurt the teams chances. So my NFC North picture looks more like this...

Packers 13-3
Vikings 9-7
Lions 8-8
Bears 3-13

If anything I'd give one more win to the Bears and one less to the Packers, but since last year two of the Bears wins were fluke wins against the Packers I don't expect them to do any better than that.

[Kadian]

Last night there was a meeting between Favre and the coach that lasted over 4 hours, and I believe they were trying to come to an agreement on whether Favre had to compete for the starting job or how they were going to determine who gets to start. There is going to be a press conference today to let us know whats going to happen.

[Styrofoam]

I knew all of that. I have NFL network which reported all of it. They made a roster spot because had they not, he would have been automatically cut. They say all sorts of things which may or may not be true. While he probably will play on the packers this year, the possibility of a trade is still there.

[Kadian]

We'll find out today I'm sure....

[Styrofoam]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8414 ... s?MSNHPHMA

[Kadian]

I just watched on the local news that Favre might want to go to Chicago or Minn. but the offers that Green Bay will get to trade him still won't be enough to let him go, so they are still stuck right now and haven't announced their decision. They also decided that he shouldn't be able to compete for the starting role, so he's not starting for Green Bay either way. Should be interesting to see what happens... I still think he should have just stayed retired.

Sorry, I didn't read your article foam....

[Styrofoam]

no big deal. What you heard on the news is about what the article says.

[flint]

NFC North:

I think this Favre stuff is really hurting the Packers in a big way. The latest I've heard is that Favre might be traded to Tampa Bay, but the damage is already done. That being said I still think they will win the division. Minnesota has a horrible qb, horrible receivers, and a horrible pass defense. I see a lot of people picking Minnesota to play in the Super Bowl but you don't end a half decade playoff drought by going to the big game. There is not much to say about the Bears or Lions.

NFC South:

I think Tampa overachieved big time last year and they only had a 9-7 record. If Delhomme plays the entire season I could see the Panthers winning it, but that is a long shot. I am gonna pick the Saints to win the division because they have the best QB in the division.

NFC East:

Cowboys should win the division and might even win a playoff game but they will not represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I'm pretty sure that no team has ever snapped an 11 year playoff victory drought with a trip to the Super Bowl. After that things get real murky. The Giants are probably the worst Super Bowl champs in the history of the NFL. The Eagles could easily bounce back from a bad year and be a force in the playoffs. The Skins are coming off a playoff year despite massive injuries and they lost no player of any significance to injury but suffer from losing a head coach (which might not turn out to be a bad thing).

NFC West:

Seattle will win this division easily. They don't have a weak spot, but they may miss having a clutch kicker like Josh Brown around. The Rams and Cardinals are both medicore teams that will win 6 to 8 games and the 49ers still suck. Arizona would be better off sticking with Kurt Warner but they need to find out what Leinart has.

AFC North:

Pittsburgh is a Super Bowl contender this year. Cleveland will have a good season but I could see them just missing out on a wildcard spot again. If Brett Favre was smart he would play for the Ravens, but since they still have Kyle Boller they won't be a threat. The Bengals blow and Carson Palmer really needs to get out of that city. He is way too good of a quarterback to waste away in that town with its pathetic ownership.

AFC South:

Indy is the cream of the crop again. I always thought Leftwich was the biggest problem with the Jaguars and now with Garrard at the helm they are definitely one of the top 5 teams in the AFC. The new receivers will be disappointing though. Gregg Williams is an awesome DC but his ego is gonna rub some people the wrong way. Houston sucks, they will do worse than 8-8 this year. Tennessee also sucks, but I don't think Vince Young is as bad as you do.

AFC East:

The Patriots have no competition here. I think the Jets could possibly take a wildcard spot but its not likely. I like Chad Pennington a lot and I don't know why the Jets didn't stick with him. I guess thats why they've been one of the NFL's worst franchises since Namath made the guarantee. The Bills will be worse than last year and the Dolphins will be just slightly better.

AFC West:

As long as the Chargers are around I don't see Indianapolis as true Super Bowl contenders because for some reason San Diego just has their number. LT is getting anxious for a championship and I think this could be the year he gets it. The Broncos are better than last years 7-9 record. Jay Cutler is going to be a good QB. The Chiefs already threw in the towel for this year. They need to get someone other than Brody Croyle because he isn't the answer at QB. Larry Johnson is still a top 3 running back in the NFL in my opinion.

NFC Playoffs:

North - Green Bay
South - New Orleans
East - Dallas
West - Seattle
WC - Philadelphia
WC - Washington
Champion: Seattle

AFC Playoffs:

North - Pittsburgh
South - Indianapolis
East - New England
West - San Diego
WC - Jacksonville
WC - Denver
Champion: San Diego

[Styrofoam]

The reason they didn't stay with pennington is because he has no arm strength.

I don't know why you're so high on Denver. You were high on them last season as AFC champs, and you have them making the play-offs this year... They suck. Jay Cutler is mediocre. He has no receivers to throw to, and its official, their #1 is out for a 3 game suspension. The giants will not miss the playoffs this year. The pass rush is simply too strong. Eli manning has made strides and is looking confident. The eagles or the redskins are out. My money is on both.

[flint]

The Broncos were 7-9 which does not suck and two of their losses were in overtime so they easily could have been 9-7. On a side note the NFL really needs to change their OT rules. Cutler has learned how to control his diabetes and now has a full season of NFL starting experience. As for Denver's receivers sucking, last year Washington, Jacksonville, and Tennessee all made the playoffs with receiving corps that are worse or not much better than what Denver has with or without Brandon Marshall. Marshall might only be out for 2 games if he complies with guidelines that Goodell set for him, and the first two games are Oakland and San Diego which Denver should win and lose regardless of Brandon playing.

The main reason that Denver will do better this year is an easier schedule. They get to take on the NFC South beating up on Tampa (home), Carolina (away), and Atlanta (away) and New Orleans (home) is a winnable game as well. They also face off with the AFC East where they will surely beat the Dolphins (home) and I think they will beat the Jets (away) and Bills (home) as well. Throw in two games against Chiefs and Raiders each and you've got a schedule that lends itself to making the playoffs.

[Styrofoam]

The Broncos were 7-9 which does not suck and two of their losses were in overtime so they easily could have been 9-7. On a side note the NFL really needs to change their OT rules. Cutler has learned how to control his diabetes and now has a full season of NFL starting experience. As for Denver's receivers sucking, last year Washington, Jacksonville, and Tennessee all made the playoffs with receiving corps that are worse or not much better than what Denver has with or without Brandon Marshall. Marshall might only be out for 2 games if he complies with guidelines that Goodell set for him, and the first two games are Oakland and San Diego which Denver should win and lose regardless of Brandon playing.

The main reason that Denver will do better this year is an easier schedule. They get to take on the NFC South beating up on Tampa (home), Carolina (away), and Atlanta (away) and New Orleans (home) is a winnable game as well. They also face off with the AFC East where they will surely beat the Dolphins (home) and I think they will beat the Jets (away) and Bills (home) as well. Throw in two games against Chiefs and Raiders each and you've got a schedule that lends itself to making the playoffs.

they also won two games on last second FGs which could have easily put them at 5-11 as well. they aren't good, they're mediocre. And while the recieving corps for Jacksonville wasn't spectacular, Reggie williams had 10 TDs, and Dennis Northcut was pretty spot on. They also have a top 10 QB (i'd rank him 6th beind Brady, manning, Favre, Rothlesberger and Hasselbeck) throwing the ball. Cutler is mediocre at best. Just wait.

I guess they do have an easy schedual, but they aren't as good as the browns, or steelers. I guess i just don't see what you see in the Broncos. They have an aging defense and no real offensive weapons to speak of...

[flint]

Saying that Garrad is the 6th best qb in the league is nearly as batshit insane as when you said the Jags receivers were better than the Bengals a couple years back. 2500 yards, 18 tds, and 3 ints makes Garrard a qb who doesn't fuck up, and thats about it. He is pretty much on par with Jeff Garcia. Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, and Donovan McNabb are the 4 big names off your list of qbs better than Garrard.

The Jaguars receivers weren't spectacular? No one had 50 catches on the whole team. That's god fucking awful. The Skins have one of the 5 worst receiving corps in the NFL and they had 3 players with 50 catches.

Obviously Jay Cutler isn't an NFL elite yet but considering in his second year he completed over 60% of his passes for about 3,500 yards with 20 tds to 14 ints I would say he is on his way. He managed that year while losing 35 lbs due to struggling with diabetes. I didn't like him coming out of college but watching him play he has been winning me over.

[Styrofoam]

Saying that Garrad is the 6th best qb in the league is nearly as batshit insane as when you said the Jags receivers were better than the Bengals a couple years back. 2500 yards, 18 tds, and 3 ints makes Garrard a qb who doesn't fuck up, and thats about it. He is pretty much on par with Jeff Garcia. Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, and Donovan McNabb are the 4 big names off your list of qbs better than Garrard.

The Jaguars receivers weren't spectacular? No one had 50 catches on the whole team. That's god fucking awful. The Skins have one of the 5 worst receiving corps in the NFL and they had 3 players with 50 catches.

Obviously Jay Cutler isn't an NFL elite yet but considering in his second year he completed over 60% of his passes for about 3,500 yards with 20 tds to 14 ints I would say he is on his way. He managed that year while losing 35 lbs due to struggling with diabetes. I didn't like him coming out of college but watching him play he has been winning me over.

yeah, i forgot Romo, you're right. But I think Garrard is as good as McNabb and brees. You also leave out that garrard was hurt 4 games (missed 3 of them completely...thats 1/4 the season..) Carson Palmer is good too, i'll give you that.

There are 3 reasons for the lack of 50 catch receivers 1) Garrard distributed the ball around the entire team including running backs, and tight ends, 2) A power running game that took priority over passing game, and probably the biggest problem was that while I feel that the receivers themselves were talented, they were Plagued by not having a /TRUE/ #1 threat at WR like a reggie wayne, Chad Johnson, etc, that was worthy of drawing double coverage.

I don't say that the jaguars had the best WR group or even the best passing game in the league, but they were FAR from as gimped as you are trying to make them out to be. Looking at the box score and the stats like Yards and receptions aren't the whole story. BTW: I looked back at the old posts, and I never said that jacksonville had better WRs than the bengals. I simply said that they matched up against the Indy corners and could possibly have a day like chad johnson did.

I also looked at at post in which you called McNabb mediocre. Now he's top 10? GG

[flint]

Ok you didn't say they were better, but the comparison was still wacko. Chad Johnson is NFL elite and the guys on the Jags were absolute scrubs except for Jimmy Smith but he was 36 and way, way past his prime at the time.

Garrard didn't distribute any more than most other NFL quarterbacks and the running backs did not eat up a significant number of receptions. Mojo had 40, Fred Taylor had 9, and Greg Jones had 11. Compare that to a team like the Redskins, who no one would say had good receiving running backs, where Portis caught 47 passes and Ladell Betts caught 21. Yet, they still had three other receivers catch 60+ passes. Also, a strong running game is not an excuse for mediocre QB numbers. If anything you would imagine Garrard to have been stellar on stats such as yards per completion, completion percentage, etc. He wasn't.

About McNabb: 1) I never said he was top 10, I said he was better than Garrard. I didn't rank the QBs. 2) Even if I did rank him in the top 10 it doesn't mean hes more than mediocre.

Right now I feel that the NFL QBs are seriously top loaded but there isn't much depth. Favre, Brady, and P Manning are future hall of famers. Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, and Matt Hasselbeck are the next step down. After that the QBs start to become a dime a dozen IMO. Marc Bulger, Jeff Garcia, and Donovan McNabb are all medicore QBs right now but someone has to fill out the top 10. Along with Garrard and maybe a couple other QBs they are guys who can lead a good team to victory but don't expect anything special.

[StormCrow]

[quote=Styrofoam]Tennessee: 7-9[/quote]

why does everyone hate on tennessee, they made playoffs last year, and this year the team has only gotten stronger, i don't understand why you think they will only go 7-9 when they easily beat that last season.

my prediction is atleast round 1 of the playoffs, and they have potential for more.

[flint]

Brady is out for the season, I think this removes the Pats from the NFL elite but I'm not ready to say it knocks them off the AFC East throne