After a frustrating off-season spoiled by a greed driven lock-out, I think we're all glad to see that football is back and everything has returned to business as usual in the NFL. Sure, we've gotten a taste of some grid iron action the past couple weeks from pre-season games, but that's just the appetizer that comes before the main course.
As we prepare to fall into our Sunday routines for football season, let's look ahead at the upcoming season and make some bold predictions. Keep in mind these are meant to be bold predictions, so they aren't locks to come true. What fun would that be? Anyone can make a prediction that Tom Brady will have another elite season, because barring injury, we expect that from him. On the other hand, we don't want to make wild predictions about Tavarias Jackson winning the MVP award. That would never happen (sorry Seattle). Instead, we're looking for somewhere in between, things that could come true, but it may come as a surprise to some if it did actually happen.
Without further delay, here are my predictions for this season:
- For the first time in about two decades, an NFL season will start without Brett Favre. Sure, there have been whispers about him coming back to mentor a young starter, but can anyone really picture Favre being content holding a clip board? He's done, shows over. I think. Probably. Hopefully. Crap, he probably just signed somewhere. Ok, I've got the obligatory Favre mention out of the way, time to move on.
- The effects of the lock-out will still be felt through at least the first month of the season. Shorter training camps and late free agent additions have given teams less time to prepare for the season. The results will likely be sloppy play in the first few games, especially from teams with a new coach and system. Look for more conservative offenses and missed assignments on defense in the early going.
- Peyton Manning's neck injury will force him to miss at least one game this season, snapping his consecutive games streak a mere 89 games short of Brett Favre's record (wait, I thought we were done talking about Favre, sorry!).
- The Colts will miss the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
- Even without the Colts in the posteason, we'll still get to see Payton Manning more than any other QB in the league this year thanks to the 37 commercials he'll be appearing in.
- Albert Haynesworth will be a model citizen in New England and become a pass rushing force, leading the league in sacks. I don't know how Belichick gets bad boys like him to fall in line. It may have something to do with the camera from the Spy Gate scandal. He may be using it to blackmail his players into behaving. Genius!
- Chad OchoCinco will start a new reality TV show along with new teammate Wes Welker. The WesOcho Show! They will spend time every episode making fun of Jets coach Rex Ryan and telling jokes about feet. Their actions will get them reprimanded by coach Belichick, who will then secretly tell the players behind closed doors that he's a fan of the show and thinks it's hilarious.
- Dating Hayden Pannettiere will do for Mark Sanchez's career what Jessica Simpson once did for Tony Romo's - temporarily destroy it. I'm not just saying that because I don't like the Jets or because I'm jealous that he's [rumored to be] dating the former Heroes star. Honest...
- Randy Moss will beg the Patriots to take him back. Belichick will eventually agree, but only so that he can immediately trade him back to Minnesota for a 4th round draft pick. Those Vikings never learn.
- Baltimore's Ray Rice will lead all RB's in total yardage. He has less competition for touches this year and will benefit from the gift that helped make Arian Foster last year's leading rusher, running behind blocking Full Back Vonte Leech. He's also one of the league's best receiving backs, allowing him to tack on plenty of extra yardage through the air to add to that total.
- Michael Vick will play all 16 games. He'll avoid injury by learning to avoid getting hit, by going into a slide before the contact arrives, like every other QB does.
- Donovan McNabb will have a resurgent season in Minnesota, prompting Redskins owner Dan Snyder to place a call to the Vikings asking how much it would take to trade for a player like that to upgrade their miserable passing game.
- A Dallas Cowboy receiver will be one of the top 10 receivers in the league. It's either Miles Austin or Dez Bryant, but not both. Whichever one is on Romo's good side the most is primed for a huge year.
- After teasing us as a sleeper team for years, the Texans will finally breakout and make the playoffs for the first time in team history. The offense is loaded and with Wade Phillips as the new defensive coordinator, their defense can't be as bad as before.
- Jamaal Charles will finally get 250+ carries. The KC coaching staff has to know their offense is better when putting the ball into the hands of their most explosive player, as opposed to giving carries away to the corpse wearing the Thomas Jones jersey.
- Kyle Orton will begin the year as the starter in Denver. After a losing record through the first half of the season, they will turn the job over to Tim Tebow. When the team gets even worse, they realize the rest of the team is just bad, that's why they keep losing. The whole mess just drives Orton to start drinking more.
- San Diego will have a winning record in the month of December. Home games against Jacksonville and Buffalo, plus the road game in Detroit are all very winnable match-ups. They can save the late season collapse for January this year, because they are getting back into the playoffs.
- I like Detroit as a possible sleeper team. They are loaded with young talent and ready to break out at any time. I'm tempted to pick them as an NFC Wild Card team, but I need to see Matthew Stafford make it through a season healthy before I can really be a believer in this team. A 9-7 record isn't out of reach.
- This is the year we find out that Raiders owner Al Davis actually died 5 years ago.
- Somebody from the NFC West will have a winning record this year. We just can't have a losing team make the playoffs again! My bet would be on the Rams making a jump this year.
- The Packers may be the defending Super Bowl champs, but the Eagles have made themselves the team to beat in the NFC.
- Sorry Pittsburgh, but the track record for teams that lose in the Super Bowl isn't good for the hangover season. The Patriots are the front runner in the AFC.
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Cards: New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC West: St. Louis Rams
Wild Cards: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl Pick
Patriots over Eagles
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