Thursday, September 07, 2006
Our long national nightmare is over. Real football returns tonight. I enjoy college football, enjoyed last weekend's slate of games quite a bit, particularly the Notre Dame at Georgia Tech game. But who are we kidding? Football is all about the guys who get paid to play it. It's all about the NFL and it kicks off tonight. My work schedule just changed so I have Sundays and Mondays off. I haven't been this excited about an NFL season in a long time. That said, here are my NFL predictions for the 2006 season. Remember, this is not a gambling site.....
There's really not a great team in this division. Look for Eli Manning to have a big year. The Eagles will be better than last year. The Cowboys may play well, but will eventually implode with Terrell Owens on the roster. Washington is aging quickly, a replacement needs to be found for Mark Brunell as soon as possible.
Every team is flawed here. The Bears have a great defense but will struggle offensively unless they find an answer at QB. The Lions can't help but be better. I despised Mike Martz in St. Louis, but he has tools to work with in Detroit and could put up big offensive numbers with this squad. The Vikings continue to have character problems. Please, please, give Brett Favre something to work with before he gets killed out there!
The Panthers are the class of the NFC, enough offense and a great defense. They'll run away with the south. Chris Simms will get a chance to start for the full season in Tampa. We'll see if he's up to it. This could be the season that we decide what kind of QB Michael Vick is. The tools are all there, he needs to prove himself as a winner. Reggie Bush just isn't enough to make a difference in New Orleans. I can't help but wonder how much he's going to play anyway with a similar type of player already starting in front of him.
I know all about the curse befalling teams that lose the Super Bowl, but Seattle doesn't face a lot of competition in the West. Everyone else should be better, but not good enough to catch the Seahawks. If the Rams learn to play some D, they'll improve markedly, but don't count on it. The Cardinals always seem to have the talent to win, but always seem to screw it up. I guess that's Denny Green's MO. The Niners are simply dreadful.
The Dolphins will be the suprise team on the NFL. They were good when Nick Saban took over last year, but now they have a ton of extra talent. This is a dangerous team. At some point, the Pats have to pay for all the coaching talent that's been shipped off around the football world. This could be the year. Buffalo is third only because the Jets are probably the worst team in football. Questions at QB and nobody to run the ball aren't the ideal way to start rebuilding.
People seem to forget that the Bengals won the North last year. If Carson Palmer is really back, they'll win it again. The loss of Bettis hurts the Steelers more than anyone realizes. He was a leader and great in tough yardage situations. Duce Staley won't be able to fill his shoes. The Ravens are better with McNair at QB, but "offensive genius" Brian Billick always manages to have a crappy offense. He owes his job to the defensive squad and their coaching staff. Charlie Frye makes the Browns fun to watch, that doesn't translate into many wins though
The Colts will need to find and answer at RB, but if they don't, another Manning could have a HUGE year. The Jags play good D, can run the ball and have a competent QB, that puts them in the top third of NFL teams. I'm out on a limb with the Texans, David Carr needs to step up. He also needs to spend a lot less time on his butt. Gary Kubiak will help both of those thing occur. Two words about the Titans - Kerry Collins????
Note, I am a Broncos fan. Every year we wonder who is going to be the starter at running back in Denver and every year someone we haven't heard of runs for 1,000 yards. Mike Bell? Tatum Bell? It doesn't matter, Denver will run the ball. Phillip Rivers will have a nice season in San Diego, Chargers fans will forget about that guy who's now stuck in New Orleans. The Chiefs needed to improve defensively in the off season and simply didn't. Larry Johnson will be big but it won't be enough. Randy Moss and Joey Porter play on the same team and no one on this roster can get them the ball. Long season by the bay.
Denver vs. Carolina in Super Bowl XLI. Make your plans now.
BOJ
NFC EASTNew York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Cowboys Washington Redskins
There's really not a great team in this division. Look for Eli Manning to have a big year. The Eagles will be better than last year. The Cowboys may play well, but will eventually implode with Terrell Owens on the roster. Washington is aging quickly, a replacement needs to be found for Mark Brunell as soon as possible.
NFC NORTHChicago Bears Detroit Lions Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers
Every team is flawed here. The Bears have a great defense but will struggle offensively unless they find an answer at QB. The Lions can't help but be better. I despised Mike Martz in St. Louis, but he has tools to work with in Detroit and could put up big offensive numbers with this squad. The Vikings continue to have character problems. Please, please, give Brett Favre something to work with before he gets killed out there!
NFC SOUTHCarolina Panthers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Atlanta Falcons New Orleans Saints
The Panthers are the class of the NFC, enough offense and a great defense. They'll run away with the south. Chris Simms will get a chance to start for the full season in Tampa. We'll see if he's up to it. This could be the season that we decide what kind of QB Michael Vick is. The tools are all there, he needs to prove himself as a winner. Reggie Bush just isn't enough to make a difference in New Orleans. I can't help but wonder how much he's going to play anyway with a similar type of player already starting in front of him.
NFC WESTSeattle Seahawks St. Louis Rams Arizona Cardinals San Francisco 49ers
I know all about the curse befalling teams that lose the Super Bowl, but Seattle doesn't face a lot of competition in the West. Everyone else should be better, but not good enough to catch the Seahawks. If the Rams learn to play some D, they'll improve markedly, but don't count on it. The Cardinals always seem to have the talent to win, but always seem to screw it up. I guess that's Denny Green's MO. The Niners are simply dreadful.
AFC EASTMiami Dolphins New England Patriots Buffalo Bills New York Jets
The Dolphins will be the suprise team on the NFL. They were good when Nick Saban took over last year, but now they have a ton of extra talent. This is a dangerous team. At some point, the Pats have to pay for all the coaching talent that's been shipped off around the football world. This could be the year. Buffalo is third only because the Jets are probably the worst team in football. Questions at QB and nobody to run the ball aren't the ideal way to start rebuilding.
AFC NORTHCincinnati Bengals Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens Cleveland Browns
People seem to forget that the Bengals won the North last year. If Carson Palmer is really back, they'll win it again. The loss of Bettis hurts the Steelers more than anyone realizes. He was a leader and great in tough yardage situations. Duce Staley won't be able to fill his shoes. The Ravens are better with McNair at QB, but "offensive genius" Brian Billick always manages to have a crappy offense. He owes his job to the defensive squad and their coaching staff. Charlie Frye makes the Browns fun to watch, that doesn't translate into many wins though
AFC SOUTHIndianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Houston Texans Tennesse Titans
The Colts will need to find and answer at RB, but if they don't, another Manning could have a HUGE year. The Jags play good D, can run the ball and have a competent QB, that puts them in the top third of NFL teams. I'm out on a limb with the Texans, David Carr needs to step up. He also needs to spend a lot less time on his butt. Gary Kubiak will help both of those thing occur. Two words about the Titans - Kerry Collins????
AFC WESTDenver Broncos San Diego Chargers Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders
Note, I am a Broncos fan. Every year we wonder who is going to be the starter at running back in Denver and every year someone we haven't heard of runs for 1,000 yards. Mike Bell? Tatum Bell? It doesn't matter, Denver will run the ball. Phillip Rivers will have a nice season in San Diego, Chargers fans will forget about that guy who's now stuck in New Orleans. The Chiefs needed to improve defensively in the off season and simply didn't. Larry Johnson will be big but it won't be enough. Randy Moss and Joey Porter play on the same team and no one on this roster can get them the ball. Long season by the bay.
Denver vs. Carolina in Super Bowl XLI. Make your plans now.
BOJ
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 1:06 PM 
