South – Texans 10/6
I will go ahead and tell you that I was going to proclaim the Texans as the best in the AFC South long before we heard all about Manning's spinal column but you won't believe me. You should though because the signs were there that the Texans were surging even before Manning couldn't get his shoulder pads on. The Texans have a new defense scheme and guru in Wade Phillips that will address their glaring problems over the last few years. The offense should continue to score as one of the best in the league and given the state of this division they should easily get to at least 10 wins. I would be kind of surprised if the Colts win 8 games this year and even fewer if Manning misses more than a couple. The Jags look like a team who is already accepting applications for the Head Coach's position and the Titans are going to be looking for whatever chance they can get to play a rookie quarterback.
North – Steelers 11/5
Can it be possible for the reigning AFC Champ to come into a season under the radar? Oh yeah it is, just ask the people in Steel Town, USA. I don't see any reason why the metal men won't win this division this year. Ben Rothlisburger stayed away from my old college town during the lock-out and Wines Hard kept in shape by learning to be a ballerina and posting bails so things are very normal in Pittsburg. The Ravens are the only other competitive team in the North but they have much transition on offense this season losing guys like Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Willis McGahee et al. The Ravens defense is also getting ever closer to qualifying for the senior discount at Hardees. There will be very little fight but up from the Browns or the Bengals this year as football in Ohio stinks worse than usual.
West – Super Chargers 10/6
Last year I did something I had never done before, I didn't choose San Diego to win the West. I learned a lot from that mistake and have gone back to what works. The Chargers are in great position to thrive this year. Their division is a lot better than you think it is though. Oakland is going to be competitive again this year even though they have fatal flaws. Denver will not be the push over they were last year with Elway and John Fox bringing much needed toughness. Kansas City won't have the shock factor they had last year when people were shocked that they actually won games. Still, the Super Chargers will possibly score the most points of any team in the league and have a defense that is under appreciated given how they hold teams to low scores.
East – J E T S Jets Jets Jets 11/5
I know most of you have been Belichecked over the last decade but wake up people. Brady and Belicheck are past their prime. The last time they won anything neither Vick nor Burress had been to prison. Times change and the Jets are soaring. As long as Rex Ryan can pay more attention to football and less time talking toe jam with his wife this team is ready to claim the top spot in the AFC. The Sanchize has weapons everywhere on offense now and maybe mature enough now to know what to do with them. This complied with an aggressive and fast defense will pound teams weekly into saying "Buddy Ryan should be in the Hall of Fame". The Patriots will be good enough to win most divisions in football but not this one. The Dolphins look the best they have looked since Pennington first came to town but they are still going to be crushed by both the Jets and Pats. Then there's the Bills and no one knows or cares about this team, if Chan couldn't win with the talent he had in Dallas he can't do it with this group of misfits.
Wildcards – Patriots 10/6 Ravens 9/7
No comments:
Post a Comment