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Archive for August, 2011

It’s that time of year again folks. The 2011 football season is fast approaching & all of us are looking forward to football more than usual after an extended lockout between the players & owners. Us fans are glad to have our football back, but it’s now time to breakdown each team for 2011.

NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys (Division Winner @ 11-5) – Coming off the year the Cowboys had in 2010 many would assume I’d be crazy to pick them to win the division, but I love their addition by subtraction strategy. By cutting Marion Barber & Roy Williams they’re allowing better players to start. An already good defense now has Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator, which could make the defense a dominant unit.

New York Giants (Wild Card @ 10-6) – The Giants lost two average players in Steve Smith (no, not the one who was good three years ago) & Kevin Boss & suddenly experts think they stink. I’m not buying it, because Smith will be easily replaced. Boss may actually require two people to replace him though in Bear Pascoe to block & Travis Beckum to receive. Expect Jason Pierre Paul to have a Strahan type season & the offense will go on as usual. The Giants also added Greg Jones out of Michigan State & Mark Herzlich out of Boston College who have hall of fame potential.

Philadelphia Eagles (Miss Playoffs @ 8-8) – The Eagles have had an intriguing offseason. They signed a bunch of good players at positions they already had good players. As a result their two best players in Asante Samuel & Ronnie Brown are backups. The Eagles have a mediocre offensive line – playing without a right tackle may be an improvement over what King Dunlap offers. Their safeties are average 2nd year players & their linebackers have even less experience. Oh, and their former offensive line coach is now defensive coordinator. Not to mention a difficult schedule.

Washington Redskins (Miss Playoffs @ 5-11) – Their defense always seems to keep them in games but they have no offense. Rex Grossman & John Beck are battling to start at quarterback, that sums the team up nicely.

NFC North:

Green Bay Packers (Division Winner @ 14-2) – Aaron Rodgers lead a number of backups to a Lombardi trophy last year. The team simply improves by being healthy. Plus there are no big challenges in their division.

Detroit Lions (Miss Playoffs @ 9-7) – If Matthew Stafford stays healthy this is a playoff team. Since he cannot stay healthy they will fall just short of the playoffs. The team is obscenely talented on the defensive line, making up for their mediocre secondary. The team should have a lot of leads this year due to their defense but may not be able to ice games late due to a poor running game.

Chicago Bears (Miss Playoffs @ 6-10) – The Bears strategy this offseason was to let any of their good starters leave, sign the bad ones & then sign players the Cowboys cut. They have an average quarterback & an aging, decaying defense. The end may be near for Lovie Smith.

Minnesota Vikings (Miss Playoffs @ 4-12) – Remember how bad the quarterback play was in 2010? It could be worse this year. Donovan McNabb will no longer be the starter by week 8 & against average ACC competition Christian Ponder was average, so not much of an improvement there. Their defensive line is deteriorating before our eyes which will expose the rest of an average defensive unit.

NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons (Division Winner @ 12-4) – Their defense is average but their offense is the 2nd best in football. And they added to a dominant offense. The offense will give them enough leads where the running game can ice the victories.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Wild Card @ 11-5) – The team is mostly young highly skilled players that will only improve on last year. Expect quarterback Josh Freeman to have an MVP caliber season.

New Orleans Saints (Miss Playoffs @ 8-8) – The Seattle Seahawks showed in last year’s playoffs just how terrible this defense is. They attempted to improve their defense by signing other teams castoffs, which likely won’t work. They’ve only improved at the running back position.

Carolina Panthers (Miss Playoffs @ 0-16) – Cam Newton’s first year, re-signing mediocre players to huge contracts & an aging DeAngelo Williams spells another lost season.

NFC West:

San Francisco 49ers (Division Winner @ 11-5) – While the rest of the division brought in backup players to fill starter roles, the 49ers filled holes at cornerback & safety with more talented players. The team has the best defensive player in Patrick Willis & a stable of good running backs. If Alex Smith can lower the number of interceptions they should run away with the division.

St. Louis Rams (Miss Playoffs @ 7-9) – The Rams are average at best at every position. But an on the rise quarterback & a brilliant head coach can go a long way in this league.

Arizona Cardinals (Miss Playoffs @ 6-10) – The defense is terrible, the running backs are horrible & the team is expecting Kevin Kolb to be the savior. Kolb may win a game or two but he struggles against good teams, so the season will be a struggle.

Seattle Seahawks (Miss Playoffs @ 4-12) – They have a good safety & an okay wide receiver. When you’ve downgraded at the other important positions like quarterback, you’re in bad shape.

AFC East:

New England Patriots (Division Winner @ 14-2) – The Patriots have four easy wins every year against the Dolphins & Bills, but this year I expect them to sweep their divisional games. The defense was the problem for the Patriots the past two years & they went out of their way to improve it through trades & in the draft. Their only real deficiency is at safety, but a good blitzing scheme can hide deficiencies.

New York Jets (Miss Playoffs @ 8-8) – The Jets lost all but one of the good players they had in Santonio Holmes. Mark Sanchez is nothing more than an average quarterback on his best day. Lady luck will stop shining so brightly on the Jets this season.

Buffalo Bills (Miss Playoffs @ 6-10) – The Bills are perennial losers because they refuse to get a competent quarterback, so the team will continue to struggle this year without improving that issue.

Miami Dolphins (Miss Playoffs @ 3-13) – The Miami Dolphins were an average team when they had great running backs in Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams. The team showed its fan base winning isn’t important but letting both players (essentially their offense) walk out the door. And neither player got lucrative contracts elsewhere.

AFC North:

Baltimore Ravens (Division Winner @ 14-2) – The Ravens offense keeps improving which allows an aging defense to no longer have to carry the team, yet in some games they may still do so. Ray Rice & Joe Flacco are poised for breakout seasons which will jettison the Ravens to a super bowl contender.

Pittsburgh Steelers (Wild Card @ 12-4) – The Pittsburgh Steelers should make the playoffs simply because they have four guaranteed victories against the Browns & Bengals. Their schedule is pretty soft & while they didn’t improve any where they really didn’t need to. Their mediocre cornerbacks don’t have to do much due to their dominant linebackers.

Cleveland Browns (Miss Playoffs @ 5-11) – The Browns will continue to be competitive in games simply due to Colt McCoy & Peyton Hillis. The defense will certainly take a step back without Rob Ryan & will cost the team numerous games.

Cincinnati Bengals (Miss Playoffs @ 2-14) – If you looked up & down this roster you’d assume they’d be the team playing the Lions in the 2014 super bowl. Unfortunately that is because all the rookies & second year players are a ways away from being great. The defense is terrible despite what others may have you believe & Marvin Lewis will be fired by Week 12.

AFC South:

Houston Texans (Division Winner @ 11-5) – Every expert has claimed that the Texans always seem to have a 12-4 offense & a 4-12 defense. The Texans opened the pocket book to make sure the defense improves by signing the second best cornerback available in Jonathan Joseph & then signed a good safety in Daniel Manning. With the Colts aging & the other teams in the division being terrible the Texans simply win the division if they beat the Colts once this year.

Indianapolis Colts (Wild Card @ 10-6) – The Colts are an aging team that has constantly overcame a rash of injuries due to Peyton Manning. For the second year in a row Peyton Manning is showing signs that he is breaking down. Even if he plays in Week 1 like I expect Manning will be rusty for the first four games of the season, which could put them behind in the division chase.

Tennessee Titans (Miss Playoffs @ 6-10) – The Titans only good player hasn’t taken the field yet in Chris Johnson. Last year Revis held out for a bigger contract & didn’t play like Revis until Week 11. If Chris Johnson doesn’t play in the last preseason game the Titans could possibly go 4-12, as Johnson won’t be himself until midway through the season.

Jacksonville Jaguars (Miss Playoffs @ 5-11) – The Jaguars have no one of note on their team & might not even be in Jacksonville by season’s end. Many suggested they should’ve drafted Tim Tebow & they still may be able to get him, but it is doubtful. Garrard will play most of the season despite being a mediocre quarterback because the head coach loves him & the team will struggle in every game this season.

AFC West:

San Diego Chargers (Division Winner @ 11-5) – The Chargers only real competition comes from two of their divisional foes. No longer will the Chargers sweep the division without trying like a few years ago. While the Broncos keep regressing, the Chiefs & Raiders are making sure they improve from year to year. But the Chargers have an explosive offense & a defense that is just good enough (it’s amazing how they were ranked #1 overall last year, showing how worthless that stat is).

Kansas City Chiefs (Miss Playoffs @ 9-7) – The Chiefs are on the rise. They have a solid running game, a nice tight end & an above average wide received in Dwayne Bowe. The problem is the defense is suspect at numerous locations where even poor teams can do good against them both passing & running. But in two years this could be a strong team.

Oakland Raiders (Miss Playoffs @ 8-8) – The Raiders have a good defense & a great running game. Jason Campbell is good enough to manage games but I fear since Al Davis is deranged that Mr. Pryor is already starting to warm up in the bullpen to replace Campbell. The Raiders have seemed to be on the cusp of playoff contention for years now & then Al Davis does something no one else would do because it’s idiotic & it always ends up costing them.

Denver Broncos (Miss Playoffs @ 3-13) – The locker room will crumble because the ownership & upper management want Tim Tebow to be the starter, but the team wants Kyle Orton to be the starter. It is possible the team trades Orton during the season to another team, but it is more likely that the team knows that management doesn’t care about winning, making the players only playing for contracts elsewhere next year, rather than playing as a team, which will spell doom.

If you feel we’re not giving your team enough credit feel free to let us know. Email us your opinions & thoughts to sportsnewscenter@hotmail.com