aint' no cure for the Summertime Blitz

BlitzBandit

BlitzBandit

Friend of CTG
Well, it's that time of year again..

okay, okay, it isn't quite yet, but hell.. I'm psyched..

I know I wasn't so jumpy this time last year, but my team wasn't entering the season as the defending world champions either.. that actually goes a long way as a motivation factor ;)

I figured I'd get things started with some previews, predictions, and thoughts on what I think this year will bring us in the National Football League. I know we are still in the larvae stages with all the drama that still has yet to unfold (Brett Favre, Pacman Jones, Chad Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, etc.) but we just can't be waiting around to find out who wins the drama queen of the year award.. right?

I'm going to be taking this thing one team at a time. I know that sounds pretty draggy, but it's summer, so it's not like we don't have time. Plus I figure we will be able to get out more thoughts and discussions on each team this way than if I were to just blurt out my thoughts on all the teams at once and we just skip through most of em' without a second thought. It should be a little more time consuming, but hopefully it results in alot of dissection from all the top cappers here and produces a plethora of information for us all... but I do stress 'hopefully'.. hehe.

now let's get this show on the road.. shall we?

I won't be posting an exact predicted number of wins.. instead, I'll be estimating number of wins within a 3 game span.... there's really no point trying to pinpoint an exact number.

Being a Giants fan, I'm tempted to start with the NFC EAST.. but I won't. I can tell you that in my opinion it's going to be the tightest division this year and it will probably take the longest to clinch. On the contrary, New England will have one of the easiest schedules and their division will be the easiest to clinch.. again... damn cheaters!..

anyway, let's get started:
 
AFC WEST DIVISION


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San Diego Chargers

Projected Finish (AFC West): 1st place

Projected Wins: 11-13 wins


There's alot to like about the Chargers this season. They have LT, they have arguably the best offensive line in the league, they have LT, they have arguably the best Tight End in the league, they have LT, they have arguably the best defense in the league, and did I also mention they have LT?... Plus they also have arguably the best running back in the league... okay, okay, so I'm being redundant... hehe. But let's face it, there's not much that's not to like here.

The reason I'm projecting 11-13 wins is because on top of being overloaded with super talent, this team has the second easiest schedule in the entire league based on last years' win/loss record of their opponents. Their schedule this year is comprised of teams that combined for 108 wins and 148 losses last season. Sounds to me like they are ready to rumble.

I'm glad to see Norv Turner did well with this squad last season and got over that first round playoff hump... but I still think he's just an average coach in a great situation. We've seen what he accomplished last season many times before. In fact, since 1988, 13 teams have changed coaches after a season of winning 10 games or more. Of those teams, only three finished 8-8 or worse the next year... and none had less than 7 wins. It only makes sense that a successful team can't really be broken unless you really try to break it. Coaches like George Seifert, Barry Switzer, and yes, even Wade Phillips were all given talent in their hands. All they had to do was NOT fuck it up. If anyone deserves the credit with what's going on in SD, it's AJ Smith. That guy has his thinking cap on and seems to be making all the right moves. I won't say he's quite Jerry Reese yet ;) but he's definitely got his game on.

One of the little concerns about this team is still Phillip Rivers. He's been pretty good at times, but he's not Drew Brees. I know it's not fair to compare the two, but the Chargers would probably be prospering more had they kept the latter. Brees has better statistics in New Orleans now and he had better statistics in San Diego his last two seasons compared to the last two seasons for Rivers. Rivers only completed a bit over 30% of his passes when inside the 10 yard line last year. That was the league worst. But all should be fine considering they depend on LT and the running game anyway. All Rivers has to do is not fuck things up. I know Rivers is coming off an ACL injury, but he has good pocket presence and hardly gets sacked. Some people will probably bring up the struggles Donovan McNabb and Carson Palmer had their first few games after their ACL injuries.. but heres' the thing... McNabb didn't have the running game
that can stand alone almost without a passing game being present and Palmer didn't have the defense that San Diego has. I also like the fact that Rivers can pretty much ease his way into things until he gets comfortable considering their first five games this year are against Carolina, Denver, Jets, Oakland, and Miami. So listen closely Phillip... Don't Fuck It Up! This team could be 5-0 just on LT's legs alone. I think Rivers will be fine though.

I remember this team having problems early on last season. Fans were already doubting Turner. The thing is, after the record breaking 296 yard performance they gave up to Adrian Peterson in week nine, they replaced Drayton Florence with Antonio Cromartie in the backfield and that's when the good times really began. The Chargers became the best defense in the league in that span and never lost again til' the AFC Championship game. Another important piece of the puzzle at that time was the acquirement of Chris Chambers. It seems teams were determined to stop LT and Gates that Chambers was being left single covered alot... something he wasn't used to in Miami. He usually got all the attention over there. It's an added dimension to this team.

The Bottom line here is that this team is still loaded and full of talent on both sides of the ball and they are given the gift of one of the easiest schedules in the league. There's no reason why they shouldn't hit double digit wins.. barring injury of course.
 
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Good stuff Blitz. I think San Diego is the best team in the NFL this season. Can't wait to get some football, even if it's preseason garbage.
 
MCG.. I won't go so far as to say they are THE best.. but they are definitely up there as one of the... so I can't argue it either..

I would love to exchange divisions with em though... I'm sure they would struggle a bit more in the NFC East... ;)
 
before I continue, I want to go ahead and throw out the strength of schedule rankings based on wins and losses last season...

that way people don't get confused when I throw out a strength of schedule ranking out of the blue in a write-up...

the strength of schedule is a good capping tool.. nothing to live by, but it can play a factor into things...

it's not too big of a deal if a team has an average strength of schedule ranking, but there is a HUGE difference from having the easiest schedule in the league and the toughest...

that's when things can really come into play...

anyway...

here's the rankings I got for the 2008 season using last years win/loss records for each opponent:

these rankings are from easiest schedule to hardest:

so here goes...

wait... I know that all sounds pretty clear enough, but for those rare gems out there that need visual aids and constant repetition, let me do the first one for you.. hehe...

1. New England - 99 wins/157 losses

this basically means New England is ranked #1 therefore has the easiest projected schedule in the league this coming season..

their scheduled opponents this year combined for 99 wins and 157 losses last season...

okay... I know that seemed pretty stupid to do for most of you, but I bet I avoided some questions and some name-callings by inputing those extra two lines.. ;)

come to think of it.. if for some crazy reason someone still doesn't get it.. then shit, pm me or something.. I don't think you'd want to ask now after all that elaboration.. lol.

so anyway.. back to the rankings...

league rankings from easiest to hardest:

1. New England - 99 wins/157 losses
2. San Diego - 108 wins/148 losses
3. Oakland - 112 wins/144 losses
4. Denver - 114 wins/142 losses
5. Buffalo - 115 wins/141 losses
5. New Orleans - 115 wins/141 losses
7. Kansas City - 116 wins/140 losses
8. NY Jets - 117 wins/139 losses
9. Atlanta - 118 wins/138 losses
10. Carolina - 119 wins/137 losses
10. Miami - 119 wins/137 losses
10. Arizona - 119 wins/137 losses
13. Tampa Bay - 120 wins/136 losses
14. Seattle - 122 wins/134 losses
15. San Francisco - 124 wins/132 losses
16. St. Louis - 125 wins/131 losses
17. Philadelphia - 133 wins/123 losses
17. NY Giants - 133 wins/123 losses
19. Washington - 134 wins/122 losses
19. Dallas - 134 wins/122 losses
21. Chicago - 136 wins/120 losses
21. Green Bay - 136 wins/120 losses
23. Tennessee - 139 wins/117 losses
23. Detroit - 139 wins/117 losses
25. Houston - 140 wins/116 losses
25. Cleveland - 140 wins/116 losses
25. Cincinnati - 140 wins/116 losses
28. Minnesota - 141 wins/115 losses
28. Baltimore - 141 wins/115 losses
30. Jacksonville - 143 wins/113 losses
31. Indianapolis - 152 wins/104 losses
32. Pittsburgh - 153 wins/103 losses

hopefully this clears up things when I throw out rankings here and there in my writeups.. I have a tendency to do that...

also, I repeated the ranks when the wins and losses were the same..

(for the rare gems)... Carolina, Miami, and Arizona are all ranked 10 because they all have similar opponents by wins/losses and they all have 9 teams ahead of them with easier schedules.. by those standards of course.

now with all that out the way... I'll go ahead and carry on.. hehe.
 
MusicCityGambler said:
Good stuff Blitz. I think San Diego is the best team in the NFL this season. Can't wait to get some football, even if it's preseason garbage.
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BlitzBandit said:
MCG.. I won't go so far as to say they are THE best.. but they are definitely up there as one of the... so I can't argue it either..

I would love to exchange divisions with em though... I'm sure they would struggle a bit more in the NFC East... ;)
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lets not forget about the big dogs here....:tiphat:
 
AFC WEST DIVISION


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Denver Broncos

Projected Finish (AFC West): 2nd place

Projected Wins: 8-10 wins


Okay.. so Jay Cutlers' first full season as a starter last year gave the Broncos a 7-9 mark and the second worst record since Shanahan took over. That's nothing to be proud of, but we can't exactly blame Cutler for it all. Their defense became a crap defense last season and their running game turned to shit as well. The team scored 32 touchdowns two years ago and 31 last year... thats a big dropoff from the 40 and 43 touchdowns they had the two previous years.

One of the biggest problems would have to be the O-Line. They were old and pretty much injured last season. Now, they are older (you can think of 36 yr old Tom Nalen now).. but fortunately, healthier. Ben Hamilton missed all of last season because of post concussion symptoms. I guess adding a couple of rookies (Ryan Clady and Kory Lichtensteiger) has to be a plus for them. Nothing to brag about, but it should be enough to help this team get the committee backs of Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman and Ryan Torain going. I figure all will be used, but Young should get most of the load. Hell, he averaged over 5 yards per carry last season and even though he only had about 140 carries, he still produced 8 carries of over 20 yards. That's pretty impressive by any backs means.

Cutler, as bad as some may think he is, actually improved drastically last season. He went from throwing 4 tds and 5 ints in the first five games to producing 16 tds and 8 ints the rest of the way. He has the ability to make his mark this season. Playing the AFC East Division and having the 4th easiest schedule in the league has to put a smile on his face.

Defensively this team sucked it last year.. they allowed over 25 pts per game and were ranked 28th. 30th against the run.. yikes. Hopefully Bob Slowik taking over as defensive coordinator and implementing an 8 man front will get things going in the right direction against the run. Seems everyone wants to copy Spagnuolo huh?.. hehe.. What's funny is that when you think of this defense, the first thing that comes to mind is two of the best corners in the league in Champ Bailey and Dre Bly. Well, what else can come to mind when that's all we ever hear about from Denver fans? The thing is, Denver had serious problems against the pass last season so non-Denver fans anxiously jumped all over the idea of
Bailey and Bly being considered the best duo cornerbacks in the league claiming they were over-hyped and not as good as adverised. Well, the thing is, Denver's problems went beyond any control those two guys had. You can blame the safeties and the extra corners they had and used for much of the problems. John Lynch seems to have regressed and can't cover for shit anymore, Domonique Foxworth sucked til' he got replaced, and Jack Williams, who is about the only player outside Bailey and Bly who had cover skills, lacked size. There wasn't much Denver did to help matters either. They signed a couple of safeties (Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel) which are better at run stopping... so expect some of the same problems when it comes to stopping the pass. They also have Abdullah and Paymah which is a good thing. The thing is, Tight Ends pretty much killed em' last year. They were worst in the league against tight ends.. and yes, you can remove the 4 games against Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates (played each twice)... you'll still get the same results... they sucked against tight ends. This is the reason I say you can't blame Bailey and Bly for the weak pass defense. Denver was stuck playing zone coverage most of the season because every team with a good TE that would decide to spread the field would pretty much eat em' up deep. Bailey is just one guy covering one man... the zone coverage they ran last season to avoid the pass weakness was just wasting the talents of their corners.

I wouldn't expect this team to get fancy... specially with Shanahan and Cutler. Shanahan is a coach that doesn't change formations much.. just plays. He keeps things pretty much boring and focusses on ball control and clock management... so expect alot of close games.

Normally, this would not be a team I would consider to have the potential to reach double digit wins, but considering the have the Jets, Dolphins, Bills, and Falcons scheduled outside of their already Oakland and KC games (twice each).. how much could actually go wrong.. that's probably six to eight wins right there.
 
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My Cowboys are gonna come out guns blazing this year, going to the ship. And settin sail in that motherfucker. :18_1_104v:
 
YesSir said:
new-england-patriots-logo.gif



lets not forget about the big dogs here....:tiphat:
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SD would have beat them if they were healthy in the AFC Championship game in Foxborough. The Cheats are a year older and the Chargers have been a young team. It's close but I'd take San Diego.


I'm counting on karma catching up with these fuckers, eventually. Either they'll all lose their arms due to leprocy or they'll be as unlucky as they've been fortunate all in one season. I hope they burn in a fiery football hell.
 
MusicCityGambler said:
SD would have beat them if they were healthy in the AFC Championship game in Foxborough. The Cheats are a year older and the Chargers have been a young team. It's close but I'd take San Diego.


I'm counting on karma catching up with these fuckers, eventually. Either they'll all lose their arms due to leprocy or they'll be as unlucky as they've been fortunate all in one season. I hope they burn in a fiery football hell.
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:seeya:

The Suns may have 2 or 3 NBA titles if they were smart/healthy
 
Another major thing to think about with the Cutler situation is the diabetes. I watched an interview with him and he talked about how much weight he had lost and how he was exhausted. Supposedly he is a lot better now (mentally and physically)


He also shed some light on how his condition was overlooked in 2007.
“”I was just crushing food. I was eating six meals a day – I’d eat a meal and like 30 minutes later I’d be ready to eat again. Yet I kept losing weight, and they were telling me it was the stress. I was like, ‘I’m not that stressed.’ I mean, my jeans were falling off my body and I was all pale. I looked like hell.”
​
The difference in Cutler’s weight was noticeable by season’s end, yet it wasn’t until a mandatory blood test in April that the disease was caught. Now Cutler says he is feeling “10 times better” at a healthy 230 lbs., and is ready to embark on the 2008 season.
 
well the Giants would have beat them if... wait.. oh yea, nevermind.. the Giants DID beat em'... hehe


seriously though... cheaters or not.. I gotta agree that they are solid again as hell and have what could be considered the best team in the league... but my god... what I would do to trade schedules with them... it would be like a dream come true....

If we traded schedules with them, I would be projecting the Giants with over 14 wins and the Patriots to be struggling just for a Division crown.
 
btw. YS... good call on the diabetes... I didn't bring that up mainly because I didn't think it would be a problem and wouldn't really factor into anything this year... I mean, I know he'll be shooting up with insulin and stuff, but it's controllable... Wade Wilson is the first that comes to mind that has played through diabetes and he was pretty much Wade Wilson with or without it... I think the same goes with Cutler.
 
MusicCityGambler said:
I'm counting on karma catching up with these fuckers, eventually. Either they'll all lose their arms due to leprocy or they'll be as unlucky as they've been fortunate all in one season. I hope they burn in a fiery football hell.
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:shake::shake::shake::shake::shake::shake:

Thank god im not alone here.

I was trying to fight the good fight all on my own on blankets last year, and all the patriots bandwagon dickriders would not get off their juiced up roided nutsacks

Fuck the cheatriots. Those fucks will do ANYTHING to cut a corner, gain the upper-hand, anyhting. Consistently comprimising the integrity of the NFL

Theyre everything the nfl shouldnt be, and yes, karma will get them.


NY JETS- AFC EAST 08 CHAMPS:cheers:
 
CapTwo said:
:shake::shake::shake::shake::shake::shake:

Thank god im not alone here.

I was trying to fight the good fight all on my own on blankets last year, and all the patriots bandwagon dickriders would not get off their juiced up roided nutsacks

Fuck the cheatriots. Those fucks will do ANYTHING to cut a corner, gain the upper-hand, anyhting. Consistently comprimising the integrity of the NFL

Theyre everything the nfl shouldnt be, and yes, karma will get them.


NY JETS- AFC EAST 08 CHAMPS:cheers:
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I'm not inclined to hate teams for the sake of hating them or simply because they're good. I had no problems with the 90's Cowboys because they never pretended to be choir boys. I had no problems with the Yankees of the late 90's because they handled themselves well and they weren't a band of mercenaries like people wanted to believe. However New England is just different.

The Patriots always state how they conduct themselves much better than everyone else which is odd considering they are easily one of the dirtiest teams in the league, even without the cheating.

Throw in the veteran players who attempt to piggy-back their way to a championship and players like Moss who don't try elsewhere but morph into the best players in the league at their position and it makes for a team that has reached a mind-boggling level of hateability.

If they didn't cheat and didn't pretend to be something they aren't, I wouldn't have a problem with them. It's the passive-aggressive nature that just pisses me off. It's the tuck rule garbage and all the ridiculously unrealistic, unforced breaks they get that piss me off. They are like the MacBeth of football. What is fair is foul. Entirely unnatural. Like I said I hope they get what's coming to them.
 
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BlitzBandit said:
btw. YS... good call on the diabetes... I didn't bring that up mainly because I didn't think it would be a problem and wouldn't really factor into anything this year... I mean, I know he'll be shooting up with insulin and stuff, but it's controllable... Wade Wilson is the first that comes to mind that has played through diabetes and he was pretty much Wade Wilson with or without it... I think the same goes with Cutler.
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Well as far as the diabetes, I was saying that some of the questionable play (at times) could be pegged to his "unknown" (at the time) illness.

As far as the Patriots struggling to win any division, I disagree completely. I think they will be the best team in the NFL again. I mean if an unknown WR doesnt make a miraculous play, the would have been "the best team in the history of the NFL". It is not like they got exposed in the Super Bowl, they just got beat. Not taking anything away from the Giants, but they were not the best team in the NFL last year IMO. They got hot at the right time and played their asses off in the playoffs. Once again, not trying to take anything away from them because that is what you need to do. The Rockies were not the best team in the NL last year BUT were on fire at the end of the season.

I think that the NFL, being "hot" has more effect than any other sport. Last year I thought they would be a .500 team at best (God was I wrong). You know more about the GMen than me. Are you completely confident with Eli being your man? Lets see how he does when something is expected from him. I think they will struggle to make the playoffs.

My top 5 would be:
1) Pats
2) Cowboys
3) Colts
4) Chargers
5) Giants/Browns
 
YesSir said:
Interesting to see the Vikes that high...care to share?
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Great running game and the defense which was already awesome got bolstered. That formula wins in the NFL. The NFC still has a lot of weak teams. I think they are an 11 win team. It might be a stretch but if Jackson doesn't beat them, then that's an extremely formidable team.
 
YesSir said:
Well as far as the diabetes, I was saying that some of the questionable play (at times) could be pegged to his "unknown" (at the time) illness.
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right... and I was just saying why I didn't bring it up... again.. good call bringing it up... it did play a factor into his production last season.




YesSir said:
As far as the Patriots struggling to win any division, I disagree completely. I think they will be the best team in the NFL again.
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what do you mean "again"?

they had the best record last year but no ring.. so why were they the best last year??

and if you're going by record, then sure, they'll be the best again.. look at their schedule.




YesSir said:
I mean if an unknown WR doesnt make a miraculous play, the would have been "the best team in the history of the NFL".
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NO game is ever won on ONE play alone... so I won't bother going into that statement.





YesSir said:
It is not like they got exposed in the Super Bowl, they just got beat. Not taking anything away from the Giants, but they were not the best team in the NFL last year IMO.
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what do you mean?... they were all over Bradys' ass all game long... The Patriots couldn't do shit for much of it...

you say they were not the best team in the league last year and NE was...

well.. to be the best, you gotta beat the best... and they did.




YesSir said:
Last year I thought they would be a .500 team at best (God was I wrong). You know more about the GMen than me. Are you completely confident with Eli being your man? Lets see how he does when something is expected from him.
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yes.. I'm comfortable with Eli... There are maybe 2 or 3 QB's in the league right now that I would be willing to trade him for..

and please don't confuse that statement with me saying he's better than all but 2 or 3 QBs in the league right now.

as for waiting to see how he performs now that something is expected of him... that just makes no sense...

he was the 1st overall pick.. something has always been expected of him... everyone's always been watching him and waiting... all the talk about Big Ben getting the ring and Rivers doing good in SD and how NY got the short end of the stick of the 3 QBs drafted that year... the thing is, at this point, he has a ring too.. and better stats than both of those QBs... and in his 3 years as a starter he's thrown 71 tds.. all consistently spread out (24,24,and 23).. he's been consistently healthy... and if he plays anywhere near as well as he was in the playoffs, I'll take him all day long.



YesSir said:
I think they will struggle to make the playoffs.
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well that sounds familiar...

and no, I won't go to the point of going to find last year's thread to quote you. ;)
 
Last year I thought they would struggle...Thought they would be 6-10 or something I think...

I understand that one play does not make a game BUT they were not "exposed" at all! They got beat by a score. NYG outplayed them. The old "to be the best you have to beat the best" statement is one of the most overused statement in sports IMO- not saying you were going there BUT Just to beat someone does not mean you are better than them. You can outplay a team and not be better them. There are upsets in big games and within the regular season all the time...

You honostly think they were the best team in the NFL last year?

My point with Eli was that yes a lot was expected out of him. And for the most part he has not lived up to that billing- with the team's failures in the second half (if I remember correctly..could be wrong). So when a lot was not expected of him last year (because he mostly failed prior to that), he had a great postseason and end of the season. Now the pressure is on him again....we will see. I think he will be an decent QB though....

I am going out BUT I am sure you will respond! lol

It is not a stretch to say they might miss the playoffs, is it? With the division they are in? Depending on how the Iggles are, I think will determine their fate...and the obvious Eli factor
 
before I do go...

Do you like them as fade material at the beginning of the year? Do you think the line will respond to their rings? I do not think there will be a huge leap in points....

AND to straighten something up

I am not predicting they will not make the playoffs (foot in mouth last year)...but I think it will tak 16 weeks if they do
 
what I find funny is how people always say how he regresses the second half of the season just because things went south in 2006.. nobody ever takes into consideration how they were infested with injuries in the second half of the season that year and they still got into the playoffs... that was one year... they went 11-5 and were Division Champs the year before that and were Super Bowl Champs last year.


we could argue all day long about who the better team really was..

I saw them play the Patriots twice last year... they split and both wins were by a field goal.
 
AFC WEST DIVISION


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Oakland Raiders

Projected Finish (AFC West): 3rd place

Projected Wins: 4-6 wins


There's really not much to say about Al Davis that hasn't already been said. The guy loves throwing tons of money to average free agents and his draft picks hardly ever work out. On top of that, he never seems to get along with his coaches. Two that left him went on to win SuperBowls with other teams. But you gotta give him credit for one thing.. he still tries... and boy does he try.

Even though I completely disagree with the amount of money this guy is giving away, he's still boosting his team up talent wise. Javon Walker, DeAngelo Hall, and Gibril Wilson are all upgrades that can help give this team a boost.

Jemarcus Russell probably has the strongest arm in the league, but the guy still has a ways to go when it comes to performing and decision making on the field. To succeed this year, this team will pretty much have to work around him and just have him play the 'don't fuck it up' part. You'd have to think he'll eventually and slowly grow on his own. They will have to rely on the running game to get them by.. again. Last year, Justin Fargas, Lamont Jordon, and Dominic Rhodes combined for 1,860 yards and 8 tds along with another 500 plus yards receiving. The backfield had over 530 carries and receptions combined. That's definitely the heart of the offense. This year, with Jordon and Rhodes gone, it will revolve around Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush... all capable of producing. With McFaddens' speed, you can expect to see more big breakaway plays. More 60 yard td runs. More Espn highlights.. hehe. The offensive line did a good job opening up holes last year, and if you can picture all those runs that Jordan had over 10 yards, then you can only imagine what McFadden will do with those carries. Hell, they may even have him throw a pass here or there. Afterall, he completed 13 out of 20 passes in Arkansas his last two years... that's gotta count for something. The key is for them not to pull a Herm Edwards and overwork their future franchise back. At his height (6-foot-2), he is a big target and needs to avoid injuries. Brandon Jacobs and Steven Jackson would have been the only running backs taller than McFadden last season... and they both got injured and missed games. As long as they use him wisely and rotate the backs effectively, there's alot of potential here.

The offensive line is producing much better than the nightmare it was going through when Randy Moss and Aaron Brooks were there two years ago. That's in large part to the offensive line coach Tom Cable and his zone run blocking scheme. They have moved Robert Gallery to guard and signed veteran center John Wade from Tampa. They should improve now with one year of Cable under their belt. And even though their two tackles, Cornell Green and Kwame Harris, have both shown they can be incompetent at times, they have also shown flashes of being able to get the job done. Green has been passed around the league like a hot whore's panty for 10 seasons and has only 18 starts and is also coming off knee surgery. Harris was pretty much a Niners reject... enough said there. Hopefully the guards, backs, and tight ends will help out plenty in the blocking schemes.

The Oakland defense was ranked second to last at stopping the run. I didn't see them do much to improve anything either. They made Tommy Kelley the richest defensive lineman.. not bad considering he's coming off of knee surgery and a 1 sack season. They have Terdell Sands on the other side, who was granted a huge multi-million dollar contract then benched. He had personal issues involving the loss of a family member.. but apparently, he's okay now.. hehe. Outside linebackers Robert Thomas and Thomas Howard are both efficient, but neither of them seem to have the ability to rock a guards world and bring the house down. Kirk Morrison is much like Howard and Thomas, plus he seems to be pushed
around and away from the play more often than not, but at the same time, he's tough as nails against the run and he's probably the most underrated middle linebacker in the league.

Now on to what will make the Oakland Raiders a team to be reckoned with and a bit interesting to watch. The Secondary... DeAngelo Hall is a top dog in my book. The guy is young and energetic and can keep pace with the best receivers out there. All he has to do now is keep his mouth shut, avoid big penalties and play ball. I think Hall is going to have a helluva shot at leading the league in interceptions. Why?.. simple. He's fast, he's smart, and most importantly, he's going to have alot of balls thrown his way. Why?.. simple. Have you seen who's playing opposite his side?... hehe. Nnamdi Asomugha... oooh.. say it again... Nnamdi Asomugha... oooooh... one more time... Nnamdi Asomuuuugha.. ooooooh... gives you
chills.. doesn't it.. hehe... Seriously though... you don't want to fuck with his side of the field. He only had one pick last year... and honestly, I don't know who the fuck was the dumbass quarterback that took his chances. This is arguably the best cornerback duo in the league. As for the rest of the backfield. I know Rob Ryan usually runs the basic man to man stuff and he doesn't blitz much, but he better get his ass in gear with Gibril Wilson on board... I don't agree Gibril is worth what he's getting, but you can't deny he's one of the best blitzing safeties in the league... and he can lay some serious hits.

Now to my reason why I have Oakland ahead of KC. Well, they have the 3rd easiest schedule in the league and they only play 4 teams all year that had winning records last season. More importantly, they only play 1 team with a winning record last season through the first 12 games this year. If that's not enough to get you going, I don't know what else it would take. Still, they will have alot of work cut out for them and they are still weak against the run. And that's not good at all considering they are still in a division where the roughest of running backs live (LT, LJ, and the Denver RB Committee)... they play those twice. I also think that's the key to their success. If they can pick up their game against the run somehow, then I can see them pulling out 5 or 6 wins with an outside shot at 7.... otherwise, it's going to be another long season with 3 or 4 wins.
 
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AFC WEST DIVISION



chiefs.jpg


Kansas City Chiefs

Projected Finish (AFC West): 4th place

Projected Wins: 4-6 wins

Well now... here's a team that pretty much sucked to a point of no return last season. They had one of the leagues' worst offenses and were outscored and outperformed in yards by every team in the league... well.. except San Francisco. They also had a 4-12 record that was the worst for that franchise since 1978. I'd like to say things are better this season... but the fact is... one can only hope.

Chan Gailey has taken over as Offensive Coordinator. This is probably one of the better things going on for the club right now. He's good at producing a running game and he's a creative play caller.. something this team needs at this point. He also likes to run alot of stuff off of three wideout sets. That should be something new for a KC team that has hardly ever been seen running three receiver sets at all. Gailey ran the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Steeler offenses from 96' to 01'. In that 6 year span, he was in the playoffs every season and had those offenses averaging 17 tds on the ground per year. That's gotta put a smile on somebodys' face.

At Quarterback, Gailey will be stuck choosing between Brodie Croyle, who went 0-6 as a starter last year and was averaging under 160 yds passing per game, and Damon Huard, who is 35 yrs old and who's 9-9 the last two seasons combined as as starter. The thing I like is that KC is a rushing offensive team with an unproven quarterback. It seems to me Gailey is the perfect fit for this kind of team. He brought the best out of Mike Tomczak and Kordell Stewart in Pittsburgh and he did good with Jay Fiedler in Miami... none of those were great quarterbacks, but he got them to produce.

Herm Edwards, on the otherhand, is nothing spectacular. He's a average coach who usually rides the waves... you know, one who does good with good teams and does bad with bad teams. He lectures and he's a good teacher.. and his biggest plus is that he's a great motivator... but he also gets caught with his foot in his mouth alot. One of his biggest downsides is that he overworks his backs. He usually sticks to one and he drives em' to the ground til' they got nothing left or til' they get hurt... then he brings the next one in to do the same. He needs to learn to rotate em' to get the most of em'. He also seems to always make poor in-game decisions... and he has poor clock management skills.

The Offensive line led the league in blown blocks and was one of the worst last year... and it will probably be THE worst this year. Brian Waters is the only starter from last season that's guaranteed a starting spot. They let go of Chris Terry, Kyle Turley, John Welbourn and Casey Wiegmann. They still have Damion McIntosh, who seems the only option to start, but I wouldn't trust him on the left side protecting the quarterbacks' blind side. They just picked up Brandon Albert off the draft and even though he played guard at college they'll more than likely use him at left tackle. If they can get him to work out there, they would be able to move McIntosh to the right side and that would put a little more comfort for the quarterback. Both tackle positions would be set and upgraded.. and by upgraded I mean from shitty to not-so shitty.

Jared Allen is gone, but you really can't argue that the defensive front seven will still be the heart of this team. With Glenn Dorsey, Alfonso Boone, Ron Edwards, and Tank Tyler rotating, I don't see many teams being able to run too effectively against em.

This team has to face the facts this year. They are trying to rebuild with alot of youth and that's not gonna get anything done for you in the short term. If they can accept that and just try to focus on doing whats best with what they have and try to utilize their strengths to keep them in games, then I can see them winning 5 to 6 games... otherwise, I'll be expecting them to win 3 to 4 games at the most.
 
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AFC WEST DIVISION

Projected Finish:

Chargers: 11-13 wins

Broncos: 8-10 wins

Raiders: 4-6 wins

Chiefs: 4-6 wins


chargers.jpg
broncos.jpg
raiders.jpg
chiefs.jpg
 
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BlitzBandit said:
AFC WEST DIVISION


Oakland Raiders

Projected Finish (AFC West): 3rd place

Projected Wins: 4-6 wins


There's really not much to say about Al Davis that hasn't already been said. The guy loves throwing tons of money to average free agents and his draft picks hardly ever work out. On top of that, he never seems to get along with his coaches. Two that left him went on to win SuperBowls with other teams. But you gotta give him credit for one thing.. he still tries... and boy does he try.

Even though I completely disagree with the amount of money this guy is giving away, he's still boosting his team up talent wise. Javon Walker, DeAngelo Hall, and Gibril Wilson are all upgrades that can help give this team a boost.

Jemarcus Russell probably has the strongest arm in the league, but the guy still has a ways to go when it comes to performing and decision making on the field. To succeed this year, this team will pretty much have to work around him and just have him play the 'don't fuck it up' part. You'd have to think he'll eventually and slowly grow on his own. They will have to rely on the running game to get them by.. again. Last year, Justin Fargas, Lamont Jordon, and Dominic Rhodes combined for 1,860 yards and 8 tds along with another 500 plus yards receiving. The backfield had over 530 carries and receptions combined. That's definitely the heart of the offense. This year, with Jordon and Rhodes gone, it will revolve around Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush... all capable of producing. With McFaddens' speed, you can expect to see more big breakaway plays. More 60 yard td runs. More Espn highlights.. hehe. The offensive line did a good job opening up holes last year, and if you can picture all those runs that Jordan had over 10 yards, then you can only imagine what McFadden will do with those carries. Hell, they may even have him throw a pass here or there. Afterall, he completed 13 out of 20 passes in Arkansas his last two years... that's gotta count for something. The key is for them not to pull a Herm Edwards and overwork their future franchise back. At his height (6-foot-2), he is a big target and needs to avoid injuries. Brandon Jacobs and Steven Jackson would have been the only running backs taller than McFadden last season... and they both got injured and missed games. As long as they use him wisely and rotate the backs effectively, there's alot of potential here.

The offensive line is producing much better than the nightmare it was going through when Randy Moss and Aaron Brooks were there two years ago. That's in large part to the offensive line coach Tom Cable and his zone run blocking scheme. They have moved Robert Gallery to guard and signed veteran center John Wade from Tampa. They should improve now with one year of Cable under their belt. And even though their two tackles, Cornell Green and Kwame Harris, have both shown they can be incompetent at times, they have also shown flashes of being able to get the job done. Green has been passed around the league like a hot whore's panty for 10 seasons and has only 18 starts and is also coming off knee surgery. Harris was pretty much a Niners reject... enough said there. Hopefully the guards, backs, and tight ends will help out plenty in the blocking schemes.

The Oakland defense was ranked second to last at stopping the run. I didn't see them do much to improve anything either. They made Tommy Kelley the richest defensive lineman.. not bad considering he's coming off of knee surgery and a 1 sack season. They have Terdell Sands on the other side, who was granted a huge multi-million dollar contract then benched. He had personal issues involving the loss of a family member.. but apparently, he's okay now.. hehe. Outside linebackers Robert Thomas and Thomas Howard are both efficient, but neither of them seem to have the ability to rock a guards world and bring the house down. Kirk Morrison is much like Howard and Thomas, plus he seems to be pushed
around and away from the play more often than not, but at the same time, he's tough as nails against the run and he's probably the most underrated middle linebacker in the league.

Now on to what will make the Oakland Raiders a team to be reckoned with and a bit interesting to watch. The Secondary... DeAngelo Hall is a top dog in my book. The guy is young and energetic and can keep pace with the best receivers out there. All he has to do now is keep his mouth shut, avoid big penalties and play ball. I think Hall is going to have a helluva shot at leading the league in interceptions. Why?.. simple. He's fast, he's smart, and most importantly, he's going to have alot of balls thrown his way. Why?.. simple. Have you seen who's playing opposite his side?... hehe. Nnamdi Asomugha... oooh.. say it again... Nnamdi Asomugha... oooooh... one more time... Nnamdi Asomuuuugha.. ooooooh... gives you
chills.. doesn't it.. hehe... Seriously though... you don't want to fuck with his side of the field. He only had one pick last year... and honestly, I don't know who the fuck was the dumbass quarterback that took his chances. This is arguably the best cornerback duo in the league. As for the rest of the backfield. I know Rob Ryan usually runs the basic man to man stuff and he doesn't blitz much, but he better get his ass in gear with Gibril Wilson on board... I don't agree Gibril is worth what he's getting, but you can't deny he's one of the best blitzing safeties in the league... and he can lay some serious hits.

Now to my reason why I have Oakland ahead of KC. Well, they have the 3rd easiest schedule in the league and they only play 4 teams all year that had winning records last season. More importantly, they only play 1 team with a winning record last season through the first 12 games this year. If that's not enough to get you going, I don't know what else it would take. Still, they will have alot of work cut out for them and they are still weak against the run. And that's not good at all considering they are still in a division where the roughest of running backs live (LT, LJ, and the Denver RB Committee)... they play those twice. I also think that's the key to their success. If they can pick up their game against the run somehow, then I can see them pulling out 5 or 6 wins with an outside shot at 7.... otherwise, it's going to be another long season with 3 or 4 wins.
Click to expand...

:36_11_6:
 
okay.. I'm gonna get lazy now... I figure I'm wasting time doing write-ups for teams that nobody really gives a shit about...

so I figure going with long write-ups will take forever and get nowhere... might as well sum up my thoughts and we can discuss only those teams that bring interest in detail.

feel free to give thoughts if you agree of disagree with my projections.... the more discussion, the better for us all.. ;)
 
NFC SOUTH DIVISION


saints.jpg


New Orleans Saints

Projected Finish (NFC South): 1st Place

Projected Wins: 10-12 wins


Quick Summary:

They have made quite a few changes on defense that should help them improve. They added Jonathan Vilma via trade and Sedrick Ellis via draft. There's no way they can get worse than they were last year on that side of the ball.

On the other side of the ball, they have a top 5 quarterback, a top 5 receiver, and now with Jeremy Shockey on board, a top 5 tight end. Add to it the 5th easiest schedule in the league, and it seems the division crown is right there for them to take. I think Tampa Bay will be the ones fighting them for it, but in the end, the Saints play the easier teams (Redskins and Niners) from the NFC East and NFC West than the Bucs do (Dallas and Seattle). I think that can be a big difference on the long run.

Another thing I noticed was Brees started the first four games last season with only 1 td thrown.. then he threw 27 tds in the last 12 games. Now, with Shockey on board, and if he's able to avoid that slow start, he has the potential to throw over 30 tds this season. I'll be expecting big things from this team... they should be fun to watch.

I kinda wish they would suck so that the Giants 2nd round pick (acquired for Shockey) would be a good one.. but I think it's going to be a high 50s' pick... dammit.
 
I would agree not a waste of time, gotta know both sides of the ball to make a bet, your time is appreciated:shake:, i was gonna try to post some notes similiar to you, division by division, but I am currently swampped with work and a few small businesses i am trying to get going ... just havent found the time to sit down and do a few write-ups, hopefully i can get some write-ups done about what I expect this football season ... probably will be during pre-season though.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts ...
:cheers:
 
Jump, NYG...

okay.. sounds good... just kinda seems like being off season, there are too many people that either don't care about NFL right now or the ones that do are not prepared to really discuss much at this time... which I understand as well.
 
btw.. as a side note...

I been lacking past couple of days in posting, but that's been mainly due to the fact that we've been dealing with a Hurricane in our area last two days... damn power was out all of yesterday... just came back on a bit ago... it was a shitty ass night.
 
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