Chilly Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 **WARNING: HUGE WALL OF TEXT INCOMING** Get your freakin mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about which teams are going to be better or worse then last year. I've put together a team-by-team glance at the NFL, the playoffs, and next year's draft order in my opinion. I did this for my own fun, and I'm interested in seeing how I do this year compared to the experts and real nfl. ==== AFC East ==== Buffalo Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. This team is getting better. Just getting rid of Mularkey and having a strong draft (yes it was wrong) is enough to get at least 6 wins this year. May not win a bunch more, but overall the team is getting stronger. Projection - 6-10 Miami Record - 9-7 Momentum - Up. Dante helps this team improve their QB position, Dom Capers is a big pickup on defense, and a couple new players in the secondary should help. I, unfortunately, expect to see Miami win the AFC East this year. Projection - 10-6 New England Patriots Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Lost a lot of key players on defense, and their coordinators. 3rd D coord in as many years. They will still win games, but not 10. Off-year for the Pats. Projection - 8-8 New York Jets Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Picked up some nice players in the draft, and I like Ramsey as the backup QB. Martin is getting older though, and I'm not sold on Mangini yet. Projection - 5-11 === AFC North === Cincinnati Record - 11-5 Momentum - down. I thought they had a bad draft, and Mr. Palmer has lots of question parks surrounding his knee. Expecting them to at least drop one more game then last year. Projection - 10-6 Pittsburgh Record - 11-5 Momentum - About the same. Lost some players, but had a good draft which made up for a lot of what they lost. Still a solid team even with Bettis retired. Projection - 10-6 Baltimore Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. McNair is good for at least one more win, and they did a good job replacing players through the draft. I also am one of the few who thinks Jamal is going to have a good year. Projection - 7-9 Cleveland Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. Picked up some solid players on both sides of the football this year, and spent a bit of cash to do so. They'll pick up a win or two, but don't think they are playoff contenders quite yet. Projection - 7-9 ==== AFC South ==== Indianapolis Record - 14-2 Momentum - Down. I don't have faith in Dominick Rhodes, and losing Trips will hurt a lot more then they expected. I'd expect a dog-fight with Jax for the division. Projection - 11-5 Jacksonville Record - 12-4 Momentum - About the same. Not many changes in Jacksonville, it all rides on the health of the players still. However, given Indy's losses, they have a real shot this year. Projection - 12-4 Tennessee Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Can it really get worse? The Billy Volek era is starting, and Titans fans get to look forward to a disgruntled 3-headed monster at RB, a backup QB as their starter, and rookies all around. In a few years the offense might be awesome, but this year it still stinks. Projection - 4-12 Houston Record - 2-14 Momentum - Up. They're getting better, slowly but surely. Picked up Moulds, but he's old. Williams will make a difference, but I don't know how much of a difference he really will make. They should get a couple more wins this year, but don't expect much more then that out of this team. Projection - 4-12 ==== AFC West ==== Denver Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. The defense is a year older and has anyone figured out who the hell Foxworth is yet? Plus, the draft was all about Cutler, and not much else. Still, with most of their team in tact, 11-5 or 12-4 are real possibilities, as well as the AFC championship. Projection - 12-4 Kansas City Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Hali is okay, but I think he's overrated. Dick Vermiel to Herm Edwards is also a drop. The Priest's ongoing injury battles are also an issue. I don't like where this team is going, after having a good off-season last year. Projection - 8-8 San Diego Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Rivers, but you automatically mean less wins this year then Brees last. McCardell is older, and outside of him and Gates, they don't have any receivers. Drew Haddad anyone? Projection - 7-9 Oakland Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. Unlike a lot of people, I think Mr. Brooks is a decent QB, a bit better then Kerry Collins. I think Huffdaddy will help out their D a ton as well, and Art Shell was a pretty decent hire. Projection: 5-11 ==== Overall AFC ==== Verdict - The AFC has a ton of talent, and the good teams seem to be able to replace it. Its hard to move up in the AFC because of this. I think there is more parity then there was last year, and team's won't dramatically move this year. Division Winners: Miami, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Denver Wildcard: Indy, Cincy ==== NFC East ==== N.Y. Giants Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. I like their improvements in the secondary, and Eli gets another year under his belt. This team is good. Projection - 11-5 Washington Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Wait, their Quarterback is who?! I really do like the pickup of AL Saunders, but Brunnell is another year older, their only alternative is Campbell, and they lost Lavar Arrington. Projection - 8-8 Dallas Record 9-7 Momentum - Down. I don't care how good T.O. thinks he is. When Drew locks onto him, and gets picked off, or fails to get him the ball, T.O. is going to start being T.O., and thats a very bad thing for the Cowboys. Projection - 8-8 Philadelphia Record 6-10 Momentum - Up. Who the hell is this team's running back? Seriously, I don't think they have one. In any event, having a healthy McNabb and Jeff Garcia behind him should give this team a boost. They still have a lot of talent all around, and should pick up a win. Projection - 7-9 ==== NFC North ==== Chicago Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. This is what a solid O-line and Defense give you: A winning football team. I love the move of Brian Griese pressuring the young guys and as a backup plan. Oh, and Ced Benson gets a full training camp? Ouch, he is going to tear some people up! Projection - 12-4 Minnesota Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Brad Johnson, but I just don't think you are as good as the guy you replaced, especially over a whole season. There are still plenty of issues on offense, like RB, and while they did pick up Hutch, what the hell were they thinking in the draft? Defense? Why didn't you take Deangelo Williams?!?! That defense is still pretty good, though, and has depth. Projection - 7-9 Detroit Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. I'd like to see what Kitna can do with this Wide Receiver corp which is why I list this as Up, and they do have some talent. But I'm not sold on Rod as HC quite yet, and it will take time for the transition to happen. Projection - 6-10 Green Bay Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. These guys filled a ton of holes in the draft, which means two things: They're getting better, but they had a ton of holes, and a bunch of learning players. Projection - 6-10 ==== NFC South ==== Tampa Bay Record - 11-5 Momentum - Mixed. I list this as Mixed because I think they will be worse this year, but better in the long term. They have a lot of new faces on their O-line, which is going to lead to some problems, but is a long-term upgrade. Chris Freakin Simms is still their QB, but I think after another year he can be an adaquate QB. Brooks is one year older, their WRs leave something to be desired, and I'm not sold at either SS or ROLB this year. Projection - 9-7 Carolina Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. Are you freaking kidding me? This team is ridiculous. First, they get DeAngelo Williams, who I think is going to tear it up in Carolina. I believe he's better then Foster. They also sign Diggs who was pretty damn good in GB, Keyshawn who is a great fit for Delhomme, and Hartwig for depth to Mitchell. Projection - 13-3 Atlanta Record - 8-8 Momentum - Down. Yes, I know they got Abraham. Yes, I know they got Milloy. But they lost both of their Tackles, and the last thing Vick needs is a worse offensive line. Reminds me of the Bills under TD, a lot of flash, but not solid in the core. Projection - 7-9 New Orleans Record - 3-13 Momentum - Up. Reggie Bush and Drew Brees means that this team is going to be exciting to watch the next few seasons. Its unfortunate, then, that this team actually lost a good amount of players on the OL and Defense. The skill players will only help them win a couple more games because of it. Projection - 5-11 ==== NFC West ==== Seattle Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. They did a good job picking up replacements for a lot of the talent that they lost this year. The only problem is that the replacements aren't quite as good as the players they lost. They did grab a nice upgrade with Peterson however. Projection - 12-4 St. Louis Record - 6-10 Momentum - Down. They've got issues. Lots of them. New HC, OC, DC, as well as Faulk retiring. Who is there QB? Jamie Martin? Sorry, you aint getting it done. I like Chavous and Glover, but the Rams aren't getting any better at this point of the game. Projection - 4-12 Arizona Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. Way up actually. I think Arizona is my surprise team this year. Leinart will be a better then average QB in the NFL right off the bat, but I don't think he has tons of potential to improve. Even still, it'll be scary to see what he can do with Fitz and Bouldin. James will take a bunch of the pressure off of him, and I think Lutui is an immediate upgrade for them. Pope and Watson were great picks as well. Denny Green has a lot to work with, and I think it starts to show this year. He's finally putting together that offensive firepower that he so loves. Projection - 9-7 San Francisco Record - 4-12 Momentum - Down. I like Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson a lot, I really do. But the rest of their off-season I don't get. Michael Robinson in the 3rd round? Old Larry Allen on a rebuilding team? Walt Harris? Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I think Alex Smith is a bust, and add to the fact that they lost Carter, Peterson, Lloyd, and Beasley from that team, and I can't help but think they are going to be this year's Houston. Projection - 2-14 ==== Overall NFC ==== Verdict - the NFC has gone through a good amount of change this year, and given that the talent level is a lot lower then the AFC, a couple players can make a huge difference. A more mixed group then the AFC, there should be quite a difference. There are some power houses in the NFC like Seattle and Carolina, some "decent" teams, and then some just flat out bad teams. Division Winners: N.Y. Giants, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle Wildcard: Tampa Bay, Arizona ==== AFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 --------- 1. Denver vs Bye 2. Jax vs Bye 6. Cincinnati (away) loses to 3. Pittsburgh (home) 5. Indianapolis (away) beats 4. Miami (home) Week 2 --------- 5. Indianapolis (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) 3. Pittsburgh (away) beats 2. Jacksonville (home) Week 3 ---------- 3. Pittsburgh (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) ==== NFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 ---------- 1. Carolina vs bye 2. Seattle vs bye 5. Arizona (away) loses to 3. Chicago 6. Tampa Bay (away) loses to 4. N.Y. Giants Week 2 --------- 4. N.Y. Giants (away) loses to 1. Carolina 3. Chicago (away) beat 2. Seattle Week 3 --------- 3. Chicago (away) loses to 1. Carolina ======= Superbowl ======= No real surprises in the conference champs, top seeds in both make the Superbowl this year. This time Denver gets to take on Carolina for top honors. All in all, I think Carolina is a complete football team with the 1-2 rushing punch, a very good passing attack, and a defense that is top notch. Carolina gets their first NFL title this year, to go with the Hurricane's NHL title. All the rednecks are rejoicing. ============ 2007 Draft Order ============ 1. San Francisco 2. St. Louis 3. Tennessee 4. Houston 5. New York Jets 6. New Orleans 7. Oakland 8. Green Bay 9. Detroit 10. Buffalo 11. Minnesota 12. Atlanta 13. Cleveland 14. Philadelphia 15. San Diego 16. Baltimore 17. New England 18. Dallas 19. Washington 20. Kansas City 21. Arizona 22. Tampa bay 23. Miami 24. Cincinnati 25. Pittsburgh 26. Indianapolis 27. N.Y. Giants 28. Chicago 29. Seattle 30. Jacksonville 31. Denver 32. Carolina Phew, yeah, that was a wall of text, but I'm done. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Long Beach Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Cool! And interesting enough to keep me reading instead of working. Predictions are hard, but I agree with a number of them. I do think that you could have picked your swings a little larger. It's amazing that in a league with relatively parity, just how much a team can vary from year to year. Success breeds success, and failure breeds even more failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloexile Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 **WARNING: HUGE WALL OF TEXT INCOMING** Get your freakin mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about which teams are going to be better or worse then last year. I've put together a team-by-team glance at the NFL, the playoffs, and next year's draft order in my opinion. I did this for my own fun, and I'm interested in seeing how I do this year compared to the experts and real nfl. ==== AFC East ==== Buffalo Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. This team is getting better. Just getting rid of Mularkey and having a strong draft (yes it was wrong) is enough to get at least 6 wins this year. May not win a bunch more, but overall the team is getting stronger. Projection - 6-10 Miami Record - 9-7 Momentum - Up. Dante helps this team improve their QB position, Dom Capers is a big pickup on defense, and a couple new players in the secondary should help. I, unfortunately, expect to see Miami win the AFC East this year. Projection - 10-6 New England Patriots Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Lost a lot of key players on defense, and their coordinators. 3rd D coord in as many years. They will still win games, but not 10. Off-year for the Pats. Projection - 8-8 New York Jets Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Picked up some nice players in the draft, and I like Ramsey as the backup QB. Martin is getting older though, and I'm not sold on Mangini yet. Projection - 5-11 === AFC North === Cincinnati Record - 11-5 Momentum - down. I thought they had a bad draft, and Mr. Palmer has lots of question parks surrounding his knee. Expecting them to at least drop one more game then last year. Projection - 10-6 Pittsburgh Record - 11-5 Momentum - About the same. Lost some players, but had a good draft which made up for a lot of what they lost. Still a solid team even with Bettis retired. Projection - 10-6 Baltimore Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. McNair is good for at least one more win, and they did a good job replacing players through the draft. I also am one of the few who thinks Jamal is going to have a good year. Projection - 7-9 Cleveland Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. Picked up some solid players on both sides of the football this year, and spent a bit of cash to do so. They'll pick up a win or two, but don't think they are playoff contenders quite yet. Projection - 7-9 ==== AFC South ==== Indianapolis Record - 14-2 Momentum - Down. I don't have faith in Dominick Rhodes, and losing Trips will hurt a lot more then they expected. I'd expect a dog-fight with Jax for the division. Projection - 11-5 Jacksonville Record - 12-4 Momentum - About the same. Not many changes in Jacksonville, it all rides on the health of the players still. However, given Indy's losses, they have a real shot this year. Projection - 12-4 Tennessee Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Can it really get worse? The Billy Volek era is starting, and Titans fans get to look forward to a disgruntled 3-headed monster at RB, a backup QB as their starter, and rookies all around. In a few years the offense might be awesome, but this year it still stinks. Projection - 4-12 Houston Record - 2-14 Momentum - Up. They're getting better, slowly but surely. Picked up Moulds, but he's old. Williams will make a difference, but I don't know how much of a difference he really will make. They should get a couple more wins this year, but don't expect much more then that out of this team. Projection - 4-12 ==== AFC West ==== Denver Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. The defense is a year older and has anyone figured out who the hell Foxworth is yet? Plus, the draft was all about Cutler, and not much else. Still, with most of their team in tact, 11-5 or 12-4 are real possibilities, as well as the AFC championship. Projection - 12-4 Kansas City Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Hali is okay, but I think he's overrated. Dick Vermiel to Herm Edwards is also a drop. The Priest's ongoing injury battles are also an issue. I don't like where this team is going, after having a good off-season last year. Projection - 8-8 San Diego Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Rivers, but you automatically mean less wins this year then Brees last. McCardell is older, and outside of him and Gates, they don't have any receivers. Drew Haddad anyone? Projection - 7-9 Oakland Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. Unlike a lot of people, I think Mr. Brooks is a decent QB, a bit better then Kerry Collins. I think Huffdaddy will help out their D a ton as well, and Art Shell was a pretty decent hire. Projection: 5-11 ==== Overall AFC ==== Verdict - The AFC has a ton of talent, and the good teams seem to be able to replace it. Its hard to move up in the AFC because of this. I think there is more parity then there was last year, and team's won't dramatically move this year. Division Winners: Miami, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Denver Wildcard: Indy, Cincy ==== NFC East ==== N.Y. Giants Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. I like their improvements in the secondary, and Eli gets another year under his belt. This team is good. Projection - 11-5 Washington Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Wait, their Quarterback is who?! I really do like the pickup of AL Saunders, but Brunnell is another year older, their only alternative is Campbell, and they lost Lavar Arrington. Projection - 8-8 Dallas Record 9-7 Momentum - Down. I don't care how good T.O. thinks he is. When Drew locks onto him, and gets picked off, or fails to get him the ball, T.O. is going to start being T.O., and thats a very bad thing for the Cowboys. Projection - 8-8 Philadelphia Record 6-10 Momentum - Up. Who the hell is this team's running back? Seriously, I don't think they have one. In any event, having a healthy McNabb and Jeff Garcia behind him should give this team a boost. They still have a lot of talent all around, and should pick up a win. Projection - 7-9 ==== NFC North ==== Chicago Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. This is what a solid O-line and Defense give you: A winning football team. I love the move of Brian Griese pressuring the young guys and as a backup plan. Oh, and Ced Benson gets a full training camp? Ouch, he is going to tear some people up! Projection - 12-4 Minnesota Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Brad Johnson, but I just don't think you are as good as the guy you replaced, especially over a whole season. There are still plenty of issues on offense, like RB, and while they did pick up Hutch, what the hell were they thinking in the draft? Defense? Why didn't you take Deangelo Williams?!?! That defense is still pretty good, though, and has depth. Projection - 7-9 Detroit Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. I'd like to see what Kitna can do with this Wide Receiver corp which is why I list this as Up, and they do have some talent. But I'm not sold on Rod as HC quite yet, and it will take time for the transition to happen. Projection - 6-10 Green Bay Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. These guys filled a ton of holes in the draft, which means two things: They're getting better, but they had a ton of holes, and a bunch of learning players. Projection - 6-10 ==== NFC South ==== Tampa Bay Record - 11-5 Momentum - Mixed. I list this as Mixed because I think they will be worse this year, but better in the long term. They have a lot of new faces on their O-line, which is going to lead to some problems, but is a long-term upgrade. Chris Freakin Simms is still their QB, but I think after another year he can be an adaquate QB. Brooks is one year older, their WRs leave something to be desired, and I'm not sold at either SS or ROLB this year. Projection - 9-7 Carolina Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. Are you freaking kidding me? This team is ridiculous. First, they get DeAngelo Williams, who I think is going to tear it up in Carolina. I believe he's better then Foster. They also sign Diggs who was pretty damn good in GB, Keyshawn who is a great fit for Delhomme, and Hartwig for depth to Mitchell. Projection - 13-3 Atlanta Record - 8-8 Momentum - Down. Yes, I know they got Abraham. Yes, I know they got Milloy. But they lost both of their Tackles, and the last thing Vick needs is a worse offensive line. Reminds me of the Bills under TD, a lot of flash, but not solid in the core. Projection - 7-9 New Orleans Record - 3-13 Momentum - Up. Reggie Bush and Drew Brees means that this team is going to be exciting to watch the next few seasons. Its unfortunate, then, that this team actually lost a good amount of players on the OL and Defense. The skill players will only help them win a couple more games because of it. Projection - 5-11 ==== NFC West ==== Seattle Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. They did a good job picking up replacements for a lot of the talent that they lost this year. The only problem is that the replacements aren't quite as good as the players they lost. They did grab a nice upgrade with Peterson however. Projection - 12-4 St. Louis Record - 6-10 Momentum - Down. They've got issues. Lots of them. New HC, OC, DC, as well as Faulk retiring. Who is there QB? Jamie Martin? Sorry, you aint getting it done. I like Chavous and Glover, but the Rams aren't getting any better at this point of the game. Projection - 4-12 Arizona Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. Way up actually. I think Arizona is my surprise team this year. Leinart will be a better then average QB in the NFL right off the bat, but I don't think he has tons of potential to improve. Even still, it'll be scary to see what he can do with Fitz and Bouldin. James will take a bunch of the pressure off of him, and I think Lutui is an immediate upgrade for them. Pope and Watson were great picks as well. Denny Green has a lot to work with, and I think it starts to show this year. He's finally putting together that offensive firepower that he so loves. Projection - 9-7 San Francisco Record - 4-12 Momentum - Down. I like Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson a lot, I really do. But the rest of their off-season I don't get. Michael Robinson in the 3rd round? Old Larry Allen on a rebuilding team? Walt Harris? Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I think Alex Smith is a bust, and add to the fact that they lost Carter, Peterson, Lloyd, and Beasley from that team, and I can't help but think they are going to be this year's Houston. Projection - 2-14 ==== Overall NFC ==== Verdict - the NFC has gone through a good amount of change this year, and given that the talent level is a lot lower then the AFC, a couple players can make a huge difference. A more mixed group then the AFC, there should be quite a difference. There are some power houses in the NFC like Seattle and Carolina, some "decent" teams, and then some just flat out bad teams. Division Winners: N.Y. Giants, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle Wildcard: Tampa Bay, Arizona ==== AFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 --------- 1. Denver vs Bye 2. Jax vs Bye 6. Cincinnati (away) loses to 3. Pittsburgh (home) 5. Indianapolis (away) beats 4. Miami (home) Week 2 --------- 5. Indianapolis (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) 3. Pittsburgh (away) beats 2. Jacksonville (home) Week 3 ---------- 3. Pittsburgh (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) ==== NFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 ---------- 1. Carolina vs bye 2. Seattle vs bye 5. Arizona (away) loses to 3. Chicago 6. Tampa Bay (away) loses to 4. N.Y. Giants Week 2 --------- 4. N.Y. Giants (away) loses to 1. Carolina 3. Chicago (away) beat 2. Seattle Week 3 --------- 3. Chicago (away) loses to 1. Carolina ======= Superbowl ======= No real surprises in the conference champs, top seeds in both make the Superbowl this year. This time Denver gets to take on Carolina for top honors. All in all, I think Carolina is a complete football team with the 1-2 rushing punch, a very good passing attack, and a defense that is top notch. Carolina gets their first NFL title this year, to go with the Hurricane's NHL title. All the rednecks are rejoicing. ============ 2007 Draft Order ============ 1. San Francisco 2. St. Louis 3. Tennessee 4. Houston 5. New York Jets 6. New Orleans 7. Oakland 8. Green Bay 9. Detroit 10. Buffalo 11. Minnesota 12. Atlanta 13. Cleveland 14. Philadelphia 15. San Diego 16. Baltimore 17. New England 18. Dallas 19. Washington 20. Kansas City 21. Arizona 22. Tampa bay 23. Miami 24. Cincinnati 25. Pittsburgh 26. Indianapolis 27. N.Y. Giants 28. Chicago 29. Seattle 30. Jacksonville 31. Carolina 32. Denver Phew, yeah, that was a wall of text, but I'm done. Any thoughts? 726973[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloexile Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 **WARNING: HUGE WALL OF TEXT INCOMING** Get your freakin mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about which teams are going to be better or worse then last year. I've put together a team-by-team glance at the NFL, the playoffs, and next year's draft order in my opinion. I did this for my own fun, and I'm interested in seeing how I do this year compared to the experts and real nfl. ==== AFC East ==== Buffalo Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. This team is getting better. Just getting rid of Mularkey and having a strong draft (yes it was wrong) is enough to get at least 6 wins this year. May not win a bunch more, but overall the team is getting stronger. Projection - 6-10 Miami Record - 9-7 Momentum - Up. Dante helps this team improve their QB position, Dom Capers is a big pickup on defense, and a couple new players in the secondary should help. I, unfortunately, expect to see Miami win the AFC East this year. Projection - 10-6 New England Patriots Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Lost a lot of key players on defense, and their coordinators. 3rd D coord in as many years. They will still win games, but not 10. Off-year for the Pats. Projection - 8-8 New York Jets Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Picked up some nice players in the draft, and I like Ramsey as the backup QB. Martin is getting older though, and I'm not sold on Mangini yet. Projection - 5-11 === AFC North === Cincinnati Record - 11-5 Momentum - down. I thought they had a bad draft, and Mr. Palmer has lots of question parks surrounding his knee. Expecting them to at least drop one more game then last year. Projection - 10-6 Pittsburgh Record - 11-5 Momentum - About the same. Lost some players, but had a good draft which made up for a lot of what they lost. Still a solid team even with Bettis retired. Projection - 10-6 Baltimore Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. McNair is good for at least one more win, and they did a good job replacing players through the draft. I also am one of the few who thinks Jamal is going to have a good year. Projection - 7-9 Cleveland Record - 6-10 Momentum - Up. Picked up some solid players on both sides of the football this year, and spent a bit of cash to do so. They'll pick up a win or two, but don't think they are playoff contenders quite yet. Projection - 7-9 ==== AFC South ==== Indianapolis Record - 14-2 Momentum - Down. I don't have faith in Dominick Rhodes, and losing Trips will hurt a lot more then they expected. I'd expect a dog-fight with Jax for the division. Projection - 11-5 Jacksonville Record - 12-4 Momentum - About the same. Not many changes in Jacksonville, it all rides on the health of the players still. However, given Indy's losses, they have a real shot this year. Projection - 12-4 Tennessee Record - 4-12 Momentum - About the same. Can it really get worse? The Billy Volek era is starting, and Titans fans get to look forward to a disgruntled 3-headed monster at RB, a backup QB as their starter, and rookies all around. In a few years the offense might be awesome, but this year it still stinks. Projection - 4-12 Houston Record - 2-14 Momentum - Up. They're getting better, slowly but surely. Picked up Moulds, but he's old. Williams will make a difference, but I don't know how much of a difference he really will make. They should get a couple more wins this year, but don't expect much more then that out of this team. Projection - 4-12 ==== AFC West ==== Denver Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. The defense is a year older and has anyone figured out who the hell Foxworth is yet? Plus, the draft was all about Cutler, and not much else. Still, with most of their team in tact, 11-5 or 12-4 are real possibilities, as well as the AFC championship. Projection - 12-4 Kansas City Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Hali is okay, but I think he's overrated. Dick Vermiel to Herm Edwards is also a drop. The Priest's ongoing injury battles are also an issue. I don't like where this team is going, after having a good off-season last year. Projection - 8-8 San Diego Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Rivers, but you automatically mean less wins this year then Brees last. McCardell is older, and outside of him and Gates, they don't have any receivers. Drew Haddad anyone? Projection - 7-9 Oakland Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. Unlike a lot of people, I think Mr. Brooks is a decent QB, a bit better then Kerry Collins. I think Huffdaddy will help out their D a ton as well, and Art Shell was a pretty decent hire. Projection: 5-11 ==== Overall AFC ==== Verdict - The AFC has a ton of talent, and the good teams seem to be able to replace it. Its hard to move up in the AFC because of this. I think there is more parity then there was last year, and team's won't dramatically move this year. Division Winners: Miami, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Denver Wildcard: Indy, Cincy ==== NFC East ==== N.Y. Giants Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. I like their improvements in the secondary, and Eli gets another year under his belt. This team is good. Projection - 11-5 Washington Record - 10-6 Momentum - Down. Wait, their Quarterback is who?! I really do like the pickup of AL Saunders, but Brunnell is another year older, their only alternative is Campbell, and they lost Lavar Arrington. Projection - 8-8 Dallas Record 9-7 Momentum - Down. I don't care how good T.O. thinks he is. When Drew locks onto him, and gets picked off, or fails to get him the ball, T.O. is going to start being T.O., and thats a very bad thing for the Cowboys. Projection - 8-8 Philadelphia Record 6-10 Momentum - Up. Who the hell is this team's running back? Seriously, I don't think they have one. In any event, having a healthy McNabb and Jeff Garcia behind him should give this team a boost. They still have a lot of talent all around, and should pick up a win. Projection - 7-9 ==== NFC North ==== Chicago Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. This is what a solid O-line and Defense give you: A winning football team. I love the move of Brian Griese pressuring the young guys and as a backup plan. Oh, and Ced Benson gets a full training camp? Ouch, he is going to tear some people up! Projection - 12-4 Minnesota Record - 9-7 Momentum - Down. Sorry, Brad Johnson, but I just don't think you are as good as the guy you replaced, especially over a whole season. There are still plenty of issues on offense, like RB, and while they did pick up Hutch, what the hell were they thinking in the draft? Defense? Why didn't you take Deangelo Williams?!?! That defense is still pretty good, though, and has depth. Projection - 7-9 Detroit Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. I'd like to see what Kitna can do with this Wide Receiver corp which is why I list this as Up, and they do have some talent. But I'm not sold on Rod as HC quite yet, and it will take time for the transition to happen. Projection - 6-10 Green Bay Record - 4-12 Momentum - Up. These guys filled a ton of holes in the draft, which means two things: They're getting better, but they had a ton of holes, and a bunch of learning players. Projection - 6-10 ==== NFC South ==== Tampa Bay Record - 11-5 Momentum - Mixed. I list this as Mixed because I think they will be worse this year, but better in the long term. They have a lot of new faces on their O-line, which is going to lead to some problems, but is a long-term upgrade. Chris Freakin Simms is still their QB, but I think after another year he can be an adaquate QB. Brooks is one year older, their WRs leave something to be desired, and I'm not sold at either SS or ROLB this year. Projection - 9-7 Carolina Record - 11-5 Momentum - Up. Are you freaking kidding me? This team is ridiculous. First, they get DeAngelo Williams, who I think is going to tear it up in Carolina. I believe he's better then Foster. They also sign Diggs who was pretty damn good in GB, Keyshawn who is a great fit for Delhomme, and Hartwig for depth to Mitchell. Projection - 13-3 Atlanta Record - 8-8 Momentum - Down. Yes, I know they got Abraham. Yes, I know they got Milloy. But they lost both of their Tackles, and the last thing Vick needs is a worse offensive line. Reminds me of the Bills under TD, a lot of flash, but not solid in the core. Projection - 7-9 New Orleans Record - 3-13 Momentum - Up. Reggie Bush and Drew Brees means that this team is going to be exciting to watch the next few seasons. Its unfortunate, then, that this team actually lost a good amount of players on the OL and Defense. The skill players will only help them win a couple more games because of it. Projection - 5-11 ==== NFC West ==== Seattle Record - 13-3 Momentum - About the same. They did a good job picking up replacements for a lot of the talent that they lost this year. The only problem is that the replacements aren't quite as good as the players they lost. They did grab a nice upgrade with Peterson however. Projection - 12-4 St. Louis Record - 6-10 Momentum - Down. They've got issues. Lots of them. New HC, OC, DC, as well as Faulk retiring. Who is there QB? Jamie Martin? Sorry, you aint getting it done. I like Chavous and Glover, but the Rams aren't getting any better at this point of the game. Projection - 4-12 Arizona Record - 5-11 Momentum - Up. Way up actually. I think Arizona is my surprise team this year. Leinart will be a better then average QB in the NFL right off the bat, but I don't think he has tons of potential to improve. Even still, it'll be scary to see what he can do with Fitz and Bouldin. James will take a bunch of the pressure off of him, and I think Lutui is an immediate upgrade for them. Pope and Watson were great picks as well. Denny Green has a lot to work with, and I think it starts to show this year. He's finally putting together that offensive firepower that he so loves. Projection - 9-7 San Francisco Record - 4-12 Momentum - Down. I like Vernon Davis and Manny Lawson a lot, I really do. But the rest of their off-season I don't get. Michael Robinson in the 3rd round? Old Larry Allen on a rebuilding team? Walt Harris? Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I think Alex Smith is a bust, and add to the fact that they lost Carter, Peterson, Lloyd, and Beasley from that team, and I can't help but think they are going to be this year's Houston. Projection - 2-14 ==== Overall NFC ==== Verdict - the NFC has gone through a good amount of change this year, and given that the talent level is a lot lower then the AFC, a couple players can make a huge difference. A more mixed group then the AFC, there should be quite a difference. There are some power houses in the NFC like Seattle and Carolina, some "decent" teams, and then some just flat out bad teams. Division Winners: N.Y. Giants, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle Wildcard: Tampa Bay, Arizona ==== AFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 --------- 1. Denver vs Bye 2. Jax vs Bye 6. Cincinnati (away) loses to 3. Pittsburgh (home) 5. Indianapolis (away) beats 4. Miami (home) Week 2 --------- 5. Indianapolis (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) 3. Pittsburgh (away) beats 2. Jacksonville (home) Week 3 ---------- 3. Pittsburgh (away) loses to 1. Denver (home) ==== NFC Playoffs ==== Week 1 ---------- 1. Carolina vs bye 2. Seattle vs bye 5. Arizona (away) loses to 3. Chicago 6. Tampa Bay (away) loses to 4. N.Y. Giants Week 2 --------- 4. N.Y. Giants (away) loses to 1. Carolina 3. Chicago (away) beat 2. Seattle Week 3 --------- 3. Chicago (away) loses to 1. Carolina ======= Superbowl ======= No real surprises in the conference champs, top seeds in both make the Superbowl this year. This time Denver gets to take on Carolina for top honors. All in all, I think Carolina is a complete football team with the 1-2 rushing punch, a very good passing attack, and a defense that is top notch. Carolina gets their first NFL title this year, to go with the Hurricane's NHL title. All the rednecks are rejoicing. ============ 2007 Draft Order ============ 1. San Francisco 2. St. Louis 3. Tennessee 4. Houston 5. New York Jets 6. New Orleans 7. Oakland 8. Green Bay 9. Detroit 10. Buffalo 11. Minnesota 12. Atlanta 13. Cleveland 14. Philadelphia 15. San Diego 16. Baltimore 17. New England 18. Dallas 19. Washington 20. Kansas City 21. Arizona 22. Tampa bay 23. Miami 24. Cincinnati 25. Pittsburgh 26. Indianapolis 27. N.Y. Giants 28. Chicago 29. Seattle 30. Jacksonville 31. Carolina 32. Denver Phew, yeah, that was a wall of text, but I'm done. Any thoughts? 726973[/snapback] Enjoyed your analysis. Who knows what will happen this year. I think you reversed Denver and Carolina's draft order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Don't want to be a stick in the mud (Great work though and well thought out, not just Bills suck and will always suck, they go winless this year), but does this all work out when you review the schedules? I mean, is it possible if you put their records against their opponents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Pretty similar to most predictions I've seen. Some contrarian thoughts: I still like NE by a fairly good margin in the East. Winning in SanDiego was nice, but I don't know why everyone's so impressed by Miami eeking by the Bills & Jets at home. NE had a ton of injuries and some uncharateristic bad luck last year (lets face it, they outplayed Denver and the Broncos "outPatrioted" them in that game). In the other East I like Dallas. I think TO will be relatively well-behaved in a 1 year contract audition. Also, their defense is young and good. I don't get why everyone loves the Giants. Still not sold on their defense, Barber won't duplicate last year, and they're never good 2 years in a row. I don't really consider Arizona a sleeper because they're everyone's sleeper. I guess they could grab a Wild Card since they're in a lousy division. The importance of the RB position is grossly overrated though, so Edge will only help so much. They've got to get better QB/OL play. I think Baltimore will be more than 1 game better and Denver more than 1 game worse than last year. Philly should also be more than 1 game better with a healthy McNabb. They went to the SB with Westbrook starting @RB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bflojohn Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 I'm shooting for the condensed version, but here goes... American Football Conference East 1.) New England 11-5 Not long until this nightmare goes away! (may be wishful thinking) 2.) Buffalo 9-7 I DON'T believe all the Dolphin hype, do you? 3.) Miami 7-9 Defense is getting to social security age! 4.) NY Jets 3-13 Poor Mangini, no more Bill to nurse you along! North 1.) Baltimore 9-7 Yes, McNair will elevate this team. 2.) Cincinnati 7-9 Hard fought division will take a toll. 3.) Pittsburgh 6-10 Say bye to Bill Cowher. 4.) Cleveland 4-12 Much more competitive, but tough sledding in this division! South 1.)Indianapolis 10-6 Back to the pack result without Edge! 2.) Jacksonville 8-8 No easy schedule here this year, Titans and Texans are nipping at their heals, Leftwich will get heavy criticism!! 3.) Houston 5-11 Carr will turn the corner, but the franchise is one or two years away. 4.) Tennessee 2-14 Volek, then Young... The Titans are on the clock!! West 1.) Denver 10-6 But just barely.... 2.) Kansas City 9-7 They will show signs of age on offense, and NEW coach doesn't work wonders. 3.) San Diego 7-9 Jettisoned Brees, on comes Rivers to experience growing pains. 4.) Oakland 4-12 pride and poise left this franchise with a 51-3 score years ago,Didn't Shell coach then.... Hmmmm?! National Football Conference East 1.) Philadelphia 10-6 Arguably the best offseason in football powers their return to the top! 2.) NY Giants 9-7 Eli and crew will NOT sneak up on anybody this year. 3.) Dallas 7-9 Oh Drew, how we DON'T miss thee!! 4.) Washington 6-10 Strictly because someone will finish last, Joe Gibbs goes back to racing after this. North 1.) Chicago 9-7 Always favor the defensive team first, IMO. 2.) Green Bay 8-8 Not quite what Brett wants, but NOT BAD!! 3.) Minnesota 6-10 Classic underachievers will ascend to new low. 4.) Detroit 5-11 Marinelli has his work cut out for him. South 1.) Carolina 11-5 Might be best in NFC, love the #1 pick in Williams!! 2.) Tampa Bay 9-7 Gruden finds a QB, but in tough division, he finishes second. 3.) Atlanta 8-8 Vick is a coach killer, mark it down! 4.) New Orleans 6-10 Just like Texans, it's too soon yet. West 1.) Seattle 10-6 Not as dominant in division as they once were. 2.) Arizona 8-8 On the come, see 2007! 3.) St. Louis 6-10 Greatest show on turf is basically over. 4.) San Francisco 2-14 Smith better run and hide, although he will like Davis. Playoffs AFC wild cards Buffalo and Kansas City, NFC Tampa Bay and NY Giants New England and Denver Byes, Carolina and Seattle Byes Wild Card weekend Buffalo over Baltimore (21-17) Indianapolis over Kansas City (42-20) Philadelphia over Tampa Bay (14-13) Chicago over NY Giants (16-3) Divisional games New England over Buffalo (24-21, OT) Indianapolis over Denver (35-24) Chicago over Carolina (7-6) Seattle over Philadelphia (23-10) AFC/NFC Championship games Indianapolis over New England (38-28) Seattle over Chicago (27-7) Super Bowl Seattle over Indianapolis (30-28, Late FG wins it!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Blue Fire - great analysis...i have a few comments/ cincy - i think they tumble this year. Not too far, but they'll fall to 9-7. Palmer wont be at full speed to begin with, and missing odell thurman will hurt them in their 1st 4 games. They have a brutal schedule, and could easily start 1-3. Also, i think character issues have a negative impact on their team. Jax - waaaaaay overrated. Almost cardinals overrated. They have a WR corps with more ?'s than ours. Solid defense, but they dont have the offense ot get them past the WC round. Tampa - Dont knock simms just because all of you horns hated him. Hes a good QB, and will onyl get better this year. I watched a lot of TB games this past season, and Simms really started to put it together. St. Louis - Their QB is Bulger, and their offense is enough in a weak division to get them to 8-10 wins. Linehan will actually run jackson too. I agree with Carolina being the team to beat this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Don't want to be a stick in the mud (Great work though and well thought out, not just Bills suck and will always suck, they go winless this year), but does this all work out when you review the schedules? I mean, is it possible if you put their records against their opponents? 727006[/snapback] Not sure to be honest, I was wondering that myself, but I didn't quite take a look at it. The rest of it was enough work. ;p Pretty similar to most predictions I've seen. Some contrarian thoughts: I still like NE by a fairly good margin in the East. Winning in SanDiego was nice, but I don't know why everyone's so impressed by Miami eeking by the Bills & Jets at home. NE had a ton of injuries and some uncharateristic bad luck last year (lets face it, they outplayed Denver and the Broncos "outPatrioted" them in that game). In the other East I like Dallas. I think TO will be relatively well-behaved in a 1 year contract audition. Also, their defense is young and good. I don't get why everyone loves the Giants. Still not sold on their defense, Barber won't duplicate last year, and they're never good 2 years in a row. I don't really consider Arizona a sleeper because they're everyone's sleeper. I guess they could grab a Wild Card since they're in a lousy division. The importance of the RB position is grossly overrated though, so Edge will only help so much. They've got to get better QB/OL play. I think Baltimore will be more than 1 game better and Denver more than 1 game worse than last year. Philly should also be more than 1 game better with a healthy McNabb. They went to the SB with Westbrook starting @RB. 727012[/snapback] I was torn on NE, given the fact that they always seem to replace people. But this was the year that they didn't have players to just step up and take over their losses, and I think it'll end up hurting them. I think the Giants are a different team this era then in other years, mainly because Coughlin will whip them into shape. It aint Fassell at the helm anymore. Plus, Eli will have another year under his belt. I also think Sam Madison will help a lot on D. I have doubts about McNair staying healthy all year, and thats why I only thought they'd be one game better. If he's healthy the whole season, I think its a huge improvement. Arizona does need better OL play, but I think Leinart and James will show how good skill players can make up for a weak link on the OL, just like a good OL can make a RB look good. As far as Philly goes, its more of them being in a tough division then them not being that much better. McNabb is going ot be a huge difference, but to be honest, with Dallas and the Giants getting better, and Washington still being good, they are the odd ones out in this division. The reason why I like Miami is, quite honestly, Dante. I think he's going to make a HUGE difference, and hell, even that clown Harrington would be an upgrade over last year at QB. Their offense, as long as meathead doesn't screw it up, could be very, very potent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Enjoyed your analysis. Who knows what will happen this year. I think you reversed Denver and Carolina's draft order. 726985[/snapback] You're right, I did, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Honestly, I was expecting something a bit more gutsy. It was just like one of the many magazines one can buy. Every team is plus/minus 1 or 2 from last year except for Colts -3 & Cards +4. Every season now we see large swings in teams performances & abilities. For instance 04-05 NE -4, NYJ -6, MIA +5, BUF -4 CIN +3, PIT -4, BALT -3, CLE +2 IND +2, JAX +3, HOU -5, TEN -1 SC -3, DEN +3, KC +3, OAK -2 As you can see, in the AFC alone from 04-05 there were 12 teams to vary by 3 win/losses or more and only one changed by 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stl Bills Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 St. LouisRecord - 6-10 Momentum - Down. They've got issues. Lots of them. New HC, OC, DC, as well as Faulk retiring. Who is there QB? Jamie Martin? Sorry, you aint getting it done. I like Chavous and Glover, but the Rams aren't getting any better at this point of the game. Projection - 4-12 Good Post but I can't say I agree with you on this one. As much as it pains me to say this, I think the Rams are going to be much improved. I believe the new staff is a big plus for this team; Martz is a great Offensive mind but with all the drama there was between him and their front office it created a huge distraction. Linnehan will actually give the ball to Steven Jackson enough times to utilize his ability to wear down defenses (Martz's tendencies to throw, throw, throw and the presence of Faulk prevented Jackson from getting in a rythm). Oh and what do you mean Jamie Martin? They still have Bulger and one of the best WRs in the game in Tory Holt, their defense has been improved, and I thought they had a pretty good draft. I bet they go 10-6, just my opinion though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Honestly, I was expecting something a bit more gutsy. It was just like one of the many magazines one can buy. Every team is plus/minus 1 or 2 from last year except for Colts -3 & Cards +4. Every season now we see large swings in teams performances & abilities. For instance 04-05 NE -4, NYJ -6, MIA +5, BUF -4 CIN +3, PIT -4, BALT -3, CLE +2 IND +2, JAX +3, HOU -5, TEN -1 SC -3, DEN +3, KC +3, OAK -2 As you can see, in the AFC alone from 04-05 there were 12 teams to vary by 3 win/losses or more and only one changed by 1. 727049[/snapback] You know, I was thinking about that as I wrote it up, but I don't really think all the changes that occurred this year drastically effected the league as much as previous years had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udonkey Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Enjoyed your analysis. Who knows what will happen this year. I think you reversed Denver and Carolina's draft order. 726985[/snapback] I know this is going to come off as me being a dick, but I can't believe that you quoted his entire post, TWICE for a one line reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Nice job, BlueFire! Enjoyed the read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 You know, I was thinking about that as I wrote it up, but I don't really think all the changes that occurred this year drastically effected the league as much as previous years had. 727057[/snapback] You may well be correct. Since I'm sitting here on a Saturday trying to will time forward so the season can start....I thought I'd run the +/- for the AFC over the last 4 years. TEAM 05 04 03 02 NE -4 -- +5 -2 NYJ -6 +4 -3 -1 MIA +5 -6 +1 -2 BUF -4 +3 -2 +5 CIN +3 -- +6 -4 PIT -4 +9 -4 -3 BAL -3 -1 +3 -3 CLE +2 -1 -4 +2 IND +2 -- +2 +4 JAX +3 +4 -1 -- HOU -5 +2 +1 TEN -1 -7 +1 +4 SD -3 +8 -4 +3 DEN +3 -- +1 +1 KC +3 -6 +5 +2 OAK -2 +1 -7 +1 01-02...8 changes of +/- 2 or less (15 teams) 02-03...7 changes of +/- 2 or less 03-04...8 changes of +/- 2 or less 04-05...4 changes of +/- 2 or less I think it is safe to assume that at least 50% of teams will change win/loss record from one season to the next by over 2 games in todays FA NFL. Also...on average three teams in the conference each year changed by 5 games or more. You may be right & we revert back to minor changes but I think the trend is upwards rather than downwards. What gets to me is the magazines & networks who pay actual money to people to inform us that each team will do pretty much the same as last year....what brilliant analysis they do. My predictions....big changes BALT.....12 wins +6 IND.......9 wins -5 MIA.......5 wins -4 SD........3 wins -6 BUF.......9 wins +4 Why not? Big changes seem to happen every year now, why not to us? I won't go into the NFC(who cares about them? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 My predictions....big changesBALT.....12 wins +6 IND.......9 wins -5 MIA.......5 wins -4 SD........3 wins -6 BUF.......9 wins +4 Why not? Big changes seem to happen every year now, why not to us? I won't go into the NFC(who cares about them? ) 727065[/snapback] *grin* Lets hope thats true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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