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Football Preview : AFC Posted by TUS & MMN on June 28th 2004 MMN : Time for the AFC preview. To me the AFC is really the only conference that matters. My favorite team, the Colts, are in the AFC as well as last year's Superbowl champions, the Patriots. There's been just as much drama and player moves in the AFC as there has been in the NFC, so let's get to it and see who should be in the playoffs and who will be in the Superbowl (COLTS). TUS: I have to agree with Kev on everything he just said, except the part where he says his favorite team is the Colts. This is only because MY favorite team, the Raiders, SUCKED BALLS this past year. But we'll get more in depth when it becomes their time. AFC has been the dominant conference for the past few years and there really hasn't been much of a change to say otherwise. So let's get right into it... AFC East Buffalo Bills Major Moves - Added: Troy Vincent (CB, Eagles), Tim Euhus (TE, draft), JP Losman (QB, draft) Lost: Alex Van Pelt (QB, cut) Ruben Brown (G, cut), Antoine Winfield (CB, to the Vikings) TUS: My my my. These guys were looking like the top of the East, maybe the whole AFC at the start of last season. They even CRUSHED the eventual Super Bowl champs opening week. Then they went down the shitter. HARDCORE. What's even scarier is that they have an awesome offensive line-up, yet finished THIRTIETH in total yards a game AND points per game. Drew Bledsoe, a top notch QB hasn't been doing crap since becoming a Bill, which isn't much of a shock since he didn't do crap as a Pat (except one Super Bowl appearance, where he got crushed)... but he always has potential. They have Travis Henry, a small, POWERFUL runningback who always produces. The bonus to this, is that collegiate star Willis McGahee has been given the thumbs up to actually... play, so that'll be one HELLUVA 1-2 punch. Eric Moulds didn't get a whole lot of touches last season, but hopefully the new coach knows what's up. The defense though... it's basically fucking unstoppable. And they ADDED some depth in the backfield with Troy Vincent. Add him to Clements and Lawyer Milloy, that's a GREAT backfield. And they also have a HUGE front line, led by Sam Adams. It basically comes to this... with a new coach, everything rests on the offense, because the defense is going to be on their game, as usual. If Bledsoe can get 3400+ yards and 17+ TDs, Buffalo will have no problem getting a Wild card, at least... only because there still are better teams, even one in the same division. Oh, by the way, I was a HUGE Bills fan before I liked the Raiders... yeah, I was a frontrunner. MMN : Even when they were losing last year, the Bills defense was something like 8th best in the league, so it's obvious what side of the ball they need to focus on. Bledsoe needs MASSIVE amounts of protection in order to be productive - he's a fucking statue and is not going to be able to scramble anywhere. Travis Henry, as much of a stud as he was last season, had broken ribs and wasn't able to carry the offense. Likewise, Eric Moulds had a messed up groin, I believe, all last season which prevented him from doing anything. By signing Troy Vincent they've guaranteed their defense won't be anything to laugh at for a while, even with the loss of Antoine Winfield. However, who knows how Travis Henry and Eric Moulds have healed. If both are healthy, and if the offensive line can hold up and protect Bledsoe, this team should be playoff contenders easily. I hear they're going to be using Henry and McGahee in a lot of 2 back formations, which should be interesting, and should confuse the fuck out of defenses. JP Losman seems like a decent enough QB who should do well in the NFL once he's had some time to learn and develop, and you could have worse teachers than Bledsoe. Miami Dolphins Major Moves - Added : David Boston (WR, from San Diego....dumbass fucking Chargers), A.J. Feeley (QB, from the Eagles for a 2005 2nd round draft pick), Vernon Carey (OT, from the Draft), Will Poole (CB, from the Draft) Lost : Brock Marion (S, to the Lions), Brian Griese (QB, cut) MMN : Well, considering how quiet you'd think the Dolphins have been this offseason, there's a lot of shit that's gone on. The biggest thing is probably Ricky Williams violating the league's substance abuse policy. He was tested positive for a second time for use of the weed you kids use, and who knows how that will affect his upcoming season, be it a suspension or fine or whatever. Ricky really lost his step last season, his production was way down, and I don't think having troubles off the field is going to help him focus on regaining his place in the top 10 running back category. The Dolphins are notorious chokers, worse than any other team in the NFL, but they've made some good additions this year to hopefully prevent that from happening again. Getting Carey and Poole from the draft should really help reinforce the defense and getting David Boston, if he slims down and stops being such a cock, is a great way to make opponents fear your passing game. When A.J. Feeley attended the first Dolphins mini-camp, they said he looked much worse than Jay Fiedler - however, in a recent mini-camp, after A.J. has had time to study the offensive plays, reports had him easily outshining Fiedler and the early favorite to win the starting job. I haven't really had a chance to see Feeley play, so I can't comment on how good he will be, but I have seen Fielder play and all I can say is - I hope Feeley wins the starting job. The Dolphins may sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard but other than that I don't see much success for them this year. For some reason, the Dolphins are the best team in the NFL to never do ANYTHING, and that trend should continue through this season. TUS: The Dolphins are always just there. They never make enough noise for people to consider them contenders, and they don't make enough noise for people to consider them really, really bad. Since Marino left, there's been no one who has even BEGUN to fill his shoes. Fielder is SOMEONE, but isn't someone I'd like to have leading my team, and like Kev said, it looks like they won't even have to worry about that with Feeley getting the starting role. He has some good targets to throw out, like the recent addition of David Boston, who reports have said looks MILLIONS of times better then he did as a Charger. But that still needs to be seen. Chris Chambers is also a great Receiver, who would be better with a better QB throwing at him. Randy McMichael is probably one of the better receiving Tight ends in the game. Like Kev said above, Ricky Williams did SHIT this past year. Well, I shouldn't say shit, but really, REALLY didn't live up to previous years. Hopefully his new shaven head will give him a new outlook in football, and he'll be back ripping up the field. On defense, they have two pro-bowler defensive ends, Adewale Ogunleye and Jason Taylor. Two meeeeean guys to be looking at you from the outside. Can't really argue with their LBs either, although Seau is getting up there in age... but him and ZT were a good combo last year. But Miami's secondary... WOOOOOO. Even with the loss of Brock Marion, they still have Pat Surtain and Sam Madison... AND Sammy Knight. And adding Will Poole just increases their depth. On paper, this team should do well, but the thing is this... the NFL extends through December, and Miami just can't win then. They need to go 11-0, 12-0 before the last month or else they'll never make the playoffs. New England Patriots Major Moves - Added: Corey Dillon (RB, Traded from Bengals), Terrell Buckley (CB, Dolphins), Vince Wilfork (DT, Draft), Ben Watson (TE, Draft) Lost: Ted Washington (NG, signed to Raiders), Damien Woody (OL, Signed to Lions) TUS: Here they are, the Super Bowl champs. I want nothing more then to be able to say that these guys won't repeat, but they did nothing that would say that. I mean, THEY IMPROVED THEIR RUNNING GAME! That was their one downfall according to EVERYONE... and they went out and signed Corey Dillon, who held the most rushing yards in a game for about 2 or 3 years before J Lewis shattered it this past year... but seriously, adding a GOOD running back to an already competent offense is asking for trouble. I mean, when Brady throws his screen passes every other play, he actually has a good back who can run it more then 5 yards! Brady must be fucking stoked! And while he doesn't have any stand-out receivers, they all do their job and catch the ball when it's thrown to them... can't really ask for more. Defense is what kept them chugging a long and nothing is different. Well, they lost Ted Washington, a great run stuffer, but the signed Rodney Bailey and Keith Traylor to make up for it... but it's not like they don't have a great LB crew and a great defensive back crew. They have a great coach too... so... there's really not much else I can add except that the best team didn't get any worse... MMN : Yep, the fucking Super Bowl fucking champions. Fuck. The reason I get so irritated talking about the Patriots is because they beat MY COLTS to get to the Superbowl by CHEATING - that's right, they CHEATED and held the Colts receivers like they were trying to fucking hump them or something. Next time Ty Law goes to hold my boy Marvin Harrison I hope Marv karate chops him in the throat. Assholes. Anyhow, I do LIKE the Patriots, even though they pissed me off. Tom Brady is as much of a stud QB as you're going to find in the NFL and getting rid of Antowain Smith and adding Corey Dillon is genious. I don't think Dillon is going to be as much of a pain in the ass as he was in Cincinnati simply because the Patriots won't put up with that shit. By signing a solid new Tight End in Ben Watson, the Pats are guaranteed to continue having a good line which will make room for Dillon to rack up yards. Like TUS said, they didn't really get any worse on defense, making up for the loss of Ted Washington with the guys he mentioned plus Vince Wilfork, who is a big motherfucker just like Washington. Problem is, Wilfork has problems with his weight, and he needs to keep it under control. If he can, look for him to become the run stuffer that Washington was - so they basically drafted a younger Ted Washington, which is fucking SCARY if you think about it. There was some whiney shit coming from the mouth of Ty Law back in the beginning of the offseason where he basically called his coach, Bill Belichick, a big fat liar. Of course, at this point, cooler heads have prevailed and now Law wants to retire with the Patriots - as long as he's being paid as one of the top defensive players in the game. Overall, like TUS said, I don't see any reason they won't go to the conference championship again THIS year - difference is, this time they won't be able to hold the Indianapolis receivers and the COLTS will be in the Superbowl. Bet your ass on that. New York Jets Major moves - Added : Justin McCareins (WR, from the Titans), Reggie Tongue (S, from the Seahawks), David Barrett (CB, from the Cardinals), Derrick Strait (CB, draft), Jonathan Vilma (ILB, draft) Lost : Vinny Testaverde (QB, to the Cowboys) MMN : Well, the Jets struggled last season mostly because Chad Pennington was gone with an injury but, truthfully, I don't see them doing all that well this season. There's nothing really all that WRONG with this team, but when you're in a division with the Patriots, the Bills, and the Dolphins, you need to have much better players than the other teams, and I don't think the Jets do. They've gone the right way by adding Justin McCareins, who is a fucking stud of a wide receiver. He'll compliment Santana Moss, who should have a really great year after coming into his own last season. Their running game should remain passable with Curtis Martin chugging along and, of course, Pennington is a hell of a QB. On defense they've definitely tried to improve, adding a couple of corners and one of the best linebackers in the draft in Jonathan Vilma. Their defense was their biggest weakness last season so we'll see if these signings will help them rank better than 29th in the league or whatever rank they were. Losing Testaverde on the surface is no big deal, but what happens if Pennington gets hurt again? Granted, Vinny didn't exactly win them a bunch of games while Chad was hurt, but at least he was a capable QB. I don't even know who the hell the other QBs are on the Jets. I see this team going 8-8, maybe 9-7, tops. They won't get into the playoffs for a while - not as long as the Patriots remain dominant and the Bills continue to improve. TUS: Can't really say much else since Kev basically said it all. I'll just add on. The Jets really helped themselves in the off-season, focusing on defense, specifically the backfield. REALLY... REALLY smart as they were really burnt because of them last season. In any other division, these guys could probably win, or at least keep a close second. Unfortunately, they are in probably the toughest division in the tougher conference in the league... Unless they choke worse then the Dolphins, they probably won't be seeing basement time. Best Team of AFC East - TUS: Pretty freaking easy choice... New England, baring any blue moons or something like that. Bills will keep it close though. MMN : New England. They win the division and go on to lose to my Colts. AFC West Denver Broncos Major moves - Added : Champ Bailey (CB, trade with Redskins for Clinton Portis), John Lynch (S, from the Bucs), DJ Williams (OLB, Draft), Tatum Bell (RB, Draft), Jed Weaver (TE, from the 49ers), Garrison Hearst (RB, from the 49ers) Lost : Ed McCaffrey (WR, retired), Steve Beuerlein (QB, cut), Clinton Portis (RB), Shannon Sharpe (TE, retired) MMN : Heh, go Broncos. One of my favorite football memories will always be Marvin Harrison catching a pass from Peyton Manning and falling to the ground - only for the Broncos safeties and cornerbacks to argue over who was supposed to cover him - yet nobody touched him, allowing Marv to get up and run down the field for a touchdown. Funniest thing ever. Anyhow, on paper the Broncos look like they've improved in some areas and gotten worse in some areas. The loss of Shannon Sharpe and Clinton Portis WILL hurt this offense, which was one of the better ones in the league last year.I know people have their "oh, Denver can put any RB in there and he'll get 1,500 yards" bullshit, but I don't buy it. I like Garrison Hearst, and I hear good things about Tatum Bell, but I highly doubt either of them will rack up 1,500 yards or even 1,000 yards. The loss of Sharpe is a major blow as he was one of the best pass catching Tight Ends in the league. I guess we'll see when the season starts which TE will emerge from the many the Broncos have, but I don't think any will have the impact Sharpe did. On defense you've obviously got major improvements with Lynch and Bailey coming in. Lynch is old, yes, but is smart and hits like a fucking truck. Bailey is still one of the best corners in the entire game. But that together and you've got a much improved Broncos secondary who hopefully will TOUCH A GUY WHEN HE'S DOWN instead of letting him score an easy touchdown. I think the Broncos still look good, but I'm worried about their offense being able to adjust to the loss of it's two biggest contributors. Maybe a wildcard berth for the Broncos, but nothing more. TUS: HAHAHA, I like your decision to go across the country here Kev, and I know why. Anyway, Denver never really stood out to me. Jake Plummer was just there and their receivers were just there. Sharpe put up good numbers, but you can't just rely on your tight end. But losing Portis is going to leave a HUGE hole in their running game. They signed Hearst, but like Kev said, I don't think he's going to fully prosper in the Denver "system" But they did draft a back too, so they will probably have a good running game with Bell and Hearst. Like Kev said, Sharpe retired and that's a good chunk of offense, but they signed Jed Weaver, and he IS good. Not Shannon Sharpe good... not Todd Heap good, but good. He'll make his catches and he'll get the yards. Denver also improved their Defense, which is what basically killed them in the playoffs. I can't really add much to what Kev said, but Lynch was a good signing and as for Bailey... he's good, he's REALLLLL good, but is it worth giving up the best pure running back for? Probably, since your secondary sucked and you were able to stop the bleeding there a little bit. They resigned a bunch of their CB's for whatever reason... maybe the Broncos are thinking Lynch and Bailey can teach them a bit. I don't think they'll make the playoffs, there's a lot of better teams in the AFC to make a wild card run. Oakland Raiders Major Moves - Added: Ted Washington (DT, Patriots), Ron Stone (OG, 49ers), Warren Sapp (DT, Bucs), Ray Buchanan (CB, Falcons), Troy Hambrick (RB, Cowboys), Kerry Collins (QB, Giants), Robert Gallery (OT, Draft), Jake Grove (C, Draft) Lost: Charlie Garner (RB, Signed with Bucs), Bill Romanowski (LB, released), Trace Armstrong (DE, released) TUS: This is the reason we went west so fast and not to the South. The Raiders, my boys... I was very disappointed after the success of the past few seasons. But boy, they fucking SUCKED this season. And if anything, Al Davis showed something different this season... he seems to be actually REBUILDING! Granted, the offense still seems to revolve around a bunch of 40 year olds... but still, look at the draft... Robert Gallery. I've heard nothing but good things about him and I'm stoked to have him on the line. We also got Jake Grove, who fell into our lap...and we signed Ron Stone. That's 3 big offensive linemen we acquired over the off-season. I don't think we'll have problems there. We signed Kerry Collins from the Giants. This was a great idea. I think Collins is a great QB and has led the Giants to the Super Bowl, so he HAS potential. But the fact is, new coach Norv Turner is still going to start Rich Gannon. He has a line that will protect him and a good back-up. I'm fine with this, Collins has a year to learn and will be awesome next year. As for our running game.... *smacks head* WHAT THE FUCK?! OK, we have Tyrone Wheatley, not exactly my first choice for a starting RB. Granted I like him and is a wonderful 3rd down back, but I don't think he'd be a good choice. We had the chance to get Corey Dillon which would have been automatic AFC West win, but that fell through... so we got the two next best RBs... TROY HAMBRICK AND AMOS ZEROUE! OK, I'm going to turn the sarcasm off now, these were fucking stupid. Zeroue I can handle, since with a good line he'll get good numbers, but Hambrick sucks unless he's running against Washington. AND WE ALREADY HAVE JUSTIN FARGAS! HUGGY BEARS SON! In his limited time on the field this past season, he averaged over 5 yards a carry. Sure, he's injury prone, but everyone on Oakland is. I'd drop Hambrick personally. We still have Brown and Rice as our receivers... *sigh* they aren't fast anymore, but thankfully they can still catch. So they'll be good on 6-7 yard receptions. To make up for the lack of speed we have Porter, who I don't think wants to be in Oakland much longer. Two of our draft picks were receivers, one small, like Bethel Johnson, and one big one, like Randy Moss... so hopefully they'll be worth a damn in 2 years. Whew. On defense, we made the bitch move and franchised Chuckey Woodson so we could keep him. But it's what we HAD TO DO. Woodson is pound for pound the best Cornerback in the NFL right now. We also got Ray Buchanon to compliment Phillip Buchanon. What's really stupid is that ROD FUCKING WOODSON HASN'T RETIRED YET. DUDE, YOU HAD ABOUT 790709879678698789 injuries... LEAVE SO WE CAN GET SOMEONE WHO IS GOOD AND YOUNG! The signing of Sapp and Washington is also good news because we finally have some guys who can tackle and stop the run. They're old, yes, but who cares if they can produce and a different enviornment will boast Sapp to play well again. Bobby Hamilton will also help on the line. Where do I see Oakland this season? The pessimist in me says a wild card birth, while I'm hoping for around 5-6 wins. Lemme explain. If we get the wild card, Davis will say, "Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and we won't continue to rebuild. If we get the 12-15th pick in the draft and can get a good, soild Running back or Receiver and make some smart moves in the off-season, I can guarantee at LEAST a AFC Championship game in 3 or 4 years. MMN : Whoa, TUS pretty much said it all. Uhm. Well, I guess I'll be repeating some stuff then. As much as I really don't care for the Raiders, I do like what they've done this season. They went and got Gallery and Grove to beef up their offensive line and got Ted Washington and Warren Sapp to beef up their defensive line - all good moves and it should help both protection of the QB/running game and helping to stop opponents running backs, which was a HUGE problem for them last year. The Raiders secondary is still a little "meh" - Ray Buchanon isn't awful but he couldn't stop anyone on the Falcons last year, what's the difference going to be on the Raiders this year? It seems like teams will have a harder time running up the middle against the Raiders this season, but on sweeps or simply throwing up the middle to a TE seems like it should be easy enough. The Raiders safeties better step up in order for their defense to have any kind of success. On offense they remain fucking stupid. They signed the ONLY TWO running backs last year who pissed away their starting jobs, Zeroue and Hambrick. Troy Hambrick is probably one of the worst running backs in the league and Zeroue is only barely better. Nice going, Raiders. I think them letting Charlie Garner go was one of the stupidest moves any team made this offseason. Kerry Collins SHOULD be the starter - I've read many MANY news reports which seem to indicate the Raiders are simply holding onto Gannon for now because they don't NEED to release him and let him sign with another team. But they need his $7 million in cap space in order to do important things, like sign their rookies. So Gannon should be cut - some reports indiciate it may not be until a week or two into pre-season - and his salary will be used on other things while Collins ends up as the starter. Again, I haven't been watching football all that long, so I don't know about Gannon being a stud QB or anything - all I saw was him sucking massive amounts of cock last year and I'm glad the Raiders went out and replaced him. Overall I don't see the Raiders in the playoffs this year. MAYBE next year, but definitely not this year. I'd think they'd get themselves 7 or 8 wins and miss a wildcard berth. Kansas City Chiefs Major moves - Added : Damon Huard (QB, from the Patriots), Junior Siavii (DT, draft) Lost : Nobody all that important MMN : Well, here's Pi's favorite team, and the team MY TEAM beat to go to the conference championship, the Chiefs. Now, I dig the Chiefs, I really do. They've got the best tight end in the NFL (considering Sharpe retired and Shockey is going to have foot surgery), they've got arguably the best running back in the NFL, and they've got a hell of a good QB. Their WRs have never really impressed me - Marc Boerigter seems to be the best of the bunch and he has failed to impress so far. Their special teams may be the best in the NFL with kick returner and token midget Dante Hall running around like a fucking chicken with it's head cut off. But the Chiefs problem last year was never on their offense, it was always their shitty defense. They started off with really great defense the first 9 or so games, then suddenly they weren't getting any turnovers and they started losing games. When the Colts ran roughshod over them, the Chiefs fired their defensive coordinator and brought back.... AS I TYPE THIS I've just read a breaking news story that the Arizona Cardinals have promoted EMMITT SMITH to starting running back over Marcell Shipp. FUCK. MOTHER FUCKING FUCK. JUST as I'm starting to like the Cardinals they go and do some dumb shit like this. Jesus Christ. Fucking......fuck. ....anyhow, the Chiefs defense sucks and they didn't do shit this offseason to help fix it. So they're going to be in the exact same boat as last year - a playoff run with a loss after the first or second round. TUS: Yeah, the fucking Chiefs… these guys got so totally exposed against the Colts it wasn’t even funny. AND THEY DIDN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. All they really fucking did was sign the back-up QB from NE to back up Trent Green… ohhhhh-kay. Like Kev said, NO improvements on the defense, so that’s really gonna hurt them. I wonder if Dick Vermiel cried about it? They have no secondary, so long ball teams are gonna have fun against them and they have no D-line so LaDanian Tomlinson is going to get two 200+ yard games against them. But I think the reason why they don’t give a shit about the defense is because they have one of the most powerful offenses in the game. Adding on the “best of” the Chiefs that Kev started… they also have the best O-line in the game. These guys could probably make Hambrick look like a million fucking dollars. Luckily for them, they don’t have Tony Hambrick, they have one of the best backs in the game right now in Holmes. I think this is going to be his last really good season. He won’t have 25 or 28 or however many TDs he had last season, but I think he’ll still average out to over a TD a game. And as long as Tony G. can catch a ball, they’ll have a decent air game. Because KC didn’t improve their D and will probably have the same O… teams are going to know exactly how to play them and they PROBABLY won’t be as good as they were, but they’ll win the conference. Only to lose in the playoffs… probably to the Colts again. San Diego Chargers Major moves - Added: Kevin Dyson (WR, Panthers), Philip Rivers (QB, drafted by NYG, trade for Eli Manning) Lost: David Boston (traded to Miami), Marcellus Wiley (DE, to the Cowboys) TUS: If there’s someone to feel bad for, it’s LaDanian Tomlinson. Here’s a guy who has a shitty Offensive line, shitty QB, a great WR who didn’t produce shit, and really no defense to help defend the numbers he put up, yet he continues to put up great numbers. San Diego went in the right direction and actually made some offseason signings of some O-linemen. They also traded a 5th round pick for one. Is it going to help? Probably. What it’ll do is give Tomlinson some breathing room and it’ll give whoever is the starting QB some time to breath too. And that’s another good question… who WILL be their starting QB? Drew Brees, who honestly will never be good in San Diego… or Phillip Rivers, a top 5 draft pick, a potential good QB, but would probably need a year or two to get a good feel of the pro game. As much as I’m putting down Brees… he has a line now and can potentially make me eat my words… which I hope, because it’s always good to see a QB on a sucky team succed. But next year, give the ball to Phil and let him throw. The defense also needed a tune-up which they kinda did. They signed a few Linebackers, which is a good start, since they can both rush and pass defend. They need to work on their secondary and line too. A lot of rebuilding work needs to be done, but it should compliment what works for them… build around Tomlinson, since he’ll be a consistent back for the team. They’re probably looking at another year in the basement before showing signs of improvement. MMN : Meh. I really REALLY wish the Chargers would DO something. I kinda dig the Chargers, mostly because I lived in SD for a few years, but I can't stand the idiocy. They go out of their way to get Boston and then....trade him. Their best defensive player on the team, Marcellus Wiley.....cut. Why? Why?!?! WHY?!?! Fucking idiot crazy ass Chargers. See, the only reason I still have hope for the Chargers is because of Tomlinson. The man is by far the most underappreciated RB in the entire NFL. He got 100 catches and 1,000 yards rushing last season, the first back to EVER do that, and that's with SHITTY QBs and no help from the offensive line. The guy should have been in the Pro Bowl but unfortunately there were some other backs who were on WINNING teams that pushed him out of contention (Portis and Holmes). The Chargers made the right move in going after Rivers, because Brees sure isn't going to get the job done, but they still have no decent Tight Ends, no good WRs, and a really awful defense. It's going to be at least another 3 - 4 seasons before the Chargers stop being the laughing stock of the league (nice job taking the Bengals place, jackasses) and at least 7-8 seasons before they're even close to playoff/Superbowl contenders. I hope I'm really wrong about this and they manage to improve themselves enough in the next couple of months to make a surprise run at the playoffs, but I SERIOUSLY doubt it. Chances are you closet SD fans won't be able to come out until 2010 at the earliest. Best Team of AFC West : MMN : I'm going to go with the Chiefs. The best part of this division is the competition is getting better with the Broncos and the Raiders trying to improve, but the Chiefs just have too high powered an offense for the other teams to catch up right now. When Vermiel leaves, which could be either at the end of this season or the end of next, the Chiefs reign atop the West will leave with him. TUS: Yeah, what he said. I think Denver has a chance... since KC has the same team, if Denver can go 2-0 against KC, they'll win it... otherwise, PRIEST HOLMES IS GONNA RUN WILD ALL OVER YOUUUUUUUUU!!! AFC North Baltimore Ravens Major moves - Added: Kevin Johnson (WR, traded from Jags), Dale Carter (CB, Saints), Kordell Stewart (QB, Bears) Lost: Marcus Robinson (WR, Vikings), Terrell Owens (WR, I don't know how the fuck to put this, but he was legally on the Ravens for a week or two) TUS: I like the AFC North because really... any of these teams can have a breakout year. But Baltimore won it last year, so I'll start with them. I'll put it bluntly... too good of a defense with very little offense. Their offense basically revolved around the feet of their running back, Jamal Lewis, who broke the single game rushing record once held by Corey Dillon. Lewis is a monster, he tore up the gridiron for 2000+ yards this season and could very well do it again... if he avoids jail time. The problem is, they have NO QB and NO WR. This was a problem last year and it will be a problem this year. They actually LOST their best receiver, and that's not really saying much. They put in an effort to get a receiver, but that got fucked up because TO is a whiney bitch. Todd Heap is a great TE, but not on Tony Gonzalas' level. They signed Kordell, and if he wants to be a receiver, that COULD possibly be some help. The big question is if Lewis can have another big big big year. I think he can. The team though, needs to rely on the defense. Arguably the best in the league, they have everyone returning, and they are a young team. Ray Lewis is a man not to be fucked with... and on Halloween, you will all see why as Baltimore goes to Philly. Lewis is probably going to decapitate TO. Along side Ray as a linebacker is Terrell Suggs. He was the NFL defensive rookie of the year, and he didn't really start until the season finale... but he's good, real good. And with Ray Lewis teaching him, you better be scared, really scared. Leading the secondary is Chris McAllister, whom ESPN dubbed the 3rd best CB, but ahead of 2nd best CB, Charles Woodson... don't ask. He's leading a young group of guys, but they're the same guys from last year, so they know what they're doing. And they will continue to do so. MMN : Yeah, the Ravens pretty much fucking rule because of one man - Ray Lewis. He is the backbone, the heart of the team. If Ray were to ever get injured or leave the team I doubt the Ravens would do much for a long time. But hey, here's here now, and that means the Ravens are going to be in the playoffs again this year. Like TUS said, they really have no offense and HAVE to rely on their defense - if they get down, they have no way to catch back up quickly. Their whole gameplan is to run with Jamal Lewis, wear down the other team, and run the clock out. But if their defense fails and let's them get down by a score or two, they're fucked. I think Kyle Boller will end up being a fine QB, considering he has to practice against one of the top defenses in the league every week. The problem is the guy really has no receivers, except Todd Heap - and Heap can't do it all by himself. I really do feel bad for the Ravens that they lost out on TO - for all the shit TO gets, he's a hell of a player and an athlete, and he would've helped the Ravens just as much as he's going to help the Eagles. See, I think the problem was TO didn't have any faith in Boller, which is why he wanted to go to Philly which has a proven QB in McNabb. The Ravens will get themselves to the playoffs and will lose, but they'll definitely be an entertaining team to watch all season long. Cleveland Browns Major Moves - Added : Jeff Garcia (QB, 49ers), Kellen Winslow Jr. (TE, draft), Sean Jones (S, draft), Luke McCown (QB, draft) Lost : Tim Couch (QB, to the Packers) MMN : Meh. The Browns are really boring. I mean, their team logo is a plain helmet with nothing on it. That's a great metaphor for this team. I think they were right in adding Jeff Garcia, since he still has some gas in the tank, and from what I hear of Kellen Winslow he's going to be the Jesus Christ of Tight Ends, maybe even surpassing the current God, Tony Gonzalas. They picked Sean Jones to help at the struggling safety position only to lose him to an injury in training camp for the whole season. They managed to resign disgruntled wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, arguably their best WR, and should get William Green back and in good shape for the season. The biggest news from the Browns camp this offseason was Tim Couch. Would he go to the Packers? Would he stay in Cleveland? Blah blah blah. Too much talk for Couch. Personally, I don't think he's going to make a difference anywhere he goes. I guess he's alright, not the worst QB I've ever seen (that honor belongs to Doug Johnson), but he certainly isn't going to be the next Favre that Green Bay expects him to be. Overall I see the Browns going 6-10 and missing the playoffs. They just don't strike me as a very good team even though, on paper, their offense doesn't look bad and their defense doesn't seem like the worst in the NFL. Still, I have no faith in these guys, and I hope they stay off my TV most of the year because, like the Panthers, they put me to sleep. TUS: Well, Kevin pretty much summed up EVERYTHING. Browns are the total definition of blah. I mean, I still stand by my statement, that any of these A-North teams can have a breakout year, but these guys… I don’t know. They made some wise choices in the off-season, so they should be commended for that. Garcia is a good QB, although he left his “place” in SF (If you’ve ever heard him talk, you know what I mean), and even with Dennis Northcutt as their top receiver, Garcia will prosper with Winslow. He’ll be used as a receiver mostly I’m sure, and be an extra back when Willie Green takes the ball. Let me talk about Green. Right now, he is my running back in my Fantasy Draft Franchise Raider team. In the game… he is GOOOOOOD. Like on Pro Bowl… he’ll break 4 or 5 tackles before being brought down… he’s passed 2000 yards at like week 14… so he doesn’t seem all THAT bad. But he’s a huge druggie and it’s still in question whether he’ll play or not. If he does, he’ll do VERY well and the Browns will win another game or two then they would w/o him. I know nothing of their defense, so I’ll just say that they are pretty bland and as sad as it seems, the offense will need to carry the team, which it won’t. Playoffs missed. Cincinnati Bengals Major Moves - Added: Chris Perry (RB, draft) Lost: Corey Dillon (RB, traded to New England), Kurt Kittner (QB, released) TUS: So close, yet oh so far away. These guys came SOOOO close to coming out of nowhere to win the division, but blew it with the 2nd to last game in the season. They are relatively the same team they were from last year. Dillon, as good of a back he is, didn’t do much for the team and whined about it… which is why he left. But they have Rudi Johnson, who is probably just as good… or at least will be. They drafted Chris Perry too, who is a wildhorse… he could be really good… or really bad in the pros. Jon Kitna showed he has the skillz to pay da billz. What really helped was the fact that he was throwing the ball to Chad “The best receiver not named Randy or Torry” Johnson. They are a DEADLY combo and I would honestly put my money on these guys over McNabb and TO. Marvin Lewis’s first year, he got to know the offense and the defense and was really able to show that Cinncy is a capable team. Like Cleveland, Cinncy doesn’t have much of a defense to rely on, but unlike Cleveland, Cinncy’s offense should produce the numbers to take some of the pressure off. They’ll fight and scratch for the division it’ll be close though… MMN : I dig the Bengals. Chad Johnson and Peter Warrick seem like decent receivers and Kitna was solid all last year. I'm not sure how Carson Palmer is going to do as their starter, but hopefully his year on the bench allowed him to develop into a QB who can at least take these guys to playoffs. Normally I'd think the loss of a guy like Dillon would hurt, but Rudi Johnson seemed pretty decent last year while Dillon sat on the bench, so their running game should be fine, especially since they drafted Chris Perry as well (who should be excellent insurance in case Johnson gets injured). Like TUS said, their defense is nothing spectacular, but they're not the worst in the league either. Hopefully they'll sneak into the playoffs on a wildcard. But honestly, I don't see it happening for them this year. They'll win some games and still keep interest in their team but I think they'll just barely miss the playoffs. I hope I'm wrong and they manage to get in. If they do, they should lose in the first round. Pittsburgh Steelers Major Moves - Added : Duce Staley (RB, from the Eagles), Ben Roethlisberger (QB, draft) Lost : Jason Gildon (LB, cut), Amos Zereoue (RB, to the Raiders) MMN : The Steelers are one of my favorite teams. Why? Fuck if I know. I really dig their offense - especially Hines Ward, who is as stud of a receiver as you're going to find. Last season the dude played with two broken ribs. Not SORE ribs, BROKEN ribs. That's fucking insanity. Plaxico Burress, even though he had a shitty season last year and hasn't exactly been doing the right thing lately in Steeler training camps, is fast as hell and seems like a good compliment to Hines Ward. Randel El, their kick returner, is also speedy and seems like the perfect slot guy. Adding Duce Staley will be a definite help. While he's not the stud I've heard he once was, he's still much better than Zereoue and Bettis. Bettis should remain a solid goal-line, 3rd and 1 back, but he can't go every down anymore as we saw towards the end of last season. Their defense is pretty good, nothing spectacular, but it seems like it can get the job done. They haven't really made any significant improvements to their defense though, so we'll see if they can up their game from last season. I don't see the Steelers winning this division, but a wildcard berth doesn't seem that strange. Even though the Bengals have improved a LOT, I still think if they slug it out with the Steelers for the wildcard, the Steelers would win. TUS: I know Kev is a huge fan of Tommy Maddox, and why not? He basically came out of nowhere and threw 4395739878943587435983489 yards in a season. That’s pretty impressive, but he likes to throw to guys NOT in Pittsburgh uniforms. That COUUUULLLLDDDDD be a small, small TINY reason why they drafted Ben Roethlisberger. It also could have been because he was the BPA at the time. Either way, they have a very talented 1,2 punch at QB, AND like Kev said, 2 really REALLY good receivers and 1 maybe so, maybe no. And like I said about him in the Eagles review, Duce Staley doesn’t put up big numbers, but he WILL get the 1st on a 3rd and 4 or a 3rd and 5. He WILL bust in for the TD 6 or 7 yards away. He doesn’t get the big numbers, but unlike his fellow backs, he really doesn’t need to, he makes the most of when he’s used. Add him the Bus and they’ll also have a great 1,2 punch at RB as well. The Defense… they’re not the Steel Curtain they once were. They’re not good enough to get the turnovers, but they WILL be able to contain enough to get the wins. Can’t really add too much. Best Team of AFC North – TUS: Ravens, but it’ll be a tough tough tough fight with Cinncy and Pitt. MMN : Ravens, no doubt. This should be a fun division to watch though, lots of good players and good teams all fighting it out. AFC South Indianapolis Colts Major moves - Added : Bob Sanders (S, draft), Ben Hartsock (TE, draft) Lost : Brock Huard (QB, to the Seahawks), Walt Harris (CB, to the Redskins), Chad Bratzke (DE, released), David Macklin (CB, to the Cardinals), Marcus Washington (LB, to the Redskins) MMN : YAY COLTS! My favorite team by far and definitely Superbowl contenders, the Colts promise to have an amazing offense this season. Peyton Manning will again be a fucking stud throwing 300 million touchdowns (one for every dollar he's worth) and 0 interceptions. Not only that, he'll cure cancer, end world hunger, and bring peace to all men. Marvin Harrison will continue to be one of the best receivers in the league and Edgerrin James will keep on chugging along and racking up TDs. It's hard to dispute the fact that the Colts offense might be the best in the NFL - definitely in the top 3. But it's not their offense that worries me... Look at those fuckers they lost on defense. Granted, their defense wasn't good last year, but sweet Jesus they just lost pretty much every defensive starter they had! That can't be good. I'm praying to the Gods that whoever steps up and fills those spots helps make this defense better than it was. Still, I'm not too optimistic about it. The Colts will continue to win games the way they have been - racking up 9359235238 points so the other team can't catch up. There's only one thing in this world I fear more than death - Peyton Manning getting injured. Not only is he my favorite player, but the Colts season would be completely ruined without him. Losing Huard may not seem like a big deal, but he at least seemed like a competant backup. Now I don't even know who Manning's backup is. Hopefully it's not Doug Johnson. The Colts will definitely snag a playoff spot and will go to the Superbowl and win it. That may be blind fanboyism talking instead of rational thought. Oh fucking well. Vegas odds have the Colts at 6-1 for the Superbowl. I like those odds. TUS: If there is one team that can take down the evil Patriot empire, it’s the boys from Indy. Granted, last season didn’t work out so well against NE… twice, but that was last year. Different teams mentally. There’s really nothing much to add since Kev said it all, really. The offense is like the super offense of doom, where as the defense is the un-super defense of doom. The O WILL get them to the playoffs, but during the season, there needs to be some stars in the making to step up in the playoffs if they’re going to beat New England. And to answer Kev’s question about Mannings backup… his name is Cory Sauter. That’s all the info I have… so yeah. Jacksonville Jaguars Major moves - Added: Reggie Williams (WR, draft), Doug Johnson (QB, Falcons) Lost: Mark Brunell (QB, traded to Redskins), Kevin Johnson (WR, traded to Ravens) TUS: Losing Mark Brunell and gaining Doug Johnson, I bet Kev loves this deal! Anyway, most sports analysts will tell you that Jax is the team to watch out for and could potentially be the surprise team of the year… much like the Panthers of last year. I agree, but these guys play in the much tougher AFC… and the AFC South is probably the toughest division with Indy and Tennessee in it. Any other division, and these guys could honestly make a run. They have all the tools.. a young, promising QB. Byron Leftwich was the steal of the draft last year, probably went a little bit TOO high, but Jax wanted to invest for later down the road…. And later on down the road meant a game or two into the season. No one expected Leftwich to start his rookie year… and even that, no one expected him to do as well as he did. His numbers aren’t the best… not a good TD:INT ratio, but you can expect that from a first year starter. But he’ll improve and this year, he’ll start to show the numbers he did in Marshall. Although he doesn’t really have anyone to throw to. His #1 receiver is rookie Reggie Williams, another steal for Jax, but inexperience is going to show here. Where Jax offense REALLY shines though is from RB Fred Taylor… he is always putting up MONSTER rushing numbers. His only problem is that he suffers the Deuce disease… You get 1500-1600 yards rushing, yet you get only like 5 or 8 TD’s, that doesn’t really help much and probably cost Jax some games. The defense is like the Detroit Pistons… no one really stands out and is a star player, but they mesh extremely well together and will help Jacksonville pick up the slack the offense may drop. They have an amazing line that really shut down a lot of runners and their secondary COULD use a tune-up, but they do get the job done. Unless Tenn or Indy decide to really choke this season, Jax is going to have to wait a year before being a playoff contender. MMN : Yeah, this is not a good division for Jacksonville. I don't dislike the Jaguars but I certainly don't like them either, mainly because I like the other 3 teams in this division MUCH better. Like TUS said, losing Brunell and getting Doug Johnson is a BAD IDEA and they better pray that Lefty doesn't get hurt. Speaking of Leftwich, I dig the guy. He came in last year and, although not spectacular, he was better than expected. I haven't really seen enough of Lefty to make an accurate call on how he'll be this season, but he shouldn't be awful and hopefully will be the stud QB they need him to be to keep up with all the other studs in this conference (McNair, Manning, even Carr). It always helps a young QB when he has a great runner behind him and Fred Taylor is that and more. Losing KJ isn't going to hurt them now that they drafted what many think was the top WR in the draft in Reggie Williams. Hopefully him and Leftwich will get a vibe going and will be productive this year. Their defense - well, they aren't the worst in the league. I'm not really a defensive guy anyhow, though, so I'd struggle to name even one defensive player they have. All I know about defenses is which ones I want to take in fantasy football and I can guarantee you Jacksonville's D won't be on my team. Overall I don't see the Jags doing anything this year, because we'll be seeing a repeat of last season in this division - Indy wins it and the Titans sneak in on a wildcard. Speaking of the Titans... Tennessee Titans Major moves - Added : Ben Troupe (TE, draft), Travis LaBoy (DE, draft) Lost : Jevon Kearse (DE, to the Eagles), Robaire Smith (DT, to the Texans), Eddie George (not official yet, but I have a feeling about this one).... MMN : Ahh the Titans. This team is so well put together that they'd be the only ones who could give my Colts a run for their money. When I first started watching football I was unaware at how much of a stud McNair was. Then I was told of a graphic that they show for McNair every season which shows every injury he's currently playing with. The guy has to be a fucking zombie. Last year he had a fucked up foot, ankle, knee, arm, shoulder, and ribs and that was a GOOD season for him! I don't know how this guy plays, I really don't. He'll hobble out onto the field like a 95 year old man, snap the ball, hit a 79 yard pass for a touchdown, then hobble back off the field like it was nothing. McNair is about as tough a human being as you're going to find anywhere in any sport and, even though his production slipped toward the end of the season last year, he still deserved the co-MVP every bit as much as Peyton Manning. Losing Eddie George (which I really think they will) won't hurt them too much because he's only a 3 - 4 yard rusher anyhow, and Chris Brown looked pretty good when he was in last season. I kinda hope they keep George, though, because he's really respected and is a team leader - he can still be a great teacher for the younger RBs on the team and wouldn't be a bad backup. Losing Kearse probably isn't going to hurt them at all since he was constantly injured and the defense was still one of the best in the league. Besides, they drafted his replacement in Travis LaBoy. The defense will again be one of the top 5 or so and will keep this team in contention all year. They'll definitely get in on a wildcard and if they were in any other division they'd probably win it. TUS: It’s funny because the two teams who can potentially dethrone New England are in the same division. Like the Colts above, Tennessee hasn’t fared well against New England, but they still remain a threat to them. McNair really angered me last year. I had him on my fantasy team, he was like a 6th or 7th rounder for me, so I thought I had it MADE. Now while he led the team to many, many wins… his numbers sucked. Let me rephrase that… his numbers sucked AFTER I started him. But this isn’t about fantasy football, it’s about actual football and McNair does his fucking job. He leads his team and he leads his team well. Tennessee didn’t make much noise in the offseason… they DID lose Kearse, but like Kev said, it ain’t that big of a deal as now they got someone younger, without foot problems. Anyway, McNair doesn’t have a stand-out WR, but Bennett, Calico, and Mason are all capable receivers who can get the job done. The defense is top notch, they do their job and then some… just not against Indy… or even New England. But they got rid of the old and busted and brought in some new hotness, so I think they’re going to be able to step up. It’s going to be a fun little battle between Indy and Tenn for the South… but Tennessee has GOT to win at least once against Indy for that to happen. Houston Texans Major Moves – Added: Dunta Robinson (CB, draft) Lost: Drew Henson (QB, traded to Dallas) TUS: These guys didn’t really do much in the offseason… but honestly, they didn’t really need to. With this team… in about 3 years, they WILL be one of the top AFC teams. They have all the tools but their problem is experience. This isn’t anything bad, everyone is expecting it, but you just gotta expect it for a little bit younger. They do have the tools. David Carr has the talent, has shown glimpses of how good he can be, but hasn’t whipped out the full potential. Dominick Davis could have been Rookie of the year if Boldin didn’t carry the Arizona receiving core. He is a mad, mad, CRAZY back. I would compare him to someone like Ahman Green. If he gets more touches this season, he’s gonna put up some big numbers. Finishing up the stud pool is Andre Johnson… another youngin, but another great prospect. The three of these guys are basically Houstons offense. If they stick together, they WILL be tough to beat in a year or two. The defense… well, it was ranked last in the league… so I’ll just leave it at that. They are still young, like the offense, and you need your defense to mesh well for them to produce. The last few years have been those times to mesh… now it’s time to start producing. They drafted fiesty cornerback Dunta Robinson… so maybe he’ll help start the fire for the Houston D. One more basement year for these guys… MMN : From the little I've actually seen of them, I like the Texans, especially David Carr. The team seems like they really WANT to win, even though it's beyond their ability right now, and their head coach gained some points with me last season when he had Carr go for the win when they were on the goal line. This team, no matter how good it gets, is in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. So while they make sneak in a couple wins here and there, don't expect them to make playoffs for a while - at least another two seasons. I think they'll go 6-10 ish this year before finally getting into the playoffs on a wildcard in two or three seasons. Best Team of AFC South : MMN : COLTS! My team is taking it all the way to the Superbowl this year - and Peyton Manning WILL be the Superbowl MVP, bet your ass on that. TUS: The AFC South is the Colts to lose and if Peyton plays like he did last season, it should be a breeze. AFC Overview TUS: I feel more confident about the AFC then I do the NFC. I think whoever comes out of the AFC will probably win the Super Bowl. That said, Pats, Ravens, Colts and Chiefs will take their respective divisions. The Wild card is going to be VERY tough because I think there are 4-6 teams that can get it. I'm confident the Bills will be getting one spot, as for the other... Bengals, Broncos, Tennessee, and maybe even Jax could potentially be contenders. The safe bet would be Denver, but I like taking risks, so I'm going to say fuck it... Cinncinati gets the last spot. AFC Championship is probably going to be Pats/Colts... again. I know what Kev is going to say, and I'll agree with him... Pats get TOO cocky this season and underestimate the Colts good, new defense and they stop the 5 yard passing threat of Tom Brady and go on to the Super Bowl. MMN : Damn right. Colts are gonna go to the Superbowl and their OFFENSE is going to win it for them. It'll be Eagles/Colts, who both got there on their offenses, and I'll FINALLY be able to stop hearing "defense wins championships blah blah blah". Yeah, right. Defense ain't going to win shit this season. My division winners in the AFC are the Colts, Ravens, Chiefs, and Patriots, same as TUS. I'm going to with the Steelers and the Titans getting in on the wildcards. And, like TUS said, I think the AFC championship WILL be Pats/Colts and, in a twist from last year, this year the game will be played in the RCA dome - so the weather won't be fucking Manning up, and the refs will take away the Pats cheating tactics of holding the Colts receivers after 5 yards. Besides that, Manning will have had a whole year to prepare for that game, and the mere thought of that guy studying one team for a whole year is fucking scary. He's going to dissect them like a frog in a 9th grade science project. Well, a week late but we finally got this thing finished. I want to thank TUS for coming to me with this idea of doing a joint football post. It's gotten me very excited for everything football related, from the Video Games to the Fantasy aspect of it. ESPN NFL Football 2k5 is coming out August 11th (they upped the release date) and it will ship with a $20 price tag. I expect all of you who have Xbox and Xbox Live to look for me on there - my Colts will be waiting for you. My gamertag is, shockingly enough, "mmn". And yes, Lethal WILL have a fantasy football league. Check our forums for more information on that closer to the start of the season. Let the games begin... TUS & MMN - Email us, fuckers. |
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