Stout
Hold onto the ball, Murray!
Yep, it's that time of the year, and since nobody else seems to want to start a full 2007 prediction thread, I will.
AFC:
This is the power conference. The problem is, only one team can make it, and they will beat each other up to get to the Super Bowl.
AFC East:
New England
New York
Buffalo
Miami
New England is still the cream of the crop here. The Jets haven't upgraded enough to take the division. Buffalo is still at least a year away. Miami is headed to contention for the #1 overall selection.
AFC South
Indianapolis
Houston
Jacksonville
Tennesee
Indy is the clear winner here. Houston is the surprise team; their defense is still a work in progress, but their offense begins to shine under a real QB. Jacksonville slips from QB and WR play, which drags the defense down. Vince Young isn't nearly as effective as last year, and the Titans just haven't improved enough.
AFC North
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
No, the Bengals do not have a good defense, but neither did the Colts last season. They have an incredible offense, and it will make up for their lackluster D. McNair is another year older, and McGahee isn't the man for the job in Baltimore. Pittsburgh languishes in transition. Cleveland, while improved, is not improved enough.
AFC West
San Diego
Denver
Oakland
Kansas City
San Diego...duh! Denver under Cutler will just miss the playoffs, but by next year it will be their time to shine. Oakland will be a lot better, and Culpepper will look like a genius for signing a one year deal. Kansas City...bad QB, worse O-line, bad defense...nightmare season. They will compete for the top overall pick.
AFC Playoff Teams (In Order):
San Diego
Indy
New England
Cincinnati
New York
Houston
AFC Championship:
San Diego vs New England
AFC Champion:
San Diego
NFC: The NFC is wide open. The only team I have no question will be a top team is New Orleans.
NFC East:
Philly
Washington
Dallas
New York
Philly will thrive with the return of McNabb, and Westbrook will flourish. Washington finishes second, mainly because of the inadequacies of the other two teams. Dallas stumbles badly, because sadly they have an abysmal head coach that will let the team run rampant on him. New York is going to wilt because Coughlin should have been canned last year, and the team knows it.
NFC South:
New Orleans
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans is a no-brainer. The big positive that will be a pleasant surprise is the defense. They have vastly improved at LB, in the secondary, and added a stud in Clancy. Carolina finishes second...because the other teams aren't that good either, because they have a decent defense, and because they have Steve Smith. In Atlanta, Harrington will actually be much better at QB than Vick, but this team still isn't that good. As for Tampa, I do NOT understand the love fest. Everyone keeps saying this is an improved offensive line. I say no. They compete for the 1st overall pick.
NFC North:
Green Bay
Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
This is a tough, tough call, but I'm going out on a limb. Grossman is going to crash and burn; he's under too much scrutiny, and TJ is gone. Benson isn't enough to do it all on his own. This is Favre's last ride. He's lost a lot, but he has some talent at WR, Brandon Jackson is going to impress, and that young defense is hungry. Detroit will have great offensive firepower, but their defense will fail them. While I feel Minnesota has a pair of young offensive stars in the making in Jackson and AP, Jackson needs this year of experience under his belt before he can lead this team anywhere.
NFC West:
Seattle
St. Louis
Arizona
San Francisco
Seattle wins the division, but they are on the decline; pure experience gets it done for them this year. Arizona pushes St. Louis and Seattle both, but we are young, and though we will make the playoffs, it isn't our time yet. San Fran is vastly overrated, and players like Vernon Davis allow it to go to their heads. They suffer early losses and never recover.
NFC Playoff Teams (In Order):
New Orleans
Philadelphia
Seattle
Green Bay
St. Louis
Arizona
NFC Championship Game:
New Orleans vs Philadelphia
NFC Champion:
New Orleans
Super Bowl Champion:
New Orleans
AFC:
This is the power conference. The problem is, only one team can make it, and they will beat each other up to get to the Super Bowl.
AFC East:
New England
New York
Buffalo
Miami
New England is still the cream of the crop here. The Jets haven't upgraded enough to take the division. Buffalo is still at least a year away. Miami is headed to contention for the #1 overall selection.
AFC South
Indianapolis
Houston
Jacksonville
Tennesee
Indy is the clear winner here. Houston is the surprise team; their defense is still a work in progress, but their offense begins to shine under a real QB. Jacksonville slips from QB and WR play, which drags the defense down. Vince Young isn't nearly as effective as last year, and the Titans just haven't improved enough.
AFC North
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
No, the Bengals do not have a good defense, but neither did the Colts last season. They have an incredible offense, and it will make up for their lackluster D. McNair is another year older, and McGahee isn't the man for the job in Baltimore. Pittsburgh languishes in transition. Cleveland, while improved, is not improved enough.
AFC West
San Diego
Denver
Oakland
Kansas City
San Diego...duh! Denver under Cutler will just miss the playoffs, but by next year it will be their time to shine. Oakland will be a lot better, and Culpepper will look like a genius for signing a one year deal. Kansas City...bad QB, worse O-line, bad defense...nightmare season. They will compete for the top overall pick.
AFC Playoff Teams (In Order):
San Diego
Indy
New England
Cincinnati
New York
Houston
AFC Championship:
San Diego vs New England
AFC Champion:
San Diego
NFC: The NFC is wide open. The only team I have no question will be a top team is New Orleans.
NFC East:
Philly
Washington
Dallas
New York
Philly will thrive with the return of McNabb, and Westbrook will flourish. Washington finishes second, mainly because of the inadequacies of the other two teams. Dallas stumbles badly, because sadly they have an abysmal head coach that will let the team run rampant on him. New York is going to wilt because Coughlin should have been canned last year, and the team knows it.
NFC South:
New Orleans
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans is a no-brainer. The big positive that will be a pleasant surprise is the defense. They have vastly improved at LB, in the secondary, and added a stud in Clancy. Carolina finishes second...because the other teams aren't that good either, because they have a decent defense, and because they have Steve Smith. In Atlanta, Harrington will actually be much better at QB than Vick, but this team still isn't that good. As for Tampa, I do NOT understand the love fest. Everyone keeps saying this is an improved offensive line. I say no. They compete for the 1st overall pick.
NFC North:
Green Bay
Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
This is a tough, tough call, but I'm going out on a limb. Grossman is going to crash and burn; he's under too much scrutiny, and TJ is gone. Benson isn't enough to do it all on his own. This is Favre's last ride. He's lost a lot, but he has some talent at WR, Brandon Jackson is going to impress, and that young defense is hungry. Detroit will have great offensive firepower, but their defense will fail them. While I feel Minnesota has a pair of young offensive stars in the making in Jackson and AP, Jackson needs this year of experience under his belt before he can lead this team anywhere.
NFC West:
Seattle
St. Louis
Arizona
San Francisco
Seattle wins the division, but they are on the decline; pure experience gets it done for them this year. Arizona pushes St. Louis and Seattle both, but we are young, and though we will make the playoffs, it isn't our time yet. San Fran is vastly overrated, and players like Vernon Davis allow it to go to their heads. They suffer early losses and never recover.
NFC Playoff Teams (In Order):
New Orleans
Philadelphia
Seattle
Green Bay
St. Louis
Arizona
NFC Championship Game:
New Orleans vs Philadelphia
NFC Champion:
New Orleans
Super Bowl Champion:
New Orleans