Just for fun, let's try to make some off the wall, crazy, Divisional Winner predictions.
For example:
AFC West.
I predict the Raiders will win that division this season.
How is that possible, the Chargers are loaded with talent...right?
Err...one name...Norv Turner...come on, like the Cubs, Turner is one of those coaches that is just doomed to fail, he took over a 12-4 team, went 9-7 last season and only made the playoffs because the Broncos collapsed.
How about the Broncos? Rookie HC, the most bizarre draft I've ever seen, oh, and they traded a Pro Bowl Qb for a mediocre Qb, their defense is still atrocious, with a mixture of rooks, decent players, and a new scheme.
Mike Shanahan is a Hall of Fame type of coach, and he could only wring 8-8 out that bunch, take away their pro bowl Qb, add a Rookie HC who made bizzare player personnel decision and the Broncos are going to be picking top 8 in 2010:
How about the Chiefs?
Matt Cassel is going to look like Rocky did in rd 12 in any of those fims by week 4, new defense, rookie Hc, they are like the Broncos, only with less talent.
Todd Haley has his work cut out for him
Which leaves the Raiders, here is how they can win the AFC West...hand the ball off to McFadden, Vargas, and Bush, start Jeff Garcia, and lock Al Davis in a room for 3 months.
If one looks at the Raiders, they have a ton of talent on that team, from Te to Wr, they went 5-11 last season, nearly beat us, and all they need is a decent enough Qb to make it work.
J Russel is not that Qb, Jeff Garcia, sort of a poor man's Pennington, is, he almost led an over the hill Bucs team to the playoffs last season and the Raiders have a heck of alot more talent on offense then the Bucs had.
Don't overlook the Raiders, unless Owner Davis has a..err..."episode" and just starts releasing people wholesale, they have some decent talent in a very very poor division.
-
-
I hope they decide to release asomugha and take the cap hit and then luckily enough for us we've squirreled away some money and he will want to come play for the dolphins on the cheap....
i say NE doesn't win the AFCE. oooo crazy!
i'll go out on a limb and say the redskins take the NFCE. why? dunno, just feel like making a "out on the limb" prediction. it probably won't happen though the giants are stacked. and the eagles can at least hold on.
the packers take the NFCN. Favre (or their other QBs) are going to kill the vikings. The lions will surprise people.padre31 likes this. -
:lol:
To me Turner has taken a really good team from Schotty and turned it into a Turner team, underperforming and questionable decision making.
The Broncos just sort of melted down, McDaniels draft was bizarre, simply bizarre, they had some nice UDFA signings but still...
Unless Favre retires from the Vikes in midseason and then resigns with the Packers... -
yeah i was joking with my predictions i'll come clean.
i think the giants will most likely take the NFCE unless the eagles (the only team i think that will be able to contend with what they've got) can make their OL gel enough to the point where it can get a decent enough pass pro and run blocking going on to stop the monster that is the giants front seven. if not those two teams dallas has the outside shot. i just don't think the redskins have it in them.
i think if favre is a viking that division is in a hell of a bit of trouble so long as the williamseses aren't suspended (any word on that?) because between that running game and having a QB that can get the ball down field and their defense i think they'll be tough to beat. other than that i think the bears/packers (not sure because I don't follow the NFCN really) and the lions.. well. i think they will win more than people are thinking but not as many as we did last year. they are in a similar situation though a lot of their games were close last year they just couldn't close it out.
Also about the AFCE. As a homer I want to say we win the division. If we can get our rookies to come in and step up (mainly at least one of the the WRers and CBs -- I know, you're thinking that's pretty much what we drafted --) to help us run a better offense and help against the spread defensively I think the QBs they've got up in NY (a rookie and a career backup) might give them trouble. They may have a hell of a ground game but you can't just run all game every game and take a division. at least not this year.
i think the patriots are going to have more problems than most people are willing to admit. for some reason people have anointed them champions already (ok, i know the reason.. it's brady) but like you said padre their oline was creaky last year and if they did give up the most sacks pitt had to be a close second.. or at least it seems i heard roethlisburger (?) was getting sacked all the time. anyway back to my point.
brady only plays one position. yes he is a good QB. but 11-5 with a guy who hadn't started since HS is NOT a shabby record. does he really make them that much better? he doesn't play all the other positions on the team. they have questions up in NE about certain positions. the CBs they have up there now are NOT asante samuel. they may be good, but they are not his caliber. and I don't think he's the best in the game but he is top 5 maybe and top 10 for sure.
the bills i think will be decent but not good enough to take the division..
we have questions on our own team, too.. a lot of people are saying white makes or breaks this draft. IMO Davis/Smith/Turner make or break this draft. we basically got pat white for free. -
i actually see the cheifs doing well this year. last year they had a very young team with atleast 7 rookies contributing a great deal.now they have a qb plus a back-up that could play very well for them. add to the fact that their locker room is not in turmoil due to bad coaching decisions and they could be a contender in that division. even though they did poorly last yr they never quit fighting and that could become a dangerous situation for the other teams there.
cnc66 likes this. -
How about the AFC central:
Jacksonville Jags...nah, that team is schizoid, seriously, they went from looking like contenders in 07 to vanishing in 08, I think Del Rio is on the bubble and could be the first coach fired.
Cincinati Bengals...it's the bengals...nice guy Marvin Lewis time is about up in NFL Siberia.
Baltimore ravens...they have a chance to be decent to pretty good, their schedule got tougher and Birk for Brown is a push at Center, and Mason may have folded the tent for real leaving them thin at Wr.
Pittsburgh Steelers, the class of the NFL right now, but one has to wonder how much of a beating Big Ben can take in a season, after a time, those hits mount up on a Qb, McNair was sort of proof of that happening.
For my surprise team:
The cleveland browns, Eric Mangini is a better coach then he is given credit for, their Defense added some pieces and they have enough talent at Qb to seriously consider sitting one time pro bowler Derek Anderson.
IMO, they would be better served trading Braylon "butter" Edwards, their offensive output would improve due to Wr actually...catching the darn ball..they would lose the spectacular play from Edwards however catching first downs and moving the chains is as important.
And, after all, they took the Magical 8 hour bus ride to appear at Mangenius's Football Camp, they cannot kill the coach for pulling that, so they will take their anger out on opponents...
"My player's love me" -
-
on the offensive side they added my boy quinten lawrence from msu who brings speed(also returned his only kr 70 yrds and a td) and alot of it to go along with dwayne bowe. they added a tackle through the draft who may push mcintosh back to the doughnut line.brandon albiet(sp) will have a yr under belt at gaurd but all i can say for cassell is i hope he remembers the five d's of dodgeball(duck,dodge,dive,dip and..dodge). they remind me a little of us where they have some question marks but enough talent to contend with the paiders,donkeys and a norv turner led san deigo if things go right for them.cnc66 likes this. -
Watch him play and you'll see that he is incredibly raw. He got burnt quite a bit in college, rarely uses technique, isn't a player in run support and really has a lot to learn about football.
emeraldfin likes this. -
Can you have a division where no one wins?
-
Actually think the Chargers will walk that division this year, expecting at least 12-4. That divison is very weak. McDaniels seems hell-bent on letting go of any quality players that remained in Denver when Shanny left. KC are heavily in a state of transition and I actually cant see them doing anything in the new 3-4 defense, as they dont have the personell to make it successful. The Raiders are the Raiders, a team filled with players who were evaluated by the increasingly senile Al Davis. That franchise will never do anything in the NFL as long as Al Davis remains in charge.
As for the Chargers, a team full of quality and with Merriman back and drafting Larry English, that pass-rush has the potential to rip teams apart. Theri recievers seem to be getting better each year, along with Rivers and LT is reportedly back to his old self. DC Rivera will also have the defense more settled after he was appointed during the Chargers bye-week last season (which they went 5-3 after).
Sure Norv has come under alot of flack in San Diego, but he has still manged to get them in the playoffs twice and take them much further in the playoffs than Schotty ever did. The only thing that I can see stopping the Chargers is injuries.alen1 likes this. -
Bills will win the div...No. Can't say it, sorry...:))