NFL 2012

We're still a few weeks away but preseason has started, so a good time for the discussion to start too!

 

Skip to Cliffs Notes at the end if you don't want to read!

 

Division by division:

 

AFC East - Still the Patriots division to lose but Buffalo scored big with Mario Williams signing, and they get Fred Jackson back healthy...they could make it a battle for #1. Jets are a question mark given their collapse last year, but still have solid personnel and could bounce back-- the Tebow saga will probably bring more headlines than wins.

 

AFC West - The biggest news is Peyton Manning to the Broncos. Perhaps the best QB of the last decade, which should mean playoffs and competitive play but super bowl aspirations may not pan out (see Joe Montana to Kansas City Chiefs). Chargers are always an interesting team that seems to perform less than the sum of their parts....before that meant missing the super bowl, now it means they might not make the playoffs. Chiefs were hit hard with injuries last season and that threw a monkey wrench into everything but they still were competitive as their stunning upset of the Packers showed. Raiders were on an upswing last season before losing Jason Campbell to injury....now it will be interesting to see what they do with Palmer and a full season. Tough one to pick...I'll go with Kansas City.

 

AFC North - Last season the Ravens became the class of the division sweeping the Steelers during the regular season, and being a stripped pass from playing in the super bowl. The offense should improve, but the defense might lose some eliteness with the aging of Ray Lewis & Ed Reed and the injury to Terrell Suggs. Still should be tough a team. Steelers are aging too but have what many argue as one of the best drafts this season. They still kept it competitive despite Big Ben's injury. The Bengals seem to be moving in the right direction this season, and I expect them to be able to split a game with Baltimore & Pitt. The Browns are still struggling to escape from mediocrity, but have drafted a new QB and top RB. Their defense is pretty good and keeps them in games. I go with Baltimore to win the division.

 

AFC South - This is the Houston Texans division to lose and many feel they had a legit shot at the super bowl last year if they didn't lose Schaub. Tennessee and Jacksonville I'm not sure did enough in the offseason to improve to a wildcard spot. The Colts with the signing of Andrew Luck is in a rebuilding stage but will draw a lot of viewers anyways.

 

 

NFC East - The super bowl champion Giants will try to repeat and hope not to have a repeat of the Plaxico Burress incident in 2008. It will be interesting to see if Victor Cruz can maintain his rising star status, especially considering the departure of Mario Manningham to the 49ers. The big question for this team is whether they can play at the playoff caliber level over the regular season. The Eagles took a step back last season with their dream team proclamations and signings -- can Vick play a full 16 games, and will the defense play more like the latter half of the season instead of the first half? Cowboys added some much needed help at the cornerback position -- the team has a great offense but a suspect defense...will be interesting to see where that goes. The Redskins had perhaps the most glamorous offseason headlines with the drafting of Robert Griffin III, and wide receiver signings of Pierre Garcon & Joshua Morgan. Their defense is pretty legit, and they managed to sweep the world champs last season....so it will be interesting to see where they end up this year. This division is the hardest to predict. I will give the Giants benefit of the doubt and pick them.

 

NFC West - The 49ers shocked the league last season and have many pieces to be a thorn in the side of all the NFC powerhouse teams (return all 11 defensive starters, adding many receivers through free agency and the draft). The two questions I have for this team is the pass protection from the offensive line and the development of Alex Smith. Most of the league is naturally trying to hate on Smith, but I truly believe he will only get better with continuity of coaching staff for the first time in his 8 year career (this also benefits his running backs, receivers and tight ends). He will not need to throw for 4000-5000 yards to win a super bowl -- other teams need to do that to win games (I'm looking at you Detroit and perhaps you too Green Bay). Seattle returns with a lot of the same players on defense, and are a question mark at QB with the Matt Flynn signing (and competition with other QBs already there). I think it's possible they make the playoffs as a wild card. Arizona is another interesting team but a lot of that hinges on how well John Skelton can play (I think Kolb is losing the starting job). They have the wonderful Larry Fitzgerald and now drafted Michael Floyd to help out. The Rams last season sucked but that was primarily due to having the worst luck of injuries. Now with Jeff Fisher coaching, it will be interesting to see where they can go with Sam Bradford.

 

NFC North - Naturally many look at the Packers as being the front runner of this division but I'm not so sure exactly. Their loss to the Chiefs last season exposed them a bit, and the Giants really took them down in the playoffs. This is a team that relies heavily on their opponent not having a great defense, as they could pretty much outscore 95% of the league with that explosive offense. Their drop off in defense last year was big from their super bowl run the year before. I'm curious how they have addressed their defense and lack of a good rushing attack (which is why I consider them to be #2 to the Saints offensively). The Bears I feel are the most balanced team in the division, and would have made the playoffs if they didn't lose Jay Cutler and Matt Forte to injury. They added Michael Bush to their rushing attack and reunited Brandon Marshall with Jay Cutler. I would imagine they have the best defense in the division. The Lions will continue to get better on offense and might have the best offense in the division but until they address that defense they will not go far in the postseason -- their inability to force a punt against the Saints in the playoffs was embarrassing. Having said that, they might have beaten the Saints if their defense was top 15 -- this team can point up points. The Vikings drafted a stud left tackle, have Jared Allen the sack leader, and Adrian Peterson, the best RB in football. But the QB position is still in development right now. I pick the Bears to take division.

 

NFC South - The Saints are the biggest question mark of perhaps any team in the league right now. Do they fall off a lot due to the Bounty Scandal and disarray of coaching staff, or do they manage to fight through it and be just as effective? If the lack of Sean Payton's presence will hurt that offense that is one thing, but if it doesn't, they will still be tough to deal with. Falcons will continue to be a good team in my mind, but just lack a certain something that keeps them from taking the next step...not sure what it is. The Panthers have a lot of high expectations this season -- offensively they will be very good, but what about defense? They play with a bunch of great offenses in this division so I don't see how they do much damage this season....maybe next season. The Bucs regressed a lot last season, but with a new coaching staff and big free agent splashes might be a competitive team...Falcons to win division.

 

CLIFFS NOTES:

 

AFC East - Patriots

AFC West - Chiefs

AFC North - Ravens

AFC South - Texans

 

Wildcards: Bills, Bengals

 

NFC East - Giants

NFC West - 49ers

NFC North - Bears

NFC South - Falcons

 

Wildcards: Cowboys, Packers

 

 

My super bowl prediction this season assuming fortunate health:

 

Houston Texans vs. San Francisco 49ers

 

Curious what everyone else thinks........it's been a long offseason for some of us.

Im thinking about putting some $ on SF to win the Super Bowl this year.

Im thinking about putting some $ on SF to win the Super Bowl this year.

 

Don't follow the sheep off the cliff...

 

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/823765...eason-greatness

Don't follow the sheep off the cliff...

 

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/823765...eason-greatness

 

It's good to have Mako around. Nothing more I want in life than the Cowboys to win the next 20 super bowls.

 

The article wreaks of slant despite being purely on statistics. It's very convenient to assume that everything positive (turnover ratio) that was accomplished will only get worse, while everything negative (3rd down and redzone conversions) will stay the same or get worse.

 

That's fine as people need to make a name for themselves and drive traffic. Patrick Willis and that 49er D were causing problems for teams for years, but last year Harbaugh got the offense on track to actually win games. That's not going away without some very unfortunate injuries.

 

Once in the playoffs it's anyone's game.

Cowboys will find a way to choke their way out of the playoffs. I think the eagles will take their place. As for the AFC there is no way the Bengals and the Bills keep the Steelers out of the playoffs. I think the Ravens will take a serious step back this year and you will see both the steelers and Bengals in the playoffs (division champ and wildcard respectively).

 

Bills are coming together but I'm not sure they are a playoff team. I think the Charges will sneak in.

The cowboys could go 15-1, secure home field advantage, be the #1 seed, and then would choke away the first divisional playoff game 35-7.

 

No clue why, and it's not Romo. Just massive expectations each year, along with a microscope on every move by the media, and that's exactly what the 49ers are going to find for themselves once the upcoming season starts.

 

Massive expectations, massive pressure that they didn't have any of last season, and it's the reason why the writer of that piece mentioned that no team that improved their overall record by 6+ games has ever had a good following season. Just too much pressure from the local media and fan base.

 

10-6 for the Niners, max, squeak into the playoffs, lose the first round.

 

For me the NFC is all about Green Bay, and I expect them to win the conference. For the AFC we always pick the Patriots every season and that seems to be the same thing we're doing again now, but I'll go on a limb and pick the Ravens.

 

Flacco is a bit like Romo, either you believe he's for real or you (wrongly) don't. I happen to feel he's not the problem on that team, and that they drafted well to alleviate some of the things that held them back.

 

So Baltimore v. Green Bay is my official pick for the SB.

The cowboys could go 15-1, secure home field advantage, be the #1 seed, and then would choke away the first divisional playoff game 35-7.

 

Those triplets teams really were something special now winning 3 in 4 years....fighting off the stallion Niners and Packers teams and most importantly the media. Just how did they do it??

I just want the niners to make it to at least one playoff home game so I can go

 

Their division is more difficult than the last year, but I think their team is a lot stronger.

 

9ers all the way!

Those triplets teams really were something special now winning 3 in 4 years....fighting off the stallion Niners and Packers teams and most importantly the media. Just how did they do it??

 

Well there's a reason why Emmitt has 18,000+ yards despite running a 40 time at the combine when he came out of Florida at 21 that was actually slower than the 40 time Terrell Owens just ran for Seattle at age 39...haha, and it's because the offensive line of that 90s team really was a top-3 unit all-time in NFL history. Maybe even the best of all time.

 

They don't get as much credit as they deserve because of the flash of the triplets and Jimmy Johnson/Jerry Jones' massive attention-whoring, but the truth is that line opened holes you could have driven a truck through on play after play after play.

 

Coincidentally it's also the main reason why the current team has failed in recent years, though it's easier for lazy sportwriters and fans to just blame everything on popular targets like Jerry, or Romo, or whomever the head-coach is.

 

Romo's mobility in the pocket hides a lot of just how bad the OL is lately for Dallas (if they had a statue pocket passer like Peyton they'd get him killed within 2-3 games at the most), and because of the Defense's total breakdown in the secondary last season it didn't allow the team to draft/sign enough help this off-season in that critical area.

 

Ah the glory days of the 90s...bring back Aikman, Young, Rice, and Irvin, let's do it again!

Go Vikings......

 

 

 

 

lol

Well there's a reason why Emmitt has 18,000+ yards despite running a 40 time at the combine when he came out of Florida at 21 that was actually slower than the 40 time Terrell Owens just ran for Seattle at age 39...haha, and it's because the offensive line of that 90s team really was a top-3 unit all-time in NFL history. Maybe even the best of all time.

 

They don't get as much credit as they deserve because of the flash of the triplets and Jimmy Johnson/Jerry Jones' massive attention-whoring, but the truth is that line opened holes you could have driven a truck through on play after play after play.

 

Coincidentally it's also the main reason why the current team has failed in recent years, though it's easier for lazy sportwriters and fans to just blame everything on popular targets like Jerry, or Romo, or whomever the head-coach is.

 

Romo's mobility in the pocket hides a lot of just how bad the OL is lately for Dallas (if they had a statue pocket passer like Peyton they'd get him killed within 2-3 games at the most), and because of the Defense's total breakdown in the secondary last season it didn't allow the team to draft/sign enough help this off-season in that critical area.

 

Ah the glory days of the 90s...bring back Aikman, Young, Rice, and Irvin, let's do it again!

 

Yeah, I miss those days....when the regular season was a formality just for the eventual super bowl before the super bowl either @ Texas Stadium or Candlestick!

 

Man, that OL was sick. I'll have to agree it was the greatest of all time.....that running game and Aikman always having time in the pocket, it has to be the best. I think you could build a superbowl team in the modern day with that OL and a top 15 QB easily, they were that good.

 

Agree that it's popular to put all the success/failure on the QB. Although it is interesting to note that many HOF QBs did better in the regular season than post season....Peyton Manning and Steve Young come to mind. I think it has more to do with just how playoff football exposes team weaknesses more than they do in the regular season, than QBs not being as clutch, but that may have a bit to do with it too.

 

 

Go Vikings......

 

 

 

 

lol

 

Haha.

 

The Vikings built the '90s Cowboy dynasty off that Herschel Walker trade. Still can't believe it....not sure even Rice in his prime would be worth such a trade.

I just want the niners to make it to at least one playoff home game so I can go

 

Their division is more difficult than the last year, but I think their team is a lot stronger.

 

9ers all the way!

 

As long as they clinch NFC West, that's guaranteed. I'm not sure the NFC West can send in a wildcard....it hasn't happened since the early '90s.

 

I think Seattle is better, and Arizona is still an unknown (that preseason game against the Saints was not looking good for them)....I'd say collectively this division probably plays the best defense in the NFC, so the games will always be tough but it won't take more than 24 points to win most of them.

 

BTW, did you see them play last night? 260 yards on the ground without Frank Gore using vanilla formations....damn.

 

 

As long as they clinch NFC West, that's guaranteed. I'm not sure the NFC West can send in a wildcard....it hasn't happened since the early '90s.

 

I think Seattle is better, and Arizona is still an unknown (that preseason game against the Saints was not looking good for them)....I'd say collectively this division probably plays the best defense in the NFC, so the games will always be tough but it won't take more than 24 points to win most of them.

 

BTW, did you see them play last night? 260 yards on the ground without Frank Gore using vanilla formations....damn.

 

Nope! Didn't get to see it! Heard about it. The future is looking bright . No doubt in my mind that they are making the playoffs, I just hope they can go all the way, but that's going to be tuff to ask for this season. The weather is changing, the football season is coming up, my favorite holidays around the corner....good times ahead

Nope! Didn't get to see it! Heard about it. The future is looking bright . No doubt in my mind that they are making the playoffs, I just hope they can go all the way, but that's going to be tuff to ask for this season. The weather is changing, the football season is coming up, my favorite holidays around the corner....good times ahead

 

Oh yeah.

Not a great start for the super bowl champs. Hit hard with injuries at CB, but still not a great showing.

 

Other than that rookie like interception early on, Romo played pretty well. A huge win for him. Dallas with upgraded secondary will now be a thorn in the side of all NFC East teams.

 

Pretty boring first half....I think the Ravens/49ers Thanksgiving game had more offense in their first half than this one did, lol.

 

If this is an indication of how most teams are starting out, then defenses look to have an advantage this weekend.

 

BTW, crazy stat on the Giants.......they have missed the playoffs every year following a super bowl championship...'87, '91, '01, '08. It's one thing to not repeat, but to miss the playoffs entirely every time is shocking.

Not a great start for the super bowl champs. Hit hard with injuries at CB, but still not a great showing.

 

Other than that rookie like interception early on, Romo played pretty well. A huge win for him. Dallas with upgraded secondary will now be a thorn in the side of all NFC East teams.

 

Pretty boring first half....I think the Ravens/49ers Thanksgiving game had more offense in their first half than this one did, lol.

 

If this is an indication of how most teams are starting out, then defenses look to have an advantage this weekend.

 

BTW, crazy stat on the Giants.......they have missed the playoffs every year following a super bowl championship...'87, '91, '01, '08. It's one thing to not repeat, but to miss the playoffs entirely every time is shocking.

 

It was also the first time i think in 9 years that the defending superbowl champs lost their season opener.

Today is the ultimate football day! So many possible outcomes. There goes my day

 

Hoping for a 49er win and a GB loss

 

Just bought my playoff tickets yesterday, go 9ers

Hoping for a GB win and a Detroit win just so my skins are assured to get in. I was born in Monterey, CA so I was a Niners fan for a long time but I don't like the Harbaughs

My Steelers are out. Pulling for the skins in their game ( hate Dan Snyder but I I hate Dallas more and I love rg3). Also pulling for the vikes because I want to see purple Jesus have an awesome day and break the rushing record.

 

I hope Baltimore loses today and in the playoffs. I hate them.

Cowboys will find a way to choke their way out of the playoffs. I think the eagles will take their place. As for the AFC there is no way the Bengals and the Bills keep the Steelers out of the playoffs. I think the Ravens will take a serious step back this year and you will see both the steelers and Bengals in the playoffs (division champ and wildcard respectively).

 

Bills are coming together but I'm not sure they are a playoff team. I think the Charges will sneak in.

Holy cow I look retarded right now.

Hoping for a GB win and a Detroit win just so my skins are assured to get in. I was born in Monterey, CA so I was a Niners fan for a long time but I don't like the Harbaughs

 

May the best team win

 

What's the beef with the Harbaughs?

Just don't like how Niners Harbaugh conducts himself and Bmore Harbaugh is guilt by association

Today is the ultimate football day! So many possible outcomes. There goes my day

 

Hoping for a 49er win and a GB loss

 

Just bought my playoff tickets yesterday, go 9ers

 

Awesome sequence of events on Sunday!

 

Only wish AP could have been rewarded for the record by getting us the #2 seed.

 

BTW, it's 90% looking to be Packers @ 49ers in the divisional round unless the Vikings can pull off the crazy upset two weeks in the row.

 

 

Hoping for a GB win and a Detroit win just so my skins are assured to get in. I was born in Monterey, CA so I was a Niners fan for a long time but I don't like the Harbaughs

 

Then you were never a Niners fan. Only non Niner fans hate Harbaugh (just like all non Pats fans hate Belichick).

 

Those same haters all have glowing words for Mike Nolan and Michael Singletary I'm sure.

 

As for your Skins, I look forward to them facing a real defense this weekend and if they can escape that maybe another real defense on the west coast.

 

 

My Steelers are out. Pulling for the skins in their game ( hate Dan Snyder but I I hate Dallas more and I love rg3). Also pulling for the vikes because I want to see purple Jesus have an awesome day and break the rushing record.

 

I hope Baltimore loses today and in the playoffs. I hate them.

 

Ravens on opening day looked absolutely frightening, but now not so much. They can be good but not top 3 in that conference, IMO.

 

Holy cow I look retarded right now.

 

NFL was quite crazy this year, although if Benjamin doesn't get hurt the Steelers probably make the playoffs. Their peak team was better than the Bengals & Ravens this season which is pretty amazing considering the downward trend they were seeming to take starting last season.

 

 

May the best team win

 

What's the beef with the Harbaughs?

 

The Harbaughs are viewed as arrogant around the league. To an extent it is true....the Harbaugh family is ultra competitive, Jim more than John.

 

But if either of them were available for the 7 teams without head coaches, the bidding war would be through the roof....and the fans that hate them would embrace them in a NY minute.

 

Fact.

A lot of potential upsets this coming wildcard weekend.

 

Colts over Ravens -- Ravens no longer are vicious at home, and Colts are finding ways to win despite not being a great team.

 

Bengals over Texans -- Bengals have been playing better as of late, so if that matters they will win. However, Houston has got to be pissed at how the end of their season unfolded. They had the #1 seed in control even after the Patriots blowout.

 

Redskins are on a roll but Seahawks on the road are better than they were early in the season. This game could go either way, but Seahawks have a tough defense and defenses step up in the playoffs, so I think they will win it.

 

Packers over Vikings, but if the 200 yard/game AP shows up the Vikes have a shot.