Off Topic NFL diary - let's all predict!

Wild and wacky weather dominates worldwide headlines and we have Congress abdicating their responsibilities to uphold the Constitution against a president who has performed a power grab unknown to our nation's history.

So let's talk about sports instead.

The NFL preseason has kicked off so it's time to try to predict who will come out of nowhere to contend in the playoffs and who will be the dogs come January.  

AFC East:

1. New England Patriots - These guys are loaded for bear this season, by picking up a couple hotshot receivers (the kid from Miami who is a return threat and Randy "crankypants" Moss).  Some theorize that coach Bill Belichik is trying to go out with one more superbowl win by being very aggressive in the free agent market.  Tom Brady was effective last year with no-name receievers.  What will he do with Randy Moss, assuming Moss is a team player who actually tries on every play?  I can see the Patriots winning their division without any trouble and possibly making it to the superbowl.

2. New York Jets - These guys were a huge surprise last year, both in how well they played and the fact Chad Pennington came back from another shoulder surgery to be an effective QB again.  He's probably not the strongest-armed kid in the league, but he's as smart as they come with reading defenses and playing intelligent football.  Not quite sure if they'll improve on last year, but should be good enough to come in second in the division

3. Buffalo Bills - I'm not convinced these guys are really going to amount to much yet again.  There aren't any players there who impress me to any degree.  Is JP Losman the answer at QB?  Probably not.

4. Miami Dolphins - they traded for a washed up Trent Green?  What were they thinking?  Worse, they didn't take Brady Quinn in the draft.  Maybe Quinn will never amount to much, but that's a better option than a 37 year old QB whose best days are behind him for sure.

AFC North

1. Cincinnati Bengals - the jailbirds hopefully will clean up their act and learn how to win again.  I think Carson Palmer is one of the top QBs in the entire league and should be over any lingering effects of his devastating knee injury.  Chad Johnson is one of my favorite receivers because despite his antics, he loves the game and genuinely wants his team to win.  If they can keep their players from getting in trouble, I think they should be back on top of their division this year.

2. Baltimore Ravens - it's a tossup between the Ravens and Bengals about who will win this division.  Baltimore is also loaded for bear this season to stage an all out attack for the superbowl.  I would love for Steve McNair to win a ring, even if it's not with the Titans.  

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - it's a rebuilding year.  The new coach, new philosophy...it'll take awhile to sink in.  They probably will be competitive and Roethlisberger surely will play better than 2006, but I still don't see them in the playoffs.

4. Cleveland Browns - hahaha.  Er, that's not nice.  They keep trying to draft talent and somewhere get nowhere with it.  Hopefully they'll show a little improvement this year, but they're still bottom dwellers.  No doubt Brady Quinn will be the starter by sometime in October.

AFC South

1. Indianapolis Colts - you gotta just give the respect to the Colts as they are the Champs and Peyton Manning is still the best QB in the league.  They won the Superbowl last year despite having a weak defense.  These guys believe they can win and attitude does help.  I can't say for sure if they can win two in a row, but they'll be in the hunt all season long.

2. Tennessee Titans - Vince Young demonstrated that he's an amazing athlete whose athleticism will win games, even as he tries to learn the NFL game.  He was very fun to watch last year and had one of the better rookie seasons you'll see any QB ever have.  While I'm not sure the Titans had a good offseason acquiring talent, Young is going to win games to keep them in the chase.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars - they sure took a step backwards last year.  There's something about this team that keeps them from overcoming their obstacles.  They could still be a playoff team, but it's going to take a few lucky bounces in their direction for that to happen.

4. Houston Texans - I don't think getting Matt Schaub, an unproven backup with "potential", is necessarily the key for this franchise to finally look decent.  Will anyone block for him?  His predecessor, David Carr, probably still is nursing bruises on his butt for all the sacks he endured as the Texans' starter.  Far too many holes in this team to be competitive.

AFC West

1. Denver Broncos - this team endured two serious tragedies in the offseason.  The worst was the driveby shooting that killed defensive back Darrent Williams the night after the last game of the season.  The poor kid was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and lost his life.  Then a backup running back died of heart failure or something like that in a minicamp.  Also extremely horrible.  The Broncos could go one of two ways, but I have a feeling there's going to be some motivation for this team to perform well in honor of their lost teammates.  And part of it has to do with half of their division being awful (Raiders and Chiefs...more on that in a moment)

2. San Diego Chargers - I'm sorry, but when you go 14-2, you don't fire your coach for losing in the playoffs.  I see the disruption in the coaching causing the team to lose a couple games they wouldn't have otherwise.  They still should qualify for a wildcard, but they aren't going to be as great as last year.  However, I do think Philip Rivers is going to be one of the elite quarterbacks for years to come.  The game where he brought his team down from 28-7 against the Bengals and won convinced me that there is nothing that'll get him down.

3. Kansas City Chiefs - they're rebuilding and banking on an unproven QB to be their guy for the future...though I wager he won't be.  If they were smart, they'd start Damon Huard and see how far they can get with him and worry about finding a future QB in the draft next year.  This team will be lucky to hit 8-8

4. Oakland Raiders - last year's Raiders may have been the worst team fielded in the NFL in decades.  What a debacle.  That's what happens when Al Davis makes it so that no coach wants to work for the meddling old man.  They surely will be better this season, but not by much.  There's just far too much work that needs to be done to be a halfway decent team.

NFC East

1. Philadelphia Eagles - it's time for McNabb to have one more great season.  His injury problems are a bit scary for Eagles fans, to be sure, but the team is balanced with good players on both sides of the ball.  This team always finds a way to win.  I do think letting Jeff Garcia go was a bad move, though.  

2. Dallas Cowboys - Parcells is gone, but most of the players are returning.  Tony Romo should show some improvement over last season, assuming he's put to rest that bad snap in the playoffs against the Seahawks that ended the Cowboys season.  Wildcard contender, though I just can't see them progressing far in the playoffs.

3. Washington Redskins - owner Daniel Snyder is one of those arrogant jerks who thinks he can buy and sell people, treat employees poorly and still be a "winner".  Nothing makes me happier than seeing his team consistently stink or underachieve.  And this season will be no different.  It doesn't matter how much you overpay your coaches...karma is vicious.  

4. New York Giants - Eli Manning may be one of those players who needs a change of scenery to ever amount to anything.  NY is harsh on players and I don't think he's ever going to develop under the spotlight there.  The team pretty much revolted on coach Tom Coughlin last year, yet he retained  his job.  He'll be lucky to finish the season this year.  I see nothing but dark days for this team.

NFC North

1. Detroit Lions - I think I'll make this my dark horse "out of nowhere" team for 2007.  They're due.  Seriously.  How many seasons in a row can a team be this bad?  I am a huge fan of Jon Kitna, a guy who never has been an elite QB, but plays very well given a good team around him.  People overlook the fact he threw for over 4000 yards last season and has both great receivers now AND offensive coordinator Mike Martz's imagination on his side.  Okay, I admit this might be a stretch but hey, someone should give this team a chance.

2. Chicago Bears - Rex Grossman is a joke.  To the Bears fans: I've never seen a worse starter in the superbowl than Grossman.  It's like his brain just shuts down at the worst moment.  Even backup Brian Griese, no stranger to interceptions, would be a better choice.  The team will take a couple steps backwards this season.  Not sure they will even make the playoffs, particularly if Grossman is the season-long starter.

3. Green Bay Packers - Brett Favre...please retire.  This team will not be a superbowl contender for awhile.  I don't want to go through a fourth straight year of "will he return" discussions from the TV announcers.  

4. Minnesota Vikings - young QB, rebuilding, etc.  I see nothing about this team to inspire confidence that they'll be very competitive this year.  

NFC South

1. New Orleans Saints - I don't think they were a fluke last year.  Their offense is scary talented: Drew Brees (another elite QB), Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush are so good it should be against the rules.  Their gypsy season of 2005 is fortunately far behind them and they can concentrate on actually making it to the Superbowl this year rather than being a feel-good story like 2006.

2. Carolina Panthers - For some reason, these guys underachieved last season.  I do like Jake Delhomme a lot, but he does occasionally have boneheaded moments.  This team just strikes me as capable of overcoming mental errors and being back in the playoff hunt again.

3. Tampa Bay - coach Jon Gruden won a superbowl with Tony Dungy's team.  Now that a few years have passed and maybe 8 players still remain from that squad, Gruden doesn't look like a genius anymore.  Their QB situation isn't the best, although Jeff Garcia is a potentially decent one year solution.  

4. Atlanta Falcons - the Michael Vick situation is going to cripple this team, despite their every intention of ignoring it.  Vick is pretty much dead to the organization, but it is forcing them to rethink their strategy with Joey Harrington suddenly becoming the starter.  Vick hopefully will teach owner Arthur Blank to never coddle and favor a single player.  Pushing an injured Vick around in a wheelchair a few seasons ago is going to haunt Blank for years.

NFC West

1. St. Louis Rams - this is a tricky division because three of the four teams could easily win this year.  I'm giving St. Louis props because they have an accomplished QB in Marc Bulger and a great running back in Stephen Jackson.  

2. Seattle Seahawks - last year was definitely a letdown from their superbowl season in 2005, but injuries took their toll.  They have benefitted from some player changes and should be competitive again, although I don't think Matt Hasselbeck is the best choice for QB.  He still makes errors that you'd expect from rookies, not established veterans.

3. San Francisco 49ers - so they finally showed signs of life last year.  As a rookie, QB Alex Smith looked like the most hopeless guy since writer George Plimpton tried playing QB for the Lions years ago.  However, Smith is apparently one of those players who is useless till he fully understands the offensive system, and then he's quite effective.  I saw him play in college and that was the case from his sophomore to junior year.  The 49ers could have a few lucky breaks and possibly win this division, but it'd be a longshot over the Rams or Seahawks.

4. Arizona Cardinals - I am afraid that I can't take these guys seriously, despite the fact I think Matt Leinert is the real deal and this team is due for some success someday.  I just refuse to go out on a limb.

My superbowl guess:
New England vs. New Orleans with New England winning it yet again.

Feel free to taunt me.