NFL 2008

[naiwf]

I am the biggest anti-Patriot fan, I am a Dallas fan and I will pull for Washington when they play the Pats.

With that said, they had a run at the top of the NFL where they were nearly unstoppable, with or without the controversy. Whenever someone or a team is on top of a sport there is always going to be controversy because they are going to be under the scope more. The Patriots deserve credit where credit is due - they were (and are) an amazing team with great chemistry. It annoys me when people pick apart the Patriots for being good. Sure, they did some screwy shit, but who hasn't? Panthers went to the Super Bowl with half the team hyped on steroids, for one example.

I hate the Patriots, but let them be. Just because they did so well when they were on time don't cut them down for it.

You know who else has had great chemistry on their side? All of those cheating pricks who have won (and in some cases finally been stripped of) Olympic medals because they were taking PED's. Or the great Barry Lamar Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa etc. It's hard to look at the positives when there is a documented instance of cheating. If you got caught once, the average person isn't going to assume that you only cheated once so everything else you've done is forever tainted.

Having said that, I'll still root for the Pats when they play the Jets especially with St. Favre at the helm this season

[livid]

I'm not picking the Patriots apart because they were a great team.

I'm picking them apart because they choked when they were supposed to be the best team in the league.

[MyKILLv2.0]

Speaking of chokers....

....Hi Peyton.

[GhostMachine]

My father is a Redskins fan. Seeing as how they own the Redskins, I'm sorely tempted to get the old man a "Property of the Dallas Cowboys" t-shirt one of these days.

I'm over the Patriots hate....for now. I still think Bellichick wasn't punished enough, but what can you do? I think they'll be under closer scrutiny for a few years and if they cheat again and get caught, they won't get a slap on the hand like they did before.

Actually, I don't really hate the Patriots; I just hate Bellichick because he's a dick AND a cheater, and I don't care for Tom Brady. But I'd love it if the Pats don't even make the playoffs this year. (Not going to happen, sadly)

[alldaws1]

I am the biggest anti-Patriot fan, I am a Dallas fan and I will pull for Washington when they play the Pats.

You're no Dallas fan then

[DMN in the House]

Yeah, any Dallas fan that will pull for the 'Skins should turn in their star. Its like a Raiders' fan rooting for Denver or KC, just can't happen with you keeping your fandom.

PREDICTION TIME!

AFC

East - New England

North - Cleveland

South - Jacksonville

West - San Diego

Wild Card - Indianapolis, Pittsburgh

Sleeper - Oakland

NFC

East - Philadelphia

North - Green Bay

South - New Orleans

West - Seattle

Wild Card - Dallas, Minnesota

Sleeper - Carolina

[alldaws1]

AFC

East - New England

North - Pittsburgh

South - Jacksonville

West - San Diego

Wild Card - Indianapolis, New York

Sleeper - Oakland

I think it's Jacksonville's year to pip Indy to the division title and the Jets to make the Playoffs but lose in the first round. Raiders I'm thinking could go 8-8 but will still finish a good 4-5 games behind the Chargers.

NFC

East - Dallas

North - Minnesota

South - New Orleans

West - Seattle

Wild Card - New York, Washington

Sleeper - Atlanta

The Falcons will probably suck it up again but I just have a feeling they'll surprise a few teams. And I'm not 100% on the Saints winning the South but they're the safe pick.

[Maxx]

Always with the Dallas hatred DMN. And this time for Philly? I'd ask you what you're smoking but we all already know. Dallas has the East in the bag. You can't tell me a team that won 13 games last year then got better in the offseason won't repeat as division champs, especially to a team that lost alot during the offseason.

[jase12881]

So I watched the Packers/Bengals preseason last night. Only the starters though. I found myself conflicted. On one hand I want Aaron Rodgers to be a good QB because I feel for him having the whole Brett Favre thing going on during his first starting season and because it would kind of stick it to Favre a bit (which I am always up for), but on the other hand I had to keep reminding myself that they're the Packers and if they struggle for a while that's a team my Lions might actually beat that they get to play twice a year, and I hate the Packers.

For the record, in the brief glimpses I saw of the Bengals starting offense and defense, they were awful. Tackling was just pathetic, the offensive line wasn't getting much of a push, and the receivers kept dropping balls.

Hopefully they can get into a rhythm once the season starts (or before).

The Packers looked better overall, although their offensive line (and running backs) seemed to have a hard time stopping the Bengals pash rush at times. Rodgers looked pretty sharp with his lone interception not being his fault.

Of course, being that I'm a Lions fan living in Pittsburgh (and thus secondarily root for the Steelers), I should want both teams to struggle.

Edited August 12, 2008 by jase12881

[MyKILLv2.0]

AFC

East - New England

North - Pittsburgh

South - Jacksonville

West - San Diego

Wild Card - Indianapolis, Houston

Sleeper - Houston

I agree that Oakland could be better, but the AFC is loaded. That last playoff spot is wide open, with anyone fron Denver, to New York, to Oakland, to Tennessee. I went with Houston due to how they finished last year, and the fact that they will have a last place schedule.

NFC

East - Dallas

North - Green Bay

South - New Orleans

West - Seattle

Wild Card - Philly, Minnesota

Sleeper - Arizona

Edited August 12, 2008 by MikelSweeten

[DMN in the House]

Romo is as overrated as Bret Favre was post his three MVPs. A healthy Donovan McNabb gives Philly the edge at QB. Brian Westbrook is a better RB than Marion Barber. Jim Johnson is a better DC than whoever Dallas has, though Dallas has the talent edge. I like TO, though, but you don't have ANYONE who can draw coverage off him, and if you try and say Jason Witten, I shall laugh uproariously. He's good, he's not *that* good.

A healthy McNabb makes all the difference. If he's healthy, then yes, I think the Eagles are the best team in that division. Dallas is horribly overrated, as they tend to be.

[livid]

I hate Dallas, but I'd have to disagree with you on that. If anybody but the Cowboys is going to win that division, it's certainly not going to be Philladelphia. Who do they have at WR? Oh, right. Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown...what a great duo huh? One TO equals those two. Plus, I'll say it now...with Gates seemingly more injury prone than he used to be...Witten's quickly becoming the best TE in the league.

However, here are my predictions...

AFC East - New England Patriots (Well duh. The Bills are a team on the rise but I still think they're another year away from being anything real dangerous. The Jets are going to be better but Favre isn't Superman but they still have a real shot at making the Playoffs. And I'm not even really going to anything about the Dolphins.)

AFC North - Pittsburgh Steelers (As much as I hate them and would love to see the Ravens up there, I just don't see that happening. The Browns'll be close, hell might even have the same record but I have a feel that Pittsburgh will win the head-to-head. And well..the Bengals are the Bengals and looked awfully bad at tackling last night. This all being said, I wouldn't put it out of the quesiton for the Steelers to have a fairly "bad" year since they seem to have the toughest schedule in the league.)

AFC South - Jacksonville Jaguars (I think this is their year. I thought they'd win it last year but this year might actually be the one to watch out for. Indianapolis will be strong as usual but I don't know, I just think Jacksonville's continued to get better while the Colts have gotten slightly worse with some losses to Free Agency. Houston's another team on the rise and I wish them all the success. However, they're in the toughest division in football and are still a fairly young team. Kinda reminds of the Tampa Bay Rays in a way. And Tennessee is horrible, IMO. Their defense is awesome but I just understand how Vince Young wins football games when he's probably the worst QB (not runner) in the league. They'll be close though, for that very reason.)

AFC West - San Diego Chargers (Really the only choice at this point. Maybe next year the Raiders'll make something out of it but not yet. The Brconos don't have a RB and while that's usually not a problem for them, I think it is this year since the guy they wanted to be the starter will be out for awhile. The Chiefs are bad but really starting to go in the right direction with their draft this year but not near ready yet.)

Wild Cards - Cleveland Browns & New York Jets/Indianpolis Colts (Normally I would just pick one or the other but not this year. It depends on how well Favre grasps the offense. If he learns it pretty quickly, then I think they take the last spot. If he struggles, I think it goes to the Colts who have the unfortunate task of competing in the league's toughest division. If I were a betting man, I'd probably put it on the Colts but I think the Jets have a chance.

NFC East - Dallas Cowboys (Ugh. I hate them but they're good...at least in the regular season; the Playoffs is a different story. The Giants will be second in the division because I think that they'll make a little run after ending the season the way they did last year. The Redskins will be close and in the hunt but with Zorn being a first year head coach, I sense some growing pains ahead. The Eagles are good on paper. But so were countless Panthers teams and they've never capitalized. Plus, I have a feeling that McNabb will get hurt again.)

NFC North - Minnesota Vikings (I really think that Minnesota might be the team to beat in the NFC. I think that Jackson will play extremely good football (read: not fuck up) and with that defense and their running game, I see them as the clear favorite in the division. Had Favre come back for another year in Green Bay, it might be a different story but it easily couldn't, as well. I still think Rodgers is going to suck because having a good quarter in the first preseason game against a god awful defense like the Bengals doesn't really prove anything especially when the lone touchdown was all Jones who had to jump to get the ball and basically tip to himself, all the while showing that the Bengals defense can't tackle worth shit. Either way, I also don't think Grant will be as effective either. The Lions will go 7-9, 8-8ish...which hey, at least it's not 4-12. And the Bears will be last in the division. They have no WR's, no proven RB (though Forte will be good, I think but he can't carry a team) and no real QB either. Their o-line is a piece of work. So basically the best thing on offense and really the only thing, they have going for them is TE.)

NFC South - New Orleans Saints (It's their division to lose and with what they added in the offseason, that defense is going to be a hell of a lot better. Plus, I think Drew Brees might make a case for MVP this year. The Falcons aren't there yet, though I'm convinced that Michael Turner will have a breakout year finally being a starter. The Bucs will be middle of the road, to decent. May even make the playoffs. The Panthers can be good but just like every year, it probably won't happen.)

NFC West - Arizona Cardinals (I only pick them because I don't want to look like an enormous homer by picking the Niners. The Cardinals will be pretty good this year, I think, finally. And I'm convinced that the 49ers aren't as bad as they seem to be getting "credit" for. Their defense is solid and starting to shape up (provided Manny Lawson is healthy) and I think (hope) that Alex Smith will shed the impending bust label this year. The Rams aren't that good and with Jackson holding out, definitely aren't any better. The Seahawks won't be that good, I don't think. They have a great defense but I'm not sold on the Morris/Jones combo.)

Wild Cards - New York Giants & whoever isn't last in the East.

[DMN in the House]

The Eagles went to multiple NFC championship games with James Thrash as their best receiver for the majority of them. The wide-outs in Philly are not a problem.

[gunnar hendershow]

The problem in Philadelphia is Donovan McNabb's health (Oh and some questionable play-calling, but most teams suffer from that these days). McNabb is good enough to get his team into the NFC Championship, consistently. Of course, idiot Eagle fans here think he sucks and the team would win without him. Which is hilarious.

[alldaws1]

I don't understand Romo being overrated at all. He's been billed as one of the better quarterbacks in the league and why not after he threw for 4200 yards and 36 TDs last season on the third best offense in the league? And it really just reeks of anti-Cowboys bias when you dismiss Jason Witten as a legitimate threat alongside TO. Unless you just didn't watch any Dallas games last season. He proved he's one of the top three tight ends in the league and there's no reason to think he can't do another good job this season.

Sure you could say the Eagles have great potential with a healthy McNabb but the problem is he's never healthy for a whole season anymore. Brian Westbrook's the only thing holding that offense together and the defense is, at best, the second worst in the division. If the Eagles win the NFC East I'll be shocked. Any of the other three I can imagine having a shot but not Philly.

[DMN in the House]

Which is what I'm saying. With a healthy McNabb, Philly is the best team in that division. McNabb, when healthy, is the best QB in the NFC, and is top three in the NFL. He gets a lot of shit, but he's FUCKING GOOD. They don't really need top flight WRs, because they have Smith and Westbrook. It'd be nice to get some better guys in there, but they've done it before without them, and I see no reason, barring injury, why they couldn't do it again.

A lot of people, especially in the media, are big on Dallas. Tony Romo is a good QB. He's not a great QB, he's not an elite QB. He's a poor man's Brett Favre, without the top end ability Brett showed when he was younger.

EDIT: Jason Witten is probably a top three TE. The problem is... he's a TE. A TE is not going to beat you, unless his name is Kellen Winslow (thats Senior, for you youngins.) or Shannon Sharpe. He's not going to draw enough coverage off TO to make a difference.

Romo is a good QB, but he's not a great QB. There are at least FIVE established QBs I'd take over him, and at least two more I'd take over him based on potential (and homerism). Tom Brady and Peyton Manning go without saying. Throw in a healthy Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer. Hell, I might even make an arguement for Matt Hasselback. Then Jay Cutler and JaMarcus Russell would probably be on my list if I was drafting a team. Going on production, Romo is probably top 10, going on ability and talent, he's not. Sorry.

Edited August 12, 2008 by DMN

[Cactus Drags]

Yeah, but how often do you get a healthy McNabb these days? You can say that about anyone. Shit, a healthy Gayle Sayers would still be running rampant.

[Maxx]

Um...we won 13 games without anyone drawing coverage from TO, I'm struggling to see any evidence you'd have to backup such an assertion.

The Eagles went to multiple NFC championship games because they had easy seasons, as the NFC East was terrible at that time. They lost Jevon Kearse and Takeo Spikes, didn't replace them, one of their best O-linemen isn't playing due to depression, and Donovan hasn't played a full season since 2003. I'll give you the edge on Brian Westbrook being a better rusher, but Marion Barber is perfectly suited for the role he has in the Dallas offense, so that point is pretty much null.

Please don't use the term overrated without explaining what you mean. Romo threw for 36 TDs, most in Dallas franchise history. Is that not an accomplishment? Yeah alot of people seem to think the sun rises and sets on him, but its absurd to say he isn't good. Its as absurd as giving him flack for never winning a playoff game, when he's only been in two. Manning took awhile to win aswell, and he's much better.

DMN, you're usually pretty spot on, but you've got almost no stats to back you up this time around. Cowboys have no options besides Owens so that means we won't do good? They've got the same group of WRs they had last year and Romo threw 36 TDs, Owens caught a career high 15 TDs and had his highest yardage total since 2001. And this occured with as you say "no other option besides TO"

We lost almost nothing on defense, adding Zach Thomas who washed up as he might be becoming is now in a much better situation than Miami, with a deep LB core and a 3-4 that'll take alot of the work off his shoulders. We added Mike Jenkins who's an upgrade over Jacques Reeves and all signs point to us having Pacman too, who's also a huge upgrade over Reeves. Wade Phillips, for all his failings as a head coach is still a spectacular defensive mind, especially in the 3-4.

If we're making a big deal about coaching staffs, Jason Garrett is leaps and bounds better than Marty Mornhinweg.

Its all well and good to say Philadelphia is a better team or is going to be a better team or the Cowboys offense has no one besides TO, but you really can't back that up at all.

And yes, a healthy Donovan McNabb would give the Eagles a great shot at winning the divison, unfortunately they'd have to go back to 2004 to find such a person.

Edited August 12, 2008 by Maxx

[alldaws1]

EDIT: Jason Witten is probably a top three TE. The problem is... he's a TE. A TE is not going to beat you, unless his name is Kellen Winslow (thats Senior, for you youngins.) or Shannon Sharpe. He's not going to draw enough coverage off TO to make a difference.

Romo is a good QB, but he's not a great QB. There are at least FIVE established QBs I'd take over him, and at least two more I'd take over him based on potential (and homerism). Tom Brady and Peyton Manning go without saying. Throw in a healthy Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer. Hell, I might even make an arguement for Matt Hasselback. Then Jay Cutler and JaMarcus Russell would probably be on my list if I was drafting a team. Going on production, Romo is probably top 10, going on ability and talent, he's not. Sorry.

Please explain to me how you can say Witten isn't going to draw enough coverage off of TO to make a difference when he did just that last year? Just look at the Detroit game last season, they handled Owens but couldn't stop Witten racking up 15 catches for 138 yards and a TD. Patrick Crayton proved he can be a solid receiving option as well last season.

So Romo isn't a top QB because, while he produces good numbers and leads his team to franchise-best regular season records, he's just not got the talent. What? Does that make sense to you?

[naiwf]

The Cowboys will win the NFC East and then Romo will choke in the postseason again.