Since I think schedule is the most important thing in the NFL, I printed out the entire NFL schedule and picked my winners for every game. This is how it came out.
NFC East Champ: Dallas
Boasting the best defensive coordinator in the business as a head coach, this team is ready to take it to another level. The season rests on the shoulders of Tony Romo, but I think he'll pretty well with all the weapons he has around him. The Cowboys will feel a push from the Redskins this year. It may seem unlikely given the horrid season they had last year, but with Jason Campbell starting his first full season and a young blossoming secondary I can see them making moves. The Eagles will be shaky on Donovan's still injured knee and some shaky offseason defensive moves, I don't see them being about .500. The Giants will be terrible. Their offense is in shamble. They hate their coach. Former players talk about them, the GM talks about former players. Their secondary is horrible. I don't know what else to say.
NFC South Champ: Carolina
Carolina is the best of the worst here. This division is medicore at best. Carolina will be interesting if Delhomme doesn't play well early. Will David Carr get some clock? The running back situation is questionable. Can DeAngelo step it up? The defense will be pretty good as usual. I don't see New Orleans doing that well this year. Much like other teams that make a splash (ie, Chargers 2004) their record was better than they really were. Now they have to play all the other division winners and their record will plumit. Their offense is good but their defense is very bad. They picked up Cincy's safety and he will start for them. That's a bad sign. Atlanta will have a good year. Bobby Petrino will make Joey Harrington live up to his potential (he didn't play bad last year). Tampa Bay is horrible. Gruden will be out of a job soon.
NFC West Champ: St Louis
I'm not as hot as most people on this division. Yes, it will be highly contested. No, none of these teams will be a contender. St. Louis has a good offense, I'll give them that. I'm a little worried about Holt's injury because it seems like it can linger. I don't think Drew Bennett or McMichael really make them much better. Brian Leonard is an interesting fit however. The defense is still atrocious. I still don't trust San Fransisco. They put themselves on the map by playing crappy teams in their division tough. Alex and Frank need to prove that they can keep up their progression. Their defense however is improving with lots of good, young players. Seattle does not look good to me. They seem like they're fading. The defense looks good on paper but they're so-so when you watch. The offensive line is falling apart and so is Shaun. They'll be okay but not a playoff team in my book. The other teams in the division will actually beat them a couple games that last year went close. Arizona is an enigma to me. I could see them over .500 or with 4 wins. The offense will be great. The defense is the key. They have some really good players but absolutely no depth.
NFC North Champ: Chicago
I'm not impressed by them. I think people will figure out their weaknesses on defense. Tommie Harris has to come back strong or they will faulter. The rest of the division is terrible. Green Bay sucks, Minnesota sucks (their defense is pretty good though), and Detroit is horrific. Nothing more to say.
NFC Wild Cards: Washington, Atlanta
NFC Champ: Dallas
AFC East Champ: New York Jets
I don't see why people are so high on the Patriots. Their defense is just one year older. Who heard of Adalius Thomas before last year? That's what happens in contract years. People come from no where. Their offense was already good last year. Moss and Stallworth are questionable and so is Welker. Yeah, they could be really good, but far from a sure thing. Plus, the Pats have a very difficult schedule this year and the Jets don't. The Jets will add a running game to a team that was on the rise last year. They're coached well and they have an easy schedule to boast. I think it will be a very close race for the division with the Jets taking it. I'm a little uneasy on Pennington after the preseason though. I really don't see Miami doing anything. They're just getting older. No other improvements to be seen. Cameron isn't the answer. He used Norv Turner's system in San Diego and had questionable moves (LT really didn't get the ball that much the past 2 years). Buffalo will suck. They lost the 2 best players on the team (Spikes and McGahee). I don't like Marshawn Lynch, I don't know why (yes, I do: he's a Pac-10 player), but he won't have as good of a year as people expect.
AFC South Champ: Indianapolis
The AFC South can't compete with Peyton and company. They just can't. They have the exact same team that won the Superbowl with an extra reciever. Moving on, I don't know what to say about Tennessse, Houston, or Jacksonville. I can see all being horrible and all being decent. Jacksonville has a good defense but their offense makes me uneasy. Houston has a young defense that I think will make moves this year. Schaub is gonna upgrade the offense significantly, but why Ahman Green? Why? At Tennessee, Vince will improve by leaps and bounds, but they haven't done anything to help him. I feel sorry for him.
AFC North Champ: Baltimore
The best division in football. Cleveland will suck. I'll just say that now so I don't have to say it later. I'm guessing Dallas will have the #4 pick in the 2008 draft. Pittsburgh will be better. I'm kinda weery about the coaching but I think the players are good enough to make them competitive again. Cincinnati and Baltimore will both have some of the best records in the league. I can see Baltimore making huge strides. They were already good. Adalius Thomas' loss doesn't mean much to me but the addition of McGahee is enormous. Lewis sucked last year. McGahee will be a big upgrade. Cincinnati's offense will be great again. Who cares about defense? They'll be like the Colts of old. Dominate the regular season with offense, then fall apart in the playoffs because they can't stop anyone.
AFC West Champ: San Diego
San Diego has the exact same team as last year, minus Donnie "Asshole" Edwards. The team is still young and look to improve. The schedule will be tougher but that doesn't mean much because their division is even worse than last year. Denver's running game will improve with Travis Henry and the defense will look to replace D. Williams. They may play with some fire after the loss of two players in the off-season but the AFC is too strong for them to make a playoff spot. Kansas City is horrible. They embarrassed themselves by letting HBO follow them. Herm Edwards is a terrible coach. The QBs suck and even if they were good they have no one to throw to anyway. Oakland will be better. I can see them being a little of surprise but definitely not enough to make the playoffs.
AFC Wild Cards: Cincinnati, New England
AFC Champ: San Diego
Superbowl Champ: San Diego
Coach of the Year: Bobby Petrino
He'll get extra points because of the outrage with Vick. I think they can win 8 or 9 games, which should get them into the playoffs.
MVP: LT
Norv Turner will hammer the ball with LT. He's determined this year to win a Superbowl and will carry the team on his back.
Offensive POY: LT
See Above
Defensive POY: Julius Peppers
I don't have any good reason. Just a hunch.
Offensive ROY: Adrian Peterson
I think he's gonna dominate the carries by mid-season. I really don't see any good offensive rookies other than Calvin Johnson. I don't want to pick Calvin because everyone else is picking him.
Defensive ROY: LaRon Landry
He's a tough player. The Skins will use him wisely and teams will fear him. Plus with Sean Taylor back there he won't have the whole load on his shoulders.
What the wager should be: Loser pitch in to buy winner a $50 gift certificate at place of winner's choice. Rah would get a $50 gift card to SuperCuts. Yahya would get one to the mail order bridge company of his choice. Anwar will get one for Lotas-R-Us. Tariq would get one for McDonald's.
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