NFL Season Thread

[Shane]

The place to talk about your favorite NFL team and their chances to win it all this year.

[Shane]

Anyone out there care to share their early Super Bowl predictions?

[Shane]

Originally Posted by Shane

Anyone out there care to share their early Super Bowl predictions?

I'm going with Carolina vs. Denver

The Panthers have a strong team returning, and they have to have better luck this year in regard to health at running back. They have also added Keshawn Johnson, and he'll demand enough attention that Steve Smith should have another huge year.

The Broncos made it to the AFC Title game last year but were done in by turnovers generated by a ferocious Steeler's defense. Mike Anderson is gone, but the Broncos have shown that it usually doesn't matter who is running the ball for them. The addition of Javon Walker alongside Rod Smith gives them a very lethal receiving corps. All the pieces look to be in place.

[Shane]

Looks like Pro Bowl left tackle Willie Roaf is going to retire. It'll be interesting to see how that impacts the Chiefs' passing game and their new full-time RB, Larry Johnson. Roaf went to the Pro Bowl 11 out of his 13 seasons.

When he was hurt last year, the passing game really struggled. This could be bad news for their new head coach.

[hsmall628]

I like Baltimore as a darkhorse candidate to make to the SB this year... Love the addition of Trevor Pryce on the defensive line... throw him in there with guys like Lewis, Reed, McAlister, and Suggs and you have a SB calibur defense. On the offense, they pick up a competent QB in McNair and Mike Anderson to help out Jamal Lewis with the running game. They have enough weapons with Mason, Clayton, Heap... only question is can the offensive line keep McNair upright. If not, they are done.

I agree with Shane in picking Carolina on the NFC side. Its still a team fairly intact from their last SB run a few years ago. I love the rookie Williams from Memphis; the combo of him and Foster should make for a solid running game. The addition of Keyshawn Johnson should open up the passing game for Steve Smith and the defense will be stout as always. Obviously there biggest question is can they stay healthy?

[Shane]

Originally Posted by hsmall628

I like Baltimore as a darkhorse candidate to make to the SB this year... Love the addition of Trevor Pryce on the defensive line... throw him in there with guys like Lewis, Reed, McAlister, and Suggs and you have a SB calibur defense. On the offense, they pick up a competent QB in McNair and Mike Anderson to help out Jamal Lewis with the running game. They have enough weapons with Mason, Clayton, Heap... only question is can the offensive line keep McNair upright. If not, they are done.

I agree with Shane in picking Carolina on the NFC side. Its still a team fairly intact from their last SB run a few years ago. I love the rookie Williams from Memphis; the combo of him and Foster should make for a solid running game. The addition of Keyshawn Johnson should open up the passing game for Steve Smith and the defense will be stout as always. Obviously there biggest question is can they stay healthy?

Interesting choice, hsmall628. The Ravens could very well return to their old form. Getting Kyle Boller out of the picture will help tremendously. I think the Ravens finally learned that just because Boller could do impressive tricks during the combine (he got on his knees at the 50 yard line and threw the ball through the goal posts) that didn't mean that he was a NFL caliber QB.

People seem to forget that Jamal Lewis is only a few years removed from having a 2,000 yard season. He battled through a nagging injury last year and, by the way, came to the team straight out of prison. He's healthy now and has had a chance to get his bearings back.

Mike Anderson is a solid runner. No doubt, he won't perform as well as he did in Denver (with their excellent line and dirty blocking schemes), but he will bring a strong work ethic and intensity to the running game. From a fantasy standpoint, I wonder how many goal line touchdowns he'll steal from Jamal?

McNair to Mason should be a potent combination. They were dynamite in Tennessee, so I see no reason why they shouldn't continue that trend. You're right about McNair's health. If they can keep him upright, the Ravens may be sitting pretty. If Boller comes back in, then they can forget about the rest of the season.

As for their defense, I assume that they're scrapping the "46" Defense after last year's disappointing showing. A return to a more conventional defensive alignment should help.

It seems that every year there are a few teams who completely reverse their fortunes and make it to the playoffs. I could certainly see the Ravens being one of those.

[MacGuffin]

Baltimore is a good darkhorse pick. McNair completely changes the makeup of that team. With Boller, they were hoping the quarterback wouldn't screw things up. With McNair, the quarterback will be an asset. That position might actually win a few games for them.

Derrick Mason has to be healthy. He caught 105 balls and lead the league in receptions the last time he had Steve throwing to him.

We'll see if McNair can stay healthy. If he does, the Ravens should be one of the better teams in the AFC.

The d-line should be much improved with Trevor Pryce and Haloti Nagata, assuming the rookie lives up to his potential. They should run interference for Ray Lewis, allowing him to come back strong. Losing Lewis and Ed Reed for long stretches were disasters last year, so their defensive struggles last year were an aberration.

I will be making my Super Bowl selection soon. I want to see how training camp developments go. I was considering Carolina and Baltimore myself, but that may be homer-ism. (I live in Richmond, so Caro and Balt are two of the teams I read about more often. I love Gibbs, and I love the job he did last year, but I just don't see our local 'Skins as a truly serious contender.)

I hate to say it, but the Cowboys have to get consideration. Their offensive line might be their downfall.

It's funny. In all the predictions I've seen so far this summer, I haven't seen anyone pick the Patriots to get back to the big game. Age may have finally caught up to them, especially on the lines. Dillon's older, but they drafted Maroney to spell him. McGinest going is a huge loss. They've probably seen their better days, but if no one else sticks out to me in the AFC, I may end up picking them.

I won't fall for the Colts hype this year. No matter how good they are against the lower echelon teams, they just don't seem to be built for the playoffs.

[Shane]

Looks like the Bengals are fed up with obnoxious fans. This year, they've created a hotline where other fans can call and report fights, excessive drinking and swearing, etc. They also remind potential prank callers that they have caller ID.
The number is (513) 381-JERK.

[Cliff]

Originally Posted by Shane

The number is (513) 381-JERK.

Sounds like the perfect number for Mike Brown's office.

[Shane]

I'll at least give Mike Brown this: he finally decided to shut his mouth and let his head coach run the team. As soon as he did this, and opened up his pocket book a little, the team really seemed to take off. Of course, drafting Chad Johnson and Carson Palmer didn't hurt.