Wednesday, September 8, 2010

2010 NFL Preview and Predictions

So the season starts off tomorrow night with a rematch of the NFC title game between the Saints and Vikings, and thanks to some clever words and begging, Brett Favre is back with the Vikings. Three of his teammates convinced him to come back for another shot because it was "about the team" not himself... yeah, I'll buy that for a dollar.
I think the Packers were justified in their situation when he left them, they had a young stud in the waiting. The Jets drafted a quarterback to replace him. But the Vikings aren't confident in Tavarius Jackson so they begged Favre to come back, we'll see how this works out.

As for what I think will happen...
AFC
North: Bengals (12-4), Ravens (10-6), Steelers (9-7), Browns (2-14)
South: Colts (13-3), Titans (9-7), Texans (8-8), Jaguars (5-11)
East: Jets (11-5), Patriots (10-6), Dolphins (8-8), Bills (3-13)
West: Chargers (10-6), Broncos (8-8), Raiders (7-9), Chiefs (5-11)
NFC
North: Packers (12-4), Vikings (9-7), Bears (6-10), Lions (4-12)
South: Saints (14-2), Falcons (10-6), Panthers (6-10), Buccaneers (3-13)
East: Cowboys (10-6), Eagles (9-7), Redskins (8-8), Giants (5-11)
West: 49ers (10-6), Cardinals (8-8), Seahawks (4-12), Rams (2-14)

Playoffs: Patriots over Chargers, Jets over Ravens, Cowboys over Eagles, 49ers over Falcons
Jets over Bengals, Colts over Patriots, Packers over Cowboys, Saints over 49ers
Colts over Jets, Packers over Saints
Colts over Packers

So there you have it, I think the Colts win the Super Bowl. I know, it's going out on a limb just like my Alabama pick, but I think this year will show that the NFL is going to be in big trouble without a salary cap (could be an uncapped season next year if the collective bargaining agreement is allowed to expire). The teams with the best players will be able to re-sign them in the uncapped year and not take a hit. So expect the teams that were good last year to be good this year and vice versa. Of course if major contributors leave (like Arizona losing Kurt Warner and Anquan Bolden) then the team might slip. It should be a fun year though.

Week 1 Picks
Saints over Vikings... sure, the Vikes are thinking revenge, but it's too early to expect the best from Favre. If they meet again in the playoffs, we may be looking at a different result.
Dolphins over Bills... so who do you think the Bills will take with the #1 pick next year? For this week I'll go with Tyrelle Pryor.
Bears over Lions... this should actually be a good game, the Lions are better and the Bears probably aren't, so I'll take the home team.
Titans over Raiders... the Raiders will be better with Jason Campbell, but it will be a slow start.
Patriots over Bengals... another close one, take the home team again. The Patriots will have the tougher road to the playoffs, though.
Giants over Panthers... this whole "take the home team in close early season games" is probably getting boring for you guys, huh?
Steelers over Falcons... how about, "I really like Dennis Dixon's skills and he'll lead the Steelers to as many wins as Roethlisberger does?" Don't buy it? Fine, take the home team in a close game.
Browns over Buccaneers... this is the ugliest game of the week, I guess the question is "who's the worse quarterback, Jake Delhomme or Josh Freeman?" That's like asking if you'd rather be killed with knife or a different colored knife. (Sorry, I'm watching CSI right now.)
Broncos over Jaguars... let's see how long it takes Denver to utilize Tim Tebow. I'll bet he's the starting QB after week 6 when their 3-3.
Colts over Texans... we're still a Peyton Manning retirement away from someone other than the Colts wins the AFC South.
49ers over Seahawks... this is the year the 49ers get back to the playoffs, especially because of the tailspin the Cardinals are going to take. The Seahawks are a few key 20-year-olds away from having a good college team (they've got a great college coach).
Packers over Eagles... let the corination of Aaron Rodgers begin.
Cardinals over Rams... nothing like a game against the weak Rams to avoid displaying the inevitable tailspin.
Cowboys over Redskins... Donovan McNabb had trouble beating the Cowboys when he was with the Eagles, my how times haven't changed.
Jets over Ravens... give the Jets defense and the fans some credit, they shouldn't lose the first game in their new stadium.
Chargers over Chiefs... I'd like to think my boys won't lose their first Monday night game in 2+ years at home, but these aren't the Chiefs I grew up with.

Stay tuned for College Week 2 on Friday...

No comments: