Written by EricB | 26 August 2010

The NFL regular season is right around the corner, but instead of waiting to see what will happen, let’s look into my crystal ball and predict the future:

AFC Playoffs:

Division Winners: New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers

Wild Card Teams: New England Patriots, Houston Texans

AFC Championship: Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts

AFC Champion: Baltimore Ravens

The Houston Texans will make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The potent passing attack of Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels will give opposing defenses fits. However, their lack of a running game will shut them down in outdoor playoff games.

As long as the New England Patriots have quarterback Tom Brady, you can never count them out. Even in a division with the Jets and Miami Dolphins, the Patriots experience will win out. Also, wide receiver Randy Moss is in the last year of his contract so he needs to prove he can still play. Their inexperienced defense will be their downfall come playoff time.

The San Diego Chargers are almost a lock to win the AFC West. They should cruise to 11 wins this year. The future of wide receiver Vincent Jackson will have a significant impact on the team. The loss of Luis Castillo at nose tackle will give opponents the ability to run against them.

Much the same as Tom Brady always gives New England a chance, so does quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have won 12 games or...

Written by Eric | 20 August 2010

 

Every year, there are certain players who go from no-names to superstars. Last season, players like Miles Austin, Sidney Rice and Ray Rice burst onto the scene with Pro Bowl seasons. Here are five offensive players likely to step into the spotlight this year.

Matt Moore – QB – Carolina Panthers

You have to feel a little bad for Matt Moore. After sitting on the bench for most of his career behind Jake Delhomme, Moore finally got a chance to play in 2009 when Delhomme was unproductive. All Moore did was throw for over 1,000 yards with 8 touchdowns and only two interceptions to lead the Panthers to a winning record in games he started.

Just when you thought Moore had won the job, the Panthers selected two quarterbacks in the 2010 draft, including highly touted recruit Jimmy Clausen. The job is still Moore’s though and he should be able to hold on to it for the near future. He has one of the best running back duos in the league to support him in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Wide receiver Steve Smith is getting up there in age, but is still good enough to be a number one threat on the outside. Dwayne Jarrett has slimmed down and will play on the other side. Tight end Dante Rosario is an underrated player and should be a good safety valve for Moore. Moore should solidify himself as an NFL starting quarterback in 2010, whether it will be for Carolina or someone else.

Jamaal Charles – RB – Kansas City Chiefs

The one person on this list that a lot...

Written by EricB | 12 August 2010

Arizona Cardinals

It’s hard for a team to lose four of its best players and not take a step back. The Arizona Cardinals will try to overcome the losses of its offensive and defensive leaders and continue with a win now attitude. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt thinks his team is still ready to contend, but is he right?

The retirement of quarterback Kurt Warner can’t be emphasized enough. The ageless Warner made everyone better around him by using his quick release and shifty feet. He threw for 3,753 yards and 26 touchdowns. The time has finally come for former number 10 overall pick Matt Leinart. The 27 year old has been riding the bench since his entry into the league, but he will now have his shot. His lack of arm strength will hurt the Cardinals offense in their ability to run a lot of spread formations and make plays down the field. Leinart’s success or failure will be the story of the season for Arizona.

Second leading receiver and often disgruntled wide receiver Anquan Boldin was shipped to Baltimore. Star receiver Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the best in the game, returns after another 1,000 yard season with almost 100 catches. Younger receivers Steve Breaston and Early Doucet will try to fill in for Boldin. Second year pro Beanie Wells has established himself as the starting running back after rushing for almost 800 yards with a 4.5 yards per carry average. Tim Hightower proved he is one of the best 3rd down backs in the league by catching 63 passes, rushing...

Written by EricB | 04 August 2010

Chicago Bears

            The Chicago Bears are a desperate team. Head coach Lovie Smith and General Manager Jerry Angelo know that if their team doesn’t produce, they will be cashing unemployment checks soon. One year after mortgaging the future for Jay Cutler, the Bears gave defensive Julius Peppers a six year, $84 million contract.

            Cutler proved to be a huge disappointment last season, throwing 26 interceptions and amassing a quarterback rating of 76.8. While it is true he had little to work with, a lot of his mistakes were his own fault. To try and help Cutler, Smith hired Mike Martz as the new offensive coordinator. Martz, best known as the head coach of the championship Ram teams, is an offensive guru and will try to make lemonade out of lemons. The receiving corps is extremely weak, with Devin Hester listed as the number one receiver. Hester, the former return specialist and defensive back, is electrifying but not polished as a receiver. Johnny Knox will likely be the starter opposite Hester. The best receiver on the team is tight end Greg Olson, who led the team in catches with 60. In Martz’s system though, the tight is used more as a blocker than receiver so it remains to be seen how this will affect Olson.

            The offensive line will need as much help as it can to block after being one of the worst units in the league in 2009. Outside of center Olin Kreutz, who is returning from offseason surgery, the...

Written by EricB | 29 July 2010

Atlanta Falcons

Following back to back winning seasons for the first time in their history, the Atlanta Falcons have high hopes for 2010. Head coach Mike Smith will be entering his third year leading the team, and they seem poised to make it to the playoffs this year.

Third year quarterback Matt Ryan suffered a bit of a sophomore slump, completing a lower percentage of passes and throwing more interceptions. Even so, he still finished with almost 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns for a team that had problems with its running game. Ryan will likely return to his rookie form if the weapons around him can stay healthy. Running back Michael Turner suffered through injuries last season, but still managed to rush for 871 yards and 10 touchdowns. Considering he has only been a starting back for 2 years, he should be able to bounce back from his injuries and become the dominant runner he was in 2008. Jerious Norwood and Jason Snelling provide good depth at the position. The offensive line is serviceable and this year’s draft provided more depth to help it improve.

Wide receiver Roddy White has established himself as one of the top targets in the league. For the third year in a row, he caught at least 80 passes and 1,100 yards. Opposite him though, Michael Jenkins won’t scare any defenders. Harvey Douglas returns from a knee injury that cost him all of last season and should be the slot receiver. The best pass catcher on the team still may be tight end Tony Gonzalez. He...

Written by EricB | 23 July 2010

Dallas Cowboys

            The Dallas Cowboys are this year’s sexy pick for the Super Bowl. Let’s face it, they have superstars all over the field, one of the best young offensive coordinators and last season they won their first playoff game in almost 15 years. But does anyone remember their 34-3 crushing defeat against Minnesota in the divisional round? Dallas is a strong team, but they do have some some question marks.

            Quarterback Tony Romo had a great 2009 season. He threw for almost 4,500 yards and 26 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. He has a talented offensive cast around him but he is now on the wrong side of 30 years old. He didn’t start his NFL career until later, but it will be interesting to see if he can maintain a high level of play as he ages. Breakout star (and current Kim Kardashian boyfriend) Miles Austin leads a deep group of receivers. Austin had 1,320 yards receiving, and is joined by Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and first round pick Dez Bryant. Jason Witten is still one of the best tight ends in the league, but with this stable of pass catchers, it is likely he won’t reach 94 catches like he did last season.

            The Cowboys have a tremendous set of running backs as well. Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice average about 5 yards a carry combined. The offensive line is the one area of concern. Flozell Adams was cut and Doug Free will try to take over the left tackle spot...

Written by Steve Wright | 21 July 2010

The AFC South is the final AFC destination on our NFL training camp tour. Peyton Manning and the defending AFC Champion Colts will be trying to hold off a trio of teams hungry to knock the kings of the division off their throne.

Houston Texans - Houston, TX - July 30th

Starting RB - Steve Slaton vs Ben Tate vs Arian Foster

The problem for Slaton may be that he overachieved as a rookie. In 2008 he led the AFC in yards from scrimmage, but as a small back he was always going to have problems with the daily grind of being an NFL back. Those problems resulted in an injury last year and questions going into 2010. Foster is a former Tennessee Vol. of whom big things were expected coming out of college. In the last two games of 2009 he showed flashes of what he could do when handed the ball more often. Both backs may be pushed out by the new kid on the block however. The Texans grabbed Ben Tate from Auburn in the 2nd round of this year’s draft. Tate is a bruising back that looks ready made to be much more of an impact player in the NFL than he was in college. Running back can be one of the easier positions to transition to in the pros and as a result this a battle that is really up in the air.

Predicted winner - Ben Tate

Indianapolis Colts - Anderson, IN - August 1st

Starting RB - Joe Addai vs Donald Brown

 

Addai is one of those backs that seem to have been under pressure for his place almost as soon as he took the role of Indy’s starting running back from Edgerrin James. In a pass heavy system where sometimes there is little chance for a RB to shine, Addai does everything that is asked of him and more while keeping a low profile and never complaining about carries. Brown is the heir apparent, and some even had him winning this job going into last year’s training camp. They will split carries again, and Brown is certainly more of a home run threat, but for one more year at least expect Addai to stay put.

Predicted winner - Joe Addai

Jacksonville Jaguars - Jacksonville, FL -July 29th

Number 2 WR - Troy Williamson vs Jarett Dillard

This battle is assuming that Mike Sims-Walker is the number one WR, and that the Jags are comfortable using Mike Thomas as a primarily slot guy. That leaves a wide open competition with about five different contenders for the number 2 WR position, but I am narrowing it down to two players. Williamson was an enigma in Minnesota who frustrated the Vikings with production at a far lower level than his talent would suggest. Since moving to Florida injuries have derailed any attempt at redemption but now he finally seems to be healthy. Dillard was a stat machine at Rice, and the 2009 5th round pick showed flashes of brilliance last year in limited action. He is a human highlight reel and a playmaker that will be hard to keep off the field.

Predicted winner - Jarett Dillard

Tennessee Titans - Nashville, TN - July 31st

Number 1 WR - Kenny Britt vs Nate Washington vs Justin Gage

Everyone knows the Titans love to run the ball, and with Chris Johnson in the backfield who can blame them. The coaching staff though must want to keep Johnson’s touches limited so that he conserves his breathtaking speed without taking a beating from opposing defenses, and to do that someone needs to step up at WR. Kenny Britt is probably the favorite going into camp. Britt has great athleticism in a big (6'3) frame, and can make the spectacular catch when needed. Ex Steeler Nate Washington really failed to live up to expectations in Tennessee last year catching only 47 balls, he will have to show better ability to separate in camp to win the job. Justin Gage is the outsider of the group and is a player who has seen his receptions totals go down every year since entering the league. If this team is going to improve from a year ago one of these players is going to need to step up his game.

Predicted winner - Kenny Britt

 

Written by Steve Wright | 20 July 2010

Today on the road to training camp we look at the battles in what is one of the more intriguing divisions in the league, the AFC East. The New York Jets may have made the AFC Championship game last year, but the always dangerous New England Patriots will be looking to spoil the party in the Big Apple this time around, with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills looking to spring a surprise from nowhere on the big two teams. Here is a look at the key battle in each camp.

Buffalo Bills - Pittsford, NY - July 29th

Starting QB - Ryan Fitzpatrick vs Trent Edwards vs Brian Brohm



New Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey has declared an open competition for the role of the Bills starting quarterback in 2010. Gailey has a good offensive mind and in his last NFL stint as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs he was able to at times get surprising results with well below average talent. One of Gaileys attributes is his willingness to be creative and play to the strengths of his players, and with the three men vying for the QB position this will be essential. Former Harvard grad Fitzpatrick became the Bills primary signal caller last year, but he struggled while throwing 9 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his 8 games. Though he certainly has the smarts to be an NFL QB, his physical tools are limited. Edwards never seemed to recover from the concussion he suffered early last year, and though still young he seems to have regressed each season since taking the starting job...