So with our final part of this year’s First Look series, we turn our gaze towards the AFC West. As well as the Chargers, who were part of the great entertainment at Wembley Stadium in 2008, NFL UK fans will also keep an eye on this division for the Broncos who will be visiting these shores at the end of October this year.

This was the division that I most accurately predicted last season, correcting stating that the Chargers would win and that the Broncos in second would not make the play-offs. I’d take some credit but really, who saw it any differently?

Let’s see if it’s as straight-forward this year…

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have had the AFC West as their personal playground for a while now. Last year was their 4th consecutive divisional title, and even when they’re not so good (like 2008’s 8-8 record) the rest of the teams have fallen over themselves to let San Diego take the title.

LaDainian Tomlinson was released after 9 seasons with the Chargers. He was a joy to watch when at his peak, and though that’s clearly past he’ll be hoping to do well in New York with the Jets. It’s quite possible the Jets could meet the Chargers in the play-offs… I hope so, for the teams as much as the story with LDT. Darren Sproles, who was a solid third-down back in 2009 goes into 2010 with another short-term contract in place. 12th overall pick Ryan Mathews in expected to start and to get a lot of carries across the season… if his contract is sorted for training camp then he’s a good fantasy option for the lower rounds!

For the receivers, Vincent Jackson will miss the first few games with a suspension. Along with Sproles, Malcolm Kelly and Antonio Gates will be Philip Rivers‘ main targets.

Defensively, they need to improve a little everywhere. But it’s not a bad unit that has been augmented across the draft with Donald Butler, Darrell Stuckey and Cam Thomas who should all see playing time early – Stuckey in particular at safety.

With core successful parts of the team largely unchanged, this team carries good continuity over from last year. Their loss against the Jets was down to just a few key moments, and they’ll feel there is unfinished business. I can’t look past them for the division. Again.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders have made a big step forward with finally giving up on the JaMarcus Russell experiment and trading for Jason Campbell from the Redskins. There is no question that he’s an upgrade and should improve whole elements of the game. He’s not perfect, he holds onto the ball too long, and can stall drives in the redzone, but he’s better than Russell. Play-calling this year will be down to Hue Jackson, who’s come in from Baltimore.

Rolando McClain, drafted 8th overall this year, comes in and is the immediate leader on the defence. He needs to help stop the run. Nnamdi Asomugha remains one of the league’s premier corners, and a main reason why this team is so good against the pass (the other is that they’re so bad against the run!)

Coming of successive 5-11 records, they’ll look to to better. I’m not sure I can see it at this point though.

Denver Broncos

Whilst I’m looking forward to mercilessly booing the Broncos at Wembley, there are some intriguing stories to watch develop here. Knowshon Moreno had a great rookie season and was fun to watch, I’ll be hoping he doesn’t suffer the dreaded sophomore slump. Brandon Marshall is now out of town, so Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas will look to lead the line. Thomas was the first receiver taken in the 2010 NFL Draft and forms part of a promising young corp. Brandon Lloyd, a favourite of Kyle Orton at Chicago, will also look to hook up with his old quarterback.

Speaking of Orton… he posted his career best stats last season, better than Jay Cutler did in Chicago (much, I’m sure, to Josh McDaniel’s delight). However, he’s now got not only Brady Quinn behind him, but Tim Tebow. Nobody divides opinion quite like Tim Tebow, but common wisdom has him starting 2011 and he could well be used as a redzone impact player… though it’s not so clear which position he’d play! Regardless of those behind him, Orton will be looking to push on.

The Broncos were great against the pass last year, with only the Jets and Bills giving up fewer yards, but it was a different story against the run where they ranked 26th overall. A similar story to Oakland in that regard. Don Martindale moves from linebackers coach to DC and will have to work mainly with the same personnel he had last year.

After starting 6-0 last season and ranking up impressive wins on the way, the Broncos will think they should have done more than becoming only the 7th team since the merger to have such a start and then not make the play-offs. I can – just about – see them getting to 9-7 and being in play-off contention this year. Week 16 against the Texans could be a big game.

Kansas City Chiefs

The poor Chiefs. When a 4-12 record is a big step forward, you know it’s not been a good time.

Matt Cassel was the big signing for the 2009 season but in the end, you could easily make a case for Tyler Thigpen having a better season in 2008 than Cassel did in 2009. Chris Chambers, who came in last year off waivers, has signed a long-term deal and will start opposite Dwayne Bowe. One bright spot for the Chiefs was the emergence of Jamaal Charles at running back. Once Larry Johnson was released, he took over the major share of carries and gained a great YPC average and eventually became the first player in history to get 1,100 yards on fewer than 200 carries.

The story for the Chiefs this year is the big changes to the coaching staff. Pretty much the entire team will be coached by new faces this season, and how quickly adjustments are made will be telling this year for the Chiefs.

They may well improve, but I can’t see them making a big splash in the conference.

Predictions (made 18th July 2010)

Image Credit: Robert Sanque

Two divisions left to go, both in the AFC. The West, but first let’s take a look at the South.  Things didn’t happen in quite the way they were predicted last season. Judging by the number of Colts and Titans shirts we saw at Wembley last year, UK NFL fans would love to see some of these teams in London soon. But they’ll probably just have to hope for serious post-season runs for now…

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts looked so good all through the post-season that it looked like they were heading for another Superbowl. As we know, and despite what we here at MacTalksNFL thought, it wasn’t to be the case.

Going into the second year under Jim Caldwell, there’s no way this team won’t make the post-season. That’s a given, and the front office in Indy shows a lot of the league how things should be done. They’ll need more of that as it comes to getting a new deal in place for Peyton Manning in an uncapped season. What he gets will reverberate across the league, but it’s hard to imagine it becoming a real distraction: A deal will get done.

They ranked only 19th in defense last year. They’ve resigned some core components of this unit – like Melvin Bullitt, Gary Brackett and Antoine Bethea and also spent their first three draft picks to do better on this side of the ball.

Like I said above – they’ll make the playoffs. It’s the easiest call we get to make.

Houston Texans

We all love the Texans and really want them to do well. Last year they got close (again) but they didn’t quite make it (again). The sting of not making the play-offs will have hurt, but this young team did record their first winning season, continuing a steady trend of careful building and development over the last few years.

Finishing second though, has meant their schedule looks trickier than it might have done – not that this team will fear anyone, and the number 1 passing offence in particular will feel then can beat anyone through the air. Despite what coach Kubiak says, they probably don’t want to pass all the time. Steve Slaton was a fumble-machine last season, eventually losing his spot to Ryan Moats (and costing my Fantasy League glory too!). Moats is now with the Vikings, so Slaton will hope to get more chances even if the team is well stocked at running back after getting Ben Tate in the draft. How well they can adjust to new OC Rick Dennison will be the story of the first few games.

They will certainly need to improve in-division too. Their 1-5 record ultimately cost them – as the 7th ranked team in the AFC just one additional win would have got them safely into a wildcard spot. With three of those divisional losses being by 5 points or less, these games were winnable.

The defence was decidedly mid-table, and whilst it can improve it’s probably more important that they don’t regress. Like I mentioned above, this is a likeable young team with some real studs… but with a harder schedule, I don’t see them getting to 9-7 again.

Tennessee Titans

Talk about a season of two halves. The Titans opened up 2009 with six consecutive losses, putting them well and truly on the back foot. Coming back after their bye week, Vince Young started and the team started to follow him. The remaining 10 games saw only two losses to end the season a respectable (considering) 8-8.

Chris Johnson was a hero out of the backfield, becoming only the 6th player to run for 2000 yards in a season and also breaking Marshall Faulk’s yards from scrimmage record. Now he wants to be paid, and based on his form of the past two seasons it’s easy to see his case. Hopefully it’ll come together with him and the Titans before any hold out affects his play this year.

Knowing it was an area that needed help, the Titans spent 6 of their 9 draft picks on that side of the ball, including on Myron Rolle, who gives NFL UK fans a sort of home player to support.

This is a team that has played well in fits and starts over the last two years, and will be confident of being a real contender this year.

Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s been a difficult time for the Jaguars since they went 11-5 in 2007. A terrible 2008 looked like it might be put to bed until they finished 2009 with 4 consecutive losses for a final record of 7-9. Worse is that apart from hanging with the Dolphins, they were never really in any of those games. They also had television blackouts for 7 of their home games as various factors affected attendance and you wonder how that affects the players.

This is a team that wasn’t outright bad anywhere on the field, but need small improvements everywhere – something that can often be difficult to put right. However, Coach Del Rio obviously believes in the offence, and they’ve been left largely alone so far this off-season as he’s concentrated on strengthening the defence. Aaron Kampman comes in from Green Bay, and with the 10th overall pick the Jags took Tyson Alualu for two immediate upgrades to the D-Line. They also drafted another tackle, end and linebacker as well as trading for Kirk Morrison in Oakland, who has been a tackle machine in his last two seasons. There will definitely be an improvement with the front seven.

But this team will need luck as well as skill and talent. As with the Texans, I can’t see them getting to 9 wins but think that like last season they’ll hang in the division and can’t be ruled out if a couple of borderline games go their way.

Predictions (made 12th July 2010)

Image Credit: Kagilbert45

Being my first ‘Division’ prediction, ever, I figured I might as well do one for the division I know most about! The AFC North is usually an entertaining and exciting division. The matches are played well, and are usually close. Rivalry is fierce and the bouts are relentless. It’s always difficult predicting without seeing the four pre-season matches, but I’m going to give it a go.

Baltimore Ravens

I’ll try not to be too biased here. We’ve significantly strengthened this off-season, both in the draft and trades. Our offensive line is still as strong, our running game still has a 3-man attack and our defence is still a no-nonsense, hard-hitting gang with additions of massive monster players who I really look forward to seeing in purple (Sergio Kindle and Mount Cody). Joe Flacco will be the one to watch this coming season. He has more weapons than he has ever had, so in my opinion it is make or break for him. If, after this season, our passing game hasn’t improved then I think we need to analyse why that is. With Derek Mason, Anquan Boldin, Todd Heap, Ray Rice and Donte’ Stallworth to throw to we should be putting up big numbers. It’s an exciting time in Baltimore. We’re looking not only for the Divisional Title, but the Superbowl too.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals played some good football last season. I was impressed. Carson Palmer is an amazing quarterback on his day and I look forward to seeing him again this term. He has the added weapon of Antonio Bryant, which I think is a superb pick up for the Bengals. They also grabbed Jermaine Gresham in the draft, a definite prospect and one who could go straight into the starting line-up. They haven’t exactly weakened over the off-season so I’m expecting much of the same from the Bengals. They’ll prove a worthy foe

Cleveland Browns

The Browns started off the season as expected last term. They didn’t impress anybody. Harsh, but true. Nobody (except me it seems) predicted them to win any games towards the end of last season, but they seemed to settle and looked more established. Brady Quinn is released, Jake Delhomme comes in. Puzzling really. I always thought Quinn had potential. Colt McCoy is a good move in the draft though. He’s young and hungry, and could well find himself playing a part this season. I think I’d trust the rookie over Delhomme any day of the week!
Ben Watson comes in at tight end too. I think he will be a solid option on offence and I always did like him at New England. They have improved defensively and I’m looking forward to seeing Joe Haden playing. That said, I don’t think they have made the moves to rise up in the division and I still feel the other three teams are stronger.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaaah, the Steelers. I won’t say anything about the off-field issues; instead I’ll just get to the point. Santonio Holmes has left for pastures new (Jets) leaving Mike Wallace to fill the void he has left. Wallace did show signs of being a good target, but whether he can be as reliable as Holmes remains to be seen. Big Ben definitely misses the first 4 matches of the season, possibly first 6. A massive blow for the Steelers. Their star quarterback and one of their big receiving targets missing. For this reason I don’t think that Pittsburgh will be contending for the AFC North title. They have weakened whereas others have strengthened and it will be their downfall this season.

Predictions (made 14th June 2010)

Image Credit: Alan Bowser

We all know that predicting the divisions before the season has started can be, well, lets say – tricky! However, it is one of the things that we love doing and something that serves as a reference point for the changing fortunes of teams throughout the year. Oh, and more importantly means we can refer back to the awful predictions each other made as the year goes on!.

New England Patriots

We head in to the new season with the Patriots not looking as unbeatable as they have in recent years. In fact if we look at the bookies early odds for the Super Bowl they are sitting at 14, much higher than at this point last year. I hope Wes Welker continues his way back from injury or it leaves quarterback Tom Brady with fewer options.

The Patriots picked up some handy looking tight-ends in Anthony Hernandez and Ron Gronkowski that add dimension to the offense.

The schedule looks quite easy on them which may help mask the holes that they have, and lets face it you can never write them off. I am sure Pats’ fans are not too worried just yet.

New York Jets

Well, I thought the Jets were going to get off to a bad start last season and was proved wrong.  T-Rex seems to be able to get the best out of his players (I think I would try harder rather than face him off too) and while there is still rebuilding work to be done they did have a good run.

I don’t like the swap of Thomas Jones for LaDanian Tomlinson.  It might have made sense a while ago, but Jones was on great form and despite troubles his game will surely get better.  Jason Taylor will be lining up against the Dolphins in a Jets’ shirt and is a good steady force in an already good defence.  There were no real age issues evident last season and he should roll out another good performance this time around.  Mark Sanchez I am sure will settle now that he has some experience.

With their schedule there is a great chance of them making the play-offs again if they can hold it together.

Miami Dolphins

Last seasons’ Dolphins were a great team with holes in it.  Quarterback Chad Henne proved that with the experience of Pennigton in his ear he could make things happen.  There are few worries in my mind that he won’t be able to build on that this season.  That brings me to the signing of Brandon Marshall.  At last Henne can throw the ball with a hope that there is someone there to catch it!  Ok, too harsh, but Ted Ginn Jr dropped some important balls in some important games.  I really hope that they continue to make more of Davone Bess, as I think he has so much more to offer.

The addition of Mike Nolan as defensive co-ordinator and an OK schedule mean that there is a real race with the Jets this year.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills pulled off some good wins last season, but they are in tough company in the AFC East.  They have bought in some rookies which should improve the team, CJ Spiller and Alex Carrington being among them.

Trent Edwards needs to add a wider dimension to his game to keep hold of his position.  I get the feeling that there is more to come and hope that he shows it early on.

Really this is a building year; there is work to be done to take them up a notch.  That is not a bad thing though, building years for the Dolphins and Jets paid off and the same could happen here.

Summary

This is going to be close and tough.  There are three teams here which could take the AFC East title in my opinion and calling the finial standings is a long shot at the moment.

Predictions (made 10th June 2010)

Image Credit: Khaijg (again!)

The run that the Saints went on took us by surprise. Indeed, from the pre- and off-season Graham and I both fancied the Panthers to be the err, big dogs of the division. As it happened, they were pussycats and the Saints went marching on and it’s now history. But enough of me murdering metaphors…

This NFC South has been particularly well balanced in recent years, with all four teams making the post season and each team has made the championship game and all but the Falcons made the Super Bowl since 2002. That could make things hard, but could make them fun too!

So let’s take a look…

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ah the Bucs. Our party to Wembley last year for the International Series game were all (except one, Ant!) Bucs for a day but it was hard to cheer them on as they never looked like winning that game. In the end the Pats won at a canter in a pretty one-sided affair. But like with all the teams we’ve had he privilige to see; who’ve made the effort to come to Wembley and put on a display for us, we do feel a certain attachment to them.

Josh Freeman gave the offense a little spark in the second half of the season and we’ll watch his development. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams was back after injury and also did well. Antonio Bryant was released to free agency and has joined the Bengals. The defense has been looked after in the draft, with Gerald McCoy as the 3rd overall pick being the big name here. The Bucs would use 6 of their 9 picks addressing the defense.

But it’s hard to look beyond this team as having anything more than a rebuilding season. I could easily see them doing worse than the 3 wins of 2009. I hope not, but it’s very possible.

New Orleans Saints

As reigning champions, the Saints will have both a natural swagger and a huge target on their backs. Whilst there’s no doubt that this team will put up serious points, they have many frailties on the other side of the ball to rectify if they want to repeat… a task which is a tough ask for any team.

However, expect the confidence to show. To beat this team you have to shut down the offense, and that’s not easy with the weapons they have. But there are still questions here: Can Darren Sharper, coming off knee surgery and 34, be as effective as he was last year. How will Reggie Bush, going into his 5th season, play? He had a poor 2009 and has never been the standout that was expected though he remains a threat catching out of the backfield. Will Drew Brees put up 2008 level numbers again, how will Jeremy Shockey be? Can the defence improve?

This is a team that pretty much everyone is pleased to see doing so well and I hope they can carry that form into 2010. For now, they’re the team to beat in the South.

Atlanta Falcons

It was a strange season for the Falcons. Although the posted a winning record, they only beat one team with a winning record (the Jets in week 15). A result that saw them eliminated from the post-season due to other results. Whenever they faced the ‘better’ teams they seemed wanting. And that’s despite Matt Ryan taking real strides forward in his sophomore season. Michael Turner had a disappointing season after his stand-out showing in 2008. But they remain a team to be wary of. Stats-wise, the offence was steady despite key injuries and the defence improved on 2008 but needs to improve further.

The Falcons play the Panthers in weeks 14 and 17. Those two games will likely be the difference for these teams. What in soccer would be called “six pointers”.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were the disappointment of the division last season. Sure the Bucs were terrible, but we all expected that. The Panthers were just as bad considering they should have been contenders. As it happens, they lost key games early on and were always on the back foot. Whilst all the blame can’t be put on QB Jake Delhomme, a lot of it can. The experienced QB threw a career-high 18 interceptions on his way to posting the worst rating of his career… a career which will continue in Cleveland.

The Panthers will look to Matt Moore to take them forward, but were also lucky to get Jimmy Clausen as their first pick deep in the second round of the draft. Considered the most pro-ready of this year’s draft class, there’s a story there to watch. The Panthers will also need continued production from DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart who continue to look like the best running tandem in the league.

Defensively the Panthers were a good unit last year, and tweaks rather than mass changes are needed here. But this is a team defined by its offence. If they can click, move (and protect) the ball, then this will be a team to watch out for again.

Predictions (made 7th June 2010)
It’s very close between the Panthers and Falcons for me, but for now I can see the division shaping up the same way it did in 2009.

Thumbnail Credit: Khaijg

There are no easy divisions to predict but the NFC North is one of the toughest. Last year neither Graham or I saw the Vikings being as good as they turned out to be. Neither of us saw the North sending two teams into the post-season either but it turned out to be the case. Although we all called the Lions to prop up, the Bears were a disappointment and again caused us to get it wrong.

Let’s take an early look ahead to the 2010 NFL season…

Minnesota Vikings

The season was over for the Vikes for approximately 14 second before the questions and pantomime around Brett Favre started again: Will he be back or not? As he’s opted for surgery on his ankle suggests that he wants to be back next year. By getting the surgery early he’s giving himself the best possible chance of being ready, should he decide that’s what he wants. To his credit Tavaris Jackson is being a real professional and simply carrying on regardless but I don’t think anyone would state that the Vikings wouldn’t miss Favre if he doesn’t return.
And that’s all I’ll talk about him until we get a “Yes” or “No” from the man. Sometime in late July, I guess.

To support the running game, they drafted Stanford star Toby Gerhart. Gerhart split coaches and scouting opinions right down the middle in the build-up to the draft but I like the look of him. Sitting behind Adrian Peterson is a good spot for him right now and a good fit for the team. The 6th ranked defense was also boosted with the drafting of Back Chris Cook as their first pick and End Everson Griffen as their third.

This team was so very close to the Superbowl last year and they should be real contenders again.

Green Bay Packers

Quarterback (and Mac favourite!) Aaron Rodgers had a great year despite being sacked freely by every team they faced. Bryan Bulaga was drafted to give depth at tackle to try and protect Rodgers. The Pack really got going the second half of last season and lost only twice from week 10 onwards: by 1 point to the Steelers and in overtime in a playoff shootout against the Cardinals in the Wildcard game.

They’ve held on to most of the free agents in the off-season and have supplemented the team a little across the board. This is a likeable team, and I want them to do well. If they can protect him, they have one of the league’s elite QBs and the 2nd ranked defense in the league. They should compete in a tight division. That they close out the season with successive games at Lambeau Field could well work in their favour.

Detroit Lions

The Lions were better last year than the 2008 variety, that’s not a surprise and would have been impossible. For a lot of games, they played well and though they were comprehensively beaten a number of times there were a lot of games where they were hanging in there or controller large portions of play. We all remember the win against the Redskins (*sigh*) that snapped a 19 game losing streak as well as the last second win against the Browns where Matthew Stafford completed an amazing passage of play that saw him sacked hard before coming back to complete a pass to rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew – setting up a PAT to take the game.

There has been a lot of free agency movement in both directions from the Lions and there are a lot of notable moves that improve the team (like Duante Culpepper out, Kyle Vanden Bosch in). They also took Ndamukong Suh with the second overall pick to up their defensive line even more. For a team that was ranked last in yards allowed – this is obviously an area that needed attention. Jahvid Best was also taken in the first round, and immediately improves the running game.

Head Coach Jim Schwartz goes into his second year in charger, and the large number of changes he made should bed in. But this remains a really tough division and it’s hard to see them making a real mark.

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler was supposed to be the missing piece in a team that had flattered in recent seasons. Coming into a team with a sound defensive reputation, he was the man who was going to turn the offence into a unit capable of winning games. But it wasn’t to turn out that way. There were steps forward by key players – Devon Hester emerged as a valid starting receiver and Ryan Grant had another good year as did Greg Olsen, but overall it was a disappointing season.

Defensively, Brian Urlacher was lost for the season after the first game – he was placed on injured reserved after dislocating his wrist. He’d be missed, but Hunter Hillenmeyer was a great stand-in. Lance Briggs had another good year and was voted to the Pro-Bowl. Reputation aside, the defense was a mid-table unit in terms of stats but did improve from the previous year. But for the Bears, the season was over when they lost four games in a run in November. With Jay Cutler having a career high five interceptions in the loss to the 49ers.

They have a tough run in this season, facing the Patriots, Vikings, Jets and Packers in the final four weeks. There will be some crunch games there as long as the team is still in the playoff hunt. The entire squad needs to step up if that’s to be the case as right now I see the division as being a close two-horse race between the Vikes and the Pack.

Predictions (made 2nd June 2010)

Image Credit: topher208, with thanks.

This is another division where I didn’t cover myself in glory. By my own admission it was the one that I struggled with most, but my call of Seattle and Arizona as a wildcard. The Seahawks were appalling, and the 49ers finished strongly to take second but were way short of the playoffs.

Graham did well though, calling the Cards as divisional winners and 49ers as runners up but missing the playoffs. Nice work.

What will happen this year?

Seattle Seahawks

Jim Mora stepped up as head coach at the beginning of last season, and things started going wrong almost immediately. They were unable to make a long-term deal with linebacker Leroy Hill and he and many others – such as Bobby Engrams and Julian Peterson – were lost to free agency or to other clubs. A promising pre-season and a shutout against the Rams in week one set a high mood, but that was to be the only week the ‘Hawks would have a winning record in the season. The eventually limped home to 5-11 on a 4 game losing streak. There were some bright spots, such as tight-end and fantasy football hero John Carlson, but overall it was a season to forget.

Mora was fired shortly after the season end and Pete Carroll has been given another shot at the NFL. There were other changes in the front office and as is the way with a new head coach there were many changes to the rest of the coaching staff. With the 6th and 14th picks in the NFL Draft Russell Okung and Earl Thomas come in to address obvious needs, LenDale White and Kevin Dickerson came in from the Titans.

This is a team that is better set than last season, when there were questions in a number of areas, but there remains a big question mark over Pete Carroll’s NFL credentials. He does have a winning record, but is considered by many to be better suited for the college game in terms of his style and man-management abilities. If he can control the team, earn their respect and get them playing for him then this team could again take the division. That’s a big IF at the moment though.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers finished the season much better than they ended it. After restructuring his contract and then losing the starting role to Shaun Hill, Alex Smith regained the position halfway through the season and got better as he went. Shaun Hill has now left for the Lions and the talk coming out of the Niners camp that Smith more of a leader than ever and the offense is excited to have him. For the first time in a while, the 49ers will have the same offensive coach for more than a single season and that will only server them well. The line has been improved with first round picks Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati. Ted Ginn Jr also joined from the Dolphins and will be looking to kick on a promising career that had stalled. Add in Vernon Davis’ growing maturity and production and Frank Gore and you have a unit to be wary of.

Defensively this was a great unit, as you would expect from a Mike Singletary team, and only the Ravens, Cowboys and Jets allowed fewer points. Taylor Mays, one of Pete Carroll’s Trojans and once described as being faster than Chris Johnson, comes in to bolster the secondary. This unit otherwise has seen little change.

There’s definitely a feeling of optimism around San Francisco, and with doubts about the Cardinals and the Rams.. well, the Rams being the Rams they are strong contenders in an admittedly weak division.

We’ll be watching closely as they are the designated home-team for the NFL International Series game in London this year. They’ll take on the Broncos at Wembley Stadium (where Ted Ginn Jr could become the first player to score two TDs at Wembley) in late October.

Arizona Cardinals

The big question in Arizona is can Matt Leinart step up and lead the team. Kurt Warner retired this off-season and I don’t think there’s a single fan in the world who would wish him anything but the best. Leinart was taken with the 10th overall pick of the 2006 Draft, after Vince Young and one pick ahead of Jay Cutler. His maturity has been questioned at times, but it could be that he’ll have learned from the time on the sidelines… it could well pay off in an Aaron Rodgers style way. However he plays, he’ll be doing so without Anquan Boldin as a target. Big Boldin is now plying his trade in Baltimore.

Kerry Rhodes will attempt to help a secondary that was incapable of stopping the ball towards the end of last year. The draft gave them defensive end Dan Williams, who has improved the line straight away but this unit really struggled in the post-season last year, giving up 45 points in successive games and going out. They’ll have to improve on that against the top quarterbacks to do well this season.

I said this last year, but I think it’s more appropriate this… I see them struggling this season and I can’t see them in the post-season at all.

St. Louis Rams

The only way is up for the Rams. Let’s be honest about that.

Everyone saw them taking Sam Bradford in the draft and sure enough they did. He goes straight in as starter and it’ll be great to see him in action, as long as he’s not getting sacked left right and centre. Steven Jackson remains an outright stud out of the backfield and his production in the last few years has been nothing short of stunning but this team has had problems all over the place.

Coach Spagnuolo has said he was pleased with the effort shown last season and I can’t say that I ever saw the Rams quit in what must have been difficult times. Beyond that though… I’m going to watch the pre-season develop but I can’t look to anyone else to come in 4th here.

Predictions (made 27th May 2010)

Thumbnail Credit: Alfred Benway

I did pretty badly with this last year, predicting that the Giants and Eagles would go into the post-season as winners and wildcard respectively. In the end, the Cowboys surprised and the Giants disappointed to swap places from my predictions. Unfortunately the ‘Skins did no better than I thought they would and were propping up the division.

Let’s see what’s happening for 2010…

New York Giants

The Giants started so promisingly last season, but then it all went wrong as the compiled an 3-8 record in the final 11 weeks. Although they scored good victories against the Redskins and Cowboys, after three easy games (Bucs, Chiefs and Raiders) it was a slippery slope that saw them unable to compete with any serious competition. On the bright side, they did sweep the Cowboys.

The off-season and draft saw the Giants make some steady, augmenting steps. This was not a rebuilding process, but plenty of attention – including 6 of the 7 Draft picks – being spent on the defence. DE Jason Pierre-Paul has great potential, but will need to be coached carefully to get the best out of him. Other picks included linebackers Phillip Dillard and Adrian Tracy that will look to replace the departing Antonio Pierce. Antrel Rolle came in as a free agent, becoming the most expensive Safety in history in in the process. Jim Sorgi also came in from the Colts, continuing his fine career of backing up a Manning.

With only a ‘tweaking’ of the offence, this is a team that feels they can compete on that side of the ball and with the new players coming in on the D, they’ll hope to improve of their middling 13th rating.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys surprised us all last year by turning up and playing when it mattered, and by getting the proverbial monkey of their backs in crunch games. They closed out the regular season with consecutive divisional shut-outs. Beating Washington and then Philadelphia to take the NFC East title. A rematch with the Eagles in the wildcard round saw them finish a three-game sweep against the divisional rivals and set up a game in Minnesota. This win was the first Cowboys’ playoff victory since 1996 and there was a real feeling that the tide had turned. Of course, it wasn’t to be but this is a team that’s looking strong for 2010.

Dez Bryant has come in, and he looks good so far. He’s certainly a rookie to watch. Roy Williams is making the right noises and the D has been deepened with the rest of the draft. They need to improve on takeaways, but it was overall a solid unit last year.
Tony Romo skipped golf for voluntary OTAs! You can’t say much more than that from a guy who looks more and more like a real leader of the team. For me, at the moment… and I hate saying it… the ‘Boys are the team to watch in this division next year.

Philadelphia Eagles

For too many years to remember the offence in Philli has been lead by Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Not any more. Westbrook hit that age, and also suffered with injuries a lot last year. Rather amusingly, his official page hasn’t had its stats updated since the 2007 season. McNabb is of course in Washington now.

Last season the Eagles ranked 11th in offence and 12th in defence overall, which is not bad really but this team was all over the place for the first half of the season before making real strides in the second half before it wall went wrong against Dallas.

9 of the Eagles’ whopping 13 draft selections were on defence and the offence is being put in the hands of Kevin Kolb. Kolb was drafted behind Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell back in 2007, and he’s been steady if unspectacular so far. All the right talk is coming out of the Eagles’ camp, but it remains to be seen if can lead a young team onwards.

Washington Redskins

I’ve spoken a lot already about some of the changes that the Redskins needed to make, and those that they have made. I won’t dwell too much on this team, as I’m sure I’ll be talking more about them soon enough, but there’s a real sense of optimism coming out of the team. Lots has changed, and that might take a while to bed in but there’s not one player who thinks that the changes aren’t a good thing. OK, there is one player who thinks that and I hope Big Albert gets back on side soon.
Could they take the division? Who knows at this point, but I guess you’re here to find out my opinion. I would say no, but think we’ll be competing up until the final week… Best case is a play-off spot coming the way of Burgandy and Gold.

Predictions (made 20th May 2010)

Thumbnail Credit: lil robs

So here we are then, the Super Bowl! 32 teams started, and a lot of them had a good chance of getting here; some did not but had the dreams, so did not and knew it.

It was back on September 10th 2009 that Graham and I took our Final Look, going out on a limb on who would be here, and neither of us mentioned the Saints and we only put the Colts into a Wildcard spot. So yeah, that shows what we knew back then. The Saints have shown some real steel in their play, as have the Colts. Both teams are offensive juggernauts who have been good enough (though not fearsome) defensively. But that they are the two best teams cannot be disputed – well, it can, but you know what I mean – and for the first time in too long for me to bother checking, the two top seeded teams will take to the pitch for the big game.

What do we think…

Will Trade Husband for SB Tickets

Andrew – I think it’s fair to say that all of us here feel a certain affection for the Saints. Not only did they come and play in London, but they put on one heck of a great game that we still remember fondly. As a franchise they’ve been a bit downtrodden over the years and it’s great to see them doing so well at last. There is also the Katrina factor – to be doing so well for a city that has suffered so much does warm the heart.
On top of that is that they feature some extremely watchable players: Drew Brees, of course, Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, Darren Sharper, Tracy Porter, Jonathan Vilma and Mac Favourite Will Smith to name but some of this exciting and talented squad.

The Colts though… they have possibly one of the finest QBs ever to play the game in Peyton Manning. Watching him learn, adjust and then shred the Jets was yet another masterclass from this pro. On top of that he seems like a truly nice guy, and I enjoy most of his adverts. With Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon giving him options when Reggie Wayne is covered, Dallas Clark a big part of the passing game and a fair running game and good offensive line… you know that this is a team that can put up serious points.

Defensively, they might not feature many ‘big’ names but as a unit they can play and produce results. They’ll be hoping to get Freeney ready to play, and the signs are that he’ll be ready. Doug Farrar has a good article here about the Colts’ ‘underappreciated’ front 7 that is worth a read. These guys do come in under the radar, but shouldn’t be ignored.

After resting for the end of the regular season, the Colts have been impressive in dismissing the Ravens and Jets and that decision – to rest and be ready for the playoffs rather than chase 16-0 could well be vindicated come Super Bowl Sunday.

But this remains a very difficult game to call. The odds-makers have the Colts as narrow favourites, and I think that’s fair. Whilst the Saints will have many neutrals, me included, supporting them, I think the Colts are an opponent too far and too strong. So I’m calling a Colts win.

Craig - Not the Superbowl i wanted, but a good game it will be. Andrew has basically hit all the points that need to be hit so i’ll get right down to the predicting. I want a Saints win, but i’m going for a Colts win.

Superbowl 41 Championship Ring

Graham - OK, I’ll get right to it, I want the Saints to win the Super Bowl. There done. Now, would I put money on it? Well not for a win bet no. On paper this is the Colts game, but as we know the Super Bowl doesn’t always work like that does it. Cast you mind back to the ‘They will never win it’ NY Giants v the ‘Nobody can beat them’ Patriots a couple of years ago and you will see what I mean.

I think it would be great if we had 2 Super Bowl winners from the last 3 Wembley games and for that reason (notice I am putting all logical thought aside for this one). I am picking the Saints.

The long and short of it is I don’t really mind who wins. I am going to sit back and relax with a beer enjoy the game and The Who and be thankful that we are getting a live broadcast on TV and have yet another regular season game to look forward to in London this October.

Official Mac Prediction:

The most important question is – Who do you think will win?

Image Credits:
Will Trade Husband… Chopfinger
Our wives (and fiancée) would not hold this sign up. For that we’re both grateful, and a little saddened.

Championship Ring… briser50

Despite our decidedly poor form in the playoffs, we all (as did many others) that it would go this way. We have two weeks of Peyton Manning adverts and preparation now as the build up. Oh yeah, and the Pro-Bowl, if you’re into that sort of thing I suppose.

We’ll be back next week with our thoughts for the big game. There’s a lot to think on.

Come the off-season and we’ll be looking to finish off our Favourite Four series (looking back, some of these guys didn’t have good seasons!) as well as keeping an eye on the wheelings and dealings of Free Agency and of course the draft… plenty happening.

Image Credit: Stellybot