In a move that surprised precisely no-one, the San Diego Chargers have released LaDanian Tomlinson. This saves them a $2M roster bonus that was due last month and with Sproles becoming a free agent after being Franchised last year… we all new this was coming.

To me there are fewer things sadder in the NFL than the way Running Backs deteriorate so suddenly. Sure, it happens in other positions but these guys are often key and important players that are highly visible. Then, a few years later, they’re shadows of their former selves. The League is dotted with cases like this with Shaun Alexander being the most recent example – cut just over 2 years after signing a record-breaking deal. I watched Clinton Portis and Ladell Bett’s form this year with that same near-30 sinking feeling.

However, the whole affair seems to have been managed with some class and that’s something. The fact is that if he wants it, there’ll be a place for him on a team. No, he’s not an every down back, and his cuts and pace have slowed with his age, but there are plenty of teams who would be happy to have him as an impact player for a year or two.

Here at Mac, we’re wishing him luck whatever he turns his mind to.

Image Credit: SD Dirk

Donovan McNabb will miss this Sundays game.  Quarter back duties will again be taken by Kevin Kolb, with an impressive back up team of Michael Vick and Jeff Garcia.

Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson will most likely play with his back injury after talking it down. -

“God willing, I will be out there playing. Not a big deal at all.”

New York Jets

Mark Sanchez, the Jets impressive rookie quarter back is suffering from tendinitis in his right knee.  It is not expected to stop him from playing on Sunday.

San Diego Chargers

Seven Chargers missed practice yesterday including LaDainian Tomlinson, outside linebacker Shawne Merriman and right guard Louis Vasquez.  It is not yet known who will play on Sunday, but this will leave holes when they are visited by Miami.

Yesterday we reported that the Eagles had released Hank Baskett, well the Colts have now snapped him up as cover for Gonzalez.

Philadelphia Eagles
Injured quarter back Donovan McNabb has still not been ruled out of playing against the Saints on Sunday.

While McNabb has played with injuries before a broken rib might have quite a detrimental effect on his game!

San Diego Chargers
LaDainian Tomlinson, Nick Hardwick and Louis Vasquez all missed practice on Thursday after picking up injuries against Oakland.  This might leave them a little light when they face Baltimore in week 2.

Detroit Lions
Sad news that former coach Monte Clark has passed away.  Clark led them to the play-offs twice.  He was 72.

These are based on what we’ve been watching, what we’ve been following, some blind faith and our guts. These are are our predictions for the 12 post-season teams of the 2009 season.

This topic and tables will be locked and not edited once it is published. It will then be used for mocking, gloating, fighting (and probably crying) throughout the course of the season. We’ll come back to this every few weeks to carry out at least one of the above acts.

Andrew’s Predictions

NFC
If you’ve been following my First and Second look articles, then there shouldn’t be any surprises here.

In the NFC, I have the Giants topping the east. I’m hoping that the Redskins can surprise me here and edge a playoff spot, but I don’t really see it. In the west, I’m calling Seattle after a lot of deliberation. I’m also giving a wildcard spot to the Arizona Cardinals, in one of the divisions I’ve struggled with the most. The North is just as bad, I’m going with Green Bay. I’d really have liked longer to make a call on the Vikings’ prospects but here we are…

Finally from one of the hardest to one of the easiest: The Panthers to win in the south.

The final NFC wildcard is very tricky. It’s between the Falcons and the Eagles and as much as I hate to go against the Falcons, I can’t see the NFC East not sending at least two teams. So I’m going with the Eagles.

AFC
Things are easier in the AFC. A little bit, anyway – I see all four divisions as two-horse races

The Pats to take win the AFC East. I’m taking a gamble here (of a sort) that Brady is back to something like his best, but I’m confident with it. I see the Titans edging out the Colts in the south, though I’m putting the Colts in the wildcard mix and they can never be counted out.

The north will see the Ravens as winners, beating the Steelers into second – this will be a close division though. Finally the west will crown the Chargers, because… well, because there’s really no-one else there who can mount a serious challenge.

The wildcard spot is a three-way battle (sorry Denver) between the Steelers, Dolphins and Colts. Like last year, I see a valiant AFC East team being left out – the Steelers and the Colts going into the post-season. I’m sorry Graham, I don’t see the Dolphins there… but at least the ‘Skins won’t be there either!
I wish there was room for the Texans, but I don’t see it this year.

Graham on Andrew’s Predictions…
Not much to disagree with here (other than the Dolphins not making the play offs). I have gone with some different choices, but it is difficult to predict at this early stage.  It will be interesting to see what our readers think, I am sure there are a few who could beat us hands down.

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Graham’s Predictions

NFC
In the East I can see the Dallas Cowboys being bouyed by their new home and looking for a good season to overcome the tragic events at their practice facility. Can they beat the NY Giants in the NFC East? Well I don’t think so, but I do see them taking one of the wildcard spots.

Heading to the North I am going with the Green Bay Packers.  I also think the arrival of Jay Cutler at the Bears will bring some improvement, but not enough for a wildcard.

In the south I have to agree with Andrew on the Panthers.  I am hoping for a good season from Tampa Bay though as I am hoping for a great game at Wembley Stadium this year.  It is a Bucs’ home game so – sorry Pats fans – I will be supporting them.

Finally to the NFC West.  I am going with Arizona.  I am looking for some 49ers improvement this season and was tempted to pick them as my second wildcard, but I think it will be out of reach this time.

With the above in mind, my second wildcard pick goes to the Atlanta Falcons.

AFC
Starting in the East, I am going to upset Pats fans again here.  I would agree that Tom Brady is the best, but he is not Superman.  A year off will leave him hungry but maybe a bit rusty.  Miami will be looking to build on last years amazing improvement and now have a team strong enough to do even more damage.  Yes they have a tough schedule, but I still see them taking the AFC East again with the Pats in a wildcard spot.

In the North I am also going with the Ravens. I also think the South will be as Andrew predicted with the Titans winning and the Colts taking the second wildcard.

In the West the Raiders should storm it… only joking. Sadly I can see the Raiders taking the Lions’ place as also-rans this season, things seem far from settled in Oakland.  The Chargers should wrap the West up without too much trouble.

Andrew on Graham’s Predictions…
I think you’re letting your heart rule your head re: Miami and I think the Steelers won’t make the mistakes of a few years ago and will be in the post-season in some way.

I’m glad you’ve picked Atlanta though. I only just left them out

I have Dallas battling the Washington for 3rd place in the NFC East too, so I’m not sure about that. Otherwise it’s hard to argue with your picks. Like you said: I bet there are readers who could beat us. They should be writing these articles!

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In the QB battles…

Matthew Stafford struggled against Cleveland, being out-performed by Daunte Culpepper and also by Drew Stanton. On the other side of the field, Derek Anderson was given more attempts and moved the ball well but threw an interception. Brady Quinn only had a handful of attempts, so it’s hard to judge him.

So Culpepper moves in front in Detroit, but probably still too early to call in Cleveland yet.

The Indianapolis Colts did well against an under-strength Eagles. The question of how they’d adjust to the coaching changes seems to be being answered with “Just fine, thanks.”

Matt Cassel looked like a starter again against the Vikings, but most people were watching for another new QB: Brett Favre didn’t play much, but just seeing him in purple was strange. Tarvaris Jackson had a great game, and with rumours circulating that he could be released he reminded everyone out there that sometimes, he’s a decent option.

Elsewhere…

Miami looked good all around against the Carolina Panthers too. Our favourites Ronnie Brown and DeAngelo Williams both did well.

San Diego looked very good against the Cardinals, besting them on both sides of the ball. Of course it’s hard to read too much into these games, but our predictions looked true from this game. The same could apply to the Seahawks who also looked very nice against the Broncos. Kyle Orton looked better – a lot better – than he did last week. So did Jay Cutler in his Soldier Field debut.

The Redskins looked better, but still not great. The 17-13 win over the Steelers papers over the cracks a bit but still… no panic yet.

Chad Ochocinco is the star this week. The frankly bonkers receiver performed some kicking duties this week against the Patriots. He converted a PAT, and also kick-off that went at least a par distance. Watch it at nfl.com.

It’s great to see him enjoying himself.

In 2-3 weeks’ time, we’ll take a final look before setting our season predictions in stone (for future gloating and/or ridiculing).

Josh McDaniels has been running a tough camp. It remains to be seen if that’s the right way to motivate the players as in other places, players haven’t responded to it.

Kyle Orton will be wanting to shine, but has already had some boos and catcalls from the watching fans. He’ll be looking to get motivated from that. Brandon Marshall is sitting out with an injury at the moment, and don’t forget he has a court appearance coming up soon too. He could yet see a second suspension. In his absense Brandon Stokley has been stepping up. The veteran goes into what could easily be his final season and is surely looking to make an impact.

Rookies Knowshon Moreno and Roberts Ayers have signed and are in camp. I’ll keep an eye on these guys, Moreno in particular, to see how they shape up.

This is a difficult team to predict, but it would take a brave call to have them moving forward from last season.

Another coach who’s running a tough camp is Todd Haley at Kansas. The players there are getting put thoroughly through their paces an no-one is a guaranteed starter (well, he says that but we all know some players are).

Matt Cassel – assuming he’s the starter of course, not much of a stretch – will have Armani Toomer to add depth at reciever. He and Bobby Engrams being the old men here. Dwayne Bowe will be wanting to build on his 1,000 yard season in 2008. Here’s hoping he can hold onto the ball.

There are a few injuries across the defense, but nothing too alarming at this point. It remains to be seen how they adjust to the 3-4 scheme, something that should become clearer during the pre-season.

Haley apparently isn’t afraid of upsetting anyone, or selecting starters based on previous form. This all makes for Kansas City to be a story worth following this year. But not, I expect, into the post-season.

I was hoping to get all the Second Looks out before the pre-season started, but that’s not happened. Accordingly, some of my harsh words about the Raiders have been tuned down a little bit after they looked sharp against Dallas last night.

Oakland open the season with three back-to-back divisional games. So their season could effectively be over at week 4. But perhaps I’m being unfair. Darrius Heywood-Bey has settled in well after the usual rookie adjustment period. He could really do with having Javon Walker on the field as well, he’s currently injured, as if the Dallas game is any indication he’s being treated as a real threat and covered accordingly.

Chaz Schilens got a lot of looks from JaMarcus Russell and could be worth bearing in mind for those in deep fantasy leagues.

Perennial backup QB Jeff Garcia has been injured, likely pushing Charlie Frye towards the number 2 spot. Garcia can never be counted on to not make an appearance at some point during the season though.

In short though, and despite last night’s showing, I still don’t see much I like here. Certainly nothing to make me think this is a team making huge strides forward.

I don’t really know what to say about the Chargers. To me, they’re so obviously head and shoulders above the rest of the division it’s almost unfair.

On top of that, it seems the biggest news coming from their camp is that Antonio Cromartie doesn’t rate the food. With Quentin Jammer on the other side, if Cromartie is fit (and gets a good meal) this is a corner pairing as good as any across the league.

Darren Sproles and his new contract will be one to watch. With LaDanian Tomlinson now ‘getting on’ (in running back terms) and, it seems, notoriously absent in the post-season, it’ll be interesting to see how the backfield shakes up. One thing’s for sure – most coaches would love to have these two guys to call on.

Summary
I can’t look past San Diego here at all. Second place to be tight between the Chiefs and the Broncos, but neither to make the post-season.

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He’d barely been appointed 10 minutes when Josh McDaniels managed to alienate Jay Cutler to the tune of a deal to the Bears. I’m sure it was a more deep-rooted issue than that, but true or not, that’s the image the new coach has. Kyle Orton certainly isn’t an upgrade and QB, but he’s capable and wasn’t really given a good chance in Chicago. With a coach that beleives in him, and a system he can get behind he could be a surprise to many people this season.
However, with new systems on offense and defense and a lot of roster changes look like there could be a lot of settling in issues this season. That’s not to say the Broncos are set for success… they may be, but it’d be a braver man than me who’d say so today.

The Chiefs seem to have got away with very little bashing from most quarters, despite a disastrous season iin 2008. Obviously the Lions helped them out in taking a lot of attention, as did the nearby Rams.
Their big signing is Matt Cassell, who comes in fresh from his great season in New England. He’s still a risk, but the deal – which included Mike Vrabel – looks extremely good on paper. They’ve made a number of depth signings, but haven’t changed too much overall, looking to build on the team that in 2008 was improving all season. It’s worth noting that it was a young team last term – the youngest average age in the NFL – as their mammouth draft from 2008 bedded in and the team grew into its systems.
The comparative weakness of the division means they can’t be ruled out for a good run.

Oakland continue to stumble on, but aren’t a team I’m particularly familiar with. As with the Chiefs and Bronces, there is potential QB controversy here with JaMarcus Russell facing a make or break season. No-one would be surprised to see Jeff Garcia stepping up at some point, in fact some would say it’s a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. I think that’s probably a but harsh, but no-one is ever surprised to see Jeff Garcia pop up as a starter.
Greg Ellis comes in a DE, but at 33 it remains to see if he can make a huge difference to a defensive unit that is pretty terrible. Nnamdi Asomugha at corner is probably the best CB in the league, but he’s pretty much alone back there.

Graham and I had the privilige to see the Chargers last year at Wembley, and whilst we spent most of the time jeering them, they’re a good unit and Rivers is an elite quarterback. LDT was also amazing to watch: the way he made space and ran. He 30 now, and that’s traditionaly a watershed time for running backs, but with Sproles to share the load with there’s no good reason to assume that he can’t be the threat we know him to be.
This is a strong unit overall, and one that can’t be counted out. Even at 4-4 last year, no-one reckoned them as an easy game – their off-season victory against the Colts proved that. There are questions about the team, but none big enough to think they won’t take the division again.

Summary
The AFC West is matched against the AFC North and NFC East, two strong divisions that could have some tough matchups.
I am pretty close to putting the Chiefs above the Broncos, but not quite. I’ll look at it again in 4 weeks or so, as I have them pretty close for now. Oakland to prop up the division, and I can’t see anyone touching the Chargers

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