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NFL Season Predictions

Published
by
joey
on September 4, 2008
in Jets and Random
. 1 Comment

Divisional Standings:

AFC East: Patriots, Jets, Dolphins, Bills

Patriots get the obvious nod here.  Even with an aging defense, they’re entirely too good on offense to be stopped.  The Jets have made considerable improvements during the offseason to improve both lines–and that Favre guy came to town.  The Dolphins youngsters will improve on offense with Pennington at the helm.  And Ronnie Brown being healthy helps plenty.  Injuries will plague the Bills all season and uncertainty at QB with Edwards and Losman–yet again–will cause issues.

AFC North: Browns, Steelers, Bengals, Ravens

The Browns will continue their offensive success from last season and manage to eek out a divisional crown in Week 17.  Nine wins takes this division.  The Steelers will fall short and miss the playoffs as a result, mostly due to a struggling offensive line.  The Bengals are still a shambles and won’t be able to stop anyone’s ground game.  The Ravens have too many questions on offense to make up for an aging, but still competitive defense.

AFC South: Jaguars, Texans, Colts, Titans

Indianapolis finally falls from its perch atop the AFC South.  Jacksonville continues its offensive efficiency and defensive success from last season and manages to win the division by Week 13.  The Texans, with a healthy Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, and fired-up Mario Williams take the final wildcard spot in the AFC.  The Colts will never recover from the early season injury of Jeff Saturday and struggle mightily out of the gate.  The Titans regress under the poor quarterback play of Vince Young and end the season with Kerry Collins taking snaps.

AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs

The Chargers finish with the second best record in the AFC behind the Patriots and continue their excellent play on both sides of the ball.  Jay Cutler is the key to the Broncos season and will continue to show signs of brilliance despite missing the playoffs.  The Raiders improve slightly on offense, but JaMarcus Russell will be too turnover prone for it to matter.  The Chiefs, despite a great season by Larry Johnson, will come up too short at the end of games.  

NFC East: Giants, Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles

The Cowboys are the trendy pick here, but there’s way too many combustible parts for this to be the division winner yet they sneak into the playoffs.  The ‘Skins under Jim Zorn will win some games, but not enough in this competitive division.  McNabb’s reign with the Eagles ends and the Kolb era begins which leads to few wins and a dreary season.  The Giants continue last season’s offensive momentum and manage to win 11 games without their feared pass rush of 2007.

NFC North: Vikings, Lions, Packers, Bears

Adrian Peterson and the stellar defense run their way to the divisional crown as Tavaris Jackson makes just enough plays to keep the defense honest.  The Packers stumble out of the gate as Rodgers cracks under the pressure of expectations and the running game falters.  The Lions prove their 6-2 start of 2007 was no fluke and improve upon it to finish at 8-8 for the season.  The Bears switch QBs four times through the season due to injuries and poor play and end up with the worst record in the NFL.

NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons

The Saints have a magical season (again) as the offense clicks as it did in 2006 and the defensive additions pay off.  The Panthers play consistently and sneak into the playoffs in the final week of the season.  The Bucs take a step back as age creeps up on their offense, in addition to not being able to have a consistent running game.  Matt Ryan takes his lumps in his first season but shows glimpses of what made him a top draft pick near the end of the season.  Michael Turner is a bright spot on this dismal team as he rushes for over 1,500 yards.

NFC West: Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams

Kurt Warner and a rejuvenated Edgerrin James lead the Cardinals to the divisional crown, edging out the Seahawks.  They’ll end up with the same record, but the Cardinals will win both head-to-head battles and win the division.  The Seahawks’ injuries at wide receiver and rebuilt ground game will take a while to click and by the time it does, it’ll be too late.  The 49ers will have an explosive offense with Mike Martz and J.T. O’Sullivan, but the defense will take a step back and just like the Lions in 2007, will come up a bit too short in the end after a promising start to the season.  The Rams won’t be able to stop anybody and will have the second pick in the draft behind the Bears.

Playoff Predictions:

AFC Wildcards: Jets, Texans

NFC Wildcards: Panthers, Cowboys

AFC Champions: Patriots

NFC Champions: Saints

SuperBowl XLIII Champions: New Orleans Saints

The Saints end a dream season on their rival Bucs turf as they escape a narrow victory against the Patriots in SuperBowl XLIII.  Drew Brees takes the SuperBowl MVP trophy back to New Orleans in a heart-warming parade through the city.  Jonathan Vilma’s linebacker presence (and Pro Bowl form) gives the Saints the defensive edge they’ve needed.

Season Awards:

MVP voting: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, LaDanian Tomlinson

Defensive Player of the Year voting: Jared Allen, Jonathan Vilma, Mario Williams

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jerod Mayo, LB, Patriots

Comeback Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs

(Clearly, I want the Jets to win it all as a fan and I might firmly believe that, haha.  I just don’t want to jinx it!)

Don’t do it Jets

Published
by
joey
on July 28, 2008
in Jets
. 2 Comments

I’ve been cautiously following the Brett Favre saga on espn.com (and just about every other sports web site out there that’s covering it) and I have three simple words for the Jets: don’t do it.

Chad Pennington is your starter.  He deserves a chance behind the revamped offensive line.  The new WR weapons will be a nice addition to his available receivers.  You’ve built a stable of quarterbacks already for the now, near future, and distant future with Pennington, Clemens, and the rookie Erik Ainge.  Even Brett Ratliff might get his shot soon.

Don’t add the wishy washy Favre.  What everyone fails to mention is that he took about a year to become comfortable in the Green Bay offense when Mike McCarthy came aboard for the 2006-2007 season.  Favre had 18 interceptions that year to go along with 18 touchdowns.  Last year things obviously took an uptick, but going to a new team with new players and a new staff and Brian Schottenheimer’s inventive offense will take a while to get used to.  He might not even be in the greatest of game shape–add that to the rumors that some of his teammates felt like he was out of gas in the playoffs.  There are so many reasons against this, but most of all, do you want to sacrifice your future and your current beloved quarterbacks (and draft picks!) for a soon-to-be 39 year old with a wavering desire to play the game?

Go with your QB who was a Doug Brien field goal away from the AFC championship three years ago.  Go with the QB who came back from two shoulder surgeries and is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history.  Go with the QB who has the most impressive play-action motions outside of Indianapolis when the running game is working.  Go with the QB who knows he wants to be there and wants to end his career as a Jet.

Don’t do it Jets.  Don’t trade for Favre.

2008 NFL Draft

Published
by
joey
on April 26, 2008
in Jets
. 0 Comments

The day is finally here.  Most pundits have the Jets selecting one of the following three players:

Vernon Gholston - Probably what most folks call their safest bet, I have to disagree.  He didn’t exactly exhibit the kind of motor that one would expect from a outside rusher in the 3-4.  How would he play if he had to drop in coverage to cover a flanking back or a tight end?  I’m not sold on this guy.  He seems like the workout warrior that gets everyone excited after the combine, but his film doesn’t quite match up.

Darren McFadden - The pick most Jets fans hope drops to us.  Will the Raiders pass on him?  Will the Cowboys trade up to get him?  Tailbacks are a pretty sure thing when it comes to drafts.  While he’s not the next Adrian Peterson as most folks are dubbing him, he will have a solid NFL career and a productive rookie season behind the Jets’ retooled offensive line.  Sure, he might have some character issues.  He grew up in a rough area, his siblings ran with gangs.  But no one can deny his on-the-field talent and his home run ability.  The Jets need a burst in their backfield with a bit more size than Leon Washington.  This is everyone’s dream scenario.  But can it happen?

Matt Ryan - This would be one of those picks where the Jets would be exhibiting a lack of faith in Kellen Clemens.  I can’t say I blame them.  I feel much more confident giving Pennington another year behind the retooled offensive line.  He excelled when they had a strong running game two years ago (does everyone forget that he was Comeback Player of the Year and sports one of the best QB ratings in NFL history?) and would have the opportunity to do so again.  Ryan could wait in the wings for a couple of years, but it would cause serious controversy in the QB ranks and I’m not sure that would be a very good thing for all folks involved.  Maybe trade Clemens to the Falcons… or Lions?

Or, maybe the Jets will trade down.  So much will be determined by picks two thru four.  Regardless, this is bound to be a memorable first round of the NFL Draft and I’m totally stoked!

Superbowl Sunday

Published
by
joey
on February 3, 2008
in Jets
. 0 Comments

We bought a grill today and I just finished tearing up some delicious sausage. Nothing beats that.

I’m openly rooting for the Giants, but I’m kind of hoping the Patriots win just so the Jets can get a crack at ending their winning streak next season. It’s totally inappropriate to root for the Patriots in any fashion whatsoever though.

My heart says 34-28 Giants, but my mind says 37-21 Patriots.

Week 1 Picks - Sunday Edition

Published
by
joey
on September 9, 2007
in Jets and Random
. 0 Comments

Titans 10, Jaguars 24
Falcons 3, Minnesota 27
Steelers 38, Browns 6
Chiefs 17, Texans 20
Eagles 28, Packers 24
Patriots 17, Jets 31
Broncos 34, Bills 12
Panthers 14, Rams 24
Dolphins 0, Redskins 10
Bucs 6, Seahawks 25
Lions 34, Raiders 31
Bears 20, Chargers 29
Giants 17, Cowboys 21