f13.net

Training camp starts in 2 weeks. Here are some questions I have about this coming season:

Which team will finish with the best record in each conference?
Which team will be the most over-rated going into the season?
Which team will be the biggest surprise this season?
Who has the best defensive setup in the league?
Who has the best offensive power in the league?
Which player/coach is most likely to have a scandal start this season?

I think the Cowboys will finish with the best record because they have kept most of their skill players and they have exactly the same dominant offensive line that they had last year. The question mark will be if Romo can keep his head in the game, and if Jerry Jones can stay out of the way.

It's hard to pick against the Patriots finishing best in the AFC, because they have Tom Brady, the best O-line in the NFL, and they cheat.

The Giants are the obvious pick to be the most overrated team in the league because they fluked their way into a Superbowl win. I fully expect them to get reamed this season in epic fashion.

The biggest surprise team will be the Falcons. After time away from Vick and putting together a better, more experienced defensive core, I think they have the potential to be a .500 or better team.

Defensively, I like the Packers, and Offensively I like the Chargers.

The best scandal will revolve around Bellichek again. The guy is dirty and it's just a matter of time until something else pops up to get him kicked out of the NFL.

Which team will finish with the best record in each conference?
NE, Cleveland, Jacksonville, SD, Dallas, Det, TB, Arizona

Which team will be the most over-rated going into the season?
I think GB is going to have a tough time matching last years performance (I could be completly wrong here cause on paper they are pretty solid. this is just a hunch based on their sched and division)

Which team will be the biggest surprise this season?
Im biased here but i honestly believe the dolphins will surprise and be around a .500 team. Last year they had better than 1-15 talent but had the worst coaching I wave witnessed in a long long time (this includes game time coaching and practice)

Who has the best defensive setup in the league? not even going to venture a guess here, these are always tough to call and there is always a few teams that step up and a few that step back and no one seems to be able to call these correctly - see last years great browns and craptastic saints.

Who has the best offensive power in the league? see above

Which player/coach is most likely to have a scandal start this season?
Yeah id agree with bellicheck, maybe supplying his players with roids?

Still way too early for me.

But, but, but TRAINING CAMP! WOOOOOO!

I had enough excitement with the firing of Billick and Harbaugh coming in and kicking prima dona ass.  No more canceling practice because of rain and other stupid shit.  But I can't say shit for this year until Harbaugh decides if he's going to rush Flaco into the league, give Smith a chance, or sign up for a full season of Boller Ball. 

Surprise team this year is the Denver Broncos. They have a solid backfield, a great receiving core, a good secondary, and a decent quarterback.

If they can go 2-2 with Marshall out, they could be a force.

SSSSSHHHHHHHHH you'll jinx them.

The Packers are apparently offering Farve $20M to stay at home and never come back.

Wow, that's just unreal.

I.... fuck. That's got to be the most retarded fucking thing I've heard since he decided he wanted to come out of retirement.

Just FUCKING TRADE HIM. Get a first-rounder out of the deal and move the fuck on. Let him go embarrass himself in Tampa or New York, and come back and have a rapproachment in 2 or 3 years when he's replaced the kneecaps that are going to get knocked the fuck off behind shitty O-Lines. Pissing away $20M for him to not play is STUPID. If he gave a fuck about the money or needed it, he would have just not retired.

If they trade him, he's going to somewhere in the NFC North. It would be like Troy Aikman coming out the year after his retirement and playing for the Redskins.

Now see, THAT would piss me off. I'd rather the Packers sign him and bench his ass than trade him to the Vikes or Bears. Fuck that. If he wants to hold out and not report to training camp because he won't start, oh well. Just play back his comments about Javon Walker from a few years back.

Not to pick nits here, but you'd never get a first rounder for him.  Probably a 3rd or 4th rounder and maybe if someone really needs him a 2nd rounder.  I'd put money on the 2nd rounder though, that seems to be the going rate for "get the fuck out of here", but I wouldn't put it past the Pack to be desperate enough to take something lower.

I agree. Jason Taylor being traded for a second round pick is telling.

Fuck it then, take a second-rounder from someone not in the divison, or sign his ass and bench him. If he plays for the Vikings or Bears this year... /sadf

Just as long as Selvin Young rushes for 2000 yards and 30 TD's.  :drill:

Favre back. (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/specials/preview/2008/08/03/bc.fbn.favre.ap/index.html)

What that all boils down to is Brett not taking the pay off, the Packers being unlikely to get anything for him in trade because no on really has to offer anything in the spot the Packers are in, a release being out of the question, and Aaron Rodgers holding a clip board for another year.  I don't know how a team will end up after going through something like this and Rodger's career is destroyed if this plays out like I'm assuming it will.

This may go down as Farve poisoning every bit of goodwill and class he's built up over the years as an NFL quarterback.

He's slowly slipping into jackass territory the further this goes, in my eyes.

Yes.

The only thing the organization can do is start Rodgers. Start him. Make Brett hold the clipboard and bitch about it. Even if Favre played another two years, Rodgers has to get some starts or he is never going to get them as a Packer. He's got to be the future of the organization and Brett needs to get used to that. I wouldn't want to be in either situation, but I'd hope that were I in the situation, I'd handle it with a bit more class than Favre has shown. Rodgers has been mature through all this.

The Jets? WTF?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080807/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_brett_favre

Yah.  The coverage was nauseating.  Mark Schlereth wants to have Brett's love child. I don't think ESPN knows how to function during football season without Favre.

He's got some burners on that team. The line might be better this year but still a bit more porous than he's used to.   I'm not sure I see them as a playoff team even with Brett.

The Cowboys are being set up as something else this year. Even got their own series on HBO now.

To which I say, we're probably cursed. I'm a superstitious man.  :oops:

Details of the trade agreement:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/08/07/favre.jets/index.html?eref=T1

The Jets were willing to give up a 1st Round pick if by some miracle they make it to the Super Bowl while the Bucs weren't willing to give more than a 2nd Round pick. In all likelihood, though, the Jets will only have to give up a 2nd or 3rd round pick.

I like the Jets trade better than the Bucs trade. At least the Pack won't have to play Brett.

But you know, after a season playing on that shitty Meadowlands turf and getting dogfucked by untouched defensive linemen, I think Brett's going to wish he wasn't so goddamn pissy with the Packers.

Fuck. I chose the GB game instead of the NYJ game last night when we were divvying up our season tickets. This screws my resale value should I choose to do so, although there are still so many Packer fans around I shouldn't have any trouble gouging the shit out of someone.

If you look at it from the owner's perspective, does GB even need to care?  They will pack their stadium regardless of who is at QB, they already have their tv contracts for the year, and only stand to lose potential playoff revenue.  I think this whole thing makes the GB ownership look like rigid asses that don't care about their fanbase, but we don't know all sides of the issue. 

As for the rest, I don't think that Brett is going to have a year like he did last year regardless of who picks him up.  He has an entire system to learn and likely won't get the same type of OL support. 

Well, thinking about it from the owner's perspective, they drafted their QB of the future 3 years ago. He's played all of 1 real game in that time. How many more years can Brett play at a decent starter's level? 1? 2? 3 maybe if the team around him is excellent? Chances of him playing out of his mind again aren't that great. And every year he starts is another year their QB of the future rots on the vine. Most of the times I'd be on the side of the player, but this time I'm not. Maybe if Favre hadn't retired, I'd be more sympathetic... it isn't like the organization hasn't let him take a few months to decide before. But really, the organization has to look at things 3-5 years down the road, when it's a sure bet Favre will not be there no matter how much he wants to play.

Plus, they save $12 million in salary cap money. I don't expect them to use it, but it's there if they do.

In case I was unclear, I am on the side of the owners this time as well.  They have little to gain by having Brett play another year.  I do wish they'd trade him to Minnesota though... mostly because I'm a vikings fan and the thought of Adrian and Brett in the same backfield makes me giddy.  I know it won't happen, but I like the thought. 

Fuck, no. I'd rather they send Tonya Harding after his ass than let him play for the Vikings.

J-E-T-S,  Jets Jets Jets

Just too weird to internalize at the moment.  The thought of Brett in a Jets uniform is making my mind wonky.

EDIT: My memory isn't great, but does this mean that Brett is playing for a coach that's younger than he is?  Damn.

Yep, I'm a Vikings fan as well.. I was hoping big time that they'd get Favre.

While Favre should have just quit like he said he would, he does have some game left. As long as he stays in the same state as last year, where he adjusted to more pocket passing (and didn't try to be "Brett Favre"), he can still contribute in a good way.

To win each conference:
Cowboys, Vikings, Seahawks, Carolina
Patriots, Browns, Chargers, Colts

Most over-rated?  Dallas.  They will still win, but they will be over hyped.  Maybe they can win a playoff game this decade.

Biggest surprise?  Vikings with the playoffs.  Also Miami maybe hitting .500.

Best Defense:  Vikings/Jaguars
Best Offense:  Saints/Pats

Scandal?  Who knows, who cares.

--

Being a Giants fan, you comment about the Giants is silly.  We didn't "fluke" our way to a Superbowl win.  I think we earned it fair and square.  You don't fluke 4 straghit road playoffs wins in a row.  Not in the NFL.  I also think they're just as able to make the playoffs again.  They've made the playoffs 3 straight years in a row, only other teams to do that are the Colts, Pats, and Seattle. 

The Patriots don't have the best o-line in pro football, at least not definitively.  Tom Brady is just that good of a QB that he can get rid of it fast enough.  They're one of the best olines, but in my opinion, not the best.

Falcon's ceiling is .500 I think.  I still say they are a 5-6 win team. 

I don't think the Giants are a fluke. They just really start clicking and kicked up the juice once the playoffs began. Pisses me off when teams that are somewhat mediocre during the season do that, but it happens.

I don't mean the Giants didn't earn it. You can still earn it and be a fluke team. The Bucs in 2002-03 are a good example. They went 12-4 and win the Super Bowl, then can't even finish better than 3rd in their division in the next two seasons. In the past few years they've been knocked out in the wildcard games when they made it to the playoffs. They were a fluke. They aren't going to win the Super Bowl again anytime soon.

The Giants are the same story in my book. They were 16th in total offense last season. The only saving grace they had was a good running game with Jacobs & Ward, and their defense was strong enough to hold on in the playoffs. I don't think they are a dynasty or a dominant squad. I don't think they can win the NFC East. I don't think for a second they will repeat as champions, and I don't really even give them much of a chance at making the playoffs.

Strahan is gone, and that's more of a blow as a leader than a player. Three of their defensive starters are gone, including a linebacker. Eli's numbers aren't that impressive, either. He's had some good runs against the shittier NFC teams last year, but against solid competition he wasn't the main offensive force. A lot of the Giant's gameplan relied on the run, which they still have, and defense, where they now have a problem. Hell, the Eagles have the same problem. It's either all on Westbrook playing well, or they are screwed.

The Giants have made the playoffs 3 years in a row.  That's only tied by the Colts, Pats and the Seahawks.  Losing Mitchell and Wilson really arn't losses at all.  Biggest hurt is Strahan in the running game.

I think the Giants will take a playoff spot, most likely a Wildcard. Name 6 teams in the NFC better than the Giants.  Do I think they will repeat? No.  But I wholeheartedly think they will make it back to the dance. 

Well, the NFC West is and will continue to be awful, so Seattle will take that one easily again. I think the NFC South will surprise a lot of people this year, with the Bucs and Panthers both contending for playoff spots. I'd say the Panthers probably win that division. The NFC North will have a solid battle between the Vikings and the Bears, but unless the Bears solve the QB issues early, they won't make it. Green Bay isn't going to do well this year with the new QB, and Detroit always has problems.

This leaves us the NFC East, which is the strongest again. I think the Eagles will rebound and have a much better season this year, getting a wildcard spot. I think the Giants will falter because of their defensive problems against the run, and their average secondary. I think the Redskins have an outside shot, but I don't count on them pulling out the 3 very close wins they had last year again. Dallas is obviously the frontrunner in my book and will win again.

Doesn't look to change any time either as my 49ers have unofficially chosen J.T. O'Sulivan as the starting quarterback.  I think the coaching staff is just going through the motions of the year and expect to get fired at the end.

Paelos, it's flame time. I let your TE/WR stuff slide, but it's time to go.

It's like I focus on the Yankees during the 80s and conclude that they suck goat balls as a franchise. The Bucs went to the playoffs every year for four or five years straight before they won the Super Bowl. I'm sorry that you are a master at taking things out of context, but really, your post is full of dumbfuckery. Perhaps you should remember the Bucs last year lost to the EVENTUAL SUPER BOWL CHAMPION.

Also, you forget that the Bucs have great running backs and an amazing offensive line. The QB is solid, and their receiver core is pretty good. Clayton has underperformed the last few seasons, but Hilliard and Galloway are pretty damn good. Joey might be older than my grandma, but he still runs fast as hell.  Also, the defense was among the top 5 in the NFL last year. I'm sorry TB isn't the greatest football market, but our football team is good. I know we're not the Pats and we don't get huge media coverage, but really, do some fucking reading before you unload your crocks of shit around here.

I'm done. I just had to get that off my chest.

The only thing I find strange is that the Giants played better when Shockey was out. Maybe that was the difference....even if he is their best player.

Kevin Boss is really good, don't forget that. You'll know him by the end of the season, for sure.

I doubt I'll remember him. I'll be paying too much attention to Witten, sorry.  :grin:

No doubt, but the point I'm making is that the Giants really didn't lose much by losing Shockey, imo.

What? I'm not saying your football team sucks. I'm saying them winning a Super Bowl and then crashing and burning over the next five seasons made that one Super Bowl win a fluke. I'm sorry you're in Tampa Bay and get no real coverage, but your division mostly sucks ass. That doesn't mean you still won't probably win the damn thing. Who's going to stop you? Atlanta? Not likely. Carolina? Perhaps, but I'm not 100% sold on that program. The Saints? Always an emotional favorite, but they don't really have the 16 game staying power to win.

The Bucs can roam freely in that type of division, similar to the West, until conditions improve. I fully expect them to make the playoffs. I also fully expect them to lose early.

What team do you root for?  Maybe if I knew that it would help me place your perspective.

Anyway, the only assessment I agree with is the West.  The panthers are not the team to watch in the south, their QB is coming of Tommy John surgery and their #1 WR threat is out for the 1st two games.  The teams to watch in the South are the Bucs and the Saints.  I would say the Saints win it because the Bucs only WR is 55 and if Garcia makes it through the season he'll be lucky.

In the North, the Pack will take it only because their defense is pretty damn good. I would say top 3 in the NFC easily, but the Vikings are close, but call me when they get a real QB and WR (No Berrian is not a good #1). 

In the East, I agree the Cowboys are still paper champs.  I would pick them to win the division also.  However I think the Eagles arn't going anywhere without any WRs to note.  The Skins are shaky due to a new coaching staff.  Lets see how they play in real games.  We have no idea how that staff will operate in a real game environment, but they have a decent squad, but their only problem is that they have no depth.  Their D-Line is shallow, their secondary is a mixture of old and young players, more old than young though, and they're still waiting for McIntosh to show up.

The Giants still have a consistent squad from the last few years.  If you can give me a few reasons that the Giants will fall this year, be my guess, but their only loss is Strahan.  They are still stout against the run, and they can still kill the QB so we'll see.

Also calling the Bucs a fluke is idiotic as well.  Lets look at some facts here buddy.


Doesn't look like a Fluke to me.  They also won the division twice after that.

Bucs definitely weren't a fluke. Dungy's defensive schemes were easily understood after the fact (and adopted elsewhere), but it was no accident that they won games with it.

I know I'm a Bucs fan, but I call out bullshit when I see it. That was in fact, bullshit.

Yes, we get it.  Need a golf clap smiley.

I don't think the Buccs will do much this year than maybe lose a first round playoff game.  Receivers are getting old. QB is getting old, cranky, and injury prone.  Ernest Graham isn't any sort of proven commodity.  I see a possibly decent to potentially trainwreck offense. 

Defense will be good.  Probably enough to win them games in a really weak division.  I'm not sold on Carolina (QB situation is still shakey) and New Orleans is a coin flip. You never know when the Aints are going to be the Aints.  Atlanta will be terrible.

That offense will get them nowhere in the playoffs if Garcia is even ambulatory that late into the season. 

Ok then, forget the fluke part. Call me when they are probable Super bowl contenders sometime in the next decade. They can win a shitty South division, maybe. I don't see them as a real threat in the playoffs for a while. YMMV.

Personally, I've been a Cowboys fan since we had season tickets in '89-'99. For those that remember, '89 was that awful 1-15 season where they didn't win a home game. It was a rough start but it paid off in the long run.

I think we can win the East this year, but I'm not sure we can do shit in the playoffs either. I think our problem is that our coach isn't a solid playoffs coach. I don't think he can mentally prep the team for an all-or-nothing matchup environment that is so much different than the regular season. The Cowboys have cruised through regular season games, got too far ahead, got lazy, and then got their asses handed to them because of horrible preperation. That's 100% the fault of coaching, and until that improves I don't see them as Champs.

I'd blame Garrett before anyone. Not to say that he's bad at what he does (he certainly isn't). It's just that he's biased towards the passing game.

Oh you're a Cowboys fan, that explains everything.

Carry on.

The Bucs are a mediocre team at best, that might be carried by their defense. Their running game might be good if it's healty... but that's the if. Garcia? Yes, he's better than Sims, but really who can he throw to? Clayton will never be a #2 threat, Galloway will break down eventually and Hilliard is also getting up there.

I see the entire NFC being a big muddle. The class is obviously the Cowboys, but Romo has to "prove he can win the big game." Which I think he will eventually, but I don't know if it'll be while TO is there. The Giants weren't a fluke but they certainly aren't the best team in that division, much less the NFC. I don't think the Packers will be bad this year (I think Rodgers has got it), but they won't be the runaway hits of last year. Minnesota? Yeah, when they get a real QB. They'll win on running and defense. Chicago is a fucking mess. No QB and a defense living on past glory. Detroit still has the Lions' curse to deal with and an aging Kitna at QB.

The Saints will be better, but are still an unproven team. The Panthers have so many question marks, especially at QB, and their running backs can't stay healthy long enough to provide a threat. Atlanta will suck goats like champion goat suckers. Seattle is inconsistent and needs a new running game, the 49ers can't even anoint their heir apparent QB and the Rams have never convinced me Bulger is a division-winner much less a playoff contender. The Cardinals might surprise everyone this year if they can stay healthy and get a running game going.

The AFC is a bit more up in the air, but really... the East is a lock for New England. Favre might help the Jets get to the playoffs, but he needs to go talk to Emmet Smith about switching to rebuilding teams when past your prime. Buffalo and Miami will improve but not enough. Cincy is in a fucking mess, the Ravens are rebuilding, and the Browns and the Steelers should fight over that division. While the AFC South is probably the new black-n-blue division, Indy will win it hands down. The Jags, Texans and Titans should all compete for a wild-card spot, but only one will get it. The West is all San Diego, though. Denver still can't convince me Cutler's the man, KC needs to make sure Larry Johnson plays like Larry Johnson while also getting a QB and Oakland is still shit.

Pre-season predictions:

NFC Playoffs
Cowboys
Packers
Saints
Seahawks
Giants
Cardinals (My sleeper pick)

AFC Playoffs
Patriots
Steelers
Colts
Chargers
Jets
Browns

Patriots/Cowboys Super Bowl with the Pats coming out on top.

Is it me or did the Bills actually look good? I'm not sure the rookie CB is all that hot, but he did get smoked by Hines Ward, so I guess you gotta give him a little slack. And he did run back a kickoff, so the depth there is nice.

As long as the Bills return to their bed-shitting ways for week 1 of the regular season, all is good. Hell, they can win 15 straight after that for all I care. Actually that would be awesome since it would mean that they beat the Patriots twice.

One of my favorite jokes to tell my Bills-loving buddy: How do you know OJ was innocent? The killer used a knife and the Bills are chokers.

X-Files quote:

[Smoking Man]: They (the Buffalo Bills) will never win the Super Bowl.

Looks like Buffalo may get the last laugh over the McGahee situation.  Fucker is slacking HARD this year - didn't do offseason camps, came into camp out of shape,  and has banged up his knee now.

Ah yes, the Bills. I remember that MNF game last year against the Cowboys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-qd_Rpq_-U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-qd_Rpq_-U)

My parents turned off the game when they missed the 2pt conversion. I remember calling them back and screaming into the phone that we had won it.

Ha! That was a great episode.

Nice post Haemish, except that I think the Bucs are better than mediocre. They arn't great, but they are decent.  Their only weaknesses are an aging QB and WR corps.  Everything else is pretty good.

You missed the injury prone running backs.

Everyone who points at the Chicago QBs as the problem probably doesn't realize that the OL is so bad that it doesn't matter.  Undrafted rookie Caleb Hanie from Colorado State will probably be forced into action at some point this season after Orton and then Grossman are taken off the field on a stretcher.

Matt Forte looks like the real deal, but again, there might not be many holes to run through. 

Looking forward to another exciting year of losing 10-3, and the occasional 10-7 victory.

Graham is a decent enough back with Warrick Dunn to back him up.

BUCS BUCS BUCS!

Call me "optimistic", but I really think the Pats will be the negative surprise of the upcoming season.

They'll still make it to the playoffs, but only on the backs of rebuilding Division Rivals and no QB in Buffalo.
Their Defense just won't be able to hold their level of last year- and signing another silverback to bolster a crushed secondary won't help. I had my reasons when getting Mayo on my FF team- he WILL record most tackles on that team b/c no one else has young enough feet to get to action as fast as he will.

On another note- Browns vs Steelers won't be nearly as close as people think.
Browns D is still the Browns D, and even if the Steelers D won't be as good as in past years, it's still enough to hold most opponents down to a point, where one of the best game-managing, bomb-armed QBs and a packed backfield will be able to outscore them.

I really expect big surprises from the Titans and the Bucs this season. I really think they are where there must be to take it to the next level.

I may be a UT fan, but I still think Vince Young isn't going to be doing anything special in the NFL...yet.

Also, he's on the new cover of Madden. Which immediately disqualifies him of a successful season.  :oh_i_see: :awesome_for_real:

I will call you "optimistic". Pats will still kick much ass.

Well, I forgot about their cake- schedule...

(http://www.fohguild.org/forums/attachments/sports/85508d1219172332-nfl-2008-offseason-myseats.jpg)

Picture from my new Giant Season tickets from Monday Night.