And away we go...
The Dallas Cowboys (Will win 9 games): For many years Jason Garrett has been a young up and coming future NFL head coach. Potential is an interesting thing. At some point "you need shit or get off the pot"... as they say here in NJ. Jason has his chance in 2011, with Americas Team no less. I like a lot of the moves they have made after what was a disastrous 2010 season. I love how they dropped dead weight like Roy Williams and Barber. This sends a great message to everyone on that team. They also hired Rob Ryan as their Defensive coordinator. My first thought when I heard about the hiring of Ryan was that Mr Garrett had better win games this year. He was also a one time assistant coach waiting in the wings. Jerry thinks at least 10 moves ahead of the game and Garrett is well aware. I was not impressed with Jason's interim coaching effort. He was 5-3 which is very average. Bottom line... he is in charge of the O and Ryan is in charge of the D. The D will be very highly ranked, so if the Cowboys miss the playoffs again, the Ryan era will begin in 2012.
New York Va-Giants (Will win 6 games): Their off-season was nothing short of a disaster. Prince Amukamara broke his foot the day after signing his contract as their #1 overall draft pick. The break was so bad it cut off blood flow to the foot and required screws to repair it. He is not necessarily out for the season, but this is a devastating long term injury for a blue-chip CB. That was the thing the Giants brain trust had no control over. Losing Steve Smith to the Eagles, letting this Osi contract situation get out of hand, and letting Kevin Boss walk to the Raiders were under their control. IMHO the rats are abandoning the ship. If the Giants don't make the playoffs their crazy fans will burn down the house and demand major change. As soon as they are out of playoff contention the stadium will be empty on Sundays and the Star Ledger will start posting pictures of empty seats on its front page. Wouldn't this be the perfect year for the Jets to win the big game!?!?! This is our city now fools.
Philadelphia Eagles (Will win 12 games): The dream team. I thought that Bart Scott and Rex Ryan went a little overboard from time to time. Vince Young is the back-up QB in Philly. When your back-up is talking smack, only to hold a clipboard on Sundays, you have lost touch with reality. They have upgraded their secondary substantially. They have navigated this sticky situation with Desean Jackson very well. I also love the addition of Ronnie Brown as a change of pace runner. They could realistically have the #1 offense and #1 defense. That being said, #7 is very very fragile. Young is a solid back-up, but Vick's health is the real wildcard here.
Washington Redskins (Will win 8 games): They have a bunch of good #2 receivers, a couple of C+ QB's and no elite RB. Evan Royster, their rookie RB out of Penn State, is a prototypical no-name runner that Shanahan can turn into a 1,000 yard wonder. I have been saying for years that Rex Grossman deserves another chance. He will most likely get a chance to start opening day. However, he will be on a very short leech. They will shock people with a .500 record and their legendary coach regains some of the respect he lost last year.
Chicago Bears (Will win 7 games): They had a glaring need at the WR position. There were a ton of impactful free agents and a couple of #1's available via trade. I am not going to waste my time listing the names, because the Bears decided to sign Roy Williams as the solution to that problem. Wow. Thats beyond disappointing. You have a big arm QB and Mike Martz and you give them Roy Williams to work with??? With the Packers in their division and the young Lions beginning to roar, the Bears were big losers in the free agent tournament.
Detroit Lions (Will win 9 games): I am loving how this team has picked itself up and dusted itself off after their pitiful 0-16 season only a few short years ago. Calvin Johnson, Gosder Cherilius Cliff Avril, Mathew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, Ndamukong Suh, Jahvid Best and Nick Fairley. An amazing foundation built through the draft. That D-line is going to make some real noise in 2011. If their QB stays healthy for 16 games they make the playoffs... period.
Green Bay Packers (Will win 15 games): They will drop one game to the Lions or Bears, and thats it. They are the best coached and constructed team in the league. They may have gone undefeated last year if not for the rash of injuries. I love the draft pick of D.J. Williams the TE out of Arkansas, keep an eye out for him. The big question, now that they are no longer under the radar, is how do they respond to being every opponents game of the year? Obviously I think they will do very well. For the record, the Jets are the only team that has a shot at beating them in the post season.
Minnesota Vikings (Will win 8 games): All anyone really cares about with this team is how will AP perform, and is he going to be a big disappointment in fantasy football again? They have a real commitment to this philosophy of bringing in old QB's and trying to catch lightning in a jar. Every team has tried it at one time or another. The Jets tried way too many times if you ask me. But, the Vikings live by this belief that Cunningham or Moon or Favre or McNabb are going to ride in on their white horse and save the day.
Atlanta Falcons (Will win 11 games): I love the gutsy move drafting Julio Jones. That kid looks like he may actually be better than Calvin Johnson. Is that possible? They gave up a kings ransom to sign this kid. The only way this looks like a good move is if they win the Superbowl. And... they know it. Abraham and Gonzales are probably entering into their last productive season. Yet another team that needs to win now.
Carolina Panthers (Will win 5 games): Cam newton, Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen. Like the say... if you have 2 starting QB's, than you don't have 1. Until this is worked out they will continue to be the punching bag of this division. They have some excellent role players like Clowney, Gettis, Stewart, and Gamble. They also have some superstars like LB's Beason and Anderson, WR Steve Smith (who is already injured... again) and DeAngelo Williams and Charles Johnson who both were paid very handsomely this year. The signing of Williams and the retention of Smith are very curious to me. But even more curious was brining in Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey. I guess someone in that organization has a fetish for University of Miami TE's. Ron Rivera finally gets his chance. Not expecting great things in the first year of the Newton era.
New Orleans Saints (Will win 12 games): Brees continues to show his amazing leadership. I believe in my heart that the team tat works the hardest and wants it the most will win. Thats why I think they make a comeback and win the division. No one was more serious about player organized off-season work outs than the Saints. Love the players they added and the subtraction of Bush will be negated by the addition of Spoules. Brilliant.
Tampa Bay Bucs (Will win 7 games): Tampa had more money to spend than any other team under the cap. They have a player friendly, young head coach who is gaining more respect around the league everyday and an excellent young signal caller. They are also in a division with two of the best teams in the league. The new CBA requires every team to spend 99% of the cap. Want to or not, they have to spend the cash. SO, the first thing they did was sign their punter to a 20 million dollar contract. WTF? They still don't have an elite WR or RB. They let Barett Ruud walk to Tennessee, and are still banking on Winslow at the TE position. I just don't see a team that wants to win. They hit a homerun in the draft with Freeman, and I guess they plan to ride that train and hope it keeps the seats filled. Too bad for Josh. He is a winner.
St Louis Rams (Will win 10 games): They have a real QB and a substantial pass rush. Therefore they win the division. Watch out for 2nd year WR Mardy Gilyard who was injured last season and the rest of their WR corps including Avery, Amendola and Simms-Walker. Bradford is my fantasy football sleeper of the year! I wish they would have taken D.J Williams in the draft.
Arizona Cardinals (Will win 5 games): They overpaid for Kolb and should have made Mr Brown in Cincinnati an offer he couldn't refuse for Palmer. They come up short in the draft every year and decided to pass on Braylon Edwards for short money. I don't get it. I'm not impressed.
San Fransico 49ers (Will win 2 games): I love that they have numbers in the spelling of their name. Thats where my love affair with this team ends. ALEX SMITH IS PURE GARBAGE!!!! What were they thinking??? One of two things. Either they throw the season and draft Luck next year or they are planning to pull a rabbit out of a hat and persuade the Bengals to give up Palmer... which would immediately make them a contender. The aren't that smart.
Seattle Seahawks (Will win 6 games): They have cornered the market in back-up QB's. Lienhart actually turned them down. Weird. They are a ways away from being relevant. How did Palmer not end up here either?? Oh yeah, the Bengals are insane. No real elite players on this team. I like the role-player, no-name.. we beat the defending champs last year thing. But this isn't a Disney movie. They stepped in shit making the playoffs with a below .500 record and even landing a home game. Maybe the league needs to look at their playoff seeding rules.
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