NFL 2008 - "And a here .. we ... GO!" ... the AFC Preview

Thank heavens we're done with the boring, pointless and mostly unnecessary preseason (like 1 or 2 games wouldn't suffice?) and we can finally move on to the real games. This is going to be a quick preview of the season and predictions of each team's final standings.

AFC East
1. Patriots (14-2): The Pats will get over their Super Bowl loss and go on to have the best record in the NFL for the 2nd straight year, mostly because they have the proper personnel back (Brady to Moss) and the NFL's scheduling rotation happened to land them the easiest schedule in the league (drawing both West divisions, while both feature three bad teams and one good one, is pure luck).
2. Jets (9-7): Favre will lead them back ... to a winning season. And while the Jets revamped their team, it will take them a while to gel. While they have a similarly easy schedule, the NFL did them no favors as they will make 4 separate cross-country trips this season.
3. Bills (7-9): I'm not drinking the Buffalo Kool-Aid - Trent Edwards is a nice QB, but he's like Pennington. He'll play smart, safe football, but he lacks the overall package that someone as mediocre as Eli Manning has. The Bills will need to control tempo and get teams to play smashmouth, run-oriented games for them to win because this team needs to ride Marshawn Lynch to victories.
4. Dolphins (4-12): Pennington is a huge upgrade at QB, but this team is still ways away. Parcells will have his work cut for him as he'll shop for the groceries but not make the meal this time around. Tip of the cap to the selection of Jake Long; if you're going to win in the NFL, start by building around the line of scrimmage, then fill in the other slots.

AFC North
1. Steelers (10-6): The more things change, the more things stay the same. The Steelers will again benefit from having a subpar division to make the playoffs (and have a decent record to show for it too). Whenever the Browns, Bengals or Ravens show signs of improving, they eventually falter back, as the Steelers are the only franchise in this division that has maintained distinction over the years.
2. Browns (8-8): I couldn’t agree more with my colleague Mr. Pysz - there’s entirely too much hype surrounding this team and a budding QB controversy in the making. What happens if Derek Anderson (he of a mere one year of solid play and a preseason that featured him getting a concussion and then not playing) struggles out of the gate? Considering that back-up QB Brady Quinn is waiting in the wings (nto to mention a wasted 1st round pick and wasted salary if he doesn't play), well, this could get ugly fast.
3. Bengals (6-10): I give Marvin Lewis until about Week 10 before he either abruptly quits or is canned. The management already undermined him by bringing back Chris Henry, a man who doesn’t like to follow society’s simplest laws like licensing and registering your firearms and not driving while intoxicated. Chad Ocho Cinco (his legal name now) continues to scream to the world that he wants your attention and continues to make the Bengals locker room a divided group. This situation is a ticking time-bomb.
4. Ravens (5-11): Well, they made the right move by finally getting rid of the massively overrated Brian Billick at head coach (winning a Super Bowl does that from time to time) but decided to roll the dice with the ever-aging defense and a rookie from Division 1-AA at QB. Have fun with that. On the plus side, the Orioles aren’t the worst team in town. On the negative side, the Orioles suck and the Ravens suck even more.

AFC South
1. Colts (12-4): I’m not on board with this being Indy’s year to lose the division; they will struggle at times but still have enough talent to win the division one more time. Anyone who thinks otherwise, well, you’re kidding yourself and not thinking of the obvious: This is Peyton Manning’s team. He will win 6-8 games by himself while filming 60-80 commercials during the season. However, I will agree that every team in this division has someone smart running their team and all four teams will be competitive.
2. Jaguars (11-5): Mo-Jo and Taylor were a great duo last year and will continue, but having a duo like that and neither one getting hurt over three seasons is rare. One of them (most likely Taylor, who’s older and about a year overdue from some nagging injury) should miss at least a few games and the extra strain on the RB left standing will hurt them in the long run.
3. Texans (9-7): It’s almost amazing that Mario Williams has, in fact, turned out to be the rightful number one pick from the Vince Young-Reggie Bush draft. He anchors a stout Texans defense that will be their staple this year, but the offense is still lagging behind. Next piece to add for this team will be a big-time (and not washed-up veteran like Ahmad Green) to the mix and they’ll be ready to make some serious noise (by the way, that could be rookie Steve Slaton, if he gets the chance).
4. Titans (7-9): Albert Haynesworth is a beast in the middle and he’s playing for a contract, as he accepted the franchise tag offer with the promise to be a free agent going into next season. Unfortunately, this team does not have enough offense (still) and will struggle in this tough division that features four premium defenses.

AFC West
1. Chargers (13-3): Of course, the Chargers have a lot a question marks, most notably can this team withstand the rigors of an NFL season with the injury issues they already have? Shawn Merriman is playing with torn knee ligaments (not smart) and Tomlinson, Gates & Rivers are coming off of seasons which ended with them injured (and playing through it which doesn’t help in the long run, well, in most of their cases, cough, LDT, cough, cough). But if they stay relatively healthy, they should easily run away with this division.
2. Raiders (7-9): Surprise! The Raiders actually will be a tough egg to crack this year, as they tab the “Viking blueprint” and employee two stud RBs starring Justin Fargas as Chester Taylor and rookie Darren McFadden as Adrian Peterson. If this team can get some pass protection for JaMarcus Russell, they could be a dangerous offense team with so many playmakers.
3. Broncos (7-9): The Broncos will struggle as the defense they have relied heavily on has started to fade and the offense doesn’t look strong. Then again, the Broncos could put me at RB and I’d probably go for 1,000 yards the way their quiet lineman block for the run (hint: it’s not illegal, but it pushes the limits). But a tough schedule will ultimately due Jay Cutler’s bunch, as he’s still a year away from being as good as expected – remember, Elway still casts a large shadow in the Mile High City.
4. Chiefs (2-14): You’ve probably heard it everywhere: “The Chiefs are entering a rebuilding phase.” I heard Joe Theismann on the radio this morning and shockingly, he summed it up perfectly: “New Orleans is rebuilding faster after Katrina than the Chiefs.” Maybe Herm Edwards should be referred to as “Hurricane Herm” because whatever team he coaches, he destroys and leaves in shambles.

AFC Playoffs
Wild Cards: Jaguars, Texans (on the Strength of Schedule tiebreaker over the Jets)

Wild Card Weekend
Colts over Texans
Jaguars over Steelers

Divisional Round
Colts over Chargers
Patriots over Jaguars

AFC Championship
Patriots over Colts

Either later today or tomorrow, look for my NFC preview and Super Bowl prediction …

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