Countdown to Kickoff - Previewing the upcoming NFL season

I have been humming the tune for Monday Night Football all week. The 2004-2005 season ended in heartbreak for me as my team, the Philadelphia Eagles, lost in the superbowl to the New England Patriots. Sure I was glad to see them make it to the final dance but this year I want even more than ever for them to win it all. I will try my best to be unbiased this season when I write about football but there will be days when I feel extra passionate for my team so I hope people don't mind. At this time I would also like to congratulate again the New England Patriots for what they accomplished in the last 4 years. They have done something that seemed near impossible in an era of salary caps ... They became a dynasty. I have been suffering from some major jetlag so I decided to do this piece in two parts with the AFC going first. Part two will have a rundown of the NFC as well as a complete prediction of how many games I think each team will win. Hope you enjoy it.

AFC EAST

I shall never doubt the brilliance of coach Bill Belichick. Even with a new defensive coordinator ... An obvious exclusion of an offensive coordinator and a few missing pieces from last year I think the New England Patriots have this division locked. The Jets are a great team don't get me wrong they might even try to push for a wild card slot but that's the best I can see for them this year. As for the Bills they have added a few key pieces but I don't think their defence will stand as strong as it did last year and that will be a huge difference. The Dolphins may have Ricky Williams back but they have a long ways to go to be contenders. Their offense shows major weaknesses beginning with their quarterback.

Standings

AFC NORTH

To be honest this division had me the most uncertain of a clear cut winner. There is one this for sure the Steelers are definitely not going 15-1 this season. From my predictions they will be lucky to make it to double digits in the win column and possibly nab a wild card spot. Like a lot of people I do believe the Bengals have something to show us this year and are the sleeper pick to win this division or atleast a wild card slot. I changed my mind several times about this pick but I see The Baltimore Ravens pretty much on par with Cincinnati if not below them to give the Steelers a run for their money in the wild card race. The Browns very similar to the dolphins are just not in the picture at the moment to be considered a threat in this division that will be close till the very end.

Standings

AFC SOUTH

As much as I have read during the pre-season that Steve McNair is ready this season I am not convinced that he can lead the Titans to win the division over the powerful Colts offence. The Peyton Manning - Marvin Harrison connection has been almost perfected to a T and they are definitely the team to beat in this division and probably grab the number 1 spot in the conference. The Titans have made some steps forward but they have some real competition from a charged Houston Texans team. The Titans had their window and I think it has passed them and the Texans are just coming alive and should nab the 2nd spot in this division but will probably be looking at the playoffs from the outside as the AFC has a lot of powerhouses they would have to beat out to grab a wildcard spot. Not far behind are the Jaguars who have a defence made up of no names but it is a very good defence and as it goes if you got defence you never know. The Jags look to be a sleeper team to many but I think they will be looking from the outside this year along with the Titans and the Texans.

Standings

AFC WEST

Can Drew Brees show us some of what we saw last season? I hope so I like the Chargers this year for this division. They have a pretty darn good offensive set up and with no major threats in this division I think this division title is theirs to lose. The Denver Broncos are not to be forgotten here like the Bengals they are my sleeper pick to possibly win this division or somehow get a wild card slot and see themselves in the post season this year. As for the Raiders I am writing this after watching game one and it didn't really change my mind. Kerry Collins just can't bring it. Randy Moss showed some good signs and he might have some great games but consistency is the problem here in this case the offence just is not going to be enough. I know people might be thinking what about the Chiefs... But to be honest I am not a fan and I don't see them doing anything to write home about. Sure they have offence, but as we know: "Offence wins games but Defence wins championships!!!"

Standings


That's all for now... I shall be back later in the day with the part two for this piece and some bold predictions of the team by team wins and losses for the year. (P.S: Sorry for the crappy layout i will try to fix it when i work on part 2)