2008-09 NFL Predictions

AFC East

New England Patriots  (14-2) - They still have the best offense in the NFL, and got a lot younger on defense.  Lost Asante Samuel which will hurt the secondary, but with a weak schedule and a weak division, shouldn't be much of a problem.
New York Jets (10-6) - Biggest improvement from last year IMO...Gholston is a nice pick, and grabbing Faneca and Woody on free agents should boost this team up.  Only problem is they have 2 probable losses against the Pats, and also some tough road games vs. San Diego, Tennessee, and Seattle.
Buffalo Bills (8-8) - This team also made some nice improvements, mainly Stroud and Mitchell, but in this division their youth will kill them.  They are still a very young team and in a very tough division.  Need another wide receiver threat, and to solidify their QB position.
Miami Dolphins (4-12)  - Their best defender doesn't want to be there, and they still don't have a proven QB or WR.  Wilford is a nice pick up, but he's not a #1 guy.  Even if Jason Taylor stays and the QB position plays solid, they are still a bad team.

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals (11-5) - Still a very potent offense when healthy whether Chad Johnson plays or not.  Their defense will also be a little healthier this year.  Brutal schedule for all of these teams, and I like the Bengals to break through.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) - They just have a brutal schedule and with Willie Parker coming off an injury and some key losses, it will be interesting to see how Mike Tomlin either improves or takes a step back in his 2nd season.
Baltimore Ravens (7-9) - Nice improvements with the draft, but without Ogden there to protect the QB, some issues need to be improved upon really quick.
Cleveland Browns (7-9) - Don't be fooled by last year, this team still needs some help on defense, and this is a brutal division.  They will take some hits, but they are really close to being a playoff team.

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts (13-3) - Still the best in the division, but getting older and still desperately avoiding the injury bug.  A relatively tough schedule again.  Solid on offense, still some questions on defense, but can't go against them in being one of the Top 2 teams.
Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) - Still not convinced on David Garrard as a legitimate starting quarterback.  He had a great year last year IMO because he was an unknown.  Now teams have a scouting report and will be able to attack him.  Jones-Drew is great, and the defense is great.
Houston Texans (9-7) - Their defense is absolutely loaded and their offense got better with Slaton and Andre Davis, but their offensive line is absolute shit, and that is the key.  They will be solid, but IMO they will be the typical "spoiler" team at the end of the season.
Tennessee Titans (7-9) - They had the least amount of passing TD's last year, so they picked up Crumpler, but they have by far the worst receivers in the league, and probably pretty damn close to the worst corners in the league.  Going up against Harrison/Wayne, Johnson, and others will not be pretty at times.  VY can't do it all!!

AFC West

San Diego Chargers (12-4) - Still the best team in the AFC West, but I see them falling back a bit, and a possible early round exit from the playoffs.  They stayed essentially the same, with the major loss being at fullback.  LT will have a little harder time this year.  I also see Rivers taking a step back after a solid season last year.
Denver Broncos (9-7) - A solid team, solid offense, best secondary in the league, but with Selmon Young as your starting running back, I just don't trust it.  Could sneak into the final wild card spot, but I'm not convinced.  Defense is also getting older.  Cutler should improve nicely.
Oakland Raiders (6-10) - Another solid draft getting McFadden and picking up Hall to beef up the defense, but the lines are that solid and JaMarcus needs to prove himself as an NFL quarterback.  Not going to be easy with essentially one receiver in Javon Walker.
Kansas City Cheifs (4-12) - Not that great of a team here.  Larry Johnson will find it a lot harder to get his yards as the O-Line took the biggest hit.  Dorsey will be a great addition to the defensive line, and Dwayne Bowe is a Pro Bowl type receiver IMO.  But just too many holes right now for this team.

Nice write up

Yeah, and if you look at the rest of the write-up you will see why

I agree with the AFC East predictions.

I think Pittsburgh will be back because Willie Parker doesn't have to be the main guy anymore.

I think there is something wrong with that Bengals team, they are taking steps backwards for stupid reasons... just a bad organization.

I don't know what to make of the AFC South... I hate the Colts.  I'm going to start to be a Houston Texans fan, I think they got something going on in the upcoming years. 

I like San Diego this year, I think they bounce back with a vengeance. 

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (13-3) - Much like the Pats, the schedule makers were very nice to the Cowboys.  Should be undefeated or close to it until their meeting with the Giants on Nov. 2nd.  Added Zach Thomas and had a great draft.  Romo should continue to get better, and T.O. is happy with all his money.
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) - Obviously this is totally relying on the fact that McNabb can stay healthy for the entire season.  Picked up Samuel which is huge, probably the best secondary in the NFC.  Westbrook getting older, somewhat weak receivers could hold them back, but the talent is there.
New York Giants (9-7) - Had an unbelievable run last year but all they did in the offseason was lose players.  Shockey will be gone and Strahan retired.  Defense's weak point is up the middle, and against the tough NFC running back, that will be the downfall.  Good pressure off the edge, but that's it.
Washington Redskins (6-10) - First year learning curve with a true rookie coach.  Offense is solid, but can Jason Campbell run it?  Defense is getting very very old now, and will have a hard time competing and keeping them in games, especially if turnovers become a problem.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (12-4) - I like the pickup of Vilma and the drafting of Ellis.  Should beef up the defense nicely, and with Deuce coming back from injury, the offense is just as loaded.  Biggest question mark is the secondary, but luckily the NFC South is a fairly  heavy running division.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6) - Their offense is good enough to put some points on the board, but their defense is the bread and butter.  If Garcia still has something left in the tank they can compete with anyone.  Running back is a question as Cadillac Williams needs to stay healthy.  Key will be O-Line and D-Line playing as well as they did last year.
Carolina Panthers (6-10) - The offense is solid as they come, but other than Peppers, there isn't a single player on this defense that scares me, and that scares me.  Teams are going to be running up the middle all day on these guys without Jenkins in there.  Peppers is an edge rusher, and won't be able to stop the middle as well.
Atlanta Falcons (4-12) - Obviously a rebuilding year for them as they should be starting Matt Ryan at QB.  Running back position is still weak and they lack a big play receiver.  Lost D-Hall at cornerback and Crumpler their top offensive performer.  Four wins might be generous.

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings (13-3) - This defense is now ridiculously good with Jared Allen.  I hate to give them 13 wins with Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback, but Peterson should help him once again and hopefully Sidney Rice can have a solid year.  O-Line is huge as well.
Detroit Lions (9-7) - Still not a playoff team because of their defense line.  Drafting Cherilus was a solid choice, but they better load up on wins early in the year, because the last half of their schedule is pure hell.  They'll need a defensive line in those games.  Same as last year here...6-2 then 3-5.
Green Bay Packers (8-8) - The pieces are all there except for one.  And that piece was the huge piece in the middle of the puzzle for the Packers.  Ryan Grant will need to continue what he did in the playoffs, and Aaron Rodgers is facing the most pressure in the QB position in a long time. 
Chicago Bears (5-11) - This team just doesn't have an offense.  It's as simple as that.  Weak running backs at best, receivers aren't horrible, but the quarterbacks are.  Defense will get them every win this year, which obviously won't be enough.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals (9-7) - This hurts me.  Cardinals have been the popular pick for 3 or 4 years now, but adding Haggans and LaBoy to the defense will add some much needed experience.  Offense is still as potent as ever, and they have the fan support.  Smells like playoffs.
St. Louis Rams (8-8) - Offense is as stacked as ever as usual, but the biggest problem is their secondary.  In the more air it out style of the NFC West, they will be hurt by that.  A couple more solid draft choices or trades should help them out.  D-Line is still damn good, but you can pass on this team all day long.
San Francisco 49ers (7-9) - HUGE offseason for the Niners as they reloaded big time on offense.  This is the biggest potential team in the league IMO but they are still young at some key areas, mainly offensive line.  If they can keep Alex Smith upright, they could surprise some people.
Seattle Seahawks (5-11) - Much like the Bears, I'm not convinced on the offense here.  Alexander was such an important part of this team, and I'm not sure Julius Jones is that type of player.  Jones can't handle 20+ carries a game, and the offensive line isn't getting younger.  I see a downward spiral this season, and some rebuilding next year.

AFC PLAYOFFS

Wild Card

Jets over Chargers
Bengals over Steelers

Divisional

Patriots over Jets
Colts over Bengals

AFC Championship

Patriots over Colts

NFC PLAYOFFS


Wild Card

Saints over Buccaneers
Eagles over Cardinals

Divisional

Cowboys over Eagles
Vikings over Saints

Championship

Vikings over Cowboys

SUPER BOWL



Patriots  20  Vikings  16






DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND THESE ARE TWO OF THE BEST!

Not bad overall but I see you're the eternal optimist as your regular season records are 40 games over .500 which obviously can't happen.

Your probably a couple wins too high on the Jets, Bucs, 49ers and Lions and probably 3 or 4 wins too high on the Bengals and Vikings.

Probably a win too low on Buffalo and 2-3 wins too low on the Packers, Seahawks and Panthers. Other than that you are pretty spot on with your regular season predictions.

However you lost me in the playoffs. The Bengals are Jets probably won't even make the playoffs and I can't see Cincy beating Pit and there is NO CHANCE IN HELL that the Jets (if they make the playoffs) go into San diego and beat the Chargers and I will bet my life savings on that. Can't see the Vikings with Tavaris Jackson beating a stacked Cowboys team either. Cowboys to win the NFC might be one of the best NFL bets out there in a long time.

Pretty solid predictions overall though and of course it's your opinion and what I wrote is mine and we both know that they mean little once the season starts. I look forward to reading your posts this upcoming season.

That's why these are predictions boys.  What if someone came in here last year and said the Pats were going undefeated?  You never know.  Tarvaris Jackson could throw for a crapload of yards and have a damn good year.

They are very good predictions. Tarvaris may shock everybody.You never know.

Good job CM. That took a lot of thought and I appreciate it.

what a surprise...I could have guess Patriors before you even pridicted the playoff teams...

 

From New Hampshire = New England Patriots

 

cowboys win a playoff game

King08....I do believe they went undefeated last year and have pretty much the same team this year?  Now if I was from Miami and had the Dolphins winning the Super Bowl...then you have a complaint, but the Pats are the best team in the NFL, and after last year's media circus I see them coming back better than ever.

waltertaylor - yeah it kinda kills me to even say it as the Cowboys have always been one of my favorite teams, if not the favorite.  Tony Romo just doesn't have the playoff mentality IMO...so when they go up against a dominant defense (such as the Vikings) it makes it difficult. 

That could very well be true Blackshirt...they could hit a slump this year.  But what I'm going on is the fact that they are still hands down the best offense in the NFL, and easily a Top 5 or Top 10 defense.  Only thing that will seriously hurt them is injuries, as it will for most other teams.

Going to be a great season however, definitely looking forward to it!!

I agree I was just messing with you,....in fact they will be really pissed that they lost last year...They will be one of the best team in AFC

The only shock i will have if he is not benched before the season ends, look at this guy, he does not have a fukn clue. They have no wide receivers, I mean stack up for the run and what's left of that offense; "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING"