2011-12 NFL Predictions

NFC EAST

Philadelphia Eagles  12-4   (10-6 in 2010)

I'm not sold on Michael Vick as a true superstar QB yet.  He had an exceptional year last year mostly because people didn't know how good he would play.  This year they know...they can prepare better.  Their offense won't be as dynamic as a lot of people think...but their defense is what will carry them.  It won't be a "Dream Team" type of situation as Vince Young said...and Andy Reid will have more than his share of opportunities to screw things up...but they are still an incredibly talented team.

Finished 8-8...off 4 wins.  Strange team to figure out.  They finished in the top 10 in just about every major category on offense and defense.  Finished well to save some face...but definitely a failure overall

Dallas Cowboys  9-7  (6-10 in 2010)

Full year for Garrett...Romo recovered from injury...Dez Bryant no longer a rookie, ready to have a huge year...and they dont really have an impossible schedule.  Offense has a ton of weapons, and defense should improve some as well.  Problem is they are probably in the toughest division in football.  3-3 in the division would be good.

Finished 8-8...off 1 win.  Dez Bryant had nearly 1000 yards and 9 touchdowns...nailed that one.  Offense had a ton of weapons...nailed that one.  Instead of 3-3 in the division, they went 2-4...and that was what killed them.


New York Giants  9-7  (10-6 in 2010)

Solid team throughout the lineup, but I still say they overachieved last season.  Eli thinks he is a top-tier QB in the same class as Brady/Rivers/Brees/Rodgers?  He has enough weapons at the receiver  position, but he is turnover prone for sure.  I'm nice enough to give them a record above .500...but no way will they get to 10 wins if they continue to turn the ball over.

Finished 9-7...DEAD RIGHT!!  Eli proved to be a top 5 NFL quarterback this year,. but as usual they lost to the teams that they should have smoked.  There is a lot of talk about this defense, but they are among the worst in the league in just about every key stat.  Finished in the top 10 in turnover differential however...which offset that.


Washington Redskins  5-11  (6-10 in 2010)

Dropped them down a win from last year because I don't care who the QB ends up being...Rex Grossman and John Beck aren't enough to help this team.  The defense is solid at just about every position and will keep them in games...but they have little to no shot at getting many wins in the last 6-7 weeks....Dallas, @ Seattle, Jets, Patriots, @ Giants, Vikings, @ Eagles.

Finished 5-11...DEAD RIGHT!!  Last 6 weeks they went 2-4...nailed that one.  Defense was above average, but the offense was below average.

NFC NORTH

Green Bay Packers  12-4  (10-6 in 2010)

Injuries prevented the Packers from really showing what they could do last season in the regular season.  Being the Super Bowl champions means you get the easiest schedule going into the next season.  They should have no problem winning the last 4 games of the year...and if they can handle the Giants on the road in Week 13 they might run off 7 or 8 in a row

Finished 15-1...off 3 wins.  They certainly ran off 7 or 8 in a row...and the play of Aaron Rodgers was something that we have very rarely seen. 

Detroit Lions  8-8  (6-10 in 2010)

Offense has gotten better every year....they have a beast of a human being on the defensive line with Suh...the Best/Morris duo needs to step up big time and help out Stafford.  They drafted nothing but offense, which I didn't like...and the secondary needs to be the key.

Finished 10-6...off 2 wins.  Offense was top 10 no doubt...but the rushing game just didn't step up enough to give them enough time of possession late.  Took a huge step forward this year, and if Suh/Fairley can limit their stupid mistakes, they will be very good next year as well.

Minnesota Vikings  8-8   (6-10 in 2010)

Donovan McNabb is worth a two-win improvement for this team.  Last year they didn't know what was going to happen on a play to play basis with the QB.  Biggest question mark for me with this team is the secondary and their depth.  The Packers and Lions are pass happy...and that could pose a huge problem for the Vikes. 

Finished 3-13...off 5 wins.  No idea what I was thinking about McNabb...but considering him as a two win improvement is probably the stupidest thing I said in this entire thread.  Offense was crap outside of Peterson...and the defense just didn't do enough.

Chicago Bears  7-9   (11-5 in 2010)

Much like the Chiefs last year....the Bears over-achieved.  This year they have the issues with Lance Briggs which will be interesting to see.  However, they did just bring in Brandon Meriwether from the Pats to help out with their defensive secondary.  They still have Peppers and Urlacher who are incredible.  They brought in Roy Williams to boost the receivers and give Cutler another weapon.  I just see them having an 0-3 record out of the gate with the Falcons/Saints/Packers lined up.

Finished 8-8...off 1 win.  Defensive secondary still sucked...but going up against Stafford and Rodgers for 4 games probably had a little bit to do with that.  Injuries just absolutely buttfucked this team.

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons  11-5  (13-3 in 2010)

Love the offense...not huge on the defense.  Matty Ice...Burner Turner...Roddy White...Julio Jones...Tony Gonzalez?  Holy crap that is stacked.  Especially playing in the Georgia Dome and not having weather to deal with will be huge for them.  They won't have a single game with cold weather this season.  I just don't like the defensive group as much as I probably should.  I'm probably wrong.

Finished 10-6...off 1 win.  Nailed the offense...but the defense wasn't that great.  Biggest problem with this team was the inconsistency.  No rhythm to them whatsoever.

New Orleans Saints  10-6  (11-5 in 2010)

Bumping them down one win because I think the defense did a little better than they looked on paper last season.  No Darren Sharper in the secondary.  Love Ingram as a running back, and Drew Brees has essentially the same weapons outside of Shockey this season.  They are still one of the better teams out there, and will be a dangerous playoff team as usual.

Finished 13-3...off 3 wins.  Offense was record breaking, which made up for their defensive deficiencies.  Should have had a better record even...considering they lost to the Rams and Bucs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers  8-8  (10-6 in 2010)

I would have liked to see the Bucs do a little bit more in the offseason.  Josh Freeman did a fantastic job last year limiting the mistakes and getting the absolute most out of this offense.  LeGarrette Blount obviously helped that cause big time.  The pride of the team is the defense...and they reloaded with the drafting of Bowers from Clemson.  I'm dropping them down because I think their offense will hold them back going up against the Saints and Falcons in four games...as well as non-division matchups against pass-happy teams like Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Indy, and Dallas.

Finished 4-12...off 4 wins.  They started off 4-2..were looking solid.  And then they just absolutely fell off the face of the Earth.  Defense just absolutely sucked ass.

Carolina Panthers  2-14  (2-14 in 2010)

It's a good thing they have a solid offensive line to protect Cam Newton.  I also like the addition of Naanee as a receiver to compliment Steve Smith.  The defense however is not good.  They will have another 1st pick coming next year.

Finished 6-10...off 4 wins.  Finished strong with some fool's gold wins against shitty teams.  Cam Newton did better than I had originally imagined.  Defense is still terrible though, and that will determine what they do next year.

NFC WEST

St. Louis Rams  9-7  (7-9 in 2010)

Experience for Bradford will boost them up a couple of wins.  Added Mike Sims-Walker for another weapon to throw to and Quinton Mikell on the defense.  Should struggle a little bit at the start of the year...but finish BIG.  Arizona, Cleveland, Seattle, Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Cincinnati stretch should give them a minimum of a 5-2 record. 

Finished 2-14...off 7 wins.  Oops...missed this one.  Injuries hurt them quite a bit...and firing the coach could not have been more obvious.

Arizona Cardinals  8-8   (5-11 in 2010)

I'd say the fact that they have a somewhat legitimate QB this season is worth at least a win or two.  The fact that they start with 3 winnable games and end with 4 winnable games also helps.  I also like the addition of Todd Heap.  They won't make the playoffs...but it will be an improvement.

Finished 8-8...DEAD RIGHT!!  They started with 3 very winnable games...but lost at the last possible minute.  Lost against Washington in the 4th, the Giants in the 4th, and the Seahawks late.  Kevin Kolb is laughing his way all the way to the bank.

Seattle Seahawks  6-10  (7-9 in 2010)

Huge dropoff at the quarterback position...which is the key.  Sidney Rice is a solid WR....Lynch/Forsett are decent at RB....Carlson is a very good TE.  But with nobody to throw the ball...and a possibility of a lot of mistakes more than likely it's not gonna be a playoff year this time.  I do like a lot of the players they have on defense because of their speed.  I also don't like the fact that they go to Pittsburgh, Dallas, Chicago, and the Giants.

Finished 7-9...off 1 win.  The fact that they had 22 interceptions this season, and being one of the best teams in the league in +/- gave them an extra win.


San Francisco 49ers   6-10   (6-10 in 2010)

Alex Smith is not the QB of the future...and if they happen to struggle out of the gate it would be a wonderful option for them to continue to suck the rest of the way to try and win out on Andrew Luck.  I like Frank Gore...I like Vernon Davis...and the defense is improved again but they still are a long way away.

Finished 13-3...off 7 wins.  Oops again.  Alex Smith didn't light it up, but Harbaugh was the perfect coach for this situation and they had an excellent game plan going into every week.  Defense is insane, and lead them to a lot of quality wins.

NFC PLAYOFFS

1.  Green Bay Packers 

2.  Philadelphia Eagles 

3.  Atlanta Falcons 

4.  St. Louis Rams 

5.  New Orleans Saints 

6.  Dallas Cowboys 

WILD CARD ROUND

Atlanta Falcons    def.    Dallas Cowboys

St. Louis Rams    def.    New Orleans Saints

DIVISIONAL ROUND

Green Bay Packers   def.   St. Louis Rams

Atlanta Falcons   def.   Philadelphia Eagles

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Atlanta Falcons    def.   Green Bay Packers


ONLY 3 OUT OF THE 6 NFC PLAYOFF TEAMS...AND THE RAMS IN THERE AS WELL

MVP   -    Matt Ryan 


Offensive Player of the Year   -    Chris Johnson 


Defensive Player of the Year  -     Patrick Willis     Was hurt early


Offensive Rookie of the Year  -     Cam Newton    Fighting with Dalton


Defensive Rookie of the Year  -     Patrick Peterson    Solid year on special teams and defense.


Comeback Player of the Year   -    Tony Romo    Great year


Coach of the Year  -   Mike Tomlin    Harbaugh without a doubt

Most Passing Yards   -   Drew Brees   (4,650) 

Most Passing TD's    -   Tom Brady   (34)    Close

Most INT's   -   Cam Newton    (20)    Fitzy had 23...Newton 6th with 17

Most Rushing Yards  -   Chris Johnson   (1,890)    Finished with 1,000...but MJD at 1600 took it

Most Rushing TD's   -   Chris Johnson    (17)    McCoy with 17...Newton 2nd with 14!!

Most Receptions   -    Calvin Johnson Jr.  (109)    Welker 122...Megatron finished with 96...4th place

Most Receiving Yards   -   Andre Johnson   (1,470)    Injuries killed this...Megatron with 1680

Most Receiving TD's   -    Reggie Wayne  (14)    Gronk with 17...figured on Manning actually playing

Most Sacks   -   Clay Matthews  (17)   Jared Allen with a near-record 22

Most Interceptions   -    Aqib Talib   (9)    Woodson, Weddle, and Kyle Arrington with 7

Best ATS team   -   Detroit Lions  (Thinking 11-5)    7-7-2...Niners went a crazy 12-3-1

Worst ATS team   -   Philadelphia Eagles   (too much public hype)    Strong finish killed it...St. Louis 3-12-1

Most OVERS    -    New England Patriots   (no defense, big offense)    11-5...tied with Cincy and Green Bay

Most UNDERS   -    Seattle Seahawks  (crappy division, no QB)    Kansas City at 4-12

Not bad...always fun to look back and see what I was thinking