The upcoming NFL season will be chock-full of surprises.  The story lines that captivate football fans and analysts as of now will most certainly be different when we get to the end of the season (and even after Week 1).  The wins and losses, the touchdowns and fumbles, the cheerleader fights (Panther Girls, Rawr) and the coaching meltdowns (playoffs?)  all of these things are very hard to predict.  The NFL is a league featuring surprises every year.  Teams that are in the Super Bowl one year miss the playoffs the next year (Raiders '04, Panthers '05, Eagles 06', Bears '08),  MVPs go down with injuries (Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson), and a plethora of other shocking things happen on and off the field.  Even the best football analysts have an impossible time predicting an upcoming NFL season (except for Chris Berman, who picks the Eagles and Patriots for the Super Bowl every year) and so will I.  Most of the predictions I've made come from what I have seen from the teams in the past years and how I feel about them going into the season, and some of them come from my gut.

The AFC-

AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens- The Ravens are a real good team.  They are not a young team per se but they have a young Quarterback.  The firepower that their defense can create is unmistakable and their firepower on offense can not be ignored.  If the Ravens can keep a consistent running game and protect their QB they will have no issues on the offensive side of the ball.  The Baltimore defense is a juggernaut.  I am not worried about Rex Ryan's departure.

Cincinnati Bengals- The Bengals are not a playoff team this year and will have a lot of trouble in the future if they don't take an opportunity to make this year a "rebuilding" year.  Carson Palmer is a fragile Quarterback and needs a year on the bench and a year of rehab (for his knee).  Carson is not the same player that he was before his injury and if the Bengals want to keep him as their franchise QB they need to get him comfortable physically again.  Their defense is dismal, and their offense is not nearly dynamic.  The franchise should take their time to get back on track.

Cleveland Browns- The Browns are a good team in a great division.  If the Browns are in the west (of either conference) then they are in sniffing range of a division title.  Unfortunately they are not in the west and they will have issues against both the Ravens and Steelers.  The Browns will be most effective with Brady Quinn taking the snaps, he is a franchise-type QB and the Browns need to build up their could-be deadly receiving corp.  The Browns offense is close to solid (even without Kellen Winslow) but their defense is far from it.  For the Brownies to compete in that division they need a tougher defense that can cause those game-changing turnovers.

Pittsburgh Steelers- The defending champions will be eager to repeat as Super Bowl champs and are ready (in true Steeler fashion) to rip through the faces of anyone standing in their way.  The Steelers have the most solid and consistent defense in the league (and arguably the best).  They are the strongest team; the best coached team, and by all accounts the favorites for next season.  Their defense is brutal but not overpowering and their offense is consistent but not dynamic.  They are the most solid team in the league and maybe the best.

AFC South:

Houston Texans- It was a long and brutal road (at least it was if you were a Texans fan) but it worked, the Texans are finally a respectable team.  It is a team that has sort of found its stride and will certainly be a spoiler to many teams fighting for a playoff spot (similar to the Jacksonville Jaguar teams of late).  Houston is a team with a pretty solid defense and a surprisingly scary offense.  Their offense can be heavily attributed to Mr.Andre Johnson, although their newly inspired running game (anchored by Steve Slaton) has been a huge difference maker.  The bottom line is that the Texans will have a fighting shot at the playoffs this year.

Indianapolis Colts- The dynasty (with only one Super Bowl ring) may be waning but as long as Peyton Manning is the starting QB in Indy the Colts will be a heavy contender in the AFC.  Even without Marvin Harrison the Colts have a dominating passing game, where the supporting players are just as important as the super star receivers (Reggie Wayne).  Anthony Gonzalez and TE Dallas Clark are intriclal parts of the Colts passing game, not to mention RB Joseph Addai who carries the ball very well and has a large part as a receiver coming out of the backfield.  Although the Colts' defense is lacking it is still explosive at times and a healthy Bob Sanders will pay dividends to the Colts' turnover differential.

Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jags are a solid team but they aren’t the same contenders they were even a year ago.  As good as Mo Jones Drew is he cannot match the success he had with Fred Taylor.  The drop-off in the running game will in turn diminish the already weak Jaguar receiving corps and hurt the entire offensive output.  The defense is not terrific but not great.  The Jags will struggle this year and may find themselves ending the season at the bottom of the division for the second year in a row.

Tennessee Titans- The Titans claim to fame last year was their defense and the cornerstone of that defense was Albert Haynesworth.  With Haynesworth gone the Titans cannot be considered one of the top five defenses in the league anymore.  That’s not to say that the Titans don’t have a good defense, they do.  The big problems the Titans face are on the offensive side of the ball.  Chris Johnson may have just been a flash in the pan and certainly can’t carry the whole team on his shoulders.  The Titans may not have just lost their big man they may have lost a playoff birth as well.

AFC East:

Buffalo Bills- This could be a very exciting year for Buffalo, could being the operative word.  With a number one receiver in Lee Evans and a number two in Owens, that is if he will "settle" for number two. The Bills could (with the operative word of course) have the most dangerous receiving corps in the league.  That is, if they can get a guy who can throw it to them.  The Bills are not a great defensive squad and they have a faltering defensive line.  The Bills are not the strongest team in the division but they may be the most skilled.  They are a quick and sometimes devastating team with a great foundation built around a very solid running attack.

Miami Dolphins- The Miami Dolphins have two of the most important things that a team can have in professional football, one being a stellar Quarterback (Chad Pennington, when healthy) and the other being a beast Running back (Ronnie Brown......who is a beast).  This time last year I thought that Pennington was done as a starting Quarterback in the NFL, but I was wrong and last year Pennington threw for over 3,500 yards and led a Miami team that had gone 1-15 the previous season to the playoffs.  The addition of Jason Taylor will not be a big improvement to the defense but it will certainly help them maintain a better than average defensive squad.  I see no reason why this next years Dolphins team won’t win the division again as long as they win their games against other AFC east teams.

New England Patriots- The Pats are going to be an interesting team to watch next season.  Will the Pats be the same dominating team they were two years ago?  Will Tom Brady still be the great Quarterback he was?  Is the Defense too old?  The answers are No, Yes, and Yes.  There is no team in the NFL that I believe will have an undefeated regular season next year, and if there were a team it wouldn’t be the Patriots.  As for Tom Brady, he will be the same exquisite passer he was before with a great mind for football.  The Patriots are not a Super Bowl caliber team because of their over-the-hill defense.  Their Defense is not strong enough or fast enough anymore to be considered one of the top defenses in the league.  At the end of the day defense wins championships and the Patriots lack of a strong defense will hurt their chances at a Super Bowl.

New York Jets- The Mark Sanchez era will begin very early into the Jets 2009-2010 season and I am afraid he may have a similar experience to another USC alum's rookie season (Matt Leinart).  Sanchez looks like a stud now but who knows how he will fair in the NFL.  The Jets have a solid line and thankfully for them that is essential to the success of a young QB.  The Jets have a strong running game, mostly because of Thomas Jones who had a break out season last year.  Their air attack is fair but will suffer from the loss of Lavernues Coles, who signed with the Bengals as a free agent.  The Jets defense is about average but nothing special.  The Jets are not a bad team but not a great one either.  The Jets will most likely finish last in the division.

AFC West:

Denver Broncos- A team with a struggling defense and a poor running game, the Broncos will have a tough time finishing the year 500% (8-8).  The Bronco's two strengths are their receiving corps and their secondary.  The addition of Brian Dawkins will vastly improve the secondary and as for the receivers, well it’s hard to have a successful passing game without a quarterback.  Neither Kyle Orton nor Chris Simms are reliable starting QBs.


Kansas City Chiefs- As much as the ownership and the fans want, the arrival of Matt Cassel will not solve all of the Chiefs problems.  As important as a good quarterback is, the Chiefs top problems right now are with their shaky defense and uncertain running game.  Larry Johnson has fallen out of his “top-ten” spot on the leagues list of top backs.  To be fair to Johnson it’s not like the o-line is very helpful either, especially if they lose guard Brian Waters (who wants out).  The Chiefs should win more than two games this next year if not only because of the addition of Matt Cassel, but with the defense being in the state it’s in I don’t see the Chiefs winning more than five or six games.


Oakland Raiders- The Raiders are an interesting team this year with a lot of talent.  They are a team that is either very weak or very strong at the quarterback position, but I’m not sure which.  The addition of Jeff Garcia adds a strong veteran leader and a quarterback who frankly still has a couple tricks up his sleeve.  Garcia will most likely be the number two QB behind former number one pick JaMarcus Russell who has shown great improvement from his rookie season.  The Oakland running game is far from effective, the team’s most skilled player is fullback Lorenzo Neal who provides a hard-nosed running style and is a significant force as a blocker.  The Raider defense can be a very above average squad but not on a consistent enough basis.  Al Davis’ decision to draft Darrius Hayward-Bey was one of his more ridiculed and gutsy.  Darrius Hayward-Bey was a great draft choice; he will bring some firepower and speed to a much-depleted Raiders receiving corp.


San Diego Chargers- The Chargers are one of the most complete teams in football.  They have a smash mouth defense, a skillful running game, and a young, agile and, most importantly smart, quarterback.  The idea that LaDanian Tomlinson is in decline is hard to understand but widely accepted in the sporting world.  LT is strong, quick, and determined.  He will be back to his old form next season.  In fact, the success of Darren Sproles will help Tomlinson and will make the San Diego running game impossible for other teams to predict.  The San Diego defense will be dominating once again with the return of a healthy Shawne Merriman, who will lead their already stellar group of linebackers.   Although the decision to fire head coach Marty Schottenheimer following a 14-2 was a very stupid at the least, Dean Spanos made a very good coaching hire.  Norv Turner has a system that fits the Chargers very well and keeps other team’s coaches on their toes.  The Bolts are looking forward to a very successful season that will mostly hinge on the success of their Defense.