It's just about that time again.
Are you ready for some football?
This season looks to be quite intriguing. It was a busy
offseason for numerous teams, and not always in the best way. It will be
interesting to see how the Saints respond to the whole controversy surrounding
them. Will it bring them together, or tear them apart? The last time a team was
under such scrutiny, they went undefeated all the way to the Super Bowl, and
were considered the best team in NFL history, before losing to the Giants in
the last minute of play. Speaking of that Super Bowl, we had a rematch between
the New York Giants and that team that I just was speaking about, the New
England Patriots, who did not enter last year's Super Bowl with an undefeated
record, but still entered as favorites. Still, the Giants managed to win the
rematch, and this is probably the greatest Super Bowl rivalry since the
Steelers and the Cowboys of the seventies. Can the Giants repeat? How will the
Patriots respond, after yet another postseason disappointment? How about the
Packers, who went 15-1 and looked like the team to beat, only to watch the
Giants dominate them at fabled Lambeau Field? Or how about the 49ers, who came
out of nowhere to host the NFC Championship Game, before losing by a whisker in
overtime. Maybe the Ravens are finally ready to rise up beyond the
disappointing end to the AFC Championship Game, and ready to finally reach the
big dance, which would likely be Ray Lewis's last hurrah.
Of course, those are some of the most obvious teams, the
favorites. There are other intriguing stories, as well. How will Peyton Manning
and the Broncos work out this season? Will the Chargers bounce back from two
disappointing seasons in a row, or are they basically done? The Raiders, who
managed to have a perfect 6-0 record against teams in their own division, went
2-8 against teams outside of the division. Are they ready to step forward and
become a contender? What about the Chiefs? Can their offense finally get it
going?
The Houston Texans still look good, and their defense
should still be strong. They seem to be the big favorite in that AFC North, as
the Colts, the team that had long dominated the division, look to be rebuilding
with new star of the future, Andrew Luck. They may be very good again in the
future, but it would be unrealistic to think that they will be a serious
contender this year, after a miserable 2-14 campaign last season. The Jaguars
do not appear to be a serious contender, and the Titans are still working on
making improvements. They are probably the second best team in the division,
but it is hard to imagine that they can enjoy sustained success during a 16
game season, although you never know, right?
The AFC North produced three playoff teams last season . The
Ravens won the division and reached the Championship Game, and were even close
to the Super Bowl, until the field goal sailed wide. With an intimidating
defense and a solid running game, they are relying on an old formula to try and
reach the championship. The Steelers are not much different, and have qualified
for the Super Bowl a record tying eight times, three times in recent memory.
They have won more Super Bowls than anyone else, too, and you can never
discount them. The Bengals finally made it back to the playoffs, but they were
not able to muster a win against a winning team last season, going 9-0 against
teams that did not have winning records, but 0-8 (including playoffs) against
teams with winning records. As for the Browns, they showed improvement, but can
they translate that to greater success this season, maybe even qualifying for
the playoffs? Time will tell.
The Patriots have long been the dominant team in the AFC
East, but one wonders if that might change, after this latest crushing loss in
the Super Bowl. The Jets were contenders recently, but they had a hugely
disappointing season last year, and that after coach Ryan had predicted a Super
Bowl for the team. The Bills seem to slowly be putting pieces in place, while
the Dolphins likely will be the cellar dwellers here.
In the NFC East, the Giants are the reigning kings, but
the Eagles are hungry to bounce back from the embarrassing failures of last
season. The Cowboys tend to be unpredictable, but should field a decent team,
while the Redskins will likely need some time to make things work there.
The NFC North has some impressive arms throwing passes,
and should be a wild division this year. Tops is Aaron Rodgers and the Packers,
only a year removed from defending their championship. They owned a 15-1 record
last season, but the playoffs were a let down. They still figure to be the best
team in the division, far and away. Detroit
San Fransisco appears to be back in the NFC West. They
enjoyed a very successful season last year and, like the 49ers of old, seem to
be benefiting from a weak division. It is hard to believe the Cardinals were in
the Super Bowl recently, since they have really stunk these last couple of
seasons. But there are signs that they are hungry to get back to success, and
they started recovering from a bad start late last year. The Seahawks were
division champs a couple of years ago, but they appear far from contention now,
as they continue the rebuilding process. The Rams showed some strong potential
in 2010, but last season was simply a disaster. They need to show that they are
on the right track, and Bradford needs to show
the arm that he had back in 2010. It would be surprising if they were as bad
this season as they seemed to be last season.
So, there is no shortage of intrigue and drama heading
into this season. Let's see what happens. But before that, I will write a
preview of the upcoming season, and will try to analyze each team and each
division, and will finish up with predictions.
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