Are you ready for some Football?

In My Humble Opinion
21

The Patriots are a model of efficiency. Good drafts and FA pickups, usually. But I don’t think in the modern NFL you can stay on top for almost a decade like teams in the past.

I really think in the next couple of years the defensive minds around the league are going to start figuring out what Belichick is doing and will shut it down. Offensively, anyway. Defensively I think he’ll stay ahead of the curve. I believe there are only two things that will ever happen consistently in the NFL: the Broncos will rush a guy for a grand and Morten Andersen will kick the hell out field goals until he dies.

22

Screw the pros.

LSU LSU LSU
My daughter goes there, so I figure I own a piece of them.

23

Football! Woohoo!

IMHO, my poor Steeler are yet again in the position of needing a QB. They drafted one with potential, but I doubt they’ll play him for a few years. I keep thinking that when Bradshaw retired someone said “Well, we’ll never be able to replace Bradshaw” and so they just never tried…

Still, they look like they could have a good season. I’m not convinced that they will go to the Superbowl, but I’m hoping for a strong showing and a winning season.

24

The Bills

Training camp is looking pretty good, if by pretty good you mean heading into an 8-8 season. There’s a lot of buzz about Willis McGahee, and it’s nice to see him recovered so well, but let’s face it, it’s his first real year in the league. There was some mishegas about Mike Williams not showing up for camp, but that seems to have been sorted out and he’s back in action (although fined). In general, the D seems solid and the O looks shaky.

Despite all this, three of the first four home games were either sold out, or down to single seat availability before tickets went on sale to the general public. What is up with that? The whole point of being a Bills fan is that it isn’t that big a deal to get your tickets every year. There seems to be a lot of positive hype about the team this season, and while I appreciate the sentitment, I personally am just not seeing that terrific of a season unless Bledsoe really manages to turn things around. I want to be optimistic about new coach Mike Mularkey but it is too early in the game to declare that all of last season’s problems were due to the coaching staff.

25

I only do college ball. My team is ranked pre-season number One, baby! Yes, the National Champion (I don’t want to hear a peep!) USC Trojans!

This ranking will pretty much guarentee a 6-6 season including a humiliation in some “Plumbing Suppy” Bowl in early December! :smiley: But, it will also guarentee every game will be televised, so I won’t bitch too much.

I’ve been brewing beer overtime and installing air conditioning in my shop getting ready for the upcoming season. Actually, USC looks pretty good and I anticipate a good time to be had. I might even return to campus and catch a game or two this year. Its a long drive, but I have fridays off. Would make a nice “mini-vacation” and an excuse to drink too much with the college buddies.

26

Oh no you don’t! You get your asses back to The Rose Bowl so we can set things right this year. Especially because I keep hearing from everyone how Michigan got crushed. It wasn’t a crushing. It was a two touchdown win with one of your touchdowns a fluky bounce of our recievers foot in our red zone. You won fair and square but it wasn’t domination.(poor John Navarre, the first time in a four year career he ever saw a pass rush that could get through the O-line and it was in a championship game :frowning: ). Revenge dammit! I demand satisfaction!

Go Blue!!!
And oh yeah, Ohio State sucks.

27

Oh hell ya – I’ll Hail the Redskins for all the reason’s Seeker mentioned I’m optimistic, and wouldn’t be at all surprised to see an 11-5 team go deep in the playoffs.

Sh^t has to work out right tho – so much depends on Shawn Springs staying healthy and not being a dramatic drop-off from '03Champ.

The 2 new LB’s have to add up (incl. Replacing the team‘s leading tackler) & allow Lavar to rush the QB – because no one else will …

The Additions to the DL, by FA and healing, have to at least to competent NFL linemen – above average would be nice

Coles toe injury, that needs surgery he never got, probably to preserve his sweet contract a year longer, bast^rd, has to not slow him down too much …

The OL has to be “it was the scheme not the players” mantra we hear so much

Yeah, it Sounds like I am* real * optimistic, but I truly am. Mainly because, as Seeker said:

Joe Gibbs is back! Joe F’ing Gibbs is back!! OMG!

And I think “Joe F’ing Gibbs” Is magic.

28

Try not to let 'em beat you so much then. :wink:

29

shakes back and forth and mutters
I still can’t believe we traded Portis. I still can’t believe we traded Portis. I still can’t believe we traded Portis.

Honestly, as a Broncos fan, I’m not looking forward to the season. I think there’s going to be a lot of pain. We lost Portis, (and wasn’t Brunell ours as well?), we lost Sharpe, we lost McCaffrey, our defense isn’t looking great…Jake the Snake, bless his heart, hasn’t done much to impress me.

I don’t think I’ve been this pessimistic about a season since the 98-99 season. The only thing that cheers me up is the fact that the Raiders were just hemmoraging players. After their performance last year, I don’t really think they’ll be able to pull themselves together this season. The Chargers are the Chargers, so I’m not worried.

Unforunately, the Chiefs still strong. There’s no reason why they won’t dominate the AFC West. I guess what I’m hoping for right now is for the Broncos to break even and maybe make it into the Playoffs as a wildcard. But I really wouldn’t be surprised if the season looked more like 7-9 or even 6-10.

[Rabid Fan Mode]
All of you bastards are going to cry! You’ll quake at the sight of the Broncos! Be prepared to BLEED!
[/RFM]

30

Fortunately, the Chiefs still have no defense. Unca’ Gunny will whip it in to shape after a season or two, but he’s going to have to make do with a questionable D-line and linebackers that absolutely must stay healthy.

They showed last year that they can’t win in a shootout. And when you have to rely on a kick returner to win the game and not just shift momentum…that is not a good sign.

31

Oh shit, I think I have the Chief’s D for my Fantasy Football team.

Man, even when I win I lose…

32

Honestly, I think the Raiders’ D might be a safe bet. They’re going to shut the run down this year much better than last. Of course, one must bear in mind they play KC and Dick Vermeil’s offense twice…

33

Umm, we just lost our best offensive lineman (Jon Jansen) for the season last night, in the first preseason game of the year!

Dammit!!

:mad:

On the bright side, we did win the game and Sean Taylor had two picks. :wink:

34

Grrrrr…

35

Another college ball fan, and I’ll be there for every home game of my newly gained Alma Mater, thanks to a very generous graduation present. Not that I expect my Terps to do much of anything this year, at least if the spring exhibition I watched a few months back is any indication. I know it was the first time they could really get out on a field as a team to scrimmage, but it was U-G-L-Y on both scrimmage teams. And I still have no idea who the hell our new QB will be since McBrien graduated.

At least we still have Allen and Maldanado in the backfield, Suter receiving (and hopefully special teams), and Foxworth and D’Qwell Jackson on D. I also predict that if there’s a decent QB, a receiver named Parsons will get a little more recognition.

As long as no pro team manages to temp the Fridge away, I’ll keep faith that Maryland will see many a bowl for years to come.

36

With the pathetic Pac 10, Oregon off the schedule, and no conference championship game (like the Big XII and SEC), it’s almost a foregone conclusion they’ll be unbeaten. How could they not win? It’s almost like FSU before Miami joined the ACC.

My alma mater, Nebraska, has quite an interesting season. New coach and no more option football. West Coast Offense in Lincoln, never thought I’d see the day. Fortunately our schedule isn’t too rigorous, but it’s really hard to get a grasp on how things are gonna go.

37

Come on now, I hear Northeast West Virginia State Beauty and Sushi Academy is supposed to be much better this year. :wink:

38

Going off the subject for a bit…

Unless there has been already a NFL Picks thread (which I can’t find), anyone plan on making weekly picks as this board usually does?

39

I was gonna do one last night. I’ll try to get one posted before kickoff unless some beats me to it.

40

You’re kidding, right? Strahan is possibly the greatest pass rusher in the history of the NFL. Last season everyone quit except Strahan. On the biggest disgrace of an injury riddled excuse for a defense, Strahan led the league in sacks. That’s right, he led the league. And it wasn’t even close. Jason Taylor got 13, Ogunleye and Simeon Rice both got 15, and Strahan got EIGHTEEN!!! A handful?! Let me spell this out for you: Strahan not only led the league in sacks, but only 3 players in the entire league came within FIVE of his total. You have just lost your right to be a Giants fan. As punishment, you must now root for the 49ers.

Clearly, I am a Giants fan, but I also hold a special place in my heart for Gang Green.

The Jets probably had the best offseason of any team in the league. McCareins (sp?) will be the missing piece of the receiving puzzle. Conway was an offensive joke last year. Vilma will provide the desperately needed speed and youth in the LB core. He won’t be a Ray Lewis, but he will be a Michael Barrow. Robertson had his adjustment year, and hopefully is set to have a breakout season.

AFC Division winners: NY Jets, Ravens, Colts, Chiefs
AFC Wildcards: Patriots, Raiders (Scary Kerry will lead them to the promised land)

NFC Division winners: Cowboys, Vikings, Panthers, Seahawks
NFC Wildcards: Saints, Giants (?!)

Superbowl: Jets, Cowboys

Yep, that’s right, it’s Tunabowl 2004. The Cowboys will make it because Bill Parcells is the one true god. And now he has the 98 Jets, only this time, John Elway is retired. (Still pissed about that game. We were winning at halftime!)

The Eagles will implode on McNabb inaccuracy and the cap-casualties on defense. The Patriots will get the snot beaten out of them by the Ravens in the playoffs. Not score-wise, it’ll probably be a close game. I mean literally beaten and bludgeoned. Sadly, Ray Lewis will get injured in practice during the week before the AFC championship game against the Jets.

That’s all I got for now.

A handful of sacks! The audacity!