I’m reserving my judgment on the Cardinals…they have the potential but that defense is definitely questionable. The o-line looks okay, but it may not be able to protect Warner all the time. He’ll take a few shots and that’s a bad thing.
The secondary should do okay…I dunno. If the D can be middle of the road, the offense should carry things. We’ll see.
Nothing bothered me more than Denny Green picking up Warner in the off season. I think you guys have a good chance if the line protects him, that is of course bad news for my Niners, so I will be rooting for him to choke 
. Isn’t our first meeting in Mexico this year?
If only the Colts would get a defense. 
For th Bills this year:
- Don’t embarass me.
- Protect Lossman
- Have a .500 season.
- Sell out all the home games
- Beat the Dolphins once.
- Make the playoffs.
- Beat the Dolphins twice.
- Beat the Pats once.
- Win the AFC East.
- Make the Super Bowl
- Don’t get humiliated in the Super Bowl.
12 Dares not speak its name.
Okay, I’m deluded. But 1-8 could happen.
Defensive end Eric Moore, the sixth-round draft choice from Florida State, suffered knee and ankle injuries in the 9-on-7 and had to be carted off the field. He will miss a minimum of two weeks. Wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Jamaar Taylor missed practice with strained hip flexors. Offensive lineman Wayne Lucier continues to sit out with a strained calf. Rookie running back Ryan Grant suffered a sprained ankle in practice. Offensive tackle Brandon Winey returned to practice after missing yesterday’s work with an abductor strain. Safety Curry Burns injured his neck and left the practice field in an ambulance. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe missed both practices after one of his knees swelled up. Right guard Chris Snee missed the evening practice with a strained muscle in his neck. Rookie defensive back Antwain Spann missed both practices with Achilles tendonitis.
Linebacker Barrett Green (knee), offensive lineman Wayne Lucier (calf strain), wide receiver Jamaar Taylor (strained hip flexor), defensive end Eric Moore (knee), running back Ryan Grant (ankle) and defensive back Antwain Spann (Achilles tendonitis) will not participate…Coughlin hopes running back Derrick Ward takes part in one of the two practices. Coughlin said safety Curry Burns, who suffered a concussion yesterday, might return to practice by the middle of next week…Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe continues to sit out with soreness in his knee.
Yep, we seem to be shaking that injury bug nicely.
The Bills were the last team to make it back the year after losing the Superbowl, 11 years ago. Also, how can the Vikings possibly go “way up”? They were excellent last year.
I disagree. First off, Jones is a force of nature. Bledsoe should do fine. In a recent interview, Parcells was asked if he was concerned about how many bad decisions Drew made last year with the Billies. Parcells’ reply was, and I quote: “I’m confident I can…alter that.” And finally, the draft let Bill sculpt the team into the true 3-4 that he prefers. You guys could do quite well this season.
Quite possibly. The first step, unfortunately, is to toss it out and get DirecTV, which holds the exclusive satellite deal with the NFL, much to Dish Network’s chagrin.
My condolences. I’ll refrain from SOL-JA jokes out of pity.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!! Good fucking luck. Here’s a game you can play at home while watching the Cards. Clock the time it takes for Warner to throw the ball after the snap using a sundial.
I think 2005 will signify the changing of the guard. My predictions are as follows:
AFC East: Jets
AFC North: Ravens
AFC South: Colts (although the Jags don’t suck)
AFC West: Raiders
NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Vikings
NFC South: Panthers
NFC West: Rams
Wildcards
AFC: Steelers, Jags
NFC: Eagles, Packers
Gang Green made Big Blue their bitch on Saturday, which is never a good sign. Even worse, Coughlin went crying to the Jets coaches much like a parent of a wus talking to the parent of a bully. All in all, not our best day. On the plus side, many of our players were spared this humilation due to being too injured to practice.
Still, I am very positive about the Giants this year.
QB: Eli showed promise, and got progressively better as the season wore on, ending on a high note. He’s been a bit shaky so far in camp, but I think he’ll do fine handing the ball off and throwing the deep strike once the season starts.
WR/TE: Toomer was slowed by a nagging hamstring all last season, and it showed. Healthy this year, he should revert to previous form of slightly above average. Burress should acclimate well to a passing game. We are heavy at slot, with Carter, Taylor, and Tyree all being quite capable. Taylor may be Toomer’s eventual replacement as a starter, if he can ever stay healthy. Shockey is on a mission this year, and all reports agree: “Holy shit!” He is chiseled, pissed, and has a major chip on his shoulder. I could have done without the tattoo, however.
RB: Tiki is the man. Jacobs is the monster. This one-two punch will be better than the Steelers’ Staley and Bettis. We will chew up massive yardage on the ground. If Eli can learn to sell the play action, our offense will be viscious.
OL: One of the better offensive lines in the league. Every player has been a starter in the league. Seubert was phenomenal, and he’s back, in a position battle at LG with Diehl, who returns to his more native guard position. Jason Whittle, a starter on the Superbowl team, backs up rookie Chris Snee at RG, who was fantastic until he got that flesh-eating disease last year. Kareem McKenzie at RT is a flat-out stud. At LT, Petitgout had better get it together, because he’s got Bob Whitfield, a former pro-bowler, breathing down his neck. Luke may be on a very short leash this year. O’Hara was solid at center, and has been Eli’s center every game of his career, IIRC. The familiarity will only grow and help the cause. All told, we may send two OL to the probowl this year. (Snee and McKenzie)
DL: Okay, not our strength. Our ends will be superb; Strahan and Osi will battle each other for the most sacks in the league. Robbins and Clancy may have some trouble inside against the run, though. Our backups aren’t so hot, but could be good. We spent half our draft this year on Strahan and Osi’s backups. Willie Joe is a project, and is rapidly starting to remind me of Ron Dayne.
LB: The missing piece of the puzzle was MLB, so Ernie “STOOPID IMGRATE” Accorsi picked up Antonio Pierce. Very solid addition, to go along with Green and Emmons. The backups should be good, considering they all started games last season. Torbor in particular could turn into an animal. Griesen should go away, ideally repaying all salaries paid to him to date out of shame.
CB: Peterson is good, and Allen is in a contract year, so he may play inspired. Webster is a pick machine, and Frank Walker is ultra-aggressive in a good way. These guys are scrappy, and can hold their own if Strahan and Osi play as well as expected.
S: Gibril Wilson is another pick machine. Brent Alexander is aging but still decent. Shaun Williams was a starter for years, and is fighting to become a starter again. It’s always nice to have three starters for two positions. Rounding out the position is Curry Burns, who is currently injured, but otherwise has been quite impressive.
P: Feagles – the ageless one – may be the best placement punter ever to play the game.
K: For the first time in years, we have a solid kicker in Feeley. The revolving door has been slammed shut, thank god.
My goals for the Giants this season:
- Win opening day.
OK, just got done watching the MNF game and I’m ready to set some goals for da Bears and I’ll break it down Ellis Dee style.
Big picture, I’m feeling pretty positive even though the team royally rat-fucked the draft by taking Benson. He’s going to be very mediocre, probably better than Ron Dayne but worse than Neal Anderson. Not high praise, I know. However, the team is much better than last season showed. Injuries played a role, and if they stay healthy they have better personel this year than they have had in recent memory.
Coaching Staff: I’m actually pretty confident in this crew. Lovie has shown that he’s pretty decent at identifying talent and is able to adjust quickly when a decision appears to have been a mistake. Something that the last two regimes haven’t been able to do. You won’t see him clinging to incompetent coordinators or overwhelmed QBs. And his teams will give max effort. Ron Rivera has put together a nasty aggresive defense which I love. He’s got young talent to fuel it, a few superstars to focus on, and depth built on the draft and seasoning due to industry. I’m expecting them to be at the top of the league in team defense as long as the offense manages to stay on the field for more than 3 downs at a time. They added Ron Turner to the staff, and I’m honestly fairly enthusiastic about this. His resume might give some pause after being fired by Illinois, but he’s always been a successful offensive mind. He was successful by Bear standards in his first turn, and the game plan which was played out tonite looked to be a good one. He will find a way to run the ball, he always has, even with lesser talent. He won’t run an overly complex offensive system, but it will be balanced and productive.
QB: This is probably where the final fate of the team rests, big surprise, but I think they are in good hands in Grossman. We’re not expecting to a guy to put up Hall of Fame numbers, but to keep the offense balanced. He showed good decision making, an ability to get the ball to its target quickly, and solid leadership. If he’s able to put together a healthy complete season, expect him to make strides in the mold of Jake Delhomme. Hutchinson as backup leaves me with concerns. He seems indecisive and has happy feet. Maybe he’ll outgrow that, but I’m expecting Orton to earn the second spot on the depth chart soon. He showed the potential to be a very solid backup tonite, perhaps has a future as a starter if Grossman turns out to be fundamentally flawed after closer inspection. At the very least Orton is the prototype physically where Grossman is more of a Brady type.
RB: This just makes me sad. Benson just isn’t the right guy. Missing training camp makes me even more certain that he’ll never contribute. He’s got miles on him and he will be an old rookie. You don’t get many years in a running back and this guy already has used up 4 of his. He wasn’t a game breaker and doesn’t have the speed to seperate. He hardly catches the ball at all, which makes him a part timer at best. Thomas Jones showed flashes of brilliance last year and looked strong in tonites game. He gives them a reliable 3rd down back and is a very nice fit in Turner’s system. Turner has always used multiple running backs, and I expect it to be no different in this system. The fullbacks will need to become steady contributors in the passing game.
WR: Things are a little dicey here. Muhammad is going to be a solid edition and it looks like he and Grossman have developed some chemistry. He’ll stretch the field if only one of the guys lined up across the field can keep the safety honest. Berrian and Bradley look to be the likely canidates. I loathe a WR who drops balls, no matter how fast or how precise he runs, dropping passes is undoes it all. Both these guys have this problem Berrian is a bit tougher over the middle, Bradley looks to be good after the catch with break away speed. But if neither guy can be reliable they won’t allow the other guys any space. I hope someone steps up. Would have been great to be talking about Mike Williams here…
OL: I’m really liking this squad. They blocked exceptionally well against the Dolphins first team and they are deep. If Colombo steps up and everyone stays mostly healthy, we should have no worries with this crew. They are the reason for the optomism in Grossman and Turner’s ability to challenge defenses by being diverse.
DL: We’re very dangerous here. These guys have developed into a crew that should dominate the Norris. Ogunleye, Haynes and Brown can get to the QB and a solid, young rotation of DTs will clog the interior. Gone are the days when the linebackers did all the work. These guys will anchor everything Rivera does, and he’s been pretty inventive in melding concepts from the old 46 and Lovie’s cover 2. Look for some big sack totals and control of the trenches.
LB: I don’t think I need to say much in regards to the linebackers. Urlacher is healthy and a stud. Briggs needs to learn to breakdown when he tackles, but otherwise flies around the field. Odom and Hellenmeyer add plenty of depth. The system will have them blitzing constantly and it’ll be fun to watch. If the offense gives them time to rest and decent field position they will be dominant.
DB: This crew worries me a little. They are athletic and there are alot of playmakers. They will make picks and big hits, but they tend to be a little too risky and inconsistent. Too often they play the ball instead of the man. Tillman and Brown are as good as they come, but the rest of the crew, especially in the nickel and dime can be threatened. Physically they’ll never be over matched, but they need to make the right decisions. I’m willing to wager that the pressure the front 7 will provide will make these guys look very good in the end.
P: Maynard is one of the best, very consistent and was one of the few bright spots last year. Will be a key factor if the offense struggles. Between him and the defense they should be in every game.
K: Edinger is gone, Brien is in. Honestly it’s about a push. Brien is said to be a little better, but how much confidence do you have in a guy that left NY the way he did. Edinger had a bigger leg, and could be a threat to 50 yards. Brien should be steadier from 35-45 yards. My major concern is his length off the tee. In preseason he never got the ball inside the 5. Edinger wasn’t much better, but Maynard isn’t option. You have to be a little worried when you’re probably going to be letting teams start from about the 30 every kick. You like to be able to pressure teams in the shadow of their goal posts once in a while.
Final prediction: I think they’ll finish near .500. Anything worse than 7-9 would be a major failure, and 10-6 isn’t unrealistic. They schedule finishes tough, but they get Baltimore and Carolina at home. We should defend home field and the conference is weak enough to expect a 3-3 finish. I think that, if healthy, they can finish higher than Green Bay and Detroit. Minnesota will be good, but the loss of Moss might be a bigger minus than most people predict, so I’m hoping they won’t run away with it.
Tomorrow I’ll try and do a round-the-league wrapup.
If not, you guys get to see the Kelly Holcomb Saga up close and personal. The man has an absolutely amazing talent for coming out with all guns blazing, throwing for 400 yards and 5 TDs, and still losing.
Goals for this year:
- Browns play competively, with spirit, in every game, so that I’m not ever tempted to sleep through the games like last year.
- Have the Ravens all spontaneously drop dead from STDs.
Yes it is a Monday night game in Mexico. The Cardinals still can’t draw at home although I expect that to change next year when the new stadium opens.
While I’m at it, I might as well do a breakdown, as I’m pretty knowledgable.
QB:
We’re going to be the butt of a lot of Trent Dilfer jokes. I’ve done a lot of reading on the guy since he got here, though, and he has top-tier character and leadership… and as pedestrian as his stats are, the guy has won like 26 of his last 34 games or something like that.
Charlie Frye will hopefully not see the field. I like having Dilfer around to mentor him.
God help us if Doug Johnson makes the team at all - he’s been absolutely terrible in camp. I’d rather have Josh Harris, a second year project, man the 2nd QB spot and take the beating if Dilfer goes down. We might at least have a shot at catching lightning with him… with Johnson, we know we’re headed towards suckitude.
RB:
A big strength. If Suggs remains healthy, he’s going to be a special back in this league. He has a raw talent for reading the field that’s just remarkable to see - he can bounce to the outside and turn the corner better than any back I’ve seen currently in the league. Droughns will be a pretty decent, servicible back. The system in denver aided him, but just because everyone in Denver has success doesn’t mean that all their backs are pedestrian - I think they have a good eye for RB talent, and a good RB coaching system. William Green was a canidate for a trade or cut earlier in the offseason, but Crennel and Savage have been impressed with his apparent dedication. I worry that he’ll quit on the team when he gets buried on the depth chart, but he could be a valuable contributor in case of injury, or a running back by committee system. If Suggs stays healthy, I expect him to see the bulk of the carries and get 1400+ yards. But if they spread the carries around, we’re going to see 1800+ total yards.
WR:
We’re solid but not spectacular here. I think Antonio Bryant is all set to have a breakout year as the #1 receiver. He and Dilfer have had great chemistry in camp. None of our receivers are going to be putting up Rams-type numbers because we won’t throw as much, but as a group, we’re solid. Assuming Davis doesn’t stub his toe and get sent to IR for the year, he might lead the league in YPC, as he did last year before he got injured - blazing speed, and pretty good hands. Northcutt is probably the best slot/middle/short area receiver in the league, but he’s slated to start as the #2 receiver, where he won’t be quite as successful. Crennel coming from NE apparently doesn’t have a bias against smurf WRs. Edwards - who knows? He seems pretty polished, but he’s already missed a week of camp. He’ll start out as the third or fourth receiver, and ideally be good enough to be starting by mid-season.
OL:
Major improvement. It took Phil Savage about 2 months to do what Butch Davis didn’t in 4 years: get some real NFL guards. LJ Shelton is a good player at LT that Denny Green let go because of personal issues, and so 3/5 positions on the line have improved, and the other two are the same. We’ve added some veteran depth, too, rather than filling the depth chart out with projects as Davis did.
DL:
Ugh. Well… we… have defensive linemen. That’s about as much as I can say. Roye will be a decent run stopper at end, but the rest of the line is going to get their asses pushed down the field on every play. Teams are going to be able to run on us at will, unfortunately. Faine has been dominating fisk all day at camp, and Faine is more of a mobile athlete than a pure POA type center (although has apparently bulked up in the upper body this year). McKinley was a solid 4-3 DT backup, but who knows how he’ll fare as a 3-4 end. The depth there are all question marks.
LB:
Well, there’s a lot of potential here. This is going to be the year of Chaun Thompson - crazy athleticism with limited football instincts. If anyone can find a way to scheme him to his maximum effectiveness, it’s Crennel. He has a good shot at being assigned to taking off the QB’s head, and racking up double digit sacks. Kenard Lang dropped 30 pounds in the offseason to try to jump from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB. Camp reports say that he looks lost in pass coverage, but you can’t learn that over night. If he becomes the primary QB killer over Thompson, then he has a shot at big sack numbers. Everyone else is adequate, but with one exception, inexperienced in the 3-4. They’re going to have to be good at shedding OL blocks to stop the run with our DL, but I think they have enough potential and with Crennel’s scheming can generate a decent pass rush. I expect us to be in the bottom 5-10 run defenses, but probably the top 10-12 pass defenses.
DB:
This is definitely our most athletic, physically talented, potential-laden group on the defense. I think that Baxter was a downgrade from the underrated Henry, but I may be the only one who feels that way. I don’t feel comfortable with him as our #1 corner - his hips aren’t fluid enough to be a top-tier corner, but that won’t be exposed quite as much in our predominately zone defensive scheme. McCutcheon is solid but unspectacular, but pound for pound one of the best tacklers in the league. The real potential this year is at safety - both because of the talent and potential there, and because of the importance of safety in an NE-style defense. Sean Jones, the second safety taken last year, will come back from injury with a year of film under his belt. Camp reports say that he’s looking great. We drafted possibly the best safety of the draft this year, too (since Thomas Davis, or whatever his name was, is going to be an OLB), giving plenty of athleticism to the position. Chris Crocker was one of the most underrated players on our defense last year - fast, agile, and loves to hit. Brian Russell, an FA pickup, kinda sucks but will be a veteran that can hold down the role until Poole is ready. Once Poole and Jones are starting, there will be some great athleticism at safety that’s going to be fun to watch.
P:
We picked up Kyle Richardson. Eh. Derrick Frost is still in camp but isn’t likely to make the team - he had a great half-year last year, but then became discouraged and completely folded in the second half.
K:
Dawson is one of the most underrated kickers in the league. Great accuracy, and his kickoff range has been increasing every year.
I was just reading off the position list from the previous posts, but noticed there was no spot for FB.
So…
FB: Terelle Smith is a killer. He’s going to hit Ray Lewis hard enough this year that he’s going to be put on IR with a broken everything.
They’ve also asked him to lose weight, and he’s taken off 30 pounds - I’m guessing they’re going to try to make him more versatile, as Pass is in NE.
Hal…here’s a big “Happy Football” to ya. I hope Big Blue takes better care of you this season, and I think they will.
Here’s my expectations from my beloved New York Jets.
- Don’t completely suck.
- Beat the Patriots once.
- Go 9-7.
- Earn a playoff berth.
- Actually get John Abraham to play.
- Have Chad Pennington start every game.
- Go 10-6.
- Make it to the Super Bowl.
- Win the Super Bowl.
With this team, I feel that not making the playoffs is a disappointment. Once I got over the bitter taste of the loss to the Steelers, I was ready to admit that the 2004 campaign was a success. This year, I’m expecting not only success, but improvement. With the Pats expected to be taking a step back (I’ll believe it when I see it) this could be a good year for Herm & Co.
QB: Chad coming back from off-season shoulder surgery. This isn’t just routine surgery, it’s a rotator cuff repair…more commonly seen in baseball pitchers. So the guy us Jets fans like to feel good about is our #1 question mark. If Chad is 100%, then the sky’s the limit. Long Island product Jay Feidler is a (kindly speaking here) servicable back-up, but if he’s on the field for any extended period of time, the picture starts to look rather bleak for Gang Green.
WR/TE: McCareins & Coles are a pretty good 1-2, with both recievers being about 1a quality. That’s right, I like both of these guys but neither of them is a true #1–which is fine. Pennington likes to look for targets all over the field and spread the wealth. With the addition of Doug Jolley at TE, and perhaps the emergance of a pair of young wideouts who have been showing some promise (Cotchery & Carter) and lets not forget the wiley veteran Wayne Chrebet (if he’s healthy, he’s a nice addition to the corps) and what you have is a solid pack of talent at WR. No single superstar, but a bunch of guys who are pretty damn good.
RB: I have healthy doubts about Curtis Martin repating what he did last year, but I still think he can bring it and have a very productive season. Signing back-up Derrick Blaylock was a good pick-up for this team. We’ll miss Lamont Jordon, but he wasn’t as good as his numbers might have shown last year. Where I don’t think Blaylock is Jordon, he’s not too far behind.
OL: Losing Kareem McKenzie is going to hurt this unit, which has been among the best in the league last year. Last season’s addition of Pete Kendal helped strengthen them, but losing McKensie will hurt them. Over all, Anchored by future hall of famer (yep—I said it) Kevin Mawae, I think the line won’t be as good as last year, but they should still be quite good.
DL: Mr. Abraham still hasn’t reported to camp, and he’s a big part of this unit being what it is. When he was out last year, Bryan Thomas (finally showing somme promise) stepped up nicely. I personally think John Abraham will report after missing the more grueling days at camp. If he does, this is a scary DL…in fact a scary defense on whole.
LB: Who’s my favorite Jet? Jonathan Vilma will ruin your lives and make me grin with satisfaction. The lighting-quick and deadly Vilma leads an otherwise solid unit which will strike fear into the hearts of men & children across the league.
CB: Oh yeah…Ty Law. That’s pretty cool. IF he has recovered from the Lisfranc fracture/tear in his foot. The Pats aren’t stupid, they must feel pretty secure that he’ll never be 100% again to just let him go. That’s ok. Even 80% of Ty Law is an upgrade to the Jet’s CBs. Solid but unspectacular Ray Mickens had to be let go to make room. Also on the rise is second-round pick Justin Miller, who is having a very good camp (who’ll also be returning kicks & punts). Perhaps he can learn a thing or 2 from Mr. Law.
S: Erik Coleman has been solid. Otherwise somewhat average unit. I’d guess if Law is the shutdown corner he was when healthy, then the safties & Defensive line will reap benefits.
P: Micah Knorr (used to kick in denver) is supposed to be pretty good. Who the heck knows?
K: The kicking game improved the day they cut Doug Brien. Then it got pretty good when they drafted Mike Nugent. Put me on the side of those who thinks it’s not crazy to draft a kicker in the early rounds…as long as he’s good. From everything I can tell, Nuge has got the goods.
So there it is. My early (read-it doesn’t really count) prediction is 11-5 and winning the AFC east. I think the Jets are primed to play in the AFC championship game, where they will probably lose to the Patriots. Curse you Belichick!!!
Enginerd, I have set aside a Terrible Towel just for the tears you’ll be shedding when your nightmares come true this Halloween.
The Steelers can’t live up to the record they had last year- the ESPN talking heads give them at best a 12-4 season, at worst 9-7.
Ward won’t cut his own throat by holding out too long, but both sides are at that “I will not negotiate” standoff.
On the good side, the reports from Latrobe are good- Bettis looks good, the team is on the same page, hitting is crisp in drills.
The defense has to keep its level of play, but the X factor is in the performance of two people: Roethlisberger and Randle El.
If Ben keeps up the magic of last year the Steelers go all the way. A sophomore slump and it will be a long season. Randle El must step up to help Ben, or neither will never have a truly great career.
As for the rest of the league- I haven’t seen enough to convince me that there’s a team that can stop the Patriots, unless the missing people cause a letdown in their play. Williams may lead the Dolphins in a cloud of smoke, and Peyton Manning is looking for the Big One, so I’m looking at both for a run at NE.
The Steelers have more even competition in the division- can the Bengals fall apart again?- and the Browns mark I and II will cancel each other out yet again. Baltimore will be a real force only with a decent, consistent quarterback.
Can Priest Holmes keep up the pace? Some have their doubts.
I’ll post a little more after I get a chance to see more. One of the problems of living on the Lonely Mountain is the lightning- it took out my connection for a couple days, so I’m trying to catch up on my surfing…
Great writeups for the Bears, Browns, and Jets, guys. I found it quite interesting and insightful, learning quite a bit. My writeup of the Jets last year was less informed than Andy’s is, so kudos to you. (It was nice to be reminded about Cotchery.) I do have a few comments on the Jets to supplement:
I completely disagree. Fiedler might be the best backup in the league. Consider his starting record, and then review the Browns writeup about Dilfer. Fiedler would start over Dilfer. Hell, he’d start in Miami, for that matter. He’s a major upgrade from Quincy Carter, and when The Chad goes down for 3 weeks, he might actually find himself in a QB controversy in New York. (Always a fun time.) Oh yeah, regarding Dilfer: he lit up the Giants in the Superbowl with the deep vertical game. He doesn’t completely suck.
I have a little more confidence in Coles/McCarreins than you, but less in Jolley. It’s Chris Baker who will deliver TDs from the TE position; he’s deadly in the red zone.
I have zero confidence in Blaylock, and think he’s a huge downgrade from Lamont. I think they should have waived Abraham and franchised Jordan, but what do I know. Luckily, I expect Curtis to easily gain 1500+ yards on the ground, so it’s a moot point, IMO.
I was always a fan of DL Josh Evans, and was bummed when he got cut, but he never made it to the field due to always being injured. I liked him because he did great in the ESPN best defensmen challenge a few years back.
I could fill a novel with praise for Vilma. Love that guy.
The reason I’m responding at all is because of the CB position. Pete Hunter is actually quite good, as we all would have seen had he not gone down on IR early last season. (During a MNF game, IIRC.) Law and Hunter is a fantastic pair of corners to put on the field. As an added bonus, Hunter is pretty young – 26? – and I hope he stays a Jet for years to come.
Coleman has been more than solid, IMO.
No chance.
Go Pack!
I, too, am excited about football. However, the preseason actually already started… the Colts vs. somebody played before whoever it is you mentioned in the OP. Anyway, I’ve decided preseason football is less entertaining than no football and will save my excitement for Sept. 11.
The Giants suck and will lose 10 games.
The Packers also suck and will lose 11 games.
Enjoy the season!
These predictions were based on low emotions and not objective analysis of the data. I have since compiled the data and run it through the Project-O-Tron Football Prognosticator and the new results indicate that the Giants will only lose 9 games and have one tie. The Packers will lose a respectable but playoff-missing 8 games.
[Gangster Octopus’** list of people that are dead to him
- People who put ketchup on their hot dogs
- cricetus
Packer fans are supposed to eat brats, not dogs. But I’m so with you on #1, although I have to give a “gets to live” pass to my culinarally delayed girlfriend.
You’re high if you think the Pack will contend this year. The defense, if possible, looks to be even worse than it has been the last two seasons. They are taking the Chiefs’ strategy for improving, add a good coach, and nothing else…
We all know how well that worked out.
Favre is Farve, but he’s aging. He’s been making poor decisions consistently over the last 3 or 4 seasons in pressure situations. Forcing things when the team gets in trouble. I don’t expect him to implode, but he’s not worth more than 8 wins.
They are somewhat depleted on the line, and Green is a big question mark. He’s shown himself to be fragile and fumble prone. If he comes to 2003 form, then this offense will work. But it’s not likely to be enough to outpace the points they give up. I’m not ready to say the’ll be a 4-12 team or anything, but they shouldn’t expect much better than 8-8, 9-7 if they get some breaks.
The Bears have a higher ceiling and are deeper across the board. If Grossman plays like a rookie, then they won’t compete, but if he plays smart and within himself they’ll be right there with the Pack. Finishing ahead of them would make the season a success.
Ok since everyone changed formats, here is the new and improved write up on the Niners. Last year was a dismal season under poor coaching by Dennis Erickson. He’s been replaced by Mike Nolan a defensive minded coach, who plans to have the Niners operate primarily out of the 3-4 defensive scheme.
QB This is the HUGE question mark. Current starter Tim Rattay has mostly shown talent for getting injured. During his uninjured time, he’s showed poor decision making. I believe the fact that he has more NFL time than the other three as the main reason he hasn’t been cut; that said I don’t believe he’ll survive training camp. Next up is Ken Dorsey who showed better decision making, but poor mechanics, his primary fault being a tendency to throw hanging passes. This problem has apparently been fixed during mini-camps. Cody Picket is a second year player who didn’t get much time so I won’t comment. Next up is number 1 draft pick Alex Smith. All news from training camp and mini-camps is that he’s a fast learner who’s not making many mistakes. The big question is do you throw him to the wolves or ease him in? I think the battle is pretty much Dorsey vs. Smith. I’ll comment again after a couple of pre-season games.
WR/TE At wideout the projected starters are Arnaz Battle and Brandon Lloyd. If you haven’t heard of Lloyd yet watch ESPN he’s sure to make the highlight real. He makes spectacular catches look routine, a receiver very much in the mold of Randy Moss. TE is solidly locked up by Eric Johnson who led the Niners in receiving last year.
RB/FB Last year Kevin Barlow had a miserable year, dropping from a 5.1 average to a 3.9 his main problem seemed to be hesitating in hitting the hole. Later injuries on the O-line would greatly reduced any holes to hit. He says he’s committed to getting his numbers back up. At Fullback Kevin Beasley is ever reliable.
OL our biggest problems last year was injuries to starting center, starting tacke, and starting guard. We literally had people signed off the street. The offseason has added depth at all these position including a challenge at LT. Last year’s LT is moving to RT where he’s more comfortable.
DL Anchored as always by Bryant Young who’ll permanently be moving to DE I expect a solid performance out of this crew.
LB With the return of Julian Peterson I take this core over any in the league. Look for him to do it all again this year. In 2003 he apepared at nearly every position on defense. Nolan says he plans on moving Peterson all around the feild to disrupt offenses.
DB With the addition of a CB we may get a new hard hitting one two punch at safety with Mike Rumph joining Tony Parrish in the backfield. Previous injuries to starters Ahmed Plummer and Mike Rumph kept both off the field for good arts of last season.