I Like the Saints myself Arnold, but not this year. They WILL do much better, There front four on defense are realy good and I think Jake Delhomme is a very underrated QB who can pick up if Blake gets hurt.
Of the top 6 rates teams I would say:
Redskins
and Titans
The redskins have AMAZING depth at all skill positions
Their second string could go and win a few games by themselves!
The Titans picked up Pickens and Thigpen will be healthy
Picking up Godfrey at linebacker was a good move as well.
The suprise teams to watch I think are the Ravens and the Bears.
It all falls down to injuries really.
The Redskins LOOK powerful on paper, but I’m not sold yet. Somehow, Dan Snyder reminds me a lot of Peter Angelos, and the Redskins remind me of the Orioles: a team of overpaid, over-the-hill former all-Pros.
Bruce Smith, in his prime, was the best defensive lineman in the NFL, and Deion Sanders was the best pure cover cornerback ever. But Deion hasn’t been a genuine star in YEARS (I live in Texas, so I’ve seen a LOT of the Cowboys; Deion is NOT what he once was). And BRuce SMith only had 7 sacks last year.
MAYBE this will be the year they make a big comeback. But it could just as easily be the year that Deion sits on the sidelines for 9 games, nursing a sore toe, while Kurt Warner burns them deep.
Some people on ESPN’s website (Theismann and I think Mortenson) are calling the Ravens a playoff team, and possibly a Superbowl Contender.
Personally, I wouldn’t quite go as far as Superbowl Contender, but the playoffs are certainly possible.
Two caveats:
A whole lot is riding on guys like Tony Banks and Jamal Lewis–two guys I think have talent, but are hardly reliable. I do think they’re defense is outstanding.
That division is going to be tough, as the Jaguars (unless injuries to the O-line cripple them) and the Titans are certainly playoff tesms.
I admit that Baltimore’s new team is not the powerhouse that your former team is (the one now in Indianapolis).
Believe me, I can relate to a Super Bowl contender being a team that used to play for you…
Osip, I agree that the Bears are a potential sleeper, though it’ll be interesting to see if other teams’ defenses adapt to the Bears’ offense.
Tip for Seahawks fans: Bundle up for home games. Husky Stadium is cold - especially if it’s night and you’re in the upper deck. We learned this the hard way this weekend.
Thanks for the tip, I already know this because we have had season tickets for the Huskies for several years, and have frozen our noses on several occasions, not to mention other body parts.
And, how utterly sexist of me to assume that you are a man, just because you like football! For shame, and I ammend my statement to read “Here is a woman after my own heart!”
And everyone thought Arnold was crazy. Sure he might have been off on the score, but it was pretty damn courageous to pick those two teams and to have both of them come so close and the one is still in it. Just though everyone might want to see who they thought was “the team” at the beginning of the season.
Damn, I’ve gotta stop posting on these threads so much.
(Side note: It’s actually possible to revisit a thread that’s almost five months old? Hot damn! I was actually worried about “music subgenres” getting worried for a while.)
I got the NFC team wrong ( had someone coming out of the East, tho), but the winner and final score were exact, and damn close, respectively. Damn! Why didn’t I drop a $50 bill in Vegas?
