http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=573859
The thread above got me thinking. Which team that didn’t make the playoffs last year will make it this year?
Personally, I think my '9ers are due. The division looks weak and they made some key o-line moves in the draft that I think are going to help them out greatly.
I came in to say:
Woo hoo!!!
San Francisco
[color=yellow]49ers
NFC West Champs!!![/color]
Yep definitely 49er’s.
I think the lions are definitely making the right moves to improve too.
The Texans are pretty stacked too with a lot of pieces on offense and defense. They just need an RB and a DB or two, but the main thing keeping them out of the playoffs is simply that they are in the AFC, and right now it’s too hard there.
I dunno why the Rams are so horrible. Obviously, they’re fielding a peewee league o-line, but o-linemen are a dime a dozen. They’re hopeless on D too but again LB’s are all over the place. Miami turned their whole team around after drafting Jake Long and switching to the wildcat, and their team is way worse than the rams. (Ronnie + Rickey < Sjax, Brandon Marshall+Davone Bess < Donnie Avery.)
Imho, the Rams’ woes are tied squarely into turf. It’s just too hard and creates, rather than prevents, injuries. I think they had tons of players who could have played 3-4 years longer if they didn’t practice and play on turf.
The Chefs aren’t destined for greatness any time soon, but they keep drafting really well. I think that the contract they gave Cassel is going to be a huge anchor for the next few years, but they have a lot of nice pieces to build on. Anything can happen in the AFC West.
49ers, duh.
I think the Rams biggest issue in the last few years was that Georgia Frontiere got sick and died. She was very involvld as an owner and was very emotionally tied to the Rams success in moving to STL and rebuilding to a Super Bowl team. After she got sick, the management started slipping and Chip Rosenbloom’s kids were not involved or invested in the running of the team, so there has not been a concerted effort to rebuild after the decline following the late '90s/early '00 sucess. Now that they are stuck in ownership limbo that looks to be staying that way until the issue is settled and someone starts looking to replace the talent they lost rather then marking time filling roster spots with warm bodies.
49ers are actually very very good at many key positions, Frank gore at RB, Vernon Davis at TE, Michael Crabtree at WR, Patrick Willis the best Defesnive Player in the league at linebacker. What counts thoug, QB is where there is still a question mark. I see Alex Smith stepping up and having a good season and the Niners will win 9-10 games and the Division.
I think the Redskins may pick up a wild card this year–in part due to the fact that the Eagles are going to suffer, and I don’t see the Giants being all that great either. I think only the Cowboys will keep them from winning the division outright.
I have to disagree with you there. I came in to say Miami. I think they are gonna win the AFC east and maybe make the superbowl. Brandon Marshal is the 4th best reciever in the league after Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson and Calvin, In my opinion. That was the piece the needed, If he can stay healthy is his head, and the rest can stay healthy in body, They are a good team now.
That’s why I would drop him lower. 
Rickey Williams wasn’t a terrible RB because he was a bad runner.
I said in January that I thought the Chiefs would fight for a Wild Card this season. I’ll up the ante and say they’ll win the AFC West outright. The 49ers should win the West with relative ease. Oakland will improve by default without that fat ass QB they had.
The Eagles have completely rebuilt their roster without “Rebuilding.” Over the last three years they have overhauled almost the entire team without ever once having a losing season and only missing the playoffs once. Their entire projected starting offense and defense is under the age of 30 with the exception of one player (who is currently hurt and won’t be a day 1 starter anyway, C Jamaal Jackson). Their passing game has been in the top 10 for six straight years even with McNabb, who could be argued is the prototype for failure in a West Coast offense. They now have a QB who, by all accounts, is sniper-accurate. I’m giddy with excitement about seeing a quick slant route that is thrown into a receiver’s hands instead of at their feet.
The Eagles probably won’t make the playoffs this season, but they’ll be around 8-8. If they can keep these skill position guys together and not completely dismantle the defense, they’ll have at least one Super Bowl victory in the next five years.
I predict the Raiders will surprise everybody and finish second (behind the Chargers) in the NFC West, but they won’t make the playoffs. The Chiefs will still suck, though, sorry.
That would be incredibly surprising. (bolding mine)
:smack: I’m a 49er fan with dreams of playoffs dancing in my head. One way or another, a bay area team will win the NFC West…
The way the rest of the NFC West is collapsing the 49ers could not field a team at all this year and still win the division by default.
In some of these divisions, I wouldn’t be surprised if 7-9 made the playoffs.
Put me down for the Dolphins in the AFC – because I think the Patriots are old and declining, the Jets will implode (mostly from the suckitude that is Braylon Edwards, says this Buckeye fan), and the Bills… well, you know. The whole “they’re terrible” thing.
In the NFC, I’ll pick the Falcons (largely because no one else has mentioned them yet). The Saints will have a decent year but still a let down, the Panthers will be bad-to-mediocre, and the Bucs will be terrible-to-bad.
AFC:
east: pats
north: ravens
south: colts
west: chargers
wc: bengals
wc: titans
NFC
north: packers
east: cowboys
south: saints
west: niners
wc: giants
wc: redskins
wow the NFC is not looking pretty. it was also hard leaving miami out of the playoff picture.
I just wanted to tease you for including the redskins. It’s not the first time that Snyder put together the 2005 All-Star team.
Regarding Miami, I think people are catching on to the wildcat. They didn’t take anybody by surprise last year.