The Steelers and Giants will play in the Super Bowl - The Giants are the easiest of the picks. They have been far and away the best team in the NFL this season and have all the tools needed to make the run: Experience, running game, dominant up front, and a QB that knows how to win.Meanwhile, the Steelers are not as obvious. The AFC is wide open, as any one of five teams could make it. But Pittsburgh is on track to gain the No. 2 seed and I wouldn’t want to play them at Heinz Field. The Steelers have the best defense in the league and their offense hasn’t even played all that well. Their wins against the Pats and Cowboys convinced me that Pittsburgh is the AFC pick.
LaDainian Tomlinson stinks, so much that he will be out of the NFL in three seasons - I never really cared for him. I always thought he was a product of fantasy football. When everything is right, he’ll score his four TDs and gain 200 total yards. But bring on a tough defense, cold weather, and the playoffs, and he folds up. This year, age is finally catching up to him. He’s 29 years old! Tack on three years, and he will be 32. By then, the Chargers will have moved on…and no one will want him.
The following coaches will be fired between now and the beginning of next year’s training camp - Norv Turner, Romeo Crennel, Rod Marinelli, Marvin Lewis, Eric Mangini, and the biggest one….Wade Phillips.
Bill Cowher will not coach any of those teams with vacant coaching positions - He's done coaching, so stop convincing him to come back.
Matt Ryan will win Rookie of the Year, with Chris Johnson, Joe Flacco, and Matt Forte following him in that order - I loveeeeeeeeee Matt Ryan. Loved him right out of college. He has everything you need out of a QB: Great arm, outstanding instincts, and a knack for winning. Plus, the Falcons were in the dumpster after Michael Vick was jailed. Ryan deserves the award, and he will be a franchise QB for the next 15 years. Johnson has done more with less time. He’s hit 1,000+ rushing yards on just 222 carries (4.9 average). He’s also given a lift to an otherwise dismal offense. Personally, he’s had a better season then Forte. Yes, Forte has had a billion catches, but when has Forte had a game-clinching or signature run?
Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech will be the best player to come out this year and win the 2009 Rookie of the Year – Sorry Tim Tebow, who won’t even be drafted in the first three rounds, or Sam Bradford, who will be an erratic NFL QB. Crabtree is one of the best open-field receivers to come out in a while. He’s 6’3, can run a 4.4, and catches pretty much anything thrown his way.
I will throw my remote through the television.....if I have to see five-dollar footlongs, hear that loser from UPS, or listen to that irritating Verizon Fios guy again.
The Jets will either not make the playoffs or lose in the first round – They peaked too early. Brett Favre is close to 40. The pass defense looks lost. The receivers look lost. The coaching staff is horrendous. And oh yea, Brett Favre is close to 40.
Matt Cassel will be given a huge contract by the Jets….and fail miserably.
The Texans will finally make the playoffs…next season – I love Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton. I really like Matt Schaub when he is healthy. And don’t look now, but Houston has won three in a row to pull to 6-7. Look, it is going to come down to defense with this team. But Mario Williams is a beast, so they have a starting point. If they can bring in some secondary help, and this team will get there. But, if you ask my friends, I have made that same prediction every season since the Texans existence.
This NFL season has been one of the best in years...and will end with a John Carney game-winning field goal to give the Giants a 20-17 win and a second consecutive championship.
4 comments:
I just wanted to touch on a couple of things here. First of all, I am in total agreement about LaDainian Tomlinson. He is totally a product of the fantasy mindset of football fans. Keep in mind he thrived in Marty Schottenheimer's system, which was always run-heavy. In my opinion, Tomlinson was never a hard runner and he often shied away from contact. He has gaudy numbers, yes, but that's all.
Also, the point you bring up about the Jets is very interesting. I agree with it, actually. But it's interesting because you could have said very similar things about last year's Giants team. Things like "The coach has lost his team"; "The secondary looks lost"; "The quarterback looks shaky"; "This team has no chemistry". Of course, the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl and are now a powerhouse. I'm not saying the Jets will win anything this year (nor am I insinuating they'll become a powerhouse HA!), but you just never know.
I did not believe the Giants would win the Super Bowl last year. Those points you made, I thought those things right at this point last year.
But there's differences between the Jet team this year and the Giant team of last year.
The Giants have a much better defensive coordinator then the Jets. The G-Men were in the first year of a new system, and it does take time to learn the ins and outs of it. It took a while, but the Giants caught on at the end.
The Giants also had a lot of youth and depth and the D-Line and WR positions. The Jets, while have a dominant DT in Kris Jenkins, do not have much besides him. I like Shaun Ellis, but when you compare him to Tuck and Umenyiora, there's really no comparison. And the Giants had Burress/Toomer/S. Smith/Hixon. The Jets have Coles/Cotchery/Stuckey/Smith. It's tough to put the Jets in that class of WR.
I think the Jets have a few things going for them. While the QB is shaky, Brett Favre will always keep you in a game. The Jets also have that secret weapon in Leon Washington, who I think will be used more. Finally, the Jets have a strong offensive line.
We'll see what happens, but I don't see the 2007 Giants in the 2008 Jets.
While I'm not the biggest LT fan, and while I agree he was never a hard runner and did avoid contact (more late in his career) I will say that that just wasn't his style. The guy is one of the best running backs of all-time. Sometimes I think people have the shortest of memories. Did you guys see some of the moves this guy would make in the open field? LT has (had) Reggie Bush moves with the durability and between the tackle ability to get 30 carries.
Don't get me wrong, I see where you're coming from. However, saying that he's a product of fantasy football is selling this guy just a tad short.
But you didn't see those things in the 2007 Giants either...hindsight is always 20/20. The Jets play a 3-4 defense which is more predicated upon linebackers getting to the quarterback as opposed to defensive ends (though it'd be nice if the ends could get there too). I think the Jets have a lot of talent at all of the skill positions, wide receiver included, despite the lack of a gamebreaker like Burress.
It's the coaching staff that's holding back a very good Jets team, so I will certainly agree there. Coughlin/Spagnuolo/Gilbride is certainly far superior to Mangini/Sutton/Schottenheimer.
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