Official 2009-10 NFL thread

[seireikhaan]

Oh yeah. Time to defend ma title.

Now, as for division picks:

AFC East- I may not terribly like them, but the Patriots are my pick to win this division. They've got the most talent and experience then anyone else by leaps and bounds. I'm calling the Dolphins for a second place spot, but no wild card. The Bills I sense a mediocre year from- their o-line in in bad shape, and I don't get good vibes from the Owens signing. However, I'm calling the Jets for last place. Simply pu, the QB situation is not good, and the team is in a bit of an overhaul year.
1. Pats
2. Dolphins
3. Bills
4. Jets

AFC North- I'm going to call the division for the Steelers. I think they're simply the most well put together of all the teams, with the most different ways of finding ways to win games. They won the super bowl for a reason. The next pick I may regret. I'm going to call a second place finish for the Bengals. There's always weird quirks from year to year, and this is my quirk. With Palmer back, I'm calling an 8-8 rollercoaster for the bengals. Third place I'm picking the Ravens to fall off. I feel they over achieved last year, and I'm not sold on Flacco as a starting QB in the NFL just yet. The defense is getting older, and I think they'll take a dive to 7-9 or so. Lastly, the Browns. Like the Jets, they don't have a very resolved QB situation, and the team as a whole is still very young, with a new head coach.
1. Steelers
2. Bengals
3. Ravens
4. Browns

AFC South- Well, I might be biased, but I think this is the best division in football. The Colts have lost a fair bit over the offseason, but I think we'll find a way to win the division once more, though we might not hit the 12 win mark. The rest is pretty durned tricky, and could realistically be left to coin flip. The Titans I think will be very, very solid once more, given a very strong running game and a good defense, even without Haynseworth. I'm going to pick them for a second place, and a wild card. Third place, I'm going to pick the Texans. They've been hitting a glass ceiling for a few years now, and this year, I think they break through with an over .500 record and grabbing the second wild card spot. As long as Schaub stays on the field, the offense should hum nicely, and the defense is getting better every year. Lastly, the poor Jags get last almost by default. I'm figuring that Del Rio will be fired after this year, when they'll go under .500 once more. The loss of Fred Taylor will hurt more than they realize, I think. The defense, I think, will struggle once more with pass rush, and the team will get frustrated under Del Rio's increasingly harsh locker room demeanor.
1. Colts
2. Titans (Wild Card)
3. Texans (Wild Card)
4. Jaguars

AFC West- Wow, what a mess. Chargers win this division almost by default, with the Chiefs lacking talent, the Broncos lacking cohesiveness of any sort, and the Raiders a complete boondoggle mess on almost every level.
1. Chargers
2. Chiefs
3. Broncos
4. Raiders

NFC East- I'm going to call this for the Eagles. I think they've got plenty of talent on both sides to withstand the loss of Jim Johnson to win this. I don't think the Vick signing will hurt as much in the locker room as people think. Then the Giants, who get a wild card spot thanks to strong running game and defense, with enough air support from Eli to get a solid 10-6 or so record. The 'Skins are a bit of a puzzle for me, so I'll defer to GH and just trust that they'll get third, which leaves the 'Boys for fourth. This is more wishful thinking than anything else, as I don't really care for Jerry Jones.
1. Eagles
2. Giants(wild card)
3. Redskins
4. Cowboys

NFC South- I'm picking the Panthers here. I've been hearing some good things about the progress of their passing game thus far, which, combined with their exceedingly strong offensive line and running game, will make for a very tough to stop team. The defense should be pretty solid as well. Second place, and grabbing the second wild card spot, I'm picking the Falcons. Still a young team, but Ryan should make strong progress his second year with team, and the running game should be very good as well. The main kicker for me is their defense, which is why I'm picking them behind the Panthers. Third, and missing out on the playoffs, will be a Saints team which will be fun to watch, but only about average in terms of winning. I don't see the running game holding up, and I don't see their defense being able to stop the aforementioned two teams. That leaves the Bucs, with the messiest QB situation in the league and a new, young head coach. Definitely a rebuilding year.
1. Panthers
2. Falcons(wild card)
3. Saints
4. Buccaneers.

NFC North- Not quite sure about here, so I'll just go with gut instinct and personal bias. First, the Packers. Most talent across the board, period. Second, the Bears. Defense should be ok, running game ok, passing game might be ok. In this division, that's good enough for second place. Third place, the Lions. Won't be a good third place team, but they'll manage. Last place? The Vikings. Most likely won't happen, but I rather hope it does. Brett Favre's past achievements should not allow him to do whatever he wants, and I hope the locker room revolts as soon as he throws his fifteenth foolish interception simply because he can't gun it like he used to. Plus, he's pushing out two other guys who've been working hard to try and earn a starting QB spot, and he waltzes in having done zero for the vikes and gets the spot.
1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Lions
4. Vikings

NFC West- Probably the division I know least about. I'm going with the Cardinals first, since their starting QB is a UNI grad. Seahawks second, on account of their backup QB being an ISU grad. The Rams will get third place, since their previous starting QB was a UNI grad, and the 49'ers get last for not paying more attention to the state of Iowa.
1. Cardinals
2. Seahawks
3. Rams
4. 49'ers

NFC- Panthers over Cardinals
AFC- Colts over Patriots
Super Bowl- Colts over Panthers