AFC Preview

AFC Preview
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Disclaimer – I promise to be unbiased when making these selections, especially in the AFC West….yeah, right.
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AFC East
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1-New England Patriots – Yeah, this pains me but the Pats are the class of the division, even if Tom Brady is, and always will be, a fumbler.
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2-New York Jets – Mark Sanchez will certainly struggle, but the Jets are the best of the rest in the division after the Pats. Besides, my collegiate humor level allows me to laugh every time I write the Jets will be quarterbacked by The Dirty Sanchez.
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3-Miami Dolphins – Heard this tidbit…when Chad Pennington makes 10 or more starts in a season, his team goes to the playoffs. . That tells me that Chadwick has a tough time staying healthy on a consistent basis. Also, the Fish way, way over-achieved last year.
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4- Buffalo Bills – T.O.’s first year in western NY. By the end of it, he’ll be wishing he was back in Philly with his buddy Donovan and the dog killer.
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AFC North
1-Baltimore Ravens – Great defense and a decent young QB good enough not to screw things up.
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2-Pittsburgh Steelers – The defending champs are the most talented team in the division but my 6th sense tells me Big Ben and the Steelers are going to struggle this year. Call it a hunch.
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3-Cincinnati Bengals – Carson Palmer is healthy and Chad Johnson seems to be playing with a purpose. His new moniker is stupid so it won’t be acknowledged in this spot. The best news for the Bengals is that Cleveland is still in the division.
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4-Cleveland Browns – Ugly, ugly, ugly. At least we get to find out if Brady Quinn can play, if Eric Mangini gives him the reigns to the team.

AFC South
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1-Indianapolis Colts – The chic pick in the division is Houston. Not here. Even without Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, the Colts are the team to beat until someone beats them.
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2-Houston Texans – While I won’t chug the kool-aid as it pertains to Houston, I’ll take a sip. If QB Matt Schaub stays healthy, DE Mario Williams and the defense will lead the Texans to the playoffs.
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3-Tennessee Titans- How this team won 13 games last year with Kerry Collins at QB is beyond me. Albert Haynesworth has moved on to Washington so the defense is significantly weakened. Collins can’t possibly have another year like 2008 and Vince Young still sucks.
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4-Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jags have fallen like a rock since an impressive playoff run in 2007 and the rip cord on the parachute isn’t working. This is a team headed toward a top-five pick in the 2010 draft.
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AFC West
1-San Di..... – Oakland Raiders – Ha! Didn’t think I was really going to do that, did you? JaMarcus Russell will come of age and Darren McFadden will have a monster year. If Richard Seymour reports, the Raider defense will be significantly improved. Nnamdi Asomugha is a stud in the secondary and Tom Cable will kick any naysayer’s ass. The Raiders head back to the playoffs.
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2-San Diego Chargers – Kudos to Shawne Merriman for keeping his focus on the field and keeping his name out of the news off the field. Ooooops. Sounds like a bit too much Tequila over the weekend, if you know what I mean...allegedly, of course. I know, the Bolts went to the AFC title game, big deal. They didn’t win and that is as far as a Norv Turner coached club can go. LT’s gas tank is running low and the Charger window of opportunity will close this year.
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4a-Denver Broncos – No third place team in this division, both the Broncos and Chiefs are a total disaster and neither is worth the third spot in the division. The Broncos are on the path to their worst season in a long time and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
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4b- Kansas City Chiefs – See Denver.
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Coming later this week: Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions

Super Bowl XLIII Preview & Prediction

The greatest holiday of the year is upon us.
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While mulling over which song The Boss is going to open the halftime show with, I'm wondering how I want to see Super Bowl XLIII unfold.

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The thing that gets me geared up for events like the Super Bowl are the "moments" that occur in the game. The out-of-nowhere play that takes an anonymous player and forever etches his name in Super Bowl history - (See David Tyree, New York Giants, Super Bowl XLII).

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Not being a fan of either team, I obviously want a close game. Blowouts in the Super Bowl are a major letdown. For me, it is all about the action on the field. Surely in the minority, commercial breaks are still made for trips to the bathroom, not viewing commercials.

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For Pittsburgh to Win: Play the same type of physical defense that has suffocated opponents all season. The Steelers are the toughest bunch around and have the ability to impose their will on opponents.

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An early Pittsburgh lead will be fatal for Arizona.

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I'm expecting Pittsburgh to come out aggressive, throw the ball around to Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward with a few early trick plays. Roethlisberger was horrible in Super Bowl XL against Seattle, they'll want to get him off early. Arizona has not been here before - not even close - so the Steelers may have the opportunity to catch a big play early if the Arizona defense is in awe of its surroundings.

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With its great defense, Pittsburgh has the luxury of taking a few early chances before settling into the ground attack with Willie Parker.

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On defense, Pittsburgh is going to turn it loose. D-coordinator Dick LeBeau is the greatest DC in NFL history. He has two weeks to prepare for this game. That isn't a good thing for Arizona.

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For Arizona to Win: The Cards have to get the offense cranking early, mixing run with pass.

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The Steelers are going to blitz early and often so Arizona will need to toss in a few screen passes to the RB's and use some misdirection to slow down the Steeler defense.

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Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are going to get hit early and often. How they handle the physical beating by the Pittsburgh secondary will speak volumes as to Arizona's chances of pulling the upset.

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More than all, other factors, Arizona has to get the lead and play with it. If Pittsburgh jumps out and turns the Cardinals offense one-dimensional, the game will be over. Kurt Warner is an immobile QB and could get buried under an avalanche of Steeler blitzes.

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The Arizona defense will play well and should hang in there with a Steeler offense not known for its explosiveness.



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Prediction: It has been a great run for Arizona and they are the
Cinderella story.

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However, when a high-flying offense meets a prolific defense, the defense wins every time.

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Roethlisberger will atone for his bad performance three years ago and will be the MVP. .

The Steeler defense will turn the game with a few turnovers and turn the game a bit ugly.

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Final Score - Pittsburgh 30, Arizona 13

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On to the NFL draft............still praying for a Michael Crabtree sighting in Oakland.

Jon Gruden Fired By Tampa Bay! My Lucky Streak Continues!!!

That sounds oh sooooooo good, I think I'll say it again.

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John Gruden fired by Tampa Bay.
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Good Riddance.

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(Photo By Associated Press).

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***Disclaimer - Yeah, I know, Gruden beat my boys in the Super Bowl. I'll never forget it nor will I get over the embarrassment even though he did it with a team put together by Tony Dungy. That said, I enjoyed knocking the man I affectionately call the "punk" out of the playoffs and helping end his tenure in Tampa. Cut me some slack, I have so little in life to get excited about...........hehehehehehehehehehehehe.*******

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It was said in this spot that it would be fitting that Gruden be giving his walking papers following the Bucs collapse, which culminated in a home loss to the Raiders on the last day of the season.

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And now, it has happened.

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Wow, I should play the lottery or something.

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Seriously........the Bruins are the best team in the NHL, Tar Heel hoops is solid, Denver, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and New England all missed the playoffs and the G-Men choked in the first round of the playoffs.

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And..........most shockingly, I've survived over seven months of marriage without getting booted out of the house.............I'm on a serious roll here.

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Maybe my fantasy baseball team can win its first title since '93, when I was young and naive and Bill Clinton was in his first term.

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Jon Gruden fired by Tampa Bay. Yep, it still sounds good.

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****Disclaimer #2 - Um, Chucky, as of this writing, we in the Raider Nation are still without a coach. We had a good thing in Oakland when you were here until your massive ego got in the way and you acted like a child to force your way out of town. Time heals all wounds (sometimes). You can bring Bruce Allen with you, he did a good job here. Just remember to leave your ego in Florida and just coach some football******

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Predictions - While I'm busy hoping this sudden run of good luck culminates in Michael Crabtree becoming a Raider on draft day, here are the picks for this week's championship games:

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Philadelphia 27, Arizona 24

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Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 9

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Jon Gruden fired by Tampa Bay.........Had to say it just one more time

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Life is good