2008 NFL Season Preview

NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles* - The Eagles have a healthy Donovan McNabb, an elite running back in Brian Westbrook, and an emerging star in DeSean Jackson. They've also got an underrated defense and, if the exhibition season was any indication, improved special teams. Throw in a veteran coaching staff and you've got all the pieces in place. (Note: To all you naysayers out there, I know I'm a homer. Just let me sip my Eagles Green Kool Aid and keep believing what I just wrote).
New York Giants* - The World Champions are playing the Rodney Dangerfield "No respect" card. Maybe they weren't exactly a fluke last year, but their defense carried them to the championship, and their defense is not as good this season. The scheme may be the same, but with Michael Strahan in the broadcast booth and Osi Umienyora on crutches, the execution will suffer. If only they could play 16 road games...
Washington Redskins - New season, new coach, new offensive coordinator, new offensive system, new President. Is anything the same in Washington? Eventually, it may dawn on Daniel Snyder that constantly tinkering leads to setbacks, whereas continuity benefits everyone.
Dallas Cowboys - They suck.

NFC North
Green Bay Packers* - The Brett Favre soap opera notwithstanding, the Packers are still a very talented team on both sides of the ball. And it's not like Aaron Rodgers is, I don't know, Kyle Boller? Green Bay should still be considered a contender in the NFC and should win the North going away.
Minnesota Vikings - Best defense in the league? Check. Great running game? Check. Shaky quarterback and mediocre receivers? Check. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2005 Chicago Bears! Hey, that formula got the Bears to the Super Bowl, and this is a copycat league. But the duplicate version is never as good as the original. Same holds true here.
Detroit Lions - Shhh. This team might actually not be too bad. Jon Kitna likes to chuck it around, and he's got a couple of stud receivers in Roy Wiliams and Calvin Johnson. They just added Bengals cast-off Rudi Johnson to pair with rookie Kevin Smith. I've called this team a sleeper before, and I'll do it again. Eventually, they have to wake up, right? Right?
Chicago Bears - Kyle Orton beat out Rex Grossman for the starting quarterback job in Chicago...I can't even think of a joke here.

NFC South
New Orleans Saints* - The Saints offense is loaded, especially if Deuce McAllister comes back and takes some (or all) of the rushing load off of Reggie Bush. The problems in New Orleans exist on defense. An average defense coupled with the offense they possess could take them a long way. Therein lies the dilemma.
Carolina Panthers* - Regrettably, an 0-16 Panthers season seems unlikely. Jake Delhomme is healthy again, they've got a good running game with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and when Steve Smith isn't sucker-punching his teammates, he's a pretty damn good receiver. Julius Peppers is in a contract year, meaning he'll be motivated and return to his old form. The Panthers should contend for the division, but at the very least are in the top six in the NFC.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Yes they were in the playoffs a year ago, kind of by default as the rest of the South went into the tank. The Bucs won't have the same luxury this year. Boy, it's a good thing Jon Gruden won that Championship with Tony Dungy's team a few years back, or he'd really be on the hot seat.
Atlanta Falcons - Still a few years away from completely digging out of the mess left behind by Mike Con-Vick-t and Bobby Petrino, but at least headed in the right direction with Matt Ryan. But there's still a lot of damage control to be done.

NFC West
Seattle Seahawks* - It would really be a surprise if anyone besides Seattle came out of the West. Funny thing is, they're actually one of the better teams in the NFC that nobody ever talks about.
Arizona Cardinals - Between former MVP Kurt Warner, first round pick Matt Leinart, and stud receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, you'd think Arizona would be a lock for the post-season, a place they haven't been since the Jake Plummer administration. Close, but no cigar. Remember this name - Tim Hightower. And no, he's not the guy from the "Police Academy" movies.
St. Louis Rams - Lots of negative karma surrounding the Rams. Marc Bulger can't seem to stay healthy, and Torry Holt, consistent as he's been, is yet another year older. Steven Jackson held out for most of camp but was rewarded with a new contract. The Rams can rebuild around him, and should start doing so right now.
San Francisco 49ers - J.T. O'Sullivan beat out Alex Smith for the starting quarterback job in San Francisco...Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman think that's pretty jacked up.

AFC East
New England Patriots* - What do 18 wins and one loss get you? If you're the 2007 New England Patriots, it gets you labeled "chokers." It also makes you motivated to prove your worth. Of course, the Patriots won't be undefeated this year. But they're a safe bet to still be playing in January.
New York Jets - Even before they landed Favre, the Jets had reshaped their roster and were looking more like the 10-6 team they were two years ago than the 4-12 club of last season. Favre has everybody in New York talking playoffs.
Buffalo Bills - You know who's hard to gauge? The Bills. Did you realize they were 7-9 last season? Could they be that good again? If so, it will be because of Marshawn Lynch, who is a much better back than I thought he'd be.
Miami Dolphins - When you're 1-15, there's only one way to go. Bill Parcells is tasked with turning the Dolphins around, but this will not be one of his quick-fix jobs.

AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers* - For all the hype surrounding the Cleveland Browns this season, its actually the Steelers who will rule the AFC North. Their schedule is brutal no doubt, with the Giants, Colts, Chargers and Cowboys coming to town and trips to Philly, Jacksonville, and New England also on the itinerary. If they can get through that mine field, the playoffs should seem like a walk in the park.
Cleveland Browns* - Call me a skeptic, but I'm still not sold on Derek Anderson. Maybe its because I'm a Notre Dame fan and want to see Brady Quinn in there. Something in my gut tells me Quinn will see the field this season, and not in Week 17 mop up duty.
Cincinnati Bengals - To be honest, I'm not sure why Chad Johnson changed his name to "Chad Javon Ocho Cinco." I can only hope it leads to their other receiver legally changing his name to T.J. Hoochiemama. That's really all I'll be watching the Bengals for this season.
Baltimore Ravens - Injuries to Kyle Boller (on IR with a bad shoulder) and Willis McGahee (recovering from a knee injury) mean rookies Joe Flacco and Ray Rice should figure prominently in the Ravens offense. In the immortal words of Carl Lewis..."Uh-oh!"

AFC South
Indianapolis Colts* - Reports out of Indianapolis indicate that Peyton Manning will be ready to start the season despite missing the entire pre-season recovering from knee surgery. They'd better hope so. If he's 100% and Marvin Harrison comes back and Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney can both stay healthy, there aren't a lot of teams that can match the Colts' talent.
Jacksonville Jaguars* - The Jaguars are everybody's AFC dark horse team, and they are certainly worthy of consideration. But they're also not without their issues, most of them off the field. Wide receiver Matt Jones got arrested for cocaine possession during the off-season, and recently offensive lineman Richard Collier was shot in an attempted robbery or carjacking. Sometimes the off-field stuff negatively impacts the team. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
Houston Texans - Still think the Saints and Titans got the better part of the Mario Williams/Reggie Bush.Vince Young draft class of 2006? Criticized for drafting Williams by basically everyone (including yours truly), the Texans have revamped the defense around Williams, and added some offensive firepower in Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson as well. It's a shame they'll be looking up at Indy and Jacksonville.
Tennessee Titans - Another defense first team that can and will frustrate a lot of the offenses they'll face. But if the Titans are going anywhere, Vince Young has to make "the leap." Jeff Fisher is still one of the best coaches in the league, but never gets mentioned in the Bill Belichick-Tony Dungy class.

AFC West
San Diego Chargers - Last year the Chargers earned some measure of redemption by advancing to the AFC Championship game a year after flaming out in the first round. They kept that game with the Patriots surprisingly close even without LaDanian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers playing on a torn ACL. That's how talented the Chargers are.
Denver Broncos - The Broncos are the second banana in what really appears to be a bad division. They won't challenge San Diego and if they finish behind the Chiefs or Raiders, Mike Shanahan should resign on the spot.
Kansas City Chiefs - Overheard at my Fantasy Football draft last night: "Who's Kansas City's second receiver behind Dwayne Bowe?...who the hell is Jeff Webb?" That about sums up the Chiefs this season.
Oakland Raiders - Stop me if you've heard this already, but Darren McFadden looks like he could be this year's Adrian Peterson. That would be music to JaMarcus Russell's ears.

NFC Championship: Philadelphia over Seattle
AFC Championship: San Diego over Indianapolis

Super Bowl XLIII: Philadelphia over San Diego - If you're surprised, you're obviously new to this. Year in and year out, I pick the Eagles to win it all under the "Even a broken clock is right twice a day" philosophy. Just because it hasn't happened in my lifetime doesn't mean it won't.

Most Valuable Player: Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia
Coach of the Year: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh
Rookie of the Year: Chris Johnson, Tennessee