2009 NFL Preview--AFC South

Here's the next installment to get in before the start of the season in ninety minutes. That sounds good to me.

Indianapolis Colts (10-6): How much longer can Manning do it? After this year, it's up in the air, but he and this team are still among the best in the league. Harrison was aging, so his exit is no big loss, and their younger receivers benefit dramatically from Manning's skill. The defense, seemingly questionable every year, has shown little change, though Bob Sanders, the single most overrated plater in the game today, is--surprise surprise--hurt again. They should put up big points, but Dungy was integral to the chemistry of this team and Manning has already called the new coaching staff into question, so this year could just as easily represent a changing of the guard.

Houston Texans (9-7): This is the year Houston finally breaks through. Gary Kubiak had better hope so at least, or he might be back with Shanahan wherever he is next year. Matt Schaub has received big press this season, but I don't really see it. Steve Slaton, however, should be fantastic and Andre Johnson is the best target in the league, so that combination should help Schaub look pretty good. For the offense to really succeed, however, their defense has to finally live up to its reputation. Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans are both great, but the rest of this group, littered with prospects, has to play like it. This is especially true for DT Amobi Okoye, who has backslid since a spectacular first few games. If he and the secondary can live up to their hype, this team is playoff bound.

Tennessee Titans (8-8): Well-coached by the mousatchioed Jeff Fisher, the Titans will long be a team in contention. This division is so tough, however, that another trip to the post-season doesn't look likely. The loss of Albert Haynesworth is big, but the defense is still very strong and full of potential stars. They have a very good, and less drunk, running game, but the passing situation is terrible. Kerry Quitter had a banner year in '08, but without anybody to throw to, I don't see them being the ridiculous force they were last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10): I really like the Jaguars, and especially Jack Del Rio, but they're a far cry removed from the darkhorse division contender of a few years ago. I guess their big mistake, somehow, was getting rid of Byron Leftwich. This is David Garrard's last chance, or he's looking like a career backup. The defense has gotten old and has always underperformed. Though their receivers have improved with Torry Holt, their only true offensive weapon is Maurice Jones-Drew. He's a ton of fun to watch, but I'm not convinced he can handle a full workload. Like Julius Jones with Marion Barber a few years in Dallas, the loss of Fred Taylor will diminish Jones-Drew's reputation. Both look a lot better with the other than they do apart. Del Rio may be in trouble after this year but, if all goes wrong in Denver and Josh McDaniels gets fired, I wouldn't mind seeing him come in to coach the Broncos.

2009 NFL Preview--AFC North

Football season's upon us once again and, though I was shy on the football last season, it's back in full swing now. Since the games begin tomorrow night with an AFC North vs. AFC South matchup, we'll start there, then head East and West.

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5): With no significant changes on either side of the football, Pittsburgh is poised to have a third Super Bowl handed to them by the refs if they can make it into the game. I doubt they will, but if they do, there's little doubt regarding the outcome. This fact isn't so much their fault, though, they were a great team last year and will win the division again this season. The only real question involves the running game, where Willie Parker has been slowed considerably and their backups are utterly unproven. Without a standout year from the backfield, Rothlisberger could be exposed, leaving the door open for Baltimore.

Baltimore Ravens (10-6): The vaunted defense isn't getting any younger, but considering the play from this already old unit last year, I'm not sure it'll make a difference. The older they get, the smarter they play, and I think they're still one of the top in the game. Like every other year, however, the questions pile up on offense. One of the most underwhelming groups in the league, they show no real improvement in personnel for this season. Sure, Flacco will be a little better, but he still has neither a decent receiver to throw to nor a running game to help take the load off his shoulders. If the offense doesn't dramatically overachieve, much like they did in '08, the defense may not be capable of withstanding it.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-9): It's hard to believe I'm actually writing this, but it seems like the Bengals may have a defense that begins to match its offense. That may not equal "good" per se, or even league average, but they'll be better. There are a lot of new faces on that side of the ball who have received favorable reviews, so it's their best chance in years to have a successful season. The offense takes a hit with the loss of TJ Houshmandzadeh, but Lauvernues Coles is still a good receiver. Cedric Benson is just as terrible as he's ever been, so not much change there. They aren't playoff bound by any means, but they now sit solidly at third place in the division instead of only marginally better than Cleveland.

Cleveland Browns (5-11): Ugh. I almost want to leave it at that but, for Trend's benefit at least, I'll go on. The trouble starts with the question, "Do we start Derek Anderson?" NO! If there's any debate on this subject, you need a different quarterback. Jeff Garcia suddenly needs a job, why don't they bring him home. I'd take him over Anderson and Brady Quinn in a heartbeat. Moreover, can they not find a better running back that Jamal Lewis? They may have not gotten the memo, but he's been pretty mediocre for about five years now. Teams had success moving fullbacks into the tailback slot last year, why not try that? They got rid of Kellen Winslow, but kept Braylon Edwards...I don't see the difference. On the plus side, however, I'm a big fan of D'Qwell Jackson, he's one of my favorite non-Broncos, but one man does not make a defense. Even with Jackson, yeah...ugh....

NFL ’09 Off-Season/Pre-Draft: The Denver Broncos

It was the biggest story involving the Broncos since Elway retired and I was remiss in not blogging about it. Now, with new coach Josh McDaniels set with two first-rounders for the next two years as a result and, with a little time to mull over the situation at a mile high, the day has come…to be followed by a more general, division-based off-season/draft talk in the days leading up to the finest day of the non-regular season.


After Shanahan was fired and McDaniels was brought in, I felt like the new coach would be perfect for Jay Cutler, which would be perfect to retake the AFC West. I had no way to realize that, however, that trouble sat some five thousand feet above me. The firing of QB coach Jeremy Bates (now at USC) angered the petulant quarterback and, within days and while down, McDaniels slapped his franchise player across the face.

I’m inevitably a fan of the team over the player, but McDaniels was stupid to think that a Bruce Campbell lookalike in Matt Cassel was worth trading Cutler away. Who to believe in the scenario is impossible to know; the only certainty was the ridiculously immature stance Cutler took in the wake of these trade talks. He’d already made motions toward a traded after Bates left, but now that all he could talk about. The whole thing seemed so ridiculous that I thought it would blow over, especially after the lack of word in the two weeks after the talks began. My ambivalence about Cutler remaining in Denver, however, was waning with each passing day. All of a sudden, with no word for days, Cutler was a Bear and Kyle Orton was a Bronco. Much to my surprise, my most powerful reaction was a shrug of the shoulders. Football is a team-oriented game more than most; if one player, no matter where they line up, doesn’t to the job, the whole team crumbles. Cutler is aloof and, if he doesn’t want to play for the Broncos, where is the guarantee he’ll give everything each game? Good riddance, Jeff George, Jr.

The reality, whomever was to blame, is that the trade was a boon for the Broncos and probably not so great for the Bears. Granted, the team takes a big loss in the switch to Orton. Orton is going from a smashmouth team with no receivers to a spread offense. Cutler, on the other hand, has Devin Hester to throw to. Wow, hot stuff. It’s hard to compare their relative performances with their former teams; Orton should perform a little better and Cutler a little worse. The real story comes in the draft picks. Denver’s holes are almost exclusively defensive so, this year at picks twelve and eighteen, they have a golden opportunity to add two defensive starters in the first round. My guess is two of the following three: Boston College DT BJ Raji, LSU DE Tyson Jackson, and USC LB Brian Cushing.

Next year is when it gets good. Let’s give a best-case scenario of 11-5 for Chicago in 2010 and a worst-case of 5-11 for Denver. Cutler plays phenomenally and Orton sucks it up. Denver has something in the neighborhood of the fifth and twenty-fifth picks in the ’10 draft along with a dire need at QB. In that draft, two quarterbacks are leaps and bounds better than the top two this year in Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’ Colt McCoy. Denver will easily be able to snag one of these two. Neither one may be Jay Cutler; both may be better. Either one, certainly, will outshine Matt Stafford or…snort…Mark Sanchez.

In spite of the turmoil in Denver, I still find this off-season the most productive in recent years. The 2009 Broncos are a team I barely recognize but, for now, a team I find beautiful. If, in the draft, they can pick up a DT and a middle linebacker, the words of Michael Stipe will finally come true: “I’ve got my spine; I’ve got my orange crush.” More will come clear after the weekend and, until then, go Neckbeard Orton, go Josh McDaniels, and go Broncos!