I'm guessing: New England Pittsburgh Cincinnati Indianapolis Denver San Diego That would put 3 teams in who missed last year and 3 who made it, which is about right for the last half decade. The teams just missing will be the Jets and the Titans.
I think so. Head to head in the same division? I'm not sure about that but the Ravens have a tough schedule and they have Pittsburgh and Cincinnati both hungry and ready to contend this season. I'm not quite ready to do surprises and disappointments yet but I'm guessing the Ravens will be one of the disappointments. The Titans are going to go 9-7 and surprise nobody.
Jeff Fisher and a team full of sleepers. Everybody is making a big deal out of the WR losses, but in truth that's not where the Titans strengths were last year. They'll miss Drew Bennett some but not Bobby Wade. I see a half dozen people who could have breakout years this year and I expect half of them will. That'll be enough to get the Titans to 9-7. The people I'd really watch are Chris Henry and LenDale White. One of those guys is going to have a nuts year given the opportunity. The tightends are also looking to break out and I expect that Vince Young to Ben Troupe is going to become a familiar combo for Titans fans. The thing to remember about scrambling run around QBs is that they are more dependent on their tightends than receivers because the tightends are usually the ones in position to get back and provide an outlet for them. That's why Shannon Sharpe got his chance at the Hall of Fame in Denver and it's why Alge Crumpler has become a main man in Atlanta. All of that said, I think the Titans receivers are likely to be better this year than last given the additions of Chris Davis and Paul Williams in the draft and the return of David Givens from injury. The defense is going to have some issues, however they integrated a bunch of people into it last year with David Thornton, Stephen Tulloch and Chris Hope all arriving at once at strongside linebacker, middle linebacker and strong safety. That's a tough triad to get going in one season and it showed some in their 3rd and 4th down results. I also think that losing Pacman is going to help them, not hurt them. He was a HUGE distraction in the locker room and his on the field play really did not make up the difference. I think he's probably played his last down for the Titans. One of the reasons I picked the Titans as a surprise team last year was I really liked the pickups of Thornton and Hope and I failed to account for the fact that strongside linebacker and strong safety are two of the most important positions in keeping a defense consistent. Throw in the rookie middle linebacker and their defensive results last season start to make some sense.
Well the other way to look at that is that they don't have the same collection of aging vets around that went 4-12 two years ago. I generally like the decisions they've made in the last two years and the risks they have decided to take. There's a lot of upside on that roster and almost no fallout chaff. In some ways they're the team most comparable to the Jets in all of football, with a bit more depth and a bit less overall talent. I really see both of those teams as 8-8/9-7 and just missing. Given the dual 4-12 of 2005 that would mean good things for them in the future.
AFC 1 Patriots 2 Chargers 3 Colts 4 Ravens 5 Broncos 6 Jets NFC 1 Saints 2 Bears 3 Cowboys 4 49ers 5 Rams 6 Seahawks
AFC Playoffs: 1. Colts 2. Jets 3. Chargers 4. Bengals 5. Titans 6. Broncos NFC Playoffs 1. Saints 2. Cowboys 3. 49ers 4. Bears 5. Redskins 6. Bucs
AFC: New England Baltimore Indy San Diego Denver Jacksonville NFC: Philly Chicago New Orleans San Francisco Seattle Tampa Bay
AFC: New England Indianapolis Denver Cincinatti San Diego Baltimore NFC: Philadelphia New Orleans Minesota Seattle NY Giants Chicago
