2010 NFL Season Preview and Predictions

The 2010 NFL Football season starts tomorrow and I am blessed with the opportunity to bring to you my own season preview, along with predictions. I will elaborate on each division, in both conferences AFC and NFC. Also I will give my Conference Championship and Super Bowl predictions, feel free to comment as much as you please. I love a great sports debate.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys  10-6

N.Y. Giants 9-7

Washington Redskins 8-8

Philadelphia Eagles  7-9

Outlook: Even with some questions at left tackle(Doug Free taking over for the departed Flozell Adams), the Cowboys are the clear favorite to win the NFC East. The Giants should finish 2nd and be in the run for a wild card spot, while the the Eagles and Redskins will challenge each other for 3rd place. The Redskins fans will learn fast why McNabb is labeled a choke artist in Philly. Expect Eagles new starting QB Kevin Kolb to take his lumps and have a up and down season, due to the fact that his coach Andy Reid will set him up for failure by not running the ball enough.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers  11-5

Minnesota Vikings  11-5

Chicago Bears  6-10

Detroit Lions  4-12

Outlook: It’s pretty obvious that the Packers and Vikings will battle this season for the division title and a spot representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. While the Packers have one of the best QB’s in the league Aaron Rodgers at the helm, I’m still not completely sold on there defense. The Vikings whole season lays in the hands of Brett Farve, who decided to return to the team in week 3 of the preseason. Time will tell if his body can hold up and how this team will fare without it’s best receiver(Sidney Rice) for 5 to 8 weeks. Jay Cutler is teamed up with new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, which should lead to more passes downfield and more turnovers. The Bears will be lucky to win 6 games this season. The Lions should be more improved in the 2nd year with Matthew Stafford and adding the explosive RB Jahvid Best to the Equation. A core of Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, TE Brandon Pettigrew, and Best should have the Lions set for the future. Just not this season.

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers 10-6

Seattle Seahawks  7-9

Arizona Cardinals  7-9

St. Louis Rams  4-12

Outlook: This should be the year that Mike Singletary and the 49ers break out and make the playoffs. They are playing in a weak NFC West, with the Cardinals taking a step back due to the retirement of Kurt Warner. A Derek Anderson led team just isn’t going to cut it in this league. The Cardinals should try a heavy dose of Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower to take the pressure off of Anderson in the passing game. Seattle has a new coach in the former USC signal caller Pete Carroll, I really don’t know expect from the Seahawks this season. If QB Matt Hassleback is healthy, they should be a 7-9 or 8-8 team. From watching the Rams in the preseason, It looks like the pick of QB Sam Bradford might turn into a good one down the road. He showed a ton of poise in the pocket, accuracy, and control of the huddle. He will have one of the best running backs in football, Steven Jackson to keep the load off of him. Expect 4 to 5 wins from the Rams.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints  12-4

Atlanta Falcons  11-5

Carolina Panthers  7-9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers  5-11

Outlook: Barring any major injuries, expect the Saints to be running on all cylinders this season. They return 20 of 22 starters from last years Super Bowl winning team. I believe Matt Ryan will take another step towards being an elite QB in this league and a healthy Micheal Turner, along with TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Roddy White will have the Falcons set for a playoff run. The Panthers have the two-headed monster at running back in effect with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Matt Moore will start the season at QB, while rookie Jimmy Clausen waits for his opportunity in the near future.  The Bucaneers have a lot of young talent on their team that needs time to develop. QB Josh Freeman will be at the helm for his first full season. I expect some good things from first round draft pick Gerald McCoy at defensive tackle, along with rookie wideouts Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn.

NFC Championship Game: Packers over Saints

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens  11-5

Cincinnati Bengals  11-5

Pittsburgh Steelers  9-7

Cleveland Browns  3-13

Outlook: Due to the 4 game suspension handed to the Steelers QB Ben Rothlisberger, I expect this division to be a two team dogfight between the Ravens and Bengals. The Ravens have added two weapons at receiver, Anquan Bolden and T.J. Houshmanzedah to go along with their always stout defense. The Bengals sweep the division last season and added Terrell Owens to the equation giving them a much needed deep threat and red zone target. The Steelers need at least an 2-2 record while Big Ben is out or there season is done after four games. The Cleveland Browns are trying to right the ship and I don’t expect more the 3 or 4 victories playing in this tough division.

AFC West

San Diego  10-6

Raiders  8-8

Broncos  6-10

Chiefs  5-11

Outlook: The Chargers are clearly the best team in this division, but without WR Vincent Jackson and one of the best left tackles in football Marcus McNeil, expect a lil drop off with this team. Shawne Merriman is injured again which is no surprise being as though he has been a stiff since he was caught using PED’s.  The Raiders will be a better team this season due to the addition of Jason Campbell. While not flashy, Campbell is solid and will not turn the ball over. The Raiders have a nice combo at running back to go along with a nice defense. I see them being a 8-8 team. The Broncos have me puzzled, they lose one of there best players for a second season in WR Brandon Marshall and draft Tim Tebow in the first round when there were more obvious needs on the team. Elvis Dumervil is out for the season after tearing his biceps tendon, which puts the pressure on 2nd year OLB and last year’s first round draft pick Robert Ayers. The Chiefs look to continue the momentum from last season’s late burst. They have found their running back of the future in Jamal Charles, he lead the NFL in rushing yards over the last 6 games of the season. They have bought in Charlie Weis the former Patriots offensive coordinator to run the offense, which should help Matt Cassel in his 2nd season with the Chiefs.

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts  14-2

Tennessee Titans  8-8

Houston Texans  8-8

Jacksonville Jaguars  5-11

Outlook: The Colts are back at full strength for the 2010 season and I expect them to roll right to the AFC Championship game barring injury to Peyton Manning. The Titans bring a tough running game and defense to the table, but they will need plays downfield in the passing game from QB Vince Young and 2nd year WR Kenny Britt. The Titans are a wild card, they could be a 8-8 team or a 10 win team. Another wild card is the Houston Texans, who had the best passing game in football last season. Free Agent rookie Arian Foster gets the nod at RB due to the ball handling and pass blocking troubles Steve Slaton had last season. If the Texans plan on making the playoffs as a wild card this season they will need improvement from there defensive unit. The Jaguars have RB Maurice Jones-Drew who is what their offense is solely based around, WR Mike Sims-Walker showed some flashes last season as well. I’m not the biggest David Garrard either which is why I believe this team will struggle to score points. I would be surprised if they win more then 5 or 6 games.

AFC East

New York Jets  11-5

New England Patriots  10-6

Miami Dolphins  6-10

Buffalo Bills  4-12

Outlook: The Jets were one game away from the Super Bowl last year, and seem to be everyone’s favorite to make the Super Bowl this season. CB Derelle Revis and the team have finally agreed on a new contract and he’s back with the team. Their defense is based around the cover skills of Revis and yes they would have still won games without him, but his ability to shut down one side of the field is the reason why he’s the best cornerback in football. The development of Mark Sanchez will pretty much decide the fate of this team. For the Patriots we all know as Tom Brady goes, goes the team. This is his 2nd year coming off of major knee surgery so he should be fully healed. Wes Welker tore his ACL in week 16 of the 2009 season and surprisingly is going to be in the lineup week 1 against the Bengals. Randy Moss is upset about not being offered a new contract buy the team, meaning he will have a helluva season. The weak link of this Patriots team is the defense which is young and unproven. They have serious problems getting to the QB in a passing which isn’t a formula to win. The Miami Dolphins added a serious receiving threat to their team in Brandon Marshall. We all know that the Dolphins run the ball very well, Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams make up one of the best running back combos in football. I believe QB Chad Henne will be a better player in this league then people think and their defense is solid. I can see them winning 6 or 7 games this season. The Bills hired Chan Gailey to coach their team, a move I still question but I loved the draft selection of running back C.J. Spiller with the 9th overall pick in the first round. He is a versatile, home run hitter at the running back position. I would be surprised if RB Marshawn Lynch makes this team with the now crowded backfield the Bills have including Fred Jackson. The Quarterback position is still an uncertainty with Trent Edwards being the starter for now and Ryan Fitzpatrick in the mix as well. The Bills should be in the basement of the AFC East for another season.

AFC Championship: Ravens over Colts

Super Bowl: Aaron Rodgers puts himself in the elite quarterback category with a Super Bowl win over the Ravens.