The NFC East was widely regarded as the best division in the NFL for much of the first decade of the 21st century. The division is composed of epic rivalries among between each team, and there is always a share of close games, blowouts, and unexpected results in these division games. What's better is it appears that all four teams are bound to be successful, because they have done nothing but load their rosters with talent that gives each team the potential to win some games. I have three of the four teams finishing 2012 with winning records, and am actually surprised at myself with the record I gave to the one team with the losing record.
Dallas Cowboys (5-11)
The Cowboys, America's Team, has struggled to find success in times that they really should have. Dallas has let a lot of people down in predictions, although injuries have halted them in recent years. Tony Romo appears to finally have gained a little bit of respect, as the biggest QB critics have turned to guys like Mark Sanchez or Matt Ryan. The Cowboys have made some changes that should propel them to the top of the division, but they will realize it takes a little more than that. Give me an excellent 2013 Draft, and I say the Cowboys can be contenders. 2012 will be a year for them to put things together.
Wins - vs. Giants, vs. Browns, vs. Redskins, @ Bengals, @ Redskins
Losses - @ Giants, @ Seahawks, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Bears, @ Ravens, @ Panthers, @ Falcons, @ Eagles, vs. Eagles, vs. Steelers, vs. Saints
New York Giants (11-5)
The reigning Super Bowl champions will again continue to be above average, surprising critics every year, and winning games in the end with a super clutch quarterback. The Giants have a ton of talent, especially on defense. We will see them get to quarterbacks a lot this year, as long as they stay healthy. I think we see a slow start as usual with the Giants, but a strong finish, winning their last five games, all against potentially strong teams. While the Giants won't repeat an appearance to the Super Bowl, they at least win a tough NFC East and make the playoffs.
Wins - vs. Cowboys, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Browns, @ 49ers, vs. Redskins, @ Bengals, @ Redskins, vs. Saints, @ Falcons, @ Ravens, vs. Eagles
Losses - @ Panthers, @ Eagles, @ Cowboys, vs. Steelers, vs. Packers
Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)
The Dream Team Eagles thankfully did not tear up their roster this offseason, because they have the potential to do big things in the NFL given the right coaching. The addition of DeMeco Ryans hopefully completes a linebacker corps that has held the defense back in recent years. Why didn't the secondary thrive with Nnamdi, Asante, and Dominique in 2011? The linebackers played terrible all year. The secondary constantly had to worry about the middle of the field and it reduced the number of defensive plays by a large amount. The addition of Ryans can potentially transform this defense into a top 5 in defending the pass. However, it does hurt that the NFC East is not necessarily built around the passing game. Look for the Eagles to drop an embarrassing game or two, but take care of all of the other teams they should take care of.
Wins - vs. Ravens, @ Cardinals, vs. Giants, @ Saints, vs. Cowboys, @ Cowboys, @ Buccaneers, vs. Bengals, vs. Redskins
Losses - @ Browns, @ Steelers, vs. Lions, vs. Falcons, @ Redskins, vs. Panthers
Washington Redskins (9-7)
Here it is, finally. The Redskins have a franchise quarterback in Robert Griffin III. I have always been high on this guy (Not as much as Andrew Luck). RG3 can completely change a team and bring a presence sort of like the one Michael Vick brings to the Eagles. However, RG3 is smarter which brings a whole new aspect to his game. The only fault in RG3's gameplan is he plays for the Redskins. This fact worries me. It will be interesting to see how RG3 is used in the offense. Look for RG3 to singlehandedly win some big games against some big teams, and have a spectacular rookie season.
Wins - @ Rams, vs. Bengals, @ Buccaneers, vs. Vikings, vs. Panthers, vs. Eagles, vs. Ravens, @ Browns, vs. Cowboys
Losses - @ Saints, vs. Falcons, @ Giants, @ Steelers, @ Cowboys, vs. Giants, @ Eagles
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
2012 NFL Predictions - AFC West
I apologize for being a busy and lazy fart over the past couple weeks. I will be finishing up my 2012 NFL Season predictions within the week because I do, in fact, have a lot of time on my hands over the next week.
Next up is the AFC West, a completely unpredictable division from year to year. Nobody ever knows which team will land on top, and the winner always tends to be the lowest division winner in the AFC. However, the division had a shakeup this offseason with the big Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos signing. Manning undoubtedly makes Denver contenders for the division, and possibly taking the Broncos as far as Tim Tebow did in 2011 (ha!). It was pretty obvious John Elway was not a Tebow fan, and he waited a little too long to deal the quarterback away.
Denver Broncos (11-5)
11-5 is about the best I can give the Broncos, even with Peyton Manning. Let's face it: Manning is pretty old for a starting quarterback, nobody truly knows how powerful the receiving corps is because of the lack of use when Tim Tebow ran the offense, and the Broncos play a very tough NFC South and a pretty tough AFC North. It has been in the news that Knowshon Moreno will be fighting to keep his spot running the rock in Denver, despite the fact that he has been pretty productive when healthy. Denver will win some surprising games, and lose some surprising games this year. They will be rather unpredictable.
Wins - vs. Steelers, vs. Texans, vs. Raiders, @ Chargers, vs. Saints, @ Bengals, @ Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, @ Raiders, @ Ravens, vs. Browns
Losses - @ Falcons, @ Patriots, @ Panthers, vs. Chargers, vs. Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
The Chiefs should never be a surprise to anyone when they are contenders. The Chiefs have arguably some of the best talent in all of the NFL, with a lack of good coaching and a trend of injuries throughout the years. When healthy, the Chiefs can be a dominating team (and maybe a more efficient quarterback). Look for the Chiefs to dominate defensively in 2012, with a powerful secondary and an improving defensive line. The sky is the limit in Kansas City, and they will definitely surprise some teams this season. Let's also not forget that the Chiefs were the only team to beat the undefeated Green Bay Packers in the regular season in 2011.
Wins - vs. Falcons, vs. Chargers, @ Buccaneers, vs. Raiders, @ Steelers, vs. Bengals, @ Browns, @ Raiders, @ Broncos
Losses - @ Bills, @ Saints, vs. Ravens, @ Chargers, vs. Broncos, vs. Panthers, vs. Colts
Oakland Raiders (4-12)
If you are a Raiders fan, you may as well never read my sports analyses again, because I have just about zero respect for the franchise. I have never been with the hype of the Raiders, especially in the last few years. I love some of their players (Darren McFadden and ... hmm) but I dislike a lot more of them. I feel like Oakland is the place that players go after they were drafted 4th overall, provide zero impact to their team, talk bad about the team and fans, and then preach to God *cough cough, Aaron Curry*. The Raiders are bound to fail in 2012 and so forth until they draft an efficient quarterback to run the system.
Wins - @ Dolphins, vs. Steelers, vs. Saints, vs. Browns
Losses - vs. Chargers, @ Broncos, @ Falcons, vs. Jaguars, @ Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, @ Ravens, @ Bengals, vs. Broncos, vs. Chiefs, @ Panthers, @ Chargers
San Diego Chargers (9-7)
The Chargers were the team that I predicted to face the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl of the 2012 season. I figured that due to their 1st ranked offense and 1st ranked defense in 2010, they would tune up their 32nd ranked special teams and actually become a powerhouse. I was completely wrong, the Chargers had a losing season, and thankfully nobody paid attention to my Packers / Chargers prediction in the Super Bowl. However, I still am aware that Philip Rivers is the quarterback there and they have made some great changes to a team that, while they say "rebuilding", is built for success. The Chargers have a chance to make a run at the playoffs, and will finish with a winning record.
Wins - @ Raiders, @ Browns, vs. Chiefs, @ Broncos, vs. Ravens, vs. Bengals, @ Steelers, @ Jets, vs. Raiders
Losses - vs. Titans, vs. Falcons, @ Chiefs, @ Saints, vs. Broncos, @ Buccaneers, vs. Panthers
Next up is the AFC West, a completely unpredictable division from year to year. Nobody ever knows which team will land on top, and the winner always tends to be the lowest division winner in the AFC. However, the division had a shakeup this offseason with the big Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos signing. Manning undoubtedly makes Denver contenders for the division, and possibly taking the Broncos as far as Tim Tebow did in 2011 (ha!). It was pretty obvious John Elway was not a Tebow fan, and he waited a little too long to deal the quarterback away.
Denver Broncos (11-5)
11-5 is about the best I can give the Broncos, even with Peyton Manning. Let's face it: Manning is pretty old for a starting quarterback, nobody truly knows how powerful the receiving corps is because of the lack of use when Tim Tebow ran the offense, and the Broncos play a very tough NFC South and a pretty tough AFC North. It has been in the news that Knowshon Moreno will be fighting to keep his spot running the rock in Denver, despite the fact that he has been pretty productive when healthy. Denver will win some surprising games, and lose some surprising games this year. They will be rather unpredictable.
Wins - vs. Steelers, vs. Texans, vs. Raiders, @ Chargers, vs. Saints, @ Bengals, @ Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, @ Raiders, @ Ravens, vs. Browns
Losses - @ Falcons, @ Patriots, @ Panthers, vs. Chargers, vs. Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
The Chiefs should never be a surprise to anyone when they are contenders. The Chiefs have arguably some of the best talent in all of the NFL, with a lack of good coaching and a trend of injuries throughout the years. When healthy, the Chiefs can be a dominating team (and maybe a more efficient quarterback). Look for the Chiefs to dominate defensively in 2012, with a powerful secondary and an improving defensive line. The sky is the limit in Kansas City, and they will definitely surprise some teams this season. Let's also not forget that the Chiefs were the only team to beat the undefeated Green Bay Packers in the regular season in 2011.
Wins - vs. Falcons, vs. Chargers, @ Buccaneers, vs. Raiders, @ Steelers, vs. Bengals, @ Browns, @ Raiders, @ Broncos
Losses - @ Bills, @ Saints, vs. Ravens, @ Chargers, vs. Broncos, vs. Panthers, vs. Colts
Oakland Raiders (4-12)
If you are a Raiders fan, you may as well never read my sports analyses again, because I have just about zero respect for the franchise. I have never been with the hype of the Raiders, especially in the last few years. I love some of their players (Darren McFadden and ... hmm) but I dislike a lot more of them. I feel like Oakland is the place that players go after they were drafted 4th overall, provide zero impact to their team, talk bad about the team and fans, and then preach to God *cough cough, Aaron Curry*. The Raiders are bound to fail in 2012 and so forth until they draft an efficient quarterback to run the system.
Wins - @ Dolphins, vs. Steelers, vs. Saints, vs. Browns
Losses - vs. Chargers, @ Broncos, @ Falcons, vs. Jaguars, @ Chiefs, vs. Buccaneers, @ Ravens, @ Bengals, vs. Broncos, vs. Chiefs, @ Panthers, @ Chargers
San Diego Chargers (9-7)
The Chargers were the team that I predicted to face the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl of the 2012 season. I figured that due to their 1st ranked offense and 1st ranked defense in 2010, they would tune up their 32nd ranked special teams and actually become a powerhouse. I was completely wrong, the Chargers had a losing season, and thankfully nobody paid attention to my Packers / Chargers prediction in the Super Bowl. However, I still am aware that Philip Rivers is the quarterback there and they have made some great changes to a team that, while they say "rebuilding", is built for success. The Chargers have a chance to make a run at the playoffs, and will finish with a winning record.
Wins - @ Raiders, @ Browns, vs. Chiefs, @ Broncos, vs. Ravens, vs. Bengals, @ Steelers, @ Jets, vs. Raiders
Losses - vs. Titans, vs. Falcons, @ Chiefs, @ Saints, vs. Broncos, @ Buccaneers, vs. Panthers
Monday, May 14, 2012
2012 NFL Predictions - AFC South
The AFC South is likely going to be the worst division in football. I'd put most of the blame on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. I don't believe the Colts are a well managed organization as well, but it's hard to argue with the success of any team who has won a Super Bowl in the past decade. Sometimes it even seems as if all the talent in Houston in wasted, but they finally found the playoffs in 2011. Interestingly enough, my predictions included a winner from the AFC South with an 8-8 record. Maybe I was a little tough on the division as a whole, but we will see.
Houston Texans (8-8)
The Texans lost their star #1 overall pick in Mario Williams simply because they could not give Mario a contract that he deserved. They replaced Williams in the first round of the 2012 draft with Whitney Mercilus, who has extremely large shoes to fill. The Texans have some pretty tough games on their schedule this year that includes the Ravens, Packers, Lions, and Bears. Houston has an outstanding rush attack with Arian Foster, and a promising passing game that they have used to dominate teams year to year. However, they tend to have trouble beating some of the teams with worse records from time to time. 2012 will be a true test for them as their core players begin nearing the end (or reaching) their prime.
Wins: vs. Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Titans, @ Jets, vs. Bills, @ Titans, vs. Colts, vs. Vikings
Losses: @ Broncos, vs. Packers, vs. Ravens, @ Bears, vs. Jaguars, @ Lions, @ Patriots, @ Colts
Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
This comes as a surprise to not only the readers, but to myself. I surely did not mean to give the Colts so many wins just one year after the departure of Peyton Manning. The Colts are definitely in a rebuilding process and it may take a couple years before they truly contend. However, Andrew Luck is an outstanding rookie, and outstanding rookies sometimes have outstanding years (Sam Bradford, Cam Newton). The Colts will surprise some pretty good teams this year, and lose to some pretty bad teams. At least it is better than last year.
Wins: vs. Jaguars, @ Titans, vs. Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Bills, @ Chiefs, vs. Texans
Losses: @ Bears, vs. Vikings, vs. Packers, @ Jets, vs. Browns, @ Patriots, @ Lions, vs. Titans, @ Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
The Jaguars can consider themselves worthy of a top pick in next season's draft, despite the addition of star wide receiver Justin Blackmon. This looks pretty similar to the Lions' situation a few years back, when they drafted Calvin Johnson before they drafted Matthew Stafford the season afterwards. Blaine Gabbert may succeed somewhere in the NFL, but somewhere is not Jacksonville. The Jaguars need to devote this year to scouting Matt Barkley and Landry Jones and whomever may be in contention to be picked first in next year's draft. Jacksonville needs to do something before guys like Maurice Jones-Drew begin to want to leave. The Jaguars haven't been a well-run organization in years past, so it's time for a turn-around.
Wins: @ Raiders, @ Texans, vs. Titans
Losses: @ Vikings, vs. Texans, @ Colts, vs. Bengals, vs. Bears, @ Packers, vs. Lions, vs. Colts, @ Bills, vs. Jets, @ Dolphins, vs. Patriots, @ Titans
Tennessee Titans (4-12)
Let's get this straight: The Titans have a lot of missing pieces in the puzzle. Also, Chris Johnson is going to continue to see his production drop. Jake Locker may be the only glowing piece in the organization. The Titans seem like an organization that took the wrong turn somewhere. There's Munchak in there coaching, which is a good thing. But is Munchak for real? I see a team built to so some okay things in the future, but not a team looking to build for a championship. Let's see some heart out there, instead of just a squad. Let's see a football team out there on Sundays, with some passion. Somewhere, something is missing in Tennessee.
Wins: @ Chargers, @ Vikings, @ Colts, vs. Jaguars
Losses: vs. Patriots, vs. Lions, @ Texans, vs. Steelers, @ Bills, vs. Colts, vs. Bears, @ Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Texans, vs. Jets, @ Packers
Houston Texans (8-8)
The Texans lost their star #1 overall pick in Mario Williams simply because they could not give Mario a contract that he deserved. They replaced Williams in the first round of the 2012 draft with Whitney Mercilus, who has extremely large shoes to fill. The Texans have some pretty tough games on their schedule this year that includes the Ravens, Packers, Lions, and Bears. Houston has an outstanding rush attack with Arian Foster, and a promising passing game that they have used to dominate teams year to year. However, they tend to have trouble beating some of the teams with worse records from time to time. 2012 will be a true test for them as their core players begin nearing the end (or reaching) their prime.
Wins: vs. Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Titans, @ Jets, vs. Bills, @ Titans, vs. Colts, vs. Vikings
Losses: @ Broncos, vs. Packers, vs. Ravens, @ Bears, vs. Jaguars, @ Lions, @ Patriots, @ Colts
Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
This comes as a surprise to not only the readers, but to myself. I surely did not mean to give the Colts so many wins just one year after the departure of Peyton Manning. The Colts are definitely in a rebuilding process and it may take a couple years before they truly contend. However, Andrew Luck is an outstanding rookie, and outstanding rookies sometimes have outstanding years (Sam Bradford, Cam Newton). The Colts will surprise some pretty good teams this year, and lose to some pretty bad teams. At least it is better than last year.
Wins: vs. Jaguars, @ Titans, vs. Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Bills, @ Chiefs, vs. Texans
Losses: @ Bears, vs. Vikings, vs. Packers, @ Jets, vs. Browns, @ Patriots, @ Lions, vs. Titans, @ Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)
The Jaguars can consider themselves worthy of a top pick in next season's draft, despite the addition of star wide receiver Justin Blackmon. This looks pretty similar to the Lions' situation a few years back, when they drafted Calvin Johnson before they drafted Matthew Stafford the season afterwards. Blaine Gabbert may succeed somewhere in the NFL, but somewhere is not Jacksonville. The Jaguars need to devote this year to scouting Matt Barkley and Landry Jones and whomever may be in contention to be picked first in next year's draft. Jacksonville needs to do something before guys like Maurice Jones-Drew begin to want to leave. The Jaguars haven't been a well-run organization in years past, so it's time for a turn-around.
Wins: @ Raiders, @ Texans, vs. Titans
Losses: @ Vikings, vs. Texans, @ Colts, vs. Bengals, vs. Bears, @ Packers, vs. Lions, vs. Colts, @ Bills, vs. Jets, @ Dolphins, vs. Patriots, @ Titans
Tennessee Titans (4-12)
Let's get this straight: The Titans have a lot of missing pieces in the puzzle. Also, Chris Johnson is going to continue to see his production drop. Jake Locker may be the only glowing piece in the organization. The Titans seem like an organization that took the wrong turn somewhere. There's Munchak in there coaching, which is a good thing. But is Munchak for real? I see a team built to so some okay things in the future, but not a team looking to build for a championship. Let's see some heart out there, instead of just a squad. Let's see a football team out there on Sundays, with some passion. Somewhere, something is missing in Tennessee.
Wins: @ Chargers, @ Vikings, @ Colts, vs. Jaguars
Losses: vs. Patriots, vs. Lions, @ Texans, vs. Steelers, @ Bills, vs. Colts, vs. Bears, @ Dolphins, @ Jaguars, vs. Texans, vs. Jets, @ Packers
Friday, May 11, 2012
My 2012 NFL Predictions - AFC North
The AFC North has been considered one of the toughest divisions in football the last decade due to the defensive powerhouses of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals have enjoyed on and off success over the past decade, while the Browns have enjoyed a lot of un-success! The Bengals have been considered by many to have had the best draft, taking Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick -- (Chris pauses to watch Jesus Montero homer to right field at Yankee Stadium) -- and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, a big guy out of Wisconsin. The Steelers have also been on plenty of those lists after taking top ranked offensive guard David DeCastro out of Stanford and offensive tackle Mike Adams out of Ohio State. I think all of these teams, including the Browns, have a chance to be successful from year to year. However, I have predicted 2012 to be a weak year for the Bengals and Browns, a mediocre year for the Ravens, and a pretty successful year for the Steelers. Here are the details:
Baltimore Ravens - (9-7)
Now what I have happening to the Ravens is probably one of the cruelest outcomes of a season in recent history. The series of events I have happening in Baltimore is one that usually is only possible if all of the starters get injured at once. But hey, anything is possible. I looked at the Ravens schedule and realized that they have a pretty easy first half. I believe they can start of 9-0. Yes folks, that is Joe Flacco and Co. winning nine games in a row, the first nine games of the season. That means being (quite possibly) the only undefeated team left, only nine games into the season. That means a victory at Philadelphia, a win against the Patriots, and a win in Houston. It isn't too crazy to think that, considering it is the Ravens, and they find ways to win games in tough situations. However, I look at the last seven games of their schedule, and I have assigned seven losses for the Ravens to end the season at 9-7. Now I believe the chance of this actually happening is probably less than 1%. But at the same time, the scenario seems possible when you look at the schedule. The last games are as follows: the first of two games against Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh (a great way to start a losing streak), a game in sunny San Diego (a team the Ravens should beat, but the Chargers could be better this year), the Steelers against at home, the RG3-led Washington Redskins in Washington (accounts for more of a rivalry than most realize, and I have RG3 making a big impact this year), a home game hosting the Manning-led Broncos, a home game against the world champion Giants, and an away game against division rival Cincinnati. I assigned all of those games as losses for the Ravens based on complete mishaps by Joe Flacco (to be expected), lack of late season production in 2012 by Ray Rice, and a slowing defense led by aging Ray Lewis and (possibly) Ed Reed.
Wins - vs. Bengals, @ Eagles, vs. Patriots, vs. Browns, @ Chiefs, vs. Cowboys, @ Texans, @ Browns, vs. Raiders
Losses - @ Steelers, @ Chargers, vs. Steelers, @ Redskins, vs. Broncos, vs. Giants, @ Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals - (6-10)
This may come as a surprise to some, but despite the playoff appearance in 2011 by Cincinnati, I am not sold by Andy Dalton and I am not sold by the Cincinnati Bengals, no matter who they draft. They have gotten some talented young guys, such as A.J. Green, Dre Kirkpatrick, Zeitler on the line, and Mohamed Sanu, but the Bengals are coached by Marvin Lewis, who in my opinion, is not a very good or smart coach. The Bengals play a fairly easy schedule on paper, but I see them losing the games against other teams that are trying to make the wild card, such as Dallas and Kansas City.
Wins - vs. Browns, @ Jaguars, vs. Dolphins, @ Browns, vs. Raiders, vs. Ravens
Losses - @ Ravens, @ Redskins, vs. Steelers, vs. Broncos, vs. Giants, @ Chiefs, @ Chargers, vs. Cowboys, @ Eagles, @ Steelers
Cleveland Browns - (2-14)
The Browns drafted another transition type quarterback that they will try to make into a franchise quarterback in Brandon Weeden. I would be surprised if Weeden succeeds in the NFL, yet alone with the Browns. It could happen, as he displayed some awesome skills at Oklahome State, but I highly doubt it, especially being thrown into a system like Cleveland. Cleveland plays a tough division, along with the NFC East and a growing AFC West. Look for Trent Richardson to be key factors in the two wins I have the Browns getting.
Wins - vs. Eagles, @ Colts
Losses - @ Bengals, vs. Bills, @ Ravens, @ Giants, vs. Bengals, vs. Chargers, vs. Ravens, @ Cowboys, vs. Steelers, @ Raiders, vs. Chiefs, vs. Redskins, @ Broncos, @ Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers - (12-4)
The Steelers will not need to beat a whole lot of great teams in order to achieve a 12-4 record, but I do have them beating the Giants and sweeping the Steelers, which are arguably the 3 toughest games on their schedules. With a slowing defense and an uncertainty with the offensive weapons after the retirement of Hines Ward, I find the Steelers coming up shorthanded on a few games. The defense will continue to impress, just not at as high of a level as it has in recent years.
Wins - vs. Jets, vs. Eagles, @ Titans, @ Bengals, vs. Redskins, @ Giants, vs. Ravens, @ Browns, @ Ravens, @ Cowboys, vs. Bengals, vs. Browns
Losses - @ Broncos, @ Raiders, vs. Chiefs, vs. Chargers
Sunday, May 6, 2012
2012 Schedule Analyses - AFC East
It looks like I am back to begin blogging about the upcoming 2012 NFL Season, one that will hopefully surprise and satisfy many hungry football fans. With the conclusion of last week's 2012 NFL Draft, as well as the release of the 2012 NFL schedule prior to that, I believe this is the perfect time to begin (pointlessly) analyzing what has been done and (pointlessly) predicting what is to come in the world of football. I had to decide on whether to begin blogging about individual teams' drafts or their schedules. I ultimately settled on analyzing the schedules because I believe Draft Grade analyses should be pushed until at least one game in the selected players' careers has been played. That means I could grade the 2011 NFL Draft at this point, but I feel like we all could figure those grades out for ourselves if we really wanted to. What is really important, however, is to throw out (pointless) predictions of the 2012 NFL Season. This is great, because during and after the season everybody, including myself, can come back and laugh at my foresight and wish myself luck next time.
The way I have decided to do this is by each individual team. Last night, I gathered every team's schedule and organized them on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I then went through and marked a W (win) or a L (loss) for each game. Therefore, it is as if I predicted each individual game of the upcoming season so there is no imbalance of wins/losses. What I noticed first is, I definitely favored my Seattle Seahawks in many more games than I should have (I gave them 13 wins) and I definitely did not favor some teams as much as I should have (I gave the 49ers 7 wins). While I thought about redoing the process to leave out some of the bias, I thought to myself, 'What the hell. The NFL is unpredictable anyways.' So I will leave my game-by-game predictions as they are, and cross my fingers that I am at least 1% correct in the end.
I will follow my good friends Dillon Newport and Andy Mullet (blog found at http://www.nflinsideblog.com/) in analyzing the schedules of one division per post. I hope they do not mind this.
I will start with the AFC East. The AFC East matches up against the AFC South and the NFC West, two divisions that they have a good chance of notching some victories.
Buffalo Bills (8-8)
I have the Buffalo Bills finishing at 8-8 this season, two games better than their 2011 campaign. However, this qualifies them for third in the division instead of fourth (they lost the tiebreaker with Miami to finish fourth in the East last season). The Bills made the biggest splash in the free agency market this offseason by signing highly touted defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams. Williams, like Julius Peppers, will bring an immediate surge to a defense already filled with leaders such as Nick Barnett and Jairus Byrd. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a pretty sound signal caller and if Fred Jackson stays healthy, he could make another run for the top running back in the league. Stevie Johnson and David Nelson are two nice targets for Fitzpatrick on offense as well. The key match-ups for Buffalo this season will be in the divisional games. The Bills will have to beat the Patriots and Jets to have a chance at finishing in the top two of the division. They also can not risk losses to Miami if they want any chance at competing.
Wins: @ Jets, vs. Chiefs, vs. Browns, vs. Patriots, vs. Titans, vs. Dolphins, vs. Jaguars, vs. Rams
Losses: @ 49ers, @ Cardinals, @ Texans, @ Patriots, @ Colts, vs. Seahawks, @ Dolphins, vs. Jets
Miami Dolphins (4-12)
The Dolphins are truly a terrible team run by a terrible front office. The organization has not made good decisions and it seems to tear down the potentials of top players. Miami drafted Ryan Tannehill with their first round pick in this year's draft, and it's going to take a while before he has the opportunity to produce any real numbers. Unfortunately, Tannehill will likely be the starter Week 1, and the NFL will see the most raw quarterback to ever start an NFL game, as Tannehill is less prepared than Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, and Christian Ponder from last year's draft (none of them started Week 1). Maybe the Dolphins pull a few crazy wins out at home, like they seem to do every year, which is why I gave them four wins.
Wins: vs. Rams, vs. Titans, vs. Jaguars, vs. Bills
Losses: @ Texans, vs. Raiders, vs. Jets, @ Cardinals, @ Bengals, @ Jets, @ Colts, @ Bills, vs. Seahawks, vs. Patriots, @ 49ers, @ Patriots
New England Patriots (13-3)
Every year that Tom Brady is the starting quarterback in New England, it is impossible for me to ever predict less than 11 wins (I predicted 11 last year). Predicting just an above average year for the Patriots should be a Johnathan Edwards-esque sin in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (Sorry I've been reviewing United States History for five hours today). The Patriots bolstered their roster by actually moving up in the first round twice in the draft, selecting Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, two very talented defensive players who will fill in the few holes New England has had in recent years on defense. There are definitely some intriguing games on the Patriots' roster this season, most notably the Week 5 game hosting the Peyton Manning led Broncos and the Week 15 match-up hosting the 49ers.
Wins: @ Titans, vs. Cardinals, vs. Broncos, @ Seahawks, vs. Jets, @ Rams, vs. Bills, vs. Colts, @ Dolphins, vs. Texans, vs. 49ers, @ Jaguars, vs. Dolphins
Losses: @ Ravens, @ Bills, @ Jets
New York Jets (9-7)
When I counted up the wins and losses for the Jets in my predictions, I almost started over realizing I gave them a winning season. I have never been a fan of Rex Ryan and the Jets, but I guess my game-by-game predictions proved I at least respect them enough to give them a winning season this year (I guess that means this was a successful way in somewhat eliminating bias outside of the NFC West in my prediction). The Jets have a good roster, and they added a project in Quinton Coples in the first round of this year's draft (Thank goodness Seattle did not let Bruce Irvin fall to them). Tebowmania has already begun in New York/New Jersey and will continue on until the day the Jets ship him off to another team in the near, or far, future. The Jets' schedule is hard to analyze without knowing what role Tebow will be playing in the Jets offense. Not that it matters in the end, however, because the Jets somehow have found ways to win big games and small games big with Mark Sanchez at the helm. With that said, it's evident the Jets don't need a quarterback to win games, but a productive one would surely help.
Wins: @ Dolphins, vs. 49ers, vs. Colts, vs. Dolphins, vs. Patriots, vs. Cardinals, @ Jaguars, @ Titans, @ Bills
Losses: vs. Bills, @ Steelers, vs. Texans, @ Patriots, @ Seahawks, @ Rams, vs. Chargers
The way I have decided to do this is by each individual team. Last night, I gathered every team's schedule and organized them on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I then went through and marked a W (win) or a L (loss) for each game. Therefore, it is as if I predicted each individual game of the upcoming season so there is no imbalance of wins/losses. What I noticed first is, I definitely favored my Seattle Seahawks in many more games than I should have (I gave them 13 wins) and I definitely did not favor some teams as much as I should have (I gave the 49ers 7 wins). While I thought about redoing the process to leave out some of the bias, I thought to myself, 'What the hell. The NFL is unpredictable anyways.' So I will leave my game-by-game predictions as they are, and cross my fingers that I am at least 1% correct in the end.
I will follow my good friends Dillon Newport and Andy Mullet (blog found at http://www.nflinsideblog.com/) in analyzing the schedules of one division per post. I hope they do not mind this.
I will start with the AFC East. The AFC East matches up against the AFC South and the NFC West, two divisions that they have a good chance of notching some victories.
Buffalo Bills (8-8)
I have the Buffalo Bills finishing at 8-8 this season, two games better than their 2011 campaign. However, this qualifies them for third in the division instead of fourth (they lost the tiebreaker with Miami to finish fourth in the East last season). The Bills made the biggest splash in the free agency market this offseason by signing highly touted defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams. Williams, like Julius Peppers, will bring an immediate surge to a defense already filled with leaders such as Nick Barnett and Jairus Byrd. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a pretty sound signal caller and if Fred Jackson stays healthy, he could make another run for the top running back in the league. Stevie Johnson and David Nelson are two nice targets for Fitzpatrick on offense as well. The key match-ups for Buffalo this season will be in the divisional games. The Bills will have to beat the Patriots and Jets to have a chance at finishing in the top two of the division. They also can not risk losses to Miami if they want any chance at competing.
Wins: @ Jets, vs. Chiefs, vs. Browns, vs. Patriots, vs. Titans, vs. Dolphins, vs. Jaguars, vs. Rams
Losses: @ 49ers, @ Cardinals, @ Texans, @ Patriots, @ Colts, vs. Seahawks, @ Dolphins, vs. Jets
Miami Dolphins (4-12)
The Dolphins are truly a terrible team run by a terrible front office. The organization has not made good decisions and it seems to tear down the potentials of top players. Miami drafted Ryan Tannehill with their first round pick in this year's draft, and it's going to take a while before he has the opportunity to produce any real numbers. Unfortunately, Tannehill will likely be the starter Week 1, and the NFL will see the most raw quarterback to ever start an NFL game, as Tannehill is less prepared than Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, and Christian Ponder from last year's draft (none of them started Week 1). Maybe the Dolphins pull a few crazy wins out at home, like they seem to do every year, which is why I gave them four wins.
Wins: vs. Rams, vs. Titans, vs. Jaguars, vs. Bills
Losses: @ Texans, vs. Raiders, vs. Jets, @ Cardinals, @ Bengals, @ Jets, @ Colts, @ Bills, vs. Seahawks, vs. Patriots, @ 49ers, @ Patriots
New England Patriots (13-3)
Every year that Tom Brady is the starting quarterback in New England, it is impossible for me to ever predict less than 11 wins (I predicted 11 last year). Predicting just an above average year for the Patriots should be a Johnathan Edwards-esque sin in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (Sorry I've been reviewing United States History for five hours today). The Patriots bolstered their roster by actually moving up in the first round twice in the draft, selecting Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, two very talented defensive players who will fill in the few holes New England has had in recent years on defense. There are definitely some intriguing games on the Patriots' roster this season, most notably the Week 5 game hosting the Peyton Manning led Broncos and the Week 15 match-up hosting the 49ers.
Wins: @ Titans, vs. Cardinals, vs. Broncos, @ Seahawks, vs. Jets, @ Rams, vs. Bills, vs. Colts, @ Dolphins, vs. Texans, vs. 49ers, @ Jaguars, vs. Dolphins
Losses: @ Ravens, @ Bills, @ Jets
New York Jets (9-7)
When I counted up the wins and losses for the Jets in my predictions, I almost started over realizing I gave them a winning season. I have never been a fan of Rex Ryan and the Jets, but I guess my game-by-game predictions proved I at least respect them enough to give them a winning season this year (I guess that means this was a successful way in somewhat eliminating bias outside of the NFC West in my prediction). The Jets have a good roster, and they added a project in Quinton Coples in the first round of this year's draft (Thank goodness Seattle did not let Bruce Irvin fall to them). Tebowmania has already begun in New York/New Jersey and will continue on until the day the Jets ship him off to another team in the near, or far, future. The Jets' schedule is hard to analyze without knowing what role Tebow will be playing in the Jets offense. Not that it matters in the end, however, because the Jets somehow have found ways to win big games and small games big with Mark Sanchez at the helm. With that said, it's evident the Jets don't need a quarterback to win games, but a productive one would surely help.
Wins: @ Dolphins, vs. 49ers, vs. Colts, vs. Dolphins, vs. Patriots, vs. Cardinals, @ Jaguars, @ Titans, @ Bills
Losses: vs. Bills, @ Steelers, vs. Texans, @ Patriots, @ Seahawks, @ Rams, vs. Chargers
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