2007/08 AFC NFL Analysis

July 13th 2007

There were lots of trades and re-signings in the offseason. This year’sNFL season will prove to be very exciting because there are many teamswho have a legitimate chance to compete for The SuperBowl XLII.

My top 5 to watch for in the AFC are:

Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals got it going on thisyear. Carson Palmer’s coming along just fine and is expecting to be makinglots of passes to his favorite wide receivers. Cincinnati didn’t makea lot of trades but instead re-signed numerous players. This is a goodthing for a team because all players will be used to each other and tothe playbook. Expect good things from Bengals. Like DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONS!

San Diego Chargers The Chargers hardly changed a thingover the break. Last season was just a taste of what’s to come out ofSan Diego. Chargers did a lot of re-signing in the offseason to lock uptheir most valuable players. Now the biggest change that puts them overthe top will be rookie wide receiver Craig Davis. This LSU superstar isfast and can go the distance. Looks like Phillip Rivers will be startingquarterback, as he should he put up excellent numbers last season. Canthe Chargers go 16-0!

Indianapolis Colts The Colts did some re-signing andmade some trades during the offseason break. They basically brought insome stronger players to help with the secondary defense and are lettingyounger experienced players get a start. Not to worry though, this isstill a power house team with the best quarterback in the league. Canthey repeat? They’re going to have to compete with Tennessee in theirdivision. At best they will make the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens The Ravens quarterback Steve McNairtook the team to a 13-3 record last season and a trip to the Playoffsonly to lose to Indy. Baltimore needs to finish long drives with touchdowns,not field goals and punts. McNair hates playing that style. The Ravensare known for their powerful defense which will be back this season, minusJamal Lewis. Their running game will be much more improved with the additionof veteran runningbacks. The Ravens will be definite contenders this year.

New England Patriots The Patriots locked up a lot oftheir key players during the break, making for another close knit squad.New England’s got new speed and agility in wide receivers this year andtheir main focus is to get them integrated with Tom Brady’s playbook.The options for Brady will be endless. As for defense, Jr. Seau is backafter last year’s broken arm and the rest of the defensive line is stillintact ready to play. Definite contenders again this year, let’s see ifBrady can get revenge on the Colts! CLICK HERE TO BET ON THE NFL 2007/08 AFC CHAMPION!

Other Notables

Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers kept the same teamas last year and are expecting last season’s injured to be back in hislineup. Pittsburgh’s going to have the same ground n pound game they liketo play. They’re expecting runningback Najeh Davenport to get a chanceto play this season. Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and anxious to startthe season. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! They’re definite contenders.

Tennessee Titans The Titians got off to a slow startlast year but after the halfway point in the season they were the favoritesto go all the way. The Titians did a lot of re-signing and a couple tradesto bolster their defense. As for their quarterback situation Vince Youngshould be starting this season. He had a stellar season last year throwingup some awesome stats that got him into the Pro-Bowl. Along with talentedreceivers I think this could be record year for passing yards. PersonallyI think they should have upgraded their running, but that’s my opinion.Look for the Titians to be AFC Champs or better.

Denver Broncos Denver did a lot of moving around inthe offseason and picked up a lot of quality players. First they wantedto build a solid defense, which they found in two monster veteran defensemenJimmy Kennedy and Sam Adams. Jay Cutler did pretty well in 2006 and isexcited about veteran wide receiver Quincy Morgan coming back after aninjury halfway through the season. Expect great defense from the Broncosand if Cutler can connect with their new receivers they can be contenders.

Buffalo Bills The Bills have adopted a new offense schemeby using a halfback instead of a fullback. The halfback position offersversatility. Fullbacks usually just ground and pound, but with a halfbackthey can be runners or catchers. This throws the opponents defense off.The Bills will have more weapons on their offense. They’ve acquired twoveteran runningbacks and a superstar rookie out of California. After aterrible passing season the Bills still aren’t sure who will be startingquarterback. J.P. Losman started last season but did not produce to Buffalo’sliking. Now there’s Trent Edwards who is the Bills signal caller thatis looking favorable and ready to compete for quarterback position. They’llhave a better record than last year but still no playoffs.

Cleveland Browns Cleveland is looking very good thisseason due to some juicy offseason moves. They revamped their offensewith new offensive lineman, new runningback and superstar Brady Quinn.This may prove difficult because so many new players’ means getting usedto each other’s style of play. It’s not known if Quinn will get the startingposition, the games a lot faster than college ball. The Brown’s have optedfor a new offensive scheme that may provide to be worthy. Until Quinngets a couple years under his belt, I don’t see Cleveland being a threat.Although I’d like to see him start

Houston Texans The Texans are in for their best seasonyet. They solidified their offence with runningbacks and receivers. Theygot lucky in the draft and picked up Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky,who led his team to a 43-42 overtime win against Oklahoma in the FiestaBowl. This kids going to be HOT! It’s looking like Matt Schaub’s goingto get the start though but maybe if he gets injured the kid will gethis chance to shine. Houston has a tough schedule ahead and need to getout to a good start. CLICK HERE TO BET ON THE NFL 2007/08 AFC CHAMPION!

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jaguars had the second mostpowerful defense in the league last year and plan on improving it. They’llhave two linebackers that’ll be coming back after injuries earlier inthe previous season, which should solidify their defense nicely. As foroffense, their quarterback situation is between Byron Leftwich as a starterand David Gerrard as backup. Gerrard was injured 11 games into the seasonthen Leftwich took over and got them into the playoffs. He put up somegood numbers in those six games and wants to do more this season. Jacksonvillewill be very strong this year.

Kansas City Chiefs The Chiefs decided to go with youththis offseason instead of finding players for a quick fix because a fewof the Chiefs have retired. The younger players will be on the defensiveside of the team while the Chiefs offensive line is all veteran players.As for the loss of Dante Hall, the Chiefs kick returner; Coach Edwardshas his eyes on the recent drafts they picked up. As for their quarterbacksituation KC chose to get rid of Trent Green for whom? Nobody. ApparentlyCoach Edwards doesn’t seem to think they need an experienced quarterback,so they’re letting second year man Brodie Croyle. This will be their downfallthis season and don’t expect to see them anywhere near the top of theirdivision.

Miami Dolphins The Dolphins benefited from KC’s lossover the break by signing quarterback Trent Green. Green was brought into replace a slumping Dante Culpepper. Green’s going to work out nicelywith Coach Cameron’s offensive style of play. Defensively the Dolphinsare good. Miami had a horrible start last year going 1-7. Miami’s scheduleat the beginning of this season isn’t too bad. If they want any chanceof having a decent season they need to have a good start and try to holdon to it. All their wins last season were against teams that were abovepar and lost to some teams that were average. The Dolphins will end upover .500 and nothing more.

New York Jets The Jets mainly focused on their runninggame and defense. They picked up two veteran runningbacks that can poundthe ball down the field and solidified their defense by signing on threenew defensive linemen. As for offense, the word is Chad Pennington’s lookinggood at mini-camp. If the Jets want a chance to make it into the playoffs,they need to be more consistent. If the Jets can win the way they playedafter week nine then they have a chance.

Oakland Raiders The Raiders had one of the best overalldefenses and passing defense but still finished with the NFL’s worst record.They added veteran defensemen on the secondary line to tighten up an alreadygood defense. So now they have to work on offense. They acquired an all-starrunning back Dominic Rhodes and wide receiver Travis Traylor. Is thisenough to get the Raiders into playoff contention? I don’t think so. Iftheir lucky, I think at best they will have a .500 season.

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