Nfl :

[MemphisMafia]

Just when everybody said that dynasties were a thing of the past , along comes New England . As they enter this season on a 15 game winning streak , 3 short of the record held by 4 " dynasties " I find it interesting that they host the Miami club at home in week 5 to challange that record . They will make this season very special in many ways possibly joining the 49`s / Cowboys / Steelers / Packers as truely gifted franchises . The question remains " Who will go to Disneyworld ? " , although I am a slow blinker (short-on-brains) and a wee-bit biased I usually fair somewhat close and look forward to the challenge yearly .

Before this ones over certain players are faced with put-up or shut-up type seasons . Manning has to shed his deer in the headlights reputation , McNabbs got no more excuses , Vick must display the hype we`ve all become accustomed to , Shockey has to zip the lip and play ball , and can Joe Gibbs rise from the ashes ? All good players (and coaches) enter this year with one thing on thier mind , " Stop Parcells from making history " and visiting Mickey Mouse !

Differences will make this season a good one , and at 160 pounds Lamont Brightful should avoid Aaron Gibson at 390 pounds and the same goes with wagering this season .... certain things should be avoided . The NFL is the quickest hero-to-zero sport on the planet just ask Kurt Warner or the Buccaneers so without further ado lets get to the hunt .

NFC

East :

#1 Dallas Cowboys , Defence is the name of the game and last years 253.5 allowed was no fluke . Going from 5-11 (2002) to 10-6 (2003) under Parcells wasnt either . Big question here is will the coach be slapping Keyshawn on the butt or the face ?

#2 Phiadelphia Eagles , Sure the additions of Owens and Kearse help a great deal , but the loss of Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor and Duce Staley offset this by far and I have a sneeky feeling about the offense going up here and the defense going down .... so its a wash .

#3 Washington Redskins , Big questions here ... the coach for one and even though they added some very serious talent on the scoring end ( Brunell , Portis , Thrash ) , thier D has some holes that will take time to repair . But there will be improvement if Daniel Synder goes on a long vacation .

#4 N.Y. Giants , The futures bright .... but not this season . Coughlin will turn things around but with 15 free agents and the " Rook " dont expect parting waters just yet .

South :

#1 New Orleans Saints , They can score on anybody and thats not been a problem but thier D has improved at the important tackle spot on both sides and it should push them over the hump.

#2 Carolina Panthers , A repeat of last year .... not a chance because that old schedule bug after going to the big dance has tightened up quite a bit and places them in a much tougher slot .

#3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Chuckys going to lose some more hair this season , but his defense will give him another wash for the year .

#4 Atlanta Falcons , Sure he can leap tall buildings , but giving up 381.8 yards a game will be thier waterloo !

North ;

#1 Green Bay Packers , They should win this one easily , but thier defense is a very big question mark that will hurt them as the season goes deeper .

#2 Detroit Lions , A worthy slot for a team that could possibly be a break out club this season . New tools will help but it all rests on Harrington kick starting his hype .

#3 Minnesota Vikings , Sure they can score and will continue to be the best " Over " in football , but thier defense is the main reason for this .

#4 Chicago Bears , The one team I feel could really send shock-waves thru us all , Rex and the kids are a real deal but lets face it ...... they are kids and with a new coach to boot .

West :

#1 Seattle Seahawks , A strange feeling about this club as it could be the next champ . They picked up the pace on D last season and went even deeper with it this off-season . Tubbs , Boulware and free agent Grant Winstrom pull them up a notch and already being in a weak division doesnt hurt them a bit.

#2 St. Louis Rams , In a word ... The addition of Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marime was addition by subtraction ! Play the overs again

#3 San Francisco 49`ers , Any fan here should dust off the tape of Super Bowl XXIII (wink) .

#4 Arizona Cardinals , They open against the Rams and the Pats ....... nuff said !

AFC :


East :

#1 New England , The loss of Ted Washington was supposed to hurt but Vince Wilfork at 340 pounds will gap the middle , no changes here ...... right up to the Super Bowl !

#2 N.Y. Jets , Chad Penningtons year to break out !

#3 Miami Dolphins , Declining at a fast rate . Wannsteadt needs to go !

#4 Bufflao Bills , Bledsole has the mobility of a oak tree , and the loss of Ruben Brown at guard could determine the QB`s neurological well being .

North :

#1 Cincinnati Bengals , I know Im nuts but they will win it !

#2 Pittsburgh Steelers , I got them suprising plenty of people .

#3 Baltimore Ravens , Tough to win in this sport without a quarterback .

#4 Cleveland Browns , They`ll have to shoot for respectability this year .

South :

#1 Indianapolis Colts , Contender , no doubt but can Manning win the big-one ?

#2 Jacksonville Jaguars , Instead of losing all thier road games this year , they will win a few

#3 Tennessee Titans , They will have to fight this time around to win a wild card .

#4 Houston Texans , Not Yet !

West :

#1 Denver Broncos , My darkhorse !

#2 Kansas City Chiefs , Show me last year wasnt a fluke and dont forget the overs in thier games .

#3 Oakland Raiders , Only because the Chargers are in this one .

#4 San Diego Chargers , See above

G.L.

***MMM***

[frankb03]

MMM

Great read! Thanks!

[MemphisMafia]

frankb , you are most Welcome ;

And now to the task at hand :

NFC East : Dallas
NFC South : New Orleans
NFC North Green Bay Packers
NFC West Seattle

Wild Cards : St. Louis & Philadelphia

AFC East : New England
AFC North : Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South : Indianapolis Colts
AFC West : Denver Broncos

Wild Cards : Kansas City Chiefs & Jacksonville Jaguars

NFC Champion : Seattle over Dallas

AFC Champion : New England over Indianapolis

Super Bowl : New England

Side notes :

Overs : Atlanta , Kansas City , St. Louis , Minnesota , New Orleans , all deserve attention this year .

Unders : New England , Dallas , Carolina , Tampa Bay , Baltimore , Miami , all need looking at .

More to come on the Wins/Losses Ratio soon!

G.L.

***MMM***

[Frank White]

you count the panthers out because they will play a tougher schedule this year, but you like the cownoys to win the nfc east. the cowboys played how many teams over .500 last year and got to the playoffs. they also see a tougher shedule this year then the year before....contradicts itself unless you are banking on parcells winning 10 games on his own for that joke of a team.

[MemphisMafia]

Originally posted by Frank White
you count the panthers out because they will play a tougher schedule this year, but you like the cownoys to win the nfc east. the cowboys played how many teams over .500 last year and got to the playoffs. they also see a tougher shedule this year then the year before....contradicts itself unless you are banking on parcells winning 10 games on his own for that joke of a team.

*************************************************

" you count the panthers out because they will play a tougher schedule this year "

************************************************

I didnt right a book on this because I dont have time to , but thats one of many reasons why I slotted them where I have them , they where nice to me last year when I had them to make the NFC Championship and paid quite well I might add .

I am not of the contradiction nature , and these are my views as I see them .

*************************************************

" but you like the cownoys to win the nfc east. the cowboys played how many teams over .500 last year and got to the playoffs. they also see a tougher shedule this year then the year before "

*************************************************

I was quite aware of this fact when I posted this , but thanks for bringing it to my attention again because I forgot that in my opinion the Cowboys went up a notch in several areas that the Panthers didnt and I will hang my hat on Parcells long before Foxes coaching skills

I put this here so that later , after the season is ending I can use this to ask you if you remember when you thought they didnt have a chance being a " joke of a team " and all

Been nice chating , be sure and come back when you can sit down and have a bite to eat ( around Jan. :D ) for a big ole hunk of crow-pie !

G.L.

***MMM***

[MemphisMafia]

Warrior :

We differ on a few points yet and one of them is the Packers marching so deeply , I will post why I think they are in some mild trouble later .

G.L.

***MMM***

[Frank White]

i will definetely remember this post. a 40 yr old qb and a wr that sat out half the year is going to win the nfc east? memphis you make this too easy. the eagles added 2 superstars, patched up the MLB spot, and most of importantly decided to spend money. the giants add a gun slinger at qb, and although appears to be washed up, will make every effort to prove he can still play. they add the #1 pick, which is a manning, a born winner. the redskins also made moves to help them contend. noone is going to run away with the nfc east until the cowboys have to play outside in some nice cold weather. as amatter of fact the cowboys will not win more then 3 games on the road.

Cowboys under whatver thier win total is set at. 10*

[MemphisMafia]

Your Views :

Dont hold water here Frank , Mark Simoneau will be fine the 1st 6 to 8 games then he will do the same thing he did last year " dry-up " . He was invisible at 220 lbs at MLB and teams knew it , hes way to small to be a everyday player at that spot , not counting he doesnt wrap very well and allows some big ones .

Lito Sheppard at 5`10`` has shown no instincts at corner and wide-outs like (let-me-see?) Keyshon Johnson will expose them at this position because of his lack of size .

Additions have been addressed :

#2 Phiadelphia Eagles , Sure the additions of Owens and Kearse help a great deal , but the loss of Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor and Duce Staley offset this by far and I have a sneeky feeling about the offense going up here and the defense going down .... so its a wash .

I to await the final bell , and get ready for that pie in Jan. as its a cold piece to swallow that time of the year .

Time tells all , and G.L. on your wagers .



***MMM***

[MemphisMafia]

I Find It :

very interesting that Joe Gibbs decided to make a comeback at this moment in time , Everyone here knows I am strong numbers because they dont ever tell us a lie , decieve us yes but not lie " Not Ever " !

A Don Coryell protege (Big-Time) and known for his offensive creativity in his first run with the Skins , he installed a power attack that featured John Riggins and a H-Back (tightend) who went in motion almost every down (to block or recieve) . But he also should be remembered for winning with Smurfs to , as he knows how to use the talent at hand .

Each of his 3 Superbowls where won with a different tailback "AND" a different Q-Back , so using what he has is a very strong point in his make-up . In his time (12) with the Hogs , when compared to his successors (11) being even , I see these numbers jump out at me :

Gibbs : Rushing yards per = 135.1
Others : Rushing yards per = 111.3

Gibbs : Passing yards per = 237.0
Others : Passing yards per = 213.7

Gibbs : Total yards per = 372.1
Others : Total yards per = 325.0

Gibbs : Points per = 24.2
Others : Points per = 19.7

I will hang my hat on that extra 50 yards per and the extra 5 points per anyday , but of major concern is the " Owner Factor " , I can only hope that Snyder leaves him be and lets him do his job

( Others ) = Richie Pettibon 4-12 / Norv Turner 49-59-1 / Terry Robiskie 1-2 / Marty Schottenheimer 8-8 / Steve Spurrier 12-20

G.L.

***MMM***

Believe what you may , the NFC East is no cake-walk this year

[mark30]

You forgot that the eagles added Trotter to sure up the MLB position. If Simoneau does wear down they have a better player waiting to step in.

[Tony Vegas]

Originally posted by mark30
You forgot that the eagles added Trotter to sure up the MLB position. If Simoneau does wear down they have a better player waiting to step in.

I agree with you, but don't underestimate Parcells. He has almost the exact team he wants in Big D. I think that spells trouble for the rest of the NFL, especially the NFC East!

[mark30]

I think the cowboys are still a year or 2 away from becoming a dominant team. I think they will either 8 or 9 games this year but i do not think they are a playoff team.

[MemphisMafia]

Originally posted by mark30
You forgot that the eagles added Trotter to sure up the MLB position. If Simoneau does wear down they have a better player waiting to step in.

If you could meldt both these guys together , then you would have the complete package , Trotter is a far cry from being better at this stage of his twi-light , at stopping the run ' YES " but it goes down hill rather fast after that . 7th season and cut again (for reasons) 11 total sacks in that time and only 1 interception a year doesnt not spell a top-notch linebacker in this leauge anymore , and even his tackle ratio is on the low side when it comes to his position (MLB) and I dare say hes suited perfectly for his role ....... a back-up at best .

I say again that they suffer at MLB & CB this year , and I cant think of two more important parts of a good defense . Fans will blind themselves in hopes of a miracle and I could care who wins it because they aint going to the big dance anyway .

Eagles in a nut shell : To late to choke again , gagings due now

G.L>

***MMM***

[Luv2Play2]

the hags are a great call solid year and building

and a fine coach !! YES? will watch the Texan lines very close
as i see a few mistakes being made quite simular to the D.Rays
gla

[Warrior]

Awesome write up. Cincy is toast though. Ravens North easy...

dave