Cheers: Of all things, they actually have a pretty good Offensive Line. Joe Thomas should settle in nicely and Kevin Schaffer is better suited as a RT. Steinbach isn’t a bad guard and if Bentley can return healthy sometime, he’ll help solidify the interior. They’ve got pretty good Linebackers, with Andra Davis and D’Qwell Jackson in the middle and Kamerion Wimbley and Willie McGinest rushing off the edge.
Jeers: They’re very unsettled at the skill positions, minus
On second thought… I thought these guys would be further along with Crennel than they are, and I think he may be in danger of losing his job. They’re in a tough division, but it’s time to step up and build a roster capable of competing. Losing their 2008 first round pick won’t help, and I hate them for it because it’s going to be a great pick.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Jamal Lewis. Here’s another lateral move from a team that can’t seem to do anything but. He’s lost a step he never really had, and since he can’t run against his own team in meaningful action, he has no
New guy who will meet expectations: Brady Quinn. It’s almost gotten to the point where he’s criminally underrated. I don’t want to hear he can’t win the big game or he’s overrated because of the system or whatever excuse Notre Dame haters want to come up with. He can throw the football, and he’s going to do it very well for a lot of years.
Cheers: I think they may have a good defense this year, but that’s just a hunch. With Ray Lewis at the heart of the defense and a cast of star players around him, these guys will be forcing turnovers and delivering punishing hits for another season. There really isn’t a weak link anywhere in the unit. They should have a pretty good running game again, and the Ravens are hoping McGahee’s fresh legs spark the offense.
Jeers: Their Offensive Line isn’t what it used to be, and for that matter, neither is McNair. People say defense wins championships, but the offense has to be adequate too. They have to find a way to replace Adalius Thomas’ pass rushing ability, but the Ravens never have any problems replacing anyone, so they should be able to do it.
On second thought… this defense will carry them again, and they’ll go as far as they can go before the offense has to put up a point. They have a couple playmakers in Clayton and Heap, but they have to find the end zone more often than they did last year.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Willis McGahee. I never really liked the guy in
New guy who will meet expectations: Ben Grubbs. He’s a big boy who’s going to be able to open holes for McGahee. They needed help and depth at guard, and at the end of the first round, they got the best guy on the board. He’s going to be able to step in and start immediately, so the Ravens will be getting an instant return on this pick.
Cheers: They barely missed out on the playoffs last year, and they made some upgrades for 07. Even though the running game is never a problem, they picked up a back in Travis Henry that will really help. Cutler will only get better playing in a full season, so the offense is pretty set. They traded for Dre Bly to fill an unfortunate need across from Bailey, and they have some pretty athletic Linebackers.
Jeers: They could still use some help on the Defensive Line, and Jarvis Moss’ injury doesn’t help. One of these years, John Lynch is going to become a total liability, and I think it might be coming. Not many holes here, these guys have a rock solid team.
On second thought… these guys will give SD a run for their money. Like I said, they really don’t have one true weakness. They’re a pretty complete team on both sides of the ball, and they’re well coached to boot. As long as Cutler continues his development, the Broncos will be in good shape.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Dre Bly is a decent player, but he’s not as good as some people think. He’s sometimes too aggressive in playing the ball and he can get beat sometimes. He’s going to see a lot of action with Champ Bailey on the other side of him, so he needs to step up and meet the challenge.
New guy who will meet expectations: Travis Henry. He’s a good runner coming into a great system. It’s weird to see Denver pay a premium price for a RB, but that goes to show you how much they like the guy and how much they think he can succeed. As long as he stays healthy, he’s going to be great. In the past, Mike Shanahan has split RB duties when he might not have to, but I don’t see Mike Bell seeing that much action this year.
Cheers: They’re looking at an alright offense this year. Some of the elements are there, including a star receiver in Lee Evans, a developing QB in Losman, and the left side of their line is looking pretty good with Peters and the new G Dockery. They need Marshawn Lynch to step in right away and play well, which I think he can do. They got some nice performances out of their rookie DBs last year.
Jeers: Under Jauron, they’ve been moving laterally and they’re counting on a lot of unproven guys to play well. They’ve lost a lot on defense, and their Offensive Line is still incomplete. Peerless Price is literally 1/3 of the player he used to be, and Losman’s improvement could still be a fluke.
On second thought… they could achieve and be mediocre again. They’re a pretty unproven team and they really didn’t get much better in the offseason. Losman needs to continue to step up and lead the offense with a questionable running game, and a lot of young guys need to start on defense.
New guy who won’t meet expectations: Darwin Walker. Wait.
New guy who will meet expectations: The Poz.
And that’s it. Because those four teams haven’t started the season yet, their previews still count. What a success. And now for some predictions:
NFC East: Eagles
NFC North: Bears
NFC West: Seahawks
NFC South: Saints
WC: Cowboys
WC: 49ers
Cowboys over Seahawks
Saints over 49ers
Bears over Cowboys
Eagles over Saints
Bears over Eagles
AFC East: Patriots
AFC North: Ravens
AFC West: Chargers
AFC South: Colts
WC: Broncos
WC: Steelers
Ravens over Steelers
Chargers over Broncos
Patriots over Ravens
Colts over Chargers
Patriots over Colts
Patriots over Bears
Real original.No Eagles preview or picks this week, I'll try to start them next week. Power rankings will debut in the first week of October.
No comments:
Post a Comment