Crystal Ball: A Look at the 2009 NFL Season

1. Philadelphia: They made some good offseason moves. They didn't lose anyone too big; they picked up a great WR in the draft in Maclin, and they picked up a coordinator who worked with the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator last year. That is bound to help. I like the addition of another ex-Patriot in Hobbs; he's inconsistent, but the Eagles' secondary is good enough that they won't notice.
   
2. (3 or 4) Dallas: The loss of TO is big for the Cowboys. They needed him as that deep threat and to draw the double team. There's also a lot of pressure on them this year to preform, they've been so good and projected to be NFC favorites, and win the Superbowl, but they can't win in the post-season. They are like the NFL version of the Chicago Cubs, only without the championship drought. (For those of you who don't know, the Cubs have now lost 9 straight post-season games. That's three years of being out in the first round.)
   
3. (2 or 4) New York: (Or Jersey...) The Giants are still a good team. They have that big distraction named Buruss still hanging around, and they lost their defensive genius to a head coaching job, but they'll make some noise in this division.
4. (2 or 3) Washington: The Redskins need confidence. They need their QB to have it, their coaches to have it and their fans to have it. The reason I have put the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins with the possibility of moving up or down the rankings is because all three teams have the talent and the ability to win games, maybe even win the division. The question is, will they reach their potential?
   

Now onto the AFC

AFC West

1. San Diego: The Chargers should again be a playoff team. They have the talent, a few injured players returning and a descent off-season. LT may be on the decline, however, so that could shake things up in the west a bit.
2. Denver: New head coach Josh McDaniels made a splash early in the off-season with the Cutler Diva Drama. It ended in a messy divorce that will hurt the Broncos, but they should still win some games and probably won't have a losing record. (I'm a Patriots fan, of course I'm going to side with Josh and hope he has a decent season, just not better than the Pats)
   
3. Kansas City: The additions of Pioli, Cassel, and Vrabel from the Patriots certainly help this team which did pretty much nothing last year. It will be up to Cassel to prove he's not just flash in the pan and new coach Haley to prove that this team can win games. The only place to go is up.
4. Oakland: I think we have to face one truth in all of this: as long as Al Davis gets to make decisions, the Raiders are screwed. If new head coach Tom Cable can stand up to Davis and avoid being fired, that team has a lot of talent, if not...

AFC South

Like the NFC North, this is a division I just can't make up my mind on. Saint Tony has retired, along with a good bit of the coaching staff. Its gotten so bad that Peyton Manning has actually called them out on national TV. He's clearly frustrated and uncomfortable with what has to be a big change for the Colts. No Rhodes, no Harrison and new coaching may make the beginning of the season tough for Manning and Co. They could win the division or this could be called a "building year".

Between Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Houston, with the talent they have and the moves they've made in the off-season, I don't have a favorite. My gut tells me that it will be one of these three, not the Colts, who wins the division.

AFC North

1. (or 2) Baltimore: Tough defense, good arm and football IQ for Flaco (trust me, I've seen him play live and its amazing), and a gritty, tough vibe, the Ravens look good. They are my tentative number one, because like the Colts, you can never count the Steelers out.
   
2. (or 1) Pittsburgh: The possibility of the Superbowl hangover is looming, the chance that Big Ben takes up alligator wrestling to top his motorcycle accident is there and the Madden curse is just waiting in the wings to claim another victim. Despite all of that, the Steelers are again in contention for division.
   
3. Cleveland: This town deserves someone to play well. While I don't think the Browns have any shot at the post-season, I think they will win as many games as they lose this year.
   
4. Cincinnati: The Bengals are all over the place, they are getting arrested, not showing up for training camp but showing up on ESPN in LA doing something completely unrelated to football. They are just a mess. And if you think those off-field distractions won't bother their game, wrong.
   

AFC East

1. New England: No. 12 is back, Welker and Moss know the offense better this year, they picked up some good free agents and made some good draft day moves to freshen up an aging defense. The loss of Vrabel and the retirement of Harrison does not help, but Rodney Harrison was injury-prone, and Vrabel is past his prime. The additions of Galloway and Taylor are excellent, considering they have three passing weapons, and Taylor can join the Morris-Maroney running back by committee group. Look for them to be the top of the AFC east, and possibly the AFC.
2. Miami: Ronnie Brown and Chad Pennington will do their best to take the Dolphins back to the playoffs. They could be a wild card team, they could even possibly take the division, but with an entire off-season and hours of film, I don't think defensive coordinators will be fooled by the Wildcat. 
3. New York Jets: (Or Jersey...) All eyes will be on Sanchez this year which is probably not great for the young rookie. I wouldn't look for him to be the post-Favre savior, but as long as he doesn't crack, he should win a few games. I wouldn't look for the Jets to be as dangerous this year, new head coach, new QB, etc., but they made some good moves for next year.
4. Buffalo: I know, TO is at Buffalo. He'll help them. But you have to remember, the AFC East secondary is used to going up against guys like Randy Moss, they won't be dazzled by TO's ability to catch balls no human should. Sure, he'll help the Bills, and they certainly won't be a bad team, but I think them taking the division is a little far-fetched.

That's all my rankings, premature and slightly-biased though they may be. Feel free to argue!

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