Eight NFL Divisional Expectations That May Not Come True

Every year, before the first fan has even filed into the stadium, before the teevision begin to boradcast coverage of the first game, before the tailgate barbeque is fired up, there are always pundits predicting how they beleive the upcoming football season will turn out. Every year, there are expectations of what will happn in each division. And every year, at least one or two of those expectations don't exactly pan out.

Take last year, for instance. Everybody expected Brady to lead New England to the Super Bowl. He was injured in week one. Dallas was dubbed as the champions waiting to happen. They didn't make the playoffs. And who saw Miami, Atlanta, and Tennesee coming?

So here are a list of expectations, and spoilers, for what may happen in each division.

AFC North

Expectation: With Rex Ryan gone, Baltimore has no chance of returning to the playoffs.
Spoiler: Ray Lewis, although now 34 years old, remains a phenomenol player on defense and will now get some help in the seconary from Ed Reed and Fabian Washington. Blossoming quarterback Joe Flacco leads a young and energetic offense, and with Lewis as fiesty as ever, don't be shocked if Baltimore returns to the postseason.

AFC East

Expectation: Brady will lead the Pats to cruise to another divisional and Super Bowl title. Harps will play and choirs will sing in New England.
Spoiler: Miami is a lot tougher than it was last year after playoff experience. The Jets have a new head coach who is no stranger to sucess and what may very well be this years Matt Ryan in QB Mark Sanchez. Even Buffalo is a threat with T.O. and talented QB Trent Edwards. I am not saying that Brady will go down again, nor am I saying the Pats don't have a chance in the division. All I am saying is that he will return to a much tougher division than the one he left last year.

AFC South

Expectation: Tennesee and Indy will once again battle for the division.
Spoiler: Houston, once the laughingstock of the NFL, is now turning some heads. They are on a steady incline, with 2 wins in 2005, 6 in 2006, and 8 in 2007 and 2008. Not only is pass rusher Mario Williams finally living up to be worthy of his status as a top draft pick, but receivers Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter add some explosiveness to a once flat offense. Running back Steve Slaton has proved he can carry the load with a mix of speed and punishment, and Matt Schuab should benefit from gaining another year of experience in coack Kubiak's offense. If Schuab can cut down on turnovers, all the peices are fit for a beautiful year in Houston.

AFC West

Expectation: With no other viable threat in the division, San Diego is destined to roll into the playoffs again.
Spoiler: Despite losing quarterback Jay Cutler and probably wideout Brandon Marshall, the Broncos have fixed their once broken defense by signing Eagles safety Brian Dawkins as well as hiring Mike Nolan, a terrible coach who was more sucessful as defensive coordinator, to his rightful position. They also used four of their top six draft pics on defensive players. Kyle Orton and Chris Simms are not exactly Pro Bowl caliber passers, but they have proven to be accurate at short range. Also, Kansas City is tougher with the addition of former Pats QB Matt Cassel who will likely play with a grudge after being traded following an 11-5 season. He should benefit from having an underrated receiving core including Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Ingram to throw to. Even the Oakland Raiders have a solid defense including Derrick Burgess and Kirk Morrison and a running game featuring Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, and Darren McFadden. If QB Jamarcus Russel matures, this could end up being a hard division to win.

NFC North

Expectation: The Detroit Lions will not contend for the division, as they are in the long process of rebuilding.
Spoiler: Go back to last year's Miami Dolphins. After winning only one game, the Fins completely turned over their roster mainly by beefing up their defense, the same thing Detroit is doing. Linebackers Julian Peterson as well as defensive end Grady Jackson should do wonders for them, and their secondary, which includes Phillip Buchanan, Anthony Henry, and Eric King, also looks a lot better. If Stafford is allowed to start at some point in the season, Detroit may not win the division, but should finish with a respectable record and start going down the path the Houston Texans are on right now.

NFC East

Expectation: The Dallas Cowboys, who barely missed the playoffs last year, should take advantage of a Burress-less Giants team and make the playoffs easily.
Spoiler: True, it is an advantage fo Dallas, as well as Philly and Washington, that Burress will not be playing in the division again this year, but we must not also forget that Dallas, too, is missing one of it's key receivers from last year. While we may not like T.O., (I am saying "we" because nobody really does like him, except for the fans of the team that he happens to be playing for,) we have to aknowledge the fact that he is, well, still a good receiver. Cowboy fans expect Roy Williams to jump right in and fill the void, but keep in mind people- this is the same wideout who just last season played for the first 0-16 team in the history of football. Also, his stats are on a decline in recent years, (8 TD's in 2005 compared to just 7 in '06, 5 in '07, and 2 last year) and he had only 2 more receptions in 10 games with Dallas last year than he did in 5 with Detroit. On defense, the loss of LB Greg Ellis and DT Tank Johnson doesn't help any either. Assuming the Cowboys don't take a risk with Pacman Jones, and even more so if they do, it now appears that most of their best players from last season are gone, with the one exception being QB Tony Romo. And with Roy Williams being his number one target, don't expect too many touchdown celebrations in the endzone during Cowboy games. At least not for them.

NFC South

Expectation: Matt Ryan, fresh off of a playoff loss to 9-7 Arizona, will suffer a sophomore slump as Atlanta will miss the playoffs this year.
Spoiler: Ryan just gained one of the best, if not the best, tight ends in the league in Tony Gonzalez. Roddy White is still a good receiver, and fantasy golden boy Michael Turner is second only to AP in running back explosiveness. Now in the first official season of the post-Vick era, the Falcons look to repeat last year's sucess, and in a division without a healthy Reggie Bush, it looks entirely possible, even assuming Ryan struggles early on. While the may have lost the element of suprise, Atlanta is still a viable contender in the NFC.

NFC West

Expectation: Arizona, who was only a touchdown away from winning it all last season, should easily roll into the playoffs again.
Spoiler: There is a reason why Super Bowl losers from the previous season rarely make the playoffs the year after. Fatigue from the previous year, along with all of the dissapointments and offseason drama associated with the "failure" attitude the teams have, can all be blamed for why the 2005 Seahawks are the only SB losers this decade to return to the postseason the year after. Plus, the division that was won by a 9-7 team last year should improve dramtically this year. While St. Louis looks to continue it's rebuilding woes, Seattle is finally healthy, which is the only thing that held them back last year. Also, San Francisco's new defensive coach, coordinator, and strategy looks to limit whatever the aging Kurt Warner has left over from last season. All I am saying is, a three horse race between them, the 49ers, and Seattle is a lot less winable than last years one man show of just them. And given the way big game runner-ups have done in the past, the odds don't exactly point in their favor.