Last year’s NFL season gave us another action-packed, hard hitting block of 20-plus weeks. It also gave us some pleasant, and not so pleasant, surprises.
Who would have ever thought the Miami Dolphins would go 11-5 and win the division after going 1-15 the year before?
No one could have predicted the Arizona Cardinals going to the Super Bowl, especially when all the experts thought they would be one and done in the playoffs.
It was supposed to be America’s team in the Big game, and they failed to even make the playoffs. This is simply the NFL, and as ESPN analyst Chris Berman says, “That’s why they play the game!”
This year will be no exception. There will be one or two surprise teams that weren’t supposed to be playoff bound heading to the postseason. One player will rise out of obscurity and be every fantasy owner's steal. There will be a Super Bowl contending team that misses the playoffs.
I am not a genie, a psychic, or a palm reader, but I am going to attempt to predict some of those surprises. Thus, I give you ten things to look for as a surprise in this year’s 2009 NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs Will Challenge the Chargers In the West.
Yes, those Chiefs that went 2-14 and only scored 291 points last year.
Most who read this will say that picking up Matt Cassel will not be enough to turn it around, and they are right.
But watch out for a much-improved defense to help out the struggling offense. The addition of Tyson Jackson at end will help the pass rush, which already has Tamba Hali and Glenn Dorsey. Look for veteran leadership out of Mike Vrabel at Linebacker, and an improved secondary.
On offense, Tony Gonzalez is gone, but watch for Dwayne Bowe to have a break out year, and Larry Johnson to return to form. The schedule could give them a bit of a problem, but then again they do play in the West, which could be weak again this year.
Kurt Warner Will Have Another Pro Bowl Caliber Year
Warner had a Pro Bowl year last year, throwing for nearly 4,600 yards and 30 touchdowns. Many people are saying that the Cardinals will have a flop of a season.
Then there are some that are saying Matt Leinart is heading into the season more hungry than ever, since he has been MMA training in the offseason.
The bottom line is that it’s Kurt Warner—he's been to three Super Bowls and numerous Pro Bowls. He has the game’s best receiver tandem in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. No running game? No problem. He had no running game last year and they still won their division. Look for him to hit the air for over 4000 yards and 35 touchdowns this year, and earn a trip to Miami in late January.
There Will Be Another Team That Challenges the Lions at Going 0-16.
The Lions truly were the sister of the week for everybody in the NFL. Dan Orlovsky stepping out of the back of the end zone for a safety, and still trying to come back in and make a play will forever be the image I have of the 2008 Lions.
This year, someone else will challenge the Lions for futility. I am going to narrow it down to two teams. First, I'm going on a limb with the Denver Broncos. I still think Brandon Marshall will be gone before training camp is over. I also think that Kyle Orton doesn’t have what it takes to win games in the AFC.
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