They added two pass-rushers via the draft, so they can get pressure on quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. They play aggressive D and have one of the best head coaches in the game. I really like the Jaguars' chances of winning the AFC South division this year, but I won't put them in front of the Colts until they beat them.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
What a solid first year for Mike Tomlin. He showed he can coach with some of the best in the game. Big Ben had a big year last year, and expect even bigger numbers this year, with additions like Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed. He still has Willie Parker, Hines Ward, and a wide receiver that I believe will break out this year, Santonio Holmes.
Their defense is shaky at times and is pretty much the same as last year. I expect them to be better, but not quite good enough to win the Super Bowl.
8. Green Bay Packers
Enough is enough about this whole Brett Favre coming out of retirement crap. Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback for this team right now. He is mobile and has a good arm, and is very accurate on slant throws (Dallas game from last year). They have a good defense, with cornerbacks that can shut down anybody except Plaxico Burress (Giants/Packers playoff game last year).
Ryan Grant was a surprise hit for the Pack and expect some of the same from him this year. They are deep at wide receiver, and that should help with the transition of Rodgers coming in as starting quarterback.
9. Seattle Seahawks
Mike Holmgren is in his last year and wants to go out with a bang. Well, I doubt they go out with a bang, but I do believe they will win their division and get to the playoffs. Matt Hasselbeck is a solid quarterback with some decent wide receivers. The ground game should improve with the addition of Julius Jones, but it shouldn't be a major upgrade.
The defense will be the same as last year, if not better, and they were already good last year. The team will rally behind Holmgren and try and get to the Super Bowl for him, but they just don't have the firepower.
10. Tie- Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings
Cleveland Browns: Derek Anderson showed that he was the right quarterback for the team and showed he can produce big numbers. Braylon Edwards is an All Pro wide receiver, Joshua Cribbs is the best return man not named Devin Hester, Jamal Lewis gets tough yards and is hard to stop around the goal line, and Kellen Winslow, if healthy is a great tight end.
The defense should be better than last year with additions like Shaun Rodgers and Corey Williams. I still believe, unless they prove me wrong, that they are second best to the Steelers.
New Oreleans Saints: Last year, they got hit by injuries and just couldn't produce on defense. That changes this year, with additions of Jon Vilma and Sedrick Ellis. The offense is high powered with Drew Brees under center. They are shaky at running back, but with the addition of Jeremy Shockey, they might not need to run the ball that much. I expect them to get back to where they were two years ago.
Philadelphia Eagles: Talk about a team getting looked over. If healthy, this team is a Wild Card threat, and maybe, if lucky, a division crown. Donavan McNabb is a very good quarterback, but is injury prone.
Brian Westbrook is what the offense revolves around. He is a running-and-catching threat. The one thing about this team I really like is its defense. They added All Pro cornerback Asante Samuel, and don't forget about hard-hitting safety Brian Dawkins. As long as they stay healthy, they can win some games.
Minnesota Vikings: This team is kind of confusing to me. The quarterback position is shaky, unless they somehow get Brett Favre.
Now, to the running-back position. Adrian Peterson is a freak, but is injury-prone and lacked some consistency last year. He had eight games where he didn't break 100 yards in a game. In those eight games, he rushed for a total of 388 yards, with one game where he rushed for only three.
In the six games where he broke 100 yards, he rushed for 953 yards. So he ran for most of his yards in those six games.
The Vikings added Bernard Berrian to help Tarvaris Jackson with a deep threat. Oh, and Chester Taylor is capable of being a starting running back for a bunch of teams, so if a team is going to give up something good for him, the Vikes will trade him.
Now to the defense. With the addition of Jared Allen, playing alongside Kevin and Pat Williams, the Vikes have one of the best defense lines, if not the best. The secondary can be shaky, but I expect it to do just fine. It's going to be hard for this team to win games with a shaky pass game, but we shall see.
Like I said guys, I will be updating this every week. I hope to see you guys every week right back here.
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