Bold Predictions for Tim Tebow and the 2012 NFL Season

The NFL draft is just around the corner, and across the country teams are opening up their training facilities for voluntary workouts. The NFL truly never ends anymore.

Sure, there are no games from February until August, but is the league ever out of the public eye?  ESPN broadcasts a half-hour show five days a week about the league during this dead period. In Cleveland, where the Browns ended a 4-12 season on New Year's Day, the two local sports-talk stations have dedicated roughly 99 percent of the content to the Browns. 

It's amazing how much time a fandom can dedicate to the debate over the virtues of selecting either Ryan Tannehill, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne or Justin Blackmon with the No. 4 pick. 

For goodness sake, in New York they are already booing Tim Tebow, according to WebProNews, and he hasn't even overthrown a wide open receiver by 30 yards yet. So while the opening kickoff is still about five months away, it's never too early to peer into one's crystal ball and take a shot at what could happen in the  NFL in 2012.

Chris Johnson's Comeback Year

We'll start with an almost lock for the first prediction.

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson will emerge once again as one of the best running backs in the NFL. A holdout coupled with no training camp or team-sanctioned offseason workouts all conspired to play a role in Johnon's subpar 2011 season. Johnson rushed for 1,047 yards and four TDs, both career lows.

Johnson, who rushed for 2,006 yards and 14 TDs in 2009, will be entering his fifth year in the league and one would think he would use last year's struggles as motivation to have a huge 2012.

In addition, the Titans signed guard Steve Hutchinson in the offseason, which should improve an offensive line for a team that finished 31st overall in rushing offense in 2011.

No Nightmare in Philly

The overwhelming pick to win a Super Bowl in the 2011 season might just do so in 2012. The Eagles, dubbed the "Dream Team" by backup quarterback Vince Young, suffered a nightmarish 2011 campaign in which they failed to make the playoffs.

The Eagles won their opener, but lost their next four in a row and spent the rest of the season trying to dig out of the hole. A four-game win streak to end the season sent the team into the offseason with a bright outlook.

It would not appear possible the Eagles would be able to match last season's 38 turnovers. That means there will be more opportunity for quarterback Michael Vick to make plays.

LeSean McCoy proved last year he's one of the top running backs in the league when he ran for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Eagles defense should be strong. The team's defensive ends, Jason Babin and Trent Cole, combined for 29 sacks. The tandem of cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie returns as well. What the team lacked in 2011 was chemistry, and a year together should go a long way to producing some.

RGII Rules, at Least for Now

Andrew Luck may go No. 1 overall in the 2012 NFL draft, but Robert Griffin III, whom the Redskins are going to take at No. 2 overall, will have more of an impact this year. That's because RGIII is going to be plugged into an offense that is much more complete than the one Luck will start with in Indianapolis.

The Colts did re-sign No. 1 receiver Reggie Wayne, but lost No. 2 receiver Pierre Garcon in free agency, cut tight end Dallas Clark and have no running game to speak of (Joseph Addai also left in free agency). 

Peyton Manning went just 3-13 in his rookie year as a starter for the Colts, and Luck may be lucky to duplicate that record. I'm sure the Colts will be happy if he can throw for 3,739 yards and 26 TDs as Manning did in his first year.

RGIII will be able to throw to receivers like Jabar Gaffney and Santana Moss while playing under the tutelage of veteran head coach Mike Shanahan. Owner Daniel Snyder mortgaged his team's future when he dealt a boatload of first-round picks to move up in the draft to get RGIII.

The future for the 'Skins is now, and that means RGIII most produce now. If production is ultimately measured by wins, then RGIII should come out on top in that category. Using that criterion as the measuring stick—at least for one season—RGIII should be better than Luck.

Colt McCoy: The Sleeping Star

Call me crazy, but I've got an inkling that the pass-catch duo in Cleveland of Colt McCoy and receiver Greg Little may be on the verge of becoming lethal.

As anemic as the Browns offense was in 2011, Little and McCoy did appear to develop a little bit of chemistry. If the Browns can find a running game (the drafting of Alabama's Trent Richardson would do a great deal to that end) I could see McCoy taking giant step forward and becoming a top-10 quarterback.

Little showed suspect hands in his rookie year, but he also showed the ability to make a tough catch and can also break tackles to pick up yards after the catch, a key ability for a receiver to have in the West Coast offense, which Cleveland runs.

McCoy will also have the benefit of running the offense for a year and will get a full offseason to work with coach Pat Shurmur as well as offensive coordinator Brad Childress. It was Browns president and quarterback guru Mike Holmgren who insisted the Browns take McCoy in the 2010 draft. He saw something in the now-embattled quarterback, and for some reason I have a feeling this season McCoy will show the world what Holmgren saw.

A Big Mess for Randy Moss in San Francisco

Randy Moss has always been a high-risk, high-reward type of player. When healthy, productive and his head on right, he's a game-changer and defenses have to scheme to stop him.

Those days are gone, however. Moss is now 35 and took a year off and will be the stereotypical malcontent in San Francisco this season.

It won't take long for Moss to start stewing if he doesn't feel he gets enough balls and San Fransisco coach Jim Harbaugh doesn't appear to be the type of guy who has much patience for a whining receiver.

Moss has always been a joy to watch for the most part, but his grating personality and deteriorating skills are not likely to be a big hit in San Francisco.

Tim Tebow Waiting in the Wings

The old saying in the National Football League is that the most popular player on any team is the backup quarterback. That will definitely be the case in New York where Tim Tebow will serve as the understudy to Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez is already on a short string with Jets fans for last year when the Jets were favored by many and even touted by their own head coach to win the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Jets didn't even sniff the playoffs.

Look for the calls for Tebow to come fast and furious if the Jets or Sanchez stumble out of the gate.

Think about this: The Jets haven't even held one offseason workout and coach Rex Ryan  is already giving Sanchez a vote of confidence, according to NFL.com