This is my 3rd year breaking down the season, the first two being pretty much in tandem with monkey. Looks like im alone on this one, and I sounded off, loud and clear. First my prediction for divisional standings, with no win-loss records as im not going to look at every single game being played this year. Secondly, my Power Rankings, which are better than most, as I touch on a few strengths and weaknesses for every team...more than ESPN, but don't expect serious detail. Its pretty much for people who only follow the Seahawks and want to learn about their opponents on the schedule. Finally, I make my predictions for the playoffs, with a surprise Super Bowl threat that is WAY under the radar. Enjoy, I worked hard, so please comment, even if you skimmed to the good stuff.
Division Finishes
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NFC
East- Dallas, New York G, Philadelphia, Washington
West- Seattle, St Louis (tie), Arizona (tie), San Francisco
North- Chicago, Minnesota (tie), Detroit (tie), Green Bay
South- Carolina, Tampa Bay (tie), Atlanta (tie), New Orleans
AFC
East- Miami, New England, New York J. (tie), Buffalo (tie)
West- Denver, San Diego (tie), Kansas City (tie), Oakland
North- Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Cleveland
South- Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Houston
Power Rankings
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32. San Francsico - Hard to believe it, but San Francisco got worse this offseason, with the loss of Peterson. Lawson will be a good one, but his presence doesn't make their defense suddenly great. Their offense is putrid with a still below mediocre oline. Can Gore handle it all with Barlow not there to help their pretty ugly committee? Tis otay, tay like being on theh bothom. Hey, its Moe!
31. Buffalo - Outside of their linebackers, they have nothing. McGahee is all talk and little else. Their QB, along with their LBs love to get injured. Long year ahead. I wouldn't bet on them in Vegas if I used buffalo chips.
30. New York J - They have Coles. Ugh, and Vilma. Oh, and that QB we haven't seen for what seems like a decade. No secondary. No running back. No oline. No shot in St Lo---I mean hell. Ay, close enough.
29. New Orleans - Hmm...well I think they have LBs. At least they look at LBers...then again, so did Alba's last fling. WOLF. Brees adds a decent arm to a umm, well, the non-Stallworth brothers. Too bad.
28. Green Bay - Best secondary in the league, and one of their best pickups happened to be a Safety. Maybe not on paper, but they were very good against the pass last year. Hawk should come in and do stuff. Without Walker, though, Favre is going to be forced into retirement. Right now I bet he wishes he did retire...hes getting up there. Perhaps playing with fellow nursing home roomies would help him more.
27. Oakland - Ah the Pirates of the Caribbean stand ins. Jack Sparrow managed to slip out of trouble. Too bad these guys are stuck. As a Seahawk fan, I have to say NO MERCY. Go get a...well, everything.
26. Detroit - Biggest losers in football. Their FO sucks. Their fans are jerks (for rooting for Pittsburgh in the SB). Talk about bad luck. You have very little on both ends, with Mr. Boss Bailey as your sole reason to live. If that wasn't enough, you helped piss off the best team in football. Ford Field, fans, Lions ownership...what goes around comes around. YOU'RE NEXT.
CONITNUED WITH COMPLETE POWER RANKINGS AND PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS==>
(to comment, click the green number to the right of the title above)
Jacksonville was a mild shocker.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most shocking is all of the ties in the standings that you were anticipating. ADP - I think you're fit to be tied. ;)
Not bad man, not bad at all. I pretty much agree w/ your assesments of the teams. Nice job. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteKudos ADP. Can't really disagree with any of it.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate it, im just amazed that so many experts dont seem to think on things at all.
ReplyDeleteExperts pick Carolina...yes they got Keyshawn...but we outdid them, we got Julian Peterson. Their offense is worse than ours, and our defense has caught up with theirs.
And the whole depth thing drives me nuts. How many years are we going to hear the Colts winning it all? They need some depth...if some players step up, then yeah, they can do it...but right now, it looks like another lost cause.
Two more things.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ties, really its only to show that for example, Arizona will finish 3rd, but they are closer to 2nd place St Louis than they are 4th place San Francisco.
Dallas was hard to pick in the playoffs, as they had very good matchups from the outcome of my division standings. Tampa Bay I figured just didn't have enough to beat them, and I think they would be a harder matchup for Dallas than Carolina. Carolina is definitely the #2 team in the conference...problem is, I go by matchups, not by whos better. For example, I said last year St Louis would upset Indy in the regular season. They almost did, and would of, had Bulger not of been injured midway through the game. Indy is far superior, but St Louis matched up well. So I felt Dallas would overwhelm Delhomme who has looked horrible since the Seattle game last year.
First off let me tell you good jobon this it is a great post.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that you said that the CArds and Rams will end with the same record but you ranked them ahead of the Rams on the power ranking and i think the Rams are still the 2nd best in the west.
I hate to say it but Torry Holt in my opinion is the most consistent and best reciever in the league. It doesn't matter who's throwing the ball Warner, Bulger, Martin, Fitzpatrick it doesn't matter Holt gets the job done. Now i sound like a Rams fan.
I agree with you on most things ADP but i'm not with you on Miami. They are all hype and nothing else. New England will win the AFC East again and Miami will be at home watching the playoffs AGAIN.
I think that Jacksonville has a good team and everything but I don't wuite buy into Jack Del Rio. I think he gets outcoached in bug games. They have a good team and all but Del Rio needs to elevate his coaching in the playoffs.
The NFC seems improved but we are still the cream of the crop. Panthers don't match up to us. We are a better team period.
Don't believe in Arizona one bit. Offense starts with o-line and they don't have one. It doesn't matter how many skill players you have if you don't have an o-line.
Thanks everyone,
ReplyDeleteI think Miami is a lot like Chicago. They get by on a weak division. The reason why I have them winning the division, is by default. If Deion Branch doesn't come back, the Patriots will be crippled. Obviously, with me thinking Miami wins the division, its because I dont think Branch will be back until he has to, to qualify for free agency.
I have the Cardinals and Rams in equal hands. I think the Rams overall have the better WR corp. I do think the Cardinals have the better starting duo. Make no mistake, Holt is the best on either team, but I rather have Boldin and Fitzgerald over Holt and Bruce. But since the Rams are deeper at the position, I have it as a tie overall. Really they are very similar. Rams have a little more experience with the big dogs, so I do think they will fare better. Just not by much. Cardinals ahead in the power rankings by default, because they have an easier opening matchup. It was a 'cant decide' type of thing, so I just picked whoever has a better chance starting 1-0.
Really, anyone from Minnesota-Rams/Cardinals are a crap shoot.