2006 NFL Training Camp Preview

Super Bowl XLI finishes in Miami and talk of who will be represent the AFC begins with the Dolphins

By Adrian Brijbassi
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

Put away the children's books, Donovan. Take what's left of your Suzuki Hayabasha into the shed, Big Ben. For the love of Ickey Woods, get over Carson Palmer's knee injury already, Cincinnati. NFL training camps kick off this week - get yourself primed this week and next, beginning with a look at the AFC:

AFC East - Ronnie Brown wants the ball, Nick Saban wants to give it him and many of the Miami Dolphins veterans just want a chance to win. This could be the Dolphins' best opportunity to land a title since the early days of Air Marino. The rest of the division is weakened while Daunte Culpepper, flaws considered, is a superb talent who will work in training camp on delivering the ball to Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael. The Dolphins will game plan around Brown, though, and Saban will motivate his defense. Fish fans, of course, are eager for Super Bowl XLI, which will be held at Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 4, and South Beach will be crazy hot if the home team's in the game that night.

The Patriots can't ever be considered out of the Super Bowl equation. That said, they're weak in areas they haven't been during the Bill Belichick era. Kicker is a concern heading into camp and so are special teams and running back. Tom Brady's going to have to do more than he ever has to win. Another division crown isn't out of reach for Captain America, but it's going to take more toil than usual.

 

The other teams in the AFC East have declined and stalled. The Jets and Bills have problems. Don't expect much improvement in either, although keep an eye on the preseason play of Willis McGahee. He will be a key to the division. If the Bills runner can do what most observers believe he can, Buffalo will keep games close.

AFC North - Few Super Bowl defenses have begun as poorly as the current one undertaken by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's not as bad as the Denver Broncos making do without John Elway in 1999-2000, but having your quarterback nearly smashed to bits, your goal-line back (and rally monkey) retire and your first-round draft pick in jail before training camp begins doesn't qualify as a quality offseason. Ben Roethlisberger is on the field, but there's debate about whether he'll ever be back. He continues to answer those questions Friday, when the Steelers open training camp.

One thing that hasn't changed is the fact the Steelers remain in one of the toughest divisions in football. The addition of Steve McNair has made the Baltimore Ravens a trendy Super Bowl pick (and if you believe they're the team to beat, you should jump on the 18/1 odds to win it all in the Bodog Sportsbook). The key to a championship, though, will be on defense, where end Trevor Pryce comes over from Denver, lending support to Ray Lewis and stud safety Ed Reed.

Although the Cincinnati Bengals won the division last year, they may take a step back. Carson Palmer has to show early his knee can take some hits and the Chad Johnson act is getting old. If he doesn't tone down the histrionics, he's going to be a detriment.

The Browns will be better. Charlie Frye is a gutsy player who will get his teammates to play for him. Expect Cleveland to cover some point spreads early as long shots.

AFC South - The Colts highlight-reel triumverate is no more, leading to speculation there will be a drop off on offense with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and a running back to be named. The Colts may still rack up yards, but Edgerrin James converted plenty of third downs as a runner and receiver and without his pass-catching ability Indianapolis could find itself in a conundrum. Luckily for the Horseshoe, the division is weak.

Vince Young will get to watch the Tennessee Titans stumble to .500 or less; the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be a tough beat, as usual, but they have plenty to prove in order to demonstrate they're an elite team; the hapless Texans will enter the first year of "we could've had Reggie Bush" pain.

AFC West - Javon Walker. His addition at receiver and the wheels of Tatum Bell give the Broncos a potent offense, as well as a more balanced attack than either Baltimore, New England or Pittsburgh possesses. The Broncos are a team that could win the AFC and at 11/1 offer a little bit of value.

While Denver will work on plans to run away with the division, the rest of the AFC West figures to just be running. LaMont Jordan is going to get the ball a lot in Oakland.

LaDainian Tomlinson is used to producing more than Rick Rubin, unfortunately he isn't going to win any rings as long as he stays in San Diego and that's too bad. He'san extraordinary talent in danger of playing out a career that leaves no indelible mark on the league because of where he played and who he played with.

On the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs know how to get their running backs into the spotlight. They figure to have the No. 1 fantasy football player again and although it's going to be Larry Johnson and not Priest Holmes, the results will be similar despite having Herm Edwards at the helm. The Chiefs will score plenty, allow plenty and leave many of us wondering why they don't fix that defense already.

Tiger Irons It Out

Prior to the British Open, Tiger Woods said it was time to get on with it. He was referring to both moving on from the grief that followed the death of his father, Earl, and to picking up where his career had been before the debacle at the U.S. Open last month. After defending the British Open with his 18-under-par, two-stroke victory on the weekend, Tiger returned to greatness. He also had the look of a man who means business. So don't expect him to be tied with Walter Hagan long for second place on the all-time majors list (both have 11). We all suspected Jack Nicklaus's mark of 18 career majors would fall - it's safe to say it won't see the end of 2010.

PHOTO: Coach Nick Saban could give Dolphins fans plenty to cheer about this season. (AI Wire photo)

Note: All NFL lines subject to change.

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