Is this the year of the Colts? That is what
everyone is asking and it is clearly a wait
and see situation. They still have Manning and
Harrison but they have to find a strong replacement
for Edgerrin James who opted to go to Arizona.
Coach Dungy is clearly a leader in his field
but every playoff the Colts find a way to choke-whether
it be to the Patriots or the Steelers-makes
no difference. In 2005 the Colts won 13 straight
out of the gate-then lost to San Diego-then
the terrible tragedy that happened in the Dungy
family.
We will never know if emotions of pain so deep
cost the Colts the rest of the season but it
is what it is and life goes on. As a parent
of 6 children and 2 step-children I can not
fathom losing a child and clearly my work would
be affected for a very long time. The Colts
have always been a favorite of mine and I would
love to see them in the Super Bowl this year.
Go Colts!
AFC East Preview
Buffalo Bills
New addition of Coach Dick Jauron will do little
to jump start lask lustre Quarterbacking. No
go to guy this year in Eric Moulds who was traded
to Houston. Peerles Price steps in just traded
from Dallas. Running back McGahee is still in
the ranks but has to do much better than 2005
as he failed to gain 100 yards or score a touchdown
in 7 of the last 8 games played.
The Bills passed on Matt Leinart in the 2006
draft and decided to concentrate on the defense.
The strong point for the Bills is the Specialty
team where Brian Moorman is one the League's
best punters with a 45.7 average. Kick returner
Terrance McGee led the NFL last year with a
30.2 average. The starting QB will have to lead
the way or the Bills will be lost in the shuffle.Their
opener is Sept. 10 in New England.
Miami Dolphins
Can Culpepper be the magic ingredient the Dolphins
need for 2006? After a disasterous season with
the Vikings and injuries mid way and "the
scandal" Daunte hopes to start fresh and
get back to his winning ways. No Randy Moss
here but there is a fellow named Chris Chambers.
It took 11 games for the wide receiver to wake
up but after that there was no stopping him
and the Dolphins won their final 6 games. However
it was too little too late and they just narrowly
missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record for the
season.
What worries me is Culpepper's backup Joey
Harrington-nice guy-not great QB. If Culpepper
gets hurt again-and he will-that would be too
much for Joey to carry and the Fins would fade
away. With the Superbowl being held in Miami
this year the pressure is on the leadership.
Ronnie Brown takes over the main role of RB
as Ricky Williams is suspended from the NFL
and playing in the CFL now. The key will be
to keep the Quarterback healthy and the Dolphins
will be in the hunt. Miami opens up the season
facing the 2005 Champs on the road September
7th.
New England Patriots
They may be down but they are not out-not by
a long shot folks! Tom Brady passed for 4.110
yards in 2005 and threw 26 TD's-playing injured
for almost the last half of the season. Not
a lot of people knew that till now. Completely
recovered from the surgery required Brady is
ready to go full tilt again. He will need much
better protection than the 28 times he was sacked
last year. With the retirement of Flutie the
Pats have Matt Cassel to fall back on should
Brady come out-not a great plan as he is too
unexperienced. We will probably see him in pre-season
games and judge his potential at that time.
The loss of Adam Vinateri will be felt this
year. Kickers Martin Gramatica and Stephen Gostkowski
are vying for this position. The latter may
prevail as the much anticipated draft pick from
Memphis. They open the season at home to the
Bills September10.
New York Jets
Last year the Jets had a horrible 4-12 season
and hope to put all that behind them with a
new coach-Eric Mangini-who earned his stripes
under the master coach Belichick and was there
for all 3 superbowl victories. QB Chad Pennington
could be the poster boy for Rehab-physical that
is-having 2 surgeries in 2005 on his right shoulder.
Right behind him is Patrick Ramsey-recently
traded from the Redskins and not really much
of a threat to Pennington.
WR Tim Dwight follows Mangini from the Pats
roster to the Jets and should be a big inspiration
to the team. Lord knows they need it! It looks
like it will be the responsability of Pennington-and
the responsability of his line-backers-to keep
any hope alive for the Jets this year. They
open the season on the road in Tennessee Sept.10.
AFC North Preview
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have lost 11 straight games on the
road and this year they open the season in Tampa
bay. Steve McNair will breathe some life into
the position of Quarterback and give Boller
a run for his money. Derrick Mason will be the
go to guy and Jamal Lewis provides the running
game. A variety of injuries have side lined
the once great Ray Lewis 33% of the games since
2004.
Coach Billick has been struggling the past
2 years in his department with staff turnovers
and sensing a loss of control with his players.
Two bright spots are the defense is the is number
5 in the NFL and number 1 in punt returns. With
all the aging players Baltimore can only hope
to find a fountain of youth-fast.
Cincinnati Bengals
IF Carson Palmer is healthy enough the Bengals
will be strong competitors this year. The AFC
North Division Champions were well on their
way to the playoffs for the first time since
1990 when a funny thing happened along the way.
Well not so funny for Palmer who after leading
the way in the Wild Card game against the Steelers
to the tune of 17-0 was driven into the turf
and ended up with ACL and MCL knee injuries.
The defense gave up an average of 31 points
per game in their final 8 games of the season.
That has to be addressed and a healthy Palmer
and running back Rudi Johnson and receiver Chad
Johnson will do the rest. Last year the Bengals
ended up with an impressive 11-6 overall and
hope to equal or better that this time. Bengals
open the regular season on the road to Kansas
September 10th.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns lack the depth needed in the Quarterbacking
department. Charlie Frye played the last 5 games
in 2005 as a rookie and his back up is Ken Dorsey
traded from the 49ers-enough said. Now a real
star is running back Reuben Droughns who rushed
for 1232 yards last year and broke the record
for most carries(309). New receivers should
light up the end zone more than ever before.
New guy on the block Joe Jurevicius and returning
from a knee operation Kellen winslow Jr. should
spark up a listless receiving corps.
Linebacker Willie McGinest comes over from
the Patriots to beef up the O line. Ted Washington
left Oakland to get the start for NT. It all
comes down to the Quarterback and will there
be a strong showing from any of them. We will
see when the Browns host the Saints September
10th.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With the retirement of Jerome Bettis and the
loss of Randle El as a free agent the Steelers
are suprisingly still pretty well in tact. They
still have big Ben but have to see how he performs
after his serious motorcycle accident a few
months ago. Tommy Maddox has been relaeased
and Charlie batch steps in to #2 position. Steelers
were a stellar 15-5 last year and Super Bowl
champions for 2005.
Running back Duce Staley fills the gap left
by Bettis perfectly. Back up to Staley is willie
Parker who rushed for 1202 yards last year.
The go to guy remains solid and Hines Ward is
not only skillful but affable as well. He has
been voted team MVP 3 years out of 4. You need
good morale in the locker room as well as on
the field and he provides that. Coach Bill Cowher
hs been in the position since 1992 and his steel
jawed glares are well known through out the
League. The Steelers host Miami September 10th.
AFC South Preview
Houston Texans
It can not get any worse than last year when
the Texans were a dismal 2-14 for the year.
What a let down that must have been for the
fans-if there are any left. The Texans were
30th in offense and and 31 st in defense. Eric
Moulds came over from Buffalo to provide some
quality receiving for QB David Carr.
Rookie Coach Kubiak has the experience of offensive
coordinater for 11 years with Denver and also
hired ex-Packers Coach Mike Sherman as assistant
head coach for the offense. The still very young
team is only 4 years old and needing a respectable
showing since their best year of 7-9. The Texans
host the Eagles September 10th.
Indianapolis Colts
There is a huge hole in the running back position
and it remains to be seen if it will be filled
adequately this year. Still the powerhouse trio-Harrison/Wayne/Stokely.
Still the strong and accurate arm of Peyton
Manning probably one of the best quarterbacks
in the NFL. The colts dominated the League with
14-3 record but fell short in the playoff final
with the Steelers.
DE Dwight Freeney continues to be a strong
leader for the defense and can keep the one
of the best defense lines strong and a force
to be reckoned with. Last year they were #2
in the NFL for points allowed. Strong coaching
staff still in place and kicker Vanderjagt left
and another great kicker came in by the name
of Adam Vinateri-of Patriots fame. No slack
in the kicking department. Opening game will
be historic with brother-brother matchups when
the colts play the Giants in New York September
10th.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars can be proud of their 12-4 record
last year and hope to build on that with QB
Leftwich. If there is flaw to be talked about
it is that Byron is a pocket guy-not very mobile-and
prone to injuries. The heart of a Lion or Jaguar
beats in his chest and one can only admire his
commitment to hi job. Backup David Garrand is
more than able to step up to the plate and proved
it last year going 4-1 in the final 5 regualr
games.
The Jaguars are the poster boys for road warriors.
Winning 8-2 last 10 regular season road games.
The retiremnet of WR Jimmy Smith will be felt
and he will have big shoes to fill. A very interesting
addition to the coaching staff is former Vikings
coach-Mike Tice. Del rio is a players coach
and former player himself and has steadily built
the team up to be serious contenders in the
League.
Worth mentioning is the addition of UCLA rookies
Mercedes Lewis and Maurice Drew. The kicker
for the Jags is Josh Scobee who last year had
20 touchbacks and completed 23 of 30 field goals.
If Byron stays healthy and can get the ball
to receivers the Jags will be in the finals
fo r sure. Jacksonville hosts Dallas September
10th to kick off the season.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are remaining tight lipped about
the future of Vince Young of the Texas Longhorns.
Rose Bowl Champions for 2005. young is used
to being the underdog and still comes up smelling
like a rose-no pun intended. Coach Jeff Fisher
wants to avoid another 4-12 season last last
year and should think long and hard about using
Young's talents. Starter Billy Volek has not
had any success since 2004 and injuries have
hurt any opportunities that have come his way.
One of the best additions to the receiving
corps has been David Givens who came over from
the Patriots. That will make 2 big targets that
include Drew Bennett. The Titans host the Jets
September 10th.
AFC West Preview
Denver Broncos
Jake Plummer is no John Elway but he has been
steadily improving as the starting quarterback
for the Broncos. Now there is a new kid on the
block-Jay Cutler-the boy wonder from Vanderbilt.
The Broncos were undefeated at home last year
in regular season.
The Broncos were 2nd in the NFL for causing
turnovers which meant an additional 112 points
while only losing the ball 16 times and giving
up 27 points.
Mike Shanahan continues to do what he does
so well-coach. He led the Broncos to a 14-4
w/l lst year. champ Bailey leads another cast
of superstars on the defense returning 2 of
his 8 interceptions for touchdowns. With the
addition of Javon Walker from the Packers we
have a well rounded team. The Broncos start
the year off in St.Louis September 10th.
Kansas City Chiefs
It just will not be the same with the emotional
Dick Vermeil. His retirement was due but he
will be missed especially by QB Trent Green.
Even the untimely death of his father last year
did not stop Green from fulfilling his commitment
to the Chiefs. Vermeil provided that fatherly
presence and supported the 33 year old through
the rest of the season. The Chiefs racked up
and average 10-6 season and new coach Herm Edwards
thinks he knows the secret to success. More
defense and the that clashes with the high scoring
Chiefs. It did not seem to work for the Jets
last year.
Running backs Johnson and Holmes are two of
the best in the NFL. WR Tony Gonzales is the
go to guy. Dante Hall is on reserves but a lethal
weapon when he is on the field. A bit of trivia
here-the chiefs have won 8 of their last 9 sunday
night games. The Chiefs host the Bengals for
their home opener September 10th.
Oakland Raiders
When one door closes another door opens-out
walks Collins and in walks Aaron Brookes. They
still have the hands of Randy Moss and Jerry
Porter and the likes of defensive tackle Warren
Sapp. After a terrible 4-12 season the Raiders
need a strong quarterback and Brooks was a big
part of the 3-13 season the Saints had for 2005.
Hurricane Katrina was a big factor with the
homeless team and heartaches for many of the
players who called New Orleans home.
A big problem with the Raiders was their penchant
for penalties. Without a doubt they led the
league in yards penalized. Another problem was
they only had 5 interceptions last season. New
coach Art Shell hopes to instill discipline
where the out-going Norv Turner lacked those
skills. The Raiders host the Chargers September
11th.
San Diego Chargers
QB Drew Brees is playing for the Saints and
enter first year starter Phillip Rivers. After
a so-so season of 9-7 and a variety of off season
changes this will be a wait and see situation.
Star running back continues to be LaDainian
Tomlinson and his workload will probably increase
as Rivers will use the run more than the pass
until he gets more cofidence.
The Chargers were # 2 in the NFL when they
scored from the red zone. The Chargers host
the raiders September 11 in their home opener
for 2006.
NFC East Preview
Dallas Cowboys
Big things are expected from Dallas-but again
this is Texas. Big names have been signed along
with returning stars Bledsoe and Jones. The
larger than life Terrell Owens and Mike Vanderjagt
are on the same team and great expectations
are ready to take place. They are also 2 players
with larger than life egos and even bigger mouths.
Vandrjagt has been touted as the most accurate
kicker in NFL history-and he will tell you so
in a heartbeat.
Dallas games will be one of the most watched
by TV viewers this season. Freshly drafted Anthony
Fasano is the TE from Notre Dame where he excelled
game after game. WR Keyshawn Johnson will be
missed. Cowboys kick off the season at Jacksonville
September 10th.
New York Giants
Delivery,delivery,delivery! Manning needs to
kick that up a notch and find his receivers
down field. He had a heck of a start in 2005
going 6-2 and then just faded into the sunset-taking
the hopes of fans with him. Strahan continues
to be strong for the Giants in his defense mode.
Tiki barber is a great running back and super
receivers like Toomer and Burres and Shockey.
So the Giants open at home to the Colts and
Peyton Manning. No pressure-right? New addition
to SLB is LeVar Arrintgon from Washington. This
has to be a good thing. If he stays healthy
the fans in New York will be very happy.
Philadelphia Eagles
Last year the 2 main problems were an injured
quarterback and a soft defense. Brian westbrook
is back on the running game and McNabb is back
as the leader to take them to the finals-if
he stays healthy. Brian Dawkins remains strong
in the safety position Jeremiah Trotter is the
defense leader back after being away for 2 years.
The Eagles are putting their disappointing
6-10 season behind them and looking to the future.
Eagles start their 2006 season in Houston Sept
10th.
Washington Redskins
2004 the Skins were 6-10. 2005 the Skins were
11-7. Coach Joe Gibbs keeps proving the nay
sayers wrong.
An aging quarterback in Mark Brunell who seemed
to have lost arm strength towards the end of
the playoffs. He also is not as quick on his
feet as he used to be. Concerns maybe-doubts
never. Joe still has one of the best running
backs in the NFL with Clinton Portis. He is
also a dependable receiver when needed.
WR Santana Moss is one of the league's fastest
receivers. Now he is joined by Randle El formerly
of the Steelers who also does great punt returns.
The Redskins host the Vikings September 10th.
NFC North Preview
Chicago Bears
Another team that has great expectations is
the Bears. A respectable 11-6 season under the
guide of Lovie Smith and quarterback Rex Grossman.
This year they have veteran backup Brian Griese
for added insurance. Last year RB thomas Jones
rushed for 1335 yards and kept the Bears in
the game more often than not, Receivers look
to be sparse in the talent department
Ageless Brian Urlacher has been the mainstay
for the Bears for all the years he has been
there. As a MLB he has never waivered in his
commitment to Chicago. the defense was first
in the NFL on points allowed. The Bears open
their season in Green Bay September 10th.
Detroit Lions
No more new age west-coast pampering of players
like ex-coach Mariucci did. It is all business
under new coach Marinelli. Both Italian-go figure.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz(formerly of
the Rams) wants to implement the hard driving
game plan he had in sT. Louis. the problem here
is quarterbacks or rather lack of quality quarterbacks.
We have Jon Kitna of the Bengals who has not
tossed a touchdown since 2004. Josh McCown formerly
of Arizona is the backup guy trying to impress
the coach. this remains to be worked out yet.
The Lions were only able to muster 5 wins of
16 starts last year. The one claim to fame the
Lions do have is they are second best in blocked
kicks and the best at not making fumbles. Detroit
hosts Seattle Sept 10th.
Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre feels like a family memeber. His
personal life is almost an open book and fans
respect him probably more than any quarterback
today. Some say he should retire but he is the
one to make that decision and has said he will
go one more year at least.Running back Gado
is the cinderella story of the year. Ahman Green
goes down with an injury and in comes the back
up. Now, after a knee injury ended his 2005
season ,Gado is back to 3rd string because Green
is healthy and ready to resume his #1 spot.
Fairly or unfairly Mike Sherman was blamed
for the 4-12 season and turfed.New coach McCarthy
has no experience as a head coach and will be
learning as he goes along. New addition Charles
Woodson will be a big help to Donald Driver
who had most of the receiving tasks. Number
1 draft choice was LB A.J.Hawk of poWerhouse
Ohio State. Should be a beefed up defense with
him. The Packers host the Bears September 10th.
Minnesota Vikings
We will not harp on the "boat scandal"
that was a big factor for the Vikings public
relations staff. Culpepper was doing what he
could without Randy Moss to throw to when he
got hurt mid season and Brad Johnson took over.
They ended with a 9-7 season and coach Mike
Tice hit the road for Detroit.
New coach Brad Childress is new to the NFL
as are all 3 of his coordinators. More revamping
than rebuilding will be needed to keep the vikings
in the hunt. Regular season starts for Minnesota
in Washington September 11th.
NFC South Preview
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were 6-2 out of the gate last year
and then ended up an average 8-8 overall. When
Vick is healthy he is unstoppable-passing and
running- but the last part of the year he played
with a knee injury.
Falcons star running back is Warrick Dunn.Best
go-to guy is Alger Crumpler. Best draft pick
is QB D.J.Shockley from Georgia. Expect better
results from the Falcons as long as Vick stays
healthy. Falcons open their season in Carolina
September 10th.
Carolina Panthers
A decent showing in 2005 of 13-6 and last year's
NFC
Champions. they were on the road to the Super
Bowl when they got stopped dead in their tracks
in Seattle. Big names like Jake Delhomme-QB
and Steve Smith-WR and Julius Peppers-LDE. New
addition is the #1 draft choice DeAngelo Williams
fresh out of Memphis. This RB will complement
Foster in the running game.
Keyshawn Johnson must check his ego at the
door in order to meld with the likes of Smith.
This WR was not that happy in Dallas and should
like the Panthers style of coaching better.
Carolina hosts Atlanta September 10th.
New Orleans Saints
Will Reggie Bush be the saviour they have been
praying for? Rookie coach Sean Payton has a
great running back and great quarterback in
Drew Brees. They ahve to do better than the
3-13 season last year. The always potent Joe
Horn is their best WR. The Saints will not play
at home until September 25 and it will be in
the Super Dome in New Orleans against the Falcons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is Chris Simms's first year as a starter
and that is because of his stellar performance
last year when he completed 61% of his passes
and went 5-1 against the NFC South leading the
Bucs all the way to the division title. Running
back Cadillac Williams is back after winning
the NFL Rookie of the Year award.
Coach Gruden took the Bucs to a 11-6 seasson
overall
and will have his hands full with new starter
Simms
and new coaching assistants. Tampa Bay hosts
Baltimore September 10th.
NFC West Preview
Arizona Cardinals
We all expect to see boy wonder Matt Leinart
some time this season in the QB position-but
as of the time of this writing a contract has
not been settled. Hopefully all will go as scheduled
and the NFL can see this star in action. The
cardinals were 5-11 overall last year as Kurt
Warner once again suffered injuries and left
the team to second and third stringers.
Another ray of light in Arizona is the signing
of super star Edgerrin James. This RB made Peyton
Manning look good and coach Dennis Green is
expecting big results from the $30 million dollar
man. The Cardinals host the 49ers September
10th.
San Francisco 49ers
Alex who? Smith is still a rookie even though
he did have 7 starts last year. when you average
95 yards a game-you are a rookie. Smith is backup
to Trent Dilfer and fighting for third spot
is Canada's own Jesse Palmer. He may be the
surprise of the year for the 49ers.
They have to do better than their 4-12 year
in 2005. Walt Harris the CB from Washington
could be a key player this year. San Francisco
plays in Arizona to start their regular season
on September 10th.
Seattle Seahawks
Matt Hasselbeck continues his winning ways
this year with one of the best running backs
to ever grace the gridiron-Shaun Alexander.
LT Walter Jones keeps his quarterback healthy
and there are the 3 strongest players on the
roster. The Hawks racked up an impressive 15-4
record for 2005 under the guidance of Mike Holmgren
who returns for his 8th season. Seattle goes
to Detroit to open their season September 10th.
St. Louis Rams
Marc Bulger returns for the 4th year as starter
quarterback. WR Tory Holt is back. New coach
Scott Lineham hopes to have more of a family
feel to the organisation. After a disheartening
6-10 season the Rams lost 14 players and most
of their coaches. They overloaded at the draft
and picked up 10 rookies. Can you say rebuilding?
The Rams host Denver September 10th.
Gale Scheelar is a documented member of The
Professional Handicappers League.
Read more of her articles and get her premium
plays here.
|
