NFC South Preview

Ready for more? The NFC South contains the reigning NFL champion New Orleans Saints. It also has a solid Atlanta Falcons team most are predicting to advance to the playoffs after posting winning seasons the last two years. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are clearly going through a rebuilding process after winning only three games last year while handing the reigns over to a rookie quarterback midway through the season. The Carolina Panthers are the biggest question mark, being one of the youngest teams in football. However, they're only two season removed from a 12-win season.

Division Winner: New Orleans Saints

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt; they did just win the Superbowl. They're clearly now the team to beat, but quarterback Drew Brees is clearly up to the challenge. Last year he threw the highest completion percentage in league history. The year before that he threw for the second most yards in NFL history. New Orleans will stay competitive so long as Brees is healthy (which unfortunately has been an issue earlier in his career). The Saints defense is not even close to the unit the offense puts on the field, but they make plays. Although New Orleans gives up a lot of yards, they also manage a lot of turnovers. And with Brees leading the offense and scoring about thirty points a game, the defense doesn't exactly have to be great. I think eleven wins is fair.

Division Runner-Up: Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons starting quarterback and running back were both injured for multiple games last season, and they still managed a winning season in a tough conference. Assuming they stay healthy this year, they should make it back to playoffs under the strength of third year quarterback Matt Ryan. This team has done as well in free agency as just about anyone, adding future Hall of Fame tight end Anthony Gonzalez and starting running back Michael Turner. The Falcons however are mostly not a team of superstars, but a solid group that play their roles and are simply well coached. They shouldn't have to struggle for ten wins a wildcard, and could easily push the Saints for the division's top spot.

Division Third Place: Carolina Panthers

Obviously this preview looks a lot like how the division ended up last year. But it just doesn't seem likely for an other outcome, except a flip flop of the top two. Carolina is in the weirdest kind of rebuilding mode with the youngest imaginable trio of quarterbacks and a head coach entering the final year of his contract with no extension talks in sight. The team publicly committed to quarterback Matt Moore, then drafted two high profile QBs. So it seems unlikely for the Panthers to make a push at the division this year, although their excellent running back stable and above average defense should keep them well ahead of Tampa Bay. I expect six or seven wins, and a new head coach in 2011.

Division Basement: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In the NFC South there's a strange phenomenon of the last place team from one year winning the division the following year. I for one would be completely shocked if this trend repeated itself in 2010. Although Tampa Bay is making positive strides, the franchise is obviously in a lengthy rebuilding phase, having changed head coaches and starting quarterbacks last year while getting rid of older veteran players - even those that were still producing. While I wouldn't be surprised if this was a formidable team within a few years, for no reason should this be big year for the Bucs. However, I think they can improve from three wins to probably five.

2011 NFL Gambling Guide

What is the steal of the 2010 Gambling season?

Bodog Sports, a Vegas sports gambling outlet, is giving the Cincinnati Bengals 30/1 odds of winning the next Superbowl!  Can you even imagine the payoff when the Bengals cross the NFL finish line in first place.  Guys, you could turn $100 into $3,000 or $100,000 into $3,000,000.

Take it from me, and my surprisingly slightly-more-than-half right 2009 NFL predictions.  Let's review!

First I picked the playoff teams for the AFC teams.  And oh boy did I nail four of the six playoff teams!  I missed the Colts as the top seed - I thought the loss of Tony Dungy and some of the rest of their coaching staff might actually disrupt the continuity Peyton Manning has enjoyed since coming into the league.  My theory finally paid off when the Colts lost the Superbowl . . .

I thought the Titans would would have a great in place of the Colts.  And they did, but only after losing the first 6 games and replacing their starting quarterback.  I feel I should get a mulligan on that one.  Same with the Texans, one of my wildcard picks, who came damn to close to the post season.  They posted the same record as the 5th seed Ravens and 6th seed Jets, but lost in tiebreakers.

So let's talk about the Ravens.  I totally had both them and the Bengals in postseason, but I flip-flopped the division winner and wildcard team.  Being only a game off, I feel pretty justified here.

Lastly, I had the Chargers and Patriots winning their divisions.  Like everyone else.

I did nearly as well in the NFC playoff predictions.  The Vikings unsurprisingly cruised to a second straight division title.  I expected the Bears to best the Packers for a wildcard spot, but I failed to realize how poor Chicago's coaches were.  And now they're mostly fired.

I picked the Eagles for a much better season than they had, but the did make the playoffs.  I'm still not sure how the Cowboys managed to be a playoff team and beat Philadelphia three times in one season.

Elsewhere I picked the 49ers and Panthers for big seasons.  Although neither did horrendously, they did miss the playoffs.  At least San Francisco kept the NFC-West interesting.

Most happily of all though, I had the Saints making the playoffs and going on a long postseason run from the beginning.  Geaux Saints!

So take it from me gambling aficionados.  A guy who's right 58% of the time

Week 3 NFL Observations

The 'stache is back to fill the void left by a lack of online writing about professional sports.

Week Three was pretty interesting in the NFL, as several of the undefeated and winless teams so far come as a complete surprise. None of these surprises me more than the Carolina Panthers. Losing big to the Cowboys last night, I am wondering where the Panthers that won 12 games last season went. The NFC-South once again has flipped its standings from top to bottom from one year to the next. Excepting the Saints, the whole division looks a little weak.

Speaking of New Orleans, I believe they are the best team in the NFC right now. Even without Drew Brees throwing a touchdown (which will be a very rare occurrence this year), the Saints still handily beat Buffalo. Next week they take on the 3-0 Jets, and this one should be a blockbuster.

That won't be the only great game next week either. As I already wrote extensively about the AFC-North yesterday, I'll just move on.

Ravens at Patriots - This game will go a long way in determining who dominates the AFC this year. The Colts are easily tied as contenders, and it looks as though the Jets are somehow in the conversation.

Cowboys at Broncos - If the Broncos go 4-0, I will be shocked. The Cowboys need this game to keep pace with division rivals Philadelphia and New York.

San Diego at Pittsburgh - The Chargers need to catch up to the Broncos, and the Steelers are already two games out of contention in the AFC-North. These teams usually match up well, so this could be a very close one.

Green Bay at Minnesota - Ignore for a second the Brett-Favre-vs-his-old-team story line, and you'll realize that would have been a great game anyway. A win would suddenly put Green Bay at the top of the division.

'Til next week, Mustache out

2009 NFL preview - NFC

And in an obvious follow up to yesterday's post, here's Dank Game's NFC season preview that you were so excited about.

West

I see a lot of flux in this division as compared to last year. I do not see Arizona repeating a playoff run, although their offense will likely continue to put up big points. San Francisco is a rising star in a poor division, and just good enough to edge out a Cardinals team that will win few games outside the division.

Seattle dominated this division for years, and lost their own Superbowl to Pittsburgh, but even with the addition of T.J. Houshmenzadeh, the window on this team has likely closed. Meanwhile the Rams, who have been terrible for a couple years now, will just barely edge out Seattle for the number three spot in the division while still falling under .500

South

I see the NFC South getting shaken up as well. I really believe New Orleans has done enough to upgrade their defense to win this division, as tough as it may be. The offense will be as potent as last season, and the Saints will likely run up the score on the NFL's bottom feeders.

Last year's division winner, Carolina will remain in the playoffs, although through the wild card. They will be chased by a good Atlanta team, who will just barely miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, it appears Tampa Bay has collapsed. With a new head coach and still not fully decided starting quarterback situation, Tampa will be in a distant fourth.

North

I didn't make any changes in this division. However, I do think the Bears will make the playoffs this year via the wild card, and Green Bay may very well have a winning record. Detroit to bottom out the division is too painfully obvious to bother explaining.

The Vikings are a hot team this year following the Brett Favre signing. The team is basically the same as the one that won the division last year, but with at least a slightly better quarterback situation. And Chicago will be imporved with Jay Cutler behind center instead of Kyle Orton. And Detroit will win at least one game.

East

I briefly wrestled with the question of whether to put Philadelphia or New York on top of this division. I'm starting to think that much-hyped Eagles are over-hyped and I don't see what the Michael Vick signing really does for them. But they are still a more complete team than the rest of the NFC, and Donovan McNabb is a better quarterback than Eli Manning. New York will be close to a wild card berth, possibly losing out on a tie-breaker scenario.

Most expect Washington to finish the division in last place, but I think they're a better team than advertised. Dallas fans seem to use T.O. as a scapegoat for last seasons playoff miss, but I do not think this team has improved, and see them falling probably a game behind the Redskins.

Playoff Picture