NFL 2011 Preview

     The NFL season is finally here. There was talk that the season might not happen, (yea right) but we made it through the preseason and we should have a pretty good idea of who is good (Packers, Ravens, Eagles, etc) and who sucks. (Bengals, Broncos, Panthers, etc) Normally, these things don't pan out, and the guy making the predictions ends up getting things wrong. Well, nobody reads this anyway, but for those that do, they'll forget by November anyway. Besides, if I get things right, I can toot my own horn. So without further ado, here is my 2011 NFL Preview. Enjoy.


NFC South:

Big Question - Are the Bucs for real?

     I think they are. They have a lot of player makers on both sides of the ball and I think Josh Freeman can be Big Ben 2.0. Not to mention they drafted one of the best players available in the draft in DaQuan Bowers. If he can play half a season at full strength, they got a steal. Atlanta is still the class of the division, but they aren't as good as last year. The Saints are a little overrated, but could outscore anyone any week. Carolina confuses me because even though they have two solid RBs and Pro Bowlers at the O-line, I can't see them doing much.

Falcons: 11-5
Bucs: 10-6
Saints: 8-8
Panthers: 3-13


NFC West:

Big Question - Are any of these teams any good?

     A question as old as time, but it still rings true. I could see all four teams going 8-8, 4-12, or somehow 0-16.  The best team in my mind is the Rams. I don't think Lynch can run in "beast mode" for 16 weeks. So Darren Sharper, you're safe. San Francisco doesn't jump out at me in any way other than their sweet unis. The Cards upgraded from Derek Anderson to Kevin Kolb. Which is like upgrading from a sewer to a garbage dump.

Rams: 9-7
Seahawks: 6-10
49ers: 6-10
Cardinals: 5-11


NFC East: 

Big Question: Will Mike Vick's encore be as good?

     Quick, name all the big games Andy Reid and Mike Vick have won in their careers. Vick's win at Lambeau and Reid's 4th try at an NFC title come to mind. That's it. This team has 2010 Vikings written all over it. Other than the fact that Philly has no real running game. Don't be surprised if they blow some leads and if they are one and done in the playoffs. Dallas looks to rebound and I can see them making the playoffs this season. The Giants are in the same boat as Dallas and could be a potential playoff team. Washington looks like they might win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Giants: 10-6
Cowboys: 10-6
Eagles: 8-8
Redskins: 3-13


NFC North:

Big Question:  Can Matt Stafford stay healthy?

     If he can, I think the Lions make the playoffs this year. Will he? I can't say that he will. Of all the NFC teams, I could see them winning 11 or losing 11 games. The Packers will still be the top team in the NFC North. I think the Bears were all in last year and overachieved a little. The Vikings continue their regression to the bottom of the NFC.

Packers: 12-4
Lions: 9-7
Bears: 7-9
Vikings: 4-12


NFC Playoffs:

Wildcard Round:
Cowboys over Rams
Giants over Bucs

Divisional Round:
Packers over Cowboys
Giants over Falcons

NFC Title Game:
Packers over Giants


AFC South:

Biggest Question: Will Peyton Manning be healthy?

     It's tolling on your body to play in the NFL, if you've played as long as Manning and not missed time, it will catch up to you. I think Manning's consecutive game streak ends in 2011. With that opening, this is the Texans chance to finally jump out and take over the division. The Titans will be a tough out, but won't make much noise. The Jags don't strike me as a team to worry much about.

Texans: 11-5
Colts: 8-8
Titans: 8-8
Jags: 5-11


AFC West:

Big Question: Can the Chargers put it together?

     The kickoff rule helped the Chargers out more than anyone else. The leagues best offense and defense was hamstrung by the worst special teams ever.Kansas City looks frisky, but I can't see them winning the division again. Oakland lost their best player, but they are still a solid team. Denver sucks.

Chargers: 13-3
Chiefs 9-7
Raiders: 8-8
Broncos: 4-12


AFC East:

Big Question: Are the J-E-T-s the B-E-S-T?

     This season, yes. I think they go from a wildcard to a first round bye team. The Patriots will fight, but they will be battling for a wildcard spot. The Bills and Dolphins will be jobbers to the bigger teams.

Jets: 13-3
Pats: 11-5
Bills: 6-10
Dolphins: 6-10


AFC North:

Biggest Question: Will the Steelers offensive line hold up?

     The Achilles' heel to the potentially best offense in the AFC. I think the Ravens and Bengals will be getting a lot of pressure on Big Ben. Even though the Steelers will be good, their line will hold them back. The Ravens and Joe Flaaco look to get over the hump. The Browns have a future star in Colt McCoy, but they need more weapons. The Bengals? They need more players, period.

Ravens: 11-5
Steelers: 10-6
Browns: 7-9
Bengals: 4-12


AFC Playoffs:

Wildcard Round:
Ravens over Steelers
Patriots over Texans

Divisional Round:
Chargers over Ravens
Patriots over Jets

AFC Title Game:
Chargers over Patriots

Super Bowl:
Packers over Chargers

     Look, the Packers didn't really lose anything and other than Woodson, they have a core that should maintain or improve production. Barring an Aaron Rogers injury, this team looks poised to make a run at a repeat.

Meet Jimmy Clausen 2.0

     It's only been a year, so I'll shorten the history lesson. Jimmy Clausen fell the Carolina Panthers in round 2 of last years draft. Seemed like they were going to make him their starter. Of course, they had the worst record in his first season so now the Panthers drafted a new QB, franchiser Cam Newton. Maybe Jimmy wasn't the guy they thought he was (and they let 'em off the hook). But one year is all he gets? It's not like the rest of the team was so good he brought him down, and for a project like Cam Newton? That just seems silly.

     The reason I bring it up is because of Bengals rookie QB Andy "The Orange Outlaw" Dalton. In my first ever blog post, I said that the Bengals need to ride him out this year. After all, if you really think he's going to be your guy, why not? The problem lies with what happens next year.

     Presumably, Andrew Luck, QB out of Stanford will go in the draft and be the number one pick. And the Bengals could own that pick. Do they take Luck? Of course they do, but then they basically wasted a second round pick on a guy that will never see the field again for that team. A team like the Bengals can't just throw away high draft picks.

     The worst part? The 2012 Bengals looks A LOT like the 2011 Bengals. A rookie QB has to learn the ropes, again. The problem is that the only other good players we have are going to be a year older, which could mean they are running on fumes or left on free agency. And the fans get another season of 5-11 football. It's not about the money, Dalton's cap number is small. It's about time. Time Dalton needs to develop, time before certain players clocks run out, and buffer time between Mike Brown hitting the reset button.

Support Your Local Sports Team

     Cincinnati isn't the biggest city around. When it comes to national sports scene, people know us for Ochocinco, Bengals going to jail (which doesn't happen NEARLY as much as people would like to believe), the Reds, and college basketball. Success and star power is usually not seen outside of the 275 loop.

     We have a chance to put Cincinnati in the spotlight. We know the Reds are good. We know guys like Brandon Philips, Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce are some of the best position players in the National League. Those guys are doing their part to get into the national spotlight, we need to do ours.

     Last year, Joey Votto, the eventual National League MVP only made the All Star game because of the last man in vote. The final vote showed that we can rally for our guys, but we shouldn't put them behind the 8 ball in the first place. Vote Reds

     We like to complain, myself included, that we don't get enough respect or attention in the national media. But at the same time, maybe WE don't give our own teams, other than the Bengals, enough attention. People say they don't go to Reds games because it's too high. You don't have to buy 8 dollar beers. In fact, you can bring your own drinks in. You can get really cheap tickets if you want. I'm not saying that everyone should by 10 game ticket packs. Just don't say, "(Insert Media Outlet) doesn't care about the Reds," when you haven't really supported the team yourself.

     Vote Reds. Support our guys. Watch them on TV, vote for them in the All Star Game, and why not come to a game or two?