| Loop's Football Thoughts |
| Welcome to Loop's Football Thoughts. Here I'll be breaking down upcoming games, giving my predictions, and any other general thoughts on things that have been going down. Keep checking back here, as I'll try to update this by Friday of every week. Hope you enjoy. |
| 2005 NFL PREVIEW Well another season is upon us, and with that I am going to provide you with my NFL Preview. I'll give you my predictions for each division along with an explanation. I'll also pick the playoffs all the way to Super Bowl XL. Enjoy. AFC East New England Patriots 13-3 Buffalo Bills 9-7 New York Jets 8-8 Miami Dolphins 4-12 Analysis: 9-0, 3 Super Bowls in 4 years...Do you see a team in this division that can dethrone the New England Patriots? Miami's Quarterbacks: Gus Frerotte, Sage Rosenfels, and AJ Feeley. I don't care who their running back is, they ain't winning shit. The Jets? Chad Pennington's arm is like a wet noodle, and don't tell me about the surgery. That guy never had an arm. I believe the Jets took an undefeated record into their midseason bye week last year, and fought til Week 17 to make the playoffs, and that was with Curtis Martin having a career year and LaMont Jordan still in that backfield. Curtis ain't running like that again, and Jordan is 3000 miles away. That defense is good, but don't tell me Ty Law is going to be something special because his time has passed. I like the Bills, but I don't love them. J.P. Losman...have you ever heard that name before March? Look, I realize that this team has a good defense and special teams, and a running back who arguable was the hottest player in the last 8 weeks of the season, but this is the AFC. You put this team in the NFC, and they win 10 games without a problem. I'm not picking against the Pats until they lose a big game, and that big game I am talking about is Monday, November 7th at 9pm in Foxboro vs Peyton Manning and The Colts. I say that game decides the Home Field Advantage and inevitably the AFC Champion. AFC West San Diego Chargers 11-5 Oakland Raiders 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs 7-9 Denver Broncos 6-10 I'm not a big fan of any team in this division. A lot of people are saying that the Chargers will fall off this year. Last I checked they still had the same team, which includes LaDanian Tomlinson, and quite frankly, that's all you need. The Raiders are the trendy pick, and everyone is squeezing onto the Kerry Collins bandwagon. Isn't this the same Kerry Collins who got blitzed like crazy in New York a few years ago, and couldn't do a thing unless he had about a 10 yard pocket to protect him? Maybe if Suge Knight stands next to him with an AK-47, he'll be fine, but until I see other wise I'm not convinced that he is going to be the great player everyone is making him out to be. On the other hand, the additions of LaMont Jordan and Randy Moss, who even Collins can't overthrow, should be enough of a boost to get these guys 10 wins, though I had a real hard time with that prediction. The Chiefs are going nowhere, and hover around that 7-8 win mark every year. Finally, the Broncos are the most overrated team I have seen in the last few years. Jake Plummer is a bad decision-making quarterback. I loved how Joe Theismann was singing his praises during a Sunday game last year because he threw the ball away instead of taking a sack. He's been in the league for 8 years! Jerry Rice nearly made this team as a 3rd Receiver, does that tell you anything? Oh and if someone can tell Ashley Lelie that his upside window is about to close, that would be great. AFC North Baltimore Ravens 11-5 Cincinnati Bengals 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers 9-7 Cleveland Browns 3-13 This is another interesting division, as I could see the top 3 teams easily switching spots. First off the Browns are a few years away from becoming Romeo Crennel's team, and that's fine. Big Ben meet Sophmore Jinx. This guy was putrid in the last stretch of the season, and only got to the AFC Championship because Doug Brien apparently turned to mush when it came time to kick. The defense can only take this team so far, and that will be to 9 wins. 3 games on Monday Night Football (Chargers, Ravens, Colts) for Ben, and only the game vs Baltimore is home. Good luck. I've been on the Bengals bandwagon for 3 years now, and if Carson Palmer didn't hurt his knee last year, I think a lot of people would have jumped on with me since it would have be riding straight to the playoffs. This HAS to be their year to get to the playoffs. Yes I know Kyle Boller is not very good, but let's face it, he's had NO ONE to throw to. With the return of Todd Heap and signing of Derrick Mason, I see no reason why Kyle can't hit someone this year. That defense got Trent Dilfer to the Super Bowl, so why can't they get Boller to the top of the division? AFC South Indianapolis Colts 13-3 Houston Texans 10-6 Jacksonville Jaguars 9-7 Tennessee Titans 6-10 This is Peyton's division and everyone is just playing in it. If you think he's losing twice to the Patriots this year, you're nuts. I'm conviced this guy had "KILL BILL" tattooed on his knuckles in the off-season, and a picture of Tom Brady on his dart board. More on that later. David Carr to Andre Johnson...Get used to it. This team has been this close, but I think this is the year they make the jump, but not to the playoffs. I've never been sold on the Jaguars, but I have to admit, that I could see Byron Leftwich having a huge year. If he does, you can pencil in the Jags for a wild card spot, but I'm not ready to do that yet. They still have the walking injured reserve in their backfield in the form of Fred Taylor, and until they can be assured that they are going to have a healthy, everyday back, I don't see them doing anything special. This will be Steve McNair's injury report by week 6: McNair, QUESTIONABLE (Head, Leg, Arm, Foot). This team needs a new quarterback and a complimentary receiver to Drew Bennett because he is NOT a #1. NFC East Philadelphia Eagles 12-4 New York Giants 8-8 Dallas Cowboys 8-8 Washington Redskins 6-10 The Eagles are just too far ahead of the rest of these teams, as has been the case for the last few years. Westbrook is pissed off, he has no backup thanks to Buckhalter getting hurt AGAIN, and I'm starting to wonder if the window of opportunity is closing on this team. They didn't get any better, but the rest of the conference did. If the 'skins could get a decent quarterback I would have put them in the playoffs because I think the defense is good enough to take them their. Everyone who picked the Cowboys should be branded with a hot iron. Drew Bledsoe, Terry Glenn, and Keyshawn Johnson...This is not 1998. The G-Men aren't quite there yet, but I think they've made siginificant strides in the right direction. NFC West Arizona Cardinals 9-7 Seattle Seahawks 8-8 St Lous Rams 8-8 San Francisco 49ers 2-14 Hi, my name is Matt, and I'll be your tourguide on this Cardinals bandwagon. I've actually agreed to go to Arizona with 134 this year, as I want to see this team in action. Kurt Warner is not shot, and with two of the best young receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin along with up-and-comer JJ Arrington in the backfield, I gotta with the Cardinals. I hate, repeat HATE the Seahawks and Rams. You wanna talk about two teams with zero heart, go no further than these two teams. Neither has lived up the Super Bowl expectations every year, and finally are starting to lose some respect, as their names were hardly mentioned in a weak NFC. Mike Nolan...Good Luck. NFC North Minnesota Vikings 11-5 Detroit Lions 9-7 Green Bay Packers 7-9 Chicago Bears 4-12 I hate how some people are knocking other for taking the Vikings as the trendy pick. This is a good football team. They finally made some upgrades in their defense, have a healthy Mike Bennett to go along with goalline specialist Moe Williams, and Nate Burelson is the real deal. Randy Moss scored a lot, but I'm confident in this offense's ability to make that up. Let's remember that Daunte Culpepper's best season came in Randy Moss's worst last year. That has to count for something. I loved the Lions coming into this year, and I still like them, but not as much as I did. I was convinced that Jeff Garcia would be the quarterback of this team by week 6 because in my mind, he is still a starter, but didn't fit into Butch Davis's system in Cleveland. With Garcia being out for a while, Joey Harrington does not have to look over his shoulder but rather throw over the shoulders of Roy Williams, Charles Rodgers, and Mike Williams. If he can't do that, I guarantee he'll be wearing a hat and carrying a clipboard next year. I've completely turned against Brett Favre in the last year, as he can get away with doing anything on the field and saying anything he wants because "he's had a rough time in his life lately". Bullshit. This guy has been done ever since he threw up that duck to Javon Walker vs the Eagles in the NFC Championship, and has not shown that he can do anything else besides play every game and make stupid decisions that have cost this team multiple games. Thanks Brett, you were good...once. Da Bears, Da Cellar. NFC South Atlanta Falcons 12-4 Carolina Panthers 9-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-10 (New Orleans) Saints 6-10 Mike Vick can only become a better pocket passer, and I'm convinced he's made strides there. He's also got a full year of this West Coast-hybrid offense under his belt, and a legit deep threat in Michael Jenkins. The addition of Roddy White and the subtraction of Peerless Price gives Vick some options behind Alge Crumpler. The already solid defense added Ed Hartwell at linebacker from the Ravens, and last I checked they had some pretty good guys on that team. The Panthers had the hottest receiver in the 2nd half of last season, still missed the playoffs, and now that guy plays in Chicago. That makes their number one option Steve Smith, a receiver who hasn't played a game since last September when he broke his leg. A good defense yes, but Super Bowl champs? Come on. The Bucs will be there but not this year, though I like the direction they are going. The Saints could go 10-6 or 6-10 every year, and that was when they had somewhere to play. Now they have no idea where they are playing, and haven't done anything to improve. I can't give a team who will be living out of hotels for 17 weeks more than 6 wins. Playoffs AFC: 1-Colts 2-Patriots 3-Ravens 4-Chargers 5-Raiders 6-Bengals NFC: 1-Falcons 2-Eagles 3-Vikings 4-Cardinals 5-Panthers 6-Lions AFC Wild Card: RAVENS over Bengals, Raiders over CHARGERS NFC Wild Card: VIKINGS over Lions, Panthers OVER CARDINALS Bengals make it, but just don't have that playoff experience to take out the Ravens. The Chargers just don't impress me enough to win a big playoff game. Same with the Lions, I don't seem them going into a rawkus Metrodome and winning. The Cardinals hosting a playoff game is crazy enough, but winning that game is even crazier. AFC Divisional: COLTS over Raiders, PATRIOTS over Ravens NFC Divisional: EAGLES over Vikings, FALCONS over Panthers Yes, I did predict a double rematch of last year championship games. The Raiders are not going into the RCA dome and stopping Marvin, Reggie, Edge, and Peyton. Kyle Boller vs the Pats in Foxboro...right. The Eagles beat the Viks last year at home without T.O., I assume he'll be there in January, so I can't pick against the Birds. In what I think will be the game of the year, Mike Vick will be able to lead the Falcons to their 2nd straight NFC Championship. AFC Championship: COLTS over Patriots NFC Championship: FALCONS over Eagles You give Peyton the home field, a dome, in January and its just like playing in September. No snow, no crazy fans, and no noise when he changing the plays. This is where Peyton takes the next step. I've flipped flopped on the NFC game at least four times, but I just don't think the Eagles can make it back. What it comes down to is that the Falcons got better and the Eagles stayed the same. Super Bowl XL: Colts over Falcons Man will the higher-ups love this: Peyton vs Vick...Could they ask for a more TV-friendly Super Bowl? This could definitely be a shoot-out that has both teams get into the 30s, but that Colts offense is clearly better than the Falcons. The wild card would be Vick...Do the Colts have a good enough defensive to stop him? That would be the only way I could pick Atlanta. I hope you enjoyed this preview, whether you agree with it or not. I'll be back each week with my LooPower Rankings. Enjoy the season, Loopamaniax. |