8 in 4: AFC North

By Jon

Last year we somehow convinced ourselves that we should do NFL previews. It wasn't the most accurate of experiments, but it was a nice concept at the time. We went through each division and predicted winners, then going back in January to examine how badly we did.

We weren't really planning on much for this week, but it was brought up by someone that we should do it again. Well, why not? We are a little short on time, however, so we present to you eight divisions in four days.

If you have learned not to believe the hype, please don't believe any of this, either.


4. Baltimore Ravens

Ray Lewis' senior portrait

Big shock here- the defense should be good. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrel Suggs, Samari Rolle, and Chris McAlister form one of the best defensive cores around. Too bad the offense blows. Joe Flacco was playing I-AA, err... FCS Subdivision ball last year, and his receivers were probably better there.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Innuendo much?

The Bengals have had buckets of talent for the last three or four years, and have nothing to show for it but a lengthy rap sheet. Carson will get his stats, but with a question mark in the backfield and an atrocious defense, don't expect much from the Bengals (again.)

2. Cleveland Browns

"I bet you I can throw this steak over that mountain."

The Browns are a bit of a mystery to me. In the course of a single season some no-name QB makes himself a lot of money, a past-his-prime, fresh out of the slammer running back resurrected his career, and the Browns became an offensive juggernaut. They've made some additions to the defense, but I don't expect their offense to perform to the same level this year. A wild card contender, but I don't see them taking the division.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

I saw someone wearing this shirt today. No joke.

The Steelers may hurt from the loss of Alan Faneca, but I don't think it will be enough of a blow to knock them from the top of the division. The passing game was strong last year, and the chemistry between Big Ben and Santonio Holmes should continue to evolve. Rashard Mendenhall should be a good compliment to Willie Parker, and the defense remains largely intact from last season.

NFL Predictions Revisited

By Jon

Prior to the start of the NFL regular season, the Roost presented the "8 in 8," our predictions for the eight divisions in eight consecutive days. Today, we'll revisit the 8 in 8, and see how good our prognosticating skills are.

AFC East

Predicted Finish

1. New England Patriots
2. Buffalo Bills
3. New York Jets
4. Miami Dolphins

Actual Finish

1. New England Patriots
2. Buffalo Bills
3. New York Jets
4. Miami Dolphins

Dead On:

• -The final standings. Chris correctly predicted the finishing order of all four AFC East teams.
• -"Brady might just even be this year’s Offensive MVP."
  
• -Brady was indeed, a near unanimous pick for the Associated Press MVP, with Brett Favre receiving one vote from a writer who may have been under-the-influence of several illegal narcotics.
  

Way Off:

• "And if J.P. Losman continues to improve and Josh Reed hangs on to the ball, the Bills should be in good hands on the offensive side."
  
• Ouch. The Bills were hardly in good hands on the offensive side, and J.P. punched his ticket out of town.
  

AFC North

Predicted Finish

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

Actual Finish

1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Cleveland Browns
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Baltimore Ravens

Dead On

• -"New coach Mike Tomlin should be able to get the team focused and in shape to make another serious push for the postseason."
  
• -The Steelers easily made the playoffs, with Tomlin putting in an outstanding coaching effort throughout the year.

Way Off

• -"Despite their tough schedule (Weeks 12-14 include a road trip to San Diego and then two home games against New England and the Colts), the Ravens should win this division and secure the fourth playoff berth in the AFC."
• -Uhhhhhh, no. The Ravens were one of the worst teams in the league, due to a lack of quality quarterback play and a lack of fire on both sides of the ball. Brian Billick was fired, and rightfully so.
• -"[The Browns are] going to be soooo bad. They'll have a Top 3 pick again in the draft I bet, and they won't even be able to use it since they traded it away to get backup Brady Quinn this year. Good news for Dallas. This team could go 1-15 and I'm not sure anyone would be totally shocked. Looks to me like the curtain on the Romeo Crennell era may be drawing to a close.."
• -The Browns shocked everyone, the Roost included, by making a serious playoff push. They're offense became explosive with the emergence of Derek Anderson (even though he fizzled down the stretch). A few defensive pickups and there is no reason to believe the Browns won't be in next year's playoffs.

AFC South

Predicted Finish

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Houston Texans

Actual Finish

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Houston Texans

Dead On

• -The final standings. Rich nailed it.
  
• -"Peyton & Co will cut that meat all the way to another division title."
  

Way Off

• -"[The Jaguars] coaching staff doesn't seem to have much of an idea what they're doing. "Hey, let's start one quarterback all 4 preseason games, then release him the week before the season starts and just assume that the other guy will be able to step in with no problems, despite not getting a single rep against a first-team defense or with the first-team offense all preseason." Personally, that type of logic ranks right between "Let's get drunk and get tattoos" and "Only $7 million for Jeff Weaver? What a deal!" on my list of bad decisions."
• -Davard Garrad ended up having an above-average year, while Byron Leftwich battled injuries for the hapless Falcons. Good move on Jack Del Rio's part. However, "Let's get drunk and get tattoos" and $7 million for Jeff Weaver are still awful ideas.
• -Or more likely, [the Texans] front office will spend the entire season figuring out the mechanics of time travel so that they can go back and take a mulligan on Mario Williams.
• -Mario Williams had a pretty good year, with 14 sacks and 59 tackles. No mulligans necessary.
  

AFC West

Predicted Finish

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Oakland Raiders

Actual Finish

1. San Diego Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs
   

Dead On

• -"[The Chargers are] probably the best all-around team in the league outside of New England."
• -This may not be "dead on," but the Chargers are one of four teams left standing, making them one of the best in my book.
  

Way Off

• -"Expect [the Broncos] to win that extra late season game this season to get them into the postseason."
• -The Broncos finished 7-9 (6-10 if the stupid Bills could have pulled one out) and were out of the playoff race by week 15.

NFC East

Predicted Finish

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. Washington Redskins
4. New York Giants

Actual Finish

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants
3. Washington Redskins
4. Philadelphia Eagles

Dead On

• -Nothing. This division was a train-wreck as far as our predictions went.

Way Off

• -Everything. The final standings were awful. Our first place team finished in last, our last place team finished in second. But hey! At least we nailed the Redskins in third place!
• -"The [Giants'] players don't like their coach and it won't be very long before they quit on him and we have to listen to a Coughlin meltdown."
• -Coughlin seems to have changed his hard-nosed ways, probably out of fear for his job, and the players seem to have responded.

NFC North

Predicted Finish

1. Chicago Bears
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Minnesota Vikings

Actual Finish

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

Dead On

• -"I don't expect the Lions to finish at the bottom of the division."
• -The only thing I got somewhat right, the Lions really didn't finish in last place, but they certainly meet John Kitna's guarantee of 10 wins.
  

Way Off

• -"Some people think the Pack will surprise some people. Count me out."
• -The Pack were one of the top two teams in the NFC all year, proving me horribly, horribly wrong.
• -"Pretty predictable division, if I say so myself."
• -Looking back, that was a terribly cocky thing to say. My apologies.

NFC South
Predicted Finish

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Atlanta Falcons

Actual Finish

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Carolina Panthers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Atlanta Falcons

Dead On

• -"Joe Horn does not like the Joey Harrington Experience. Joe Horn does like Mike Vick. Joe Horn advises Mike Vick stay strong, and give Chris Redman some pointers. Mr. Horn wishes he was back in New Orleans."
• -An atrocious year in Atlanta, as just about everyone expected. As RJ semi-predicted, Chris Redman did get a few snaps, even with Byron Leftwich being signed.
  

Way Off

• -"I smell an easy playoff birth. Look for the Saints to repeat as South Champs."
• -The Saints couldn't overcome their awful start, finishing 7-9 and in second in a rather terrible division.
• -"Cadillac Williams will more than likely bounce back from his Sophomore Slump, but it's not going to be enough to lift the Bucs from a sub .500 record."
• -Cadillac was placed on IR before he had a chance to break out of his Sophomore Slump, but Ernest Grant stepped up and carried this team into the playoffs.

NFC West

Predicted Finish

1. St. Louis Rams
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Arizona Cardinals

Actual Finish

1. Seattle Seahawks
   
2. Arizona Cardinals
   
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams

Dead On

• -Once again, nothing. This was probably the worst predicted division by the Roost.

Way Off

• -The final standings.
  
• -St. Louis was the worst team in the NFC after injuries to their offensive line ruined their season, and San Fran was nearly as bad, coming nowhere close to meeting expectations laid out here.
• -"potential MVP Marc Bulger"
• -I would bet Chris would love to have that one back. Bulger struggled through the worst season of his career, finishing with 2392 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Hardly MVP numbers.

All in all, we at the Roost have found out how hard predicting the seemingly unpredictable can be. We'll be back again next year to provide you with useless picks that will undoubtedly be wrong in the end. See you then!

8 in 8: AFC East

By Chris

In today's final installment of the Roost's NFL Preview, Eight Divisions in Eight Days, the AFC East is featured.

1. New England Patriots
Jeez what hasn't been said about these guys already? They should finish 6-0 in the division.

Normally, completely overhauling your receiving corps and cutting your receptions leader from last year would get you double looks from even Detroit Lions president Matt Millen. But this is New England we’re talking about, with a Canton-bound quarterback under center and a workaholic genius on the sidelines. If there’s any tandem in the league that can make that work and get Randy Moss motivated on Sundays, the Brady-Belichick duo is it. Brady might just even be this year’s Offensive MVP.

Oh yeah, they also added Pro Bowler Adalius Thomas to a defense that gave up just 237 points last season, second only to Thomas’ former team, Baltimore.

2. Buffalo Bills
Call me a sucker, but I've been debating as to whether the Bills will finish 2nd or 3rd in this division for a long while now. We just don't know what to expect from this team this year. The Bills could either be pretty good or really bad. They just better finish with a better record than the Dolphins. Expectations are pretty high here in Western New York, considering the team has not been to the playoffs since the Music Ci—I’ll stop there and spare fellow Bills fans the heart ache of that memory.

Regardless, I’m very excited to see Marshawn “Money” Lynch finally take a snap in a regular season game, and not just because he’s on my fantasy team. As long as the new players on the offensive line live up to their big contracts, Lynch, a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year, should be an upgrade over that guy that got traded away. And if J.P. Losman continues to improve and Josh Reed hangs on to the ball, the Bills should be in good hands on the offensive side.

The big questions will be on defense. As Vince Young showed us during the preseason, they could use some of Bobby Boucher’s Tackling Fuel, because the Bills just can’t tackle. I love Paul Posluszny and what he might bring to the table, but it’s the other positions that concern this fan.

The lack of depth at defensive end is troublesome and they don’t have a legitimate #2 cornerback. Jason Webster will be the whipping boy on the team by Week Four. Then again, is Terrence McGee really a legitimate #1?


3. New York Jets
There's just no way the Jets are as good as they were last year, right? Mangenious got the most out of his guys last year and then some. Sure they've upgraded at running back by getting Thomas Jones, but as long as Chad Pennington is their quarterback, I'm not sure how anyone can really take these guys seriously. I'm sure they'll be in the hunt at the end of the season, but I don't see them making too much noise.

4. Miami Dolphins
The defense isn't getting any younger and neither is their quarterback. They passed on Brady Quinn for Ted Ginn and I see that mistake haunting them for many years to come. Their offensive line won't open too many holes for Ronnie Brown and this team is going to struggle big time.

8 in 8: AFC North

By Chris

Today's installment of the Roost's NFL Preview, "Eight Divisions in Eight Days," takes a look at the AFC North.

1. Baltimore Ravens
Despite their tough schedule (Weeks 12-14 include a road trip to San Diego and then two home games against New England and the Colts), the Ravens should win this division and secure the fourth playoff berth in the AFC. The defense was absolutely insane last year, and even without Adalius Thomas, there's no reason to think they can't lead the league in pretty much of all of the major stat categories again. And no, I'm not going to mention that slimeball new runningback they just traded fo--oops.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers
That's right, the Steelers are back. Couple a healthy Ben Roethlisberger with an MVP season for Troy Polamalu, and I see the Steelers locking up that first wild card spot in the AFC. The Bengals may be a sexier pick here, but everyone seems to forget that the Steelers were the defending champs going into last season. They faced a plethora of distractions, including Big Ben’s motorcycle wreck and Bill Cowher’s impending retirement that led to their disappointing season. New coach Mike Tomlin should be able to get the team focused and in shape to make another serious push for the postseason.


3. Cincinati Bengals
Just because they're finishing in third doesn't mean they're going to suck. I think they can seriously make a push for the Wild Card, but getting swept by the Steelers isn't going to help
their cause. Just a prediction. Carson Palmer is nasty and I love how 85 is already talking trash, but I just can't see this team leapfrogging over the Ravens or the Steelers, at least not this year at least.

4. Cleveland Browns
They're going to be soooo bad. They'll have a Top 3 pick again in the draft I bet, and they won't even be able to use it since they traded it away to get backup Brady Quinn this year. Good news for Dallas. This team could go 1-15 and I'm not sure anyone would be totally shocked. Looks to me like the curtain on the Romeo Crennell era may be drawing to a close...

8 in 8: AFC West

By Chris

In today's edition of the Roost's NFL Preview, 8 in 8, we take a look at the AFC West.

1. San Diego Chargers
Probably the best all-around team in the league outside of New England. Norv Turner loves to run the ball so expect another dominant season from LaDainian Tomlinson. And as the maturation of Phillip Rivers continues, he'll probably want to look for Antonio Gates a little more this season. Couple Gates' "comeback" with the emerging Vincent Jackson and it looks like the Chargers should win about 13 games to take home the division.

2. Denver Broncos
In a very, and I mean very, top-heavy division, look for the Jay Cutler-led Broncos to secure a wild card berth. One of the most balanced teams in the league, it's Mike Shannahan that puts them over the top of other playoff hopefuls New York, Jacksonville and Cincinnati (that's right, Pittsburgh will make the playoffs. More on that tomorrow.). Big Poppa Travis Henry should have a career year behind Denver's almost-mythical offensive line and the defense should be as stingy as ever. Expect them to win that extra lat season game this season to get them into the postseason.

3. Kansas City Chiefs
No matter how high the Roost's own Rich might supposedly be on KC, let's face it: They're just not going to be very good. Sure Larry Johnson is great, but he'll have to carry the load on offense and will his body be able to handle another 1,293-carry season? I honestly can't name three players on their defense without cheating, and while it may not be about names, that doesn't hide the fact that they'll be very bad this year. Luckily, they've got Oakland in their division to spoil any hopes of "winning" the top pick in next year's draft.

4. Oakland Raiders
They've got a quarterback controversy between Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown. I think that just about sums up dah Raidahs this year. That and a commitment to high draft picks that they can't sign. Do I really have to waste more breath on these losers? (Running and hiding under my desk now because Raiders fans are freaking nuts).

8 in 8: NFC West

By Chris

In today's edition of the Roost's NFL Preview, "Eight in Eight," we look at the NFC West.

1. St Louis Rams
Scott Linehan's offense should put up some gaudy numbers this year and propel the Rams to the head of the pack. Behind one of the best offensive lines in the game, potential MVP Marc Bulger has a plethora of weapons at his disposal including suddenly-elite runner Steven Jackson, Torry Holt (one of the league's most dangerous receivers even when not 100%), Isaac Bruce (still a threat at 35), and Drew Bennett (a former #1 in Tennessee, now a 3). They even added former X-Factor Dante Hall for kick returns. The Rams defense is also very capable of winning games. On the D-Line, Leonard Little had 13 sacks last season and the team drafted nose tackle Adam Carriker to solidify the line for the future. Look for the Rams to make a lot of noise this year.

2. San Francisco 49ers
Three years ago they were a joke, but now it seems that the 49ers are ready to make the leap to become a Wild Card contender. With most teams, the key to success is at the quarterback position and this is the season where we'll find out if Alex Smith is ready to lead a team into the postseason. Frank Gore is a beast when healthy and the team put a lot of money into the defense this offseason. Former Bill, the shutdown corner Nate Clements, steps in at $80 million to bolster a secondary that had a mediocre 27 takeaways a year ago. The '9ers should be fun to watch and competitive in every game. Can't wait to watch these guys in December.

3. Seattle Seahawks
They'll probably finish in second place in the division. They have a lot of experience and bounceback years from Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander should give them a big boost, but it's tough to see them jumping over San Fran and St Louis right now. Seattle is a talented, well coached team, and that should be enough to keep them alive in Week 15, but they're now in a tough division and will suffer because of that.

4. Arizona Cardinals
By default, the Cardinals are at the bottom of the heap once again. In a division that got really good, really fast, Arizona is just a victim of inexperience that will lose the close games against their divisional opponents. Edgerin James can only be better, but their line has been historically awful and it's far fetched to think they'll get better anytime soon. Their defense isn't anything spectacular. Prediction for new head coach Ken Whisenhunt's first Dennis Green-esque meltdown: Postgame Week 5 (at St Louis).



*******
And finally, Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback is always a must-read, but this week is especially good. King brings in former Bills center Ross Tucker to detail what it's like to get cut from an NFL team. Tucker was placed on injured reserve by the Redskins this weekend as they trimmed their roster down to 53.

A sampling:

Before signing my medical paperwork, I asked the team for an MRI to make sure my neck was OK after having those two stingers in the game. It turns out I have a herniated disc that may require surgery at some point. Two doctors told me I shouldn't play again this year because of some signs of spinal cord irritation. They don't think it is a good idea if I ever play again. The Redskins put me on injured reserve, but the end result is the same: I will never play football again.

Link to the story.

Eight Divisions in Eight Days: NFC East

By Chris

The Roost's NFL Football Preview begins today and I know how much you all have been waiting for this one. Each day, I'll tackle each of the eight divisions and give what insight I think I have into each team's upcoming season. Today I'll be taking a look at the NFC East.

1. Philadelphia Eagles
Well someone has to win this division, so it might as well be the Iggles. This of course, is contingent on the health of Donovan McNabb. They've got a real good offense and a stingy and consistent defense. Sure they've gotten rid of Dahani Jones and Jeremiah Trotter, but they've still got Brian Dawkins, one of the league's best safeties and Lito Sheppherd, who isn't half bad. What it comes down to is that someone has to win this division and the Eagles, when healthy, seem to be best equipped to do so.

2. Dallas Cowboys
I was going to pick the Cowboys to win the East. I really was. But then I remembered who their coach is. Our old friend Wade Phillips was too good to wear a headset when he coached the Bills, and while I think the 'Boys offense is going to put up some sick numbers, I have a feeling that they're going to be losing a helluva lot of close games. Phillips is not a good head coach. He botched the entire Doug Flutie/Rob Johnson situation and split an entire fanbase here in Buffalo because of that controversy. Flutie Magic or not, if I was a Cowboys fan, I just wouldn't trust this guy running my team. Yeah, he's a really good coordinator; he got the most out of his players in San Diego, but he's going to be making all of the crucial decisions and I can guarantee that he'll be wrong more often than he'll be right. So look for them losing some tight games in the fourth quarter and those losses ultimately costing them a Wild Card berth.

3. Washington Redskins
Jason Campbell is the starting quarterback. The defense underachieved last year, but it won't be good enough to compensate for an inexperienced quarterback. The Portis-Betts combo, which they'll have to rely on because of a potentially shaky passing game, won't last long. And as I look into the crystal ball, I see some very amusing press conferences from Portis taking thinly veiled shots at Joe Gibbs and Al Saunders for making him share the ball. He wants to be the featured back but with the emergence of Betts, he might lose a lot of carries, especially those going across the goal line. Combine that controversy with a not-so-talented team, and you're looking at a 6 win season.

4. New York Giants
Couple a flaky starting quarterback with a running back that can't hang onto the football and you're looking at a team in trouble. The defense is nothing special and neither is the offense really when you look at it. The players don't like their coach and it won't be very long before they quit on him and we have to listen to a Coughlin meltdown. And then it will be all over SportsCenter and then we can all listen to Tiki Barber tell us all he was right. Who says the offseason is too long?