The NFL kick starts the 2009 season Thursday night with a great matchup between the Tennesee Titans and the defending Super Bowl champs Pittsburgh Steelers. Both teams are once again considered Super Bowl contenders. The Titans had the best record last year garnering 13 wins versus 3 losses. Ben Roethlisberger has already won 2 Super Bowls and arguably ranks as the third best QB in the league behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. A civil lawsuit was filed in July by a Las Vegas hotel employee allegedly accusing the star QB of rape. Depending on how long the suit remains unsettled could be a distraction for the Steelers this season.
Today I make my predictions for the season, playoffs, and individual player honors.
AFC East
1. New England Patriots 12-4 / addition of WR Joey Galloway makes this explosive offense even more flammable with Tom Brady at the helm. They will not blow away opponents like they did in 2007 as the defense has lost the heart and soul of the defense since Tedi Bruschi (retirement) and Richard Seymour (traded to Oakland) are no longer on the team.
2. Miami Dolphins 10-6/ will miss out on the playoffs despite a good season. They are still a few players away from contending this year.
3. New York Jets 8-8/ Mark Sanchez will open eyes this year despite not having any superstars on the team he won't have a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco type impact as a rookie, but the Jets finally have found themselves a franchise QB.
4. Buffalo Bills 4-12/ adding Terrell Owens is a sign of a desparate team.
AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5/ Steelers have a let down following last year's Super Bowl run. There are just too many good and hungry teams vying for their crown.
2. Baltimore Ravens 10-6/ With his good rookie year behind him, a more seasoned Joe Flacco opens up the Raven's offense more and the defense will be the same dominating unit.
3.Cinncinati Bengals 6-10/ The Bengals are rebuilding and Chad Ochocinco will be driven to tweet moreso than score TDs.
4. Cleveland Browns 3-13/ Brady Quinn is not a franchise QB.
AFC South
1. Tennesee Titans 12-4/ very solid team and will repeat as division champs.
2. Houston Texans 10-6/ this year's "out-of-nowhere" team a la the Atlanta Falcons last year they will surprise a lot of teams and finally make the playoffs.
3. Indianapolis Colts 8-8/ Peyton Manning and the Colts have an off year.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 5-11/ Another team that needs a good QB, RB Maurice Jones Drew can not do it all by himself.
AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers 14-2/ kings of the worst division in NFL, dare I say professional sports? So much talent on this team. They will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and are my pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
2. Denver Broncos 6-10/ so much turmoil this past offseason as superstar QB and malcontent, Jay Cuter gets traded to Chicago Bears.
3. Kansas City Chiefs 4-12/ looks like it will be another long year for Chiefs fans.
4. Oakland Raiders 2-14/ Al Davis needs to sell this team for any chance of hope in the future.
Division Champs : New England, Pittsburgh, Tennesee, San Diego
Wild Cards : Baltimore and Houston
Playoffs
Wild Card Games: Tennessee over Houston and Baltimore over Pittsburgh
Division Games : New England over Baltimore and San Diego over Tennesee
AFC Champ: San Diego over New England
NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys 11-5/ Tony Romo a candidate for MVP leads an "under the radar"/ discounted team to division championship and the Cowboys are the NFC champs.
2. New York Giants 10-6/ No rookie WRs step up this year, but behind good running game and solid defense the Giants barely make the playoffs.
3. Philadelphia Eagles 8-8/ Eagles discombobulate amid QB controversy between Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb.
4. Washington Redskins 6-10/ QB Jason Campbell has best year in D.C. but the team loses several close games.
NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings 10-6/ RB Adrian Peterson leads the Vikings to NFC north championship and earns league honors as MVP when Favre suffers injury late in the season.
2. Green Bay Packers 10-6/ QB Aaron Rodgers shows he is not Brett Favre- which is a good thing.
3. Chicago Bears 7-9/ QB Jay Cutler doesn't have Brandon Marshall to throw to and has several hissy fits on the sidelines. Denver Broncos love every second.
4. Detroit Lions 3-13/ Break open the Cristal ! The Lions triple their win total from last season!
NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints 12-4/ behind QB Drew Brees the Saints dominate their rather mediocre division throwing for over 4,000 yards again. Reggie Bush continues to be just an average NFL player.
2. Carolina Panthers 8-8/ WR Steve Smith just cannot stay healthy through an entire NFL season costing the Panthers a playoff spot.
3. Atlanta Falcons 7-9/ QB Matt Ryan suffers a sophomore slump and the Falcons cannot duplicate their playoff season of yesteryear due to a tougher schedule.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11/ like their Florida neighboor Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bucs desparately need a good QB to make it anywhere anytime soon.
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals 9-7/ Cardinals squeak into the playoffs but lose in the first round.
2. San Francisco 49'ers 8-8/ Mike Singletary has the team going in the right direction but still lacks star QB.
3. Seattle Seahawks 7-9/ there's still a NFL team in Seattle?
4. St. Louis Rams 5-11/ the barbecue still better in St. Louis than the Rams
Division Winners : New Orleans, Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona
Wild Cards : New York and Green Bay
Playoffs
WIld Card Games : Minnesota over New York and Green Bay over Arizona
Divisional Playoffs: Dallas over Minnesota and New Orleans over Green Bay
NFC Champ: Dallas over New Orleans
Super Bowl : Dallas over San Diego 31- 20/ Tony Romo named game MVP
MVP : Adrian Peterson - Vikings
Defensive Player of the Year : DeMarcus Ware - Cowboys
Offensive Rookie of the Year- Percy Harvin- Vikings
Defensive Rookie of the Year - Aaron Curry- Seahawks
Coach of the Year : Wade Phillips
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