Just remember....you can't be a winner if there aren't any losers...Bengals have been losing for a while... now it's someone elses turn....(am I setting myself up for thing here?)
Just remember....you can't be a winner if there aren't any losers... Good point... instead of predicting the winners right away, let's start with the sure losers:
The hell-will-freeze-over-first crowd
- Arizona Cardinals -- less of a threat to win in the NFL than the Arizona Wildcats, the Cardinals make me long for a multi-division approach (like European soccer leagues) just so they don't take up valuable schedule space
- Carolina Panthers -- like the Cardinals out west, Carolina automatically turns their division into a three-team race before week #1
- Cincinati Bengals -- they can change coaches and players all they want, but until the front office gets serious about winning, Cincinati's only purpose for existence is to provide Jerome Bettis with at least two 100-yard rushing games a season
- Dallas Cowboys -- this year is going to make fans nostalgic for the first year in the post-Landry era... 0-16 is a distinct possiblility, if it were not for the fact that Dallas owns the Redskins, regardless of talent levels
- Detroit Lions -- I'd like to say something cruel, but I have pity for people who need psychological counselling
- Houston Texans -- they still suck, but then again, they're supposed to
- Jacksonville Jaguars -- it took them slightly longer to hit rock bottom than Carolina did after both teams bought their way to conference championship games, but they're there now
- Minnesota Vikings -- memo to Randy Moss: shut up and let Culpepper run the team... yeah, like that will happen
Cinderella Wannabes
- Atlanta Falcons -- no Vick, no pick (even with Vick, they'd be a longshot at best)
- New York Jets -- what's with keeping QB's healthy here? Testaverde is past his prime and still has a blind spot reading defenses
- Seattle Seahawks -- no playoff spot available without getting ahead of either the Rams or 49'ers
- Washington Redskins -- Snyder is the Steinbrenner of football, without the championships to go with it; "ball coach" will only keep his job by beating Dallas once
Everyone else, I think is in the hunt. I'll say the playoff teams are:
AFC: New England, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Tennessee (wild cards Miami and Indianapolis [sorry Cleveland])
NFC: Philadelphia, Green Bay, St. Louis, Tampa Bay (wild cards San Francisco and Chicago)
I'll take Pittsburgh over Philly for the Super Bowl.