AFC Rundown

First and foremost, my apologies for the 2 month hiatus, I’m a very busy man here!

After a 132 day lockout  the NFL season will finally get back on track, with the first regular season game just a couple of days away! The reigning champion Packers will be facing off against the Saints in Green Bay.

Here are my thoughts about the American Football Conference and its respective teams:

AFC EAST:

New England Patriots:
The Pats always seem to be a team with Superbowl written all over it. Tom Brady is still a top QB, his receiving corps only gets better with Chad Ochocinco (or is it again, Johnson?). Not to mention, they bolstered their team’s defense with the acquisition of Albert Haynesworth.
Many of my friends will disagree, but the Pats will be in 1st by seasons end. 

New York Jets:
They missed out on the Nnamdi Asomugha saga, but instead kept Antonio Cromartie who is very capable with Darrelle Revis.  They also managed to sign Derrick Mason, keep Santonio Holmes, and cut Jerricho Cotchery. The biggest signing for them was obviously big time receiver, Plaxico Burress.
At least second place for this team, they’re too good to be any worse than that, and the only thing stopping them is the highly favored Patriots. 

Miami Dolphins:
I know how fans of this team feel. Can somebody, I mean anybody… quarterback for this once highly acclaimed franchise? Jason Taylor is a Dolphin again, but does it really matter for the aging veteran? Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, leave only to become backups on the teams they joined. They did acquire Reggie Bush, which should help bolster their running game, and possibly their passing game, but again, who is throwing the rock; good, ol’ Chad Henne of course. Ouch.
Second to last place for the ‘Fins, only because the Bills are in worse shape. 

Buffalo Bills:
Oh boy, this team is hurting. They’ve lost most of their decent defensive players in Donte Whitner and  Paul Posluszny. Most of those two made pretty much every tackle for the lowly Bills. They also lost a offensive threat in Lee Evans, although his past couple season in Buffalo left something to be desired. Ryan Fitzpatrick will be QB (for now) and has 44TD/42INT career numbers.
Fred Jackson and Stevie Johnson are the only two shining spots left on this team, otherwise, they suck and will be in last place in this division. 

AFC NORTH:

Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Steelers still have Big Ben, still have Hines Ward, still have Troy Polamalu, and probably the best defense in the whole league. James Harrison is definitely ready to rip somebodies head off.  Rashard Mendenhall also returns looking to be one of the top RB’s in the league. All the pieces fit for this team, and I wouldn’t surprised to see them deep in the playoffs.
Without a doubt this team is best in this mediocre division. They consistently win and have a defense that can shut any team down, any week.

Baltimore Ravens:
Joe Flacco is promising, but needs to start producing in the playoffs for this team to take it to the next level. Arguably, another one of the best defenses in the league with Ray Lewis commanding his troops. They made a few other moves like signing Ricky Williams as a backup behind Ray Rice and Lee Evans from the Bills. Maybe, just maybe, he can resurrect his career in Baltimore. Derrick Mason left for the Jets, McGahee for the Broncos, and finally Todd Heap for the Cardinals.
I think the Ravens lost some key pieces on offense, primarily Heap who was very consistent for them. This team is still good, and has fantastic defense, but they can’t win in the playoffs like their rivals can. This team will be in second by seasons end. 

Cleveland Browns:
They could show some promise, and will most likely be better than last year. That could also mean just one or two more wins, which still doesn’t put them in the playoffs (unless you’re the Seahawks). We know they can return the ball with Cribbs, even though he will likely score less TD with the new kickoff rule in place. Peyton Hillis is an absolute tank, and can rush for 100+ yards any game. Will the ‘Madden curse’ haunt him this year? Brandon Jackson signed, but is now injured.  Colt McCoy will have a good year, and really gets to show what he is all about week 1 against the lowly Bengals.
They aren’t the worst in the AFC NORTH, but surely are not even close to being the best. The team needs one more star player. They will be in second to last with 6 or 7 wins. 

 Cincinnati Bengals:
Ah, a team that makes me not feel so terrible about my team. The Bengals, in my opinion of course, are the worst team in the NFL. So bad that their former franchise quarterback, Carson Palmer, asked to be traded or he would retire. They didn’t trade him and now he is ‘retired’ until his contract expires in a couple of years. That said, rookie QB Andy Dalton will be at the helm of a very bad team. Cedric Benson can be somewhat dependable, if he stays out of jail. This seems to be the case with most of the Bengals. Bo Scaife signed with the Bengals for a year, too bad his QB will be sacked before he ever gets a pass thrown his way.
This team will be in last place in this division, in the NFL, and in the Universe. They are terrible.

AFC SOUTH: 

Indianapolis Colts:
Huge question marks with the Colts right now. Peyton Manning may not make his first (or more) start in over 200 games. He had neck surgery and has not practiced at all. Without Manning the Colts won’t make the playoffs. Addai stayed, but has been plagued with injury. Kerry Collins was signed as a back up just in case Manning can’t suit up for week 1.
If the Colts don’t have Manning this team could end up in last place. Peyton is the key that starts the ignition. If Manning can play, there will be some rust, and they will make the playoffs again winning the AFC South.

Jacksonville Jaguars:
It’s hard to determine where the Jag’s will be by seasons end because they are such a mediocre team. They aren’t bad, and they aren’t good. David Garrard had a decent year last year, but he isn’t the future as the team is waiting for Blaine Gabbert to form into a pro. MJD will rush for over 1,000 yards and Mike Sims-Walker moves on to another team. The Jaguars seem to be rebuilding, and they’re doing the right thing starting with drafting Gabbert. Unfortunately for them, they are in a fairly stacked division.
EDIT: David Garrard was just released from the Jaguars. Luke McCown will start. Whoever it is, the Jaguars will be in last place.

Houston Texans:
This may be the Texans year if Peyton is out for some time. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster are a three-headed monster. They can score on any team at any time. Foster may be having some hammy issues, but he’ll be OK and still rush for well over 1000 yards and who knows how many receptions he’ll receive from pass happy Schaub. Also, with Wade Phillips as D-Coordinator, we can expect some improvement there.
This team is an offensive machine and should end up in second place unless Manning’s injury is worse than expected. 

Tennessee Titans:
Who knows what to expect with Seahawk turned Titan, Matt Hasselback. He’s old, and in a new offense. Chris Johnson finally agreed to a deal to play with the Titans, even though he had two years left on his contract. Sure, he was making chump change, and deserved a raise, but the drama that was created could ruin the locker room. This team is mashed together at this point and now has to learn a new system.
This team will most likely be in third to last place because there is too much inconsistency. New coach, new QB,  recently unhappy RB, etc. It just doesn’t look like a good year for the Titans.

AFC WEST:

Kansas City Chiefs:

Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones are quite a running back tandem, but I personally think there is one that is just a little better. Matt Cassel is also a solid quarterback due to his many years as Brady’s understudy. Dwayne Bowe has sticky fingers and will help this team perform.
I don’t think they still have what it takes to win this division, and if you ask me they got lucky last year. If you remember, the Raiders went 6-0 against the division in 2010. The Chiefs will sink back to third place where they belong. 

San Diego Chargers:
This should be a fantastic team, Rivers is a stud, and Vincent Jackson is a stud. When two offensive players who are studs get mixed together, you get good results. Ryan Mathews is still unproven to me, and I think Tolbert is actually better. They also quite possibly have the best tight end in the game in Antonio Gates. The sore spot of this team was special teams, and they didn’t make that any better by losing Darren Sproles to the Saints. Hopefully the hiring of a new special teams coach can shake it up.
I won’t give this division a winner because I think it’ll be based on week 17 for both the Charger’s and the Raiders. Otherwise, this team is really good.

Oakland Raiders:
The Raiders had their first non-losing season since they reached the Superbowl in 2002. Hallelujah! They didn’t win, nor lose at an alarming rate going 8-8 last year. The Raiders did lose some chunks of their team, but will still manage to be competitive in this division, if not win it. They lost the hottest free agent in Nnamdi Asomugha. Fortunately for the Raiders, their defense is still pretty solid with Huff trolling the field. Robert Gallery is gone (good riddance) and Zach Miller signed with the Seahawks. I was worried about the Raiders losing Miller, but they signed another solid TE in Kevin Boss. The final large move the Raiders made, drafting Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft. Fantastic move in my opinion, Jason Campbell won’t cut it forever, and regardless of Pryor’s ‘prior’ engagements, he can still be a top tier QB and has the skills to perform. The Raiders have by far the best running tandem in the league with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush (Taiwan Jones doesn’t seem too shabby either). Jacoby Ford is also another player to keep your eyes peeled for, talk about Al Davis approved speed! (4.28 40yd dash – #1 time @ 2010 Combine) Don’t forget the best kicker(s) in the game with Janikowski and Lechler.
I’ll try and not be biased, but this team is on the up and up, and should see the playoffs. I’ve been a sad, sad person since ’02, but this is the year that the Raiders could change that.  

Denver Broncos:
The Tim Tebow saga came and went. He will be backing up this team, which is what he should be doing for a few more years if you ask me. Orton is a good QB, but highly under-rated. Brandon Lloyd had a great season last year and looks to continue. Jabar Gaffney left for the ‘Skins. Willis McGahee comes in as a backup for oft-injured Knowshon Moreno. Champ Bailey is still the cornerback for this team, but you have to wonder how much time he really has left.
The Broncos will end up in last place just because the division they are in has become so much more competitive. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they are behind the curve.

As for the wild cards, it is really a toss up. I believe that three out of four divisions will be incredibly close. All said and done it will be between the top two non-division winning  teams in the AFC West and AFC East. (Raiders/Chargers and Patriots/Jets)

Expect a NFC rundown tomorrow!!!

What are your thoughts and opinions about the AFC this past off-season?