Previewing 2009-2010 NFL Season

AFC East
1. New England (14-2)
2. Miami (6-10)
3. NY Jets (610)
4. Buffalo (5-11)

The New England Patriots lost their grip last year on the AFC East after losing Tom Brady in the first game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Know what this means? That the Patriots were subletting the division everybody in the division for about a season, but now they are back. So all the teams can pack their bags and get the f*ck out of their spot because they are back. This is the squad that went 18-1 two seasons ago. Let's se what they have in store or this season.

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh (13-3)
2. Cincinnati (9-7)
3. Baltimore (8-8)
4. Cleveland (3-13)

Big surprise, I'm picking the defending champs to come out on top in the division this year once again. I picked them to go 13-3, but they have a much weaker schedule this year compared to last year (you know, when the won the Super Bowl). So the Steelers might actually challenge New England for the top spot in the AFC.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis (12-4)
2. Tennessee (10-6)
3. Jacksonville (7-9)
4. Houston (5-11)

The Indianapolis Colts struggled last year in large part because Manning was playing on one leg for half the season (the injury caused him to miss most of training camp) and thus the team lost some of its rhythm and timing. They should have that back this year and should be able to reclaim their hold on the AFC South. With Tennessee losing Albert Haynesworth to the Washington Redskins, their defense won't be nearly as dominant as they were last year. They might have to run more stunts and blitz more to get to the quarterback which might leave them vulnerable in the secondary.

AFC West
1. San Diego (13-3)
2. Kansas City (7-9)
3.Denver (3-13)
4. Oakland (1-15)

For some reason, Norv Turner has struggled in getting the San Diego Chargers ready to play at a high level early in the season. For the last two years, the Chargers have started off their seasons slow into to come into their own late in the season to make a playoff push. Well this year the Chargers have help. THey have a weak schedule and should be able to cruise to 13 wins. Anything short of that should lead to the dismissal of the head coach. By the way, the western divisions in both conferences (NFC West and AFC West) might be the two worst divisions in the NFL.

NFC East
1. NY Giants (11-5)
2. Dallas (11-5)
3. Philadelphia (9-7)
4. Washington (9-7)

The toughest division in football. The NFC East has four quality teams that reside in it which makes it tough for all of them to make the playoffs. They are always beating on each other and usually split their divisional games. So right off the bat, a good team in the NFC East has to hope it can go 3-3 in the division to have a shot at the playoffs. Well, the team I pick to come through and finish first is the NY Giants. By the way, I was talking to my friend Mike yesterday and was arguing that if there is one NFL team that will take a shot at signing Mike Vick it's the Oakland Raiders. But Mike came up with a better alternative. Although Philly might not want to hear it, the Dallas Cowboys have always liked to go after guys with checkered pasts as long as they felt those guys would bring a certain prestige to the franchise and sell tickets. Vick wouldn't bring prestige, but if he brings wins, the prestige will come. Jerry Jones is like that guy you know that's always trying to hook up with his friends ex-girlfriends. You've seen all the signs as to why it won't work, but you still give it a shot. Not convinced, look up the T.O. experiment.

NFC North
1. Chicago (11-5)
2. Green Bay (11-5)
3. Minnesota (6-10)
4.Detroit (5-11)

Nobody was happier that the Bears traded for Jay Cutler then Brian Urlacher. That defense has been bailing out that offense for years. Now a defense that stops people and has the ability to force turnovers will no longer be playing the field position game. The Chicago Bears now have the ability to go vertical (yes even in the cold city of Chicago, Cutler's arm is that solid). So I'm expecting the Bears to win the north and the Packers to finish tied for first but lose the tie breaker. The Chicago-Green Bay match up should be a great one. By the way Vikings fan, are you guys ready to move on now? Brett Favre said thanks, but no thanks. Mind you, I can see Favre doing CIalis commercials and getting bored by Thanksgiving and then making a come back. So you guys still have a shot....at Favre. With or without him though, I wouldn't expect a big season. The prediction I made regarding their record was based on the assumption that Favre would play. So, Tarvaris Jackson it is.

NFC South
1. New Orleans (12-4)
2. Carolina (10-6)
3. Atlanta (8-8)
4. Tampa Bay (5-11)

The Saints should win the division this year with hteir aerial assault. Their running game should be average but Brees will be great fantasy guy. Other then that, the NFC South doesn't interest me much.


NFC West
1. Arizona (10-6)
2 .Seattle (6-10)
3. San Francisco (4-12)
4. St. Louis (2-14)

The trend in this decade has been for the team that lost the Super Bowl to basically disappear from the map. They usually end up missing the playoffs altogether the following season (except for the 2006 Seattle Seahawks). Look at the track record
2000:NY Giants lose Super Bowl to Baltimore Ravens
The NY Giants missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 7-9 record

2001: St. Louis Rams lose Super Bowl to New England Patriots
The St Louis Rams missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 7-9 record

2002: Oakland Raiders lost Super Bowl to Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Oakland Raiders missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 4-12 record

2003: Carolina Panthers lose Super Bowl to New England Patriots
The Carolina Panthers missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 7-9 record

2004: Philadelphia Eagles lose Super Bowl to New England Patriots
The Philadelphia Eagles missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 6-10 record

2005: Seattle Seahawks lose Super Bowl to Pittsburgh Steelers
The Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs the following year with a record of 9-7

2006: Chicago Bears lose Super Bowl to Indianapolis Colts
The Chicago Bears missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 7-9 record

2007: New England Patriots lose Super Bowl to NY Giants 
The New England Patriots missed the playoffs the following year finishing with a 11-5 record

2008: Arizona Cardinals lose Super Bowl to Pittsburgh Steelers
What happens to the Cards this year?
Every Super Bowl loser has had to deal with various important injuries the following year. It's not like I can plan for an injury to happen, but take that into account when considering that I still picked the Cardinals to finish at the top of the NFC West.

Fantasy Football

1. Adrian Peterson 
This guy is your #1 overall pick
2007: 16 games, 1,342 yards and 12 TDs
2008: 14 games, 1,760 yards and 10 TDs
Needless to say, this is the dude you want to pick #1 overall. Some might argue that the guy that comes after should be picked first but I disagree. Matter of fact, next guy is....

2. Michael Turner
Michael Turner came over from San Diego last season and proceeded to amass 18 TDs on his way to the top of the NFL rushing list. But why is second on this list? The 370 list. Every running back that has reached or exceeded 370 carries in the history of the league has been injured the following year. Michael Turner carried the football 376 times last year. Catch my drift?

3. Maurice Jones-Drew
Mojo rushed for 12 TDs last year while splitting carries with Fred Taylor. This year Jones-Drew is slated to be the feature back of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let's do the math: more carries = more yards= more touchdowns = more fantasy points.

4. Matt Forte
The lead back for the Chicago Bears last year, Forte showed he could carry the load and be depended on. As a rookie, he amassed 1,238 yards and 8 TDs. Considering that the Bears are a run oriented team, expect him to get more carries this year as coaching staff no longer tries to limit his carries.

5. Chris Johnson
In reality and fantasy, every loves Chris Johnson. This dude has serious breakaway ability and look at what he did while sharing carries with LenDale White last year: 1,128 yards and 9TDs. If he has a solid training camp, he might even steal the job outright from White.

6. Steven Jackson
Jackson's missed some games in the last few years (four in the last two years) but here's what he did the last time he played a full season: 1,528 yards and 13 TDs. Expect him to put fantasy numbers this coming season.

7. Larry Fitzgerald
After his performance during the regular season and playoffs last year, Philly and I officially changed his name to Luh-Ry. When you play big in prime time games, your name needs to be pronounced differently then anybody else that shares your name. Luh-Ry Fitzgerald has just four games in last four years combined during which he has averaged 1,299 yards and almost 10 TDs. Yup, Luh-Ry indeed.

8. LaDainian Tomlinson
He's dropped off considerably in the last 3 years. That being said, Tomlinson produced 1,110 yards and 11 TDs last year and appeared in all 16 games. My one concern: his carries have gone down in three consecutive seasons. As long as you don't pick him in the top five, you're good.

9. Brian Westbrook
Westbrook when healthy gives you everything you want. He runs the ball, catches the ball out of the backfield and might return a few kicks every now and then. But like I said, that's all fine when he's healthy. Westbrook has yet to play in every game in a season.Nonetheless, when he plays expect numbers like what he did last year: 936 rushing yards, 9 rushing TDs, 402 receiving yards and 5 receiving TDs.

10. Andre Johnson
Weird fantasy and real life player. Every time he goes over a 1,000 yards receiving in a season, the following season he gets under a 1,000 yards. Well last season he went over with 1,575 yards

11. DeAngelo Williams
Had a breakout year last year. How much of breakout? Last year he got more yards and TDs then his last two seasons prior combined. Either a sign of good things to come or a fluke.

12. Calvin Johnson
About this time last year, I remember I was playing Madden against the Lions and Calvin Johnson was just killing me. After the game, I checked out his ratings and went bananas. I remember calling up Philly and telling to make sure to try and pick up Johnson because he was the next coming of Randy Moss. Well, the guy that played QB for the Lions last year (Orlovsky) shouldn't have even been allowed to throw me the ball in my backyard, and yet he was throwing passes to Johnson in NFL games. Amazingly, Johnson was able to take a mere 78 catches and convert them into 1,331 yards and 12 TDs last year.

13. Reggie Wayne
What you come to hope to expect from your fantasy players is consistency and obviously that occasional big game. Well you can expect that from Stately Wayne Manor. Wayne has played in all 16 games since 2002 and has managed to reach at least a 1,000 yards every season since 2004.

14. Steve Slaton
Last year, Slaton put up some very decent numbers in his rookie season. Expect him to build on his last season and produce even more this year. I'm projecting 1,300 yards and 11 TDs.

15. Marion Barber
Nobody in the NFL runs harder then Marion Barber, he refuses to go down and punishes defenders the same way that Brandon Jacobs does.

16. Anquan Boldin
Tough a they come. His TD total has gone up every year since 2006.

17. Clinton Portis
Portis will always get the carries, the yards and TDs. He was injured in 2006 and missed half the season (8 games), but other then that season, Portis has averaged 1,446 and 10 TDs per season for his career.

18. Frank Gore
Very consistent in his yardage production but don't expect too many TDs. He's managed only 22 TDs in his five years in the NFL.

19. Marques Colston
Missed some games last year but expect big things from him. He plays in an air out it offense, so the expectation should be for him to get catches.

20. Randy Moss
Those of you that read my Booty Call Guidelines might remember that Randy Moss was heavily involved in the process. I used the name Moss as a term to exemplify peak performances. Moss is my favorite NFL receiver because of his ability to make spectacular plays in traffic and almost always come down with the ball. Two seasons ago, he combined with Tom Brady to catch an NFL record 23 TDs. His numbers went down last season, playing with Matt Cassel; but Brady is back!.

21. Steve Smith
Smitty is my brother's favorite receiver because of his blazing speed and ability to do something with the ball after catching it. Smitty is almost always on the field and should be good for about 1200 yards and 7 TDs.

22. Brandon Jacobs
Powerful running back that just refuses to go down. The result is that he will always end up missing a few games here and there, but he's the guy you want as your goaline back racking up touchdowns.

23. Roddy White
White has emerged as a very good receiver for the Atlanta Falcons. He will go deep as well as short. But clearly, he might be Matt Ryan's #1 guy, as evidenced by his 88 catches last year.

24. Drew Brees
There's a saying in the south that's pretty common: "Throw it up!" Well that's exactly what Drew Brees does. In his three years with the Saints he has averaged 29 touchdown passes and has not once thrown less then 4,000 yards. Expect a big passing season from Brees as the offense keeps relying on his arm to the tune of 38 pass attempts per game (his average in the last three years with New Orleans).

25. Thomas Jones
Has not reached less then 1,000 yards in a season in 2005 but however has only managed 29 rushing touchdowns in that timeframe. So know who you're picking and what he he will do for you.

26. Ronnie Brown
Contract year alert! Expect a pretty big year from Brown, especially if they keep running the Wildcat offense. He should be in a position to score touchdowns and also pass for a couple of touchdowns as well. However, here is my public service announcement: some guys seem to be more productive then their stats actually translate; and Ronnie Brown is one of them. I remember him running all over people and being unstoppable. Right? Isn't that how you remember him? Well he's only topped reached 1,000 yards once in his career and has a total of 23 career rushing touchdowns. Err on the side of caution.

27. Greg Jennings
Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have been the quarterbacks throwing him passes in the last two years. And you know, it didn't matter at all. The guy just seems to always get open deep. Although he did have more touchdowns with Favre, last year he was able to amass more catches and consequently more yards. Picking at this spot, you can't go wrong with Jennings.

28. T. J. Houshmandzadeh
I love Housh as a player but let's not forget people, Housh is a #2 receiver. He will put up numbers as long as he has a #1 playing on the other side of the field with him. Since entering the NFL in 2001, Housh has managed a mere two 1,000 yards seasons. That being said, he should still be productive with the Seahawks.

29. Dwayne Bowe
Look at what he's done in his first two years in the league (my friend Jeff is a die hard Chiefs fan, so Jeff, by all means please do get excited):
2007 - 70 catches, 995 yards, 5 TDs.
2008 - 86 catches, 1,022 yards, 7 TDs.

Let's just say you should expect him to produce.

30. Pierre Thomas
No more Deuce left and Reggie Bush won't run between tackles. That means invest in Pierre Thomas. By the way, if you say his name in english, he sounds like a typical american with a french first name. Say his name in french..... Doesn't he sound Haitian? Had he been from Boston, New York or Miami; I would have said he were Haitian. But since he hails from Kanye's hometown (Chicago), I'll just act like I didn't even mention it.

31. Tom Brady
The face of football is back. TMZ should be in full force now as they try to stalk Brady and see which model he's rolling with and if he's spending any time with his child. Expect the media to keep drooling on Brady at his every move. By the way, Brady reminds me of Michael Jordan in that sense; no one really ever criticizes his actions in the media. They just go gaga over every word he utters and hope to catch a drink with him to experience the groupie phenomenon to the fullest.

32. Brandon Marshall
In his three seasons in the NFL, he has reached the end zone a mere 15 times. I would have assumed he got there more considering his size and brute strength. He dismisses corners faster then Brad Pitt dismissed Jennifer Aniston. But you can pencil him in for over 1,200 yards this season though. Take it to the bank.

33. Peyton Manning
Manning used to be the guy that Drew Brees is now, but has slowed down somewhat in recent seasons. Blame age, blame an a bad running game last year, blame him playing on one leg throughout half last year; but whatever happens, Barney Stinson (character portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother) will always be proud of him because he always suits up. Has never missed a game in his career and should be good for at least a 25 touchdown passes and 4,000 yards passing.

34. Larry Johnson
Last week, Money and Supreme were entrenched in this heavy debate about Nas and his historic significance in the game. Supreme argued that Nas was living off the succes of his first album Illmatic. Well, that's exactly what's happened with Larry Johnson (who by the way lost the right to be called Luh-ry). Fantasy players have invested way too much too early in Grandmama. In 2005, he ran for 1,750 yards and 20 TDs. Then in 2006, he went for 1,789 and 17 TDs. Then in 2007 and 2008, he combined for 1,433 yards and 8 TDs in 20 games played (out of a possible 32). I would expect a decent season from Johnson this year, but nothing spectacular like in years past. Sorry Jeff.

35. Jason Witten
What do you get from Witten? 16 games, 800-900 yads and about 6 TDs. Pretty good at slot #35.

36. Wes Welker
Two seasons ago, we saw Wes Welker run away from corners and linebackers as he helped Tom Brady amass gaudy numbers. But then, Brady got hurt. What did Welker do? Exactly the same thing he did two season ago. WIth Brady hurt and Cassel looking to get rid of the ball early, he found Welker consistently on short routes which allowed him to get in the open field on several occasions. Look at Welker's averages from the last two seasons combined:110 catches and 1,100 yards and about 5 TDs.

37. Antonio Gates
Doesn't it seem like we always hear about all the injuries that Gates has? And yet he always manages to show up for every game. On average, he produces around 700-900 yards and about 9 TDs

38. Ryan Grant

39. Terrel Owens
Despite all the controversy, the criticized teammate and the drops, T.O. produces 1,2000 yards and about 12 TDs on average.

40. Willie Parker
Speed and breakaway ability. But not the goal line guy. 7 TDs in his last two seasons combined.