Want to Know the Surprises the Upcoming NFL Season?
In honor of my colleague, Jason Whitlock, I’m going to do my own prognostication on the upcoming NFL season. Unlike Mr. Whitlock, Beyonce didn’t ask me to write this for her. But I have had a few request from my readers on Myspace. And so here you have it, my 12 statements of veracity on the NFL 2006-2007 seasonâÂ?¦
But first the winners�
MVP – Steve McNair
Steve McNair has one more chance to strut his stuff, and he will do so this season. The man has been doubted all his career, but he has done nothing but win games. He averages about 9.5 wins per season as a starter and yet he continues to be questioned, when in reality if Kevin Dyson manages to stretch into the end zone he would be free from all judgment. Coming to the Ravens will give him a chance to be surrounded by a good (and possibly great) running back, a #1 wideout which allowed him to win the MVP 2 years ago, and a TE and offensive line that are both in the top 10 in the league, even with the shuffling done on the front line this season. McNair will prove to everyone that he just wins games, and with this years cast, he’ll put on a little show while he does it so people will stuff the ballot boxes with “Air McNair.”
Defensive MVP – Ray Lewis
You cannot tell me this guy is not hungry. Yeah, he’s crazy, and he definitely has lost a little edge over the past season, becoming for of a side show than “the” show. But he’ll return to his dominance of 2004-05 (and yes, I know the Ravens sucked that year, but he was still doing his thing). “Why?” you may ask. Well because he got the guy he cried for all off-season, Ngata. With him and Trevor Pryce eating up blocks, he will be free to roam, freelance, and well- just do that thing we love to see Ray Lewis to do.
Most Passing TD’s – Peyton Manning
He’s the smartest guy on the field in any game. How he holds up to pressure is sometimes questionable, but the guy knows where the ball should and how soon it should go there. With
Carson
battling back from injury, it’s a no-brainer that Manning will recapture the TD crown. How many? I think without the Edge there he is going to have to throw more in red zone, so his totals will go up to 40 this season.
Rushing Champ – Shaun Alexander
Shaun will be able to repeat the yardage he got last season simply because it was the system that got him those yards, along with his speed and athleticism, but it was not the left guard. Now Hutchison (the left guard) did punch out a lot touchdowns for the season, and those numbers will be down. But as far as running off the left edge goes, I’m pretty sure Walter Jones will do just fine mashing his man into the ground.
Note: Larry Johnson probably should win it here, but with Herm Edwards coming in as coach, the offense will not be the same. Also, Tony Richardson has left them searching at the FB position, and teams are ready for Johnson this season. I think he has the most potential of the backs, but this years group will not allow him to repeat what he did the second half of last season.
Most Receiving TD’s – Terrell Owens
Anytime he catches the ball, T.O. is capable of scoring. It’s a fact, and if you do not believe me, ask any corner who lines up against him. He’s always going to be the strongest guy on the outsides, and he’s speed is fast enough. As an eagles fan, I’m sad to see him go, but he can give
Dallas
all the trouble he wants�.and he will (see statement #8).
Sack Leader – Alex Brown
I know you’re like; “who?” But this guy is a nasty pass rusher. Just a plain, simple, and old-fashioned, bull rusher! He eats up tackles, the ones on the left side of the offense, too! He only had 6 sacks last season, but those were in a late stretch while the rest of season he was waiting to come out. Well, here is 2006, and all LT’s are welcome to Alex Brown’s coming out party!
Tackles Leader – Everybody on the
Tennessee
Titans
Enough said.
Offensive Rookie – Joseph Addai
I know you thought you went blind when you didn’t see Reggie Bush’s name here, but I think his split time with McAllister, who is a better back at this point in his career, will cost him a lot of valuable touches. The fact of the matter is Joseph Addai is coming out of a pro-style offense in LSU, and he is going to be ready to step in and make the blocks in the passing game that are the only way Mungro and Rhodes will keep him on the sideline. His versatility will lead him to make a lot of the plays on the stretch and swing pass plays that E. James made, and let’s just face it, when he lines up, he will never see anything but a 2-shell defense, which will lead to easy running for the young boy from Louisiana.
Defensive Rookie – Michael Huff
Despite being much smaller than Sean Taylor, Huff’s playmaking ability in college rivals that of Redskin’s part-time convict. He will play a lot of defense in 2006 and that will allow him to be ahead of a lot of other rookies in the league. He will also be challenged a lot by great TE’s in the AFC West, and with his athleticism, a lot of AFC West quarterbacks will learn that’s not a good way to make a living. His speed is going to keep him a lot of plays, and he’s a great tackler. He reminds me of a young Brian Dawkins.
12. The Steelers will not repeat
As if Big Ben’s accident, Antwan Randle El’s departure, Chris Hope’s exodus, and their cornerback’s not getting any better wasn’t enough reason for these fellows not to repeat, they did not replace Jerome Bettis! Granted, I know you cannot replace the heart or character of a Jerome Bettis, but you can replace his size and his nose for the end zone. I think not drafting Lindale White is going to come back and haunt the Steelers, because it is really going to take away a lot of that power element from the Steelers run game. I also just do not see the Steelers beating the Colts again this year, but I am probably assuming way to much of a Mr. Peyton Manning.
11. Deuce McAlister will make a lot of people question the Reggie Bush acquisition-
Yeah, that’s right! They’ll question it. Not because Reggie Bush is not going to display the tools that made him the 2nd round pick, but because Deuce is a well rested individual after coming of an injury plagued season and he certainly does not want to see his limelight stolen by the youngster. Much like when Philip Rivers came into
San Diego
and Drew Brees finally started playing up to his potential, Deuce is going to take his game to a new level and deliver on all of his potential. Reggie Bush will not get nearly as many carries as Deuce, and he will not be able to run around tacklers like he did in weakest defensive major conference in college football. Not to mention, when it is time to score the touchdowns that pay the rent, the Saints definitely will be using their big back, and that is going to hurt Bush’s total. People will not say Bush was a bad pick, but they might think it.
10. The
Philadelphia
Eagles will make the playoffs-
I’m sorry, and call me a biased fan if you want to, but the Eagles will not finish in the cellar like so many sports reporters are predicting. To those of you who disagree with me, let me ask you this; who is the best and most proven quarterback in the NFC East? If you say anyone other than Donovan F. McNabb, please do not waste your time reading any more of my articles, because you are not worthy. The Eagles, by far, have the most prolific QB in the division, and he proved last season that he can still sling it despite being incredibly hobbled by his sports hernia. Another point of emphasis is that the Eagles team that went to the NFC championship game against
Carolina
in the 2003-2004 season (without any mention of a T.O.) is not as talented as this years squad. There are constant upgrades at every position in comparison to that team, even at RB where Westbrook’s emergence and Ryan Moat’s running ability outshines that of Philly’s old three-headed monster. So to all you naysayers who think the eagles will fill out the cellar, I would just like to say that when picking a division winner, the best QB often wins. Look at the AFC east, north, south and west and disagree with me. Look at the NFC north, south and west and try to disagree with me again. But if for some reason you think the trend will end in the NFC east, well then, God bless your soul.
9. This is the Patriots last chance at Glory for a couple of seasons-
The Patriots have proven that their system of signing players does not work as well as the Philadelphia Eagles. This off season they lost Givens, Vintieari, McGinest and had to get Troy Brown to settle for way less money than he will be worth. Next year they will have plenty more questions to answer, and they will not have the cap room needed to remedy them. Tom Brady still has a good shot at winning it in any year, but if he’s a betting man, he better bet all his chips on this season.
8. Terrell Owens will stir up some trouble in
Dallas
, but�
He still will play like the best WR in football. He’s going to score, and he’s going to score a lot. What he is not going to do is have a lot catches. Bill Parcels is going to run the ball with any kind of a lead. If the game is tied, Bill Parcells is still probably going to run the ball. Parcells is a man that does not lose a lot of 4th quarter leaders, and like so many other coaches who do the same, he does not lose leads late because his teams run the ball efficiently. T.O. will get disgruntled when he sees this, and he also will be upset when Parcells is asking him to do to the same defensive end cut off blocks that Keyshawn did last year. Drew Bledsoe loves throwing to the TE (remember Ben Coates) and late last season he finally found Jason Witten’s spot on the roster. And of course, T.O. will not like that. But I’m not saying that the Cowboys will implode this season, but the bomb is ticking.
7. Keyshawn Johnson will make Steve Smith the most dynamic WR not named T.O.-
The addition of Keyshawn Johnson is the best move since my friend Randy traded Aikman, Emmitt, and some unknown lineman for Manning, James and Harrison in Madden 1999. I mean, we saw in last year playoffs that the only way the Panthers can lose and Steve Smith can be stopped is if you quadruple team him. But if teams try to do that this year then they will get really use to the 7 yard hitch by Keyshawn. Fact of the matter is, Keyshawn is the best possession receiver in football. He uses his body very well, and if he is ever in a one-on-one match-up with somebody and he is running a short route, you should just as well count it as a catch already. Steve Smith will not see another quadruple or triple team this season, and when he does see a double team, the ball is going to Keyshawn. Good luck guarding this Smith this year coaches.
6. Matt Leinhart will not start a game-
For those silly people who just assume that Kurt Warner is just a lock for injury are just silly. I almost get the feeling that sports reporters seem to think he is the Ken Griffey of the NFL, a great player that no matter how healthy he is, he’s always on the brink of getting injured. As much as I have tried to dispel such a notion in baseball to no avail, I’ll still try and dispel it in this case. You cannot assume Warner will get hurt. He is a veteran, and so he did what he had to do to not only recover from last season, but to get in better shape to prevent the same thing from happening this season. With that said, Leinhart just does not have the arm strength worthy required of a rookie trying to start in the NFL. It is going to take him years to master the touch and vision that left-handed touch passer like himself will have to have in order to become a regular starter. His development will be much along the lines of Chad Pennington. Let’s just hope he does not acquire the same “automatic” injury that Pennington has marked on his resume.
5. The Texans will finish ahead of the Jaguars in the AFC South-
This is a big shot in the dark. I will not lie, I’m just throwing this in hear because there is always a surprise cellar team that does great the next season, and well, this is the best I could come up with. But this is why I like the Texans to turn it around so drastically this season: 1. Eric Moulds arrival will make Andre Johnson a much better player, and this will make things a lot easier for David Carr. 2. The offensive line has to play better than it has the last 3 seasons, and this will result in Carr’s best chance to leave a game standing up this year. 3. The Texan’s D could play last year, and if it were not for such a horrible offense, their stats might actually demonstrate their level of play. With a cornerstone like Dunta Robinson at corner (who can match up with the likes of division foe Marvin Harrions), the defense is poised to rebound this year and make their emphasis on the scoreboard and on the state sheet.
4. Randy Moss will be back to his old form-
Randy Moss is an egotistical guy. And despite what you’ve heard, he works hard to perfect his game. He hates working hard, but he hates being a loser even more than that. Moss will come back stronger than ever, and barring injury, he will be looking to outdo his counterpart, T.O., who has stolen so many of his headlines without even playing. The addition of Aaron Brooks will allow for a lot more offensive plays to be kept alive, which will lead to a lot of defensive break downs and the old heave-hoe to Moss 60 yards down the field with the closest defender being the photographer in the end zone.
3.
Kansas City
will finally make it to the playoffs –
Herm Edwards will not stand for bad defense and mis-tackles by players. I know that’s hard to say after what we say in
New York
last year, but the Jets actually did play hard on defense. It was not their fault that they had Any Given Sunday the movie happen to them in real life. Herm will make sure Larry Johnson gets the touches he deserves, and defenses begin to prepare for him, Trent Green will continue to be the “best QB that no one has given any respect” in the NFL. I just hope Herm can keep the offense going and not change too much, but even if he does, offense has never been an issue with this group of guys.
2. The Colts will lose again in a big game-
I am sorry, but I just cannot expect him to get his team to the Superbowl until it happens. He’s the best passer in the game, but when it comes to being the best leader and clutch player, he is not close. He has to get this monkey off his back, because it slow him down right up until he retires if he does not. He does not even have to make it to the Superbowl to get it off though. If he could only beat the Patriots in these playoffs, or beat the teams that he is supposed to beat and lose to the teams they’re supposed to loose to in January, then no one will say he failed because of the pressure.
1. The Ravens will win the Superbowl-
Jason Whitlock might have published it first, but I thought of it before him. The addition of Air McNair to the Ravens is such a good fit for the Ravens that they deserve the story book ending. Jamal Lewis will return to form as this summer he has had a chance to get in shape and not just be getting out of jail. Pairing Mason up with McNair again is what they both needed to revive their careers. And the return of Ed Reed to any defense makes it a top 5 defense as far as I am concerned. If this defense plays up to its potential- excuse me- WHEN this defense plays up to its potential, watch out league! Because Ray-ray is coming to get you!
