Predict the playoffs (1 Viewer)

[jurb26]

Spin off of the King thread. Who are your picks to make the playoffs this year? Here's who I'm going with:

1. NE - Brady back, loaded with talent and best coaching staff in the NFL.

2. Pitt - Bring back nearly all the pieces of last years SB team.

3. Hou - Primed for a break out year.

4. SD - Best of the worst division in football a 2nd year in a row.

5. Tenn - Won't repeat last seasons success, but good enough to knock the Colts out of the playoffs.

6. Buf - Surprise team in the AFC for 2009.

1. NO - Elite QB with playmakers all around and enough upgrades on D to win the #1 seed.

2. Arz - Rich got richer by nabbing the missing piece to an already loaded team... Power RB Wells.

3. Philly - Conceivably the best team in the NFC but wear the scars of the NFC East and fall to a 3 seed.

4. GB - Defensive upgrades pay dividends.

5. Car - I have serious questions about Delhomme but the running game is simply too good to ignore.

6. Wash - Hayensworth and Orakpo bolster Wash's D to playoff caliber.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

AFC:

NEpats

Indy

Pitt

SD

Wildcards:

Tenn

Balt

NFC:

NYG

Minny

NO

Arziona

Wilcards:

Dallas

Carolina

 

[Liquid Tension]

I see this year with a few dominant teams and many very close teams in the middle

I see NE and Pitt the class of the AFC and I see the NFC with more solid teams. In other words the if you took the top 8 teams, 6 would come from the NFC.

Some notes plagiarized from Jurb, but not in any order

NE - Dolphins will be improved but have a worse record. Jets will be 9-7 again with Buffalo at about 8-8

Pitt - Bring back nearly all the pieces of last years SB team.

Hou - I chose 3 teams from the same division??? Miami could sneak in if the draft went well for them

SD - Best of the worst division in football a 2nd year in a row.

Jacksonville - Tenn losing haynesworth and Colline getting older get Jacksonville in

Indy - Solid enough to get in

NO - Bad D concerns me (ETA: Minnesota and Atlanta would be the others I would choose)

Arz - Not as good as they played at the end of the season, but they will win the weak division.

Philly - Tough division, but will get in as they have made nice moves this offseason

NYG - Too solid to not make the playoffs

Car - Solid team on offense and better than NO on defense

Chicago - Cutler will help the offense and the defense.

 

[Chase Stuart]

4. GB - Defensive upgrades pay dividends.

Raji and Matthews? Am I missing anything else?I just don't see this team playing a 3-4 well. For starters, as big as Raji is, I'm not sure he's going to reach his potential as a 3-4 nose; he'd be more valuable in a 4-3. Kampman was a star DE but as a 3-4 OLB how good will he be? I don't see Matthews as an elite edge rusher, either. Hawk should be fine as a 3-4 ILB, but who is going to protect him inside? The 3-4 ends look unimpressive to me. Maybe you can shed some light on this for me, but I don't see a lot to love about this front 7 in '09 and their CBs aren't getting any younger.

 

[Chase Stuart]

1. NE - obvious pick

2. PIT - also obvious

3. SD - obvious. I think we'll see the AFCW winner win more games than the AFCS champ.

4. Ten - loss of Haynesworth is big, but I like this team. They're old at QB and C, but the rest of the offense is young and imporving. Four OL that are 27 or 28 years old. Team wasn't "10-0" good last year, but they're still a great running team and should have a good defense. This has more to do with not loving...

5. Ind - this team is really just all Manning. If they didn't draft Donald Brown, I'd have them out of the playoffs. I'm not in love with all the coaches leaving, either.

6. NYJ - not much of a difference between the Jets and Tennessee. Both teams have the speedster and the plodder, although the Jets have the third guy -- Thomas Jones. Both defenses should be very good; Jets back 8 is top five in the league with three elite talents (Revis, Rhodes, Scott), three very good talents (Sheppard, Harris, Pace) and two guys with good potential (Leonhard, Gholston). A healthy Jenkins and the Jets make the playoffs.

1. NYG -- should be another obvious pick. No one hates Eli more than me but this team is stacked at running the ball and in the front seven. Canty and Boley were nice signings.

2. CAR -- I love Ryan/Gonzo/White/Turner, but where's the defense? Jerry leads a nice draft class (including Audible alumn Chris Owens) but I think they're a year away from competing with the Panthers.

3. CHI -- Cutler's going to be good enough to carry this offense. I like Minnesota as the better team, but they also have Brad Childress. Forte is very good, I expect more from Hester, and obviously they now have their QB. Their D has been inconsistent from year to year, and I want to see more out of them (can they be as dominant as they were in '05-'06?) Tommy Harris needs to play like he used to for them to be a SB contender. Love the Knox/Gilbert/Menton picks.

4. ARI - by default, right? Other three teams just aren't there yet. In addition to having the most talented roster, ARI has the best coaching staff in this division. Spags/Singletary/Mora don't exactly scare you in your rearview window. Maybe one day.

5. MIN -- this is a really good team. They just need a coach. And maybe a QB, but I like Rosenfels and Jackson.

6. PHI -- also a very good team. They were in the NFCCG last year (and not by luck, either -- they were much better than their record) and they've only improved since then.

Getting a bye in the NFC will be huge this year; no way do you want to face MIN or PHI in the first round of the playoffs.

 

[TheDirtyWord]

AFC

1. New England (13-3)

2. Indianapolis (12-4)

3. San Diego (12-4)

4. Pittsburgh (11-5)

5. Baltimore (9-7)

6. Houston (9-7)

NFC

1. Atlanta (12-4)

2. Philadelphia (12-4)

3. Chicago (11-5)

4. San Francisco (8-8)

5. Minnesota (11-5 - if they don't sign Favre. If they do, they'll be worse)

6. New Orleans (10-6 - beat NYG via H2H tie breaker)

 

[travdogg]

AFC

1. Indianapolis-its a little bit of a surprise pick, but I see Tennessee taking a major step back and Manning will be 100%. I'm not worried about the coaching change because I think the old group was getting too predictable. I think the offense will be the best its been since 2004 and the defense should be stouter, especially up the middle.

2. San Diego- getting Merriman(and a fully healthy Castillo and Cromartie) back will be huge for the defense. With the increased ability of the defense to stop people, I think the offense will be more consistent and be among the best in the league again. Plus, I think its more than likely they go 6-0 in the division.

3. Pittsburgh- its tough to repeat, but the Steelers have a good chance. They are in a relatively easy division(IMO) and have a dominant defense. I'd have them higher, but I feel they will drop a few winnable games just because teams always get up for the champs.

4. New England- all of a sudden they are in a pretty tough division again. I think they will be good, but I still worry about their defense and their running game, even if the stats don't back it up. Also, Brady is a small concern, he'll still be great, but let's not underestimate a major knee injury's ability to force a player's decline.

5. Houston- the year finally arrives, the Texans make the playoffs. The offense is an excellent unit, and the defense is rounding into shape. Only real questions are Schaub's durability and a difficult division.

6. Cincinnati- sleeper of the year, they went 4-3-1 down the stretch even though their best player wasn't playing and their 2nd best player was playing with a very under reported injury. The defense took a major leap forward over the final 8 weeks and I believe the Ravens will take a huge step back with Ryan(and Scott to a lesser extent) gone. I'm not saying they will do anything in the playoffs, but I think they can sneak in, which likely buys Marvin Lewis another 4 years.

NFC

1. Arizona- I don't think they were a fluke at all. Their defense isn't that far behind their offense, and the offense should be even better with Beanie on board. They are another team I think will go 6-0 in their division. I also expect the offense to be more balanced with Haley gone. I'm assuming that Boldin stays a Cardinal.

2. Atlanta- Tony Gonzalez will finally win a playoff game. I think Matt Ryan takes another big step forward in year 2. I expect the defense to take a small step forward and the offense to break into the top-5.

3. Green Bay- They were probably the most unlucky team in the NFL last season, they lost something like 6 games that could have really gone either way. I think that trend reverses itself this season and the Pack make a run. In 1 year Aaron Rodgers proved to me to be future stud to the point where I wonder if the Pack should have pushed Favre out sooner. To think Rodgers had the year he did last year with a bum shoulder almost all year is remarkable, I think Rodgers will be an MVP candidate this year. I like the switch to the 3-4, especially since it wasn't like what they were doing was working all that well. Everone is talking about the Vikes and Bears, but I think the Packers are the team to watch in the North.

4. Dallas- I really think the NFC East is going to destroy each other this year. I'm picking Dallas simply because I believe that TO leaving will be a huge upgrade for them, not fantasy wise, but NFL-wise. I also think they will have the best running game this side of Carolina, but with a better passing game and defense than Carolina. I think the Eagles are looking a little overhyped and I think everyone is REALLY underestimating the Giants losing Spagnuolo, who I believe was more valuable than anyone else in NY.

5. New Orleans- the defense should be slightly better, and the offense isn't about to decline and could improve with a fully healthy Shockey(oxymoron?) I'm on board with the Pierre Thomas bandwagon and I also expect 1st rounder Malcolm Jenkins to be the Defensive Rookie of the year.

6. Chicago- I think they sneak in just ahead of Philly and the Giants to claim the 6th seed. I think those expecting Cutler to be great fantasy QB are setting themselves up for disaster, but I think he'll be a much better NFL QB when he doesn't have to score 30+ to win every week.

Super Bowl

Indy over Arizona MVP Peyton Manning(which should spark some great historical discussions)

 

[by_the_sea_wannabe]

AFC

1. Steelers - homer pick but they are the champs until someone knocks them off

2. Pats - to loaded to miss the playoffs again

3. Colts - win 11 games good enough to win the division this year

4. Chargers - easily the class of the west could be the 3

5. Jags - MJD and Garrard are enough to make the playoffs this year

6. Dolphins - Surprise they make the playoffs again

NFC

1. Atlanta - Make the next step to the title game

2. Vikings - Get out of ADP's way and maybe they slip in

3. Giants - Solid team that will fill the Plax void threw committee given the time this offseason

4. Seattle - Hass is back and it holds up

5. Carolina - Should make a run at the title had a great year in what I think was a down year for them

6. Eagles - McNabb is too good to miss the playoffs

 

[PrimUomo]

I'll go by division:

AFC East: 1.Patriots W6. Jets

AFC South: 3. Colts

AFC North: 2. Steelers W5. Ravens

AFC West: 4. Chargers

NFC East: 1. Eagles W5. Giants

NFC South: 2. Falcons W6. Saints

NFC North: 4. Bears

NFC West: 3. 49ers

Playoffs:

Wildcard:

Jets beat Colts

Ravens beat Chargers

49ers beat Saints

Giants beat Bears

Division:

Pats beat Jets

Steelers beat Ravens

Eagles beat Giants

Falcons beats 49ers

Conference:

Pats beat Steelers

Eagles beat Falcons

Super Bowl:

Pats beat Eagles.

 

[Donnybrook]

AFC East: 1.Patriots

AFC North: 2. Steelers W6 Baltimore

AFC South: 3.Tennessee W5 Houston

AFC West: 4. San Diego

NFC East: 1. Giants .W5. Eagles

NFC North: 2. Vikings W6. Chicago

NFC South: 3. Panthers

NFC West: 4. Arizona

Manning willed Indy to victory last season but the defense could not stop anyone. I don't think he can be expected to keep doing this. I believe that the Jets will finish last in the division. This years schedule is much tougher and fans are expecting way too much from a rookie QB with unspectacular WRs. I think Oakland will play tough defense but not sure that Jamarcus is good enough yet to make this team a playoff contender.

 

[gianmarco]

Surprised to see Atlanta at either #1 or #2 seed or completely left off. I think the #1/#2 seed is probably closer to what they can do. I highly doubt they miss the playoffs.

 

[Couch Potato]

Anybody picking Arizona needs to remember the Super Bowl loser curse. Hell, it even kept the nearly unbeaten 2007 Patriots out of the 2008 playoffs. I don't know or care how it will happen, but Zona is cooked. I'll give 'em 3rd in the division.

In no particular order,

NFC -- NYG, SEA, PHI, MIN, NO, ATL

AFC -- IND, NE, PIT, SD, HOU, NYJ

 

[brobe4]

NFC

1.Vikings

2.Falcons

3.Cowboys

4.49ers

5.Giants

6.Saints

AFC

1.Patriots

2.Chargers

3.Texans

4.Ravens

5.Pitt

6.Colts

 

[FUBAR]

Without looking at anyone else's first...

American Football Conference

AFC East New England Patriots

AFC Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC West San Diego Chargers

AFC South Tennessee Titans

WC: Buffalo, Baltimore

National Football Conference

NFC North Minnesota Vikings

NFC East Philadelphia Eagles

NFC South Atlanta Falcons

NFC West San Francisco 49ers

WC: Chicago, New York

WC Weekend:

Baltimore > San Diego

Tennessee > Buffalo

Atlanta > New York

Chicago > San Francisco

Baltimore > New England

Pittsburgh > Tennessee

Minnesota > Chicago

Philadelphia > Atlanta

Baltimore > Pittsburgh

Philadelphia > Minnesota

Baltimore > Philadelphia

Super Bowl Champions:

Baltimore Ravens

 

[VTjkru]

Just came back from the future:

AFC East - Patriots

AFC North - Steelers

AFC South - Houston

AFC West - Chargers

Wild Cards - Dolphins, Titans

NFC East - Eagles

NFC North - Packers

NFC South - Saints

NFC West - Seahawks

Wild Cards - Vikings, Panthers

 

[Dr. Octopus]

AFC

New England

Pittsburgh

Indianapolis

San Diego

NY Jets

Jacksonville

NFC

NY Giants

Chicago

New Orleans

Seattle

Dallas

Minnesota

 

[pollardsvision]

AFC East: Patriots

AFC North: Steelers

AFC South: Colts

AFC West: Broncos

AFC Wildcards: Jets, Texans

NFC East: Eagles

NFC North: Vikings

NFC South: Panthers

NFC West: Seahawks

NFC Wildcards: Giants, Cowboys

 

[Two Deep]

Indy

NE

Pitt

SD

Wild Cards

Balt.

Jets

Chic.

Giants

Falcons

49 ers

Wild

Philly

Arz.

Superbowl: Bears vs. Chargers

Edit to add superbowl

 

[greggorymac]

AFC NORTH: PIT

AFC EAST: NE

AFC SOUTH: IND

AFC WEST: SD

AFC WC1: TEN

AFC WC2: JAC

Three teams from the AFC SOUTH due to drawing the NFC WEST and NFC EAST as their non-divisional opponents.

NFC NORTH: CHI

NFC EAST: PHI

NFC SOUTH: CAR

NFC WEST: ARI

NFC WC1: MIN

NFC WC2: NYG

I see the NFC SOUTH regressing a bit this year.

 

[sinatravolta]

To me the schedules do matter. I think going into this year you have to think the best divisions from top to bottom in each conference are the East and South.

To me this yields:

Hard schedule: AFC East (plays AFC South and NFC South), NFC South (plays AFC East and NFC East) - plus both these divisions are tough so they'll beat each other up a bit within their divisions

Easy schedule: AFC North (plays AFC West, NFC North), NFC North (plays AFC North, NFC West) - plus both these divisions are not that strong so that part of their schedule isn't that bad either.

The other 4 divisions are more mixed.

Anyway - I come up with:

AFC East: New England - schedule is too tough for other teams to make it out

AFC North: Pittsburgh and Baltimore make it again - easy schedule

AFC South: I think 2 teams make it out but which 2 is tough - I'll go with Titans and Texans

AFC West: San Diego

(returns 4 of 6 from last year)

NFC East: NYG, Philly make it out

NFC North: I like 2 teams to make it out - also tough to pick - I'll go with Packers and Bears (Vikes obviously also a fine pick)

NFC South: tough schedule means only 1 makes it - could pick almost any but I'll take Panthers

NFC West: only 1 makes it - I'll take 49ers but could be Cards obviously

(returns 3 of 6 from last year)

 

[Addai's Adidas]

DETROIT -SUPERBOWL CHAMPS 2009

 

[sinatravolta]

AFC NORTH: PITAFC EAST: NEAFC SOUTH: INDAFC WEST: SDAFC WC1: TENAFC WC2: JACThree teams from the AFC SOUTH due to drawing the NFC WEST and NFC EAST as their non-divisional opponents.

I don't get this - the NFC West is easy but the AFC East is tough, as is their own division. Compare this to Baltimore playing Cinci twice, Cleveland twice, KC, Oakland, Denver, Detroit - 8 easy games, compared to 4 hard games (Steelers twice, NE, Indy), I'm counting SD and the other 3 NFC North teams as decent. By contrast, look at how Tennessee starts the season: @Pitt, Houston, @Jets, @Jax, Indy, NE. They don't have a game I'd consider easy until week 14.

NFC NORTH: CHINFC EAST: PHINFC SOUTH: CARNFC WEST: ARINFC WC1: MINNFC WC2: NYGI see the NFC SOUTH regressing a bit this year.

I agree with this as NFC South has very tough schedule.

 

[ahill84006]

AFC EAST = Patriots

AFC NORTH = Steelers

AFC SOUTH = Titans

AFC WEST = San Diego

AFC WC = Houston, Cincy (yes Cincy...Palmer healthy= better year.)

NFC EAST = Philly

NFC NORTH = Chicago

NFC SOUTH = Atlanta

NFC WEST = Arizona

NFC WC = New Orleans, Green Bay

 

[Sinrman]

AFC

1) Pitt

2) NE

3) Indy

4) SD

5) Tenn

6) Balt

NFC

1) Atl

2) Phi

3) AZ

4) GB

5) NYG

6) NO

 

[Ghost of Bill Walsh]

AFC:

EAST- New England Patriots// Brady,Moss,Welker and oh no,Fred Taylor rejuvenated.

NORTH- Pittsburgh Steelers// Big Ben,Ward,Holmes and their best back...Rashard Mendenhall.

SOUTH- Indianapolis Colts//Manning,Wayne,Clark, Addai and Donald Brown trying to outdo each other.

WEST- San Diego Chargers// Rivers,LT2,Gates and Shawn 'Lights Out' Merriman

WILDCARD 1- Houston Texans// Schaub(healthy),A.Johnson,Slaton and Daniels gel into a playoff team

WILDCARD 2- New York Jets// Sanchez(really,Flacco did it his first year),Cotchery,Keller, Shonn(shineon) Greene

NFC:

EAST- New York Giants//Another Manning,Jacobs,Defense and new toy Hakeem Nicks

NORTH- Minnesota Vikings//Favre(Depends 12 pack),AP,Berrian,Percy(Double-Duty) Harvin

SOUTH- Atlanta Falcons//Ryan,Burner Turner,R.White,T.Gonzalez, oh yeah they're in

WEST- Arizona Cardinals//K(Bagboy)Warner,Fitz,Boldin(yep),Beanie & Cecil Wells

WILDCARD 1- Philadelphia Eagles//D(Chunky Soup)McNabb,Westy,D.Jackson,L(real McCoy)McCoy

WILDCARD 2- New Orleans Saints//D(Easy)Brees,Bush,Pierre,M(7th round)Colston

Doubt it'll happen but I'm gonna root to see a Manning vs. Manning Superbowl.

 

[yellowdog]

AFC Division Winners:

New England

Pittsburgh

Indy

San Diego

Wildcards:

Cincy

Houston

NFC Division Winners:

Philly

New Orleans

Minnesota

Seattle

Wildcards:

NYG

Chicago

 

[gonzobill5]

Sure why not:

NFC East: Eagles - Homer pick, and for it to happen they better improve their play within their division

NFC North: GB - Going against the grain here. Rodgers impressed me last year, let's see if they can turn those close losses into wins.

NFC South: NO - I like Carolina, but their secondary was awful last year. How are they going to match up in that division against Brees and Ryan?

NFC West: Rams - this division is up for grabs. They remind me a lot of the '08 dolphins, and I'm a big fan of Spags

Wildcard 1: Giants - I flipped a coin between them and the Redskins. It came up heads, which rhymes with Reds so I picked the Giants.

Wildcard 2: Chicago - Cutler blah blah blah

AFC East: Pats - can't see it any other way

AFC North: Steelers - ditto

AFC South: Indy - would be easy to predict them to slip up, especially since I like Houston's team, but betting against Manning just feels like betting on 00.

AFC West: SD - always a solid regular season team

Wildcard #1: Houston

Wildcard #2: KC - they will be improved and they get to play oakland and denver, who I feel will be among the worst in the league

That leaves out some teams that I think are solid: Miami, Baltimore, NYJ

 

[netnalp]

AFC

North- Pit

East- NE

South- Ind

West- SD

WC- Ten & Mia

NFC

North- Chi

East- NYG

West- Stl

South- Car

WC- Phi & NO

Superbowl- SD loss to Car

 

[evilempire]

AFC

1. Pittsburgh -- won the Super Bowl playing one of the toughest schedules in the league ... this year it's one of the easiest. I see an easy romp to the division and a very good shot at playing for another crown.

2. New England -- Assuming Brady returns to health, the Patriots could once again be the class of the league. Heck, they won 11 games last year with an average talent at QB! The only thing I wonder about is the ground game, but it may not matter.

3. San Diego -- Chargers will win the awful West by default, and the return of Merriman to the defense will make the unit good once again. I think LT has it in him to have one more great season and he'll take pressure off of Rivers.

4. Houston -- Always a trendy pick, this is the year the Texans finally break through. Upgrades on defense with Cushing and Barwin (not to mention Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans) will finally give this team a stop unit to go along with its high powered offense.

5. Indianapolis -- A lot of changes here, which is why they'll take a step back ... just not all the way back.

6. Baltimore -- Easy schedule, more mature Joe Flacco and a defense that's still tough as nails despite the loss of Rex Ryan ... only real competition within the division is Pittsburgh. The early going should tell a lot about Baltimore as it travels to San Diego, New England and Minnesota.

Tennessee will miss Albert Haynesworth more than it realizes, and the proven lack of receivers will end up being the difference between playoffs and no playoffs; Jacksonville typically does better in odd numbered years, so this one could be a surprise. Help on the O-line should help the ball-control offense; Something about Cincinnati sticks out ... maybe it's a healthy Carson Palmer, a very good draft crop or a rededicated Chad Johnson. They won't make the playoffs, but could be in the hunt until late in the season.

NFC

1. NY Giants -- Certainly look like the best, steadiest team in the NFC, though don't overlook the lack of proven WRs without Burress. Still, the defense is awesome and the offense good enough to win the division and make a run at the Super Bowl.

2. Chicago -- Easy sked, upgrade at QB and a defense that was better than people thought (top 10 in most of the important categories) will help the Bears skate into the playoffs.

3. Atlanta -- The best team in a pretty competitive (albeit weak) division. I'd like Carolina more if I thought Jake Delhomme wasn't on the way down, but he sure looked like it last year.

4. Seattle -- Aaron Curry instantly makes the defense better, and you have to remember that the Seahawks lost a ton of guys to injury last year. Hasselbeck and Burleson being healthy will help a lot, and getting Housh as a lead receiver was a solid move.

5. Green Bay -- Improvement on defense will help, as will another year under the belt of Aaron Rodgers. A schedule ranked 30th in the league will help

6. Dallas -- Wade Phillips taking over as DC will be a huge boost, and moving to a more balanced offense (which means fewer decisions being made by Romo) will help control the clock. TO being gone will help the chemistry equation in Big D.

I would like Minnesota more were Brad Childress not the coach; Philadelphia could be mighty dangerous, though I still wonder about playmakers outside; and New Orleans will be improved on defense, but just not enough to unseat the Falcons

 

[FUBAR]

1. NY Giants -- Certainly look like the best, steadiest team in the NFC, though don't overlook the lack of proven WRs without Burress. Still, the defense is awesome and the offense good enough to win the division and make a run at the Super Bowl.

I can't help but notice the similarities between the Giants 09 and Titans 08. NY lacks the playmaker of CJ3, but they have a better QB. Otherwise, they're very similar.

 

[Blackjacks]

New England

Balt

San Diego

Indy

Pitt

Miami

New Orleans

Philly

Arizona

Chicago

Minn

Atl

 

[gorf]

AFC:

NE

Pit

Ind

SD

Bal

Hou

NFC:

Phi

Min

Atl

Ari

NYG

Car

 

[Bonfire]

AFC

Pittsburgh

Indianapolis

New England

San Diego

Houston

Baltimore

NFC

Minneapolis

New Orleans

New York

Seattle

Dallas

Green Bay

 

[Nugget]

AFC:

PITT

IND

SDC

NEP

MIA

JAX

NFC:

MIN

CAR

ARI

PHI

NYG

SEA