NFL Weekly

I have been neglecting my NFL Weekly column for a while now, but with the season about to start you can expect NFL news every Tuesday. I will also be giving my picks against the spread every week, most likely on Saturday. Since there is a game on Thursday this week, here is my pick for that game:

Washington Redskins (-4) at New York Giants: The Giants are favored by 4 points and I am going to go with the Redskins because I think this game is going to be an ugly 17-14 type of game.

This version of NFL Weekly also includes my season preview. I'm not going to make predictions on who is going to win it all without seeing any teams play yet, but I will give a group of teams who I think have a chance to win it all.

AFC East:
1. New England Patriots
2. New York Jets
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Miami Dolphins

Comments: The Jets will give the Patriots some problems when they play head to head but I still don't think they are good enough to win the division. New England should win the division pretty easily again. Their offense is still going to be unbelieveable and I think the defense will be good enough for them to win another 12-14 games this season. I think the Jets will be in the mix for the playoffs. Miami and Buffalo will be lucky to reach 8-8.

AFC North:
1. Cleveland Browns
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Baltimore Ravens

Comments: Both Cleveland and Pittsburgh have tough schedules this year, having to play the NFC East and the ACF South, but the Steelers also have to play San Diego and New England, while the Browns get Denver and Buffalo. I think that will be the difference between these two teams this year. I love the moves the Browns made in the offseason but if Derek Anderson turns out to be a fluke then all bets are off. Baltimore is going to be an awful team this year and should have one of the top 3 picks in the draft. The Bengals will probably struggle with their tough schedule unless their defense is improved.

AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Houston Texans

Comments: Jacksonville is the favorite pick of a lot of so-called NFL experts this season as a dark horse to win the AFC but I need to see a little more from David Garrard before I'm convinced they can be that good. I still think Indy wins this division but Jacksonville will definitely give them a run for their money. I think this is the toughest division in the AFC and maybe the toughest division in football. I think the Texans are good enough to be a playoff team and they might end up finishing 4th in this division.

AFC West:
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Denver Broncos
3. Oakland Raiders
4. Kansas City Chiefs

Comments: If the Chargers stay healthy then they should win this division going away. Oakland and Kansas City aren't going to be good anytime soon and I don't think Denver's defense has improved enough for them to challenge for the division.

AFC Super Bowl Contenders: New England Patriots, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC Playoff Contenders: Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans

Middle of the Pack: Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals

Wait 'til Next Year: Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders

NFC East:
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. New York Giants
4. Washington Redskins

Comments: Dallas should be able to win this divison but the next three teams could finish anywhere. I'll give the edge to the Eagles because if McNabb stays healthly they should be good enough to do some damage this season. I think the Giants are headed for a letdown and they have already been bitten by the injury bug. Washington is a solid team but I'm not sure Jason Campbell is good enough yet to lead them back to the playoffs in this division. I think there's a good chance this division could have three teams in the playoffs because they get to play the AFC South and the NFC West, which are two of the weaker divisions in the NFL.

NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Atlanta Falcons

Comments: I think Drew Brees and the Saints are primed for a monster season and I think they will challenge Dallas for the right to play in the Super Bowl. I think Tampa Bay won't be able to repeat their performance from last season but they don't seem to have the toughest schedule either. Carolina could be improved but I don't see them as a making much noise even if they do make the playoffs. Atlanta of course is rebuilding with Matt Ryan at QB.

NFC North:
1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

Comments: I have serious question marks about every team in this division and I could also make the case for each one to win the division, except for the Bears. Minnesota has a great defense and if Adrian Peterson stays healthy, then they should be able to win their fair share of games this season. The Packers still have a strong D, but the jury is still out on Aaron Rodgers. I think he will be solid and I wouldn't be surprised if the Packers have a good year. Detroit is a dark horse to me because if Calvin Johnson has a breakout season at WR, they could be scary on offense but the defense is a question mark as usual. I think the Bears have no chance this season if they are going to use Kyle Orton as their QB.

NFC West:
1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. St Louis Rams
4 San Francisco 49ers

Comments: This is still Seattle's division to lose and I think they will win it once again. The Cardinals are promising but never seem to be able to get over the hump. The Rams are better this season on paper but they have a brutal schedule. The 49ers should be better this season but the jury is still out on how effective J.T. O'Sullivan will be at QB for them.

NFC Super Bowl Contenders: Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks

NFC Playoff Contenders: Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings

Middle of the Pack: Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Byccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions

Wait 'til Next Year: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl Pick: I'm not going to pick a Super Bowl winner so early in the season, but you can bet I will chime in with who I think will win it all once the season moves along. Right now I feel like the Super Bowl champ will be either New England, Dallas, or San Diego but a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. I don't think any of us thought the Giants would win last season. If the Patriots defense can match their offense, then I think they will win it all. Dallas is the best team on paper in the NFC, so if they still healthy and don't make the Super Bowl then it will pretty much be a choke job by them.


Other NFL News:

- The Detroit Lions signed Rudi Johnson to a 1-year contract and he will compete for carries with rookie Kevin Smith.

- The Carolina Panthers acquired QB Josh McCown from the Dolphins. McCown was brought in to provide a veteran presence to backup Jake Delhomme.

- The Patriots cut veteran safety John Lynch and signed two time Pro Bowl CB Deltha O'Neal to help them out in the secondary.