Last year, the AFC West was a terrible division. The difference between first place in the division (Denver 8-8) and last place (Kansas City 7-9) was 1 game. This division was devastated by injuries (Chiefs, Raiders), subpar quarterback play (Broncos) and general suckiness (Chargers). This year, however, things are supposed to be different. I have serious doubts about that. Continue reading
NFL Preview 2012
7 posts
Before I get to the AFC East, I’d like to discuss the biggest story in the NFL right now: the referee lockout. I watched a few (meaningless) preseason games and the replacement refs looked like they came straight out of Clown College. I actually don’t blame the replacement refs, I blame the NFL with its incredibly arcane and complex rule book and the fact that these replacements had only a few weeks to learn it. The official rulebook is 244 pages long and reads like a bad Congressional bill. If this labor dispute continues into the regular season, you are going to see important games changed by bad calls and coaches out of challenges by the end of the first quarter. Continue reading
Before I get to the AFC North, I’d like to address the biggest rumor in the NFL right now swirling around New Orleans. Roger Goodell appears to be ready to reduce the suspension on Vilma in exchange for him dropping the defamation of character lawsuit. This could mean that Goodell’s evidence isn’t as strong as he stated, or it could just mean he doesn’t want a long court battle. I tend to believe the former because when is the last time you heard NFL management backing down? The coaching situation is still screwed, however, as Saint’s management admitted they were guilty and they don’t have a leg to stand on. This development could be a ray of hope in the black cloud hanging over New Orleans right now, so on to the AFC North. Continue reading
The NFC South may be the most interesting division in football this year. I saved this one for last for a reason. I went over rosters and stats from last year. I checked draft reports. I consulted a Magic Eight Ball and made sacrifices to the Dark Lord Cthulhu in a vain attempt to get a handle on what is going on and pretty much came up empty. I’m just going to throw some shit at the wall and see what sticks.
Ahh the NFC West, *sniff* *sniff*, smells like mediocrity in the morning. Nothing like turning on the TV for the late afternoon game to find the exciting display of incompetence that is Rams/Cardinals. I mean it’s pretty hard to take this division seriously when two years ago they sent a 7-9 team to the playoffs. The Niners are at least a bright spot in this black hole of suck of the NFL. Let’s get this over with quickly, because I can’t be drunk while I write this and have no other way to dull the pain. Continue reading
There’s nothing quite like the smell of the infamous black and blue division in the morning, so christened because this is another division full of teams that are close to each other geographically, for the most part have rabid fan bases and love beating the hell out of each other. Last year the Bears suffered some injury woes at key positions and dropped out of playoff contention about halfway through the season. The Packers pretty much dominated the division with a stellar aerial attack but couldn’t win when it mattered. The Vikings were in a rebuilding mode and the Lions finally showed some promise, but it may just have been a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Continue reading
Training camp has started and soon your favorite team for which you had high hopes will lose a key player in a meaningless preseason game and dash your hopes for the entire season. Let’s start off my preview of the coming season with a look at our current champions and their chances of repeating. While overall this division is weak, these teams love beating the hell out of each other, so at least if you are forced to watch an NFC East game, you can laugh as the woeful Redskins spoil the Cowboys’ playoff chances when Romo throws 4 picks in a game. Continue reading