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2005 NFL Preview
We will be covering
the entire off season for each team and giving you a preview of the upcoming 2005 season with updates from now through kickoff. Are you ready!
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
AFC
North
This is
one of the more balanced divisions in the league with the big question being when will the Bengals
gel completely. Expect the Bengals to be much improved, but they have to get through last
years Cinderella story to get there. The Steelers of course wont repeat their 15-1 record of
last year when they surprised everyone, but they should still be strong enough to win the division.
While down in Baltimore the Ravens fell apart in the stretch last year, don't expect a repeat of
that performance. Cleveland wont be a factor for a year or two as they embark on yet another
rebuilding process.
Our divisional
pick: Pittsburgh Steelers
| Team Previews presented by
FreeSportsLetter.com |
1.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The
Steelers and "Big Ben" look to repeat a magical season. Will we see the Ben we saw in the 15-1
regular season, or the Ben we saw in the playoffs?....more |
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2.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals may have been 8-8 for the second year in a
row, but they appear posed for bigger and better things.
Quarterback Carson Palmer had a shaky start as expected last year, but after a 1-4 start he won 5 of
his next 8 starts before sitting out the last 3 games to protect a strained knee...more
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3. Baltimore Ravens
The
Ravens had high hopes for 2004 after their narrow 2003 playoff loss to Tennessee, and things
were looking good after a 7-3 start, but then the wheels came off mainly because of injuries to
Todd Heap and Ray Lewis who is the glue that holds this defense together......more |
4.
Cleveland Browns
Former Patriots
defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has taken over as the Browns' new head coach, and he
together with new GM Phil Savage are both cleaning house....more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
AFC
South
Well, at
least there is some stability in the league. The South should look much like last year in the
end. Indianapolis has its high powered offense together for at least one year and its defense
continues to show improvement. The Jaguars are getting closer but with their defensive mindset
they fit much better in the NFC. David Carr continues to improve down in Houston but he still
has never had a good enough line to date. The Titans always have McNair, but the defense just
got worse so they will end up in the cellar once again.
Our divisional
pick: Indianapolis Colts
| Team Previews presented by
FreeSportsLetter.com |
1.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts can't seem to get past the same nemesis as everyone
else for the the past two years, both seasons, the Colts have seen a successful
season end in the playoffs at the hands of the New England Patriots...more |
2.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The
Jaguars are on the verge of being able to challenge Indianapolis for the
division if not this year, very soon. In 2004, Jacksonville was 29th
in scoring offense and barely fell short of the playoffs. The Jaguars made
moves to improve the offense, but Fred Taylor's health remains a big
question...more |
3.
Houston Texans
Last years two-game improvement in the standings just seemed like it
wasn't enough. We think the season ending loss to the lowly Browns which
kept the Texans from their first non losing season has left a bitter taste in
the mouths of the Texans and their fans....more
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4.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are the best example of what
poor salary cap management can do to a team. They were 5-11 last year and
that's before they were forced to release, declined options, and didn't try to
keep the best free agents who were the core of their team due to salary cap
concerns. In all they lost nineteen veterans this offseason....more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
AFC
East
Every
team in the NFL is still chasing the Patriots. The other three in their division have to do it
twice a year. No easy task, but this may be the year that the Patriots come back to reality
with changes in offensive and defensive coordinator positions as well as losing their starting MLB
tandem. The Patriots are also faced with a brutal schedule with 4 of their first 6 games on
the road. We think this is the year that the Jets make their move.
Our divisional
pick: NY Jets
| Team Previews presented by
FreeSportsLetter.com |
1.
New York Jets
The Jets only have one really big problem.
They play
in the same division as the Patriots.
Everyone is looking for Chad Pennington to come back strong after undergoing
off-season surgery on his right shoulder. Pennington fully
expects to be starting come September 11th against KC...more |
2.
New England Patriots
No team has ever won 3 straight Super Bowl's. There have been 7
teams win two in a row and none of those 7 has ever made it back to try the
third time even.
Then again the NFL has never seen anything like the evil genius that is Bill Belichick....more |
3. Buffalo Bills
How does a quarterback finish the year winning 8 of its last 10 games end up out of a
job? Being 32 years old, slow as a turtle, with an impatient owner, and having a number
one pick behind you as Drew Bledsoe found out after the 2004 season....more |
4.
Miami Dolphins
The 2004 season began with the abrupt retirement of Ricky Williams just
before training camp and ended with a franchise-worst 12 losses. Not a time for status quo,
thus we now have Nick Saban coaching the Dolphins...more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
AFC
West
The most
exciting division in the NFL just gets better with new signings all around and rivalries that are
tougher than any other division. These divisional games are all absolute wars. We think
Kansas City has made the most improvement with a passel of signings on defense and they return every
skilled starter again on offense. the defense has a huge chip on its collective shoulder and
if the newcomers are close to their billing there may be a whole lot of lopsided games involving the
Chiefs. San Diego had a wonderful season last year and is not a one year wonder, we just think
the Chiefs will have too much balance to be overcome although this will be a tight race.
Oakland made huge strides on offense with everyone's favorite WR Randy Moss in the Gold and Black
they will be a lot of fun to watch, but will be much like the Chiefs of last year scoring a lot of
points but giving up more. The Broncos will take a step back. Signing the castoff entire
DL from Cleveland is not what most would consider a step forward, and Jake Plummer continues to make
boneheaded decisions at times. No team in this division will be bad and there will probably
only be 2 games separating top from bottom.
Our divisional
pick: Kansas City Chiefs
| Team Previews presented by
FreeSportsLetter.com |
1.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have decided that they are tired of being
defensive doormats. Team President Carl Peterson decided to let it all
hang out and went crazy on defense in free agency and the draft...more |
2.
San Diego Chargers
Finally, hell froze over.
From 4-12 to 12-4. Football hasn't been this fun in San
Diego since Air Coryell. In a lot of ways what the Chargers are doing is
unfair as after that turnaround they got two first round draft picks again
this year....more |
3.
Oakland Raiders
There remains in our minds the possibility that Norv Turner
did something in a previous life to deserve this. First he has to deal with Dan
Snyder and now its the magic ride in Oakland....more |
4.
Denver Broncos
Maybe it's just us, or maybe its the lack of
oxygen in Denver, but we cant begin to understand what the heck Mike Shanahan is
doing. For the second successive year, Denver's season ended in a
blowout in Indianapolis. And for the second successive offseason, the Broncos
traded their leading rusher in an attempt to bolster its defense....more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
NFC
North
Sure
everyone in the north is happy to see Randy Moss leave, they shouldn't necessarily be thinking that
way. For some reason in a town with a proud defensive history, having Moss seemed to make the
Vikings forget about defense. Expect that to change. The Packers have won 3 straight
division titles, but have to start showing their age at some point and the Vikings hope to be
building up at the right time. The Lions and Bears are showing improvement, but they are still
the Lions and Bears.
Our divisional
pick: Minnesota Vikings
1.
Minnesota Vikings
The
post-Randy Moss era begins in Minnesota. Mike Tice barely held on to
his job following the disappointing stretch drive the second year in a row. |
2.
Green Bay Packers
We
all thought last year after that devastating picture of Brett Favre trudging
off the field having thrown four interceptions in the home playoff loss to
Minnesota that we had seen the last of Brett. |
3.
Detroit Lions
Last season was supposed to be the Lions' year. That didn't happen, but the
high expectations have emerged once again in Detroit. |
4. Chicago Bears
Where to start with
the Bears. The worst offense in the league, the 21st ranked defense and that's the best
thing the bears have going for them. It's enough to make Mike Ditka start doing erectile
dysfunction commercials....more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
NFC
South
It seems
every team that wins this division tanks the next year. Don't expect a repeat of that as the
Falcons remain far above the other teams in the South although not necessarily in the NFC and
certainly not the AFC's upper tier.
Our divisional
pick: Atlanta Falcons
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1.
Atlanta Falcons
After
taking the Falcons from 5-11 to the NFC Championship in his first season, Jim Mora is ready for
more.
There is one hurdle that the Falcons have to clear before talking about a World Championship... The
Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons in their 39 year history....more
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2. Carolina Panthers
After an injury riddled disaster in 2004 the Panthers are poised for a
major rebound.
The Panthers almost pulled it off last year despite starting
out 1-7 with injury trouble spelling doom and gloom, but then the magic came back....more |
3. New
Orleans Saints
Yes
the Saints can be fun to watch, if a bit maddening. The fans must feel like
Dan Akroyd in return to Eden after being beaten constantly by Rosie
O'Donnell...more |
4.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jon Gruden is finding out that success brings additional
pressure to win and the Buc's player exodus has made that more difficult...more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
NFC
East
Not a
lot to preview here as the Eagles continue to dominate the division. This isn't going to
change as every other team in the division will most likely remain at or under .500 for this year at
least. The only intriguing story is in Dallas where we get to try to measure Drew Bledsoe's 40
time against Parcells. I am guessing that Parcells will win in a footrace.
Our divisional
pick: Philadelphia Eagles
1.
Philadelphia Eagles
Within days of falling just short in Jacksonville, Eagles players were going
public with complaints about Donovan McNabb's evident fatigue late in the
game among a litany of other charges....more |
2. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys continue to build in the mold of Bill
Parcell's. That's to say strong defense and serviceable offense.
Most of the Cowboys offseason moves were designed to build
around the Parcell's philosophy of what it takes to win in the NFL....more |
3.
New York Giants
Year 1 of the Tom Coughlin era
was full of painful lessons. Veterans used to Coughlin's easygoing
predecessor learned that the old rules no longer applied...more |
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4.
Washington Redskins
Last year, the consensus opinion
was that there was nothing wrong with the underachieving Redskins that the
coaching switch from overmatched Steve Spurrier to Hall of Famer and D.C.
icon Joe Gibbs couldn't fix. Now, after yet another losing season and
another summer of roster turnover and off-the-field controversy, the Gibbs
bandwagon is slowing considerably....more |
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
2005 Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions
NFC
West
We saved the
worst for last and its not even close. This division isn't anything to write home about and
winning this division is similar to getting the most likely to be arrested award in high school.
Whoever comes out of this mess is just playoff fodder, after all the NFC has to get enough teams in
somehow. That said the Cardinals are improving and the only consistent winner in the NFC West
has been Chike Okeafor. He left the 49ers and they became a doormat and the team he went to
(Seattle) won the division last year. He is now on the Cardinals roster and we are basing our
pick almost solely on the superstition of Chike. (Any better reason to pick a team out of the
NFC West?)
Our divisional pick: Arizona
Wranglers Cardinals
1.
Arizona Cardinals
Despite only going 6-10 last year, Arizona is primed for a huge
turnaround in 2005. Head coach Dennis Green and the Cardinals organization spent a lot of time and
effort to bring in some of the top free-agent talent and draft the best possible players....more |
2.
Seattle Seahawks
One of the NFL's most underachieving teams in recent years Mike
Holmgren might be feeling pressure to produce a playoff victory -- something
his teams have not done yet in his six previous seasons with the
Seahawks....more |
3.
St. Louis Rams
With the Rams, the questions mostly center around the defense, not
the offense. The offense remains one of the best in the league, but the Rams
defense couldn't stop the run, and the special teams were dismal...more |
4.
San Francisco 49ers
This team has changed direction virtually every year, but none of
the overhauls were as striking as this one. John York opened up his
checkbook, fired and paid off his former general manager and coaching staff,
then laid out money for new coach Mike Nolan and $24 million in guarantees
for quarterback Alex Smith, the first pick of the draft...more |
2005 Playoff
and Super Bowl Team Predictions:
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AFC:
Division Winners:
Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, NY Jets, Kansas City
Wild Cards: San Diego and New England
First Round Winners:
Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, NE, KC
Divisional Round:
KC over Indianapolis
NE over Pittsburgh
AFC Champion:
Kansas City Chiefs |
NFC
Division Winners:
Minnesota, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Arizona
Wild Cards: Green Bay and Carolina
First Round Winners:
Green Bay, Minnesota, Atlanta, Philadelphia
Divisional Round:
Green Bay over Atlanta
Philadelphia over Minnesota
NFC Champion: Philadelphia
Eagles |
2006 Super Bowl Champions:
Kansas City Chiefs
AFC North│AFC South│AFC East│AFC West
NFC North│NFC South│NFC East│NFC West
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