The wait is over; Clubber Lang saw his shadow and is ready for 17 weeks of glorious NFL regular season play.
On to the predictions.
2010 NFL MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers is 26, he turns 27 in early December.
When Brett Favre and the Packers beat the Patriots in Super Bowl 31 back in January of 1997, he too was 27-years-old. I will take it even one step further. When Bart Starr led the Packers to their win over the New York Giants in the 1961 NFL Championship game, he was 27-years-old. Never doubt the football Gods; they work in very powerful and mysterious ways.
Defensive player of the year: Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
It doesn’t hurt Willis to have a head coach who is a Hall of Fame linebacker in Mike Singletary. Willis might be the fastest linebacker in the NFL, and that speed is a big reason why he will be the best defensive player in the league this year. Before he was hired by the 49ers, Singletary worked with another pretty good linebacker in Baltimore, Ray Lewis.
AFC
East: Jets
Are the Jets overrated? Hell yes they’re overrated. But they are still a good team, even with all the hype. But in the now immortal words of coach Rex Ryan it is time for this team to go and “eat a (expletive) snack.” A noted junk food junkie, Ryan received the biggest snack of all one week before the season opener against the Ravens when they finally re-signed all-pro cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Now that defence is taken care of, he can turn his attention to Mark Sanchez.
North: Ravens
The Ravens might be the toughest football team in the NFL.
Their coach, John Harbaugh, is tough. Their players are tough. Baltimore is a tough city. Heck, even the Ravens media relations guy, Chad Steele, is a tough dude. What sets this year’s Ravens team apart from last year’s is the addition of wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Now Joe Flacco has a legitimate down-field threat to compliment the Ravens already solid running game and short passing game.
On top of Boldin, the Ravens also picked up receivers Donte Stallworth and TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Stallworth is out until late October with a broken foot, so Houshmandzadeh is good insurance until he returns. Much has been made about the injuries in the Ravens secondary. While it has to be a concern for Harbaugh, he still has the likes of Lewis, Haloti Ngata and Terrell Suggs on defence.
Plus, the Ravens will make the most of their outstanding dual-threat running back, Ray Rice.
South: Colts
If there ever was proof that the pre-season means nothing in the NFL, look at the Colts. Indy almost never wins in the pre-season, yet they almost never lose in the regular season. It’s the post season that causes them trouble from time-to-time. But as long as they have Peyton Manning running the show, the Colts are still the team to beat in the AFC South. It doesn’t hurt Manning to have weapons like Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne to work with. Having a healthy Bob Sanders helps the Colts defense in a big way.
West: Chargers
No disrespect to the Chargers, but the AFC West is one of the weakest divisions in the NFL.
A 9-7 record might be good enough for the Chargers to win the West and lock up a home playoff game. The Chargers made a tough decision in the off-season when they released local legend LaDainian Tomlinson. The Chargers are confident they found a replacement when they drafted running back Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State. Philip Rivers is the best quarterback in the AFC West by a wide margin. Just as important as the Revis holdout in New York has been the Vincent Jackson holdout in San Diego. The Chargers can win the West without him. But they won’t win the AFC without him in the lineup. If Chargers general manager A.J. Smith ends up trading Jackson, he better get something good in return because V-Jax is a game-breaking receiver.
AFC Wild Cards: Texans and Dolphins
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| Fins' coach Tony Sparano expects more from his pass rushing Canadian, Cameron Wake. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) |
It’s a good thing that Revis finally signed that new deal, because the Jets are going to need them when they face the Dolphins this year. The Dolphins swept the season series against the Jets last year, scoring 61 points over the two games. This year, the Dolphins will be able to unleash receiver Brandon Marshall against Revis and the Jets.
I e-mailed coach Tony Sparano during the pre-season about Cameron Wake and he confirmed my theory that the former BC Lion will be asked to step up his game and become a key cog in the Dolphins defence, both against the run and in putting pressure against the quarterback.
The Texans have it all. A world class stadium, cool looking uniforms, smoking hot cheerleaders, and most important, the Texans have a bad-ass, gun-slinging quarterback in Matt Schaub. The big reason Schaub exploded for 4,770 yards last year was his favourite target, receiver Andre Johnson. Remember all that talk about how the Texans blew it when they drafted Mario Williams over Reggie Bush? With 35 sacks in the past three seasons, the Texans defensive end has erased all the doubters and established himself as one of the premiere sack masters in the NFL.
NFC
East: Cowboys
The biggest issue facing the good people of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan isn’t unemployment or crime, it’s the Cowboys’ offence. Cowboys fans should realize that the pre-season doesn’t count.
Now, if Tony Romo and Austin Miles don’t light it up against the Redskins, then Cowboys fans can start to worry. With the addition of Dez Bryant, Romo has a lot of weapons to work with. The big issue in Big D is the big men up front. The Cowboys offensive line is the biggest issue facing the Cowboys offence. Assuming they Boys can patch something together and give Romo time to operate, Dallas will be fine. With 45 sacks in the past three seasons, DeMarcus Ware is the leader on a solid Cowboys defence.
North: Packers
It seems like blasphemy to even suggest this, but thanks to Aaron Rodgers, the legions of Packers fans around North America are so over Brett Favre leaving them. While Brett plays his silly games with the Vikings, the Packers have put their faith behind the strong arm and cool demeanor of Rodgers. The Packers defence features studs such as Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, BC Raji and Charles Woodson.
South: Saints
Who dat baby? Lost in all the sentiment and emotion over the Saints Super Bowl win over the Colts was the fact they are a solid, well-coached team. Drew Brees has earned the right to be mentioned as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, right up there with Peyton Manning et al. Sean Payton is not only a good X's and O's coach, but he's also a good motivator. Payton will not allow the Saints to allow their Super Bowl win go to their heads.
West: 49ers
Like the AFC West, the NFC West is a weak division. Thanks to major quarterback issues in Arizona, the 49ers have been handed a gift from the football gods. And you can bet that the ultra-intense Mike Singletary is not about to let the 49ers blow their chance at winning the division and getting a home playoff game. Even if Smith is their quarterback, Singletary is going to will the 49ers into the post-season.
Would you want to make Singletary mad?
NFC Wild Cards: Vikings and Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons missed the playoffs last year, but they did something for the first time in the history of their franchise; two consecutive winning seasons. Now they go into 2010 with a healthy Matt Ryan and an ageless legend in tight end Tony Gonzalez. There’s no question that running back Michael Turner needs to repeat his huge 2008 season.
Despite injuries that forced him to miss five games in 2009, Turner still was able to score 10 touchdowns. In an effort to solidify the Falcons defence, GM Thomas Dimitroff acquired cornerback Dunta Robinson in the off-season. It won’t hurt the Falcons’ chances when they face a Steelers team in Week 1 with Dennis Dixon at quarterback.
The Vikings have become such a soap opera that they deserve a reality show of their own. Brad Childress might not drop the F-bombs like Rex Ryan, but he is no less driven to win. Why else would he excuse three of the Vikings best players so they could take a road trip to Mississippi to convince Brett Favre to come back for one more year?
Now Favre goes into the season with a bad ankle, without Sidney Rice until Week 7 and Percy Harvin is plagued by devastating migraines. That means Adrian Peterson should get the ball a lot more this year. Assuming he can figure out a way to hang on to the football, that might be good news for Vikings fans.
Jared Allen had 14.5 sacks last year, but in the off-season he cut off his mullet for his wedding day. Hopefully that won’t have any effect on his ability to put pressure on the quarterback.
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Poll
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Lang takes the Packers and Ravens in the Super Bowl, do you agree?
Playoffs
AFC Championship: Ravens over the Jets
Despite all of the hype, the Jets will ultimately be done in by Mark Sanchez and his inability to do more than simply manage the game. As great as Revis is, he won’t be able to cover everyone on what will turn out to be a surprisingly effective Ravens offence.
NFC Championship: Packers over the Saints
Instead of the cozy confines of the Superdome, this year’s NFC Championship game will be played on the famous “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field. The bitter weather and the Packers defence featuring Charles Woodson and Clay Matthews will play a big factor as the Packers head back to the Super Bowl. One player who won’t be affected by the weather or the moment will be the player of the year in the NFL, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
SuperBowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium
Packers over Ravens. This is the year of Aaron Rodgers, and like Drew Brees the year before, he will not be denied.
Rogers Sportsnet's NFL Preview Show airs this Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 11pm ET on Sportsnet East; 7:30pm & 11:30pm ET in Ontario; 11pm MT in the West and 8pm PT on Pacific .
