Yeppers, Bum died at 90 on Friday and his old boss, Bud Adams, died yesterday, also at 90.


You don't have to love football to respect the pioneers and the guys who dedicated their lives to the game.

 

Warning! This is a long explanation

Taking what I know of divisional likelihood, The teams you will most likely see in the playoffs are as follows:

AFC
New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs (Wild Card)
New York Jets (Wild Card)

The AFC is actually pretty strong this year, I'd even wager it's better than the NFC. New England is seated in a fairly easy division, and with Tom Brady and his receivers getting used to each other (as well as the return of Gronk) they boast a pretty effective offense (vastly underrated O-line). Talib playing with an injured hip may effect his turnover ability, but the glaring problem is their run D (since Wilfork's injury). The Bengals are actually a pretty good team when they come to play. Their defense is what carries them, however. They'll need to up their run game if they want to give the passing game time to connect. The Colts are another team that is lethal when they come to play. Inconsistency is their biggest downfall. It will be interesting in the coming weeks to see how much their offense is affected by the loss of Reggie Wayne. Yes, I have Denver overtaking Kansas City for the Divisional lead. The Broncos, while troubled with weaknesses in the secondary, are overall a solid team. They have an easier schedule on the back half than KC, so I expect them to take the reigns (unless injury befalls them). Kansas City has a decently tough late schedule. While currently undefeated, I don't think they have the personnel to continue their win streak. I expect to see a decent amount of pressure combined with blitz looks to rattle him in the coming weeks. The only reason I have the Jets as edging in for the wild card is because of divisional match ups. Seeing as how they've already beaten New England once (the hardest opponent in the division) they'll have a pretty decent chance of falling into the playoffs. The browns would have had a decent shot of getting in, but with Hoyer injured they have no decent chance of seeing the playoffs. The only teams I see actually challenging the Jets for the wild card are Steelers (far off, I know), Titans, and possibly Chargers.

NFC
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys*
Detroit Lions (Wild Card)
San Francisco 49ers (Wild Card)

*The NFC East is an absolute clusterfuck of uncertainty. For all I know the Redskins could turn around to clinch the division.

Even with the injuries, I think Green Bay is consistently good. Of course, that's what depth does for a team. Their main issue would be on defense (expect to see that change when Clay Mathews returns). New Orleans is sitting on top of a fairly easy division. With Atlanta as rattled as they are and Tampa just standing there with their thumbs up their asses, Carolina is the only potential threat (offensive cohesiveness pending). They'll need to play smarter on D while varying their throws on offense in order to play to their potential. The Seahawks have a great D, but their inconsistent offense is worrisome. It will be interesting to see how it improves with the return of Percy Harvin. The Cowboys seem to be playing most consistently out of anyone in the NFC East, which is the only reason I picked them (even though it pains me to do so). As much as I love the Eagles, they won't be seeing the playoffs this year (in my opinion). The Lions are actually a decent team. Unless one of their playmakers gets injured, I expect them to see the playoffs (though their pass defense is a concern). The 49ers will return to the playoffs. The only question that remains is whether Kaepernick will be able to perform at the same level he did last year during his playoff run.

AFC Champion
Denver Broncos

New England isn't well rounded enough to go to the Superbowl. The receivers' tendencies to drop passes is still pretty alarming. Although Gronk coming back creates a reliable target for Brady, I don't think that will overcome the failings of the rookie receivers (accompanied by Amendola's injury proneness). Combine that with a weak run defense and you have a team that will have a tough time winning. While the Bengals defense is good, I don't think it's quite good enough (lapses in coverage, etc) to play at a Superbowl level. Andy Dalton's own inconsistencies combined with a lacking run game will leave the Bengals out of the Superbowl. Kansas City won't make it. As a life long Eagles fan, I know all too well of Reid's tendency to choke during the playoffs. Alex Smith is also limited to short to intermediate passes, losing an offensive dimension. Despite having a decent defense, I feel like New York's offense is going to be their downfall. Although Geno Smith is improving, the offense is still too one dimensional. Shut down the run, and you'll leave the Jets struggling. All of this really depends on injury, but I feel like the Broncos have more depth than the Colts. Now that Peyton Manning has seen the spectrum of what Indy can do (for the most part, anyway) I think he'll have a stronger strategical edge. Both defenses are pretty even, but Manning's experience combined and the lack of a run game on the Colts part will leave more depth for Denver. Take that with the loss of Reggie Wayne (a reliable target for Luck) and I think you'll see Denver win this one.

NFC Champion
New Orleans Saints

The NFC is a lot tougher to call. Kaepernick's performance pending, I don't think you'll see the 49ers return to the Superbowl. That could all hinge on how well Crabtree recovers from his injury and whether or not Kaepernick actually decides to throw the ball to Vernon Davis for a change. While Green Bay is a solid team, I just don't think they have the defensive capability to go to the Superbowl. They really struggle with intermediate passes on defense and have a slow buildup for the run on offense. While they have depth at the receiver position, I think Jones inconsistency (also injury) and Cobb's injury will have too big of an impact. While the Seahawks have a great pass defense, their run defense is mediocre and their run offense is inconsistent. Marshawn Lynch is a good running back, but when he's been shut down the Seahawks have struggled offensively. Their run defense has struggled, and they also have decent problems against quick gadget plays. As I've previously stated; it will be interesting to see how their pass offense is impacted with Harvin's return. The Cowboys simply aren't as good as the other teams. Although they can get decent pressure, they simply have too many gaps in coverage to be able to effectively stop most of the teams in a playoff run. They struggle when Dez Bryant is shut down, and I feel like other defenses have a pretty easy time getting to Romo (comparatively). While the Lions may not seem great, they're actually a decent option. They have a good run defense, an above average run offense, and a good pass offense (Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush). However, I don't feel like they have quite the depth to get to the Superbowl. Stafford needs one more option in order to take heat off of his two playmakers. Their pass defense is also a concern (especially in the secondary). While the Saints do have their fair share of problems (offensively and defensively), I think that they are solid and the most consistent team in the NFC (even though that isn't saying much). Brees will have to spread the ball a little more in order for options to open up on offense though (that also comes with varied passing routes). Their big question will be how smart they play on defense (penalties, recognition, etc).

So my Superbowl (at this point in time) would be Saints vs Broncos. I'll save y'all the analysis of that game though (if anyone even bothered to read all/most of the above).

 

As the season progresses, it really makes me want to say this could finally be the year for the Seahawks but I don't want to mess it up. Resigning Michael Robinson this week will sure help Lynch get his running groove back (Coleman wasn't doing bad just not as great of a blocker as Robinson is) and since they are playing the Rams and the Bucs the next two games, I'm hoping it will let the passing offense start to gel and ignite. They have a lot of talented players but just haven't played to their potential yet. Could be like last season, start to really master the stroke in the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

 

i havent ever kept up with footbal or any sports realy because they bore the fuck out of to watch
but id like to see new orlens make it happen since there are no real teams in texas
the cowboys will never do anything again because jerry jones wont let a coach do their job and the texans are ....well the texans

 

You really broke it down haha i agree with basically all of it but i think the chargers are the more likely wild card team then the jets, and well we all know peyton mannings playoff record, ill call championship games as saints seahawks then colts patriots, depending on seeding ofcourse but those are my four most likely superbowl teams

 

I picked the Jets over the Chargers because the Chargers are down Malcolm Floyd and still have to play Denver twice. On top of that they can be pretty easily stopped with a fast linebacking core. Your title games seem pretty strong though.