sportsfanatic

That was the question that I was asked last year. And frankly I have to answer it as NO. Last year they finished second in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. 3 of the 4 teams were under .500 and they could only muster a 7-9 record. Now, I actually think that they will finish better this year, but to be honest with you, it is going to be tough to do that.

At this point they need to figure out how to better protect Jay Cutler and give him the time that he needs to throw the ball. I do not think that there is any doubt that he has what it takes to play at this level and succeed. He has good receivers in the likes of Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson, and Brandon Stokley to name a few. Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham still make a great double tight end stack of to switch in and out and not lose a step.

So, where is the issue you ask? It is simple, it starts with the offensive line. Jay needs more protection so that he can deliver the ball. Only averaging 151 passing yards in a game is not quite where you want to be. Last years running back core seemed to be a revolving door yet they managed to average 134 yards on the ground. This year it looks that second year running back Selvin Young will be the go to man, but that remains to be seen.

Now, I know this will not be popular with a lot of people but it needs to be said. I think that Denver has some of the most talented secondary players around in the likes of Champ Bailey and  Dre’ Bly, but seriously folks, where does it go after that? John Lynch can still put a hurting on you, but in his 16th year, there is no way that he can go every down. What happens when you need the nickle package? This is only one of the areas that can be hurt. The other is you can run on this team. Bottom line is they gave up 89 more points that they scored.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news for the Chicago Bears, but Rex Grossman is not the answer at the quarterback position. Having the type of defense that they currently have can win some of the games for this once great team. With that said, the Bears need to find a Quarterback that can take them to the promise land. And currently it looks like Kyle Orton  will be the back-up, but if Grossman goes down, it might be the chance Orton is hoping for. Then again, I do not think he can get them there either.

While the defense is definitely a bright sport for this team and the QB questions are out there, the best that this team can hope for is a victory from their defense. The likes of Marty Booker, Greg Olsen, Rashied Davis, and Adrian Peterson cannot carry this team on the offensive side of the ball without a quarterback that can put the ball into their hands consistently.

So many times I have heard that defenses win games. That is just a bunch of bull from coaches that are not offensive minded. It should be stated as defense keeps you in the game while the offense is what wins it for you. No disrespect to defensive players, but you can stop the drives all day long but if your offense can not get the ball in the endzone, you will lose 9 out of 10 times.

Cleveland Brown’s love what they saw and still see in Derek Anderson and with that said, Charlie Frye is no more for Cleveland. Derek showed up on the radar in 2006 when he came in toward the end in relief of Frye. In 2007 the two dis the tango for the starting QB position with the lead role going to Charlie. However, once again, Lady Luck would shine favorably again on Derek as he would get his chance again. Now, he does not want to let go.

With that said, thisyear he gets to look over his shoulder at second year stud Brady Quinn as he stares at the quarterback play book signing “put me in coach”. Now I am not giving the starting job to Derek just yet. But it is his to lose. However, it still has not changed his demeanor. He is still the down home country boy that he has always been.

As for who is dancing with Anderson he has a ton of receivers in camp to hook up with. I still think that Joe Jurevicius will lead the core with big Kellen Winslow coming through the middle at the tight end position. Donte Stallworth and Joshua Cribbs should be the other receivers seeing the majority of the action. Jamal Lewis should be ample enough for a ground attack but the real question will be who they bring in as his backup. And this could actually be the position that can put them over the top.

As for the defense, this year seems to carry some bright stars. Starting in his second camp, defensive back Eric Wright looks to be the stud that will make or break this defense. This team seems to be strong up front and can handle the short yardage plays but it seems that the secondary is where the concern will be. With that said, this is what will be the difference maker for the team this year.

Personally, I think this could potentially be the year of the Browns and I am taking the in the AFC North as I think Pittsburgh is good, but not that good this year. Browns finish at 10-6 with a trip to the play offs.

You can say what you want about the Carolina Panthers, but the one thing that you can never say or call them is quitters. These boys of fall came out in today’s training camp hitting and tackling like they have a purpose. And I am sure that they do have one. If I am the one picking I would have Jake Delhomme at the quarterback position. With that, I would have DeAngelo Williams in the back field with almost any of the other backs in camp as a back up and short yardage back. The wide receivers are a no brainer to me. You put Muhsin Muhammad on one side and Steve Smith on the other side with Jason Carter and D. J. Hackett coming out of the slot position. Now, the clincher is the inside man and that tight end would be Dante Rosario for me. The line will be strong enough to give Jake the time he needs to find his man.

On the defensive side of the ball, Julius Peppers is about all I need to say. With that, the boys will be strong all the way around. I am looking for a phenomenal season from these guys and they are my pick to win the NFC South. I think they will go 11-5 making it into the playoffs.

It seems that over the last few years the Cincinnati Bengals makes it’s bid for a championship but seems to fall short. Since winning the AFC North in 2005 and making a showing in the playoffs with a 31-17 thumping at the hands of who would soon win it all, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Since that precious season of sporting an 11-5 record, they have been going downhill. In 2006 all they could muster was an 8-8 record and then last year they posted a 7-9 losing record.

Well, I really do not think that this year is any different. I think that they will win 6 this year and keep in suite. Why you ask. Well, it is simple. They do not click. And until personalities can coexist on the same field, there is nothing short of blowing up the team that will help. What disaccord am I speaking of, you ask? Simple, Wide Receiver Chad Johnson and Quarterback Carson Palmer can not seem to find the same page. And as good as T. J. Houshmandzadeh is he can not carry this team. He needs help. Fix the problems between QB and WR and you have a team that can contend. Without Chad or without Carson, this team has not got a chance. Another losing year for Bengals Nation.

Atlanta has something to be proud of this year. What it is no one knows. The Atlanta Falcons have not shown me anything more than they have no true direction. Head coach Mike Smith has his work cut out for him. Out is Warrick Dunn who was the only bright spot in the Falcon’s backfield all year. So, did Atlanta go out to find a great running back to replace the running game? Well, they have Michael Turner who played in San Diego for the first 4 years and we know who he played behind there, so to me it is an unproven back. Jerious Norwood is still around and did a good job when called upon last year. But not sure that he can carry the team. And then there is UGA standout Thomas Brown who is a rookie but even he split time as a senior in Athens. So, is there anyone there that has played an entire season and asked to carry the ball over 300 times?

So, where did the Falcons put their money? It does not take far to look to see that as the Falcons picked up ACC and Boston College star quarterback Matt Ryan to be their golden child. Then that leaves the question of where does that leave Coach Smiths “boy” Chris Redman? Or former UGA QB and Atlanta native D. J. Shockley or for that matter well traveled Joey Harrington? When you consider that a team never wants to carry more than 3 QBs my thoughts go like this. Redman will start the season and Ryan will be his back up for this year. Once they sink, Ryan will become the starter. As for Harrington, he will ride the bench until they can use his worth for a trade somewhere. And Shockley seems to be a better fit in the NFL as a wide receiver.

Now, as for the core of receivers goes, I love Joe Horn to death but I think that his time as a lead receiver is up. He might be a 3 or 4 guy now. Michael Jenkins is by far the best receiver that they have in camp but even that is not saying much. At best he is a number 2 guy. Atlanta desperately needs to find people that can catch the ball and put yards up after the catch.

As for the defense, I do not even want to get started on them, Atlanta needs to improve on both sides of the ball and to do that, this will not be their year. Atlanta fans will hate to hear this former Georgia boy say this, but the best to hope for is maybe 7 wins. I really think it will end worse than that, but I am going to give them the benefit of someone elses demise.

OK, I am sure that the Buffalo Bills fans would just soon forget about last years season and the 7-9 record that they posted. With 16 rookies on the roster at opening of camp, one thing is for sure, the veterans need to step it up. Trent Edwards looks like he is going to be the man for now even though J. P. Losman did a great job last year. And it seems that Edwards has a favor receiver in Lee Evans.

With all that I still do not think that 3rd year head coach Dick Jauron can really hope for more than a .500 record. Even though Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in the backfield, it still will not be enough. It looks to be another dismal season for the Bills once again.

 This is my second review of the teams of the NFL. I am planning to review all of them prior to the start of the season and give my forecast to. So hold on to your caps, cause here we go.

Today we are going to head over to the Nation Football Conference where we will be taking a look at the Arizona Cardinals .  Second year head coach Ken Whisenhunt is certainly hoping that this year will be the Cardinals break out year. He is expecting that QB Matt Leinart can remain healthy this year. If you remember, Lienart missed the last game of 2006 with a shoulder injury and was sidelined after the 5th game of the season in 2007 with a collarbone injury. So, the question is, can he be injury free in 2008. If so, maybe it could be a break out year.

The Cardinals right now look good on paper and Matt is definitely a quarterback that can carry a team to the playoffs. As long as he stays healthy, I can see them in the red zone a lot with Fitzgerald catching it and James running it. If they want to play some extra games, it all goes down to Matt staying healthy.

With that said, my pick for the Cardinals is to end 10-6 with an early exit in the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens might have said goodbye to Brian Billick but I honestly do not think that the move to bring in John Harbaugh is exactly what the Ravens need. I can assure you though that Raven’s Nation is hoping for a different outcome. John is the former secondary coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, with the change of the head coach also comes 3 quarterbacks vying for one position. Troy Smith , Kyle Boller and Joe Flacco have all thrown their “helments” into the pot to let new head coach Harbaugh know that they want to be the go to guy. Boller has the most NFL experience of the 3 kids as he has been in the league for 6 years. Smith is just in his 2nd year and Flacco is a rookie. I do not see the rookie getting the nod but whether Smith is starting at season open or not, he will finish the year as the number one guy.

As I see it, the biggest issue that the Ravens have is age. Too much of it for my taste. 11 of their players listed on roster right now are 31 years or older. Now do not get me wrong, I know players are playing longer. But when your play their style of ball, it is not conducive to older.

With all that being said, I see Baltimore ending the season at .500 and not making the playoffs.

Today was anything but a quite day as trades, extensions, and new contracts were/are being signed. Lets take a look at a few of them.

• Washington Nationals locked in Cristian Guzman with a 2 year extension.
• Milwaukee Brewers are going to sign Jay Gibbons to a minor league contract.
• Houston Astros acquired Randy Wolf.
• Arizona Diamondbacks trade for Jon Rauch

This is just the start of many moves over the next 9 days. Teams will do what they can to jockey for a stronger position. You will likely see moves out of most teams one way or the other as I have contended over the last week or so that no team should feel comfortable at this time.