Email Chain

Nicks:

1. Green Bay Packers - To be the best you gotta beat the best. Until they fall they are still #1. Won the SB last season, didnt lose any key contributors, but are getting back a first string RB and one of the best TEs in the league.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers - Every player who was on the Super Bowl roster is locked up for 2011. One of the more underrated tackles outside of Pittsburgh returns after missing all last season with a ruptured achilles.

3. New England Patriots - The Eagles may have made the biggest splash in free agency but the Pats return the better core. They were 14-2 last season and thank God the Jets took care of them in the playoffs. They improved this offseason and I have a feeling Haynesworth is going to be a problem again.

4. Philadelphia Eagles - Making some great moves this offseason. However, if this Sunday was week 1 and they played either of the top-3, I dont think the Eagles are ready yet. The Heat could afford taking 40 games to gel, the preseason will allow the Eagles only 4. They should be in top form for the second half of the season, so watch out.

5. New York Jets - It feels like so long ago that the Steelers put together the 10-minute, clock killing opening drive in the AFCC game that the Jets just could not overcome. I thank the Eagles for keeping Asomough out of the AFC because the Jets dont need anymore help.

6. Baltimore Ravens - As much as I hate the Ravens they never seem go away. What better way to start the 2011 seaon than the best rivalry in all of football, in our home town??

7. Atlanta Falcons - Falcons were outgunned in the divisional round last year so they went out and upgraded their receiving corp. Look for them to come back better than ever in Matty Ice 4th season.

8. New Orleans Saints - How will the Saints bounce back after an embarassing loss to the worst playoff team in NFL history?

9. Indianapolis Colts - This team is on a serious decline... Like, life support. Manning better come back 100% because there is no one, no one on this team that can carry the load other than him.

10. Kansas City Chiefs - Have made strides the past 2 seasons and continue to improve. Tood Haley is a fantastic offensive mind and Tamba Hali might be the single most underrated player in all the league. They may have overachieved last year, but this team needs to be taken seriously. 

11. Ney York Giants - Fish will never admit it but the Giants were playing great last season. They had a top-3 offense at one point. The power shifted when Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Bradshaw went down, but they should be healthy now (Smith is the question mark) and ready to make another run at the playoffs.

12. Chicago Bears - Went to the NFCC game last season and if Jay Cutler wasnt such a pu$$y, they may have won it. Still, I cant help but think they will have a hard time returning to playoffs this season as a wildcard.

13. San Diego Chargers - One name: Antonio Gates

14. Dallas Cowboys - Sometimes silence is golden. A quiet offseason may be just what the Cowboys needed to get back into the hunt.

15. Houston Texans - Defense was a major letdown last season. They addressed the problem area by brining in Wade Phillips (better DC than HC) JJ Watt and Johnathan Joseph. If the defense can turn it around they just might make the playoffs for the first time in team history. 

16. Detroit Lions - You gotta give the Lions credit for trying. They are littered with super stars (C Johnson, Suh) great players (Stafford, Vanden Bosch, Best) and talented rookies (Fairley, LeShoure, Titus Young) but can they finally put it all together? 

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Talked about them yesterday. Strong young team on the rise. Strength of schedule helped them last year but will hurt them this year.

18. St. Louis Rams - Bradford is the real deal. Its too bad they wont get him a true #1 but for now the hard workers are gonna have to keep working hard.

19. Oakland Raiders - See: Dallas Cowboys

20.  Tennessee Titans - Would have been in trouble if they had to enter the season with Jake Locker as their starter. With Hasselbeck signed and CJ2k behind him, the Titans should improve.

21. Miami Dolphins - To crack the top-20 you need a QB and a head coach you can trust. Steve Ross doesnt trust either of his. But hey, at least J Lo's single now!

in the nfl every team can make and win the super bowl, but lets be serious, only a few actually have a legit chance.  as i have shown i think there are 8 teams with a serious shot and another 4-5 who could give it a go also.  as for my top 5, i think pats are the favorites.  they went 14-2 last year and were heavy favorites to win it all last year.  i think if they played any other team last year they would have won, but the jets normally give them a good game, and had a great gameplan last year and just beat them.  if it was a 7 game series pats would have won, but its not so the jets moved on.  however, that was last year and this is this year.  pats are the best team in the league and got better with the additions of chad ocho cinco (who i think will be in pro bowl contention) and albert haynesworth.  this is a scary team.

steelers, with big ben and that d, are also always a favorite unless they have injuries to their d.  luckly for them, they have not expirenced any injuries thus far.  im nervous about there oline this year, but hey it didnt hurt them last year so i have no reason to think its gonna kill them this year.  the pats r the only team that have their number, but other than that the only thing that can stop them is themselves.

eagles/packers.  yes, i realize the pack won it all last year and they got all these guys coming back, however, it is so hard to repeat which is why it hasnt happened in about 8 years. the nfl changes so much from year to year that even when a team looks the same as it did the year before that doesnt mean much.  take the saints last year, they won it all in 2009, had the entire team coming back the next year n then lost to the 7-9 seahawks in the 1st round.  sometimes change is good, the team is more hungry and its harder to come up with a gameplan to beat them, which is why i think the eagles r the nfc favorites.  the eagles were very good last year, and gave the packers all they could handle last year in the playoffs being down 6 and on there 30 with under 2 minutes to go.  there offense is loaded with one of the leagues best passing attacks, a strong running back, and one of the most exiciting and dangerous qbs in the game.  the only thing holding them back was there pass d, but they addressed that issue by adding 3 pro bowlers to their defense and a whole new coaching staff.  unless there are some unexpected injuries anything less than a super bowl will be considered a disapointing season.

to round up the top 5, ill go with the jets.  backs to back afc championship apperances but i think there gonna need home field in the playoffs to win.  there problem is consistency.  one week they look like the best team in the league and then they go on a 3 week period were they look average.  mark "sanchize" is a good qb, but not good enough to win on the road in the playoffs 3 straight times.  the jets need to win the division, the only problem is the pats normally dont lose more than 3-4 games so there gonna need to shot for 13-3, and i dont see that happening due to the consistnecy issue i mentioned earlier.

well thats too bad u missed out on some great analysis.  sorry im at work and dont have time to edit my writing whule my manager is right behind me.  get over it

6ixty wrote:

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i reported via facebook last night that the Eagles have signed Comissioner Roger Godell to a 1 year deal!

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I saw that, very clever. I asked Ryan Diehl yesterday who would have more completions, John Beck to Santana Moss or John Beck to Nnamdi Asumogha.

Even he had to laugh at that one. 

Chase Cox wrote:

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 Right now, do I feel that the Dolphins are Super Bowl contenders? No, but if you really think the Oakland Raiders (Who is there QB? Nice logic though Nick), Titans (Who is there QB?), Rams (Nice receivers), and Detriot are all better than Miami, then IN MY OPINION, you don't know sh!t about football.

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damn those guys at ESPN sure dont know sh!t about football!!