2011-2010 NFL Season Preview: Super Bowl Title Contenders

August 5th, 2010 admin

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As usual, the defending Super Bowl champions have a very good chance of repeating heading into next season, but oddly enough, the Indianapolis Colts will be the favorites to win Super Bowl XLV when the season begins.

Even though Peyton Manning and company are the team to beat in many people’s minds, Drew Brees and his boys have a legitimate shot of winning their second straight Super Bowl title as they will have relatively the same championship team intact.

The only concern for the Saints heading into next season will be their defense and whether it will be as solid as last year, but the offense will continue to light up the scoreboard and will be one of the teams to beat in the NFC Conference once again.

 

Minnesota Vikings

Last season the Minnesota Vikings had a breakout year as they became arguably one of the best teams in the league on both sides of the football. Not only was their offense second to none with Brett Favre behind center and Adrian Peterson coming out of the backfield, but their defense was just as good and as long the Silver Fox comes back for one more year, the Vikings will be Super Bowl contenders for the second straight season.

If Favre decides to call it quits, I really can’t see the Vikings contending with Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson behind center, but if he stays for one more year the rest of the league should beware of this NFC powerhouse with a chip on their shoulder.

 

Indianapolis Colts

As the Super Bowl favorites heading into the season, Peyton Manning and company have a lot of going from them as they try to avenge their loss to the New Orleans Saints last season, but much like the Saints, the Colts defense will be suspect.

As always, whenever four-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning is behind center in Indianapolis, the Colts will be a serious force to be reckoned with in the AFC Conference and next season will be no different as the youngsters on this team have one successful season under their belts.

 

New York Jets

The defensive minded New York Jets surprised a lot of people with their impressive play last season, especially in the playoffs, but this year they will have some serious upgrades to their offense which was really the only thing holding them back from contending for a Super Bowl.

With the addition of LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield with youngster Shonn Greene and Santonio Holmes in the receiving corps with Braylon Edwards, the New York Jets will be able to give their lockdown defense some much needed rest on the sidelines this season.

As a result, Mark Sanchez and company just might come out as Super Bowl champions, but they will have to get past teams like the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts to do it.

 

Dallas Cowboys

Even though they aren’t getting much credit or recognition as a Super Bowl title contender heading into next season, I believe the Dallas Cowboys will surprise a lot of teams in the NFC Conference this year as they will have arguably the most dynamic offense in the league.

With arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL with Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Roy Williams and rookie Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will display an air attack that rivals the New Orleans Saints of last year.

That is a bold statement, but it is do or die for this team this season and the extra motivation of playing a Super Bowl in Cowboys Stadium just might be enough to put them over the top in the NFC Conference!

 

Possible Contenders: Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers

2010-2011 NFL Season Preview: Top 5 Wide Receivers

August 4th, 2010 admin

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Here is a list of the Top 5 Wide Receivers in the NFL heading into next season:

1. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have been a perennial underachiever in the AFC Conference ever since they became an NFL expansion team.

Obviously, when an expansion team gets started, no one expects much from them as they have a long way to go before they can contend with the best of the best in the NFL.

Even though the Texans may still need a few more season before they make the playoffs, they continue to improve with every passing season and wide receiver Andre Johnson has been arguably the best player on the team over the past couple of years.
Last season Johnson finished the year with 101 receptions, 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns. Those numbers are impressive to say the least and with the Texans improving with every passing season, Johnson’s numbers will only get better!

 

2. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts have had one of the best passing games in the NFL for quite some time now and next season will be no different.

Whenever the Colts have future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning behind center, Indianapolis’ offense has a chance of putting up 25 to 40 points on any given Sunday. This obviously has a lot to do with Manning’s ability to get everyone in the Colts’ offense involved, but the four-time NFL MVP wouldn’t be able to lead one of the best offenses in the NFL without superstar wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

The Colts may have not been able to come away with their second Super Bowl title last season, but they have high hopes for the future as Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have become arguably two of the biggest offensive threats in the league.

Finishing with 1,264 yards, 10 touchdowns on 100 receptions, Wayne has made Indianapolis forget the name Marvin Harrison and become Peyton Manning’s new favorite target. I expect more big numbers from Reggie Wayne next season.

 

3. Randy Moss, New England Patriots

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots veterans aren’t getting any younger, but even though they may not be the same team that dominated the NFL a few years ago, they are still a force to be reckoned with in
the AFC Conference.

This upcoming NFL season might be a make or break year for the Patriots as the sand in the hour glass is starting to run out, but as long as Tom Brady is behind center and Randy Moss is catching his long bombs, the New England offense will be amongst the best in the league with the ability to light up the scoreboard.

Next season Randy Moss should have repeat performance of last season in which he finished with 1,264 yards, 13 touchdowns and caught 83 passes.

 

4. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys

Whenever you think about the best wide receivers in the NFL the four other names on this list tend to come up in the argument, but last season we saw one wideout in Dallas that can now be added to the mix as Miles Austin quickly became Tony Romo’s favorite target on the Dallas Cowboys.

With 1,320 yards, 11 touchdowns and 81 receptions, Austin became one of the best wideouts in the league and should be a force to be reckoned with in the Dallas Cowboys offense once again next season.

 

5. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

A couple of years ago, Larry Fitzgerald would have been on top of this list without much debate, but after a somewhat down season (in terms of receiving yards), Fitzgerald was no longer considered the best of the best at the wide receiver position.

Even though it was considered a down season by his critics with only 1,092 receiving yards, Fitzgerald still caught 97 balls and scored 13 touchdowns. Those are still pretty big numbers, especially with the touchdown total which is tied with Randy Moss for the most on this list.

Next season will be completely different for the perennial Pro Bowler though and the main reason why he is fifth on this list is because future Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner decided to call it a career. Now Fitzgerald will be receiving passes from an unproven Matt Leinart which leaves speculation on whether or not he can keep up his production moving forward in the post-Warner era in Arizona.

2010-2011 NFL Season Preview: Top 5 Quarterbacks in the NFL

August 3rd, 2010 admin

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Here is a list of the Top 5 Quarterbacks in the NFL heading into next season:

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Last season the New Orleans Saints had a season for the record books as the dominated the competition from start to finish and were able to win their first Super Bowl title in the history of the franchise. Not only were the Saints finally able to become Super Bowl champions for the first time, but they will be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC Conference for quite some time as long as they have perennial Pro Bowl Drew Brees behind center.

Even though the consensus as of right now is that people are picking the Indianapolis Colts to come out on top next season, the Saints still have a legitimate shot at repeating as Super Bowl champs as long as Drew Brees is taking snaps in New Orleans.

With the same championship team still relatively intact, the Saints will be Super Bowl title contender next season and Drew Brees could be poised for yet another season with big numbers.

 

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

With four NFL MVP awards to his credit and one Super Bowl title in the books, Peyton Manning is without a doubt one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game and will continue to lead the Indianapolis Colts as possible title contenders with every passing season.

Next season I believe we will see more of the same from Manning as he will be look get his hands on that elusive second Super Bowl title. The Colts will have their work cut out for them in the AFC Conference and within their own division (AFC South), but I think they will be able to get back into the playoffs and possible contend for another Super Bowl ring.

 

3. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings

Even though many people doubted Brett Favre’s ability to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the promise land last season, the Silver Fox was able to take this up and coming team much further than anyone anticipated, including Favre himself.

With arguably his best season in the NFL in the books, Brett Favre has proven to everyone that he can still play at a very high level in this league and might just have one more year left in him!

It is uncertain whether or not the 20-year veteran will come back for one more season with the Vikings, but I am betting he will and could quite possibly be playing in Dallas at season’s end.

 

4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

With the emerge of Drew Brees, dominance of Peyton Manning and resurgence of Brett Favre, the New England Patriots gunslinger Tom Brady gone relatively unnoticed over the past two seasons.

This season future Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick and his starting quarterback will try and lead the Patriots back to greatness in AFC Conference, but with all the competition in the conference and New England best players (Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Tom Brady) not getting any younger, this upcoming season could be the toughest in recent memory.

Even though the odds are against the New England Patriots next season, I believe they will still be a force to be reckoned with and if Tom Brady can get going early in the season, they might be Super Bowl bound.

 

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Perhaps the most promising young team in the NFL right now is the Green Bay Packers as they all the right pieces to the puzzle in order to contend for a Super Bowl title.

With one of the best defenses in the NFL, a good running game and an extremely potent offense, the Packers are on the verge of a breakout year, but all eyes will be on Pro Bowl caliber quarterback Aaron Rodgers next season as he could have a recording breaking year.

Even though Rodgers will almost certainly put up some big numbers next season, he will have his work cut out for him against some of the best teams in the league like the New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings.

Season Preview: Top 5 Tight Ends

August 2nd, 2010 admin

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Here is a list of the Top 5 Tight Ends in the NFL heading into next season:

1. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

Last season the San Francisco 49ers were finally able to get some things going after Mike Singletary officially had one full season under his belt as the new head coach. Not only did Singletary establish the 49ers as a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end of the football field, but he was able to get the offense going once again by resurrecting quarterback Alex Smith’s career.

With Smith back behind center and playing with a lot of confidence, the struggling San Francisco offense was able to get back on track and show some hope for the future.

Obviously, Alex Smith was a huge part of the 49ers success on offense, but it was the emergence of Vernon Davis that really got this offense going as he became the go to guy and quite possibly the new best tight end in the NFL.

Davis finished last season with 965 yards and 13 touchdowns on 78 receptions. Next season I believe this numbers will be even bigger!

 

2. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts

The NFL season didn’t end the way Peyton Manning would have liked it to as the fell just short against the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. Despite not being able to win their second Super Bowl title in three years, the Colts still put up one hell of an effort and were able to get right back on track even though they had to do it without future Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison and popular head coach Tony Dungy.

The Colts offense is amongst the most dynamic in the NFL and they don’t even have a solid running game, but their passing game is second to none as they have one of the best wide receivers in the game in Reggie Wayne and arguably one of the best tight ends in Dallas Clark.

Last season was somewhat of breakout year for Clark as he finished with 100 receptions, 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. I expect more of the same heading into next season as Clark will continue to play a big role in the Colts air attack.

 

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

A few years ago, the San Diego Chargers had arguably the most dynamic offense in the NFL and they didn’t even have a go to wide receiver like many potent offenses do. Despite not having the go to guy like Randy Moss or Larry Fitzgerald, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers still had some of the best offensive weapons in the game in the form of running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates.

Last season was somewhat of a down year for Gates as wide receiver Vincent Jackson seemed to become Phillip Rivers new favorite target in the offense, but with Jackson out the first few weeks of the season, if not longer, I believe Gates will become a force to be reckoned with once again.

 

4. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are always one of the best offensive teams in the league heading into every single season with quarterback Tony Romo behind center. Even though the Cowboys really struggle in the playoffs, during the regular season they are as tough to beat as any other team in the league.

One of the main reasons for the Cowboys dominance in the passing game over the past few years has been Tony Romo’s favorite target in Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten.

With the emergence of Miles Austin last season, Jason Witten took a back seat in the offense, but with teams adjusting to Austin this season, Witten is poised to have some huge numbers next season!

 

5. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

No tight end in the game has been more dominant or consistent over the past decade or so than perennial Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez. Even though Gonzalez made a name for himself while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC West’s worst team wasn’t going anywhere and it was time for the future Hall of Famer to move on.

As a result, Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons and finally had a franchise caliber quarterback to receive passes from in Matt Ryan.

Last season wasn’t really a great indication of things to come as the entire team was ravaged with injuries, but despite never really being able to get things going last year, Gonzalez still finished the season with some impressive numbers as he caught 83 passes for 867 yards and six touchdowns.

As long as Matt Ryan can stay healthy next season, I believe Tony Gonzalez will continue to be a huge threat in the passing
game and quite possibly the tight end with the best numbers at the end of the year.

2010-2011 NFL Season Preview: Top 5 Running Backs in the NFL

August 1st, 2010 admin

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Here is a list of the Top 5 Running Backs in the NFL heading into next season:

1. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Last season the Tennessee Titans went through a pretty drastic transformation as they went from one of the worst teams  in the league to start the season and arguably one of the most promising to finish it.

One of the main reasons for their Titans second half success last season was quarterback Vince Young getting back into the starting lineup and the emerge of arguably the best running back in the league in Chris Johnson.

With over 2,500 total yards (2,006 rushing, 503 receiving) and 16 total touchdowns (14 rushing, 2 receiving), Chris Johnson officially surpassed Adrian Peterson as the number one back in this league.

Next season Johnson will not be making the money wants to ($550,000), but his paycheck will be performance based as the promising young running back has the opportunity to make $2 million dollars on top of his current contract. Not only is that something that will strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses next season, but the Pro Bowl also said that he will be aiming at rushing for 2,500 yards.

 

2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Over the past couple of seasons, the Minnesota Vikings superstar running back slowly, but surely made the league forget about LaDainian Tomlinson. Not only did AP surpass LT as the best back in the NFL, but now he is getting the football handed to him by arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all-time in Brett Favre.

With the addition of Favre, the offense has completely opened up for Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings as they have put more points on the board and won a lot more football games.

This has benefited AP more than any other player on the team as his touchdown total has gone through the roof (18 rushing touchdowns). Peterson’s rushing yards may be down (1,383) and fumbles way up (seven fumbles, six lost), but he is still a serious force to be reckoned with out of the Minnesota backfield and will continue to be next season.

 

3. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

Last season the Atlanta Falcons looked like a promising young team heading into the season with a possible run at the Super Bowl on the horizon.

Unfortunately, even though they still finished the season with 9-7 record, the Falcons missed the playoffs, but were absolutely ravaged by injuries that kept them from contending with the likes of the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the NFC South division.

Despite only playing in eight games throughout the entire season last year, Michael Turner still put up some impressive numbers as he rushed for 871 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.

As long as he is healthy next season, Turner should torch opposing defenses once again and could be the league top rusher ahead of Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson.

 

4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are arguably one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Jaguars might not be as bad as the Detroit Lions or the Cleveland Browns, but every single season they seem to disappoint as they just can’t contend with the best of the best in the AFC Conference.

Not only are the Jacksonville Jaguars in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL (AFC South), they only have one real threat to opposing teams in the form of running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Last season Jones-Drew put up some monster numbers as he finished the season with 1,765 total yards (1,391 rushing, 374 receiving) and 16 total touchdowns (15 rushing, one receiving). Without Jones-Drew, Jacksonville is dead in the water, so next season I fully expect him to put up some impressive numbers once again.

 

5. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Over the years, the Baltimore Ravens have really struggled on offense and really made a name for themselves in the NFL strictly because of their lockdown defense, but times are changing in Baltimore as their offense could be amongst the best in the league next season.

One of the main reasons for the Ravens recent success on offense was the emergence of quarterback Joe Flacco, but the one big surprise last season was running back Ray Rice.

The Ravens may have come a couple games short of the Super Bowl last season, but they high hopes for the future with Ray Rice coming out of the backfield who finished the year with 2,041 total yards (1,339 rushing, 702 receiving) and eight total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving).

Obviously, Rice’s touchdown production needs to go up in order to be a serious threat to opposing defenses, but next season I believe he will be amongst the best in the league coming out of the backfield and could be considerably higher on this list next year.

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