FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Wow! What a difference a year can make, well at least for some. The Jets a year ago were resting their hopes on Brett Favre. It looks like this year they are being a little more realistic and fielding what promises to be a good defense and they have a franchise QB who hopefully develop into what the Jets have needed for a long time; A mentally stable, tough, and accurate throwing threat. Pennington aside, they have missed that for a long time.

Oakland!! NO CHANGE AT ALL!!! Still AWFUL and that will not change as long as Al Davis is calling the shots! Talk about a franchise on a steep, long, fast decline.  I pick them to contend with Detroit this year for 1st Draft pick next year!! 

Speaking of Detroit, we go from Al Davis (Alzheimers or just lunacy) to the Fords. Inept, and out of touch!! I read an awesome article about the Detroit Pass Defense and how it is the worst in LEAGUE History over the last three years and is still going down hill. The ownership and Management of this team have COMPLETELY ignored this and still have no clue. Detroit will be lucky to win one or two this year, but I am sure they will have one of the top three Draft picks to use or waste next year. It is a tradition in Detroit. 

Dallas - Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips are still in charge. 'Nuf Said!! With these two disasters at the helm, Dallas should fail brilliantly this year to make it past a Wild Card game. 

Miami - I am a Miami fan, and always will be. 1-15 or 17-0. I have faith in Sparano and Parcells. They looked really solid in game plan against Indy, but Red Zone scoring has been an issue since Marino left. We need to give big Bill some more scouting time. He will turn this around and with Sparano's no nonsense coaching approach, this will be a competitive team at least. 

 Bills!! - TO is already bringing this team down in his first year. Poor performance and lots of locker room BS from this cancer on ANY team. Hopefully, this will be his last year. Buffalo was positioned to play well this season after some strong games last year, but it looks like they got Owenitus and are going to be sick for the rest of the year. 

Washington - Jim Zorn is as good a man as you could ask for a human being to be, but he is a players' coach and is just not instilling enough "killer instinct" and discipline into this team. He is also hamstrung at several key positions and does not have deep pockets to go to in the free agent market. It is a shame. He is a good man and will end up being an analyst next year on some network. 

New Orleans - I am waiting for the other shoe to fall. Gaudy statistics on Offense and a decent defence should get them far, but I am really concerned about the post season. The NFC South is not going to be a picnic this year. 

Pittsburgh - I am a Miami fan, but you have to respect this team and it's owners/management. Such a standard bearer for the origins of this league of honor, honesty, hard work, class, and integrity. I will always wish them well as they are the class of the league in my book. Their only competition is Indy. The Steelers will be a force to be dealt with. Running game aside, they will figure out a way. This team is just in the middle of a potential dynasty. Their Second I might add. 

San Francisco - First Class Coaching is helping this team greatly in the weak NFC West. I wish them well and hope the spirit of Montana, Rice, Young, Watters, flows through their veins. It should be interesting! 

Green Bay - If they can do a better job of protecting their QB, this could be an awesome team this year and a real contender. Green Bay has class, a decent looking defence at times, and all the offensive tools if they can just get their O-line firing on all cylinders and to step up and protect Aaron. 

Atlanta - Getting better. This team could be scary later. Let's see how far they can take it this season. Picking against this team any week is a tough proposition no matter who they face. A true "Any given Sunday" Team. 

Tennessee - Jeff will not let this team slide far. We will see them in the playoffs unless their Defense continues to fail! 

Seattle - As injury prone as Hasselbeck is, this man should never leave the pocket going forward. Ever!! I know he has heart and desire, but he is much better to his team in the pocket than on the sidelines with an injury. Throw the ball away and punt. Do not risk three or four games (or Worse) for one play!! 

Indy - Mr. Manning is continuously proving why he is the BEST ROLE MODEL in the NFL and for good reason. He is the best prepared player in the NFL and has the Mental Toughness and Heart of a true champion.  If I was Archie, I would be beaming from ear to ear. Talk about raising two first class Gentlemen of honor, integrity, TEAM SPIRIT, and humble on top of all that. Old School shows through every time when you witness true sportsmanship. Thanks Archie for showing us what was common place two Generations ago and is so very rare nowadays and the USA and world is the worse for it's passing. Indy will be in the hunt this year, but the running game could definitely be better and the defense needs to turn it up a bit.  They are not far from another Championship though. All they need is a little more from the rest of the team. Peyton cannot win all of them. They have some promising talent in their rookie receiving corp. 

New York Giants - Eli, you are on equal footing with your brother. Handling that crowd and that final drive in Dallas just as cool as a cucumber was your Phd my friend. Incredible! What happened to the Giant's running game though? I am a little shaken... Tom never fields a weak running game nor a soft Defense. I am hoping they come together and pull off another playoff run this year. 

Arizona - Another Class act in Kurt Warner. I hope they can maintain the form they had last year. Amazing! I am not buying into dissention in the ranks between Fitz and Kurt. These two are too in tune to each other and rely to heavily on each other's skills to be enemies with a common goal. Arizona can wreak some havoc out West this year. As long as Kurt is playing like he is, they will have a great chance. 

Cleveland - Make snowballs, go Ice Fishing, take up knitting. Those are about the most exciting things happening in Cleveland this year. Football?? Oh yeah, they do have a team, but it is mostly for show. How embarrassing it must be to be in the Dog Pound these days... Sad... Bernie Kosar has to be teary eyed most days now... How to right this ship? Start from scratch!! Wipe the slate clean and pray for an expansion draft type gift from the NFL Gods. 

Kansas City - Excuse our dust - We are remodeling from the ground up. Give us a few years and then come back and visit. We should be competitive by then. 

Carolina - What happened? Did the wheels fall off? Did the Defense retire? A year ago this was a fearsome, unpredictable team. What happened? 

Tampa Bay -  Do you miss Gruden yet? This team needs a lot of help and it starts with Coaching. Gruden at least milked his talent. I am not impressed with what I have seen this year. When are people going to start putting the paper bags over their heads like the old days? 

Vikings - Brett still has it, and maybe he can keep it this year. Brilliant out of the gate, but fades down the stretch. It happens when you get older. With such a talented team around him though (Petersen), he has something he really did not enjoy in New York. A team to definitely watch!! 

Rams - Oh God, not another year of this... Too dismal to even think about or write about... The best chance to compete with Detroit and Oakland for worst record in the league. 

The Eagles -  Since this team chose to bring a convicted violent criminal into their midst, I have nothing but contempt for them and wish  them all the bad karma they brought on themselves by twisting the sword of honor into the heart of the NFL.  Convicted felons should not be playing in this league, regardless of their talent. Classless and clueless, truly without honor, and totally lacking in civility. I could not tell you how they play, but from what I am reading, it is not great. I refuse to watch them in protest to their total lack of conscience regarding their recent signing of Michael "Dog Torturer" Vick. 

Jaguars - Jack Del Rio should be perspiring heavily now. I do not know the fix action for this team. Maybe time? I hope they improve, because although a relatively young franchise, they have always been proud. 

Texans - Steady Improvement will eventually lead you to the top. If this team was in any division except the AFC South, they would be a threat. It will take another year or two to unseat Indy and Tennessee is usually a tough nut to crack also. 

Bengals - Flip a coin. It will make predicting their weekly performance a little easier. From the distraction of Ochowhatever and an Offense that is unsteady, it will make the pain of another blown season easier as well. Until this team gets serious about football and starts maintaining some standard of conduct that is respectful, they will never have the other teams' respect or a division title. 

Ravens - The scariest team in the league. Flacco and a suddenly explosive offense compared to past offenses, along with a demolition crew on defense make this team haunt many a head coach's nightmares. Ray Lewis' play this last week shows that he still has it and this team almost let him go??? Are they nuts. He should be 90 years old and on the sideline just to keep the kids in line and coach. A true Defensive Genius throughout his career. More instinct in a single defensive player that some entire teams will see in a year. And I do not even like Ray. lol I give respect where it is very well deserved though. 

Chargers - The most talented, but unlucky team in the league ever. Always close, but no cigar. I wish them well. They should take their division with ease as I do not see Denver winning it. 

Speaking of Denver - The whole Jay Cutler trade thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth from a management stand point of view. Firing Shanahan just made me think they have lost their mind. This is usually a rock solid franchise, but some of their decisions have me a little worried. They will finish second in their division behind SD and this will continue until they get a steady, mentally tough QB or Rivers and LT retire. 

The Patriots - As long as Brady is the QB, I will never bet against this team period. He is the Montana of his Generation. Without doubt one of the best QBs I have seen and once he is sure his knee will not give again, he will steady up and tear up the AFC East. The Jets are his only competition this year. 

Jets - Another scary team and their absolutely child like rock of a QB has them well positioned to do well this year if they can keep it up. I like their defense. Scary to all who face them. I just hope they do not get predictable and over pursue and get burned on the screen. At least it will make the AFC a little more exciting. The Patriots have to earn the top spot back for the first time in a long time. 

Chicago - Which Cutler will show up each week. This simple question will determine their fate week by week. Too hard to predict and too unreliable to pick to go far. Hopefully this promising talent will get some confidence. He clearly has the skills and shows shades of brilliance. He just needs to be consistent. 

Finally, A statement to the commissioner:

I pray every day that one day you find your spine and try to bring some dignity back to this league. Vick was the start and I expect to see a great number of criminals back on this field of honor thanks to your soft hearted misguided decision making ability. I know this is a business, but it used to be a business with honor. Don't stray too far from your roots or the tree will fall. Have you ever thought "What would Lombardi do?" Maybe you should before you let any more thugs back into the league. Talk to some of the living legends on whose shoulders you stand and on who's legacy you urinate on when you make these disgraceful decisions. I am sure Shula, Parcells, Schotty, and others will give you pointers if you are unsure of what is best for this league. Being the commissioner, it is your job to look out for the league's best interest from a business and LEGACY stand point. You have grown it into a huge business, but have destroyed the honor and reverence that players used to work very hard at building. Now we are a league of loud mouths, braggarts, and criminals. Shameful. Your legacy should you choose to continue this path will be "The Weak Hearted One". Stand up for all the great men who started and made this league the most revered and respected of all professional sports. Well, at least it used to be. Now it is a media circus and all about the mighty buck. Honor be damned!!