Are you ready for FOOTBALL??!!
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All gets going this Thursday night with what should be a very good match between the Redskins and Giants. Then on Sunday we'll have a triple bill which will run from about 6 in the evening until 4 the following morning. Then on monday a double bill on Monday Night Football, with the last game being my beloved Broncos going against their oldest rivals, the Raiders.
I don't think opening week could be any better for me personally tbh, can't f***ing wait.
Anyway, teams to watch out for in my opinion are.
Cowboys - My favourites to win it all. Personally don't think Romo is anywhere near as good as some would have you believe, but he's a good QB all the same. And with the quality of players he has around him, just being good may well be enough. Felix Jones is an ideal compliment to Barber in the running game, and in Witten and T.O they have enough targets for Romo to put up monster numbers again this year. They also have probably the best Offensive Line in the league and a very useful defense. More importantly though they're in the NFC, where I don't think the general standard is as good as in the AFC, so things should be a lot more manageable in terms of getting to the Superbowl. All think it'll ultimately come down to Romo. If he plays well come the playoffs, they'll be hard stopped.
Patriots - Hard to see much else other than more of the same from these guys really. The question is whether this year their age on defense finally catches up with them. The offense will be good again, though not as good as last year. Still, they have a pretty soft schedule to they'll make the playoffs at a canter, and you'd never bet against them once they get there. Interesting to see how the team reacts to losing the Superbowl though. To be so close to such immortality and then fail at the last second has to hurt a lot, big test of character for them this year.
Colts - Again, with a guy like Manning there they'll obviously be in contention. I can see Jacksonville pushing them real close for the division this year though, and I can see a lack of home field advantage hurting them at some point in the playoffs, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Vikings - A good QB away from being a real contender IMO. If Tavaris Jackson can be somewhat solid and make plays when they need him to (which probably won't be all that often with their running game) then they could have a real shot. The addition of Jared Allen could be what pushes the defense over the edge from being good to absolutely awesome.
Chargers - The window of opportunity is closing for them IMO. LT can't have much more in him as a really elite RB, maybe a year or two? If they're gonna win a Superbowl, this might have to be the year. And they have the talent to do so, but they have a lot of question marks. Will Rivers be OK after his ACL surgery? Gates is coming off a long running problem with his toe, and Merriman apparently has torn ligaments in his knee but is going to try and play anyway. Also, will Norv Turner's crappiness finally have seeped into the team after a year in charge, or has he improved enough as a head coach to lead the team to a Superbowl. Talent wise, they're the best team in the NFL as far as I can see. And if it all clicks for them then they'll be hard beat. Gonna be very interesting to watch how they do.
Honestly think anyone else would be a surprise, but of course therein lies the beauty of the NFL. Nobody thought the Giants had a hope in hell of winning it last year, and you can be sure there'll be another team this year that comes from nowhere to surprise everyone and emerge as a real contender.
Jacksonville are probably the next best bet, and while I really like their team and think they're a franchise on the up I think it's a year too soon for them. They'll push the Colts close in their division and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go deep into the playoffs, but I don't expect them to win the whole thing. The Seahawks will have a good year and make the playoffs, if only because they play in the worst division in football. They're a decent team but I'd be shocked if they won it. The Giants chances took a massive blow losing Umenyiora through injury for the season. That combined with Strahan retiring takes away that awesome D-Line that won it for them last year, so I'd be surprised if they repeated. I quite like the Redskins, but they have a very tough division which could hurt them.
Gonna stick 20 quid on the Broncos (40/1) tomorrow. Honestly think it's probably a year too early for them, but I feel so good about the future of the team, especially on offense. They're putting together a very promising young offensive line and if Marshall can stay out of trouble he'll be one of the league's best recievers for years to come. Eddie Royal was drafted this past April and looks like a very nice long termcompliment to Marshall with his deep speed, also finally gives us a quality returner for Special Teams. Peyton Hillis also looks like a guy who can finally be the full-back the Broncos have wanted for so long. Tony Scheffler also looks emerged as a very nice recieving tight-end last year. All in all a very promising, very young offense.
But the main aspect is the guy leading that offense. I'll tell you now, in a couple of years time Jay Cutler will be considered one of the league's best players. I guarantee it barring serious injury. He has it all, and people around the league are starting to catch on to it. Talent wise, there are no apparent weaknesses. What he did last year was pretty scary. Had one of the best years of any second year QB in the last ten years or so, despite Denver losing countless running backs to injury during the year, and having an offensive line ravaged by injuries. Most amazingly though, he contracted Type 1 diabetes early in the season and played on without it being diagnosed until the end of the year. He lost over 40 pounds over the course of the year, and at times struggled to summon the energy to actually play on gameday. Yet he still managed to look like a very good young QB. With the illness under control he's back to his proper weight and has the zip on his throws back. I'm so incredibly excited about this guy over the next ten years or so, I get an epic boner just tinking about it.
Of course the defense is pretty shitty so we'll probably not be good enough to beat the real elite teams in the league, but I think we have a good shot at making the playoffs as a wildcard, or possibly even better if the Chargers struggle.
Anyway, anyone else have any thought on things?
Also, I promised Tooj I'd make a big post and explain a few things about the sport to him but I'm not really sure what to write... so if anyone wants to ask anything I'll do my best to explain. I'm no expert tbh, but I have spent a lot of time the last few years trying to get into the game so if anyone has any questions about any of the subtleties/tactics of the game I should be able to give a decent explanation.
Roll on Thursday night!
