AFC South Prediction

In my opinion, the AFC south is one of the weakest divisions in football.  The Houston Texans were able to win the division in 2011 even with Matt Schaub getting injured.  The Jaguars were flat out bad last year.  Their first round pick in 2011, Blaine Gabbert looked bad most of the year and you can't expect him to all of a sudden become a superstar in 2012.  Along with that Maurice Jones Drew has been a no show the entire preseason/training camp.  MJD wants elite RB money, and I don't blame him, the guy is a huge part to their team, not to mention the 1600+ rushing yards he had a year ago.  The Jags will most likely finish in the bottom of this division.  In my opinion, the Tennessee Titans are going to struggle after naming Jake Locker their starting QB.  Along with Blaine Gabbert, Locker was another QB to come out of the 2011 draft who just didn't perform out on the gridiron last year.  Locker's best weapon through the air, Kenny Britt, has struggled with legal issues and will most likely be suspended for a few games by Comis. Roger Goodell.  I believe the Titans will finish third in 2012.  My most surprising pick is the Colts to finish 2nd.  First overall pick in the 2012 draft QB Andrew Luck has looked superb this preseason.  He looks like a guy who's been in the league for some time now, with his poise and stature in the pocket.  Luck's got great weapons in WR Reggie Wayne and RB Donald Brown.  Look for the Colts to shock some people this year.  Once again the Texans will win this division.  This team is filled with talent, and their defense is fierce.  My only concerns are for QB Matt Schaub and WR Andre Johnson staying healthy but in the end, the Texans will win it in 2012.

AFC North prediction

Since 2002, the Steelers have won their divison 5 times, including 2 trips to the superbowl (only winning one) .  The Ravens have won the divison 3 times, and the Bengals twice.  As for the Browns... well they haven't been really good since the 80s, and drafting Trent Richardson who already had a minor knee surgery this month and 28 year old QB Brandon Weeden who didn't look so good against the Eagles in their last preseason game, i'd say the Browns won't be winning any time soon.  I'm not too high on the Steelers this year.  On the defensive side of the ball, some of their big name players like Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Brett Kiesel, Larry Foote are all over the ages of 30 and eventually their bodies are going to keep them from playing at the highest level possible.  Along with that LB James Harrison is on the PUP list (physically unable to perform list) and he's 34 years old as well.  Offensively they haven't looked good this preseason.  Can Isaac Redman be the guy to carry the ball? Is Big Ben really healthy? there are too many questions that will go unanswered until the season starts.  I believe the Bengals will finish 2nd in this division and maybe even win the wild card and make the playoffs.  The team signed Benjarvus Green-Ellis this offseason and has been running the ball like he has something to prove this preseason, which is a good sign for Andy Dalton and the passing game.  This is Dalton's 2nd year in the league, which makes everyone think, "sophomore slump"?  But I believe last year was no hokes, he is the real deal, and look for AJ Green and Gresham to help Dalton light up the scoreboard through the air.  And my winner of the 2012 AFC north division are the Baltimore Ravens.  Joe Flacco has looked superb this preseason, completeing 71.6% of his passes, and had an average QB rating of 101.1.  If Flacco plays that well in the regular season, the Ravens could easily win 13 games this year.  Ray Rice got paid this offseason.  Boldin is one of the best receivers going across the middle in the NFL.  And Torrey Smith showed last year that he has the ability to stretch the field.  I'm not worried about the defense, yes Ray Lewis is 37 years old, but he has showed no signs of slowing down and he's still an elite LB in the NFL.  This team has the ability to go all the way in one of the more competitive divisions in the entire NFL.  Watch out for the Ravens in 2012.

AFC East Prediction

This division has been an easy pick for the past 8-10 years but it is getting more competitive.  The Buffalo Bills were 5-2 last year through week 8 and looked great.  Injuries crippled their season and gave them no shot at playoffs.  The Dolphins are an interesting team.  Head Coach Joe Philbin has announced that Ryan Tannehill will be their starting quarterback at the start of the season.  The first round pick has looked good thus far in the preseason, he has a solid offensive line to give him time to get rid of the ball. This team has a lot of talent, but they're young, look out for the Dolphins in the next couple years.  Lastly the Jets haven't lived up to Rex Ryan's hype over the past 3 years.  Revis and Cromartie are getting up into their late 20s, Bart Scott is old for a LB in this new NFL and the question if Mark Sanchez can get the job done still remains.  In Sanchez's three years of starting for the Jets he's averaging almost 23 turnovers a year, last season, he threw 18 interceptions and had 4 fumbles lost.  Turning the ball over is not going to help your team win, and if Sanchez struggles than look for Tim Tebow to be thrown into the spotlight because we all know Tebow is foaming at the mouth to get out their and perform.  I do not think the Jets will win the division because of Sanchez, the quarterback is the most important piece to a team, and a team can only go as far as the quarterback allows them to go.  So the winners in the AFC East once again is the New England Patriots.

Response to ESPN's First Take @SkipBayliss

Today on ESPN's First Take Skip Bayliss expressed his disgust for Steelers safety Ryan Clark's comments about being friends with the Ravens Terrell Suggs.  Yes, they are on rival teams in the same division, but sorry to break it to you Skip, but you're wrong.  Football players have respect for one another, and just because they choose to be friends off the field doesn't make them "soft" as you called it.  Football players, especially in the NFL know when it's time to go to work.  The men that play this game, know when it's time to flip the switch.  When you put the pads on, and buckle that chin strap, and walk out on that football field, every football player knows...it's time to go to war.

Why Don't the Eagles run more double TE formations?

Last night the Birds played the Patriots in a preseason matchup where backup tight end Clay Harbor looked impressive.  Harbor was thrown to six times and was able to haul in all six passes for a total of 30 yards and 2 TDs.  Obviously Brent Celek is a proven tight end and should be starting, but in this case I feel as though the eagles have another starting tight end on their roster in Clay Harbor.  If the eagles ran more of their offensive plays out of double TE formations they could stretch the field with Maclin and Jackson allowing Celek and Harbor to get open against opposing LBs.  Why doesn't Andy Reid see this...

Before Drafting, Please Read!

My last little tip to help all you fantasy owners out there is a pretty simple concept.  When it comes to drafting WRs and RBs for my team I tend to pick players who are on above .500 teams.  I will explain.
WRs and RBs are typically score higher than other positions on your fantasy team(besides QB).  So for example, I like to stay away from certain teams who have a sub par QB when i'm looking for a WR, and the Arizona Cardinals are a perfect example, why draft Larry Fitzgerald when he's got Kevin Kolb and John Skelton throwing him the ball?  They both look absolutely terrible this preseason.  Yes, Larry Fitzgerald will still put up numbers, but they are not maximizing his potential down there in Arizona with two awful QBs who can't get him the ball as often as say a Tom Brady could.  Calvin Johnson and any Green Bay Packer receiver would be way better to have on your team.  My example for RBs is Chris Johnson.  The Titans haven't named a starter, and neither starter looks good this preseason.  This leads me to believe that this team is going to struggle to put the ball in the air this year and rely heavily on Chris Johnson's ability and I don't like that all.  Once a team becomes one dimensional it makes it easier on the defense to key on a guy like Chris Johnson and stop the run.  This is why a guy like RB McCoy for the Philadelphia Eagles is a more valuable pick in fantasy football.  The Eagles are able to keep defenses honest by stretching the field with their WRs giving more running room for a keen RB like McCoy.

Chad Johnson cut on camera...

This past tuesday HBO's second episode of Hardknocks with the Miami Dolphins aired at 10pm.  Prior to the episode the nation already knew of Chad Johnson's release from the team after being arrest for allegedly headbutting his newly wed wife of about five weeks.  After watching the episode I have completely lost all respect for the Miami Dolphin organization and most importantly Joe Philbin.  If some of you did not see the episode, Joe Philbin sat down with Chad Johnson and cut him from the team while camera's were rolling...giving HBO the opportunity to put that clip onto national television.  Now I understand why you would cut the guy from your team, but to do it on national television?  When a team goes to cut a player after an arrest or something of that caliber there should be a statement from the team to tell the media, it should never be on a television show for the world to see.  As a coach you make an example out of Chad for the team's sake, but that's it.  Looking at that episode, the Dolphins and Joe Philbin have made him look like a horrible person to the entire world.  You don't do that to a guy and it make's your organization look bad.  I feel as though Joe Philbin is trying to make a name for himself as a new head coach in the NFL, but who is this guy? He was the "offensive coordinator" for Green Bay... and I say it like that because we all know that Mike McCarthy calls the plays there.  Joe Philbin and the Dolphins were way out of line for allowing that to air.

Fantasy Football Drafting Tips

Your fantasy football draft is right around the corner.  Time to run to the store and buy your favorite magazine and start doing your homework ladies and gentlemen.  Here are some tips to winning a fantasy football league, before your draft even happens.

1. The first thing I would like all of you to do is find out what your league's scoring rules are.  These are important when it comes to having a draft strategy.  Either print these rules out or have them up on your computer screen.
2. Using your fantasy football magazine, start by player position and start to rate your players based on the scoring rules in your league.  (In some leagues touchdowns are more important, some give you points for yardage/receptions, it all varies)
3. Please resist the urge to just draft a player because you like him, if you want to lose, do it, but if you want to win, just follow steps 1 and 2.
4. I personally like to stay away from players who are on teams with losing records.  (Players aren't happy when they're losing and may under perform.  If a team has a horrible quarterback, he's not going to get their playmaker the ball on a regular basis.)
5. My last word of advice is to stay away from big name players who are coming off serious injuries.  Serious injuries to superstars can change a guy's career.  Spending an early draft pick on a guy like that is giant risk that someone like me who wants to win should not take.  I advise you fill your roster first, before you go picking a guy who was productive in the past but is coming off an injury.  It's a risk that could result in reward or failure, but if you do it in the later rounds, the risk of it hurting your fantasy team is far less.
6. Have fun and good luck to all! Stay tuned for possibly a few more sleepers/busts from me!