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Seno's Soapbox
#4: NFL Predictions 2001
I'm trying my damnedest to put together a fantasy football league this year. I didn't get to participate in one last season and I really missed it. Anyway, if anyone's interested, here's my power picks for the 2001 pro football season.
NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles - They would have been here last
year if not for the season-ending injury to Duce Staley. They'll
need to find a way to beat the Giants, but Philly should cruise to the
division title. The Eagles are still a solid wide receiver away from
the elite, however.
2. New York Giants - I'm sorry, but NFC Champions or
not, I just don't believe that the Giants are all that good. What
the Giants do have is a good talent balance between the offensive and defensive
sides of the ball, but unless the rest of the conference decides to underachieve
again, I don't see the Giants being more than a solid team.
3. Arizona Cardinals - You heard it here first: Leonard
Davis is the next Larry Allen. The Cards are rather shitty on defense,
but if Thomas Jones and Jake Plummer can live up to expectations, McGinnis
should field a fairly good offense.
4. Washington Redskins - I'm going on a gut feeling here,
but I think that the Skins stink of a team that's about to implode.
Snyder, George, and Schottenheimer comprise a dangerously volatile triumvirate.
Moreover, the defense is pretty damn old, and the Redskins demonstrated
a disturbing inability to deal with adversity last season.
5. Dallas Cowboys - They can't stop the run and they're
going with a rookie at quarterback (which speaks highly of Quincy Carter,
and very poorly of Tony Banks). I don't think they'll be quite as
bad as everyone is making them out to be, but it's still going to a be
long season in Big D.
NFC Central
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Yeah, they'll win the division.
Big deal; these guys want a Super Bowl. Hell, with this much talent,
the general thinking is that they can't possibly not win the organization's
first world championship. That, my friends, is what we call pressure.
Much has been made of the acquisition of Brad Johnson, but to my thinking
he's not the real key to the team's offensive fortune; Warrick Dunn is.
Last year, Dunn demonstrated the ability to be a great all-purpose back.
This year, the Bucs must allow him to fulfill that potential.
2. Green Bay Packers - A patchwork team that only received
this rating because they're helmed by the NFL's greatest active QB.
The Pack is decently good on both sides of the ball, which is more than
you can say for most teams.
3. Detroit Lions - The sleeping giant of the NFL, this
team must find a way to keep themselves healthy. Like Bobby Ross
before him, new team guru Matt Millen has already demonstrated a commitment
to the offensive line. Comprised of a number of first-round picks
from the last few drafts, this potentially great blocking unit is complemented
by RB James Stewart and a talented WR corps. The defense is also
solid, as are the special teams. Honestly, I would have ranked them
higher, but I anticipate a shaky start due to the fact that talented but
oft-injured QB Charlie Batch will need time to learn the new West Coast
offense being installed this year.
4. Minnesota Vikings - The fact that Minnesota hasn't
been sitting down here the last couple of seasons is a testament to the
coaching skills of Denny Green. However, the loss of Robert Smith to retirement
as well as the best players from an already wretched D do not bode well
for the Vikings. On the other hand, it's very hard to discount a
team coached by Green, even if they are a bunch of whiny prima donnas.
5. Chicago Bears - Dick Jauron is a chode. There
just isn't any way to get around it. Brought in to help shore up
the Bears on offense, Jauron failed to harness Cade McNown's considerable
talent; I understand he's now on the trading block. The acquisition
of Ted Washington and the continued development of Brian Ulacher should
go a long way toward improving Chicago's defense. Unfortunately,
Jauron won't be around long enough to reap the benefits.
NFC West
1. New Orleans Saints - The surprise of the league last
year, Haslett's boys should only improve upon last season's strong showing.
The addition of Deuce McAllister should allow Ricky Williams the rest necessary
to keep himself on the field for an entire season. TE Cam Cleeland
and a number of young, talented receivers return and should benefit from
the playing time they received during last year's injury epidemic.
Aaron Brooks, should he be given the opportunity to start, is also likely
to build upon his phenomenal debut campaign. And the defense?
Well, they did register 66 sacks last year, complemented by one of the
best secondary's in the league. Final analysis? These guys
look ready to make a legitimate title run.
2. St. Louis Rams - In '99, they made an amazing title
run. In Y2K, injuries and an atrocious defense cost them dearly.
The Rams have taken steps to improve upon last year's awful defensive showing,
but the pre-season games I've been treated to thus far lead me to conclude
that it isn't enough. They'll score a million points during the regular
season, but everybody knows that defense wins championships.
3. Atlanta Falcons - Jamal Anderson managed to rush for
a thousand yards last season, despite returning from a major injury and
despite running behind an injury-depleted O Line. Just being healthy
will be a huge benefit to the Falcons, as will the return of WR Tony Martin
via free agency.
4. San Francisco 49ers - The loss of Charlie Garner hurts.
A lot. But if Garrison Hearst can come back successfully (admittedly
not an easy task), the Niners are very capable of fielding one of the NFL's
best offenses again. The defense is getting better, but it's still
a year or two away from scaring anybody. Overall, I like the rebuilding
program the 49ers have implemented. They should be back in the hunt
within the next few years.
5. Carolina Panthers - Plagued by a rash of knee injuries
and bereft of a proven quarterback, the Panthers don't look very good.
Unless Seifert knows something about Jeff Lewis that I don't, Carolina
looks to be the worst team in the NFC.
AFC East
1. Miami Dolphins - Comprised largely of cast-offs, the
Dolphins were last season's "feel good" team. This year, that same
cast returns virtually intact, along with WR James McKnight and QB Ray
Lucas. Both players complement Chan Gailey's offensive system very
well; Lucas will be used in goal line situations and his presence will
enable starter Jay Fiedler to sit the bench in case of injury. In
addition, the defense that Jimmy Johnson built during his tenure as coach
is as good as ever and K Olindo Mare heads up a very good special teams
unit. A very good team playing in a rather lackluster division, the
Dolphins should coast to a division title . . . and more.
2. Indianapolis Colts - The Rams of the AFC. Great
offense; no defense. Until that changes significantly, the Colts
are going to be a perennial casualty of the first round of the play-offs.
3. New York Jets - The Jets are looking at their third
head coach in as many years. Fortunately, he inherits a team with
a great RB (Curtis Martin), a proven QB (Vinny Testaverde), an interesting
mix of WR's (Wayne Chrebet, Santana Moss, and Matthew Hatchette), and a
defense that's still pretty darn good.
4. New England Patriots - They still don't have a go-to
running back, and the offensive talent around Drew Bledsoe continues to
thin. An already good defense augmented by the addition of Bryan
Cox will keep them from being terrible.
5. Buffalo Bills - They went with Rob Johnson . . . and
it gets worse from there. Excessive turnover of talent due to salary
cap problems seems to have finally caught up with the Bills.
AFC Central
1. Tennessee Titans - Eighteen months ago, I read an
article predicting that Jevon Kearse and Kevin Carter would be the most
dominant defensive ends of the decade. Thanks to a trade, they are
now on the same team. Beyond that, the most positive things you can
say about the Titans are one, that their talent core remains intact and
two, that their chief rivals have already been decimated by injury
. . .
2. Baltimore Ravens - Although they added QB Elvis Grbac
and RT Leon Searcy to an already championship-caliber team, the Ravens
were dealt a crushing blow when RB Jamal Lewis was lost for the season
due to a knee injury (not to mention that Searcy sustained a triceps injury
that will keep him sidelined until well into the season also). However,
the Ravens return (arguably) the greatest defense in the history of the
NFL, as well as one of the league's premiere special teams units.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers - Any team coached by Bill Cowher
is worthy of respect. The Steelers lost a great run-stopper due to
free agency (Levon Kirkland), but gained a great run-stopper in the draft
(Casey Hampton). Inconsistency at the quarterback position continues
to be a negative, but the run game is as solid as ever.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars - Most of the talent that comprised
this once-great team has departed, or is coming off of serious injury.
Speaking of injury, can you remember the last time Mark Brunell and Fred
Taylor didn't have one? Didn't think so.
5. Cincinnati Bengals - You ever get the feeling that
they wanted the Browns in the division just so they wouldn't be the suckiest
team? The Bengals boast the NFL's best running back in Corey Dillon,
and precious little else. However, if Akili Smith can just become
the quarterback the team needs him to be, the Bengals would have the makings
of a very good offensive nucleus.
6. Cleveland Browns - Tim Couch has been hurt early and
often in his previous two seasons, making it difficult to ascertain just
how good he really is. Butch Davis was a good choice for head coach,
but he has his work cut out for him. The only secure starting position,
to my line of thinking, is that of kicker Phil Dawson.
AFC West
1. Oakland Raiders - The across town additions of Charlie
Garner and Jerry Rice should help last year's AFC Championship runner-up
reach the next level. Although most of their key starters are rather
advanced in age, they have enough depth to keep injuries from becoming
a factor.
2. Denver Broncos - Speaking of depth, meet the one team
that can honestly say that it is stacked three deep at both the quarterback
and running back positions. Hell, why not throw in wide receiver
and defensive tackle why you're at it. The lack of a pass rush remains
a concern, however.
3. San Diego Chargers - The arrival of Doug Flutie, several
other veteran free agents, and a solid draft class has the city of San
Diego hoping for a turnaround after three miserable years of Ryan Leaf.
Thanks to an easy schedule, they should get it, provided that LaDainian
Tomlinson is as good as advertised.
4. Seattle Seahawks - Pretty much the same situation
as the Chargers: good draft (Koren Robinson) and good free agent pick-ups
(Matt Hasselbeck, John Randle and Chad Eaton). What they don't have
is the same strength of schedule.
5. Kansas City Chiefs - In order to get the coach (Dick
Vermeil) and quarterback (Trent Green) that they wanted, the Chiefs had
to mortgage most of their draft. Priest Holmes will provide help
at running back, but he's not the answer. The loss of Sylvester Morris
to injury will hurt. Fortunately, I don't anticipate that they'll
be down here long; as a matter of fact, the AFC West looks to be the strongest
division in football right now.
Super Bowl Contestants: New Orleans Saints vs. Oakland Raiders
Super Bowl Champion: Oakland Raiders
Seno
8/14/01
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it and stuff.