Football, Part Deux

So thus far, I have my Giants coming out of the NFC. Vegas has my back on this one, so I'm not too much of a homer making that pick. With a quick glance at the AFC, you have to like the Pats, but let's break it down.

Let's start in the AFC East, where there are plenty of questions going in to this season. Does Brady recover from the devastating knee injury? Were the 'Phins a fluke? Can Sanchez pull a Matt Ryan on a decent Jets team? Why the hell did the mediocre Bills sign TO to kill their young QB? Yes, yes, no but it won't matter, and... I have no idea. The Pats are clearly the class of the division. Even if Brady can only play at 75% all year, they have too many weapons. I think the Jets ride their defense and running game to second in the division and compete for a wild card. Sanchez is good, but not great in year 1. He won't kill them, but won't win a game by himself. Miami comes back to earth at 8-8 most likely. The Bills are likely in the 8-8 or 7-9 range as well, but with Dick Jauron at the helm and Trent Edwards under center, plus you-know-who on the roster, well anything is possible.

In the AFC North, I think you can throw away the Ohio teams right off the bat. Look at their schedules and see if you can find more than six wins, I dare you. The other two teams in the division were playoff teams last year, and not much as changed. You have to give the nod to the Super Bowl champion Steelers to win the division. With no real offseason injuries or departures to fret about, the Steelers should compete with the Pats for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Ravens defense should be solid as ever, and the offense has had another year to grow and mature. This looks like a playoff team to me as well.

Tennessee remains the biggest enigma to me in the South division. I can't imagine Kerry Collins being a long term solution at quarterback, but Vince Young hasn't proven to be a viable option either. Who knows how the defense will play without its leader, Haynesworth, who departed for greener pastures? One thing is certain, their running attack should be one of the best in the league, but I don't think thats enough. Houston is a sexy pick to be a contender this year. Then again they are every year for the past 3-4 years. Then they go 8-8. They have talent, let's see what they do with it because I'm not buying any Houston preseaon hype any more until I see it on the field. Jacksonville is a throw away team this year. The defense still can't stop the pass and the offense rests solely on the back of Maurice Jones-Drew, who can't carry this team. This leaves me with Indy as the winner here, and I think reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. They'll be in contention, yet again. I don't think they're Super Bowl good, but they make the playoffs for sure.

I don't know what it is about the West in football lately. The AFC is nearly as atrocious as the NFC's version. San Diego is the only team worth discussing really. Denver is falling apart at the seams in the wake of Shanahan's firing, and Oakland is just terrible. Kansas City is building something interesting, but is at least a year or two away. Chargers steam roll this one.

So my playoff picture looks like this:
1. Steelers
2. Patriots
3. Chargers
4. Colts
5. Ravens
6. Jets
I'd pick Baltimore and San Diego to win in wild card weekend. Then the Ravens in an upset and New England to continue their ownership of the Bolts. And only because I want the epic rematch, I pick New England to go to the Super Bowl.

So my preseason Super Bowl pick is... the New York Giants.
And in other news, the Sun rose in the east today...