NFL Preview for 2010 - What to watch for
(Copy and pasted article from StatBetting)
With the NFL and NCAA Football season just around the corner, lets go with some nice and safe projections to liven up the NFL season. These are going to be pretty much "SURE BETS" by the time the season ends. So lets get the fun started, and let the predictions begin.
The Jets will have one of the leaugue's best defenses. Last year this team shut down opponents week after week with the clever play calling and scheming of Rex Ryan. This year, all of the players are that much more familiar with the system. With the recent addidtion of Antonio Cromartie, things will only get better.
At least 2 teams from the NFC East will go to the playoffs. The NFC East is made up of the best rivalries and some of the best talent in the league. In the last 10 years, there have been only two seasons in which a wildcard playoff team didnt come from the NFC East.
The Colts will return to the playoffs. The Colts were a powerhouse in 2009, despite having a rookie head coach and a couple of no-name recievers. The 2010 Colts will NOT be the best team Manning has ever led, but the Colts are too good to miss the postseason.
The NFC West will be the worst division in the league. The Cardinals replacing Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Karlos Dansby with backups is not a good start. Throw in Pete Carroll (Seattle's new head coach), Jimmy Raye (49ers' second-year offensive coordinator), and the dreadful St. Louis Rams, and you've got yourself another ugly crapshoot.
Chris Johnson WILL NOT run for 2,000 yards again. Piling up 2,000 yards on the ground is not an easy task. No player has ever done so in back-to-back years. It's a safe bet that Johnson will fall at least a few hundred yards short.
Brett Favre will be back with the Vikings in 2010. Even before the celebration had started, Favre had formed a bond with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. The Vikings embraced him as their leader and Favre had more fun then he has had in years, maybe more. Sure, we'll have the typical "will he, wont he" banter, but in the end, number 4 will be under center.
The Tennessee Titans will be in the playoffs. The Titans were perhaps the best 8-8 team in NFL history in 2009. The suffered through a rash of injuries, paticularly in their secondary, and QB Kerry Collins aged overnight. With Vince Young leading the charge, they will return to the postseason.
The 49ers will win the NFC West. Seattle and St. Louis are terrible. Arizona lost its leader when Kurt Warner retiredand has a weakened reciever corps following Anquab Boldins departure. Matt Leinart is bound to have some growing pains. Meanwhile, the 49ers were much improved in 2009, with Alex Smith and Vernon Davis shedding their "bust" labels. Patrick Willis leads an underrated defense. The Niners wont pile up wins, but they should have enough to take home the division.
Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger's off the field issues will prove to be too much of a distraction. Big Ben's suspension is the death blow to the Steelers' playoff chances.
Chris Johnson WILL NOT lead the league in rushing again. Since 2001 there has only been one back-to-back NFL rushing champ (LaDainian Tomlinson). In fact, Tomlinson is the only back with 2 rushing titles in that whole stretch. Johnson was overused last year. Johnson might have a nice year, but Adrian Peterson (Vikings) or Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers) will hold the rushing title.
Drew Brees and Peyton Manning will have less then 32 passing touchdowns. These two great quarterbacks had 34 and 33 passing scores, respectivley, last year, but no quarterback not named Brett Favre has ever had two consecutive seasons of 32 or more passing touchdowns.
The Titans will win at least 9 games in 2010. What goes up, then down, goes up again: Since 2002, five teams have won eight or fewer games after winning 13 or more in the previous year. All of them bounced back to win at least 9 games the following year.
One of the following teams will win at least 10 games: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Rams and Redskins. In the past six years, seven of the teams that won four games or less won at least ten the following year. The Lions are excluded - they've had a losing record for nine straight years.
Four of the follwing five teams WILL NOT repeat as division champions: Bengals, Cardinals, Cowboys, Saints and Vikings. Since the new divisions were created in 2002, there have been at least 4 new division champions every seasonand the average is 4.9 per season. The Patriots and and Colts have each won their division in six of the last seven years and the Chargers have won the AFC West in five of the last six years. That leaves the other teams as change candidates.
Aaron Rodgers will be the NFL MVP. Rodgers took a big step toward greatness in 2009 and he will continue to improve in 2010. Rodgers has two good recievers, a better-then-average running game, and a solid offensive line. Look for him to throw for 4,500 yards, 30-32 touchdowns, and lead his team to a division title on the way to the MVP award.
Colts over the Packers in the Super Bowl. The Colts still have Peyton Manning. What else do you need to make a long run into the playoffs? Manning will have the bitter taste of losing the big game in his mouth and that will just motivate him more. The Packers have a great team, but no way Peyton loses again on the big stage.
Dez Bryant will be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Though he was suspended for most of the 2009 season. Bryant will go to the NFL with a clean slate - and there are plenty os guys with character issues succeeding in the NFL. His talent is undeniable and he should have an impact in the NFL right from the begining. Dallas is a good spo for him, but his talent would shine on any team.
The Atlanta Falcons will return to the playoffs. Even with injuries to Matt Ryan and Michael Turner last season, the Falcons still won nine games and nearly made the playoffs. Fully healthy, the Falcons are a quality team and shouldn't have trouble matching the 11 wins they had in 2008. Matt Ryan is a year older, a year more experienced, and wil lead the team back to the playoffs.
Julius Peppers will lead the league in sacks. Going up against the NFC North, he could have a field day. He abused Minnesota's Bryant McKinnie when they squared off last year. The Packers had all kinds of problems protecting Aarom Rodgers last year. Detriot is still... Detriot. Peppers will want to prove that he deserves his big "payday", and a carer high in sacks could be in order.
With the NFL and NCAA Football season just around the corner, lets go with some nice and safe projections to liven up the NFL season. These are going to be pretty much "SURE BETS" by the time the season ends. So lets get the fun started, and let the predictions begin.
The Jets will have one of the leaugue's best defenses. Last year this team shut down opponents week after week with the clever play calling and scheming of Rex Ryan. This year, all of the players are that much more familiar with the system. With the recent addidtion of Antonio Cromartie, things will only get better.
At least 2 teams from the NFC East will go to the playoffs. The NFC East is made up of the best rivalries and some of the best talent in the league. In the last 10 years, there have been only two seasons in which a wildcard playoff team didnt come from the NFC East.
The Colts will return to the playoffs. The Colts were a powerhouse in 2009, despite having a rookie head coach and a couple of no-name recievers. The 2010 Colts will NOT be the best team Manning has ever led, but the Colts are too good to miss the postseason.
The NFC West will be the worst division in the league. The Cardinals replacing Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin and Karlos Dansby with backups is not a good start. Throw in Pete Carroll (Seattle's new head coach), Jimmy Raye (49ers' second-year offensive coordinator), and the dreadful St. Louis Rams, and you've got yourself another ugly crapshoot.
Chris Johnson WILL NOT run for 2,000 yards again. Piling up 2,000 yards on the ground is not an easy task. No player has ever done so in back-to-back years. It's a safe bet that Johnson will fall at least a few hundred yards short.
Brett Favre will be back with the Vikings in 2010. Even before the celebration had started, Favre had formed a bond with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. The Vikings embraced him as their leader and Favre had more fun then he has had in years, maybe more. Sure, we'll have the typical "will he, wont he" banter, but in the end, number 4 will be under center.
The Tennessee Titans will be in the playoffs. The Titans were perhaps the best 8-8 team in NFL history in 2009. The suffered through a rash of injuries, paticularly in their secondary, and QB Kerry Collins aged overnight. With Vince Young leading the charge, they will return to the postseason.
The 49ers will win the NFC West. Seattle and St. Louis are terrible. Arizona lost its leader when Kurt Warner retiredand has a weakened reciever corps following Anquab Boldins departure. Matt Leinart is bound to have some growing pains. Meanwhile, the 49ers were much improved in 2009, with Alex Smith and Vernon Davis shedding their "bust" labels. Patrick Willis leads an underrated defense. The Niners wont pile up wins, but they should have enough to take home the division.
Pittsburgh will miss the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger's off the field issues will prove to be too much of a distraction. Big Ben's suspension is the death blow to the Steelers' playoff chances.
Chris Johnson WILL NOT lead the league in rushing again. Since 2001 there has only been one back-to-back NFL rushing champ (LaDainian Tomlinson). In fact, Tomlinson is the only back with 2 rushing titles in that whole stretch. Johnson was overused last year. Johnson might have a nice year, but Adrian Peterson (Vikings) or Rashard Mendenhall (Steelers) will hold the rushing title.
Drew Brees and Peyton Manning will have less then 32 passing touchdowns. These two great quarterbacks had 34 and 33 passing scores, respectivley, last year, but no quarterback not named Brett Favre has ever had two consecutive seasons of 32 or more passing touchdowns.
The Titans will win at least 9 games in 2010. What goes up, then down, goes up again: Since 2002, five teams have won eight or fewer games after winning 13 or more in the previous year. All of them bounced back to win at least 9 games the following year.
One of the following teams will win at least 10 games: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Rams and Redskins. In the past six years, seven of the teams that won four games or less won at least ten the following year. The Lions are excluded - they've had a losing record for nine straight years.
Four of the follwing five teams WILL NOT repeat as division champions: Bengals, Cardinals, Cowboys, Saints and Vikings. Since the new divisions were created in 2002, there have been at least 4 new division champions every seasonand the average is 4.9 per season. The Patriots and and Colts have each won their division in six of the last seven years and the Chargers have won the AFC West in five of the last six years. That leaves the other teams as change candidates.
Aaron Rodgers will be the NFL MVP. Rodgers took a big step toward greatness in 2009 and he will continue to improve in 2010. Rodgers has two good recievers, a better-then-average running game, and a solid offensive line. Look for him to throw for 4,500 yards, 30-32 touchdowns, and lead his team to a division title on the way to the MVP award.
Colts over the Packers in the Super Bowl. The Colts still have Peyton Manning. What else do you need to make a long run into the playoffs? Manning will have the bitter taste of losing the big game in his mouth and that will just motivate him more. The Packers have a great team, but no way Peyton loses again on the big stage.
Dez Bryant will be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Though he was suspended for most of the 2009 season. Bryant will go to the NFL with a clean slate - and there are plenty os guys with character issues succeeding in the NFL. His talent is undeniable and he should have an impact in the NFL right from the begining. Dallas is a good spo for him, but his talent would shine on any team.
The Atlanta Falcons will return to the playoffs. Even with injuries to Matt Ryan and Michael Turner last season, the Falcons still won nine games and nearly made the playoffs. Fully healthy, the Falcons are a quality team and shouldn't have trouble matching the 11 wins they had in 2008. Matt Ryan is a year older, a year more experienced, and wil lead the team back to the playoffs.
Julius Peppers will lead the league in sacks. Going up against the NFC North, he could have a field day. He abused Minnesota's Bryant McKinnie when they squared off last year. The Packers had all kinds of problems protecting Aarom Rodgers last year. Detriot is still... Detriot. Peppers will want to prove that he deserves his big "payday", and a carer high in sacks could be in order.