NFL Season 2008/09
 

...is almost upon us, and im currently in a frenzied state of excitement, while my fiancee is in abject despair, as she knows very soon I will be totally (blissfully) ignorant of her existance every Sunday from 6pm onwards, as I am glued to Sky Sports watching 6/7 hours of non stop live NFL coverage.

I am a die hard Washington Redskins fan and have been for over 20 years now, since I saw the 1984 Superbowl between the Redskins and the Raiders...being a 12 year old pup I picked the Redskins to win (i liked their colours) and watched them get trounced 38-9. I knew then they were my team, fitting in nicely alongside my other total losers teams of choices - Derby County, Derbyshire CCC...the list goes on.

But, as always, I remain loyal and fervant in my support, and unlike the Rams they have given me cause to celebrate with 2 Superbowl winning seasons and plenty of other highlights.

Personal support aside, I love the NFL and think it a very value ridden market from a betting perspective. 6/1 the field for this years Superbowl, where the defenduing Champions, the New York Giants, are currently 20/1. The favourites are the New England Patriots, who almost completed the perfect unbeaten season last year, losing their only game in the Superbowl to the Giants, but dont look as dominant this year. It is wide open, with at least a dozen teams having decent claims on the SB this year.

Weekly there is massive value to be had, with handicap bets being available on every game and I showed a handsome profit last season. The season kicks off properly in 4 weeks time, between now and then though all the teams play 4 pre season friendly games against other teams....dont rely too much on these but there are clues to be gained. I will post my thoughts/observations, but if there are any NFL'ers around...please post your thoughts too and lets get some banter going....unless you're a Cowboys,Eagles or Giants fan....in which case beggar off and tread consistently in dog poo cause I really dont like you.....and never will.

Shark.. me ol mate !!
 

Ever since Joie Pendleton ('Warren Beatty') climbed out of the 'well' (resurrected from the dead):'D in the film 'Heaven can Wait' and got to the stadium just in time to throw 80yds for a winning touchdown for 'The Rams', ive loved the game !!!




Come on Warren ...... Come on you L A Rams
8-P benny

Just the fact you've replied with such a loving, sentimental memory of NFL and the joy it can bring mate will make me gladly forgive you for not knowing that the LA Rams are no more and they are now the St Louis Rams and have been for well over a decade now......but who cares....they are still the Rams...and thats a fine team to support, whether it be English or American football....o:D

B (:

ha ha ha
 

oh f~~k...ive benn rumbled :gh:

Hehehe...people say to me quite often "how comes you dont support the Rams in the NFL as well as the Rams at soccer" but it dont work like that...anyway mate, rumbled or not, you've got an association there, so thank you for posting....just a damn shame the current St Louis Rams are about as successful as the Rams of last seasons Premiership....:h?:

Current prices to win the Superbowl 2008/09

New England Patriots 5/2
Indianapolis Colts 7/1
San Diego Chargers 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 14/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
New York Giants 20/1
Philadelphia Eagles 20/1
Seattle Seahawks 20/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 25/1
Cleveland Browns 33/1
Green Bay Packers 33/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33/1
Denver Broncos 40/1
Tennessee Titans 40/1
Washington Redskins 40/1
Arizona Cardinals 50/1
Carolina Panthers 50/1
Chicago Bears 50/1
Cincinnati Bengals 50/1
Detroit Lions 66/1
Houston Texans 66/1
Baltimore Ravens 80/1
St Louis Rams 80/1
Buffalo Bills 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
New York Jets 100/1
Oakland Raiders 100/1
San Francisco 49ers 100/1
Atlanta Falcons 200/1
Miami Dolphins 200/1

On first inspection of these, I would say a standout price is the Minnesota Vikings at 25/1 (prices quoted are Laddies). The Vikings are as low as 16/1 elsewhere and the reason I like this price is twofold :

1. Minnesota have the most explosive RB in the NFL in Adrian Peterson, who will run over many defences this season and will probably end up the leagues #1 TD scorer of the RB's and gain the most yards.

2. There is a saying in the NFL : Offences win you games, Defences win you Championships. Well, Minnesota's Defence is ranked #1, and in the offseason they have strengthened it even more. They are in the weaker NFC, in a pretty weak division, and a shoe in for the post season - a very strong candidate to be the NFC representative in next years SB, and with E/W paying out at half the odds for just getting to the SB, I think Minnesota at the moment are standout.

film 4
 

"heaven can wait" now

The first round of pre season games took place this weekend, and there have been a couple of big name "transfers" as well as injuries that will affect certain teams chances/odds.

Firstly, Brett Favre has come out of retirement and was traded by Green Bay to the NY Jets, which saw their long time #1 QB, Chad Pennington, move to divisional rivals and last years whipping boys the Miami Dolphins. Neither trade will impact heavily on the Superbowl picture, though a better season for Miami is expected and i think Pennington will be a good fit for them, while there may be a knee jerk reaction to the Jets chances because of the Favre effect, but they are still a long way short of the NE Patriots, who are also in their division, as well as many other AFC teams. But the 100/1 on the Jets may well go soon.

The Denver Broncos have lost their rookie RB sensation to injury. Denver have a habit of producing starlet RB's who come from seemingly nowhere and then run defenses ragged - they had got one primed to be unleashed on the NFL this season, but Ryan Torain's elbow break means he will miss most of the season and this will seriously damage Denvers chances in the AFC West. This is good news for the San Diego Chargers, who should win the division comfortably now, with their main rivals being weakened - it should be noted also that the Chargers beat up the Dallas Cowboys this weekend and their own banged up QB, Phillip Rivers, made a successful return and looked very sharp.

Of the rest, Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis slipped to another defeat against Carolina, and the rumours are that Manning wont be ready for the start of the season. The effect this will have on the Colts cannot be understated and I would leave them alone hugely for now.

Keep the info coming sharky, great post..:brains:

I used to be an avid watcher of NFL...
 

Cleveland Browns....i think of them and i think of Bernie Kosar, who had the biggest afro in the world yet was as white as the driven snow and wondering why they were called the Browns yet had orange helmets.....

Anyway, in recent years the Browns have been the Browns of normal - languishing in their own division, providing most teams with comfortable wins and doing well to get close to a .500 season. But something happened last year....and no one really understands why.

There were problems at QB for Cleveland, with people coming and going and having no effect, then they get a rookie superstar QB from the draft, yet dont play him, favouring a young and hitherto unheralded QB called Derek Anderson.

The season started off mundane for Cleveland, then i think it was around week 4 or 5, they won a ridiculous game against divisional rivals Cincinatti something like 64-49 (thats like a Prem game finishing 8-6 or something). This guy Derek Anderson suddenly became one of the hottest QB's in the NFL and found a wide receiver called Braylon Edwards who seemed to have superglue on his hands, and together they put up some monster numbers. Why or how is still a ???? but as a duo they became one of last seasons elite.

They became the closest challengers to the eventual divisional winners, Pittsburgh Steelers, but ran them very close and nearly made the end of season playoffs, only missing out by .5 of a game.

This season is gonna be interesting for the Browns. Were they a one season wonder or are they the real deal. Its probably AK v 88, but they are definitely a team to keep an eye on. I would say no to a realistic chance of SB glory, as they are in the AFC and need to better teams like the Patriots, Chargers, Colts, Jaguars and Steelers to be the AFC rep, but we will know after 5 or 6 games just how much they have improved...they have a tough schedule though and personally I think they will end up something like 8-8, 7-9 come the end of the regular season.

The Shark's Divisional Review
 

Seeing as at least two people are enjoying the NFL season preview (or just humouring me!) and seeing as im a total NFL junkie, i thought id do a division by division review for the forthcoming season.

Wont do them all in one go, just one at a time over the next few weeks, but i'll start with the one I know most about, and will try and be as fair and objective as possible...though please note this first one will be like me trying to review a division that contains just Derby Co, Notts Forest, Leicester Chity and dirty Leeds.

NFC EAST - teams : New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins

Last season order of finishing with season Won/Loss record:

1. Dallas Cowboys 13-3 (lost to Giants in NFC Divisional play off game)
2. New York Giants 10-6 (won the Superbowl)
3. Washington Redskins 9-7 (lost to Seattle in Wildcard play off game)
4. Philadelphia Eagles 8-8 (did not qualify for playoffs)

DALLAS COWBOYS.

Swallows the bile back down.....Dallas are known as "Americas Team" and are probably the most famous/successful NFL team of all time (very arguably). They currently have a very strong squad, lead by QB Tony Romo, though he is more famous for dating Jessica Simpson. But with Marion Barber at RB, and the "love him if he plays for your team otherwise hate him" Terrell Owens at WR, they do, unfortunately, remain the team to beat in the NFC East. Notorious for starting off awesome and then choking as the season heats up (like Liverpool in the EPL) Dallas will be looking a postseason football at a minimum but will be many peoples tip to be the NFC rep at this years Superbowl.

Offensive Rating : 9/10
Defensive Rating : 8/10

My prediction : 12-4, playoffs but no SB appearance again for the Redskins most hated of rivals.

NEW YORK GIANTS.

I still do not know how this bunch of non-descripts won the Superbowl. OK, non-descripts a touch harsh, but the "Big Blue" surely cannot repeat last years against all odds success. They have lost one of their talismen, Jeremy Shockey, to the New Orleans Saints, and have a few injury concerns, but either way, Eli Manning and Co will not be a surprise package anymore and have the weight of defending Champs to play to as well. In this rough and tough division, I see them struggling, even though their coach, Tom Coughlin, will be as tactically astute as ever.

Offensive Rating : 7/10
Defensive Rating : 7/10

My prediction : 7-9, no playoffs this year and a poor defence of the Crown.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

New Head Coach Jim Zorn brings his West Coast offense to DC, which should give more potency to Washingtons offense, which sometimes does struggle to put points on the board. However, young QB Jason Campbell will have more weapons to fire this season, with the Skins using their draft picks wisely to enhance their WR corps which now looks very healthy, along with top notch TE Chris Cooley and stud RB Clinton Portis. The defense has also been strengthened, with Pro Bowl veteran Jason Taylor added to a high rated D from Miami which will give the Skins a great pass rush as well as a talented secondary. For once the Skins have a decent looking schedule and if they can negotiate the usual intense games against their divisional rivals, they could well push the Cowgirls all the way.

Offensive Rating : 7.5/10
Defensive Rating : 8.5/10

My prediction : 11-5, playoff football...and im dreaming of what could be for my beloved boys....

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

The Eagles will always be dangerous opponents, but they are not the force of a few seasons ago, despite having probably the best all purpose RB in the NFL in Brian Westbrook. Their QB, Donovan McNabb, is now aging and quite injury prone, and there seems to be no confidence in the backup QB's in Philly. The defense is very suspect against the pass, and games often end in shootouts. The Evil Birds will be no pushovers, but I think there is more hope than expectation in Philly this season, and a .500 record will be fairly well received I believe.

Offensive Rating : 7.5/10 (would be 6 if not for Westbrook, watch out of he gets injured!)
Defensive Rating : 7/10

My Prediction : 7-9, struggle again for Philly and a battle to avoid the wooden spoon placing with NYG.

NFC EAST OVERALL

Without doubt the most combative division in the NFC and rivalled only by the AFC South in the NFL overall. Much will depend on the divisional matchups - if these are shared equally then you could again see three teams qualifying from this division. However i see the division being a shootout between the two most intense rivals in the NFL, the Cowboys and the Redskins, with both the Giants and the Eagles struggling to keep pace.

1. Cowboys
2. Redskins
3. Giants
4. Eagles

Sharky, trust me !
 

I'm definitely not humouring you :cool: I think it's great to read your in-site into a sport i like to watch when possible . I went to Wembley back in the 80's to see the 1st NFL game played in this country, i think it was Browns v Eagles :h?:( not sure now) !! Any way that was when i followed the game on Channel 4, and we had a great day out .
It was also a time when i liked betting the spread on these games but along the way horse racing and then greyhounds took over . The one thing i remember from a betting point was, like yourself, if you followed what was happening with certain players some bets were 'nailed on' !!:scribe: glk mate and keep us informed :clap:


benny

Cheers for that Benny....and dont worry, i'll be posting very regularly with updates, info, news and views because i totally adore the NFL...as you can probably tell...

One of the best days of my life was watching a live NFL game for the first (and only to date) time...i was in New Orleans and went to the Superdome to watch the Saints beat the Cowboys. One day i will get to Fedex Field to watch the Skins play at home as well....one of my lifetimes ambitions.

But for now, ill be playing countless fantasy league games, watching any live games that are on, keeping up to date with everything going on and posting my own views and thoughts on here as much as is possible, whether people read it/take it seriously or not!!!

As we have some interest....
 

The Shark's Divisional Review (2)
 

We will stay in the NFC and this time look at the NFC North Division

NFC NORTH - Teams : Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears

Last Season :

1. Green Bay Packers 13-3 (Lost NFC Champ. Game to New York Giants
2. Minnesota Vikings 8-8 (Did not qualify for playoffs)
3. Detroit Lions 7-9 (DNQ)
4. Chicago Bears 7-9 (DNQ)

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Green Bay enjoyed a stellar season last time, primarily due to the continuing talents of Brett Favre, who enjoyed a record breaking season with two excellent WR's in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, but also due to the discovery of RB rookie Ryan Grant, who after keeping the bench warm for the first half of the season got his chance due to injury and ran teams ragged. Green Bay looked certs to reach the SB but ran headlong into the Giants who beat them in their own backyard to reach the SB. This season though, as has been mentioned, Brett Favre retired, then didnt, then retired, then rejoined, but was traded to the New York Jets to allow rookie QB Aaron Rodgers a chance to develop into another franchise QB. Another 13-3 season is too much to expect though and Green Bay will have a fight on their hands to win the division. Lambeau Field remains a hostile environment though that few teams enjoy playing at....the Pack will be competative as always.

Offensive Rating : 7/10 (Favre-less now!)
Defensive Rating : 7/10

My Prediction : Playoff chances, but may be a wildcard route only

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

I've always had a soft spot for Minnesota, and they have threatened consistently to have a breakout season, but rarely have they done it. This season though they will surely not get a better chance to go deep into the playoffs. Adrian Peterson was "just" a rookie RB this time last year....This time this year he is the NFL's hottest property and expected to be the #1 RB come January. Ably assisted by Chester Taylor, the Vikes have a running game to be proud of, and there is no doubt that HC Brad Childress will run teams into the ground, behind a very big O line. The passing game though is questionable, with QB Tavaris Jackson misfiring all too regularly to get the Vikes out of trouble when their running game is stuffed at source. But the Vikings also have the #1 rated Defence, and it is this that could carry them to the big dance at the end of the season. It must also be noted that Minnesota play their home games indoor on astroturf....when they are away, playing outdoors on grass, in inclement weather, they do tend to suffer for it...

Offensive Rating : 8/10 (would be higher with a better QB, would be lower without Peterson)
Defensive Rating : 9.5/10 (still a little suspect against the pass)

My Prediction : Playoff football for the Vikings - could do with home field advantage in the playoffs though

DETROIT LIONS

Wheres Barry Sanders when you need him? Detroit usually flit somewhere between competative to woeful, and this season looks to be erring more to the latter than the former. Their QB, Jon Kitna, reckons the Lions should be winning 10 games this season....he said that last season as well, and though the Lions started promisingly, they soon faded and become the one dimensional team we know and chuckle at. A pair of talented WR's they have its true, but their O line is paper thin and their running attack is almost non existant. Could be a long season for the Lions...

Offensive Rating : 6/10
Defensive Rating : 5/10

My Prediction : Should be in line for a decent early draft pick next April....

CHICAGO BEARS

Now here is an enigma of a team. Last season much was expected of them, and they disappointed massively. Reason is they depend too much on their very good defense, whilst their offense struggles to put any sort of drives together. Last season Chicago's biggest scoring weapon was a special teams player called Devin Hester - this guy had a habit of running punts and kick offs straight back for TD's - so much so that teams started to kick it straight out of bounds and take a penalty rather than try and stop him. Hester has been promoted to WR this season and chances are they will just dump the ball to him with short screen passes and let him laser his way to the endzone. That alone wont be enough though, and Chicago need more consistency to be competative. Problems at QB and RB dont fill you with confidence, though their Defense remains as rough and tough as ever.

Offensive Rating : 6/10
Defensive Rating : 9/10

My Prediction : Not sure they can put enough points on the board to win more matches than they lose.

NFC NORTH OVERALL

Minnesota should take the division, though alot will depend on Peterson staying fit and them finding a few wins away from their Dome. Green Bay will be their biggest challenger, but only if they get rid of the Favre effect sooner rather than later, whilst Chicago could make it a three horse race if they find some offensive consistency. Cant see Detroit being competative, though they wont be the worst team in the NFL either.

1. Vikings
2. Packers
3. Bears
4. Lions

Nfl............
 

Boring Tony ?
 

You speak for yourself mate.....Sundays is "Swingers Night" :'D

Errrrrrrrrrrr
 

NFL regular season is still a few week away mate....unfortunately.

First game is Thurs 4 Sept, when my heroic Washington Redskins take on the defending world champs the New York Giants in the traditional season opener.

That game will be televised but Week 1 and NFL Sunday gets underway properly on Sunday 7 Sept - dont think first live games have e
been announced yet but as soon as they are ill post on here.

Will do a round up tomorrow of 2nd round of preseason friendly games, as well as continue my divisional reviews, and updates of latest injuries, trades and rumours.

Definitely Tony, will be doing the same in terms of picking a couple of teams to actually win the SB/their conference and then having a weekly bet on the games on the handicap lines, which last year i was very successful with.

Been a few interesting scorelines this weekend - preseason games in the NFL count for about as much as our soccer pre season friendlies do - but there are always a few signs and clues, especially where there are new Head Coaches and big money trades. Plus, obviously, teams want some momentum going into the regular season, as well as for the most part you have second string players trying to make a point for inclusion into the starting line up, so very much worth keeping an eye on.

I will post this round up tomorrow, and review another division...i'll stay in the NFC and do the NFC South, then the NFC West, before moving onto the 4 AFC divisions.

Preseason Week 2 - Review
 

The NFL spotlight this weekend was in New York, where Brett Favre made his return to NFL action but for the first time ever in a jersey other than the green/yellow of the Green Bay Packers...now he was suited up as a New York Jet, and they faced my Washington Redskins in a preseason match that usually would fall way off the radar.

Favre did ok - he threw his first, and the Jets only, TD pass - a 4 yard dump to TE Dustin Keller, but ultimately the rough n ready Washington defence got to him plenty and he soon gave way to the backup QB - nothing much to be read into that, as NFL coaches chop and change around alot, but Favre made a decent start. In the end, the Redskins won the game 13-10, and have now won all three of their preseason games - the standout record so far.

Elsewhere, and concern at preseason favourites and last seasons nigh-on untouchables the New England Patriots, as they lost their second consecutive preseason game 27-10 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Patriots star QB, Tom Brady, didnt play, but alot of their main string and much vaunted offense did make starts and play series - but to little effect, as they seemed stuck in first gear and the Buccs beat them comfortably. A few injuries here for the Patriots and no real cohesion as yet...im not sure if this alone will start to make them drift in the market, but definitely something to keep an eye on.

Another well fancied team that have lost both pre season games so far are the Dallas Cowboys (ha). They went down to the Denver Broncos 23-13 and whilst there are no alarm bells ringing just yet, already there are murmurs of discontent.

Biggest concern result of the week at Favre's old club, Green Bay, where they got hammered by the lowly ranked San Francisco 49ers 34-6. The scoreline bad enough, but of most concern was the Pack's inability to stop the San Fran defence from getting to and hitting their rookie QB. When you consider the 49ers defence is no great shakes, it will be of a huge concern to the Packers with only two weeks left to go before the start of the regular season.

Full scores from week 2 of the preseason

Buffalo Bills 24 - 21 Pittsburgh Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles 24 - 13 Carolina Panthers
Tennessee Titans 17 - 16 Oakland Raiders
NY Jets 10 - 13 Washington Redskins
Atlanta Falcons 9 - 16 Indianapolis Colts
Baltimore Ravens 15 - 23 Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars 14 - 19 Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints 27 - 31 Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs 17 - 27 Arizona Cardinals
St Louis Rams 7 - 6 San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos 23 - 13 Dallas Cowboys
Seattle Seahawks 29 - 26 Chicago Bears
San Francisco 49ers 34 - 6 Green Bay Packers
Cincinatti Bengals 10 - 27 Detroit Lions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 - 10 New England Patriots

playing tonight

New York Giants v Cleveland Browns

The Shark's Divisional Review (3)
 

Next on the list is the NFC South Division

NFC SOUTH - Teams : Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons

Last Season :

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7 (Lost to NY Giants Divisional Champs Game)
2. Carolina Panthers 7-9 (Did Not Qualify for Playoffs)
3. New Orleans Saints 7-9 (DNQ)
4. Atlanta Falcons 4-12 (DNQ)

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Buccs are a no nonsense, what you see is what you get kinda team...no real stud players, sound offensively, sound defensively, difficult to beat yet always beatable - the kind of team you dont wanna see on your forthcoming schedule, but if you do, it doesnt send shivers down your spine. It is hard to place exactly where they are at right now...they currently have 4 QB's vying for the starters job, with Earnest Graham at RB keeping Carnell "Cadillac" Williams place warm whilst Cadillac recovers from injury, but doing a nice job in the meantime. Head Coach Jon Gruden will expect playoff football from his team, as they have been postseason regulars in the last few years...but you get the sense if one of their divisional rivals puts any kind of pressure on them they may struggle to hold the #1 spot in the NFC South.

Offensive Rating : 6.5/10
Defensive Rating : 7/10

My Prediction : Something telling me this isnt gonna be a good year for the Buccs...dont really know why though.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Alot will depend here on how their number one QB Jake Delhomme returns from injury and whether he will have star WR Steve Smith to throw to - and if he does, whether Smith can stay fit as well. Carolina are traditionally strong defensively and this remains the case, but they can become very one dimensional, relying heavily on their passing game to put points on the board. If injuries/fitness goes against them, they will lose more games than they win.

Offensive Rating : Potentially 8/10 - also potentially 5/10
Defensive Rating : 8/10

My Prediction : Will look world beaters one week, no hopers the next. If Delhomme/Smith stay fit, they will have a winning season. Not much more though.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

This team could be an exciting one to follow this season. They have offensive weapons aplenty....Drew Brees is one of the premier QB's in the NFL and has a rising star of a WR in Marques Colston. They are strong in the RB department, with Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister back fit from injury. They have brought in one of the top Tight Ends (although i cant stand the punk) Jeremy Shockey and will score points with alarming regularity and pretty quickly as well. Can they stop teams from scoring though? That is what stops the Saints becoming one of the premier teams in the NFL, and why they end up losing matches they really should win. The Saints are alot of peoples "second" team, and no one really chunters if the Saints go marching to the Superbowl..they have never been there yet though...its gotta happen one year though...hasnt it???

Offensive Rating : 8.5/10
Defensive Rating : 6/10

My Prediction : The Saints could (should?) take the division this season and boast one of the hottest offenses around. Their games will be exciting to watch...could be a roller coaster season in NO.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Gotta feel sorry for the Falcons...they were crusing along with Micheal Vick as QB, and were primed for eventual success...then Vick goes and gets himself disgraced and jailed and the house comes crashing down around the Falcons. They had a terrible year last season being one of the leagues lowest scorers whilst having a defense that seemed to enjoy watching the opposition score. They have taken steps to redress this though - the signing of Michael Turner at RB from the Chargers being a fine capture, though you still fear for their passing game. I expect to see an improvement this year from the Falcons - to what ends i am not sure but they will close the division up.

Offensive Rating : 6/10
Defensive Rating : 5/10

My Prediction : Better, but still not back to the glory days for the Falcons.

NFC SOUTH OVERALL

You wont find the SB winner - probably even the NFC representative at the SB coming from this division, but i expect it to be a close run league. The Saints should prove too strong for their 3 rivals, whilst the Falcons could clamber above the Panthers if injuries to the key men of Carolina take their toll. The Buccs will be competative, but their limitations will hamper their chances of success.

1. Saints
2. Buccaneers
3. Falcons
4. Panthers

Just to update the Monday night game....and bad news for Tony....

New York Giants 37 - 34 Cleveland Browns.....but the Browns star QB Derek Anderson got injured during the game and it is being assessed as to how serious the injury is.

The Shark's Divisional Review (4)
 

Up next is the NFC West Division

NFC WEST - Teams : Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St Louis Rams

Last Season :

1. Seattle Seahawks 10-6 (Lost to Green Bay in Divisional Champs Game)
2. Arizona Cardinals 8-8 (Did Not Qualify for Playoffs)
3. San Francisco 49ers 5-11 (DNQ)
4. St Louis Rams 3-13 (DNQ)

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seattle have pretty much had this division to themselves over recent years - notoriously strong in their West Coast fortress called the QWest Stadium in Seattle (try and find some photos of it, or make sure you watch and look at the stadium when Seattle are home on TV - its awesome) the Seahawks have been the NFC's nearly men - but have always found a team or two just a bit stronger than them down the stretch. I suspect this season will pan out the same for the Hawks - they have also lost their stud RB in Shaun Alexander but will continue to be strong offensively with QB Matt Hasselbeck at the helm. Cant see anyone taking the Divisional title off them...but cant see them making the big dance either.

Offensive Rating : 8/10
Defensive Rating : 7.5/10

My Prediction - Another NFC West title to Seattle and playoff football...but not much more.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Pretty much every year for the last 4 or 5 the pundits/experts have been suggesting that this may well be the season for the usually maligned Cardinals to break out and bring playoff football to Arizona for the first time in....pffftt...pick a number. But season in season the Cards fail to live up to the hype and fail to make the postseason. The nucleus of a good team is there - an aging experienced QB in Kurt Warner mentoring an up and coming young QB in Matt Leinart....a very decent RB in Edgerrin James and a WR corps that is the envy of many a bigger NFL side, primarily thanks to the duo of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald - though there is much speculation about the future of Boldin currently. The Cards just dont get it done on defense though, and whilever they have this Achilles heel, i suspect they will always be close, but no cigar.

Offensive Rating : 8/10
Defensive Rating : 5/10

My prediction : Should be Seattles closest challenger again, but will lose too many games to be a real threat.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

The days of Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice et all are long gone in San Fran, and for many a season now they have been almost the whipping boys of the NFL. There are signs of life starting to flicker in this former giant, but there are still way too many holes in both the offense and defense to expect anything much from the Niners. They do have an excellent RB in Frank Gore, but the QB situation is desperate, and they dont have much in the way of a receiving corps either. Defense is better than it was but still way down the rankings...think it will be a few years yet before gold is found in SF again.

Offensive Rating : 5/10 (3 of those for Gore)
Defensive Rating : 4/10

My Prediction : Hard to find many positive aspects for the 49ers this season...will lose (many) more than they win.

ST LOUIS RAMS

What has happened to the "greatest show on turf"? 3 - 13 last season was pathetic - and the Rams were as bad as the record sounds (where have i heard that sentence before?) True, the Rams were decimated by injury but that is an excuse more than a reason, and the old guard still in St Louis really are a last chance saloon this season. There must be, and should be an improvement - but a 7 or 8 game improvement to make the playoffs seems too big a bridge to cross. QB Marc Bulger will come out firing...RB Steven Jackson will grind out the yards and score the TD's...but i still dont think it will be enough.

Offensive Rating - If all fit and on form 8/10 - otherwise 6/10 at best
Defensive Rating - 6/10

My Prediction - A better season for the Rams - above the 49ers and will challenge Arizona for a possible wildcard spot behind the Hawks.

NFC WEST OVERALL

Probably the weakest division in the NFC - not far away from the weakest in the NFL - Seattle should again win the division with games to spare, but look for an improved St Louis to battle Arizona this time around. Rock bottom 49ers will only have a very good 2009 draft pick to look forward to.

1. Seahawks
2. Rams
3. Cardinals
4. 49ers

A few ...........
 

Very much so Tony - the preseason games are very much used as trials and it is very rare that first choice players, or starters, are used for anything more than a series of plays, or a quarter at the most - so results must be taken with a large pinch of salt.

However, that is not to say that any teams try or want to lose these games, as the players that do play them all have contracts and squad places to be playing for, plus of course the coaches want some winning momentum to take them into the season proper.

It is interesting to note that of the 4 preseason games, most NFL sides usually make week 3 as their key game, where their stronger players see some action and gain some match fitness, whilst leaving them a week plus to recover for the first game proper of the season. This weekend is week 3...so if any of the preseason results are to be noted, here they come.

Derek Andersons injury seems to be a concussion - like in racing, they take concussion very seriously and a question mark must be over the Browns #1 QB making the start of the season, which is a huge blow. Updates to follow as and when.

Week three games..
 

The injuries comment will be applicable to pretty much every team in the NFL season Tony - in fact its pretty applicable to every team playing professional sport full stop.

The NFL is as tough as it ever was. You have the dominating teams of the current generation (New England, Indianapolis) that are the teams to beat, the myriad of teams with vast potential who could get to or win the Superbowl (too many to name) whilst you have the weak teams who are currently in a rut and will be the whipping boys again (Miami, San Francisco).

70's it was the Steelers and Cowboys who dominated...80's was mainly the 49ers, though there were a couple of very good Bears and Redskins teams in there....90's was the Cowboys but then the balance of power shifted from the NFC to the AFC, with the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and then the New England Patriots dominating the game, ably assisted by Superbowl winning teams from Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.

There is no doubting the AFC remains the stronger of the two conferences, and it is a definite disadvantage to be in this conference.

Looking at Clevelands schedule Tony, they will of course play 6 games against their divisional rivals - Pittsburgh, Cincinatti and Baltimore. They will need at least 3 wins there - and that wont be easy as all 4 teams in this division are competative.

They open against Dallas - nasty start - before facing PIT, CIN and BAL in successive weeks. From that start, if they win 2 out of the 4 I think they will have done very well. They then have a bye week, before facing up to the defending World Champs, then Washington and then Jacksonville. From there on in it gets a little easier for the Browns, though they do have to face up to the Colts and Eagles in the last few weeks, but it is a horrible first 8 weeks for them, and a pretty rough schedule overall.

They have potential to do well, but in all honesty, if im being very optimistic, i can see them winning 10 games most - realistic id say 7 or 8 - but if it were 5 or 6 it wouldnt be the hugest shock in the world. They definitely will need the good luck im about to say.

Good luck Cleveland!

Lets get ready to rumble......................touchdown !!! :loveme:

Great posts shark :brains:

A nice little taster
 

Here you go Tony....Sky Sports obviously reads this forum!

They are showing the Cleveland v Detroit game tonight live on Sky Sports - 9pm the programme starts. A very winnable game for the Browns on paper - will Anderson be fit to start, or will rookie backup QB Brady Quinn be under centre and have the chance to impress against the normally toothless Lions?

sharky
 

You'd be surprised who reads this forum :hi: ... :t:

9PM tonight....
 

into the 2nd quarter..........
 

Detroit looking surprisingly mobile....Cleveland....hmmm...obvious worry signs are there, especially the ease of which they are allowing Detroit to gain yards and first downs....Romeo Crennel doesnt look too worried right now, but whilst this is decent experience for Brady Quinn, who was last years top first round draft pick, they could do with a few scores and a few stops on defence quick.

good job its a friendly...
 

Week 3 Preseason games
 

Will post up the full results of week 3 of the postseason, updated news and analysis/reaction, as well as continue my divisional previews, tomorrow, as we are now less than 2 weeks away from the start of the regular season.

Thanks Mark....will look forward to reading that....Good to watch the game the other night just a shame we got thrashed..