Carolina on my mind
The way I see it: Panthers, Chargers have Super look
By Hub Arkush
Aug. 28, 2006
It seems like just yesterday that the “Bus” rolled into Detroit and the Steelers won one for the thumb; the 32 NFL owners decided an expensive peace was better than anarchy; Drew Brees, Edgerrin James and T.O. made the biggest splashes in free agency while Daniel Snyder once again misunderstood the rules and thought he was playing with Monopoly money; the Texans surprised almost everyone except those with an eye for NFL talent by drafting Mario Williams over Reggie Bush; and Paul Tagliabue’s minions gave the most powerful job in sports to Tags’ right-hand man. Kickoff 2006 is really here? All right then, here we go again.
With a poll of the best football writers in the world stating clearly that the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Broncos, Dolphins, Chargers, Giants, Bears, Panthers, Seahawks, Cowboys and Bucs will be in the playoffs, and that the Panthers will defeat the Colts in the Super Bowl and that Peyton Manning and Julius Peppers will be the Offensive and Defensive MVPs, respectively, what is there left to say? I only got one vote, and I don’t think we’ve got it right!
Our poll tabs, in order, the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills and Jets in the AFC East, and I agree, but I don’t think the Dolphins have enough to claim a wild-card berth. If the Pats can avoid any more injuries at linebacker and find at least one more quality wideout, they will contend for the Super Bowl. Miami’s O-line holds it to eight wins, and rebuilding projects in Buffalo and New York will be slow and painful.
I also agree with our AFC North projection of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland, but a lack of character and defense will keep the Bengals from returning to the playoffs, and don’t be at all surprised if the Browns make a late-season charge that drops the overrated Ravens to the cellar.
No argument here with Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston in that order in the AFC South, but the Colts will fall back to no more than 11 and possibly only 10 wins this year. And at least five and probably six of those wins will be right here in this division.
The AFC West is where I get a bit radical. I’ve got the Chargers first, Kansas City second, Denver third and the Raiders with a top-four draft choice next year. K.C. and the Broncos will both be wild cards, and if QB Philip Rivers is serviceable or better — and it says here he’ll be better — the Chargers will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
In the NFC East, I could see any one of the four teams winning the division, but I like the following order: Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins, and nothing stronger than my gut to defend the Eagles as one of my NFC wild-card picks. The safest prediction I’ll make may be that this will be Bill Parcells’ last year in Dallas, as much because of his own issues as T.O.’s.
The Bears are the cream of the NFC North, which is akin to being the youngest resident at a geriatric home. They will be near the top of the league in “D” again and lose their first playoff game again because they didn’t do enough to get better. If there’s a big surprise in the league this year, it will come from Detroit, but most likely the Lions will only shock us mildly by improving to 8-8. The Vikings messed up almost everything they touched after hiring Brad Childress, and Green Bay could very well be drafting ahead of Oakland. Brett came back for this?
In the NFC South, I love the Panthers. I also think Chris Simms will have a huge year playing for his contract and earn the Bucs the other wild card. The Falcons may finally have to face the fact they can’t win big with QB Michael Vick, and the Saints will be better in the win column but still atrocious defensively. If the Panthers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they’ll play in Miami two weeks after the NFC title game, and if they get there, they’ll win it.
Seattle will go 6-0 in the NFC West and win 13 games again unless Arizona gets lucky for once, but no one else in the division is going to ground the Seahawks. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner looks great right now. He’s healthy and surrounded by James, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. But the Cards’ O-line and “D” are potential disaster areas. The Rams are uninspiring, and the 49ers will be somewhat improved on offense but once again god-awful on defense.
I do like the Panthers to knock off the Chargers in the Super Bowl, and for that to happen, Peppers will emerge as the Defensive MVP in a very tight battle with the reigning studs, Bears MLB Brian Urlacher and Chargers OLB Shawne Merriman. Peyton Manning is always a safe bet as Offensive MVP, but I think LaDainian Tomlinson is a better bet on the road to a Super Bowl berth.
For my bonus picks, I give you: Coach of the Year, Carolina’s John Fox; Offensive Rookie of the Year, Niners TE Vernon Davis; and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Lions LB Ernie Sims. And the first head coach to feel his bubble burst is … that’s too cruel to get into before we even start.
The way I see it: Panthers, Chargers have Super look
By Hub Arkush
Aug. 28, 2006
It seems like just yesterday that the “Bus” rolled into Detroit and the Steelers won one for the thumb; the 32 NFL owners decided an expensive peace was better than anarchy; Drew Brees, Edgerrin James and T.O. made the biggest splashes in free agency while Daniel Snyder once again misunderstood the rules and thought he was playing with Monopoly money; the Texans surprised almost everyone except those with an eye for NFL talent by drafting Mario Williams over Reggie Bush; and Paul Tagliabue’s minions gave the most powerful job in sports to Tags’ right-hand man. Kickoff 2006 is really here? All right then, here we go again.
With a poll of the best football writers in the world stating clearly that the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Broncos, Dolphins, Chargers, Giants, Bears, Panthers, Seahawks, Cowboys and Bucs will be in the playoffs, and that the Panthers will defeat the Colts in the Super Bowl and that Peyton Manning and Julius Peppers will be the Offensive and Defensive MVPs, respectively, what is there left to say? I only got one vote, and I don’t think we’ve got it right!
Our poll tabs, in order, the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills and Jets in the AFC East, and I agree, but I don’t think the Dolphins have enough to claim a wild-card berth. If the Pats can avoid any more injuries at linebacker and find at least one more quality wideout, they will contend for the Super Bowl. Miami’s O-line holds it to eight wins, and rebuilding projects in Buffalo and New York will be slow and painful.
I also agree with our AFC North projection of Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland, but a lack of character and defense will keep the Bengals from returning to the playoffs, and don’t be at all surprised if the Browns make a late-season charge that drops the overrated Ravens to the cellar.
No argument here with Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston in that order in the AFC South, but the Colts will fall back to no more than 11 and possibly only 10 wins this year. And at least five and probably six of those wins will be right here in this division.
The AFC West is where I get a bit radical. I’ve got the Chargers first, Kansas City second, Denver third and the Raiders with a top-four draft choice next year. K.C. and the Broncos will both be wild cards, and if QB Philip Rivers is serviceable or better — and it says here he’ll be better — the Chargers will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
In the NFC East, I could see any one of the four teams winning the division, but I like the following order: Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins, and nothing stronger than my gut to defend the Eagles as one of my NFC wild-card picks. The safest prediction I’ll make may be that this will be Bill Parcells’ last year in Dallas, as much because of his own issues as T.O.’s.
The Bears are the cream of the NFC North, which is akin to being the youngest resident at a geriatric home. They will be near the top of the league in “D” again and lose their first playoff game again because they didn’t do enough to get better. If there’s a big surprise in the league this year, it will come from Detroit, but most likely the Lions will only shock us mildly by improving to 8-8. The Vikings messed up almost everything they touched after hiring Brad Childress, and Green Bay could very well be drafting ahead of Oakland. Brett came back for this?
In the NFC South, I love the Panthers. I also think Chris Simms will have a huge year playing for his contract and earn the Bucs the other wild card. The Falcons may finally have to face the fact they can’t win big with QB Michael Vick, and the Saints will be better in the win column but still atrocious defensively. If the Panthers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they’ll play in Miami two weeks after the NFC title game, and if they get there, they’ll win it.
Seattle will go 6-0 in the NFC West and win 13 games again unless Arizona gets lucky for once, but no one else in the division is going to ground the Seahawks. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner looks great right now. He’s healthy and surrounded by James, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. But the Cards’ O-line and “D” are potential disaster areas. The Rams are uninspiring, and the 49ers will be somewhat improved on offense but once again god-awful on defense.
I do like the Panthers to knock off the Chargers in the Super Bowl, and for that to happen, Peppers will emerge as the Defensive MVP in a very tight battle with the reigning studs, Bears MLB Brian Urlacher and Chargers OLB Shawne Merriman. Peyton Manning is always a safe bet as Offensive MVP, but I think LaDainian Tomlinson is a better bet on the road to a Super Bowl berth.
For my bonus picks, I give you: Coach of the Year, Carolina’s John Fox; Offensive Rookie of the Year, Niners TE Vernon Davis; and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Lions LB Ernie Sims. And the first head coach to feel his bubble burst is … that’s too cruel to get into before we even start.
