Cowboys Win While the Angels Clinch the AL West

After losing their first game ever in New Cowboys Stadium, the Cowboys played the Panthers in week 3 hoping to get the win at home. They would pull it off despite Tony Romo not getting a TD Pass. He wouldn't throw a Interception though while Delhomme threw a TD and 2 INTS for the Panthers. The Cowboys would get over 200 yards on the ground to help them get the win. While I dislike the Cowboys, I'm glad they won their game at home. It is important for any team to win at home.

Meanwhile in baseball, the Angels would clinch the AL west by beating the Rangers today 11-0. Ervin Santana would get the complete game shutout while getting the win in tonight's game. This would achieve the Angels third AL West title in a row and their fifth of the decade. Since their World Series Win in 2002, they haven't been able to get back always getting hit hard by some team in the playoffs. They will likely face the Red Sox in the first round of the postseason for the third straight time. As a Red Sox fan, I'm worried about facing them again. Even though we have beaten them two years in a row, I don't want to press our luck.

Warner Punching Bag, Steal From PIT and The Worst Streak Ever Ends

Sunday had a lot good stories for football yet again. The Colts won while literally running over Kurt Warner all night long. That's got to hurt. Meanwhile the Eagles managed win without McNabb. Vick played a small role while Kevin Kolb had the lead with 2 TD passes and a TD run in a 34-14 win over the Chiefs. The Titans can't catch a break as Mark Sanchez's 2 TD passes helps the Jets beat the Titans 24-17. The Bears win over the Seahawks makes Chicago happy as Jay Cutler throws 3 TD for the win.

Tragically though, Like in life, all good things must come to an end. That's right folks: The Lions have won a game. They snapped their 19 game losing streak earlier today beating the Redskins 19-14. What a run this team had going win less in 2008 and losing their first two games this year. I will remember the good times well. Meanwhile I'm disappointed in the Redskins for not keeping the streak alive!!! Also I'm disappointed in the Steelers not being able to close the door on the Bengals. You guys had a 11 point lead entering the fourth and you have a great defense. Troy Polamalu can't be that important. This was a truly sad day.

P.S. FAVRE!!! (While Raising the Bird)

DAMN YOU FAVRE!!!!!!!!!

What a way to end a game first of all. The 49ers were close to getting a victory over the Vikings in Minnesota who were the favorite to win this game and then it is ruined by Brett Favre. Down by 4 with under a minute and a half left, Favre took his team the distance to beat my 49ers ending it with a miracle throw to the end zone to Lewis for 41 yards. This is why I feared this game.

Despite losing this game 27-24, I'm proud of the 49ers. They played a close game and Shaun Hill proved he could be a good QB at certain times. Vernon Davis also did well with 2 TD Catches. I think we would've done better with Frank Gore but that is still no excuse. I'm just glad we were able to keep up with the Vikings.

P.S. FAVRE!!! (while shaking my fist)

Ole Miss Beaten by South Carolina

Yesterday Ole Miss, who is ranked number 4 in the country, faced the South Carolina Gamecocks in a good old football game. Ole Miss would lose to South Carolina 16-10. I myself do not follow the SEC really well except for Florida. But I've heard that Ole Miss was a question mark being in the top ten. Well being beaten today really says that they weren't ready for the spotlight. There goes any shot at a National Title Game.

It seems that their offense was just out of sync. Their quarterback (Snead) was just 7-21 with a 107 yards and threw just one TD. Snead just seemed out of his element tonight folks. The Gamecocks on the other hand didn't do a great job either but they didn't give up the big plays to allow this one to get away. Their defense played tough and allowed them to play a close game so they could win it. I think Ole Miss can finish in the top 15 but not the top ten anymore.

Bobby Cox To Stay For One More Season

Bobby Cox has been the manager of the Atlanta Braves since 1990. He has led the Braves to a World Series title in 1995 and a NL East Division Championship for 11 Straight seasons. Cox has shown he is a good manager. Why do I bring this up? Because today Cox announced that he was retiring after this season.

I must say even though I am in no way a Braves fan, I have admired that team and Bobby Cox throughout my childhood. The Braves have been dominate throughout most of his tenure. He is currently fourth on the All Time Managerial Wins list with over 2400 wins behind Tony La Russa who is third. Cox has shown that he is pissed off at Umpires by being the most ejected manager in the history of the game. I will miss Bobby Cox and his rants at the Umps and his... WAIT WHAT?!... COX IS RETIRING AFTER THE 2010 SEASON?... Well never mind.

P.S. Damn my bad reading skills.

Playoff Bound Yankees and NL Wild Card

As much as I hate the Yankees, I must say that they have clinched a playoff spot by beating the Angels last night 6-5. The Yanks have done a good job this year what with the new pitchers in AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia and also new hitter Mark Teixeira. "Impressive." I'll admit my tune would be different if this was the Red Sox (who have a solid lead in the AL Wild Card). Meanwhile the rest of the races seem to be in the bag except for the AL Central.

The Rockies in the meantime extend their lead in the NL Wild Card by 5 games. I have given up on the Giants personally. They have lost there edge these last couple of months and it has cost them a playoff spot. Even though I see some improvement in the hitting department, it was not enough for this season. The Giants have found a great player in Pablo Sandoval but he is not great enough to lead this team in October by himself.

P.S. The quotation marks are for sarcasm. MLB needs a salary cap.

Colts Evade Loss

The Colts started the year with a win in a close game: 14-12 over the Jaguars. Meanwhile the Dolphins lost to the Atlanta Falcons 19-7 in week one. These two team met this week on Monday Night in Miami. Going into this game, I was worried that the Dolphins would lose and that they would be blown out by the Colts. It was actually a close game but the Colts won 27-23. Manning was 14/23 with 303 yards and 2 TD passes. The Colts had more Passing yards and seemed to move the ball quickly when they needed a score. Another great job for Peyton Manning.

The second thing I notice is that the Dolphins had possession for 45 minutes. What? How does a team lose after having the ball that long? Any team needs to put up more points than the other side if you have offensive control for 3/4 of the game. Execution and performing in the critical times is what wins ball games and the Dolphins didn't do that. I'm actually impressed that Manning did all this with less than 15 minutes of possession. As for the Dolphins, I saw the same team that won the division last year. The problem for Miami is that everyone else has just improved. There division is a lot tougher and losses like this won't help their season.

Cowboys Lose, Jets Win, Cutler's Improves and More

What a day in the NFL. The Cowboys open up a new stadium with over a 105 thousand in attendance to watch the Cowboys lose their first game in the place 33-31. Romo wasn't on his game this week with 3 picks thrown. Meanwhile the Jets beat the Pats at home 16-9. The Jets defense continues to impress by blitzing Tom Brady and not allowing him to get a TD. Meanwhile the Eagles lose to the Saints 48-22 with Drew Brees getting 3 more TD passes and the year. The Eagles started Kolb who did alright but they had Garcia for a reason. So he just got there but they signed him for this purpose. Weird move in my book.

Other news includes Jay Cutler getting redemption this week by getting 2 TD passes as the Bears beat the Steelers 17-14. He needed this great performance to say he was worth it. Favre and the Vikings continue to roll by beating the Lions 27-13. Favre threw 2 TDs in this game while Peterson, who did well, was kept under a 100 yards on the ground. Also the Titans lose another close game to the Texans this time 34-31. Tough loses for the Titans but they have to forget these games and bounce back next week if they want to get on good footing for the rest of the season. Last one I will mention is the Packers losing to the Bengals 31-24. Rodgers got sacked 6 times, 5 by Antwan Odom. Hope Odom will carry this dominance for the rest of the year.

Niners Run Over the Seahawks

Today the Niners played the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener. After seeing what Seattle did last week vs. the Rams, I was a little worried that Hasselbeck would pass all over us. However he did no such thing for the most part even when he was in the game. The Niners defense played exceptionally well only allowing 10 points in the first half and allowing no points in the second half. True Hasselbeck was injured just before half time but Wallace has proven himself a good reliever.

The Niners won this game on the ground attack. After a bad game rushing the ball last week vs. the Cardinals, the Niners came back with a few changes apparently and Frank Gore ran for a 79 Yard Td run in the 1st quarter and then a 80 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter. These were are only two TDs for the Niners and they got the job done. Gore ran for 207 yards on the day. Shaun Hill helped the Niners very little in this game except for the big drive in the 4th quarter which ate up a lot of clock. Meanwhile the Niners defense held the Seahawks back throughout the second half. Another great defensive game. Next for the Niners is the Vikings. Uh Oh!!!

P.S. I will review the rest of today's games tonight after the Giants-Cowboys game.

Upsets, Disappointments and Close in Gainesville?

There were a few upsets today in College Football. The big one is Washington beating USC 16-13. USC QB Matt Barkley was out because of an injury and the rest of the USC team seemed vulnerable enough to beat. This seems to happen to USC every year as they lose one game to an unranked team. They need to get over this tradition if they want to get back into the National Title Game. Another upset was FSU beating BYU 54-28 as they had Max Hall's number picking him off 3 times. BYU BCS buster status may be gone now because of this loss to the Seminoles.

There were other games that got quite a bit of attention. One was that Florida beating Tennesee 23-13. Even though the Volunteers lost, they managed to put up an impressive fight against the best team in the country. Another story was the Irish barely beat the Spartans of Michigan State 33-30. I think it is sad that many people thought that the Irish could win a National Title this year. They can barely get by Michigan State who is unranked.

P.S. Would Lane Kiffin Please Shut Up. I'm tired of hearing of how well his team did, from him.

Is It Hurricane Season?

Going into the college football season, there were a few things to look forward to. A Gators repeat, Heisman chases and possible BCS Busters. Well add another story to the list of things to keep an eye on as a Miami Hurricanes comeback year may be in order. Their first game they beat Florida State Seminoles barely 38-34. A magnificent upset in favor for the Hurricanes. Then they beat #14 Georgia Tech last night at home 33-17. They did a favorable job against the Georgia Tech running game keeping them under a hundred yards. Meanwhile the Hurricanes quarterback Harris threw for 3 TDs and 270 yards. Pretty impressive.

These last two games has made me think that they have a legitimate chance to get into a BCS Bowl Game. However these next couple of weeks are going to be tough. They have to play #13 Virginia Tech which seems to have a tough team year after year. Then they have to play #12 Oklahoma in which they will pray that Sam Bradford will still be unable to play. After this game, the rest of the season looks good for them. Their whole season may be these next two weeks.

Too Many Quarterbacks in Philly?

This last Sunday, Donovan McNabb was injured when he went in for a TD run against the Panthers. He was diagnosed with a broken rib and will likely be out for a week or two. As for backups, they have Kevin Kolb right now and Michael Vick will be reinstated by week 3. The team felt that none of these choices were adequate so they sign Jeff Garcia who had served on the team back in 2006, helping them significantly that year.

While this may be the best backup for the Eagles, it may not be necessary. I think Garcia is good enough to run his own offense for another team. Also, McNabb is expected not to be out that long. Backups are not supposed to be great. This will be added pressure to McNabb that if he doesn't perform well when he returns, then he will lose the team again. It's already bad enough that Vick is on the team. McNabb seemed steamed when he got quite a bit of playing time in the third preseason game. Either way, good luck Philly.

The Return of Daisuke

Daisuke Matsuzaka was last seen in June at only 1-5 and struggling to do anything on the mound. Before this, he played in the World Baseball Classic in March helping Japan Win the tournament. When he came back to the Sox, he would be placed on the DL twice and wouldn't be able to make a quality start. John Smoltz would replace him but he seemed just as bad. He would be released later in the season.

Daisuke would make his return yesterday with the Red Sox Nation hoping for a quality start. He did quite well. He pitched 6 innings with 5 k's, no runs allowed and getting the Win. He did this all against the LA Angels who are the best in the AL west. If the Red Sox do get in the playoffs, it is likely that they will play the Angels in the first round. Daisuke might be the starter to go to in one of the games. If Daisuke can get back to the way he was last year, the Red Sox might have a good chance in the playoffs with him, Lester and Beckett.

Federer Toppled at US Open.

This tournament was rather under the radar thanks to NASCAR, NFL week One, NBA Hall of fame and Baseball. Still this tournament has provided a unexpected outcome: Juan Martin del Potro won the US Open. He beat Nadal in the semifinal yesterday in three sets. Then he beats Roger Federer in five sets in the final. I think we have a third player to look forward to watching. What a underdog finish.

As for the Women's side, Kim Clijsters won the tournament beating Wozniacki. What a story on retiring to be a mom and then coming back and winning a Grand slam and to do it by going through Both Williams Sisters. By the way, Serena Williams pulled a McEnroe by going ballistic on the line judge. Bad Judgement here. I realize that the call was questionable but you don't yell and curse at the judge or any officiator

P.S. Best moment was Djokovic impersonating McEnroe and then McEnroe playing with Djokovic a bit. Classic.

Crazy Opening Sunday

First Eagles beat the Panthers 38-10. McNabb does gets hurt while Delhomme gets mentally hurt again with 4 INTS. CHANGE THE QB PLEASE CAROLINA!!!. Tony Romo meanwhile proves he doesn't need T.O. by throwing 3 TDS to help his Cowboys beat the Bucs 34-21. Favre makes his Vikings debut by getting a TD pass but the story was Adrian Peterson with 180 yards on the ground with 3 TDS as the Vikings beat the Browns 34-20. Another good story was the Sunday night game with the Bears and Packers. Rodgers and the Packers get the win while Cutler could use some practice after throwing one TD and 4 INTS.

Mark Sanchez wins his first NFL game and gets his first TD pass as the Jets beat the Texans 24-7. The Lions continue the losing streak at 18 as they get beat by the Saints and Brees's 6 TD passes. The Broncos have a miraculous finish as Stokley catches the deflection to win the game over the Bengals 12-7. The Giants edge out the Redskins with their defense as they win 23-17. And the last good story is Tony Gonzalez gets a TD catch in his Falcons debut as they beat the Doplhins 19-7.

My favorite story is the Niners beating the NFC Champion Cardinals. It's not a popular story but it's my Niners.

Cardinals Lose to Niners!!!

What a game first of all. This game was all about the line of scrimmage. The Niners couldn't hold the line on Offense and couldn't run the ball well he entire game. The Niners and the Cardinals also had the defense working well early. I think the Niners defense was a bit better especially early on. The Cardinals defense allowed a touchdown in the first half while the Niners only allowed field goals.

The second half was a bit of a different game for both sides. The Cardinals did a good job moving the Ball for most of the second half. They ate the clock and made the Niners defense work. They also scored a touchdown to Fitzgerald and then a field goal after that. The big part of the game was offensive line of the Niners holding blocks on the winning drive allowing Shaun Hill to make the big plays. It would end with a 3 yard TD pass to Gore. What was key was keeping the drive going for over 7 minutes and letting their own defense get a rest. The Cardinals couldn't do anything when they got the ball back twice with the Defense of the Niners. Niners win: 20-16.

P.S. I will comment on the rest of the NFL after the Bears-Packers Game tonight.

What an Opener!

The NFL season is here at last. The Titans played the Steelers today. It was a close game throughout and one of those games about the hits mixed in with some great plays. It seemed like both defenses were on track but the Titans defense was just getting exhausted quicker. Big Ben just wore them out. The Titans did do a great job with the ground game of the Steelers though.

As for the ending, Hines Ward is lucky. He fumbled it within the 5 yard line; a mistake that could have cost them the game. They were lucky to get it in Overtime. Great job by Ben finding his receivers in the winning. It seemed like the Titans couldn't get that pressure on Big Ben late in the game. When you can't get pressure on the QB, he will make a good play. It seems like both teams are ready for the season. This was a good defensive game but it said that the Steelers still have a good enough offense to win.

MY BIG PREDICTION!!!

After looking at the whole NFL, I can now pick my Superbowl Teams. Here are the Four teams I think stand above the others. The Steelers obviously. They have a great defense and a great offense to go with it. The Vikings now have a good quarterback to complete the set. Meanwhile the Patriots get Tom Brady back and are always a threat with him every year. Lastly, there is always the Chargers who can be good at any time but can also be in a slump. It will depend on there mood.

And the Conference winners are... The Vikings and the Patriots. Before I go on, I must say I didn't pick the Steelers because not many teams can get back two years in a row. I still think they have a good shot but I'm just going with the odds. I don't think the Chargers are going anywhere either. They can get to the playoffs but that's all.The reason I picked the Vikings in the NFC is that I just don't see anyone else good enough to be considered a worthy opponent. They can lose of course but I just think they are the best.

My Superbowl Pick is... Opening the envelope... Won't open... Let my get some scissors... Okay here we go: The Patriots. I know Belichick is reinvigorating the defense but I have a feeling he will pull out some tricks out of his chopped off sleeves. I think they will win mainly by their offense. Moss, Welker, and Brady; what a hand. (poker reference)

NFC Wild Card Predictions

Last year's NFC Wild card winners were the Eagles and the Falcons. Both teams were impressive considering the Eagles got to the NFC title game and the Falcons were lead by rookie Matt Ryan. However I have four different teams as the division runner ups that have a shot for the Wild Card spots. The Cowboys of the East although Romo seems to get worse when December comes around. The Panthers Of the South are a likely candidate even though they may not have the best quarterback. The Bears in the North with Jay Cutler and no notable receivers. And last, the 49ers with Frank Gore pulling the team along. Who will be the lucky winners?

My Prediction: Panthers and Bears, OH MY!!! The Bears were so close last year and Jay Cutler will just get them in this time around. The Panthers seem like a good team everywhere outside the quarterback department and that usually gets them in. I have lost faith with the Cowboys. They are in a tough NFC East that will drag them down a bit and also Romo needs to step it up late in the season. The 49ers may have a shot with Singletary coaching them but it will take more talent to get them back into the spotlight.

NFC West Preview (Go Niners!!!)

The NFC West had the surprising dark horse that stunned the NFL last year with the Cardinals getting to the Superbowl and almost winning. This was a great story last year seeing Kurt Warner leading a different team to the Superbowl. Another great story last year was the 49ers firing Mike Nolan and letting Mike Singletary run the team. The team went on winning five of their last nine games and then gave the head coach job officially to Singletary. I think Singletary might be able to help the Niners quite a bit this year. The Seahawks should be recharged this year with getting TJ Houshmandzadeh and a healthy Matt Hasselbeck. As for the Rams, this may the last chance for Marc Bulger before they start looking for another QB. Who will win the Wild Wild West?

My Prediction: Cardinals barely repeat as division champions. It was impressive that the Cardinals got to the Superbowl but I think they won't be able to repeat that success. The loser of the Superbowl usually goes into decline the following years and the Cardinals will be no different. I think the 49ers could catch them but will most likely finish second. I think Singletary will need one more season before the 49ers will be a good team. Plus the 49ers still need a good quarterback to run the show instead of Hill or Smith. I think the Seahawks will need a season or so to get good again especially under new head coach Jim Mora. As for the Rams, they will likely have another horrible year again. Marc Bulger seems to be a quarterback that has past his few good years in the NFL and they need to move on.

NFC South Preview

The NFC South had some good drama last year. Matt Ryan proved to be a good quarterback at the next level and got his team to the playoffs. The Panthers won the division and then lost horribly to Cardinals in the playoffs. Drew Brees passed the ball in New Orleans most of the time and the Buccaneers basically had a playoff spot until they caught the same bug the New York Mets had. What will this year hold?

My Prediction: Falcons claw their way to the top. Tony Gonzalez coming to the team helps the Falcons significantly even though he is in his 30's. Plus they played well last year without him getting a 11-5 record. I don't see the Panthers getting lucky this year. Even though they keep Jake Delhomme, he is not a good enough quarterback now to be successful in the playoffs if he can get them there again. The Saints are third to me. Drew Brees will not pass the ball that much this year with Reggie Bush healthier now. The Bucs seem to be in rebuilding mode and will likely finish in fourth. They have a new coach, a new QB, and just fired their offensive coordinator. It will be a season or so before they become relevant again.

NFC North Preview

So many good stories to cover in the NFC North. Perhaps the biggest deal in the off season involved Jay Cutler going to the Bears. The Bears now have a great quarterback for the first time in decades. However they may not have the receivers to make him fully effective. The next big off season story that no one likes to hear anymore is Brett Favre coming back to the NFL, this time to play for the Vikings. I can't wait for the Vikings and Packers rivalry this season: Favre Vs. Rodgers. Packers Past vs. it's future. Meanwhile the worst team in football has gotten a little better with Matthew Stafford. They do have a lot of potential still with the team and a new coach named Jim Schwartz but still have a long way to go.

My Prediction: Vikings pillage the North. The Vikings were the division winner last year with what they had and will it again this year with Brett Favre. They now have a solid defense, ground game and a complete aerial assault with receivers and now a good Quarterback. The Bears to me are a solid second. They have had a good defense for the last few seasons and now Cutler will help take some of the defensive pressure off the Bears. The Packers are still third in my book. They have improved the team a bit but the Vikings and Bears seem better in my opinion. The Lions are still last in my book. Culpepper will probably start the year with Stafford playing somewhere in the middle of the season. The Lions however still need a lot more than a quarterback from college to get back to the playoffs.

NFC East Preview

The NFC East will be very fun to watch this year. We will see if Jerry Jones big screen tv is really an issue. We will see if the birds of different feathers flock together with Vick in Philadelphia. We will see if Manning can get anything done without a star receiver. And we will see if Albert Haynesworth is $115 million dollar man or just $41 million dollar man (or somewhere in between million dollar man).

My Prediction: Eagles fly away with the division. While I don't think that Vick will mean much of a difference to this team, I do think they have a good chance of winning the division. DeSean Jackson was a good receiver last year and the addition of Jeremy Maclin will help the Eagles. I think the Cowboys are the runner ups here. Roy Williams might be a good replacement for T.O. but that team has yet to prove they are great. The Giants lack of any noticeable receivers even though Hakeem Nicks might be potential star. I don't see the Redskins doing any better this year. Even though Haynesworth is a huge get, it seems like they haven't done enough. Jason Campbell is still a question mark and while I hope he does great, it seems like he had a mediocre season last year.

P.S. Why are the Cowboys in the East and not The West? They sound like a western team with the name Cowboys and St. Louis could easily change places with them. Dallas is also more west than St. Louis.

GO BYU!!!

I was happy to see the return of college football this weekend. What I liked the most was the BYU-OKLA game in Arlington, Texas in the Brand New Cowboys stadium. I watched from the end of the second quarter on. I thought the Cougars were very good. They did struggle on offense but the Defense saved them so much in this game. They were a presence in the Quarterback's face throughout. Just Beautiful defense.

I just loved the BYU winning drive. That no huddle to convert on 4th down was brilliant. Max Hall was great on this drive to find Jacobson in the back of the end zone. I was nervous when the Sooners got close at the end but thank goodness they missed the long field goal and a great defensive stand again by BYU. I think this team might be a BCS Buster. They already beat a major BCS team. We'll see at the end of the year.

P.S. I realize that the Game might have been different if Bradford played the whole thing. Which is why I'm glad he got hurt. To be clear, I don't wish any injury on anyone (but the entire New York Yankees). But if an injury helps my team(s), then I will happily accept it.

AFC Wild Card Predictions

I have reviewed each division in the AFC and will now see who can fight for a wild card spot. I see a lot of potential teams that can fill these spots by the end of the year. The Ravens and the Colts were the AFC Wild Card teams last year and seem like they could pull it off again. I see the Dolphins having a mix in the Wild Card Race as well considering the Patriots will likely take the East with a healthy Tom Brady. I don't think any team in the AFC West has a valid chance of getting a spot in the Wild Card. The Texans do have a chance with Matt Schaub but still they are in the least likely of this bunch.

My Prediction: Ravens and Dolphins run Wild. I think Flacco will be better in his second year and get his team back to the playoffs. The Dolphins were a surprise last year and will most likely get a Wild Card Spot instead of a division title. The Colts will not get in by a slim margin because of new coach Jim Caldwell. It will take them a year or so to get back in to the mix. I don't see the Texans getting in this year but I think they will finish over .500 at 9-7.

AFC West Preview

The AFC West was very entertaining last year seeing the Broncos fall and the Chargers, well, charge. It made for a great comeback story and an historic fall. The Chargers are back this season with a healed Shawne Merriman and the rest of the team the same mainly. Meanwhile the Broncos have lost Jay Cutler and are trying to keep Brandon Marshall happy (personally he should shut up and play). The Chiefs get a new coach in Todd Haley and also get Matt Cassell who played very well while filling in for Tom Brady. The Raiders are still the Raiders for better or worse.

My Prediction: Chargers lead the way. The Chargers will win this division quite easily having the best roster of the bunch. They had a tough first half last year and will not fall apart like that two years in a row. The Chiefs are my runner up. They seem equal to the rest of the AFC west but Cassell may give them an edge. The Broncos are my third pick. They could still get into the playoffs but they have to pull it together and I don't think they can do it this year. As for the Raiders, they have potential for the future but not now. AL Davis seems like he has lost touch with how to win football games and until he lets the organization run itself, the Raiders will continue to struggle.

AFC South Preview

The big story or expectation for the AFC South is that the Texans will finally make the playoffs. I must say that they do have potential in Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. But the key word here is potential. Meanwhile the rest of the AFC South is still tough. The Jaguars do have David Garrard and now a newly acquired but aging Tory Holt. The Colts still have Manning but a new coaching staff and no Marvin Harrison to throw to. The Titans do seem the same minus Albert Haynesworth and they did pretty well last year.

My Prediction: Texans will watch the playoffs again this year. I think the Titans will take the division again while the Colts will edge out the Texans. The Texans could win a playoff spot but it better be this year while the Colts are regrouping. As for the Jaguars, I invite you guys to watch the playoffs with me. Just bring some chips please.

AFC North Preview

The AFC North has the reigning Superbowl Champion Steelers which has Big Ben and Troy Polamalu. Meanwhile the ravens do have Joe Flacco and an always great defense. The Browns are restructuring a bit with a New coach in Eric Mangini. Then there is always the dysfunctional Bengals with OCHOCINCO leading the crazy.

My Prediction: Steelers win the North by a slim margin. I said slim. I think that the Ravens can beat them if their defense performs better. The other teams don't have a chance in my opinion. It seems the Browns can't choose a quarterback with Quinn or Anderson. Until they can settle and move on, they are stuck in the lower half of the division. Personally they should choose Anderson. He has more experience and he isn't even that old. As for the Bengals, They're last. They lost Houshmandzadeh but they do get Coles. They still don't look good to me.