Opening week opinions:
Atlanta- I think they will be good with the addition of Tony Gonzales. I am picking them second in the conference, with another wild card possibility. I think they are capable of covering Miami in the first game.
Miami- I am not sure what to expect on offense, but their defense should be tough. I don’t think they can stay with Atlanta in the first game.
Result: Atlanta and Miami turned out just like I thought. Is Atlanta’s defense that good, or Miami’s offense that bad?
Baltimore- Great on defense, and offense should be improved. I still see a second place finish, and a wild card. I also think they beat KC by 2 TD’s.
Kansas City- QB banged up, fired offensive coordinator with a week before the season starts. It looks like they will need four more games to become effective on offense.
Result: Baltimore won by two TD’s, but the score was a lot higher than I expected. The Chiefs did score on a blocked punt, but now I question the Baltimore defense.
Philadelphia- A lot of preseason hype, and Michael Vick pick up. Not sold on them winning the division. They have a lot of weapons, and should handle Carolina at home.
Carolina- They did not look good in the preseason but, get back most every play maker. They have never had two winning seasons in a row and a 3rd place finish looks inevitable.
Result: Philly manhandled Carolina, mostly due to Panther turnovers. What is wrong with the Panther offense? McNabb was knocked out of the game and the Philly offense stopped moving the ball.
Cincinnati- This is another team that has been hyped this year. I question the health of Palmer for a complete season, but think they will get the win vs. Denver. I am not comfortable laying 4.5 points. I’ll watch a few games.
Denver- The coach has been in the news, and seems to be alienating some players. I am just not sure how together this team is. I think they are capable of covering, but if there is any animosity from Marshall, they won’t stand a chance on the road.
Result: I am really starting to hate Cincinnati! I played Denver+4.5 and Cincy on the money-line. Cincy money-line was my only loss on the ticket! The coach stinks. They don’t play as a team. Playing for or against this team could be a mental block on my part during the season.
Minnesota- They are expecting big things from Farve. They have a great defense and running back. I think they handle Cleveland on the road, but it won’t be easy. I am thinking of a 3 point win here.
Cleveland- I don’t like the coach. I think he has several problems. The offense never exploded for points in the preseason, and the defense may not be as good as last year. He has a QB controversy, and I think a last place finish in the division.
Result: Minnesota had no problem covering the spread. The Browns are worse on defense than I thought. Their offense was as expected, and only the special teams made the score look respectable. Peterson is a monster!
Houston- I am high on Houston, but their offense seemed to stumble at times. Can Schaub stay healthy? They do have some play makers. The defense looks better. I think they cover against the Jets. The division will be tough, but this could be their chance.
Jets- I think Sanchez will have a tough time on the road, and it is at one of the better home teams The Jets defense could keep them in the game, but not sure Sanchez will be able to make the plays to stay with Houston. They will join a 3 team race for second.
Result: I am not so high on Houston anymore. I knew they were struggling on offense, but wrote it off to the pre-season. The Jets defense played tough, but the surprise here was how well Sanchez played on the road. Houston played like Houston.
Indianapolis- Any time you have a QB like Manning, you are going to score. Sanders is still out for the defense, and until he gets back, I think the Colts will be just good enough to win. Laying a TD or more could be risky. I think it is too much against division rival Jacksonville. The division is wide open.
Jacksonville- They are finally healthy and should look more like the 2007 team. I think their backs are against the wall here, and they need this win at Indy. With the Titans losing on Thursday, there is a chance that the winner of this game could lead or be tied as the division leader. A loss here will not help fill the seats back home.
Result: The Jags got the cover, and Indy held on for the win. Jacksonville will have problems at home if they start slow. Both offenses struggled.
New Orleans- They looked awesome in preseason. They are my pick to win the NFC. If they can establish a little more ball control and take some pressure off an improving defense, then the sky is the limit. The odds-makers posted to high a line on this game. It’s the case of preseason. I don’t think they cover that number against the worst team in the NFL.
Detroit- It’s easy to peg them last in the division. Hopefully this coach will have Stafford under some wraps, and just limit his mistakes. He has an arm and I can see 4 or 5 victory’s this year. This shouldn’t be one of them, but they are capable of covering 13 points.
Result: New Orleans hasn’t missed a beat, and if they stay healthy, watch out! Detroit put enough points on the board, but that defense needs a lot of work. Peterson must be licking his chops!
Dallas- What a difference a year makes. They have been very quite. This team has the talent to win the division. I am not sold on Romo. I am still looking for him to mature. This has to be the year, or they will be calling for his head. The offensive line is good, but old. The defense may be a notch below the rest of the division. They should handle the Bucc’s easy in the first game.
Tampa Bay- They have talent, but a new head coach with no experience, a fired offensive coordinator with a week before the season starts spells doom to me. They could have the worst record in the league this year. Last place in the division is all theirs.
Result: The Cowboys took care of business. They should be concerned about their defense. I am. The Bucc’s actually played better on offense than I thought. Cadillac Williams is a horse!
Arizona- They have to deal with the curse. They are in a new scenario. Winners. I think Seattle will be improved, along with San Francisco. The Rams have a little more rebuilding to do. I think the first game with the 49ers will tell me more about how the Cardinals will play this year. I don’t expect them to cover this game, but I can see a win.
San Francisco- I expect their defense to be tough. The offense was moving the ball well late last year. The 49ers almost beat the Cards last year in Arizona. This division could be a three horse race.
Result: You have to like the 49er chances. This was a huge win. Arizona looks like they reverted to the old Arizona.
Giants- I expect them to be better than last year with no distractions. They own Washington under Coughlin. This will be another tough game, but the Giants should win by at least a touchdown.
Washington- I am not sold on Zorn, He seems like a players coach, but doesn’t have the overall knowledge to make the Redskins solid on both sides of the ball. The defense should be better with Haynesworth, but the offense has not improved. That is supposed to be his specialty. The team has plenty of talent, so if he figures it out, they will be dangerous.
Result: Back-doored by Washington. A fake kick for a TD. The Redskins threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Giants. I don’t like the way the Giants defense seemed to let up late in the game. I’ll remember that half point loss.
Seattle-They should play better and score a lot more than they did last year. Still there is that question of QB health. I see them as the wild card that could surprise the division. I think 8 points is too much to ask in the first game.
St. Louis- This is another team with fragile quarterbacks and running backs. Past performance says they will wind up in last place. They should be healthy for the first game, and I like their chances to cover 8 points.
Result: The Rams are really bad. I think Washington will have something waiting on them after they stunned them last year. Seattle looks good, but it was against the Rams!
Green Bay- They looked good in the preseason and will have to beat Chicago and Minnesota to win the division. The players adapted to the new defense, and with a quick scoring offense, it makes them a contender. I don’t want to lay more than a FG in that first division game.
Chicago- I, with everyone else, expects the Bears to put some points on the board with Cutler. The defense might not be as strong this year, so a shoot out or two is probably in store. I like 3.5 points with this club. I may be putting my faith in Cutler too early, but punt and kick returns could be beneficial with Hester.
Result: I waited till late to bet this and played Chicago+5. It was too early to put my faith in Cutler. A questionable 2 pt conversion at the end of the game renewed my faith that someone knows what the point spread is. Maybe Rogers just likes key numbers.
Patriots- What are they doing, 6 players gone off their defense! Brady is back and they will just outscore their opponents. I love them in the first game. This could be an easy 17 point win, and only laying 10.5, I kept waiting for the line to go up.
Buffalo- This is a team in disarray. No running back for 4 weeks because of suspension. They fired their offensive coordinator with a week left. Jauron’s time may be running out. All this probably guaranteed a last place finish in the division.
Result: Buffalo looked better than I thought they would. New England looked like crap for a Belichick coached team. Brady looked like a rookie, over throwing and under throwing passes. When he did hit the target, they dropped it. My opinion is there was too much money on this game to have New England win it and cover. They did not deserve the win.
San Diego- They look like they are ready to roll. Merriman’s troubles are behind him for now. One thing that bugs me, is Turner’s slow starts to begin the season and they are on the road in this first game and laying 9.5 points. Looks like no competition for the division, so they could burn bettors losing meaningless games.
Oakland- This is another coach I don’t like. He was 9-24 at Idaho St. Now he is a head coach in the NFL. They had a deplorable preseason overall. I think when Seymor shows up, they will have to get better. Nine and a half points is generous, and may be well deserved. I want to take the Raiders here, but they have to show me more.
Result: Seymor shows up, and gives Oakland that needed lift to cover the spread. The Raiders looked very basic, but they looked better than I have seen them in quite some time. This was also another game that was bet heavy to San Diego.