2008 NFC East – The Dallas Cowboys

Frankly, last year was supposed to be this year for the Dallas Cowboys. Now this year is supposed to be The Year. What do I mean? Well, two years ago Tony Romo came out of nowhere to finish the season as the impending  QB of the future. No one expected a whole lot in ‘06-07, but 2007-08 was supposed to be the year things clicked and Super Bowl talks abounded clear up until when the Cowboys laid down for the Giants in the NFC semis (IE. second round of the NFC playoffs).

In order to make this season The Year, Dallas is going to have to clear a few hurdles before excelling in the post-season. This year’s to-do list includes:

1. No high profile girlfriends for Tony Romo

2. Don’t take December off again this year

3. Please don’t call Adam Jones “PacMan” at his request now that he’s suddenly mature and all, AND maybe he’ll be lucky enough to actually get to play a regular season game for the first time in two years.

4. Trade Terry Glenn (Yes, I know he’s an Ohio State alum, but…) before we find out he has any other injuries (while he still has some minimal value)

5. Keep Jerry Jones locked in his skybox upstairs (you can still let him see the games) so he doesn’t bother everyone on the sideline at really awkward times.

6. Just pretend Jason Garrett is not coaching this team. (yet).

Keep that list handy and see if the ‘boys can scratch these off as time goes by.

Dallas did have a good draft in ‘08. Bringing in the speedy Felix Jones (Arkansas) will surely make for a nice complement to Marion Barber III’s bruising, physical style of play. Jones will also provide a fresh back in the stable and will certainly offset anything lost when they allowed Julius Jones to sign with Seattle. Did Julius even play last year by the way?!?? Never saw him.

The secondary should get a solid boost not only with the expected addition of Adam Jones (if reinstated) but also with draft pick Mike Jenkins (South Florida) coming in. Overall, the defense should be very solid. DeMarcus Ware returns as a force to be reckoned with in the linebacking corps. Don’t look for Zach Thomas to be much of an impact player, though, on this unit. With past concussion problems haunting him, I won’t be surprised if he calls it quits (or is forced to) at some point during the regular season. And, frankly he’s now an ex-Dolphin, so he may just enjoy sitting on the sideline and being on a winning team this year.

The schedule doesn’t look too imposing for a team that finished with one of the top records in the league last year. Only road games at Green Bay on 9/21/08 and at Pittsburgh on 12/7/08 should strike much of any fear in Cowboys’ fans other than the always tough inter-divisional games against the ‘Skins, Eagles and Jints.

It’s a very rare year for any NFC East team to finish undefeated in the division and I don’t think 2008-09 is a year to think that will happen. I think at least two of the Cowboys’ four losses will come from inside the division. I’m picking Dallas to take the division and finish again with the NFC’s top record at 12-4.

2008 NFC East – The New York Giants

Michael Strahan is gone (retirement). Now Jeremy Shockey is gone (traded to the Saints). Eli Manning…well he’s still here. Guess that’s a good thing for the Jints. Time will only tell if Plaxico Burress can get his Super Bowl ring out of his thick skull and finally become a team player that he’s never managed to be.  

You guessed it though, we’re back in New York for another ‘fun-filled’ season of controversy, pressure and expectations to win thanks to their improbable (hahmmm…fluke) win over the Patriots in the title game last February.

Osi Umenyora and Justin Tuck will anchor the defense which lost a few players to free agency as well as Straham to retirement. It should be interesting to see how this revamped defense gels or doesn’t gel. Last year the Giants came out slow and limped through the season’s first six games giving up large amounts of points prior to it’s mid-to-late season run through the Super Bowl when Strahan, Tuck and Umenyora dominated offensive lines and pressured opposing QBs to oblivion.

This year the defensive line will be expected to do more of the same. However it may be out of necessity rather than for the fun of it as DBs Sam Madison and Aaron Ross continue to be hampered by injuries, and it is unclear how the linebackers/secondary will shake out prior to playing the Redskins on the NFL’s season-opening Thursday night.

On a positive note, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw made for a pretty solid 1-2 punch late last season and all the way through the playoffs. I look for that to continue this year as well.

Me, personally, I’m not really a fan of the Giants, nor will I probably ever be. I’m counting on a post-Super Bowl slump that pretty much all champs go through these days despite how unprecedented their title run was a year ago. Looking at the schedule, it appears doable for the Jints to at least finish around .500. Somehow this division always manages to put in at least two teams into the playoffs. For some reason, I’m feeling the Cowboys and Eagles this year. NYG will finish 8-8 and on the outside looking in.

2008 NFC EAST – The Washington Redskins

OK, so this is my NFC equivalent of the Denver Broncos. Boring. Other than a deep bomb to Santana Moss here and there, this team continues to have relatively no flash. A long time ago, I mentioned when the Redskins drafted Jason Campbell in place of several other possible QBs a few years back, that just showed the ineptitude of this team’s management. Guess bringing in Jim Zorn as their new coach is supposed to help bring Campbell up to speed. In my book, the only thing that can do that would be a nice firm clipboard in Campbell’s hand while he stands on the sidelines watching Todd Collins outplay him AGAIN this season.

On a positive note, though, the ‘Skins did obtain Jason Taylor to help tighten up any dancing glitches in this squad’s pre-game warm-ups. Seriously though, at the age of 57, Taylor should make for a nice addition to the DE corps to go along with Andre Carter and possibly Erasmus James. Who?!?! Hopefully though for the defense, those guys will remain healthy because reserve DE Alex Buzbee and right end starter Phillip Daniels both went down with season ending injuries already last week.

Like the Broncos, it pains me to even think about this team. Don’t know what it is, but I’ve never really liked either one. You can only imagine my distaste when these two played against each other several years ago in the Super Bowl.

On a positive note, management did end up drafting a couple seemingly top notch receivers in Devin Thomas (Michigan State) and Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma). Thomas, though, was carted off the field last Thursday after a hamstring pull, so it should be interesting to see if that turns into a nagging injury for him throughout the season. All in all, we’ll see though how the passing game progresses as Zorn will be pressured to use the higher paid Campbell, but if winning games early doesn’t result, we may be in for a second ride with Collins at QB.

I’m fully expecting the ‘Skins to max out at a peak level of right around .500 this year. Throw in a couple more injuries and I’m feeling maybe like a 7-9 season is just around the corner. No shocker here. Here’s a hint though to Redskins’ management: learn to draft, bring in a quality QB and do something other than run the ball on first and second downs and maybe you’ll advance past the wannabe class of mediocre NFC teams.

Apostles & Guns

Heck of a title for a post about Rich Rodriquez, but there are a couple stories out of Ann Arbor today.

As an aside, did you hear RiRod talk about the Buckeyes rivalry last week?  Remember how Tressel knew the number of days until the game at his first press conference and basically guaranteed a win?  RiRod’s quote, and I’m paraphrasing here, was “well, gosh gee, I like football, and gee gosh, that’s a football game so we’ll golly gosh gee see how it goes.”  Three straight losses and RiRod is gonzo.  Mark it down.

But the real stories today are more relevant to the title.  FIrst off, RiRod has created an exclusive program called “The Apostles.”   This exclusive program has only 17 members.  SEVENTEEN MEMBERS???  That’s like saying we’re going to have co-captains… 29 of of them.  The Apostles are to act as a conduit between the players and Rich Rodriguez.

Now, I’m no bible scholar, but it seems like RiRod might be putting himself on a bit of a pedestal if he thinks he’s on the upper end of the relationship moderated by Apostles.

Another report has this HILARIOUS story from the Big Ten media conference.  And by hilarious, I mean dumb.  From a Big Ten Blog:

Rodriguez made light of the issue by telling a story about his family’s dreaded drives from Ann Arbor back to West Virginia. While it’s never all that exciting driving through Ohio or Pennsylvania, he said it’s nothing compared to West Virginia because “There are more than ["Wanted"] posters [with my face on them]. They sell a lot of guns in that state.”

This is a guy who went to WVU, coached at Glenville, coached at WVU and STILL at Big Ten media day he takes the stereotypical Hatfield & McCoy angle for some cheap laughs.  Now, I’m told my share of WV jokes, but I’m a dope.  If RiRod is perpetuating the stereotypes, I think the state is pretty much screwed.

2008 NFC East – The Philadelphia Eagles

It’s a new year, and frankly you can feel the excitement for the ‘08 season in Philadelphia. Somehow Donovan McNabb ended up remaining with the team after it appeared he was going to be traded in the offseason, and if the team stays healthy (that seems to be my theme so far this preview season), the Eagles may just be this year’s NFC darkhorse.

McNabb is two years removed from yet another injury (ACL) and is still bothered by a sore shoulder, so who knows. Last year he showed signs of his former self throwing for 300+ yards and looking great on a couple of occasions, but in other contests he was more than sub-par and very inconsistent. If McNabb can’t remain healthy, this may just turn out to be the year for 2nd year quarterback Kevin Kolb who – despite having some question marks – appears to be ready to take over the reigns of the offense.

McNabb’s (and Kolb’s) eyes probably lit up when the Eagles drafted former California star DeSean Jackson. Jackson not only should come in as a quality addition to the receiving corps but also should help in the return area of special teams (if Andy Reid lets him). He had some amazing returns in college and his speed in the receiving game should give this team a much-needed down-the-field threat in the passing game. Kevin Curtis provides another speedy option for McNabb, and this pair could become a difficult deep threat to defend against. Along with Curtis and Jackson, also returning this year will be Jason Avant, Reggie Brown and potentially L.J. Smith at tight end (again pending his injury status).

As has been the norm in Philly the past several years, Brian Westbrook returns as the top running back, and also poses the dual threat of being an outstanding receiver out of the backfield. However, Westbrook apparently is upset and wants a new contract. A subsequent holdout could be devastating. This offense could be scary if…you guessed it…everyone remains healthy – AND if Westbrook gets paid.

Unfortunately I’m guessing McNabb will get off to a great start in the first couple games before going down with yet another injury. Odds are at least two or three other prominent offensive players will get bitten by the injury bug and yet again it will be an up and down year in Philly.

Outside their rigid divisional schedule, there aren’t many intriguing matchups for the Eagles this year other than a couple early season affairs including the intra-state rivalry game at home vs. the Steelers and a road, night game against the Bears. Since I’m also a fan of the AFC/NFC rivalry, the non-conference games Philly gets are against the AFC North (I already mentioned Pittsburgh. They’ll also will face Cincy, Baltimore and Cleveland).

Despite its ups and downs, this team will be competitive whether McNabb or Kolb ends up finishing out the year. The upside to this team could be as good as 13-3 or we could see the downside as low as 6-10 or 7-9. However, I’m going with a bold 9-7 prediction for this squad, which I feel will be good enough to secure a wildcard playoff spot.

2008 AFC South – It’s the Colts… Again

A pretty orderly end to the week is what I need.  Below you’ll see the division layed out with a thumbs up, thumbs down and a fun fact courtesy of the home office.

Division winner: Indianapolis Colts 12-4

Thumbs up: The roughly 12,000 yards Peyton will throw this year giving him 2,473, 301 for his career.  Like him or hate him, the guy eats up yards.
Thumbs down: Lucas Oil Stadium.  Really?  Plus, I just looked at the price sheet on their website and the cheapest ticket is $240.  Good grief.  That makes me hate the Colts even more.
Fun fact: The Colts didn’t play an away game for the first seven years they were in Indy.  After their midnight move from Baltimore, the Indianapolis Mayor wasn’t going to risk it.

Second place: Jacksonville Jaguars: 10-6

Thumbs up: Good defense, improved receiving corps, no more excuses, Mr. Garrard.
Thumbs down: Poor draft.  They better make the most of this year, because management just pissed away about 6 draft picks you’re never getting back.
Fun fact: Jack Del Rio now must wear a warning label on all his shirts that says “Motivational speeches not safe for children under 12… and punters.”

Third Place: Tennessee Titans 9-7

Thumbs up: The freak is back and Vince Young is entering year three.  This could be big, very very big.
Thumbs down: Signing Mike Williams.  Seriously, that is some head-shakingly bad judgment.  Almost as bad as Mike’s former teammate Carson Palmer bad mouthing Ohio State while playing for the in-state Bengals.
Fun Fact: Tennesseean Andrew Johnson held offices at the local, state and national level – only bypassing county governance: city council, mayor, state rep, state senate, governor, U.S. Congress, U.S. Senate, Vice President and President.  He’s also the only person to ever serve in the U.S. Senate AFTER being President.  This has nothing to do with the Titans, but as a history major, it was kinda just a fun fact for me.

Last Place: Houston Texans 5-11

Thumbs Up: Umm… their uniforms look nice?!?
Thumbs down: Does “everything” sound mean, even if it’s true?
Fun Fact: It actually isn’t the Texans’ fault that they didn’t draft Reggie Bush.  Texas is the Lone Star State, and unfortunately for the Texans, Terrell Owens signed with the Cowboys a month before the draft thereby fulfilling the statewide quota on stars.

Some preseason awards before I go:

Offensive player of the year: I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Peyton Manning.  I know, I’m a daredevil.
Defensive player of the year: Reggie Nelson of the Jags.  Best defense in the league gets the honors.
Special Teams player of the year: Adam Podlesh of the Jags for not missing a single game due to axe injury.  (That’s the third Del Rio axe reference I’ve made this year… it’s entertains me even if it doesn’t really entertain you)

It’s your turn to vote for Titletown, USA

Okay, so yesterday was supposed to be the first day of voting for ESPN’s  Titletown, USA.  However, each time I went to the website, nothing was updated for votes to be cast. Today, though, I was able to vote and so can you.

In case you’ve been under the covers for the past few weeks, here are the 20 nominees:

Green Bay (WI), Lawrence (KS), Pittsburgh (PA), Knoxville (TN), Chapel Hill (NC), Los Angeles (CA), New York (NY), Palo Alto (CA), Louisville (KY), Chicago (IL), Boston (MA), Gainesville (FL), Valdosta (GA), Detroit (MI), San Francisco (CA), Williamsport (PA), Ann Arbor (MI), Columbus (OH), Parkersburg (WV) and Massillon (OH).

I must admit I voted 10 times this morning for Parkersburg, WV, as it is just 10 miles down river from my hometown. The sports heritage in Parkersburg, a town of just over 30,000, is rather astonishing. 192 state championships in 17 different sports have come home to the city’s three high schools: Parkersburg High, Parkersburg South and Parkersburg Catholic (one of my alma mater’s primary rivals).

I just wish we could have maybe annexed my hometown into the Parkersburg entry for Titletown as we have also garnered a number of state championships (of which I used to be a plaque carrying member…long story, just ask Matt). That would have easily pushed the total titles up to well over 200 in all between the four Wood County, WV, high schools.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go check it out and vote!

2008 AFC South – Indianapolis Colts

So I’m going to be honest with you… when I realized I had the AFC south this week I was not excited about it.  But as the week has worn on, I’ve actually grown more excited about reviewing the Colts.  I’m not a natural fan, and I rarely cheer for Peyton Manning.  He’s a little too “Dan Marino-ish” for me.  I’m a Joe Montana guy.  I like Tom Brady in the eternal struggle for the hearts and minds of NFL couch potatoes.  So there’s not much about the Colts that excite me.

But, this is a pivotal season.  Some of their guys are getting a little older, Peyton is starting to get dinged up more often, and the defense is always suspect, so it turns out I am looking forward to checking them out.

I think I’m going to do that movie trick where I give away the ending now.  Because it’s not much of a surprise.  Spoiler alert – the Colts win the division.  Gosh.  Shocking.   The Titanic also sinks at the end of that movie.

But what’s interesting is the precarious hold on the division that I see the Colts having.  They’re a year or two away- away from getting knocked out of playoff contention.

So, let’s take a look.

The Colts welcome back Tony Dungy who got a big mention in Rick Reilly’s latest column for getting confused for Herm Edwards.  How does this happen?  I don’t get it.  Anyway, Dungy is a pretty good coach – but also has enough money and life outside politics enough to not really give a crap if his team suddenly slips into a 2-6 slump.

I think you might be familiar with Peyton Manning.  The Colts are the only team with no back up QBs on the roster.  If Peyton hurts his throwing arm, he simply uses the other.  If he hurts both arms, he “hacky-sacks” the ball over his shoulder into the corner of the end zone.  If all else fails, they have an agreement for Archie Manning to sign contracts in five minute segments so he can fill in without taking valuable cap room.  It’s convenient and it allows the Colts to fill the roster with several hundred WRs that Peyton will use much to the frustration of fantasy football GMs everywhere.

At WR they have legions of guys who catch 100 balls a year in Indy, take WR1 money in free agency and stink up the rest of the league – again to the consternation of fantasy football GMs everywhere.  Marvin Harrison was actually an original settler of Indianapolis in 1492 so he’s not going anywhere.  He’s just happy to be able to wake up each morning – everything else is gravy.  He’s joined by Buckeyes Anthony “bubble boy” Gonzalez (don’t we all wish ESPN would show that feature again so the legions who didn’t catch it one of the 14,593 times they showed it a couple years back could see it?) and Roy Hall.  Good WRs all made great by Peyton’s stats rather than wins.

At RB they have Joe Addai.  They also have Mike Hart.  Unfortunately, Mike Hart is the 9th stringer and there are only four RBs on the team.  See what I did there?  He sucks.  And I’m not just saying that because he’s a whiner from Michigan – although it certainly plays a role.

Holding down kicking duties is Adam Vinatieri.  That guy is a bum.  Loved him in NE, lost all respect for him when he went to the Colts.  You just don’t do that sort of thing.

The Defense is anchored by Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders (who’s currently hurt, which doesn’t help things).  If you can name 6 starters on the Colts defense without googling, you’re a better man that I am- it’s a no expectation defense that somehow still under-performs.  Why should ‘08 be any different?  It’s a good thing Peyton and his cast of thousands score a bunch.

Unfortunately for the non-Colts fans, the Colts have a cherry of a schedule.  Really easy stuff.  I’m almost leaning towards giving them a 13-3, but I’m willing to bet that some horrible team puts up 28 on the colts during a down week for Peyton (which will hopefully correspond with the week I play against the guy who has Manning at fantasy league QB), so i’m going 12-4.  Another good season, but I think they’re going to have to work harder at it.  These guys are getting older, and it’s almost time for Peyton to start fake-retiring so that he won’t be outdone by Brett Favre.

2008 – AFC South Jacksonville Jaguars

First, let me apologize to my boy Jack Del Rio.  Coach, I’ve gotten a little behind the 8-ball today and I’m writing this at 1:15am on Wednesday when I should have written it hours ago if not days ago in advance to give your team it’s due.

Unfortunately, there’s one thing I like more than football and there some pretty exciting stuff happening in that realm at the moment so I’m kind of distracted.

The good news, here, coach – can I call ya coach? – is that I think your team might just be a wild card winner.  I like what you’ve done down there putting together serviceable components.  Heck, no one’s even been injured while fake chopping wood in the locker room in like a season and a half, so it’s pretty much all blue skies in Jacksonville.

David Garrard is a solid QB who might not be a star, but can certainly lead the team down the field.  The WR corps is hugely improved (if Matt Jones can stay out of the slammer) with Joey Porter, Dennis Northcutt, and Tory WIlliamson.  The RBS are solid with Mo Jones Drew.Net and Fred Taylor.  I actually have Fred Taylor on my ESPN fantasy team, so here’s hoping!

Their tight end is named Marcedes Lewis.  Not Mercedes… that’s a girl’s name.  Marcedes just YELLS “Antonio Gates numbers going up here.”

And the defense is the best in the division.

I know this is going to be a short one, and after re-reading some of my earlier works, I’m guessing both the Jags and the readers are ok with this.  I’m going to put these guys at 10-6 and they’re playoff bound.

So again, I’m sorry.  I’ll do better with the Colts, I promise.  In the meantime, check out Jags fan blog Black and Teal.

2008 AFC South – Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans fun facts… Jeff Fisher has been the head coach for 14 years.  14 years ago, gasoline peaked out at $1.15.  Jeff Fisher has presided over a 250% increase in gasoline.  I guess we know who to blame now.  Think I’m kidding?  The guy started as an Oiler at a buck fifteen and now, at four bucks a gallon he’s a titan.

In other news, the Titans have Vince Young and Kerry Collins at QB.  Vince Young runs a 4.4-40 and Kerry Collins runs a 40-4.4, so the Titans only have average speed at the QB position despite what other so-called pundits will tell you.  We’re all about giving you the real story here at MattVsMatt.

Honestly, I can’t hate the Titans.  I don’t think they’re horrible, but they’re definitely not the class of the division.  Let’s see what the rest of the team looks like.

At RB LenDale White will be holding down the majority of the rushing duties.  The good news is that White will get some relief from 11 guys in the box in the red zone with the addition of Alge Crumpler at the TE spot.  Read that sentence again.  I gave you a new free agent signing.  I gave you 11 guys in the box.  And I gave you the red zone.  Honestly, I’m as surprised as you are that ESPN hasn’t called yet.

The wide receiving corps is a bit sketchy in Tennessee.  Justin Gage, Mike Williams, Brandon Jones and an injured Roydell Williams.  Ouch.  Here’s a hint for the GM: Just because the Lions draft 14 WRs per year only to put them on the trading block a year later doesn’t mean you have to bite.  Mike Williams.  Come on.

The Defense isn’t as good as it has been in the past, but it’s still solid.  Jevon Kearse is back, and don’t we like him more in Tennessee?  I think these guys will be able to hold up alright.  They’re certainly better than at least two of their conference foes on defense.

I’m going to be generous with the Titans and give them a 9-7 finish.  I’m not 100% confident that they’ll make that number, but I feel like I should throw Jeff Fisher a bone after blaming the gas prices on him.