Yes, Jason and I finally carved out some time to chat about which teams we like this season. We threw in a couple of Bold Predictions, but overall, our outlooks look really similar.
Dre's NFC Playoff Teams
Packers, Rams, Falcons, Giants, Saints (WC), Eagles (WC)
Jay's NFC Playoff Teams
Packers, Rams, Falcons, Giants, Saints (WC), Buccaneers (WC)
Jason's bold prediction is that the Dream Team, the new most hated team in the land, the Philadelphia Eagles, will find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. He firmly believes in Michael Vick finding himself sidelined due to injury sometime this season, which is something Vick seems to do every year. And Vick's replacement if he can't make it onto the field? The Almighty Himself, Vince Young! This does not bode well for the Iggles considering Young's track record in the NFL thus far. "If he can't handle his drink in Tennessee," Jason says of Young, "what's gonna happen in Philly?!" The answer may be that Andy Reid will wish that VY never brought his talents to the City of Brotherly Love. I think they're a little too talented to miss the playoffs completely, but Jason and I are both taking Tom Coughlin and the mentally fragile Giants to take the East division. We don't see them making it very far in the playoffs, though. Long playoff runs aren't Coughlin and Eli Manning's thing, except for that one year. Jason is the leader of the Josh Freeman Bandwagon, picking Tampa Bay to take another step forward and claim a playoff spot, one of three playoff teams for Jay to come out of the South. I'm picking the Bucs to take a big step back because they refused to upgrade that shitty defense in the offseason. We don't know what to make of the Bears, last year's other conference title game participants, but we're both calling them to miss the playoffs this time around. Jay Cutler recovered from his controversial knee injury to find the same crappy offensive line and same subpar receivers. Not good. The Rams may win the West by default, but we don't think it will be with yet another sub-.500 record. No, St. Louis could be quite dangerous. My Sam Bradford hatred may have to be curtailed now that the Boy Genius, Josh McDaniels, is running the offense. Just don't let him talk the brass into trading for Tebow. The Rams are still a shoo-in to host a Wild Card team in the Saturday afternoon playoff game, because that will still be the worst game of the weekend, but the game won't be as dreadful as one would anticipate. I think they will host the Eagles. Jason thinks they will play Tampa. The Falcons are fucking loaded. I like how they addressed their biggest weakness, rushing the passer, by adding Ray Edwards as a companion DE for John Abraham. But we both believe that the most loaded team would have to be the defending champions. We both are picking Green Bay to return to the Super Bowl, and I'm doing something that I rarely do--calling a repeat.
Dre's AFC Playoff Teams
Steelers, Chargers, Texans, Patriots, Ravens (WC), Broncos (WC)
Jay's AFC Playoff Teams
Ravens, Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Jets (WC), Steelers (WC)
My bold prediction is that the beloved New York Jets will stop getting lucky and fall below sea level, and Denver will use having a head coach who isn't retarded and knows what an NFL quarterback looks like to their advantage and make their way back into the playoffs. Denver's problem was not going to be the offense, unless they listened to their team jersey sales and not common sense and installed Tim Tebow as the starting QB. The problem was always their awful defense, but they should be much improved with new head coach John Fox and some added pieces on the field. I don't have to go on about why I hate the Jets. It's well chronicled. They do not have a quarterback. The South is officially up for grabs with the news of Peyton Manning being in less than perfect health. But that isn't stopping Jason from picking Indianapolis to once again take the division. It's not from love for Peyton, though--he knows that Peyton's my bitch and I will always own him. No, Jay is upchucking at the media awarding the South to the Houston Texans based on just Manning's downfall. The Texans are this year's Houston Texans Memorial Preseason Media Darling, just edging out the Lions. And Jason ain't buying it. I'll tag along because Peyton not practicing with his receivers spells doom, especially when the receivers aren't very good. He won't be able to reverse the damage done by Kerry Collins. And Houston's D can't be much worse than in previous years. We both will take the Pats to win the East, although we're not gung-ho about Captain Belichick tossing off multiple impact players to make room for Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson. As for the West, our issue isn't with the Chargers, who should dominate a weak division. It's whether Oakland can continue to run the ball with authority or choose to try airing it out, which we know is the preference of Cryptkeeper Al. I think that Tom the Cable Guy was the driving force behind the run attack, and whomever is the new coach will try to please Al by going deep with Jason Campbell and Jacoby Ford. And that's why I have Denver finishing ahead of Oakland. Oh, and we both have Kansas City falling back because they showed how not ready for prime time they were in that playoff game against the Ravens. Speaking of Baltimore, that's Jason's pick to go to the Super Bowl. Packers-Ravens is Jay's annual tradition, and one of these years, he may even get it right. I'll go Pack over Chargers in a QB battle for the ages.
Let the games begin!!
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