On second thought, this could be fun! Anyways, without further adieu, our over/under picks for the NFC & AFC North Divisions!
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings - Over/Under 9.5 Wins
Y2: The Vikings went 10-6 last year without the QB Who Shall Remain Namelss, so what will they do this year? I truly don't believe he adds that much to this team. At 40 years old, can he stay healthy all season. More importantly, what about the health of players like Adrian Peterson and the Williams Wall...sooner or later, the injury bug will bite these players with some history of being banged up. There's just too much pressure now on this team to win a Super Bowl, so I will go slightly under. UNDER 9.5
Y1: Well, Minnesota, you brought this upon yourself. The Favre Circus is in town and now the microscope is on the Twin Cities. I don't know about you, but Brad Childress doesn't exactly exude confidence under a lot of pressure. If Favre's first preseason game is a sign of things to come, maybe it'll be a short season for Brett, and a long one for Minny. Already there are reports of player unrest in the locker room over Favre's arrival, that's a great sign. Maybe Favre will start out good, and flame out again. Then again, maybe he'll just stink from the beginning. UNDER 9.5
Chicago Bears - Over/Under 9 Wins
Ah, the team closest to my heart, DA BEARS! And, for the first time in my lifetime, they have a legitimate quarterback in Jay Cutler. His arrival and the continued development of Matt Forte should hide the deficiencies of an aging defense. However, if the off-season's most important acquisition, that's right, new D-Line coach Rod Marinelli (left) had any impact, the Monsters of the Midway could be reborn. I'll predict double digit wins for the Bears, hey, I have to be optimistic about something. OVER 9.
For all of his shortcomings, Kyle Orton actually wasn't that bad last season. They did score 48 points to win a game last season. Jay Cutler will only strengthen a fairly astute offense, especially for Bears standards. If they get just one receiver to step up, their O could actually be dynamite. However, while the O is on the upswing, the D has been on a major decline for the past few years. Reports are that Brian Urlacher is as close to 100% as he has been in years. If he is, and the defense can play anywhere close to their prime years, they should take the division. OVER 9
Green Bay Packers - Over/Under 8.5 Wins
Ah, the team furthest from my heart, the Pack. While they seem to be the media's darling (mainly the WWL), I don't see this team improving that much from last year. Sure, Aaron Rogers is a serviceable QB, but I don't think he can lead this team to a division title. And don't let their standout defense in the preseason fool you, they are missing a couple of key pieces in their new 3-4. UNDER 8.5
Unlike Mr. Yoder II, I don't have an inherent hatred for the Packers, so I am a little more bullish on their season. Aaron Rodgers played very well in his first season as a starting QB, and it'll be interesting to see what happens with Favre back in the division to motivate him more. The Pack's D will be pretty solid, led by Buckeye alum A.J. Hawk, but the running game will be the key. If Ryan Grant can return to form, the Pack may sneak a Wild Card berth. OVER 8.5
Detroit Lions - Over/Under 4.5 Wins
If you, our loyal RSS reader, would like to throw money away by betting 5 wins or more on a team coming off the first 0-16 season in history, and playing a rookie QB, be my guest. I'll be quite happy taking the safe bet with under. Shoot, if new coach Jim Schwartz (right) wins 4 games, he'll be a saint in Detroit. It will take more than one off-season to cover up the stink that is this Lions team. Good luck if you're fortunate to land any Lion not named Calvin Johnson on your fantasy team. UNDER 4.5
If Jim Schwartz wins 1 game he'll be a hero! Seriously, did you see Matt Stafford "perform" as a starting QB, in Cleveland, in a preseason game? He was atrocious, even for a rookie QB! If the Lions don't have the #1 Pick again next April, I will be absolutely stupified. They might be favored in 2 games: at home to St. Louis, and at home to Cleveland, and that's being very generous. Say a prayer for Coach Schwartz please. UNDER 4.5
For our AFC North Preview, Mr. Yoder II and I will step aside and turn it over to an old, old friend of the program, Brother Yohey (a dazed and confused and diehard Browns fan) for his Over/Under picks in the AFC North in his RSS debut. Take it away Yohey...
Pittsburgh Steelers - Over/Under 10.5
The Perennial AFC North powerhouse returns to defend their Super Bowl title, and they have to be a favorite to repeat. Big Ben is back with Ward, reigning SB MVP Holmes (left) and Miller at his disposal, the O-line has a year under their belt to gel, and oh yea, their defense (Polamalu, Timmons, Harrison and crew) is ok. The only question for the Steelers would be the running back position. They didn't draft Rashard Mendenhall in the 1st round to just sit around. Fast Willie’s time carrying the rock may be coming to an end if Mendenhall can stay healthy and produce. OVER 10.5 - 11 Wins
Cincinnati Bengals - Over/Under 7
Carson Palmer returns after an injury shortened 2008 season, but doesn’t have his stop-gap at WR in Houshmandzadeh. Sure, they got OchoCinco and Coles, but how good is OchoCinco going to be without TJ taking away the double coverage? I can’t see Coles as a good replacement. They are young though at WR so there are some chances to develop talent. They are counting on Cedric Benson at RB to carry the load, but will he be Rudi Johnson circa mid 2000’s, or continue Cincy's more recent poor ground game? The defense is going to have to be recognized as a rising unit with Rivers, Jones and Johnson in the linebacking core and the addition of Rey Maualuaga may just be with the Bengals need to get over the hump and possibly save Lewis‘ job. Haven’t we said that before though? PUSH 7 - 7 Wins
Baltimore Ravens - Over/Under 9
For losing starters Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard and Marques Douglas, you’d assume there would be concerns with Baltimore; not so. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are still there, and Haloti Ngata at NT is proving to be one of the top NT's in the AFC and possibly the NFL, if not the best. They showed that defensive dominance Monday night against the Jets (albeit preseason). They lost Rex Ryan at defensive coordinator to the Jets, but nothing seemed to change. With Flacco having another year to learn the offense and study, he should be a better QB, especially with the rocket arm and a solid play action attack with the rise of Ray Rice at RB. The only question could be at WR where they don’t have a solid #1 guy, but Derrick Mason is doing his best Brett Favre impersonation, so they should be ok. OVER 9 - 11 Wins
Cleveland Browns - Over/Under 6.5
Where to start here... new front office, new coach, and a revamped roster. There is no solid QB, the #1 WR has inconsistent hands and there are no consistent producers on defense. Just because those are questions that we don’t have answers to does not mean that there is no hope for us Browns fans. The offensive line, led by Joe Thomas, is the catalyst for the Cleveland offense. They are bigger and undoubtedly the deepest and most talented since the rebirth. Quinn and Anderson have shown flashes of good QB play, and Braylon’s 2007 season (16 TD’s) showed what he can do. Rob Ryan at defensive coordinator can’t hurt, and with Cribbs touching the ball, you never can know what will happen. Not to the playoffs yet, but at least we might have some hope, is that too much to ask? OVER 6.5 - 7 Wins
4 comments:
That Brother Yohey sure knows what he is talking about. His points are valid and well thought out. He is warranted to be on this blog and is taking baby steps in what is going to be a journey to Pulitzer Prize winning writing.
Brother Yohey is a fool for picking over on every single AFC North team, especially Cincy, to a lesser extent Baltimore....
But maybe he has a future, who knows?
The Cleveland Browns will surprise the AFC North this year. The Cardiac Kids may be reborn and the Dog Pound will be rockin'. I'm a believer...heck if all else fails pull Bernie out of the booth and suit him up. It can't be bad forever!!!!
I must be picky here and mention that to the 3rd anonymous, they were known as the Kardiac Kids. Also, Dawg Pound. However, we must take baby steps to reclaim the Cleveland prestige.
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