Green Issue

We’re all about The Campus’ Green Issue, but, unfortunately, they took it for granted that we knew what the “Green Issue” was supposed to focus on. Our first guess was the environment, but since golf courses are given more water than third world countries and tailgating football produces more trash than New Jersey, we felt we needed to go a different route. So we are going to follow suit with the rest of the sports world and ignore the issue entirely. Instead, we present the top 10 sports franchises of all time – that wear green.

10. San Jose Sharks – They have a history of choking in the playoffs and can barely be considered green. 10^th it is…

9. Jacksonville Jaguars – See above: Sharks, San Jose.

8. Seattle SuperSonics – This team was very green, I definitely have childhood memories of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton doing work in Sonics colors.  Their fans must not have loved the color so much however, because the team has since been moved to Oklahoma City and changed its name and colors.

7. Milwaukee Bucks – Their green throwback jerseys look pretty great, unfortunately they haven’t been relevant in years and are a long way away. Also this team isn’t particularly emblematic of green, thus the low ranking.

6. Philadelphia Eagles – They used to wear more green, but they were terrible. During the Andy Reid years, they’ve become one of the more consistently successful teams in the NFL but wear more of a teal color. Also I hate them.

5. Michigan State – The most successful college program that uses green across the board, the Spartans have won six national championships in football, three national championships in hockey, and two in basketball. However, the only reason they are ranked this high is that they have one of the purest and classiest green and white uniforms in sports.

4. Oakland Athletics – Between nine World Series titles and Dennis Eckersley’s mustache, they have to rank near the top. A franchise made famous for the reimagining of baseball statistics, they’ve managed to stay relevant and competitive with big market teams by spending less green and wearing a lot of it.

3. New York Jets – “Gang Green” as they are called, have only Green in their uniforms. The association to the color is undeniable but they do play second fiddle in their city and have struggled to put up long stretches of success throughout their history to be a truly emblematic franchise like…

2. Green Bay Packers – It’s all in the name here – hailing from a city appropriately named for this column the Packers hold the distinction of being the most recognizable green team in football. In the late 90s and early 00s at the height of Favre’s popularity, Packer green was everywhere. Of course winning the first two Super Bowls doesn’t hurt.

1. Boston Celtics – We love to antagonize New England sports fans, but they get the W here. The Celtics are the winningest franchise in the history of their sport and have done it for over 60 years in green. Ten MVP awards have been won in Celtic green and there aren’t many fan bases more representative of their teams color than the proud Irish population of Boston.  Congrats Celtics fans, your prize for being the greenest team in the land is Shaq for a season. Enjoy.

Ironmen: Favre vs Ripken

A number of recent injuries to Brett Favre have led to questions about whether his streak of 294 consecutive starts will continue. Whether or not it ends this weekend, this will almost certainly be his last season, putting his record somewhere between 294 and 301 consecutive starts. The sports junkie is us is begging for comparisons and the obviously question to ask is: whose record is more impressive, Brett Favre’s 294 consecutive starts or Cal Ripken Jr’s 2,632 consecutive games played? Let the debate begin.

 

Spencer: I think the best measure for comparing records across sports is to look at the player right behind them. Cal Ripken played 23 percent more games than Lou Gerhig; Brett Favre only played 11 percent more games than former Vikings great Jim Marshall. But the debate doesn’t end there. Obviously football is a much more violent sport than baseball. You are much more likely to sustain a major injury playing football than you are playing baseball (although baseball still has concussions, shredded knees, and every variety of arm injury known to humankind). But what makes a consecutive start streak impressive is not the ability to avoid major injuries (which are mostly due to chance) but the ability to deal with the lingering, nagging injuries that are inevitable for any athlete in any sport. Maybe that type of injury is slightly more likely in football than baseball, but ask yourself: are they almost nine times as likely? Because Cal Ripken has played almost NINE times as many games as Brett Favre. Additionally, while Favre has six days in between each game to recover from any nagging injury, Ripken had to go back out there the next day and do it all over again (baseball players get about one day off for every nine games they play). Finally, because the football season is so short and the baseball season is so long, there is way more incentive to play every game in football. It is expected that Brett Favre plays every game he can; he never really had the choice so we don’t know if he would have (and judging by his love of missing training camp and preseason, his work ethic is questionable). Cal Ripken could have taken days but he never did. He had to play every day knowing that he could be on the bench resting. The mental toughness that takes sets Ripken apart in my mind.

 

Brad: I’m simply not willing to concede that mental toughness is the determinate factor here in what is an inherently physical competition – and that’s exactly why Favre’s record is more impressive. Favre is now at 294 consecutive starts, only three players in the history of football (not counting kickers) have even played that many games total. Just for arguments sake, 32 baseball players have appeared in more total games than Ripken’s streak. That’s not the point though, the point is that records are made to be broken and neither of these records likely will. Ripken’s however, will be due to indifference because there will be players physically capable of doing what he did, they just won’t put the same stock in missing what amounts to .06% of the season. Favre’s record won’t be broken because nobody will ever again have the luck of avoiding major injury through 19 years of the most athletic humans in the world throwing themselves at you full speed and because nobody will have the determination to play though broken thumbs, separated shoulders, battered knees, torn muscles and most recently a twice fractured ankle. What this comes down to is the question of which of these streaks are more impressive and I’m far more impressed by Favre’s ability to tough any injury that he is physically able to than by Ripkin’s ability to decide to just not sit one out.

 

Concussions in the NFL

In the wake of a weekend that saw three players get fined $50,000 or more for illegal hits that knocked Desean Jackson, Josh Cribbs, and Todd Heap out of games, the National Football League recently took its biggest leap forward in attempting to protect players from concussions by announcing that players can now be suspended for helmet-to-helmet hits. This move has sparked a number of different debates about both the new rule and the nature of professional football. Will the new rule be effective in making players safer? Will it change the way the game is played for better or for worse?

Brad says: Reggie Bush was quoted on his Twitter saying,  “As an offensive player I disagree with the rule… Worst case scenario you get hit up top: concussion, Worst case scenario you get hit down low, knee surgery or possible end of career.” Here’s a perfect example of the short-sightedness of NFL players when it comes to this issue. They don’t want to change the way they play the game or how they think on the field because they don’t see concussions as such a big concern. In truth, I don’t disagree with them entirely. Yes, concussion research is scary, but most players will face serious mental and physical issues later in life from injuries other than concussions or hits to the head. This is a career choice that they make and are not forced into, and thus have to cope with the inherent violence that exists in football. It’s a shame that it has to be this way, but football is a TV sport meant for entertainment and taking away the big hits will take away some of the more entertaining highlights that we get from the sport. Defensive players have been given more and more restrictions on how they play the game in recent years that football is beginning to lose its gritty side and is becoming a sport for the skill positions. I’m not advocating or encouraging violent hits, but the line the league is drawing between legal and illegal hits will only slow down the game and make it harder for defenses. If keeping big, legal hits means risking relocating football to the niche realm of violent sports like boxing then that’s a risk I’m willing to take because its not the same game without them.

Spencer says: I believe that this new rule is a good first step towards protecting players. A number of recent studies show that repeated concussions (even minor ones) lead to a number of serious issues later in life: from shorter life spans to memory loss to Alzheimer’s to depression. This should not be taken lightly and it should not be passed off with just “its what the players want!” As a modern society, we owe it to players who play for our entertainment to look out for their long-term health and ensure they are not forced to make stupid, short-sighted decisions. Additionally, helmet-to-helmet hits are not and should not be an integral part of the game. Will the new emphasis lead to few huge hits? Yes. But it will also lead to players staying healthy longer and being more effective, which leads to a better, more skilled version of football. Football is popular because of the big plays, not just the big hits. If you want to watch carnage, go watch boxing.

 

The Reggie Bush Controversy

Former USC running back Reggie Bush recently gave up his Heisman Trophy as the result of an NCAA investigation that ruled that he was an ineligible player during his career as a Trojan. Although he never admitted he was guilty (which is bizarre considering he a) gave up his trophy; b) was found guilty; and c) was OBVIOUSLY guilty), it does raise questions about the nature of student-athletes in major college programs. These athletes contribute a tremendous amount to their school in terms of TV deals and popularity, but receive no monetary reward, and then get punished for taking advantage of their leverage. Is this unjust?

I (Spencer) say no. First, although these athletes do not receive a paycheck, they do receive a free college education, which we all know costs a lot. There are inherent benefits in going to college: it not only increases your earning potential if you cannot make it as a professional athlete, but there is also the unquantifiable benefit education. Sure, many college athletes do not take advantage of their free education. But is that not their fault? Second, rules are rules for a reason. In this case, Bush clearly broke the rules and he should have known better. Sure, it can be hard to resist the pressure of agents that are offering gifts. But recognizing the downside of losing your scholarship or your athletic eligibility is way more important. Finally, there are alternatives to playing college sports. Semi-professional leagues in the US and professional leagues in Europe offer a way to get paid to play sports without the nuisance of going to class and athletes can receive all the improper benefits they want. Choosing college is a conscious decision that has implications: you cannot break the rules.

I (Brad) say yes. Is the system flawed? Absolutely, between massive TV deals, coaches taking advantage of every loophole in recruiting rules, and power brokers latching onto kids in middle school, amateur sports in America basically doesn’t exist. That said, I’m not entirely advocating paying the students directly. That would be a difficult process considering the extreme difference in marketability and professional aspirations between a D-I USC football player and a D-3 volleyball player. I am however, saying that unless the NCAA is willing to reevaluate the entire system of youth sports in this country, they cannot punish players for playing along when they are getting perks thrown at them before they can drive. It is possible that one day, players will be able to choose between semi-professional leagues and college athletics but at the moment, they are simply a more risky option even if they do pay for one season.  For every Brandon Jennings you have at least one Jeremy Tyler. For now, in order to be a professional athletic prospect you have to play within the system. To expect an 18 year old kid to say no to a coach or agent is foolish, whether its because they are charmed by the perks and gifts or simply want to stay the good graces of someone who can dictate the path of their professional career. Is it right? No its not, but rather than letting coaches like Pete Carroll run away to the pros with reputations unscathed, we should be punishing them and people like them for taking advantage of impressionable youth. Reggie Bush is not an isolated incident; he’s just a high profile example of the deep-rooted problems in the college recruiting process and college football as a whole.

Sweet Interception

So, some of you have probably seen this interception by a player from Division III Gallaudet University. I have been dreaming about seeing this exact type of interception for the past 5 years of my life, hoping to either pull it off in an intramural or pickup game or just to watch an NFL team do it live. So I was just profoundly happy that I got to see this play at some point in my life (while this particular play was clearly legal because he threw the ball backwards, I’ve always wondered if it would be legal to throw the ball forward, the justification being he doesn’t technically have possession if his feet haven’t touched the ground).

But there are two other factors that make this pretty cool. First, the school that made the play is Gallaudet University, which is a school for the deaf and hard of hearing. Pulling off that play without being able to verbally communicate with your teammate? Sounds hard. Second, the school they played is Castleton State College, which is located in my home state. Go VT.

5 Things We Learned From Packers-Bears Last Night

1. The Packers offensive line is still BAD. They didn’t give up a single sack against a fairly mediocre Bears pass rush (Julius Peppers excluded) that doesn’t like to blitz (they run mostly Cover 2), but they did give up 8 penalties. More importantly, Rodgers was pressured all game, and although he did a good job moving around the pocket, it forced him to get rid of balls much more quickly than he would have liked. The Packers have great weapons but it won’t matter if they can’t run their routes.

2. The Bears offensive line might be even worse. Jay Cutler spent most of his night (and really, most of the first three games) fleeing for his life. Sacked three times, hurried and hit many more, he simply needs more time to pass or he’ll continue to get frustrated. And a frustrated Jay Cutler is good for nobody. More than that, the blocking in the running game was equally atrocious: their running backs combined for 38 yards on 14 carries for a whopping 2.7 yards per carry. And we know Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are better than that.

3. Jay Cutler is still very much the Jay Cutler from last season. Although he was only credited for throwing one interception, he actually threw two more that were overturned because of penalties (although one was a defensive pass interference call on a play where Bears receiver Earl Bennett might have been able to break it up). But the Packers also dropped a couple more potential picks. The point is that Cutler still looks very willing to let the ball fly with little attention paid to where the defensive backs are playing. This not only will lead to turnovers, but also might make Mike Martz’s offense, which focuses on accurate passing out of spread formations, less effective.

4. The Packers have some serious special teams woes. The had a 37 yard field goal blocked and gave up a punt return touchdown to the playmaker formerly known as Devin Hester (his first punt return for a touchdown in 31 games so we’re not talking about the Devin Hester of old). They also gave up an average of 30 yards per kick return (on 3 returns) and averaged only 19 yards per kick return (on 5 returns). Not a good way to win the field position battle. The Packers talked about focusing on improving special teams in the offseason, but that talk hasn’t translated to the field.

5. The NFC is wide open. No team has looked dominant and every team looks like it has serious flaws. Of the 7 teams that finished above 8-8 last year, the Vikings and Cowboys both won for the first time this week, the Cardinals have Derek Anderson at quarterback, the Packers look very mortal, the Saints are averaging 21 points a game (compared to 31.9 ppg last year), and the Falcons look wildly inconsistent. The Eagles have looked okay since starting Vick but they’ve only played the Jaguars and Lions, and they gave up 33 points to the Lions. The Lions! As for other teams that were supposed to compete, the Giants look bad (as Brad can and is more than willing to tell you), and the 49ers, this year’s breakout team, is 0-3. It looks like we won’t know how this conference is going to shake down until very late in the year.

One last note: Much has been said about the 18 penalties on the Packers last night. But there are a few reasons why I didn’t mention them. First, 18 penalties in one game is more of a fluke than anything. Second, the penalties are a reflection of two things, neither of which has to do with discipline: a bad offensive line and an aggressive defense. These two factors are going to lead to penalties and the alternatives are Aaron Rodgers getting consistently rocked and a defense that gives up more yards and forces fewer turnovers. Don’t expect either to change. So even though the Packers have consistently had problems with penalties over the last few years, this game shouldn’t be a huge red flag.

(Fun fact: that will probably be the last meeting between undefeated teams this year, although a 17-0 Steelers-Chiefs AFC Championship or a Super Bowl between the 18-0 Bears and either the undefeated Steelers or Chiefs is still technically possible…)

The Value of Fantasy Sports to Fandom

Fantasy sports are almost ubiquitous in the modern sports scene, as hoards of savvy fans now flock to the web to worship the statistician gods. Every major sports outlet on the internet offers a wide array of different games and formats for every sport. Millions of players participate year round in work leagues, friend leagues, public leagues and beyond. People who care very little about sports will join up and instantly become a passionate fan. Is this good for the game? Is more interest always necessarily good? Maybe, but the way fantasy sports cause certain fans to follow the game can be considered blasphemous to the purists. While Brad is a vehement defender of the game, Spencer sees the other side and offers an opposing take. After reading, you be the judge.

Brad: Pretty much everyone who follows sports wishes they could play professionally. At the very least, they dream of coaching or making the key decisions for their teams. Fantasy sports allow that dream to became a (fake) reality. The inception of fantasy sports came when a group of journalists led by Dan Okrent figured out a way to measure their sports knowledge competitively. Since then, fantasy sports have created a culture of fandom that allows players to reach outside the bounds of their own city, to reach through the TV screen, and to interact with the sport in a greater, more tangible way.

Fantasy leagues encourage a deeper analysis and understanding of sports, forcing the casual fan to read into statistics rather than just the emotions of a win or a loss. Most importantly perhaps, in a sports world where the gap between the successful and unsuccessful franchise is large, fantasy sports make a Lions-Rams game in late September meaningful, and the more games there are to watch, the happier a fan I am.

Spencer: Look, I love playing fantasy sports. I have multiple teams in every sport and I mark draft days on my calendar months in advance. I do more work to find late round sleepers than I do for all my classes combined. However, I also think that fantasy sports have profoundly influenced the way I watch sports, and in a negative way. The most common complaint about fantasy sports is that you start to follow players instead of teams. It’s the most common because it is true. The strong emotional bond that you form with your teams is lost once you start drafting players from other teams. And that emotional bond with the players on your fantasy teams just does not come close to a team bond because of the inherent turnover year to year.

Watching games does not have the same meaning once you create your own fantasy team. In the same vein, even watching my own team has changed. It is not infrequent that I own a player on one of my teams, and that causes me to root for that particular player over the success of my team as a whole. For instance, if the Vikings throw to their fullback Naufahu Tahi instead of tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, it annoys me, even if they gain ten yards or score a touchdown. I should never be forced into deciding whether I want my professional team to win over my fantasy one. In terms of my net happiness, fantasy sports have added more to my life than they have taken away from my enjoyment of watching sports, but my connection to my teams is something I value above all else, and I’m not sure I can get it back.

Top Stories of the Summer

Those of you who follow the Angry Fan-chise closely know that we now have a weekly column in The Middlebury Campus.  Here is the first one published.

For those of you who spent your summer with your fingers off the pulse, soaking up the sun or saving the world, here are the top ten sports stories of the summer as presented by Angry Fans, in no particular order.

The NBA Finals –– Believe it or not, before July’s free agent hoopla there was actually some basketball played this summer, and quite good ball at that. In the end, it all came down to the Lakers and the Celtics for the 12th time after Boston made a surprising run through the East. In a series defined by finesse vs. scrappiness, the scrappy Celtics fought hard with help from a bench full of atypical NBA bodies (read: thugs and misfits), but it was not enough against the savvy LA squad.
A-Rod’s 600th –– This story is noteworthy because of how little attention it got outside of the New York market. Ten years ago this would have been the story of the summer, as Rodriguez became the seventh man in the history of the sport to hit 600 career home runs. Needless to say, PEDs have changed the way fans view the game, particularly how they view the HR stat. With A-Rod being an admitted user, he’s going to have to distinguish his game in other ways to wow the baseball purists. And just for the record, we don’t feel bad for him at all.
Lee and Oswalt Are Traded — The Lee trade from the Mariners to the Rangers is the bigger deal of the two, as it adds a more than formidable arm to a strong line-up. Even if Lee’s WAR (Wins Above Replacement) isn’t that high for the rest of the season, having him in a playoff series is invaluable for Texas. Oswalt to the Phillies makes a little less sense considering they are already so strong with starters and have traded much of the farm in the last year. That’s not to say Oswalt doesn’t improve their rotation, and the money they’re paying for him isn’t that steep considering division rivals Mets and Braves are paying Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe an average of $3.5 million more this year. Also, this is the first time Perez has been mentioned in a newspaper in six months. Mark it down.
USC Sanctions –– Two-year bowl ban, 30 scholarships lost, one Heisman trophy taken and the ’04 title in doubt, and that’s only what was already taken from the Trojan football program. The storied So-Cal team, possibly the best program of the last ten years, could need a decade to recover from this hit. This leads to two questions: first, could this lead to pro football in LA and second, how many former Trojans are taking paycuts in the pros?
The Phenom’s Debut (And What Happened Next) –– Almost exactly one year from the day he was drafted, Stephen Strasburg made his major-league debut as the “most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball.” While much of the hype was pretty extreme, Strasburg pitched as advertised until, tragically, he tore a ligament in his elbow and will need Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss all of this and next season. This was everyone’s worst fear and a crushing blow not only to a struggling Nats franchise but to Major League Baseball in general. Let the comparisons to Prior and Wood begin.
The Decision –– Yep, Lebron is taking his talents to South Beach, forming another elite NBA team with Bosh and Wade. The rich get richer, parity in the NBA is dead and Cleveland continues to get screwed. And for the next two years, people will overuse the joke “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.”
NHL Playoffs –– The Blackhawks, an “Original Six” franchise, won their first Stanley Cup since 1961 after beating the Flyers in six games. The playoffs in general were a blast to watch, with upsets (eighth-seeded Canadiens beating the top seeded Capitals and defending champion Penguins), comebacks (the Flyers came back from three games down vs. the Bruins to tie the series at 3-3 and then were down three goals in game seven only to eventually win 4-3) and the San Jose Sharks finally making it past the second round only to get destroyed in the Conference Finals. Oh, San Jose.
The World Cup –– ¡LA FURIA ROJA! INIESTA! Although the final was a bit marred by penalties and missed chances, it was still an amazing finish to an amazing tournament. The vuvuzelas are not as bad as people say…when they’re in the stadium. When someone was letting loose at 3 a.m. outside my window, I was not nearly as forgiving. Also, with two historically underachieving, high-scoring teams in the final, I was in heaven.
Perfect games, No-hitters, and Galarraga…Oh my! –– Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in MLB history, Roy Halladay threw the 20th exactly 20 days later, and Armando Galarraga got absolutely robbed of a perfect game four days later (on my birthday, against my favorite team, the Cleveland Indians…I feel partially responsible) when third base umpire Jim Joyce blew a call at first base on what would have been the final out. This year is the first time two perfect games have been thrown in the same year since 1880. Yes, 1880. And to make matters for batters worse, Ubaldo Jimenez, Edwin Jackson and Matt Garza all threw plain old no-hitters this year.
American Needle Supreme Court Case –– This was the biggest sports story of the year that you haven’t heard about. American Needle is a sports-apparel manufacturer that sued the NFL claiming the NFL’s exclusive deal with Reebok violated antitrust rules. The lower courts ruled that the NFL was a single entity instead of 32 competing corporations, but the Supreme Court ruled in a 9-0 decision ruled that the NFL was indeed violating antitrust laws. This seems boring. And it is. But had the NFL prevailed, its monopoly would have allowed it to kill free agency, set all ticket prices, or even transfer broadcasting rights to its own cable network, all leading to rising prices for fans. Go Supremes.

Angry Fans Radio Show Week 1

The new season of Angry Fans on WRMC 91.1 FM Middlebury College kicked off last sunday with an exciting debut. Missed it? Don’t fret, this year, we present to you an exciting new synergy between blog and radio show.  We are recording our live show each week and posting it here on the blog.  For now its a zshare download and I’m sorry about that but there will come a time when I find a better way to do it.  Also the recording is low for the first two minutes or so but its perfectly fine after that.  Enjoy.

Angry Fans Week 1: NFL Preview

Post-Week 1 NFL Preview?

Yeah, it’s a week late. But whatever. I’m over it. (Ranked by predicted order of finish. Wildcard’s denoted by the word: Wildcard.)

AFC East

Pats – Brady’s back, the defense is weak, but this division isn’t going to be nearly as good as it was last year.

Jets – Sanchez be as good as he looked against the Texans this year. But the defense is nasty, and they’ve got a good running attack with Jones and Washington.

Bills – Bills looked good against the Pats. The offensive line looks like the teams biggest weakness, but it was pretty decent on MNF. Very talented secondary will help cover for an average front seven.

Dolphins – This team is due for a big drop-off from last year. The Wildcat won’t steal them any more games, and this team isn’t talented enough offensively to really compete.

Brad Says: I agree with this ranking for the most part, that being said there are some things in this division that could make things interesting, and would this ranking look at all the same had the Bills not imploded for the Pats last week?  Look for the Jets to surprise some folks with at least a run at the wild card if not the division.  I think its going to take 11 wins to win this division and the Jets and Pats are the two teams with enough talent to get to that number.

AFC North

Ravens – Flacco could be poised for a breakout year. I’ve never been a big believer, but his preseason and first game numbers have me changing my tune a little bit. They’ve still got 3 very solid backs pushing each other to get better. And we haven’t even mentioned the defense yet…

Steelers – They’ll probably make the playoffs but… this team can’t run the ball and the offensive line can’t pass block. And this secondary could get torn apart with out the long-haired one in the lineup. Wildcard

Browns – Their offensive and defensive lines look good. They’ve got some talent on defense and the best special teams player in the game in Cribbs. But it’s hard to compete when you’re running an offense centered around your fullback and second string TE.

Bengals – A sleeper pick heading into the season, I’m not a believer. I just don’t understand what I’m supposed to get excited about.

Brad Says: I still think this is the Steelers division to lose.  Roethlisberger looked good week 1 and could Santonio Holmes finally be breaking out? The defense will have to recover without Palomalu but they are well coached and dicipline enough to do so.  The Ravens will be in it for the wild card all season even though I’m still skeptical of Flacco.  The Browns finishing 3rd here is a total homer pick on Spencer’s part, I watched the game with him last week the offense looks clueless and lost, and by the end of the game bored and frustrated.

AFC South

Colts – Manning is the best quarterback in the league. They might have a running game again this year. The defense looks good under Caldwell. What’s not to love?

Jaguars – This team had a terrible year last year, but is poised for a rebound. Remember how good they were two years ago? Garrard’s not going to throw 13 picks again. Wildcard.

Titans – Kerry Collins? Really? I don’t see it. Especially since losing Haynesworth is going to hurt the defense.

Texans – Another sleeper pick I’m not sold on. I think another season in the middle of the pack. There is no doubting their offensive talent when their healthy, but they get hurt more than the Mets. And they’ve got 3 dominant defensive players on different levels, but otherwise they lack a lot of talent.

Brad Says: I like the bold Jags call here I’ll jump on that train.  The Colts won’t miss a beat with the new coach in place.  The Titans are talented but may be the odd men out in a competitive division.  I like the Texans talent, and I hear Gary Kubiak is a really nice guy, but they are going to lose this talented division again and he is going to get fired.

AFC West

Chargers – Rivers was the best quarterback in the NFL last year, and now they have two sick RBs, a dirty TE, and a developing star WR in V-Jax (who might be the new Plax. You heard it here first.). The defense should be better with the return of Merriman and the drafting of English.

Broncos – Lucky win the in first game, but… you don’t get to play the Bengals every week. The defense is still bad, regardless of the results of the first game. And Kyle Orton is the quarterback.

Raiders – Not last, but still like 5-11. Russell is under 420 pounds for the first time in his career, and says he feels faster and it should help his conditioning. I’m only half kidding….

Chiefs – Eh. Teams switching the 3-4 generally experience a boost for the first six games. But unfortunately you’ve still got ten more games with personnel that don’t know or fit the system very well.

Brad Says: If the Chargers don’t win this division…I can’t even think of something I’m willing to do if they don’t, I’m that sure.  The Raiders will finish 2nd with a good season out of McFadden and their pretty talented secondary, but 2nd in this division is like being the tallest person in my family…you’re not impressing anyone.

NFC East

Giants – Osi is back. Tuck is still a beast. This teams is solid at every position (save maybe wr). First Round bye, here they come.

Eagles – Can McNabb stay healthy? What’s with Vick? Any left tackles out there? Will the defense be as good? They’re labeled as contenders, but I have a lot of questions. Similar to last year, I think they sneak in with some luck in week 17. Wildcard.

Cowboys – No TO. No problem. Romo looks confident, relaxed and poised. They’ve got Marion the Barbarian, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice in the backfield. And Witten and Bennett form the best TE duo in the league. Yes, I just referenced the “best TE duo” as a reason why the Cowboys could be good. But I don’t have them in the playoffs mostly because of questions on defense. They’ll be in the race though.

Redskins – Jason Campbell does some stupid things sometimes. But this season will come down to the defense. They’ve invested a lot of money and draft picks, and while they looked okay last week, this unit has to be dominant.

Brad Says: The deepest division in the NFL for the second season in a row, it’ll take a great season from both the Vikings and the Packers to not have both wildcards come out of this division.  The popular pick to win it preseason was the Eagles but I don’t see how you can’t have the Giants taking this division this year.  They’re defense looked dominant last week and that was withouth two starters in the secondary, Michael Bolley who returns from suspension this week, and with a hobbled Antonio Pierce.  The Eagles may be in trouble if McNabb misses significant time but they are too talented and too well coached to not compete all year long and the Cowboys season will be determined by who Tony Romo decides he wants to be.

NFC North

Vikings – Purple Jesus. Williams Wall, Allen, Greenway, Henderson, Winfield. Need I mention Harvin, Berrian, Favre, the unbelievable offensive line, or Vishante “The Equipment Manager” Shiancoe? I didn’t think so.

Packers – Well, they don’t have a right tackle. But they do have a great young quarterback, absurd receiver depth, and a healthy Ryan Grant. For the defense? See: Chiefs, Kansas City. Wildcard.

Bears – Cutler throws 4 picks. Some things stay the same. Also, the defense is old. And not very good. And Urlacher’s hurt. And their offensive line is poor and injury prone. And they don’t have receivers. I’m starting to consider moving them below the Bears…

Lions – Did you know they’re the sixth oldest team in the league? I know that is skewed because they signed so many veterans in the off-season, but still… That doesn’t seem like a good if you’re trying to rebuild. Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith are the real deal.

Brad Says: Both the Packers and Vikings are explosive offensively but its the Viking defense that will win this division for them.  Granted they aren’t playing the Browns every week so we may see their true color at some point but this is a good team.  Can Favre last this season though, and Rodgers is already the best QB in this division looking to win over Packers fans once and for all by taking this division from Favre.

NFC South

Saints – It’s the NFC South. Teams that finish last always make the playoffs/win the division the next year. The Saints offense looks unbelievable. And the defense… could be respectable?

Panthers – They were fantastic last year. Delhomme looks old and bad, and they don’t really have depth behind him The front seven is still pretty good, but the secondary looks below average. I dunno, I just don’t see it. Around .500 but out of the playoffs.

Falcons – Offense will continue to be nasty, but they lost a LOT of defensive talent in free-agency. Again, around .500 but out of the playoffs.

Buccaneers – Byron Leftwich. Antonio Bryant. Firing your offensive coordinator just before the season. An aging defense. No, thank you, I’ll just take the check.

Brad Says: The Saints offensive performance last week can’t be overlooked but at some point there will be a team who can defend against the pass and then can their behind the scenes mess at RB hold up? I give the Falcons a lot more credit than Spencer does, their skill positions on offense match up with almost any team in the league and a defense lead by John Abraham who looked youthful, fast, and aggressive last week could surprise people.

NFC West

Rams – My big sleeper pick, even after last weeks humiliating loss. This is probably stupid, and I should probably have Seattle here, but hear me out. The Rams suffered absurd amounts of injuries last year. They’ve still got Steven Jackson. The defense could be better. And teams that draft offensive linemen high almost always improve on offense that season. It could happen…

Seahawks – … But if it doesn’t then the Seahawks will run away with this division, assuming they can stay healthy. Lots of a receivers, a spread offense, and two average running backs? What’s not to love? Also, they’ve probably got the best linebacking corps in the NFL. Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill (although he’s out for 6 weeks) and Aaron Curry? Oh. My. God.

49ers – Shaun Hill is the QB. Mike Singletary makes his players run up hills. See where I’m going with this? Huh? Yeah, it doesn’t make sense. Helloooo, mediocrity.

Cardinals – Can Kurt Warner stay healthy for another full season? Odds are, no. Can Matt Leinart lead this team to the playoffs? Yeah… About that… Oh, and Superbowl losers don’t make the playoffs the next year.

Brad Says: What?

Sorry I just had to call Spencer and see if there were typos in that one. I cannot understand the Rams pick, Bulger has not been a servicable starter for 3 seasons now, he has zero protection, too much pressure on offense is on Jackson.  Spagnuolo will turn this team around because he is a defensive mastermind and a coach who is extremely well liked by his players, but not this year.  This looks like it should be the Seahawks division but the Cards do have unbelieveable talent on offense and could win some games they don’t deserve to simply by airing it out.  This is a 9-10 win division and both the Seahawks and Cards could get there.