Wild Card Weekend Preview

Are you ready for Graham’s first post of 2011? Of course you are. Sadly, it’s a joint post with Chris, but Graham fans, take what little morsel you can get. (There’s a joke in there somewhere). It’s none other than the 2011 RTS NFL Playoff Preview. And we’re posting it less than 24 hours before the first game, because, uh, we put it off till the last minute. Our bad, 11 fans. On to the Wild Card Weekend preview.

Graham
NY Jets @ Indianapolis. I have no idea what to make of this game, other than that if I were Peyton Manning, I'd go out for the first series in bare feet, just to screw with Rex Ryan. Before beating the hapless Bills in the season finale, they Jets lost 3 of 4. Indy won 4 in a row to end the season, but other than the first place showdown with Jacksonville, 2 were to Tennessee and the other was to Oakland. Plus, they can't run the ball, and they're hurt.

Part of doesn't want to bet against Peyton Manning, but on the other hand, he's an enormous douche. I was watching the Jacksonville game when Austin Collie ran a route across the middle, Manning underthrew him, and as Collie went down for the ball he got hammered and was nearly paralyzed. He laid there motionless for a while, and it was several minutes before Manning, whose underthrown ball was the reason Collie was nearly relegated to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, came over to check on him. Even then, it was halfhearted, and he walked away as quickly as he could. It was pathetic. So because of my newfound dislike for Manning, I'm taking the Jets.

Chris
First off, let's get this out of the way. Did you see Rex Ryan's quote about losing to Peyton Manning last year in the playoffs? He said, "You lose a playoff game, it's devastating. I want to put the shoe on the other foot. I know this team does too. We want him to experience it this time."

Now, I care not about Rex Ryan and his proclivity to feet. However, can't he talk football without bringing them into the mix? It's not like Daunte Culpepper and the Vikings made sex boat references when talking about facing the Bears. Wait, why am I saying this. Keep talking about putting shoes on Peyton's feet, Rex, by all means!

Anyway, the Jets suck. They are Baltimore light. Their QB is worse, but not by much. Their WRs are worse, by a lot. Their defense is good, but they don't have game changers like Ed Reed or Ray Lewis. Do you really want to go to war with Mark Sanchez? And by war, I mean, Indianapolis.

But here's the thing. The Colts aren't that good either. Sure, it's the Colts and they should win just based on having Manning, Reggie Wayne, Freeney, etc. But they barely beat the Titans twice in the past few weeks. They scare me. There's only 2 teams I hate worse than the Colts right now in the AFC, and that's KC and the Jets. I think the Colts win, simply based on playing at home, regardless of what shoes Peyton has on his feet.

Graham
The thing with this game is, I don't even really care about watching it that much. I'd be perfectly happy to tune in to the last 5 minutes and check it out. Kinda like the NBA. Except I don't even really do that with the NBA anymore. The Packers are in the playoffs, the Canucks are in first place - who needs the NBA?

Chris
I want to watch all the playoff games, just as a month long farewell to the NFL. Then again, with no Monday Night Football on last night, I managed to read 75 pages in a book I've had since October and barely touched.

As for the NBA, uh, yeah, I'm switching to AT&T Uverse on Saturday and I think I picked a package that didn't include the Grizzlies station. I told my wife I didn't even think I'd add the channel. She thought I was nuts. The NBA is the easiest thing to give up. And I was a die hard fan for about 10 years. Is this what they mean by “Where Amazing Happens”?

Anyway, what's the other AFC game this week, Baltimore at KC?

Graham
How sad is it for the NBA that the off-court stuff is 100x better than the on-court stuff? The NBA has the best draft, best free agency and best trades. I follow that stuff religiously. Then the games start and I don't care. And the impending lockout? Whatever. And I lived and breathed the NBA for 8 years when I worked there.

Anyway, we've already gone off the rails.

Tell you what, I like Kansas City's chances against Baltimore.

Chris
You like KC? Ugh, what's wrong with you? KC is frisky, but Baltimore is the darkhorse in this thing. They play as tough as anyone. They have what, 4 losses or so? Baltimore wins like 23-13 but it's one of those games that's never really in doubt. I bet it's 10-3 midway through the 3rd quarter and you start thinking, there is no way in hell KC is going to win this.

Graham
I think Kansas City will keep it close. I think the Ravens will pull it out (that's what she said), but the Chiefs will be right there in the end (that's what she said). I'll take the Ravens by a field goal in this one.

Chris
Way to toe the line. You praise KC but then pick Baltimore. So if KC wins, you bust out the "I told you I liked KC" and if Baltimore wins you have the "I picked Baltimore" card as well. What else should I expect from a Brett Favre fan?

Graham
Excuse me for not writing a 35,000 word missive detailing everything point by point while at work.

Chris
You are forgiven. Do we even have to preview the Saints-Seahawks game?

Graham
What kind of bloggers would we be if we snarkily dismissed the Seahawks? If we just decide we're too lazy to put any thought into the game, and not consider circumstances where the Seahawks could pull out a win?

Actually, we'd be regular bloggers.

Saints by 17.

Chris
You want me to give some thought into a circumstance in which the Seahawks win? The Saints plane would have to go down Marshall-style. And that's only if Drew Brees is on the plane. If the entire Saints team dies except Brees, I'm pretty sure he could put together a rag-tag group of free agents, castoffs and minor league football players and beat the Seahawks. That sounds like a movie script I should start working on.

Graham
You could cast Jason Schwartzman as Charlie Whitehurst.

By the way, in the topic of lame feuds from the other day, we can add a new one: Tony Allen vs. OJ Mayo.

Chris
The funniest part about it is that it's not a feud, it's an ass-kicking. Allen beats Mayo up to the point that Mayo can't show his face at the game, and what happens to Allen, he gets Mayo's starting spot! He's going Nancy Kerrigan on someone before the season's over. The Memphis Grizzlies everyone!

Graham
Beat a guy up AND take his job. Now that's badass.

Take note, Kevin Kolb.

Chris
The day Kevin Kolb beats up Michael Vick is the day a 7-9 team makes the playoffs. Oh wait....

So I suppose this is our transition to GB at Philly. Convince me GB wins.

Graham
Here's why Green Bay wins:

-They have an elite defense. The 240 points they allowed this season was best in the NFC and second best in the NFL behind Pittsburgh, allowing them to have the league's second best point differential at +148.

-In the last 9 games of the season, they gave up 20+ points once. And it was to New England.

-Six times this season they held opponents to under 10 points. I'm too lazy to look up other teams so I'll assume that's either best in the NFL, or at least top 3.

-According to one NFL expert*, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams are the best CB duo in the league.
(*I am the expert quoted in that stat).

-Clay Matthews is a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. He absolutely terrorizes opposing defenses. In Week 1 against the Philly team they play Sunday, he had 3 sacks, 7 tackles and 1 forced fumble. He also had a "PD", but admittedly I can't figure out what that is. If there's one defensive player in the league who can keep up with Michael Vick, it's Clay Matthews.

-They have an offense that hung 30+ points on opponents six times, including 45 points in Week 16 against the Giants in a do-or-die game.

-Oh yeah, they already beat Philly once this year. Yeah yeah, Kolb started, was ineffective, got hurt and gave way to Michael Vick. But that doesn't change the fact the Packers put up 27 points against the same defense they face this weekend.

Chris
That was like, some actual analysis. It threw me off and even you had me believing. It's hard to trust Michael Vick, and it's also hard to pick against him. I really don't have a dog in this fight (I went there) so I'm not blinded by cheese like you are. But I do love cheese. How's that for analysis?

Graham
Here are three things that could kill the Packers:

-Run game. Fun fact: Aaron Rodgers was the leading rusher in the Week 17 win over Chicago. He had 21 yards.

-O-line: Bryan Bulaga has not been good lately. He's been as effective as a Bulaga Whale*. (*rimshot)

-Defense. Yeah, I spent the previous emailing bringing out fancy stats like yards against and PDs (whatever they are). But when Green Bay has a late lead, Dom Capers has them go into the Prevent defense. I'll spare you a 10,000-word manifesto on why I hate it so much, but it comes down to this: it just doesn't fucking work. When you play dominating defense for 58 minutes, I see no reason to change your style for the last 2.

Mark my words: if the Packers are up by a touchdown or less with 2 minutes to go, Vick will carve them up when the Packers lay off and take them down the field.

Chris
I think the game boils down to one thing, and one thing only. Does Michael Vick go f-ing nuts. If he has 75 yards and a rushing TD and 200+ yards passing and another 2 passing TDs, then you guys lose. If you contain him, make him pass, stay in the pocket, etc, you win. Your offense seems good enough to put up 20+ points, regardless of your rushing game, so it seems to me, can you contain Vick? You've won me over. I'm going to say they do. (Cue "That's what friends are for.")

My letter to the Commercial Appeal

Yesterday morning I awoke to find that I had become a member of the Commercial Appeal staff. I found this quite strange since the Commercial Appeal never contacted me about writing for them and never paid me for my work. But nonetheless, in the paper appeared my thoughts and words (although slightly edited). So I just wanted to write and make sure I’m not supposed to be showing up for work for you guys and didn’t know it. If I am, I apologize for not showing up yesterday or today. However, I’m willing to start within 2 weeks after I give notice to my current employer. It’s the right thing to do.

I don’t mean to imply that you have no idea what I’m talking about, because surely you know whose thoughts and ideas you print. But just in case you missed it, in Geoff Calkins article “Vols show Memphis Tigers how far they have to go”, in the middle of the article, is my line, “The O.J. Mayo-Tony Allen tilt was more competitive than this one.” I know, I know, it’s funny and brilliant and helps merge both Memphis Tigers and Grizzlies basketball into one joke. I’ll accept your thanks before you offer it, because really, who wouldn’t find this funny?

How is this my thought you ask? Am I simply some delusional reader that has lost all sense of perspective and started making claims to random words in your paper? Of course not! During the course of the Memphis-Tennessee basketball game, due to boredom and frustration at my beloved Tigers taking one on the chin, I began to tweet my thoughts in real time. One of my tweets, during the game, was “Even the Tony Allen-OJ Mayo fight was more competitive than this.”

How did this tweet get into your paper? Do me and Geoff Calkins simply share similar taste in thought and joke? Do great minds truly think alike? I wish this were true. But my tweet did not simply fall on deaf eyes. I’ve got 105 followers! And who is one of these followers? Geoff Calkins, your highly esteemed columnist! It appears as though Geoff decided to take my tweet, incorporated it into his article and failed to quote or credit me. It surely was a typo. Because, if not a typo, then I can’t help but fear that he outright stole it. I think there’s a term for this….what is it…hmmm…oh yeah…plagiarism. Surely he didn’t do that.

I like to think I’m a fair person. I tweeted your employee, Mr. Calkins, yesterday and asked him for my credit. But this tweet DID seem to fall on deaf eyes. It’s been nary a word from him since he stole my line. So, it appears, it’s come to this. I’m having to write in and defend myself. Since it’s quite obvious my work, however small, was stolen, I feel the Commercial Appeal has several options to rectify the situation.

1. You can, as mentioned above, just go ahead and give me a job as a sports columnist for your organization. I do have a Master’s degree in journalism and previous blogging experience. I can provide writing samples if needed. My Mayo-Allen tweet is just the tip of the iceberg!

2. You can publicly print this letter in your paper and underneath it, Mr. Calkins can supply his response. I’m sure it’ll make for great discourse on the topic of tweets/plagiarism in the 21st Century that will most likely win awards. Major awards!

3. You can print a public apology from Mr. Calkins in your paper.

4. You can send me a royalty check for the profits from your January 6 edition. After all, my work was used. I’m not too sure if this is a viable option since it appears that the newspaper industry is faltering. There might not even be a royalty for me to have. Although, I suppose, I’m understanding now why the industry might be going under. If a random guy sitting on his couch can provide insight and send it to the masses instantly (105 followers!), why pick up the paper the next day just to read those same thoughts from someone that is paid to travel to and from the game?

Feel free to contact me and let me know what option you think is best. Or, if you have another solution, I’m more than willing to listen.


Chris

Best of YouTube 2010

It's time for the annual Best of YouTube from RTS. I scanned the last 365 days worth of posts, tweets and facebook posts and hand-picked the best videos of the year. You are welcome.

Put the word fail in a video and there’s a 99.9% chance I’ll watch it. There’s also a 99.9% chance I’ll love it. I’m really not that complex.




Toy Story + Fight Club = brilliant



The next time you are watching someone talk about how dangerous the NFL is, remember that this is happening every day as well.



We all have bad days. Thank god I haven’t had a day this bad.



I wonder if The Price is Right losers have formed a support group. If so, this guy probably attends religiously.



My favorite part is the reaction of the crowd. It’s just a series of ohhs and ahhs in unison.



Everyone knows that dancing is a dangerous sport. This guy knew the risks going in.



“I’m okay….I’m okay….I’m okay! I’m okay!”



Never had an older brother. This sums it up pretty well.



Look, everyone has some high school decisions that they regret. But seriously, these kids are going to have years of therapy to get over this.



This is why I don’t play baseball. Well, this, and no discernable talent whatsoever.



I’m not quite sure if this video having 200,000 views is a positive or negative sign about the way our culture is heading.



This is the sequel to “White Men Can’t Jump.” It’s called, “White Men Can’t Land.” I’ll be here all week.



Will farting in public ever not be funny?



And the award to best goat vocalist of the year goes to...this guy

The real life Cousin Eddy.



“That’s messed up.”



I love Seinfeld. I love remixes. That’s all.



This is exactly how long soccer was cool in America this year…14 seconds.



Your move American Idol.



This one can’t be embedded. I suppose the awesomeness has to be transmitted directly through youtube.


This isn’t simply the Best of Youtube 2010, this goes into the best of all-time. It’s the Citizen Kane of Youtube.

It's been a while

I know, I know, you come to RTS daily to see if Graham or I have posted something, and just like our wives, we leave you disappointed. But find disappointment no more my fair readers, there is a post today, and it doesn't involve one of us bitching about sports. Without further ado, here's some of my favorite internet finds from StumbleUpon over the past month or so.

Now I’ve seen some cool dances in my life, but this one takes the cake.

These are some classic sports injury pictures. The first image is my favorite for reasons I can’t quite discuss.

I’m a fan of the simple pleasures in life. You know, a cold beer and a hot dog a baseball game, a hot chocolate on a snowy day, and people falling down, getting knocked over, and FAILs in general.

Damn the man!

Haven’t figured out what to get me for Christmas yet? I’ll take the blue raspberry one.

I love the mashups. Here’s an appetizer.

It’s a good thing this wasn’t around when I was 19. I probably would’ve listened to it nightly while eating a bag of Cheetos.

It’s not a Cajun wedding until the tasers come out.

I’m not sure if this is life imitating Bad Santa, or if Bad Santa imitated this.

As mentioned previously, the mashup is probably the best invention of the last 5 years. I can’t get enough of them, whether it’s Brokeback Saved by the Bell, the Mentos American Psycho above or the like. As far as mashups go, I think this is the Citizen Kane.


Chris

Intern Havoc

So I came across this website doing research for my job and couldn't help but chuckle. It looks like a legit site, with a few links in there that can't help but make me laugh. Here's the site: http://www.spiritoflasalle.com/

Graham's response when I sent it to him, "That's awesome. Some intern decided to have fun on their last day and none of the old people know how to work the internet to fix it."

Well played intern.

On LeBron, Race and Celebrity

I know, I know, I’m white, so I’m not supposed to talk about race. I’m not supposed to chime in on the LeBron James’ race factor question. But it’s been irking me, so I’m going to wade into the waters and hope to go I don’t come out sounding like a racist. Isn’t that why most white people avoid talking about race? We’re scared that our opinion on the subject might be deemed racist when we disagree? Screw it. I’m taking my blog post to South Beach.

First off, before I skewer LeBron, I want to thank the interviewer, Soledad O'Brien, for the dumbest question possible.

It was, quite simply, “Do you think there's a role that race plays in this?”

This is quite possibly the easiest alley-opp that LeBron’s been thrown. It was a perfect toss, right above the rim and to the right, just hanging there, waiting for him to rise up and throw it down. And instead of LeBron attacking this lob and throwing it down violently, shaking the rim so badly that we thought the goal might break, he simply tipped it in. Was race a factor, he was asked?

LeBron replies, “It's always, you know, a race factor.”

This is a dumb question and a dumb answer. And it doesn’t warrant the attention it’s been getting (yes, I realize the irony in bemoaning the attention while giving it attention).

Growing up in a America, the great melting pot, means that race, religion, sex, appearance, all that stuff, is a factor. In pretty much any situation, if you are minority, the reason you are a minority is going to be a factor in your life. I’m sure women will tell you that sex is a factor. I’m sure that Muslims will tell you that religion is factor. For black athletes, I’m sure they’ll tell you race is a factor, whether big or small, pretty much every day. So it’s a dumb question. The answer to the “is race a factor” is going to be yes 100% of the time.

So can I fault LeBron for what I said? Of course I can!

LeBron answered that race was a factor for the criticism he’s received. The implication of this is that he was criticized for “The Decision” and his offseason because he was black, not because he did it the wrong way. That’s what really irks me.

His entire summer was an exercise in inflating his already enormous ego. He samples all the free agent destinations, making each team gravel for his “talents” even though there’s not a chance in hell he’s going to Clipperland, the Knicks or any other sub-par team. He’s making everyone beg for him even though they don’t stand a chance. You want to move on from Cleveland, fine, so be it, but quit with the charade already. That’s how I felt back in June and it wasn’t because you’re black LeBron, it’s because you’re the King, although you don’t have your crown.

And that’s the real heart of the issue here LeBron. It’s not race. I’m not piling on you cause you’re black. I’m not a jilted Cleveland fan who’s bitter that you left me. I’m just a regular old white NBA fan (a dying breed, I know), who is sick and tired of your posturing and self-aggrandizing.

From day 1, you’ve been anointed by the media as the next coming. You’re supposed to be the future of the NBA, the next Jordan or Magic, the guy that dominates the league, wins title after titles and makes us re-evaluate the greatest player ever debate. You didn’t seem to have a problem with the white media building up your hype machine before you earned anything. But a few years later, when the hype hasn’t materialized into titles and you handle your free agent summer in pathetic fashion, race sure comes into play now, huh?

I suppose I should back off LeBron, because honestly, he doesn’t know any better. He’s been appearing on Sports Illustrated covers since he was a high school junior. Hell, if my face was plastered on a magazine cover with the words “The Chosen One” next to it when I was 17 years old, my reality and perspective would be skewed as well. I’d probably be wearing gold-plated platform shoes and have my own army of oompa-loompas carry me on their backs wherever I went.

And this is our fear with people that get fame at a young age. We’re scared the fame will warp their perspective and they’ll go off the deep end, losing touch with their fan base (you know, us normal people that have to work a regular 9-5 job, take out car loans, and who gather around the television to worship at the alter of celebrity, and for men, the sports stars). We’re scared young celebrities will eventually disconnect with us and when it happens, the backlash ensues. And if LeBron thinks the public and white media turned on him because of race, well, he’s wrong. Go ask white guys outside of Minnesota how they feel about Brett Favre. Go find me a Tom Cruise fan these days. Hell, I hear New England Pats fans are bitching and moaning about Tom Brady’s hair and Audi. Race is a factor, are you kidding me? (so I suppose if Tom Brady gets booed, he can say that hair played a factor.)

The bottom line is this LeBron. You mishandled the summer. Most people don’t care that you left Cleveland. But they do care how you did it. Most people don’t care that you went to Miami, but they care that you had to take out a 1-hour TV Special to announce that you are “taking your talents to South Beach.” And sports fans are a fickle bunch as well. They’ll turn on you in a heartbeat but welcome you back as soon as you lead your team to victory (see Vick, Michael). And you’ve had 3 months to reflect on the backlash and make a pretty simple statement. You could’ve just said, “I wish the city of Cleveland well and Akron will always be my home. I want to be the greatest basketball player on the planet and do to so, I want to play with the best. The Lakers have a hell-of-a-squad with Kobe Bryant surrounded by multiple All-Stars and the Boston Celtics have 4 Hall of Famers. It’s a battle every night in the NBA and I want to go to war with my friends, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. If Cleveland could’ve offered my that opportunity, I would’ve stayed. But things don’t always works out that way and it’s time to move on.”

What would’ve been so hard about that? Oh yeah, having a pulse on the perspective of us normal people. That’s the one thing LeBron doesn’t have. Oh yeah, that and NBA titles. He’s still got a chance at one of those.


Chris

NFL Preview Part 9 (Playoffs)

The final predictions are upon us. Yep, you got it, Graham and I successfully managed to preview every NFL division and the playoffs before a single game was started. Our next goal is to post about something besides football between now and 2011. I give us a 50% chance.

Chris

AFC
Ravens (13-3)
Colts (12-4)
Chargers (11-5)
Patriots (10-6)
Jets (9-7)
Dolphins (9-7)

Chargers beat the Dolphins and Jets beat the Pats in a stunner in Foxboro.

Ravens beat the Jets and Colts beat the Chargers. Ravens beat the Colts to go to the Super Bowl. However, if the Colts/Ravens game happens in Indy, I'd pick the Colts.

NFC
Saints(13-3)
Cowboys (12-4)
Vikings (12-4)
Packers (11-5)
Eagles (10-6)
49ers (9-7)

Minnesota beats the 49ers, easily. Green Bay takes out Philly.

So that would make it Saints/Packers and Cowboys/Vikings. Yikes, that would be some good football right there. I'll go with Saints/Cowboys in the NFC title game, with the Saints winning.

For the Super Bowl, I got the Ravens beating the Saints.

I love these preseason predictions. I'll be lucky if I get 1 of the 4 title game teams right.

Graham

AFC
Indy (13-3)
Baltimore (10-6)
New England (10-6)
San Diego (10-6)
NYJ (9-7)
Miami (9-7)

Indy and Baltimore get the byes, and in the first round New England takes out Miami and the Jets upset San Diego. Not that that's really an upset since San Diego essentially got in by default. That sets up Indy-NYJ and Baltimore-New England.

I don't see the Jets getting by Indy this year, so the Colts go to the AFC Final. Although the NFL will desperately want Indy-New England in the AFC title game, so much so Danny Davis might be the referee, I think Flacco and his unibrow get the best of New England, setting up Colts-Ravens. Give me the Colts in that one.

NFC
New Orleans (12-4) - can't remember what I predicted for their record, so I'm saying 12-4
Green Bay (12-4)
Dallas (12-4)
San Fran (8-8)
Minnesota (11-5)
Philly (10-6)

I'm giving the byes to New Orleans and Green Bay. Dallas beats San Fran easily and I think Philly takes out Minnesota, now that the Vikings' receiving corps looks thinner than my hairline. That sets up New Orleans-Philly and Green Bay-Dallas. That is some solid f'ing football right there.

No way Kevin Kolb outplays Drew Brees, so give the win to the Saints. And since Romo's a regular season wonder, I'm taking the Packers over the Cowboys, which has nothing to do with my allegiance to The Pack.

Now I know what you're thinking: "Graham, do you respect Chris less because he took so long to get on board with Friday Night Lights?" Yes, I do. And I also know that predicting a Super Bowl rematch is idiocy of the highest order.

So Green Bay-Indy it is for the Super Bowl.

My prediction: a heart attack for me. And a Packers win.

NFL Preview Part 8 (NFC West)

Chris
San Francisco showed me a little something last year. Solid defense, plus a few playmakers on offense. Vernon Davis and Alex Smith finally came through, although, still, they haven’t' justified their draft position. But I think you can win with these guys, plus Crabtree and Frank Gore in a crappy division.

Plus, Arizona is going to suck this year. You can't tell me that Matt Leinart and an already gimpy Larry Fitz can carry that offense. And I never trust anyone named Beanie. It's one of my rules to live by.

Seattle will be decent if, and only if, Matt Hasselbeck stays healthy, which he won't.

And who else is in the division, oh yeah, the St. Louis Rams. Why does West Coast NFL football suck? Seriously, the NFC West and AFC West are the two worst divisions in football. I can't believe one of these 4 teams is going to be a division winner. Then again, we live in a world where one of the Jersey Shore cast members is going to bring home $5 million this year and Xavier Henry can't even get a measly rookie contract out of the Grizzlies.

1. 49ers (9-7)
2. Cardinals (7-9)
3. Seahawks (7-9)
4. Rams (3-13)

Graham
I actually like San Fran to win the division if they can get half-decent play out of Alex Smith. Which is a little like saying I like the Grizzlies to make the playoffs if they get half-decent play out of Hasheem Thabeet. That said, they have a good defense anchored by Patrick Willis, and some playmakers on offense with Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Frank Gore.

After that, I hate the rest of the division. Hate it. Arizona is going nowhere fast with the Matt Leinart/Derek Anderson crap combo at QB. Seattle needs Matt Hasselbeck to stay upright, and all of Pete Carroll's positive vibes can't guarantee that will happen. And St. Louis isn't worth talking about.

But it begs an interesting question- this division has the potential to be so bad, that an 8-8 team, or maybe even 7-9 team, could win it and get into the playoffs. What if a 7-9 team gets in with an automatic division berth, but a 10-6 wild card team from the NFC East doesn't get in? Good lord. If that happens, the NFL almost needs to just step in, put the NFC West division title on hiatus for a year and try again next year.

1: San Fran (8-8)
2: Seattle (6-10)
3: Arizona (5-11)
4: St. Louis (2-14)

NFL Preview Part 7 (NFC South)

Chris
Okay, it's hard to like the Saints. Defending champs. Good coach. Great QB. High powered offense. So why wouldn't they win the division? They should beat Tampa Bay twice, and probably be able to go 3-1 against Carolina and Atlanta, right? I don't see much of a slump from them, although I'm not picking them to repeat as champs.

I can't speak honestly about Carolina since they contain my favorite player in the NFL, Deangelo Williams. They've got a good rushing offense and got rid of Jake Delhomme. I have no clue if their new QB is any good, but he's got to be an upgrade from Delhomme, right? Maybe they bounce back and get 2nd in the division. But they feel like an 8-8 team to me.

Atlanta is completely boring to me. Michael Turner is pretty good but not flashy. Same with Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. They're all good players, but none of them are what I would call great. I suppose they could win anywhere from 7-10 games.

Tampa Bay sucks. We discussed this earlier when talking fantasy, but their offense has 1 decent option, and that's Kellen Winslow. Give them 3 wins.

1. New Orleans (12-4)
2. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
3. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
4. Tampa Bay Bucs (3-13)

Graham
So you say it's hard to like the Saints, then predict big things for them. Speaking out of both sides of your mouth- what are you, a Republican? Anyway, why can't they repeat as champs? You think last year was a fluke? They have just as good a shot as any team, especially in this division. As long as they have Drew Brees, they have a shot.

I like Atlanta a lot more than you. I think Matt Ryan is in store for a bounce back year and I really like Michael Turner. Possible wild card team.

I don't know what to make of Carolina. Everyone seems high on their QBs with Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen. But they seem to be the equivalent to NBC's promos for The Event: positive buzz, big expectations, but in the end will get canceled. I'd be concerned. But they have great RBs who can win games by themselves. Ultimately, they're not a threat.

The less said about Tampa Bay the better.

1: New Orleans (13-3)
2: Atlanta (9-7)
3: Carolina (6-10)
4: Tampa Bay (2-14)

Chris
I didn't proof my email. I meant to say, "It's hard not to like the Saints." So there. Instead of talking out of both sides of my mouth, instead, I'm just a plain old idiot that didn't re-read an email I sent to a friend.

Speaking of speaking out of both sides of your mouth, you said you like Atlanta a lot more than me, yet you predicted them to finish 9-7, which is the exact same record I had them at. Congrats.

I'm not sure that Carolina's QBs are any good, I just doubt they'll be Jake Delhomme level bad. I mean, that guy pooped the bed more than your infant does.

Graham
No one poops the bed more than my kid. No one.

Chris
The first Jake Delhomme compliment in 2 years. Even his wife is embarrassed.

NFL Preview Part 6 (NFC North)

Chris
I barely even want to discuss this division since it means I have to type the words Brett Favre. Anyway, let's just assume he's coming back, which I'll assume each offseason until he dies. Since he is coming back, that means two things. First, the Vikings are the frontrunner to win the division. Second, Sidney Rice is a viable fantasy WR*. Only one of these two items concerns me, to be quite honest. (*editor’s note: not anymore)

Anyway, I like the Packers. They were a playoff team last year and if I remember correctly, played much better the second half of the season. The Pack should be a playoff team again. I like Rodgers (natch) and Ryan Grant is serviceable. He just plows for 4 yards straight down the middle. Not a gamebreaking back, but a downhill runner, which is nice these days. The Pack offense is awesome so as long as they can protect Rodgers and have a decent D, they should be fine. And if they can beat the Vikings once, they might win the division.

I think the Bears will bounce back some. Cutler should improve with Mike Martz as coordinator, Brian Urlacher is back and they added Julius Peppers. I still hate their WRs except for Johnny Knox. Regardless, this team shouldn't be that bad. Maybe 8-8 or something?

The Lions, ugh. They got some young talent but still will suck. They just might not suck as bad. So they got that going for them.

Your thoughts?

Graham
Obviously, I'm biased, but I think Green Bay can and should win the division. After they got their o-line sorted out last year, they finished 7-1. Their offense is a juggernaut, and Jermichael Finley is due for a big breakout this year. They can score with anyone. Defensively they might run into trouble. Granted, it was the first preseason game, but Cleveland's #1 offense steamrolled Green Bay's #1 defense. They need a more effective pass rush, and Al Harris is a big question mark with his injuries. They need a much better start than last year's 4-4. Check out their first 6 games:

@ Philly
vs. Buffalo
@ Chicago
vs. Detroit
@ Washington
vs. Miami

Those are all winnable games, then the schedule gets brutal with Minnesota twice, Dallas, New England, NYJ, NYG and Atlanta. If they come out of those first six games 3-3, or God forbid even worse, then things could go downhill fast. But if they come through with four or five wins, then giddyup.

As for Minnesota, we all know Favre's back. But can anyone expect the stupid line he put up last year? 68.4% completion rate, 33/7 TD/Int ratio and 107.2 rating. Even Neil Patrick Harris hasn't enjoyed a career renaissance that good. But there's no way he can do that twice, is there? Either way, it will go right down to the wire with the Packers. And consider this: 4 of their last 5 games are in domes, so weather won't be a factor. Shoot me.

Chicago will do what Chicago always does- a mediocre, forgettable season.

I like what Detroit's doing. Stafford, Suh and Calvin Johnson are good building blocks. I could very well see them overtaking the Bears in the next year.

Chris
Green Bay can win the division. Should? That's a bigger stretch than you thinking Hasheem Thabeet won't bite on pump fakes. Green Bay can't go 0-2 against Minnesota. That's the bottom line. And yes, Favre was insane last year with his performance, but really, I don't see why Minnesota will drop. They still have Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice and the best defensive line in football. I hate it, but Minnesota SHOULD win the division. Anything can happen though.

As for the first 6 games, I think 4-2 is a pretty reasonable start. I think they'll lose at Philly and hopefully vs. Miami. But they should beat Buffalo and Detroit for sure. There is no reason they don’t win at least 2 of the 4 games against Philly, Chicago, Washington and Miami.

Anyway, here's my prediction

1. Minnesota (12-4)
2. Green Bay (11-5)
3. Chicago (8-8)
4. Detroit (5-11)

Graham
Here's the thing: Green Bay can improve. They can get better play from the o-line and better play from the defense. Minnesota can't improve. Best case scenario is they stay at the same level as last year. Big difference. If Green Bay even splits the season series with Minnesota, they should take the division. Prediction:

1. Green Bay (12-4)
2. Minnesota (11-5)
3. Chicago (7-9)
4. Detroit (4-12)

Chris
Well, using that theory, Detroit has lots of room to improve, so pick them to win the division.

Okay, here's a decent question. Every year there is one team that comes out of the crappy teams to surprise everyone. Last year it was the Bengals. Two years ago it was the Dolphins and Falcons. We're what, 75% done with our preview and I think for the most part we've picked about the same order of finish in each division as the previous year. Picking between the Packers and Vikings or Jets and Pats is really splitting hairs.

Who is the sleeper crappy team that rises up this year? And by crappy, they had to win less than 7 games last year. The choices are: Bills, Browns, Raiders, Chiefs, Redskins, Lions, Bucs, Seahawks or Rams.

And when I say "rises", I mean at least 9 wins. Dear God, I have to pick one of those teams to win 9 games? It's not the Browns, Bills, Lions or Rams.

Seattle had some injuries last year but I still don't trust Pete Carroll and Matt Hasselback. The Raiders, uh, in a word, no. I think it has to be the Chiefs or Redskins. I guess Redskins, huh? Shanahan and McNabb could possibly squeeze out 9 wins, right?

Graham
The Skins are the obvious choice, but in that division it's tough. The Seahawks are in a crappy division, but Hasselbeck's always hurt and the backups are JP Losman (!) and Charlie Whitehurst (!!!). The Bills, Browns and Rams are hopeless. The Lions are 2-3 years away. So how about this: why not the Raiders? Their QB has gone from F- to C-, which should be good for at least a couple of wins in itself. Their defense is halfway decent, and I'm not ready to give up on Darren McFadden at RB.

Then there's the schedule: I don't expect them to do much against San Diego, but couldn't they steal 3 wins in 4 games against Denver and KC? They also play the NFC West this year, which gives them four winnable games.

I'm not saying they'll make the playoffs, but I could very well see them winning 7 or 8 and challenging Denver for second in the division.

Chris
I was thinking possibly the Chiefs, for the same reason about playing in a weak division. I think Cassel is alright, plus what if Dwyane Bowe bounces back and their RBs are okay. I have no clue about their defense though. I can't rightly pick them to win 9 games. I see what you are saying about the Raiders. They are boring but they seemed to hang in a lot of games last year. Just getting rid of Jamarcus Russell should be good enough for what 2-3 wins? That would take them from 4 wins to 6 or 7. Maybe...

Graham
Just please don't remind of this prediction when the Raiders finish 2-14.

Chris
It's never pretty having to pick the sleeper. I mean, there's what, a 1 in 9 chance you are right? And really, we're too lazy to really predict the sleeper after looking at those 9 teams schedules. Plus injuries affect NFL more than any other league.

Graham
Hey, I checked the Raiders' schedule! I promised half-assed research and I did it!

Chris
You're leaving me behind. If you ever dumped me as a blogmate, well, that would be the low-point of my life to date. (not trying to tempt you).