The National Football League's regular season kicks off tonight, as the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers begin their quest for a repeat against the Tennessee Titans. Without further ado, here is my division by division breakdown:AFC East Champion: New England Patriots
- As much as I hate to predict success for that bozo named Belichick, the Patriots will come out on top of a very lack luster division for two reasons: Tom Brady, and Dean Pees. Pees has been the defensive coordinator with the Patriots since 2006, and he will have that unit playing well week in and week out. Sure, Richard Semour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, and Rodney Harrison are all gone, but the Patriots know how to reload instead of rebuild. Plus, they have an extremely potent offense to lean back on.
AFC North Champion: Pittsburgh Steelers
- The Steelers are the trendy pick to repeat as Super Bowl champs. I'm not ready to make that prediction just yet, but I am confident that they'll come out on top of the AFC North. Baltimore will be strong again this year (I'll give them a Wild Card playoff berth), and don't be surprised if Cincinnati turns some heads, but the Steelers are definitely the cream of the crop. If Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall can stay healthy throughout the regular season, look for the Steelers to lock down the #1 seed and home field advantage heading into the playoffs.
AFC South Champion: Houston Texans
- Right about now, you all probably think I'm nuts. The Texans have never made the playoffs, and here I am picking them ahead of the Colts and Titans. I started thinking about this prediction a while back, and more and more it seems like the Texans have a legit shot at stealing the division. Think about this: In Indianapolis, Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison are gone. In Tennessee, Albert Haynesworth is gone. In Jacksonville, David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew are expected to carry the load (no more Fred Taylor). In Houston, Matt Schaub is healthy, they have an up-and-coming running back in Steve Slaton, arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Andre Johnson, and two difference-makers on defense in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. I gotta believe that if the Texans are gonna make a move, it's gonna happen this year.
AFC West Champion: San Diego Chargers
- The Chargers win the West by default. The Chiefs are in rebuild mode, the Raiders are well...the Raiders, and the Broncos are still learning how to deal with life in the post-Shanahan era. Here are the only two ways the Chargers fall short of a division championship this year: Phillip Rivers turns the ball over more than he should, and/or Shawn Merriman beats up a couple more bisexuals.
NFC East Champion: Philadelphia Eagles
- Arguably the best and most competitive division in football. The Eagles lost a lot in the offseason with Brian Dawkins headlining the list of departures, and the injury to Stewart Bradley leaves their linebacking corp somewhat thin. But, as is the case with many teams, if the Eagles can stay healthy, they can win the division. I don't see Michael Vick having that big of an impact this season, but Philly can win without him. The Giants will be the biggest test for the Eagles, with a solid running game and an emerging deep threat at receiver in Hakeem Nicks (plus a healthy Osi Umenyora and Justin Tuck on defense).
NFC North Champion: Green Bay Packers
- While everyone is busy talking about #4 in Minnesota, Stafford in Detroit, and Cutler in Chicago, the Packers are steadily flying under the radar as a very good looking team. Aaron Rodgers impressed last year, and looks to improve this year with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver as his go-to receivers. If Ryan Grant can step his game up and give the Pack a legit running attack, look for the offense to put up elite numbers. In their first three preseason games, Green Bay's defense posted 11 interceptions, eight sacks, and eight forced fumbles. Sure, it's only preseason, but if the D can put up numbers close to that in the regular season, the Packers have a very good shot at the #1 seed heading into the playoffs.
NFC South Champion: Atlanta Falcons
- The big question for the Falcons will be on defense. Can their defense stop Drew Brees and the air attack of New Orleans? Can they slow down DeAngelo Williams and the ground-and-pound of Carolina? The defense may not have to put up shutouts week in and week out, with Matt Ryan under center and Roddy White at receiver (not to mention Tony Gonzalez at tight end). Oh yeah, and they have some guy named Michael Turner who led the NFL last year with 17 rushing touchdowns. The Falcons surprised everyone by making the playoffs last year - this year, their appearance will fool no one.
NFC West Champion: Arizona Cardinals
- The NFC Champs from a year ago will win their division in '09 because of two things: Warner to Fitzgerald, and Warner to Boldin. Pretty much all Kurt has to do is put the ball anywhere near those two, and let them make big plays. When the Cards aren't airing it out, they have Tim Hightower in their backfield. You're probably thinking "who the heck cares about Tim Hightower?" Well I, for one, care about Tim Hightower, and whenever I saw him play last year it always seemed as if he was pounding the ball down some poor defenseless defense's throat. If Arizona can make enough plays on defense, they can make another deep run in the playoffs.
