NFLFan's Journal: AFC Preview

It is that time of the year again. Here are some quick thoughts about the AFC. I have ordered each team according to how I think they will finish in their division. It is too early to try and figure out seeds. This is a little stale and does not really consider the developments of the past month.

AFC West
Denver Broncos- The post-Elway Broncos may not be spectacular but they are consistent winners. Pencil them in for 10-12 wins and a playoff birth.

San Diego Chargers- Just missed out on the playoffs last year and now they are turning to a first year starter at quarterback. It is hard to see how they can be better than they were last year. Their schedule might be a little easier this year, and yes that does matter. Then there is the Tomlinson paradox: the Chargers seem to often misuse him, sometimes overuse him, and while durable he is not the same player at the end of the year.

Kansas City Chiefs- The Chiefs will miss Willie Roaf big time. Sounds like they are undergoing a major change in football philosophy: more defense and a lower octane passing game. A team in transition, I think they will be around 8 wins.

Oakland Raiders- I think the Raiders may have finally turned the corner and be making real progress. Don't be fooled though, the Raiders have a long ways to go. Aaron Brooks is not the answer and the Randy Moss experiment does not seem to be going good.

AFC South
Indianapolis Colts- Look for the Colts to have another big regular season. With a little luck they could be the AFC's Super Bowl representative. Defensively they probably have taken a step back with their free agency losses but that is okay.

Jacksonville Jaguars- There is just something that I do not trust about Byron Leftwich. With Jimmy Smith gone their receiving corps is (even more) suspect. It has been a while since Fred Taylor has looked good or healthy. Look for another anemic year on offense.

Houston Texans- The Texans will be better than they were last year. They definitely screwed up by not drafting Reggie Bush or trading down but enough of that.

Tennessee Titans- I do not like Vince Young but I like what the Titans are trying to achieve through the draft. As for their free agency moves, what are they thinking? They need to focus on developing a good young core of players and look to free agency later.

AFC East
New England Patriots- If they can stay healthy then they should be a top 3 team in the AFC record-wise. Pencil them in for 5 division wins, splitting the Miami games, and the rest of their schedule is easy. I really do not understand their focus on offense in the draft; their defense is aging and definitely showed cracks last year. Remember all those things people said about the Colts in years past? Do not be surprised to hear similar things about the Patriots this year.

Miami Dolphins- I know the Dolphins are one of those "it" teams to pick but I still think they are a year or two away. Maybe I am wrong; I hope I am wrong because I would love to see someone other than the Patriots win the East.

New York Jets- The Jets seem headed in the right direction but they have a ways to go to get to the top.

Buffalo Bills- The closest thing to a sinking ship in the AFC if not the NFL. They need a quarterback and as much as I respect Dick Jauron, I am not convinced he is NFL head coach material.

AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers- Pretty much the same team that won the Super Bowl. That is definitely a good thing. Look for the Steelers to recapture the North this year. Just to throw it out there, I think the Steelers have the best coaching staff in the NFL today. The coaches are going into third year together.

Cincinnati Bengals- A talented but troubled team. Things are going to fall apart for the Bengals because of their management. Sure sounds like Carson Palmer is not emotionally over that knee injury last year.

Baltimore Ravens- Look for the Ravens to implode again under Billick. What is up with their president saying they only have a two year window? If I were a Ravens fan I would be pretty disgruntled about that. No way do the Ravens win the Super Bowl within the next two years.

Cleveland Browns- Read something close to criticism from Browns GM Phil Savage directed at coach Romeo Crennel about their quarterback situation. Seems Savage feels they need are thin at quarterback in terms of experience and Crennel really does not care because he likes the quarterbacks they have. Such a disagreement is fine but why make it public? And now LeCharles Bentley is lost for the season, their biggest free agency acquisition. Tomorrow is always a day away.

AFC South

[TopShelf]

There's no question the Titans are screwed at QB for this year. Volek has played himself out of a starting job, Young's not ready to play, and Collins just walked in the door.

As to the Colts, they're going to seriously miss Edgerrin James and David Thorton. They've got as good a shot as anybody, and that's all you can ask for, really.

Re:

[NFLFan]

I do not think the Colts will miss Edgerrin James in the long run. They might miss him early in the season but I think their younger backs will be okay by the end of the season. James does not have many good years left and in football it is better to get rid of some one a year early rather than a year late. Everybody seems to think that they will really miss David Thorton and I have to agree. Like you said, they have as good a shot as anybody right now.