Philisophical Troll
07-14-2005, 04:50 PM
A Philisophical Troll's offical AFC assessment..........
Teams that got better:
Ravens: Boller has all kinds of talent around him now and an excellent coach so it's time to step to the plate and produce. Adding Samauri Rolle to an already loaded defense didn't hurt either.
Dolphins: Ronnie Brown will be an elite back in a few years and Saban was a great choice to turn this team around. Not sure what to make of the Ricky Williams situation thought. He will either be a sparkplug or a cancer. Also if Mc Michael and Boston can stay out of prison and give this team something they could turn some heads. I'm still not sure though if Feeley is an NFL starter despite the success he had in Philly.
Patriots: This team don't rebuild, they reload...period. Naysayers and critics are making a deadly mistake by thinking this team will suffer from losing their coordinators. If anything losing Bruschi could hurt as he is the heart and soul of the defense. But as long as BB and Brady remain in NE they are the pre-eminent team in the league. What is even more scary is Brady isn't even 30 yet.
Raiders: I love this team as a dark horse this year. Collins is the most underated QB in the league and now he has Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan to work with. Expect big time fireworks on the offensive side of the ball. If they can improve their defense they will be a force to be reckoned with late in the season.
Chiefs: Another AFC West team that had an excellent offseason on paper. Surtain was a huge pick-up, and if they land Ty Law look out. The big question marks on this squad is how much does Holmes have left in the tank? And is Freddie Mitchell the answer at WR? This could also be Vermeil's last hurrah.
Jaguars: This team was a win away from the playoffs last year. They keep adding youth and speed at every position. If they can land Travis Henry they will do some serious damage and likely will be playing well into late January.
Teams That Got Worse:
Bills: My feelings regarding this team are well documented. No question the losses of Bledsoe, Williams and Jennings will hurt. They had a horrible draft too by not addressing the offensive line and picked guys way ahead of where they should have been picked. Defense is also a year older and kicker is a big time liability. This team is clearly entering rebuilding mode.
Colts: Relied on the the draft to fix the defense, but history has shown they've failed with bad picks in the early rounds(Mike Doss). They've tied up so much money in Manning and the Offense, but unfortunatly the Pats are still too good for this team to have a chance. Also they might only be the third best team in their division this year with the hungry jags and texans lurking in the rear view mirror.
Steelers: The offense will be exposed with the loss of Big Ben's favorite target Burress to free agency. The defense is intact, but they were exposed as well by the Pats last year in the championship game. No way this team is even close to 15-1 this year. In fact expect them to realistically be around .500
Broncos: I'm still scratching my head over their decision to sign a bunch of first round busts from the cleveland browns? Plummer hasn't lived up to the hype and Lelee has been a major disappointment after showing promise early. No playoffs this year for this team on the decline.
Status Quo Teams:
Jets: Not sure about the move to get Coles back for Moss. Also big time question marks concerning Penningtons arm and if Martin can still carry the load. The defense is rock solid and Vilma should have a huge season. That should be enough for another wild card appearance.
Tennessee: McNair is a great QB but unfortunatly the window closed for him. The Titans were ravaged last year by injuries, but I can't see them doing much in a loaded division with the likes of the Colts, Jag's and Texans twice on their schedule. But with Jeff Fisher coaching and if McNair is upright you never know....
Texans: Big time pressure is on for Capers and Carr to produce. Andre Johnson needs to have a huge season and the defense needs to play lights out for this team to have a chance at contending for a wildcard. Jags and Colts might be a step ahead of them though.
Browns: This team will likely win 3-5 games. But should be much better with Crennel at the helm. Give him a few seasons and they should be a contender but not this year.
Bengals: Palmer came on last year, but the defense has not panned out like Marvin Lewis had hoped. Chad Johnson very well could be a top 5 receiver but if this team is going anywhere it clearly falls on the offense's shoulders this year.
Chargers: Not to impressed with the moves they made personnell wise, but Wade Phillips will continue to improve the defense. And if Brees is the real deal, expect Gates to have a monster season yet again. But if this team is going to win the west again and do damage in the playoffs it's going to be up to a beast by the name of Tomlinson to carry them there.
Teams that got better:
Ravens: Boller has all kinds of talent around him now and an excellent coach so it's time to step to the plate and produce. Adding Samauri Rolle to an already loaded defense didn't hurt either.
Dolphins: Ronnie Brown will be an elite back in a few years and Saban was a great choice to turn this team around. Not sure what to make of the Ricky Williams situation thought. He will either be a sparkplug or a cancer. Also if Mc Michael and Boston can stay out of prison and give this team something they could turn some heads. I'm still not sure though if Feeley is an NFL starter despite the success he had in Philly.
Patriots: This team don't rebuild, they reload...period. Naysayers and critics are making a deadly mistake by thinking this team will suffer from losing their coordinators. If anything losing Bruschi could hurt as he is the heart and soul of the defense. But as long as BB and Brady remain in NE they are the pre-eminent team in the league. What is even more scary is Brady isn't even 30 yet.
Raiders: I love this team as a dark horse this year. Collins is the most underated QB in the league and now he has Randy Moss and Lamont Jordan to work with. Expect big time fireworks on the offensive side of the ball. If they can improve their defense they will be a force to be reckoned with late in the season.
Chiefs: Another AFC West team that had an excellent offseason on paper. Surtain was a huge pick-up, and if they land Ty Law look out. The big question marks on this squad is how much does Holmes have left in the tank? And is Freddie Mitchell the answer at WR? This could also be Vermeil's last hurrah.
Jaguars: This team was a win away from the playoffs last year. They keep adding youth and speed at every position. If they can land Travis Henry they will do some serious damage and likely will be playing well into late January.
Teams That Got Worse:
Bills: My feelings regarding this team are well documented. No question the losses of Bledsoe, Williams and Jennings will hurt. They had a horrible draft too by not addressing the offensive line and picked guys way ahead of where they should have been picked. Defense is also a year older and kicker is a big time liability. This team is clearly entering rebuilding mode.
Colts: Relied on the the draft to fix the defense, but history has shown they've failed with bad picks in the early rounds(Mike Doss). They've tied up so much money in Manning and the Offense, but unfortunatly the Pats are still too good for this team to have a chance. Also they might only be the third best team in their division this year with the hungry jags and texans lurking in the rear view mirror.
Steelers: The offense will be exposed with the loss of Big Ben's favorite target Burress to free agency. The defense is intact, but they were exposed as well by the Pats last year in the championship game. No way this team is even close to 15-1 this year. In fact expect them to realistically be around .500
Broncos: I'm still scratching my head over their decision to sign a bunch of first round busts from the cleveland browns? Plummer hasn't lived up to the hype and Lelee has been a major disappointment after showing promise early. No playoffs this year for this team on the decline.
Status Quo Teams:
Jets: Not sure about the move to get Coles back for Moss. Also big time question marks concerning Penningtons arm and if Martin can still carry the load. The defense is rock solid and Vilma should have a huge season. That should be enough for another wild card appearance.
Tennessee: McNair is a great QB but unfortunatly the window closed for him. The Titans were ravaged last year by injuries, but I can't see them doing much in a loaded division with the likes of the Colts, Jag's and Texans twice on their schedule. But with Jeff Fisher coaching and if McNair is upright you never know....
Texans: Big time pressure is on for Capers and Carr to produce. Andre Johnson needs to have a huge season and the defense needs to play lights out for this team to have a chance at contending for a wildcard. Jags and Colts might be a step ahead of them though.
Browns: This team will likely win 3-5 games. But should be much better with Crennel at the helm. Give him a few seasons and they should be a contender but not this year.
Bengals: Palmer came on last year, but the defense has not panned out like Marvin Lewis had hoped. Chad Johnson very well could be a top 5 receiver but if this team is going anywhere it clearly falls on the offense's shoulders this year.
Chargers: Not to impressed with the moves they made personnell wise, but Wade Phillips will continue to improve the defense. And if Brees is the real deal, expect Gates to have a monster season yet again. But if this team is going to win the west again and do damage in the playoffs it's going to be up to a beast by the name of Tomlinson to carry them there.