Now that the preseason has come to an end, it’s time to look towards the 2008 regular season. Will the Giants repeat or have the Patriots corrected their “wrongs” (one loss?) from last season? Can Peyton Manning lead his Indianapolis Colts back to the Super Bowl after their victory two years ago? Or will a new team emerge altogether? These questions will remain unanswered for a couple more months, but in the meantime, check out how each of the eight divisions stack up.
THE AFC
East: Barring any unforeseen surprises, the top and bottom of this division are more or less decided. The New England Patriots will not have an undefeated regular season again but with Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney returning on offense and Bill Belicheat—er, Belichick—still at the helm, chalk up another division title to the defending AFC champs. As for the Miami Dolphins, a healthy Ronnie Brown and Chad Pennington could be a good combo, but that’s asking a lot. The loss of Jason Taylor doesn’t help the defense either, leaving them stuck in the division basement (but with a better record than 1-15). That leaves Brett Favre’s New York Jets and Marshawn Lynch’s Buffalo Bills. The schedules are virtually identical, so although Lynch looks to be one of the top running backs of the future, questions at quarterback will hurt Buffalo and ultimately give the Jets the edge. (Of course, this is assuming Favre still has some gas left in the tank and doesn’t throw costly interceptions. Maybe that’s assuming too much.)
North: As if the Willie Parker-Najeh Davenport 1-2 punch wasn’t enough, the Pittsburgh Steelers strengthened their running game by adding Rashard Mendenhall to replace Davenport. Throw in the always-lethal Ben Roethlisberger-Hines Ward connection and a great defense, and the Steelers will return to the postseason. Still, the thinking here is that last year’s success in Cleveland was no fluke. The fact that Derek Anderson now has Donte Stallworth as a target alongside Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow II will give the Browns one of the league’s best passing attacks. Don’t expect much out of the two remaining teams in the division. The Baltimore Ravens’ defenders are only getting older and they have two banged-up, unproven quarterbacks (Kyle Boller and Troy Smith), and a rookie (Joe Flacco) trying to replace Steve McNair. As for Cincinnati, Rudi Johnson has been cut, so it is more important than ever for Carson Palmer to find Chad Ocho Cinco in the end zone. It won’t happen enough to save the Bengals.
South: Want an exciting division race? Look no further. True, it’s virtually impossible to pick against the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts, who feature not only one of the best passing games but also an incredible up-and-coming running back in Joseph Addai. But the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are not far behind, and with the Colts getting up there in age, now would be the time to strike. Titans superstar quarterback Vince Young will be helped by a perfect tight end to complement his style in Alge Crumpler, and LenDale White’s production seems to increase as time goes on. Though Jacksonville’s passing game is questionable, no one would dare question their running game (Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor) and one of the top defenses. In Houston, wide receiver Andre Johnson and defensive end Mario Williams will just have to settle for another year of being the best players on the division’s worst team.
West: The San Diego Chargers have got the West on lockdown, assuming there are no significant injuries (though Shawne Merriman is certainly playing with fire). We’re pretty sure you’re familiar with LaDainian Tomlinson and though he won’t be able to rely on Michael Turner to back him up, his stats will still be there. How high are expectations this year? Five ESPN analysts have picked the Chargers as their Super Bowl champs. The most intriguing team to watch will be the Kansas City Chiefs, where much of the success will lie in the health of running back Larry Johnson on offense and the readiness of rookie defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey on defense. The Denver Broncos will (of course) feature a great running game, and the defense sure looks good with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly returning in the secondary, and Champ’s brother Boss entering at linebacker. The Oakland Raiders will be a train wreck once again, and the only player (maybe) worth watching will be Darren McFadden. Have fun, DeAngelo Hall.
THE NFC
East: Though the New York Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs, the Dallas Cowboys are still the team to beat here. A more experienced Tony Romo combined with Marion Barber III and Terrell Owens equals an explosive offense. And love him or hate him, Adam “Don’t Call Me Pacman” Jones will likely make this defense stronger (if not self-destructive). Of course, if the 2008 playoff Eli Manning returns to the Giants, we could be in for another special year. There will be simply too much to replace on defense, however, with Michael Strahan retiring and Osi Umenyiora suffering a season-ending injury. This helps to open the door for the Philadelphia Eagles; if Donovan McNabb can play his first 16-game season since 2003, the addition of Asante Samuel might be enough to make some noise. And though the Washington Redskins sneaked into the playoffs last year, Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley won’t be enough to emerge from this ultra-competitive division.
North: Did you know Brett Favre doesn’t play in Green Bay anymore? We figured you missed it, since there was barely any media coverage about it. Now it will be Aaron Rodgers’s time to shine—or fail—and luckily he will have Ryan Grant to make the transition easier. The Minnesota Vikings have become this year’s popular “sleeper” pick, and why not? As long as he is healthy, Adrian Peterson could potentially be the league’s best running back already and the addition of Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen makes an already stout defense even better. Can quarterback Tavaris Jackson improve enough to complete the turnaround? Speaking of quarterbacks, the Chicago Bears absolutely refuse to address their situation so aside from some Devin Hester highlights, there won’t be much excitement here. As for the Detroit Lions, despite Jon Kitna’s improvements and great receivers in Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson, the offensive line is nothing short of atrocious. The Matt Millen Era ain’t getting better anytime soon.
South: After a disappointing 2007 season, the New Orleans Saints will likely return to glory in 2008. A healthy Deuce McAllister will take pressure off of Reggie Bush as the go-to guy, and the Saints did a great job addressing their defensive needs with Jonathan Vilma, Randall Gay and Sedrick Ellis. The Tampa Bay Bucs will also see a powerful running back return from injury in Cadillac Williams, who will team up with Earnest Graham to form a great tandem. The defense is also promising, with Barrett Ruud, Gaines Adams and Derrick Brooks. If rookie Matt Ryan can display the potential the Atlanta Falcons are banking on, the team could certainly prove the naysayers wrong, especially after adding Michael Turner and a group of very talented rookies and second-year players. As always, the Carolina Panthers will have a stingy defense—especially in linebacker Jon Beason, who was third in the NFL in tackles as a rookie—but do you trust Jake Delhomme, Matt Moore and Josh McCown as the trio of quarterbacks?
West: For the umpteenth time in a row, the Seattle Seahawks will benefit from being in the league’s worst division. Patrick Kerney was second in the NFL with 14.5 sacks and shutdown cornerback Marcus Trufant also returns on defense. Matt Hasselbeck is poised for another impressive season, but will Julius Jones excel in a new environment? In his first season in charge at Arizona, Ken Whisenhunt helped the Cardinals improve. The question is, will Kurt Warner remain the starting quarterback throughout the season? If Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald can break free downfield, it’s certainly possible. The St. Louis Rams might not be a whole lot better than they were in 2007, as the defense allowed the second-most points in the NFL. Steven Jackson and Orlando Pace will have to remain healthy for any hope. And while Patrick Willis and Nate Clements proved their worth on San Francisco’s defense, it seems safe to say that fans and analysts have officially jumped back off the bandwagon.
Arapoglou can be reached at tarapoglou@scoreatl.com.
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