Nov. 17, 2005

The Captain’s NFL mid-season analysis and Super Bowl picks

By JON MOFFETT
jrm001@marietta.edu

After 10 weeks in the NFL, the playoff picture is pretty clear. Top football analysts will give their predictions for the playoffs, mention the teams that just fell apart this season, and name the teams that shocked us all. Well that’s all fine and good, but I don’t need some over-paid analyst to tell me the goings on of the NFL. So, on that note, here is MY breakdown of the NFL this year.

• Atlanta Falcons- Michael Vick has proven he can make plays with his legs, this year he’s proving he can do it with his arm too. Big NFC contenders.

• Baltimore Ravens- This team has just fallen apart. What was once the best defense in the NFL isn’t even close anymore. These birds will be caged.

• Carolina Panthers- Without a lot of huge names, this team looks to be a top contender, and my choice for the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

• Cincinnati Bengals- Where did this team come from? Carson Palmer has proved a lot this year: look for the Bengals to be a powerhouse in the years to come.

• Chicago Bears- Best team in the NFC North Division, strong defense, but there’s not chance of having two types of championships in Chicago this year.

• Cleveland Browns- For Browns fans, this is nothing new. Romeo has to be tired of the old the Cleveland cliche: “Give ‘em a few more years.”

• Denver Broncos- Jake Plummer really picked this team up and is running with them, but will he run out of steam? Broncos will win their division

• Houston Texans- This team is just sad. They’ve got no offense, no defense, and no future this year. David Carr should look elsewhere for a job.

• Indianapolis Colts- Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Edgerrin James are rolling. My candidate for the Super Bowl Championship the year.

• Green Bay Packers- By far the biggest disappointment of the year. Multiple key injuries in what could be Bret Favre’s last year just hurts.

• New England Patriots- Once again, injuries have hurt this team, especially their defense. They’ll make the playoffs, but they’ll go home early.

• New Orleans Saints- This team has just been hit so hard this year. Wherever they play next year, hopefully Mother Nature will go easy on them.

• New York Giants- Peyton’s little brother is actually making a name for himself. Too bad he’ll always be “the other Manning” in most football minds.

• New York Jets- If the game was who can go through the most Quarterbacks, the Jets would be the champs. In reality, however, this doesn’t help.

• Oakland Raiders- Randy Moss was supposed to help this team rise out of the ashes... so what happened? The Raider Nation is fading into black.

• Philadelphia Eagles- Donovan McNabb says the Eagles don’t need T.O. but they haven’t won without him. All that soup must’ve gone to his head.

• Pittsburgh Steelers- This team is big, physical, and talented. They’ll go places, but not to Detroit this winter. This isn’t Pittsburgh’s year, but it’s close.

• San Francisco 49’ers- In the mid-to-late 80’s and early 90’s this team was a dynasty. Since then, they’ve just been a travesty. They should pack up now.

• San Diego Chargers- LaDainian Tomlinson is an animal, he can run for, catch, and even throw touchdowns. The Chargers won’t shock much longer.

• Seattle Seahawks- Shaun Alexander is just crazy good. The only problem is if he gets shut down, Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t have much else to work with.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Tampa Bay might have the Rookie of the year in Cadillac Williams, but he’ll run out of gas long before the champ is crowned.