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Time to predict what's in store for this season
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 07:54 a.m. EDT, Sep 07, 2008
OK, let's get right to it . . .
• AFC division winners this season will be the San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
Yes, that is one precarious limb to be sitting on in the AFC.
• Super Bowl representative: Patriots.
• In the NFC, the winners will be the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams.
• It's just a feeling about the Eagles and Rams.
• Besides, some team always comes from somewhere to surprise. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook make a stand this season with the Eagles, and the Rams last season were done in by injuries in a division that is pretty putrid.
• Super Bowl rep from the NFC: Saints.
With Patriots winning.
• What? No Browns, you say?
Sorry, folks.
This year the hype seems to have come before the horse.
It's just difficult to see them overcoming the weak secondary. Until the Browns prove they can cover, teams can spread the field and throw and throw and throw and let those big defensive linemen wear themselves out chasing the quarterback.
That's just not a pretty picture.
• Too, until the Browns actually . . . you know . . . well . . . umm . . . beat the Steelers, it's just not right or proper to pick them to win a division.
• Here's what's confusing about the NFL: The Patriots went 18-0 last year and lost when they easily could have won in the 19th game. They came within a minute-something of being undefeated in 19 games. Yet, they're not mentioned a whole lot as a Super Bowl team.
There are the Chargers, or the Browns, or the Colts.
But New England is an ''oh, yeah'' team. As in, ''oh, yeah, they should be pretty good.''
Well, here's the bottom line: They were the best team last year, and until someone proves they're not the best, they belong with the best this year.
• Clearly not the best sentence ever written.
• That Thursday night opener sure was exciting,eh? . . .
• Second-best team in the AFC: Chargers. They've got LT.
• The NFC is pretty much a mess, even with the Giants' Super Bowl win.
There is not a single great team, but a few pretty good ones. The Saints almost make the Super Bowl by default, but this is the year for them to grow up.
This year, it won't be close.
New England wins by a mile.
• The five worst teams in the league: Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders.
• Shaun Rogers will do what most guys do who wear out their welcome at one team and go to another. He'll start fast for the Browns on the defensive line, show up enough and play well to justify the trade. Next year? Different story.
• The secondary issues are compounded by the pass rush, which is lacking. The Browns need to figure a way to generate some kind of rush to help the inexperienced folks in the secondary. But where they find it is anyone's guess.
Rogers and Corey Williams will not total 10 sacks between them.
• The offense will score a lot of points. It will need to. This is no great revelation.
Injuries to receiver Braylon Edwards or running back Jamal Lewis, though, could have significant long-term effects. If Edwards misses significant time, it will really hurt.
• Linebacker Antwan Peek's injury on the Wednesday before the opener has to have a mental effect on the other players. Guy is just running and he blows out his patella. It affected the team on the first day of camp when it happened to center LeCharles Bentley a few years ago. Losing a teammate that way is not easy.
• This word from a former teammate of tight end Kellen Winslow: ''He's got more talent than anyone I've seen and the drive to match. That's not said enough. No one works harder — and it's not even close — or care more, studies more than him.''
OK, then.
• Chad Ocho Cinco.
• Every year, I think the Browns drew a bad opener. Last year, it turned out to be real bad with the Steelers in town. One year it was the Ravens, and Jeff Garcia won the game.
This year looks real bad, though, with the Dallas Cowboys. Take one of the best receivers and passing games in the league and place it against an inexperienced secondary.
Ugh.
• Over-under for Terrell Owens in yards today: 138.
• Over-under for Terrell Owens in touchdowns today: two.
• Not sure that Travis Daniels will make a big difference for the Browns.
• So how will this season go? The Cowboys win today, then the Steelers win — because until the Browns beat them, it's impossible to pick them.
• That will cause heated discussion and near panic in the streets, but the Browns will right themselves and be 2-2 by the bye week.
• At that point, the weakness in the secondary will have taken hold. Teams will have a formula to beat the Browns.
• The season of high hopes and national TV appearances ends with a lot of points and close games — but disappointment.
Final record: 7-9.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
OK, let's get right to it . . .
• AFC division winners this season will be the San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
Yes, that is one precarious limb to be sitting on in the AFC.
• Super Bowl representative: Patriots.
• In the NFC, the winners will be the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams.
• It's just a feeling about the Eagles and Rams.
• Besides, some team always comes from somewhere to surprise. Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook make a stand this season with the Eagles, and the Rams last season were done in by injuries in a division that is pretty putrid.
• Super Bowl rep from the NFC: Saints.
With Patriots winning.
• What? No Browns, you say?
Sorry, folks.
This year the hype seems to have come before the horse.
It's just difficult to see them overcoming the weak secondary. Until the Browns prove they can cover, teams can spread the field and throw and throw and throw and let those big defensive linemen wear themselves out chasing the quarterback.
That's just not a pretty picture.
• Too, until the Browns actually . . . you know . . . well . . . umm . . . beat the Steelers, it's just not right or proper to pick them to win a division.
• Here's what's confusing about the NFL: The Patriots went 18-0 last year and lost when they easily could have won in the 19th game. They came within a minute-something of being undefeated in 19 games. Yet, they're not mentioned a whole lot as a Super Bowl team.
There are the Chargers, or the Browns, or the Colts.
But New England is an ''oh, yeah'' team. As in, ''oh, yeah, they should be pretty good.''
Well, here's the bottom line: They were the best team last year, and until someone proves they're not the best, they belong with the best this year.
• Clearly not the best sentence ever written.
• That Thursday night opener sure was exciting,eh? . . .
• Second-best team in the AFC: Chargers. They've got LT.
• The NFC is pretty much a mess, even with the Giants' Super Bowl win.
There is not a single great team, but a few pretty good ones. The Saints almost make the Super Bowl by default, but this is the year for them to grow up.
This year, it won't be close.
New England wins by a mile.
• The five worst teams in the league: Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders.
• Shaun Rogers will do what most guys do who wear out their welcome at one team and go to another. He'll start fast for the Browns on the defensive line, show up enough and play well to justify the trade. Next year? Different story.
• The secondary issues are compounded by the pass rush, which is lacking. The Browns need to figure a way to generate some kind of rush to help the inexperienced folks in the secondary. But where they find it is anyone's guess.
Rogers and Corey Williams will not total 10 sacks between them.
• The offense will score a lot of points. It will need to. This is no great revelation.
Injuries to receiver Braylon Edwards or running back Jamal Lewis, though, could have significant long-term effects. If Edwards misses significant time, it will really hurt.
• Linebacker Antwan Peek's injury on the Wednesday before the opener has to have a mental effect on the other players. Guy is just running and he blows out his patella. It affected the team on the first day of camp when it happened to center LeCharles Bentley a few years ago. Losing a teammate that way is not easy.
• This word from a former teammate of tight end Kellen Winslow: ''He's got more talent than anyone I've seen and the drive to match. That's not said enough. No one works harder — and it's not even close — or care more, studies more than him.''
OK, then.
• Chad Ocho Cinco.
• Every year, I think the Browns drew a bad opener. Last year, it turned out to be real bad with the Steelers in town. One year it was the Ravens, and Jeff Garcia won the game.
This year looks real bad, though, with the Dallas Cowboys. Take one of the best receivers and passing games in the league and place it against an inexperienced secondary.
Ugh.
• Over-under for Terrell Owens in yards today: 138.
• Over-under for Terrell Owens in touchdowns today: two.
• Not sure that Travis Daniels will make a big difference for the Browns.
• So how will this season go? The Cowboys win today, then the Steelers win — because until the Browns beat them, it's impossible to pick them.
• That will cause heated discussion and near panic in the streets, but the Browns will right themselves and be 2-2 by the bye week.
• At that point, the weakness in the secondary will have taken hold. Teams will have a formula to beat the Browns.
• The season of high hopes and national TV appearances ends with a lot of points and close games — but disappointment.
Final record: 7-9.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Naples, FL
Posted 09:45 AM, 09/07/2008
Pat, Nice to see you so upbeat about the Browns. Do the Browns have a single quality player on the team, I guess I missed mention of it in your article? Braylon Edwards is no longer hurt. Did you miss the memo?
Posted 01:40 PM, 09/07/2008
This is my third time trying to post comments...
