NFL 2008 Thoughts and Predictions Part 1
Here are some thoughts on the soon to begin 2008 NFL season. I decided to label it part 1 because there is a chance I might find the
time to right some more thoughts. I'll be interesting to see just how right I am at the conclusion of the season.
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Shaun Rogers Not So Good
It really annoys me when analysts talk about how great a trade Shaun Rogers is for the Browns. No doubt he can be dominating, as
his two Pro Bowl appearances prove, but he won't for a full season. He didn't get shipped out of Detroit because he wasn't talented,
he got shipped out because he's not a hard working and he takes not just plays but entire games off (such as basically the entire
second half of the 2007 season). Now that he got his huge payday from the Browns, what motivation does he have left to play hard?
I'm predicating that he will fall out of favor with the Browns by midseason and they'll be trying to move him by next year (or
unhappily eating a big contract that he in no way deserved).
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Chicago Bears A Flaming Pile of Shit
The Chicago Bears will be terrible, I'm talking bottom rung of the league, 4-12 terrible. The defense is still solid but aging and
hasn't been able to stay healthy since their Super Bowl run a couple years back. The biggest problem though is the offense. How they
did not make a move for a quarterback this off-season is beyond me, they didn't even try. Now they're left with two quarterbacks
that
wouldn't start for any other team in the league and to make matters worse, they lost their top two receivers from the previous year.
Not even the return of Marty Booker can save them now. Add to that the fact that the Bears had Thomas Jones but traded him away for
nothing and then cut the running back they thought was their future this past off-season. No passing game plus no running game plus
an aging defense that will have to be on the field a lot because of said previously mentioned offensive deficiencies is going to
lead to a long, losing season.
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Favre VS Madden
If there were ever two unstoppable forces colliding, this is it. Brett Favre's Consecutive Game Streak taking on the Madden Curse,
which has eighty-sixed such other notable stars as Michael Vick, Shaun Alexander, and Donte Culpepper. I think Favre is going to win
this battle. The Jets have made some improvements on their line and have a very solid running back (the guy Chicago should have
right now) that will keep hits on Favre to a minimum. The Jets could be the talk of the league and looked poised to make a big jump
this season even before Favre. But don't go too crazy, they still play in the same league as Tom Brady and Company... a Wild Card
playoff spot is possible, but the Jets can't hang with the likes of New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, or Pittsburg.
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Lions Improving, Win/Loss Record Not
The Detroit Lions will be better even though their record won't show it. We started 6-2 last season, but had a number of breaks go
our way. A tough closing schedule along with the our most dominant defensive player (Shaun Rogers again) completely throwing in
the towel when things got tough lead to a 1-7 finish and another year missing the playoffs.
This year's schedule is brutal (go figure, 18-1 New England gets the easiest schedule in the league and 7-9 Detroit gets one of the
most difficult) and most of the personal improvements are limited to young players that are becoming more experienced. This team is
better than last year's and a 3-0 preseason start is promising, but after so many years of Matt Millen induced failures, it's
impossible to get my hopes up very high anymore. Calvin Johnson is a beast, bigger, stronger, and faster than anyone he will line up
with... he's going to put up huge numbers and if we start winning, he'll be the reas
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