Saturday, August 22, 2009

Some Thoughts Before the NFL Season Begins

1. Brett Favre is gonna suck this year.
No, this is not because I'm bitter, although I am. Favre is too old and his arm is too gone. I know that for a game or two, Brett will prove me wrong. And I know that pre-season doesn't mean all that much, but Favre seriously sucked last night. 1 for 4 for 4 yards. Wow. Rosenfels made a pretty good case for the starting position in the first pre-season game with 10 for 13 for 91 yards. And Jackson was even more impressive in the second pre-season game going 12 for 15 for 202 yards and 2 TDs. I'd take either one of those guys right now. But, sadly for them, they won't get the chance because the Vikings spent $25M on a guy that is more likely to divide his team than to split defenses. Also, for the second year, Favre skipped camp. No one likes camp, but it's important. Peyton Manning missed camp and pre-season last year and look at his first-half stats. And on a personal note, I hope the Packers catch a few more passes from Favre this year.

2. The Packers defense will surprise a few teams this year.
This is mostly just because I'm a Packers fan. But, on a serious level, I really think they will. Rodgers said he was having a tough time predicting the new 3-4 defense in camp. A lot of guys are stepping up too. Desmond Bishop has 2 interceptions, a sack, a fumble recovery and 9 tackles in the first two games of the pre-season. And Brady Poppinga had a good game against Buffalo with an interception and a fumble recovery. The only problem they seem to have is that they have too many capable linebackers (Aaron Kampman, Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Brady Poppinga, Desmond Bishop, Clay Matthews), but it's a good problem to have with a 3-4 defense that relies heavily on linebackers.

3. Beanie Wells will be a disappointment.
Wells has been highly touted because of his college career with "THE" Ohio State University (what a bunch of crap) and because the Cardinals no longer have Edgerin James. This means Beanie will only have to battle it out with Tim Hightower for the starting job. Considering that Hightower is a third-down, change-of-pace back, Wells will probably get most of the touches. Here's the problem, though: He was injury-prone in college, and the NFL won't be any softer. Wells has already missed a considerable amount of time and reps with the Cardinals in training camp and pre-season. Wells will either get injured or start the season cold, or both.

4. The Lions will still suck.
Congratulations, Detroit! You went 0-16 last season! No one has ever been that terrible, EVER! Your prize is the first overrall pick in the draft! You selected Matthew Stafford! Good choice! Too bad that this excellent pick won't make a difference for a while. You still need an offensive line, and maybe a defense. Later on, though, Stafford will be worth it.

These are my predictions, and I will happily admit if I am wrong....except if Favre actually turns out to be good....or if the Packers' defense sucks...or if the Lions are good...