Gregg Doyel

Posted on: June 21, 2009 11:46 amScore: 124 

GREATEST OF ALL TIME....

 

Ok let me start by saying that I make my predictions based on how teams performed the previous season, Off-season moves, and Returning players. So let’s get started on my rankings for this season

 

AFC East
1. New England Patriots*
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New York Jets

-Okay it’s obvious these standings are fueled by the return of Tom Brady to the explosive Patriots offense, but I think the Pat’s reign of complete dominance behind Brady has finally come to an end. The #1 spot in this division will no doubt be a battle between NE and Miami. Miami behind Tony Sparano is obviously a completely different team than that of 2 years ago. Powered by the Wildcat and with the addition of Multi-Talented Pat White to this formation Miami should definitely make a run this year. Buffalo should no doubt make #3 but I don’t see them competing with the powerhouse offense’s at the top of the division. Based on how Trent Edwards performs Buffalo should be looking forward to an 8-8 season at best, despite the addition of TO. I’m sorry to say but New York’s only chance is the defense behind Rex Ryan, the defensive Guru. With the loss of Favre that leaves an open battle between Sanchez and Clemens, but the loss of Laverneus Coles to the receiving core should take a bit of a hit on the offense. Rex Ryan should be looking forward to a rebuilding stage. All in all there should definitely be a battle at the top of this division.

 

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers*
2. Cincinnati Bengals/Baltimore Ravens*
3. Baltimore Ravens/Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns

-The Super Bowl champions should again be at the top of this division led by their dominating defense, despite the loss of Foote and McFadden. Although their Reign at the top is definitely in jeopardy due to their weak o-line and beat up backfield. Big Ben has proven he can take a beating in the past but how much can one person really take? Even with all of this it should still add up to a playoff berth for Pittsburgh. The #2 spot is questionable though, with Baltimore’s always dominating defense and the quickly maturing Joe Flacco running their ground and pound offense they could easily make a push for the wildcard spot. Though this push won’t be easy with the young and fresh Cincinnati team. Cincy no doubt had one of the best drafts, and have signed many key players this offseason. The additions of Tank Johnson, Row Williams, and Rey Maualuga, plus the return of Keith Rivers, should give the push this #13 ranked defense needed into the top 10 this season. On the offense’s side of the ball, a return of a healthy Carson Palmer, a happy and hungry Chad Ochocinco, a hopeful running game behind Cedric Benson, and the addition of Laverneus Coles to this great receiving core could quite possibly rejuvenate this once explosive offense. The Bengals could quite possible make a tough run for the wild card spot. Now there’s not really too much you can say about Cleveland this year especially with the undecided QB situation, an aging Jamal Lewis, an unhappy Braylon, the loss of Kellen Winslow, and a No-Name defense, Cleveleland should definitely be looking for a rebuilding stage behind Mangini.

 
AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts*
2. Houston Texans*
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

-Indy should definitely be making its push back to the top of this division, despite the loss of Dungy. Last season’s MVP Peyton Manning returns as the leader of this offense with a refreshed receiving core. Reggie Wayne takes his rightful spot as #1 receiver and the young Anthony Gonzales moves up to #2. Don’t forget Peyton’s favorite target Dallas Clark at TE. Whether or not Indy’s defense performs or not Indy will no doubt make a run with a top 5 offense this season. A young team in Houston is finally ready to make a playoff run. A great defense led my Mario Williams takes the pressure off of the young explosive offense. A quickly developing Schaub has an amazing target in Andre Johnson, and will likely be a top 10 offense this year. With this solid team Houston should make a push for that wild card spot this year. Coming off of an amazing season Tennessee will be looking to repeat that success. An aging Kerry Collins should be running the show again this year, and the tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White will fuel their explosive running game. But with the defense’s loss of Haynesworth can they really have that same defense? Tennessee has a shot but I don’t see it happening in such a tough division this year. Jacksonville will finally have MJD providing the running game and David Garrard leading the offense at QB. This young team is looking at the start of their rebuilding and won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

 

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers*
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Denver Broncos
4. Oakland Raiders

- San Diego coming off a sub-par season will be looking towards a championship season. A healthy return of LT and Antonio Gates to the offense should provide that spark needed. Phillip Rivers coming off the best season of his career, leading the league in passer rating and tieing for touchdowns, should lead this offense in the right direction. The defense’s leader Shaun Merriman coming back health and the addition of the versatile Larry English to this dominate defense will fuel a no doubt top 10 defense this season. Kansas City’s addition of Matt Cassell could possibly help, but KC doesn’t really have the receiving core NE had for Cassell, who will definitely be looking to prove himself. Larry Johnson will be hungry and looking for a great season and this sub-par defense should look forward to an 8-8 season at best. Denver made a huge mistake in trading an unhappy Cutler, and getting practically nothing out of the deal, and with their star receiver Marshall wanting out now, not too much you can say about this team. An aging defense won’t perform too well this season, and this team doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Can Josh McDaniel’s turn this show around? Only time will tell. The Oakland Raiders…well let’s just leave it at that.

 

NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles*
2. New York Giants*
3. Washington Redskins
4. Dallas Cowboys

-Coming off a great season Philly will be looking towards a championship and this could be their year. With the addition of Jason Peters to the line, Jeremy Maclin to the already decent receiving core, and LeSean McCoy to tandem with a healthy Brian Westbrook Philly’s offense should be explosive this year. The loss of veteran Brian Dawkins may have dampened the defense a little bit but the strong secondary and D-Line of the Eagles should propel them to the top of their division. The New York Giants have a lot of potential, despite the weakened receiving core. Their dominating defense will keep them rolling this season. The return of Umenyiora opposite of Justin Tuck will provide a pass rush like no other to this stacked defense. Washington with the addition of Haynesworth and Orakpo, to compliment their great linebacker core and secondary should also have a great D. If Jason Campbell doesn’t get it done with the offense there’s always young star Brennen waiting to take the reins. Least of all there’s the Dallas Cowboys. No doubt in the toughest division in all the NFL the Cowboys has a pretty weak team. Besides DeMarcus Ware, there’s really no outstanding player on their defense, and the loss of Terrel Owens could really affect Romo’s performance this season.

 

NFC North
1. Minnesota Vikings/Chicago Bears*
2. Chicago Bears/ Minnesota Vikings
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Detroit Lions

-The Vikings are pretty much set at every position besides QB but that could soon change with the addition of Favre. With a solid passing game to fuel the explosive running of AP the Minnesota offense should be fine. Last year’s #1 rush defense could be at risk due to the Williams’ possible suspension, but all in all Minnesota should have a solid D. Chicago just added a young talented QB to fill their desperately needed position. A great RB in Forte should give the running game a big push, and the always solid D of Chicago will no doubt push the Bears back to the top. Green Bay’s performance this season is based on how well their transition to a 3-4 defense goes and if Aaron Rodgers can continue to play at the level he’s playing. A solid team in a tough division sums up this spot in the rankings. Finally there’s Detroit. Had a great draft and looks to be on the right path towards rebuilding this team.

 

NFC South
1. Atlanta Falcons*
2. Carolina Panthers*
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 -Atlanta has a great team that could quite possibly make a run for the big game this year. Young QB Ryan should be playing at the top of his game and RB Michael Turner will be looking to repeat his amazing 08 season. With the addition of veteran Tony Gonzales the passing game should be phenomenal going into the 09 season. Carolina has a solid team and a great tandem at RB with DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart. An unhappy Julius Peppers doesn’t look to good for this sub-par defense but as long as the offense holds up they should be able to look forward to a tough fought wild card. The Saints have one of the best passing attacks in the game behind Drew Brees, and Reggie Bush will be looking to come back healthy and prove himself this season, but with the very weak defense that only made a few additions, New Orleans will remain in the bottom of the conference. Now as Tampa Bay starts its rebuilding stage with the acquisitions of Kellen Winslow and Derrick Ward to this possibly strong offense they will be looking towards first round pick Josh Freeman at QB to propel this offense.

 

NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals*
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams

 - Arizona will be looking for a repeat of last season’s success. QB Kurt Warner will return with his threats at WR including Larry Fitzgerald and possibly Anquan Bolden. A hopeful boost in the running game with the addition of Chris “Beanie” Wells will fuel this already explosive passing game. The Seattle Seahawks are looking forward to the healthy return of of QB Matt Hasselbeck to help their impaired offense. Also with the addition of WR TJ Houshmandzadeh this should aid in the offense. On the defensive side of the ball 1^st round pick Aaron Curry will be teaming with veteran Lofa Tatupu to give the defense a much needed spark. The 49ers don’t have much to look forward to with an injury prone Gore at RB and an undecided QB but WR Michael Crabtree could have a great season still. Then there are the Rams. Finishing with one of the worst records in the league, and not making improvements in the offseason leads the Rams to another disappointing season in 09.

 All in all these are my predictions for the 09 season, controversial as they may be.

Super Bowl
Philadelphia Eagles-W
San Diego Chargers-L

tell em brickz, dirk is a CHOKER! he'll never win a ring because of this factor. it was instilled in him since birth.

To all those saying he's being "out-coached" ....

so it's bad coaching that made Josh Howard miss all those shots?

is it bad coaching that makes Eric Dampier is horrible?

bad coaching makes Dirk play absolutely no defense?

it's the players.... the players have no heart.... the players aren't physical enough... they play like a soccer team.

I dont know about all of you. But there is a spot open for Avery Johnson in Chicago. That would be a nice fit with all of the young talent there.

See the problem with your logic is that you completely forgot the fact that in Johnson's first year as coach, they went to the NBA Finals.  So what he didn't win, D-wade average 38 points a game in that series.  Next year, they get 61 wins to lead the NBA.  In the playoffs, it seems that one superstar player gets the best of the Mavericks, being that they don't have the defender to stop the guard position.  The three players that knocked them out of the playoffs the last three years were guards: Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Baron Davis.  It's not Avery's fault that his guards can not guard anyone.

It would not be fair to believe a Jason Kidd trade could improve the leadership for one year. What I do not get is why make the trade at the middle to end of season. This deal would have proven better if made in the fall of last year. I see no team being able to withstand the addition of a point guard after establishing chemistry the first half of the season with a completely different player. This move affected the team and problem created some division among the players. But these are professionals and should know how to adapt. This move however was to significant to overcome before the playoffs. As for Jason running coaches away, I do not see it from that perspective.

How can you say Avery was outcoached when they simply can not guard. What adjustment could Avery made to make Jason Kidd be able to at least offer Chris Paul a little resistance. I think Avery is happy. He has a overbearing owner, a kiss-up GM and a old point guard in the West were you are going to have to guard Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Tony Parker amongst other. If I were Avery I would headed to vacation for a month and glad to get out of the DUNG PIT.

Can anyone tell me why would you trade a 24 year old point guard who has upside an makes about 8 million for a 34 year old point guard who makes 20. Plus they had to pay keith Van Horn 4 million plus a luxury tax on top of that is Jason Kidd at 34 years old worth 20 million more than Devin Harris?

I mean the guards in the west practically welcomed Kidd with open Arms. Lets see Jason has got Byron Scott fired and now Avery. It seems to me that coaches get better when Jason goes away. Avery see you soon

With hindsight it's easy to see that the trade for Kidd was a mistake just like the trade for Shaq proved to make no impact on the Suns' playoff fortunes.  These two teams had to make moves but they both recieved the wrong players for their systems.  Phoenix an up tempo team that rarely runs a true half court offensive set picked up Shaq, an aging slow stand still offensive and defensive player.  His game would have been more suited for Dallas.  The Dallas move was very puzzling because Devin Harris could score and was young and quick.  So talented, that Tony Parker even admitted that Harris gave him fits.   I am not an expert in chemistry on the court but it seems that point guard would be the most difficult position to switch mid season.  I personally do not remember Dallas having a problem running their desired offense prior to the trade.  What they lack is a big man that commands the paint.  Bottom line is two front offices made two poor moves and for Dallas there has to be a fall guy for these two years of playoff embarrasments and it can't be Cuban so Avery you're out!!

Wow, has Doyel been demoted to "blogger"? Fitting, if true, especially since a blogger has to be neither professional or talented. Your "love" of Pitino is rather amusing, if not disturbing.

Maybe the soft and emotional Dallas team got outplayed rather than outcoached.Did you ever think of that scenario?The Mavs will be in the lottery next year unless they attract some players that will make a huge difference or pull of some amazing trade.Cuban is a idiot and I've said this all along.He's just like his team,a bunch of soft cry babies who dont work hard enough to accomplish their goal and then start pointing the blame at others.Avery Johnson did something even Nellie didnt do and thats go to the finals.Only to have his no heart team let the Heat take over the series after being up 2-0.Sure its all Avery's fault huh?Is it also Avery's fault that he lead his team to the best record in the NBA the next year only to have the Mavs freeze up and think about how they got whipped on last year?The Mavs are choke artist and I've said this all along.They are a regular season team so for a coach to get them to the finals is a huge accomplishment.

I agree these scrubs will be in the lottery next year courtesy of that dumb Kidd trade.Trade your youngest most developing player for a 35 year old with a 20 million dollar contract and fire the coach if it doesnt work.Man he was even willing to give up Stackhouse and Devean George as well to get Kidd.Doesnt that sound like a pure idiot?Not to mention Diop who they definitely couldve used to protect the basket against Paul or against a bigger team in the playoffs.Chris Paul is one of the quickest pgs in the league and so is Tony Parker.With their team struggling all year who did they think they were going to play in the first round?Devin Harris was hugely missed and it was a stupid trade.I hope when Kidd's contract expires they'll be under the cap some otherwise I'd have to agree this was one of the worst trades in history.