2007 NFL Predictions
| 2007 Predictions | |||
 Pete PriscoSenior Writer Tell Pete your opinion! |
 Clark JudgeSenior Writer Tell Clark your opinion! |
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| Final Standings | Final Standings | ||
| AFC | AFC | ||
| AFC East: Patriots, Bills, Jets, Dolphins | AFC East: Patriots, Jets, Bills, Dolphins | ||
| AFC North: Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, Browns | AFC North: Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Browns | ||
| AFC South: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Texans | AFC South: Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Texans | ||
| AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs | AFC West: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders | ||
| NFC | NFC | ||
| NFC East: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskings | NFC East: Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Giants | ||
| NFC North: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Lions | NFC North: Bears, Packers, Lions, Vikings | ||
| NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons | NFC South: Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons | ||
| NFC West: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, 49ers | NFC West: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, 49ers | ||
| Super Bowl | Super Bowl | ||
| Colts over Cowboys | Patriots over Seahawks | ||
| MVP | MVP | ||
| Peyton Manning, QB, Colts. He didn't win it last year, when teams forced the Colts to run, but he will bounce back with a monster season. | Vince Young , QB, Tennessee. OK, I give up. I keep picking Tom Brady, and he doesn't win. So now I'm going with Young. He plays at a different level than the rest of the league. | ||
| Coach of the Year | Coach of the Year | ||
| Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals. He will get his team to the playoffs -- in Arizona. Enough said. He has a great offensive mind. | New England's Bill Belichick for lapping the field. | ||
| Offensive Player of Year | Offensive Player of Year | ||
| Peyton Manning. When he throws for 4,000 yards again and 33 touchdowns, he'll have to get it. And he will. | Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati. He's just a notch below Brady and Peyton Manning, and the gap narrows after this season. He's poised for a breakout year after putting one season between him and a horrific knee injury. | ||
| Defensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | ||
| DeMarcus Ware, DE, Dallas Cowboys. He won't be dropping in coverage in the new defense, which is why he might get 17 sacks. He will be a quarterback's nightmare. | DeMarcus Ware, Dallas. The choice is easy: Wade Phillips does for Ware what he did for San Diego's Shawne Merriman -- turn him into a relentless pass rusher. | ||
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Offensive Rookie of the Year | ||
| Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings. This is Eric Dickerson all over again. The Vikings fans will come to love this kid. | Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo. He should get more carries than Adrian Peterson, and he's healthy. Plus, Calvin Johnson will be worked into the Detroit offense slowly. That leaves Lynch, whom coaches love in Buffalo. | ||
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Defensive Rookie of the Year | ||
| Adam Carriker, DT, St. Louis Rams. He will be a dominant force in the middle of the Rams defense. That run defense will be much improved because of Carriker. | LaRon Landry, S, Washington. All I know is that a scout I trust told me the league's best two safeties play for the Redskins. This guy doesn't miss tackles, hits hard and makes Sean Taylor that much more effective. | ||
| Comeback Player of the Year | Comeback Player of the Year | ||
| Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers. After all he went through last season, he will respond with a Pro Bowl year for the Steelers. | New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck. He missed half the season last year with an injury and has been no factor in his two years with the club. That's about to change. | ||
| Step-back Player | Step-back Player | ||
| Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs. It's not that he's going to have a bad year, but with the line weaker and the quarterback question hanging above this team, he won't be as productive. | Larry Johnson, RB, Kansas City. First of all he's not carrying 416 times. Second, his offensive line just lost Will Shields. The Chiefs are in the midst of change, and Johnson will suffer for it. I see his numbers down. | ||
| Step-back team | Step-back team | ||
| Seattle Seahawks. Their time as champs in the West is over. | Kansas City. Herman Edwards does wonderful things with teams, but not this year. There's just too much indecision about the quarterback. | ||
| Team on the rise | Team on the rise | ||
| Arizona Cardinals. Matt Leinart is on his way to being a star. | Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have all sorts of weapons to throw at you, and they're hungry. Hey, they were 8-5 with three games left last season and lost all three. This is a 10-6, 11-5 team waiting to happen. | ||
| Best pickup | Best pickup | ||
| Randy Moss, WR, New England Patriots. He will love playing with Tom Brady. | Adalius Thomas, LB, New England. There aren't many teams that can take advantage of this guy's myriad of skills. This is one that can. | ||
| Worst pickup | Worst pickup | ||
| Tony Pashos, T, Jacksonville Jaguars. He's been a major disappointment so far in the preseason. They paid him $10 million in signing bonus money and some around the team think he might not even be better than backup Richard Collier, an unproven second-year player. | Ahman Green, RB, Houston. I'm sorry, I just don't like throwing millions at 30-year-old running backs who have a history of injuries and are low on the gas. | ||
