This is one of the most even groups of teams I can remember heading into a NFL season. Anyone could win it this year, and this should be a year where classic games are talked about for years to come. Here is a brief preview of all 32 NFL teams.
AFC
North
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers will go as far as Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker can carry them. Look for new head coach Mike Tomlin to incorporate 4-3 elements into the Steelers near signature 3-4. This will be a transition year for the Steelers who will be in the playoff hunt in the end.
Cincinnati Bengals: Marvin Lewis must be sweating after all of the suspensions handed down by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell given the past track record of his players. On the field the Bengals may have the best offense in the league. The defense will be a problem as it has been all decade.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens are another Super Bowl contender with one of the top three defenses in the league. The offense is entering its second year with Steve McNair at the helm, and as long as he stays healthy, he is one of the best decision-makers in the league. Newcomer Willis McGahee will give coach Brian Billick the opportunity to run more three receiver and two tight end sets.
Cleveland Browns: Has the Brady Quinn era begun in Cleveland? Not for week one, and likely not until the Browns are out of playoff contention, which shouldn’t take long. Look for this bottom feeding team to field a solid defense but their marginal offense will not give Cleveland a contender. At least the Indians are in the hunt.
East
New England Patriots: The offseason champions on paper are loaded. Now will the talent gel into a team? Here’s one vote that is a resounding yes. Second-year running back Laurence Maroney is in for a big year and he will see a lot of seven-man fronts. The defense is headed by that amazing three-man front that has been a staple of the Patriots’ success.
New York Jets: The Boston/New York sports rivalry is volatile. This year it gets better. Chad Pennington is the heart and soul of this team, but the big deal is the acquisition of running back Thomas Jones. This gives the Jets the workhorse that Curtis Martin once was. Eric Mangini uses so many different defensive fronts that the Jets are virtually impossible to prepare for. Look for a fun race in the northeast.
Miami Dolphins: Will the Dolphins regret passing on Brady Quinn? Well that depends on how well John Beck develops, but this year the Dolphins have Trent Green. Green is still a good starting quarterback and should have a good rapport with receiver Chris Chambers. Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas and newcomer Joey Porter make this a frightening defense.
Buffalo Bills: J.P. Losman has the reins and is a trendy pick for ’07-’08’s breakout player, and with Lee Evans to help him out it’s not hard to see why. Marshawn Lynch headlines a good draft that has produced two week-one starters. These Bills are fast, young and hungry, and that is a dangerous combination.
South
Indianapolis Colts: The defending Super Bowl champions are returning the vast majority of their title-winning team. Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Bob Sanders is a solid recipe for 12 wins and home-field advantage. It’s just another year doing what they do for the second best front office in football. They already have one win against a trendy pick for the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Tennessee Titans: The Vince Young era has arrived, now can the Titans bring in some talented players to surround him? Maybe next offseason, because this offseason Young lost his running back and did not have that great of a passing offense last season. The defense is still solid but linebacker Keith Bullock only has so many more seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars: No more Byron Leftwich! Yes, the David Garrard era is now and the Jaguars are better for it. The offense just plays a couple miles an hour faster when Garrard is running the show. The Jags also feature one of the games top running back duos in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. They return one of the nastiest defenses in the league that chews up and spit out opposing running backs.
Houston Texans: Out with Carr in with Schaub. One thing is for certain, Andre Johnson is quietly becoming one of the leagues premier wide receivers. The offensive line is still horrible, and Ahman Green is over the hill. The defense got the steal of last year’s draft in Demeco Ryans (imagine if they had Young or Bush as well). Their last two first-round picks have been on the defensive line, improvement is a must to prevent front office turmoil.
West
San Diego Chargers: Clark Kent decided to quit his job at the Daily Planet and start wearing 21 on his chest and a lightning bolt on his hat. The Chargers are loaded everywhere, and they should be one of everyone’s top three Super Bowl contenders. The problem with that is all three of those teams are in the AFC, and the Chargers are breaking in a new coach.
Oakland Raiders: The NFL’s most entertaining franchise still has not signed their top draft choice Jamarcus Russell. For all the Raiders shortcomings they do return a talented defense and signed the apparently healthy Daunte Culpepper. Head coach Lane Kiffin just received the NFL’s most unenviable job.
Denver Broncos: The Broncos’ offseason headline was the tragic deaths of cornerback Darrent Williams and running back Damien Nash. The Broncos did have a busy offseason and have put together the game’s best secondary with the acquisition of Dre’ Bly to play across from Champ Bailey. The loss of Al Wilson to a neck injury is just another hole that coach Mike Shanahan has to fill. The Broncos also got the ideal running back for their scheme in Travis Henry.
Kansas City Chiefs: The dominant KC offensive lines are now a thing of the past. The line is good, just not great. Larry Johnson is an elite running back and the defense is improving. Coach Herm Edwards knows how to lighten Johnson’s load; he managed Curtis Martin for years in New York. The passing game is a huge question mark as it appears that Damon Huard will start the season at quarterback.
NFC
North
Chicago Bears: If defense wins championships then the Bears are unstoppable. Easily the best defense in the NFC the Bears will again be competing for a Super Bowl. The questions are at quarterback and tailback. Can Rex Grossman win a Super Bowl? Yes, Trent Dilfer won one. However, all that means is that the Bears have a chance. And that’s more than most NFC teams can ask for.
Green Bay Packers: It’s another year of Brett Favre. That means that the Pack will move as far as he can take them. The team chose defense in this year’s draft and they will be fairly balanced. They are still searching for a running game but they have a potential defensive rookie of the year in Justin Harrel. Aaron Kampman will help the former Vol standout develop.
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings hope that they can prove the rest of the league wrong about Tavaris Jackson. The majority of the NFL believes that Jackson is not a legit starter. The Vikings believe that Jackson can fall in the line of Vince Young. If the Vikings are right they have a run defense that can take them to the playoffs. If the Vikings are wrong, and that’s where I’m leaning, then we could be looking at the worst team in the league.
Detroit Lions: Jon Kitna has promised us 10 wins. I don’t think so. It’s significantly more likely that the Lions will improve on offense, stay stagnant on defense and approach .500. I figure that they will end up at 8-8 and provide enough excitement to contend for a NFC wildcard spot. If not, maybe Detroit will finally remove Matt Millen from this organization.
East
Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. With an amazing defense to go with him and running back Brian Westbrook they are going to contend for a NFC title. The issue with the Eagles is how they handle a brutal NFC East schedule, which includes two games against the Cowboys and Giants.
Will McNabb be healthy for an entire season, they don’t have Garcia to take care of them if he gets hurt, or will the Eagles keep McNabb healthy and give the Eagles a contender? Only time will tell if McNabb can last the whole year, but Westbrook’s larger role and the improved defense will make the Eagles even better.
Dallas Cowboys: No more Bill Parcells. Wade Phillips will take over this young talented team, and the jury is still out on whether this is anything more than a wildcard team. Local standout Jason Witten is one of the best combo tight ends in the league. If nothing else, Terrell Owens will make this team worth paying attention to.
New York Giants: The New York Giants are without Tiki Barber. Now the darling of the fantasy circles, Brandon Jacobs, must carry the load. He certainly has the ability to, but Eli Manning will miss the catches Tiki used to haul in. The defense will still bring one of the best pass rushes in the league, even with a rusty Michael Strahan.
Washington Redskins: The Redskins are young and will not likely be in any kind of playoff contention this year. They have one of the best running back duos in the league, Clinton Portis is the proven commodity and Ladell Betts brings excitement to the backfield.
A strong secondary and middle linebacker London Fletcher heads the defense. Rookie LaRon Landry out of LSU should be a good defensive rookie of the year candidate.
South
New Orleans Saints: At this point the Saints already have a loss to the defending champs. They are still the best team in the NFC. Drew Brees can lead a team to the Promised Land, but he needs help to from the defense to get him there. Coach Sean Payton is a defensive guru. The Saints are the antithesis of the Bears. It’ll be an interesting race for the NFC title.
Carolina Panthers: Is Delhomme healthy? The question should plague Panther fans. However, Carr is the best No. 2 the NFL has the offer. He had a fantastic completion percentage, and if his offensive line had kept him standing he’d still be in Houston. But such is life in the NFL and the Panthers are walking examples of failed expectations. Will they compete for a Super Bowl? Absolutely! But the Saints and Bears are tall orders in their way.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jeff Garcia takes over at QB. Carnell Williams is an elite running back. The Bucs help round out one of the best divisions of the NFL. Derrick Brooks returns to lead the defense, but deficiencies on the offensive line and at wide receiver will prevent Tampa Bay from having a legit contender until next year, or they trade for T.O.
Atlanta Falcons: No Michael Vick. Now its time to move on. Believe it or not, Joey Harrington is more tailored to new head coach Bobby Petrino’s offense than Vick. That will not necessarily translate into more wins.As a matter of fact I’m personally not thinking that the Falcons have any chance of the post-season at all, but that has more to do with a paltry receiving core and a rebuilding defense than poor play at quarterback. It will be fun to watch Jerious Norwood develop as a big time running back.
West
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are the most experienced team in a wide-open NFC west. Shaun Alexander is an elite running back and the defense is lead by a strong linebacking corp. Newcomer Patrck Kerney will have an immediate impact. Former University of Tennessee standout Deon Grant will lead a secondary that was shallow in the playoffs.
St. Louis Rams: The Rams are now the second greatest show on turf (the Colts being the greatest). Steven Jackson is in a class with Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson.
The Rams are inconsistent on defense, even though they have one of the best pass rushing defensive ends in Leonard Little. Drew Bennett gives quarterback Marc Bulger another target and they will score a lot of points.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers beat the Seahawks twice last year. Vernon Davis and Alex Smith should be one of the best young passing duos in the league.
Frank Gore and the offensive line are very strong. Nate Clements has the ability to cut a field in half and Patrick Willis is another strong candidate for rookie of the year. Another East Tennessean Aubrayo Franklin will be the nose tackle in that is so vital to 3-4 schemes in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals: Matt Leinart and the Arizona receivers will give the Cards a chance to win every week. Edgerrin James will get a huge boost from the offensive line that has gotten smaller and more athletic. The defense however is still pretty bad, but they are in a division that is fairly even, and could contend for a wildcard spot.

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