NFL Preview 2012

AFC EAST

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, best TE
duo in the NFL
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2012/08/rob_gronkowski2c.jpg

This division is the New England Patriots to lose. The Pats have a great receiving core, even though it is a little thin. They have Tom Brady running the offense. Most importantly, they have an improved defense. In the draft, they picked up DE Chandler Jones and LB Dont'a Hightower. The Buffalo Bills might turn out to be this year's Detroit Lions.  The team that may people prediction to have a breakout season, and they do. They have a superb D-Line that will lead the team to a good season. The J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets are an interesting team. Their season will be based on QB play. They have a very good defense led by shutdown CB Darrelle Revis and the LB's David Harris, Calvin Pace, and Bart Scott. I really liked the pick-up of hard-hitting safety LaRon Landry to help the safety core, which just loss it's playmaker in Jim Leonard. Back to the QB's, if either Tebow or Sanchez can win games, this is a team to look out for. Then, there is the Miami Dolphins. They have little chance of winning the division, let alone making the playoffs.

AFC NORTH

This is going to be a very tough division. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers all have a chance to win the division. The Ravens are looking again like an AFC power. The defense is still top flight, even though Terrell Suggs may be lost for part or all of the season. More importantly, they have a chip on their shoulder. After coming so close to the Super Bowl last year, they want to go back even more. Pittsburgh, like Baltimore, has a top flight defense, but does have a few losses form last year. The key to the team's success will be based on how the offense performs with their new system. Cincinnati made the playoffs for the 1st time last year after a 4-12 record in 2010. To make it again, Andy Dalton will need to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. He has WR AJ Green who will look to help him by putting up another 1,000 yard season. The Browns are in another rebuilding year. Trent Richardson is going to get most of the play calls because he is the best playmaker and most explosive on offense. Their defense can't make up for the lackluster offense.

AFC SOUTH

Matt Schaub
http://gridirongrit.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/matt-schaub.jpg

The Houston Texans won the AFC South for he 1st time ever last year. This year they are looking to repeat as champs of the AFC South. They did lose DE/LB Mario Williams and LB DeMeco Ryans to free agency. Their defense is still very good. They have a good corner in Jonathan Joseph leading the secondary and LB Brain Cushing leading the front 7. The Texans have a healthy Matt Schaub at QB to run a balanced offense that can beat opponents with the passing game or with rushing the ball with Arian Foster. They look like they are headed for another great season. Many people forget that the Tennessee Titans were tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the 6th seed, but didn't get in due to head-to-head record. This season, Jake Locker will be the starting QB instead of Matt Hasselbeck. Locker will have a good season, but he will turn the ball over too much. Chris Johnson will be a force running the ball. Like last year, Tennessee will be good, but not good enough. The Indianapolis Colts got the number 1 pick in the 2012 Draft and picked Andrew Luck. Luck is looking to make sure the fans don't lose hope in the post Peyton Manning era. I think he is going to have a great year. His biggest help will come from his 2 rookie TE's;  Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. Luck and Fleener both went to Stanford. All 3 are going to through the same rookie process, which may bond them closer. The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking at a terrible year. They have a very inexperienced and inconsistent QB in Blaine Gabbert, a decent defense, and a unhappy Maurice Jones-Drew. The only bright spot might be wideout Justin Blackman, if Gabbert can get the ball to him.

AFC WEST

The Denver Broncos have Peyton Manning as their new QB, which means passing is going to become a much bigger part of the offense. WR's Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are going to have great seasons, becoming Peyton's top targets. The defense has one of the best D-Lineman in the game, DE Elvis Dumervil. LB Von Miller is destined to have another great year On D, they still have shutdown corner Champ Bailey, who may be getting up their in age, but still is a top corner. The Kansas City Chiefs are much healthier then last season, where 3 of their top players, HB Jamaal Charles, S Eric Berry, and TE Tony Moeaki, all who had their ACL's torn by Week 2. Charles is going to have a good bounce back year, gaining at least 1,100 yards . Berry is going to led the secondary that already has top CB Brandon Flowers. They have also have a good linebacker core. San Diego has missed the playoffs the last 2 years after being the favorite to make the playoffs. Their early season struggles have hurt them in both years. This year, the division isn't theirs to lose. That might put the pressure off the Bolts. Phillip Rivers will have a good year and so will Ryan Matthews. But, they will not make the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders are going to have a full season with Carson Palmer, who knows the offense system. 

NFC EAST

The New York Giants barely won the NFC East, but that didn't effect their playoff run that ended up in a victory in Super Bowl XLVI. They have Eli Manning along with his 2 top receivers back from last year, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Ahmad Bradshaw is going to be the featured HB with Brandon Jacobs leaving during the off season. The defensive line is still great anchored by  Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. They will do well this season. The Philadelphia Eagles were called the Dream Team going into last year's season. That dream resulted in an 8-8 season and missing the playoffs. The Eagles are looking to go back to the playoffs, not just for their sake, but for Andy Reid's job. They have a top RB in LeSean McCoy, who can be a dominating runner or a force in the passing game. Philly's defense improved dramatically with the upgrade at LB. It is going to be tough to pass against them with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on one side and a top 3 CB Nnandi Asomugha on the other. Every year, is called the year the Cowboys.  They will go back to the playoffs and this year Romo will have a MVP season. What makes this year different? The offense is pretty much the same, other then the fact they have new additions on the O-Line. I did like improving up the CB position by picking up Brandon Carr in free agency and Morris Claiborne in the draft. I also like Rob Ryan as Defensive Coordinator. For them to make the playoffs, they need to complete every game. The Washington Redskins are excited to see their new QB, 2011 Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III in action. That's probably the one exciting aspect of the Redskins this year. There offense is not going to score points if RGIII is taken out of the line-up. The defense is decent, but they can't win ball games.

NFC NORTH

Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings
http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Greg+
Jennings+Jordy+Nelson+Green+Bay+Packers+
z4WC4MnAvuJl.jpg

The Green Bay Packers went 15-1 last year, but lost their 1st game in the playoffs. The Pack are out to win their 2nd Super Bowl Title in 3 seasons. They have reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and a great receiving core led by Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson. The defense is looking much better after being awful last year. They have moved Charles Woodson to Strong Safety. The corner position were not   depleted by the move. Clay Matthews will lead the front 7  to put more pressure on the QB. The Detroit Lions made the playoffs last year with Matthew Stafford played every game in an NFL season. Stafford has one of the best WR's in the game in Calvin Johnson who can catch pretty much anything throw near him. The defense can be great, as long as they keep their cool. The Chicago Bears were rolling, with a 7-3 record last year going into week 12. Then, they went 1-6 the rest of the way, missing out on the playoffs. This happened because Jay Cutler and Matt Forte went down with injuries. The Bears have a very good chance of making the playoffs. Their defense is getting up their in age, but is still very good. The offense can be great. The key will be if they can stay healthy. The Minnesota Vikings are looking to make improvements in Year 2 of rebuilding. Christian Ponder should make strides with his passing ability and decision making. He will have Adrian Peterson who will have another great year when he comes back from last year's ACL injury. 

NFC SOUTH

The NFC South might be the most interesting division in football. With the New Orleans Saints losing head coach Sean Payton for the whole year, how will it effect their play? How will the Carolina Panthers perform in Cam Newton's 2nd year in the NFL. Will the Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons make a move in the playoffs? How will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do with new HC Greg Schiano? Atlanta made the playoffs for the 3rd time in Matt Ryan's 4th season. Each of the past 2 years they lost in the 1st playoff game they have played in. This might be their time to make a run in the playoffs. They are the top team in the division and can use it to their advantage. They have a team that can make it deep. They just need to perform. The Saints were embedded with controversy in the off-season. There was the bounty scandal, the eavesdropping scandal and Drew Brees' contract. Many are wondering if the season long suspensions of HC Sean Payton and LB Jonathan Vilma will effect the team's performance. I believe it depletes their win total by 1-3 games. Carolina is in the 2nd season of the Cam Newton era. The offense has 3 good backs, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert. The defense is very good, led by LB's Jon Beason and rookie Luke Kuechly. Both are tackle machines. They will have a good season an will be very close to the next step. The Buccaneers will do better then their 2011 season. They have a much better team. Mark Barron was a great pick-up in the draft. By drafting Doug Martin, him and LaGarrent Blount have one of the most powerful (in the way they run) RB duos in the league. I believe Josh Freeman can be a very good QB, he just needs to cut down on his INTs and be a better passer. 

NFC WEST

Patrick Willis
http://www.pigskinbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/
2011/02/patrick-willis-49ers-idp.jpg

The NFC West was won by the San Francisco 49ers last year. They had 5 more wins then the  2nd place team, the Arizona Cardinals. This year looks to be the same. The 49ers look like they have little competition in the division. Alex Smith is coming off a career with a good receiving core. Frank Gore is still a very productive back. The defense is stout, probably the best in the league. Their starting 4 linebackers, Ahmad Brooks, Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, and Patrick Willis, are outstanding. They are going to win the division. The Seahawks signed Matt Flynn in the offseason to be the starting QB. However, he was out played by Seattle's 2012 3rd round pick Russell Wilson and Wilson got the job. Wilson will be a dynamic  QB. He will need to be efficient for his team to win. The Seahawks have a very good defense that will keep the scoring low. Arizona has issues, especially at QB. Kevin Kolb or John Skelton will not bring a team to the playoffs. They are too inconsistent. The Cardinals have a good defense, led by 2nd year CB Patrick Peterson. The defense will play well, but the offense will not. The St. Louis Rams were 1 game away from a trip to the playoffs in 2010 in Sam Bradford's 1st season. Last year, they won 2 games. They have a new coach this year in Jeff Fisher. Fisher will improve the team, but the Rams are still a year or two away achieving prominence in the NFC West.