Countdown to the Season Starter!

[spiderman9797]

Why not, right? The season starts with the Saints playing the Defending Superbowl Champs, the Colts on Thursday the 6th.

I am more excited for this than I have been for anything in a very long time.

[BudPalmer]

Then you're still not excited enough! It's FOOTBALL TIME!!!!!

[spiderman9797]

I think it's safe to say that I am the most excited for Thursday than I have ever been in my entire life.

But, hey, I'm a rabid Saints fan and the Saints have a shot at going to the Superbowl this year; something new to Saints fans.

And -we- were asked to play in the opening game against the Colts? Oh hellz yea!:laugh:

That could very well be the highest scoring game of the year.

[Frontman]

Are you kidding? I am so stoked, I'm about to dig out my "Power and Glory: the Music of NFL Films" CD. Nothing like John Facenda's voice overs to get you stoked for the season.

"Professional football in America is a special game. A unique game.
"The men who play it, make it so."

or

"Lombardi, a certain magic still lingers in the very name. It speaks of duels in the snow and the cold November mud. "

or

"Each new Sunday meant a brand new challenge; rich with new opportunities. A time for achievement. A time for purpose. A time for glory."

Now, some of you youngin' probably never watched the old NFL film shows in the 70's; maybe haven't even caught them on the NFL network. But honestly, track this CD down if you are a football fan. I just love it.

And I have my "Pure Payton" DVD that I'll watch, as I always smile watching that stock footage of Payton run. His NFL film begins with the track 8, "A New Game" and if you listen to it on the CD, you want to slap on some shoulder pads, paint on the eye black, and go hit someone.

I can't WAIT for football.

[Frontman]

Or if you really want to see something special, track down Terry Bradshaw talking about the Superbowl.

"Put me on the one foot line. Give me 3 time outs and give me my boys. And then let me hear my name over the loudspeaker. Let me hear the roar of the crowd."

[m_a_caque]

well here's to hoping the saints put a W up thursday. lol. can't have those colts beating my steelers again. lol

[Lofcutus]

I just spent the week in Indy for a Tech Class. That city is ready for some football! The scariest picture ever taken of Manning is staring down at you as you drive past the RCA Dome, all three stories of it!

I'm ready. The pre-season games have been great so far, but lets get some numbers that count!

Go Lions!

[spiderman9797]

well here's to hoping the saints put a W up thursday. lol. can't have those colts beating my steelers again. lol
The more rooting for us, the better!

I honestly believe that if you swapped the Steelers and the Vikings, that the Steelers would go to the Playoffs. They have way too much competition in their division to win it, but they have a shot at winning the wild card. However, if they were in the NFC North (weakest division in all of NFL), I firmly believe that the Steelers would go to the playoffs.

[Frontman]

The more rooting for us, the better!

I honestly believe that if you swapped the Steelers and the Vikings, that the Steelers would go to the Playoffs. They have way too much competition in their division to win it, but they have a shot at winning the wild card. However, if they were in the NFC North (weakest division in all of NFL), I firmly believe that the Steelers would go to the playoffs.

Excuse me? THE NFC North the weakest? Have you looked to the NFC West by chance? Besides the Seahawks, that Division blows just as much, if not more so; than the NFC North.

Besides, we all know who rules the NFC North right now, don't we?

DA BEARS!!

(And you know the season is just around the corner when this avatar makes an appearance.)

[spiderman9797]

Excuse me? THE NFC North the weakest? Have you looked to the NFC West by chance? Besides the Seahawks, that Division blows just as much, if not more so; than the NFC North.

Besides, we all know who rules the NFC North right now, don't we?

DA BEARS!!

(And you know the season is just around the corner when this avatar makes an appearance.)
The Bears are the only team in that division that is likely to have a winning record. Detroit isn't very good, the Vikings are possibly the worst in the NFC, and the Packers just aren't much.

The NFC West is much better than you give it credit for. I don't know if you noticed, but that division has not only the Cardinals in it (which is a better team than the Lions, Packers, OR Vikings) but the Rams as well. Both of them have great offenses. And then, you have to realize that the leading rusher of the entire NFC is in the San Francisco 49'ers, who I consider to be better than any team in the NFC North besides the Bears.

Actually, I might go so far as to say that the NFC West is, overall, the best division in the NFC. There is no "pushover" team like there is in almost every division. Each team is a threat to anyone. Of course, there is no 1 good team that is hard to beat no matter who you are (Bears, Saints, Colts, Chargers, Patriots) but each team is a credible threat.

I firmly believe that every team in the NFC West is better than any team in the NFC North, aside from the Bears.

There was a reason that the Bears had the easiest schedule in the NFL last year (according to the Power Ratings): Their division was so crappy.

Not saying that the Bears are bad at all. I think that they have one of, if not the best defense in the NFL. I'm just saying that the rest of the division is garbage.

[Frontman]

The Bears are the only team in that division that is likely to have a winning record. Detroit isn't very good, the Vikings are possibly the worst in the NFC, and the Packers just aren't much.

The NFC West is much better than you give it credit for. I don't know if you noticed, but that division has not only the Cardinals in it (which is a better team than the Lions, Packers, OR Vikings) but the Rams as well. Both of them have great offenses. And then, you have to realize that the leading rusher of the entire NFC is in the San Francisco 49'ers, who I consider to be better than any team in the NFC North besides the Bears.

Actually, I might go so far as to say that the NFC West is, overall, the best division in the NFC. There is no "pushover" team like there is in almost every division. Each team is a threat to anyone. Of course, there is no 1 good team that is hard to beat no matter who you are (Bears, Saints, Colts, Chargers, Patriots) but each team is a credible threat.

I firmly believe that every team in the NFC West is better than any team in the NFC North, aside from the Bears.

There was a reason that the Bears had the easiest schedule in the NFL last year (according to the Power Ratings): Their division was so crappy.

Not saying that the Bears are bad at all. I think that they have one of, if not the best defense in the NFL. I'm just saying that the rest of the division is garbage.

You give more props to the Cardinals than deserved. I mean, they're the freakin' Cardinals. Leinart is only a year closer to retirement, and no ballroom dance classes will get him through this year. Now if the line in front of him would give him a few moments to throw, he's got the tools out there to get the ball down the field. Problem is? The line in front of him.

And the 49ers only have Gore. Beyond that, that team has zip going for it.

For whatever reason, I lost track of the Rams, which I will say is better than the rest of the NFC North. And on turf? I'd say the Bears run D would have its hands full of Jackson.

[spiderman9797]

You give more props to the Cardinals than deserved. I mean, they're the freakin' Cardinals. Leinart is only a year closer to retirement, and no ballroom dance classes will get him through this year. Now if the line in front of him would give him a few moments to throw, he's got the tools out there to get the ball down the field. Problem is? The line in front of him.

And the 49ers only have Gore. Beyond that, that team has zip going for it.

For whatever reason, I lost track of the Rams, which I will say is better than the rest of the NFC North. And on turf? I'd say the Bears run D would have its hands full of Jackson.
Ah, I'll agree with you on the Cardinals part. The Cardinal's offensive line is absolutely horrible. I think that if Matt actually got protection (not even Colts-level protection, just decent protection) that they would be a fairly good team, and have an awesome offense. But you're right; their offensive line is just garbage. And it makes James look worse than he really is, too. A good offensive line would add a lot to their running game and a lot to their passing game.

As for the 49'ers, I firmly believe that Alex Smith is going to have a surprise season. Do I believe he will be great? No. Do I believe that he will be a solid QB? Yes. I'm not saying that the 49'ers are good, just that they are better than Detroit, Minnesota, and Green Bay.

Now that I think of it, in order of difficulty I would rate each division:

NFC West
NFC East
NFC South
NFC North

NFC South would be higher if Michael Vick wasn't, you know, a criminal. Michael Vick makes that big of an impact, IMO.

Last year, I would probably have the NFC East as number 1, and NFC South as number 2 because of TK Barber.

[Psylockeslover]

Front, I have to respectfully disagree about the NFC West.

The Cards have spent the off-season shoring up the O-line. On the down-side, they are also adjusting to a new coach and game plan. they will probably struggle a bit early, but they will be in a position to play spoiler towards the end of the season. They can get 8 or 9 wins, but will probably be around the 7 win mark. Remember, the Cards almost beat the Bears last year, and they are only getting better...

SF was 1 win away from taking Seattle's spot in the playoffs last year, and almost won that game. They are finally out from under all thier salary cap issues (they were STILL paying Rice off until a couple of seasons ago) and so can start to buy better talent. They can easily slide into the playoffs.

Seattle is always a threat, as long as Alexander and Hassleback can stay healthy.

And the Rams can be a threat, depending on which team shows up on game-day.

Top to bottom, the NFC West is the tightest division in the game.

Now, I am realistic. I don't think any of these teams will win the Super Bowl or anything, but I think all of them are tough teams that cannot be overlooked.

And yes, I am a life-long SF fan, and reside in Arizona, so I may be a little biased, but I am also more in tune with what's going on here than most of the country.

Should be an exciting season for me....

[mike_houghton]

The Bears Are Who We Thought They Were! And We Let Them Off The Hook!

[malakim2099]

The problem with having awesome receivers is that you need a good quarterback to throw them the ball. Just a warning note to all those Detroit fans thinking that the playoffs are within reach.

Besides, as a Vikings fan... yeah, the NFC North is pretty much full of creampuffs, including (sadly) my own team. Despite all that, I'm still psyched up about the season, including the off-chance that Jackson might actually be a good QB. Stranger things have happened, right...

right?

Um, hello? :cheeky:

[mike_houghton]

Kitna threw for over 4000 yards andhad 22 tds... yep thats bad... sure he had 20 some picks put lord he still aired it out

[lensnart]

I have been a Colts fan since I got into football in 96 and I can't help but smile every time I hear superbowl champs in front of their name.

I know that the Chargers are great, the Patriots are scarier than last year and the Ravens are still a team to watch, but I really think that with a full year of Bob Sanders the Colts will be a better team than last year.

I smell repeat.

GO COLTS!!!

[spiderman9797]

I have been a Colts fan since I got into football in 96 and I can't help but smile every time I hear superbowl champs in front of their name.

I know that the Chargers are great, the Patriots are scarier than last year and the Ravens are still a team to watch, but I really think that with a full year of Bob Sanders the Colts will be a better team than last year.

I smell repeat.

GO COLTS!!!
The Colts are my 2nd favorite AFC Team, but I really don't believe that they will repeat.

The competition in the AFC just stiffened that much more, and they lost their starting, All-pro offensive lineman as well as June.

They will still be a great team who can certainly beat anyone, but I don't think they will repeat. Honestly, I don't even think they will make it to the Superbowl again. They -might- make it to the AFC Championship, but I wouldn't make a bet on it.

However, I do think they will have a 11-5, 12-4, or 13-3 record, which are all very good records.