Scouting the NFL

Trying to predict which teams are going to do well during football season is often an entertaining — but difficult — task.
The first week of high school football is in the books, as is the first weekend of college football. There were a few surprises along the way.
Some of the more noticeable shockers included young Class AAAA foe Morrilton having its way with Russellville, the margin (40-7) of Hector’s win over Dover last Friday and, in the college ranks, the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners dropping their season opener to TCU (at home, no less).
Many of the outcomes of the high school and college games give indication for a wild ride ahead in terms of determining who the favorites are.
Maybe even more puzzling is trying to predict who will win in the NFL. The professional football season starts Thursday night with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders.
The remainder of the NFL teams will be in action Sunday. With that in mind, the following is my feeble attempt at trying to predict who will be the division winners:
AFC
East Division: The Patriots have been the team to beat the last two seasons. I don’t see that changing this year.
The New York Jets have been in the hunt in recent years, and the Buffalo Bills return one of the top defenses from last season.
However, the Bills’ offense will have a sluggish start with rookie J.P. Losman getting the quarterback job, and the Jets won’t be able to beat New England.
The Patriots will repeat as division champions.
South Division: The Indianapolis Colts return one of the league’s most potent offenses. Peyton Manning set several passing records last year, including most touchdowns in a season with 49. Adding Corey Simon to the defensive side will give Indy a boost.
Not even Matt Jones can help the Jacksonville Jaguars outscore the Colts. Indianapolis wins the division again.
North Division: This one is a toss-up. Last season, The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the season with the best record in the NFL at 15-1 behind rookie phenom Ben Roethlisberger.
The loss of receiver Plaxico Burress and injuries to running backs Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis will most likely cause the Steelers to get off to a slow start.
Defense wins championships, and the Baltimore Ravens are very strong in that area. With the acquisition of receivers Derek Mason and Mark Clayton, along with the running game of Jamal Lewis, the Ravens have enough to edge Pittsburgh and win the division.
The only question is, will they put all their tools to use? I think they will.
West Division: Last season, the San Diego Chargers were probably one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. With Ladanian Tomlinson consistently finishing as one of the league’s top running backs, and the emergence of tight end Antonio Gates and quarterback Drew Brees into top-notch players, the Chargers have plenty of weapons on offense.
The Raiders added Randy Moss, and Kansas City beefed up its defense to go along with its high-powered offense. However, the Chargers should finish on top once again when it’s all said and done.
NFC
East Division: Terrell Owens has dominated most of the news from the NFL this offseason with his off-the-field antics. His attitude will be somewhat of a distraction for the Philadelphia Eagles, and losing receiver Todd Pinkston will be a factor as well.
The Eagle defense, though, can make up for the offense’s slack. The offense, by the way, is still no slouch, and that combination should give Philly another division title.
Watch out for the Dallas Cowboys, though, as they appear poised to make a strong run this season.
South Division: Everyone knows Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick is the leader of the Falcons. Vick missed most of last season with a leg injury, causing Atlanta’s season to go down the drain.
However, the Falcon defense helped carry the team last season and recorded an NFL-best 48 sacks. That strong defensive group and a high-powered offense will give Atlanta a good shot at repeating as division champions.
Standing in the way, though, is the Carolina Panthers, who were bothered by injury last season. With a healthy staff and one of the league’s top defenses, the Panthers should edge the Falcons this season.
North Division: Randy Moss is gone, but the Minnesota Vikings still have a strong offense. Daunte Culpepper will probably not have as good of numbers without Moss on the field, but the Vikings retooled their defense and that will help them keep Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers from claiming the division title.
The Vikings should win the division and make some noise in the NFC playoffs.
West Division: This has to be one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. With the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers turning into perennial losing teams, the NFC West has lost a lot of its luster.
The Seattle Seahawks and Saint Louis Rams, on the other hand, present very strong offensive attacks and should be considered dangerous come playoff time.
Either one could win the division. Whatever happens, the race should be tight down to the end. I’m going to say the Seahawks win the division, though.
All of this may sound far-fetched, and there are certainly many other factors to consider. Another thing to consider is that many times the expected never actually takes place, so anything can happen. Regardless, this should be an excitingNFL season.

Copyright © 2005, Russellville Newspapers, Inc.