10 thoughts for the new NFL season:

I know, I know, my rantings have been missed! Well, its not because I ran out of things to say, so without much ado, here we go!

1.       Cincinnati is a terrible team, Andy Dalton is a decent quarterback, but they won’t be the worst team in football this year. More on that later…

2.       A man named Suh in Detroit is going to be Defensive player of the year. To me, Suh is Reggie White with a ‘tude. If healthy, he is going to be the gold standard of defensive linemen for years to come. I bet some of that comes from his mom’s Jamaican cooking…

3.       The Jets gained some players, lost some players, and overall I think they will take a step back this year. I think they will win the division, Mark Sanchez will have his best season statistically, but they failed to address their D-line needs with veterans and lost Brad Smith, a very underrated part of their team and success. They bow out early in the playoffs.

4.       The Detroit Lions make the playoffs this year. So does the Houston Texans, the Tampa Bay Bucs and the St. Louis Rams.

5.       The New England Patriots will as usual be very good, win at least 10 games and make it to the Super Bowl again. They will lose to Philly. 

6.       I’m not an Eli Manning fan, I don’t think he’s great, but I don’t think he is as overrated as Philip Rivers, Tony Romo or Jay Cutler. Those three are average at best and have seen their best days as professional QB’s

7.       Michael Vick and the Eagles are going to be a monster of a team this year, and if he goes down, I for one have a lot of faith in Vince Young’s ability. I’ll take Vince Young over the other three QB’s I mentioned in #6. In a heartbeat. No, im not crazy, they just aren’t that good.

8.       I like Donovan McNabb a lot. Classy, a gentleman and smart. When you are publicly challenged the way he was first by TO and then by that worm Mike Shanahan, you can do several things. You can react with words or deeds, but letting it go is never one of them. You MUST react, or your credibility as a team leader will forever be in question. Football is not a gentle game for gentle people, it is played by men and if men don’t respect you it’s a wrap. For what its worth, this is his last shot.

9.       Cam Newton is going to be a very good QB. The best young QB’s (3 years or less as a pro) in the game are Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez, Matt Ryan, Josh Freeman and Matthew Stafford. Newton will join that group. I think in a couple of years Sam Bradford will be the best QB in the game.

10.  Sad as it is to fathom, say goodbye to Peyton Manning. I don’t think he will be coming back from his second major neck surgery, and if he does, he will not be close to the player he was before. Its unfortunate and tragic, but we may have seen the last of him, and with that Indy may be the worst team in the league this year. Hey Andrew Luck, I hope you like Indianapolis.

And oh yeah, Go Raiders! Hope springs eternal.....