2014 NFL Divisional Previews - NFC East

The New York Giants have missed the playoffs four out of the past five seasons and coach Tom Coughlin might be starting to lose some of the goodwill that two Super Bowl trophies have earned him. Chip Kelly is being hailed as a revolutionary, as his offense took the NFL by storm and helped the Eagles reclaim their NFC East throne. It's another new era in Washington, as Robert Griffin III and others couldn't throw the Shanahan's under the bus fast enough. The Dallas Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the history of football last season and somehow might be even worse off this season.


1. New York Giants

2013 Record: 7-9, 3rd place NFC East
Head Coach: Tom Coughlin (11th season New York Giants, 170-137 career, 2 Super Bowl championships)
Key Additions: WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Rashad Jennings, WR Mario Manningham, LG Geoff Schwartz, RG John Jerry, C J.D. Walton, LDE Robert Ayers, ILB Jameel McClain, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, S Quintin Demps, KR Trindon Holliday
Key Losses: RB Andre Brown, RB Brandon Jacobs, RB David Wilson, WR Hakeem Nicks, TE Brandon Myers, TE Bear Pascoe, OT David Diehl, G Kevin Boothe, C David Baas, DE Justin Tuck, DT Linval Joseph, OLB Keith Rivers, CB Aaron Ross, S Will Hill, S Ryan Mundy

2014 Outlook: The 2013 season got off to a disastrous start for the Giants, as they lost their first six games. They ended the season winning 7 of their final 10 games but were once again on the outside looking in when it came to the playoffs. Despite 2 Super Bowl championships some of the natives are growing restless with the inconsistency of the Eli Manning/Tom Coughlin era. This could serve as a make or break season for Coughlin, as if the Giants miss the playoffs again, his seat will be piping hot. Manning was a disaster in 2013, throwing a career high 27 interceptions and completing just 57% of his passes. His offensive line, which had been a constant for Manning throughout his career fell apart due to age and injury. Hakeem Nicks, once one of the fastest rising receivers in the league, didn't even score a touchdown and injuries to David Wilson and Andrew Brown left the running back position a mess. Wilson was forced to retire due to his neck injuries and Brown left via free agency, so the Giants will start free agent acquisition Rashad Jennings at running back. He will be backed up by Peyton Hillis and Andre Williams, and Williams has been earning praise throughout the presseason. With Nicks gone to the Colts, Rueben Randle slides into the number two receiver slot opposite Victor Cruz. Jerrel Jernigan was the Giants leading receiver in their final three games last season and Mario Manningham became the latest Giant to fail in San Francisco and come crawling back to New York. The Giants also drafted Odell Beckham Jr., so Manning will have plenty of choices of who to throw to. Adrian Robinson is the new starting tight end and could share time with Bear Pascoe. As mentioned above the Giants offensive line has undergone a major transformation. Announcers everywhere are saddened that Tom Coughlin's son-in-law Chris Snee is no longer playing. Also gone are David Dahl, Kevin Boothe, and David Baas, replaced by Geoff Schwartz, and J.D. Walton. The Giants defense is also taking on a new look, saying goodbye to Justin Tuck, Linval Joseph, Keith Rivers, Aaron Ross, Will Hill, and Ryan Mundy. They signed DE Robert Ayers and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie away from the Broncos. Johnathan Hankins will replace Joseph up front, pairing with Cullen Jenkins. DE Jason Pierre-Paul had a disastrous 2013 season filled with lack of production and injury. With Tuck gone, even more pressure will be on him to rebound to his earlier form. The linebackers are a huge question mark for the Giants. Jon Beason is a shell of his former self due to injuries and Spencer Paysinger and Jameel McClain are average at best. The back four should be strong, as they will now pair Rodgers-Cromartie with the emerging Prince Amukumara. Antrelle Rolle and Quintin Demps make up a strong pair of safeties. Josh Brown is adequate at kicker although not terribly reliable from long range while punter Steve Weatherford is starting to see his skills decline. The Giants return game could potentially see a boost if another free agent pick up from the Broncos, Trindon Holliday gets his chances. Holliday has issues holding on to the ball but when he does he is one of the fastest men in football. The Giants have a lot of new pieces and it is questionable that they will all mesh together but I believe in Coughlin and Manning. They have proven that they can lead a team to the promised land, and while I don't believe that will be a 3rd Super Bowl title, I do think it will mean winning the highly mediocre NFC East.

Prediction: 10-6


2. Philadelphia Eagles

2013 Record: 10-6, 1st place NFC East
Head Coach: Chip Kelly (2nd season Philadelphia, 10-7 career)
Key Additions: QB Mark Sanchez, RB Darren Sproles, S Malcom Jenkins, CB Nolan Carroll
Key Losses: QB Michael Vick, WR DaSean Jackson, WR Jason Avant, S Patrick Chung

2014 Outlook: A season with ups and downs is how I would characterize the first season for the Eagles under Chip Kelly. In Week 1, Michael Vick and Kelly blitzkrieged the Redskins and an offensive revolution appeared to have been sprung on the NFL. But the Eagles followed that game up by losing five of their next seven and the narrative of Kelly quickly changed to college coach that couldn't hack it. Unsurprisingly, Vick was hurt during that string of losing and Nick Foles was inserted as the starter. Foles proceeded to play out of his mind, throwing 27 TDs and 2 INTs and the Eagles won seven of their final eight games to claim the NFC East. Vick was allowed to walk and Foles is now unquestionably the man in Philly. After such a strong season Foles really can't go anywhere but down but even if that is just slightly down, it would still be a strong season for him. Foles is helped by having perhaps the best running back in football, LaSean McCoy. McCoy was at first skeptical of the hiring of Kelly but quickly got on board once he saw how Kelly planned to use him in the offense. McCoy is not only a fantastic rusher, he is also great at catching the ball out of the backfield. The biggest move the Eagles made in the off-season was waiving DaSean Jackson after he had a career year. Apparently, Jackson didn't mesh well with Kelly so now Jeremy Maclin, who missed all of last season due to injury, is the Eagles #1 receiver. Maclin has proven to be a nice complement to Jackson but it remains to be seen how he will perform now that he he is the "man". Racist Riley Cooper ended up having the best season of his career after making headlines for all the wrong reasons in the off-season. It is imperative that he and Maclin have strong seasons because behind them on the wide receiver depth chart is a whole bunch of meh. Zach Ertz should become a bigger part of the offense, as he and Brent Celek form a pretty lethal 1-2 punch at the tight end position. The Eagles return all five starters on the offensive line, including stud left tackle Jason Peters. They will be without right tackle Lane Johnson for the first four games of the season due to suspension, and Dennis Kelly is slotted to start in his place. It was important that the Eagles offense score points because the Eagles defense, especially their pass defense, was not good. The Eagles were 10th in the league against the run and got strong play from NT Bernie Logan, RDE Fletcher Cox, and LDE Cedric Thornton. On paper the Eagles have a strong linebacking corps but the group didn't always play up to their potential in 2013. DeMeco Ryans and Connor Barwin were inconsistent, while Trent Cole improved upon his porous 2012 season, but still isn't quite the dominant presence on defense that he used to be. Malcolm Jenkins, formerly of the Saints, will take over for the atrocious Patrick Chung at safety, and be flanked by the mediocre Nate Allen. Corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are average at best. Alex Henery hasn't been nearly the kicker I anticipated he would be after being so good at Nebraska but punter Donnie Jones is coming off a strong season. I think the regression of Foles this season, combined with a defense that still has too many question marks will leave Philadelphia out of the playoffs in 2014.

Prediction: 8-8


3. Washington Redskins

2013 Record: 3-13, last place NFC East
Head Coach: Jay Gruden (1st season Washington, 0-0 career)
Key Additions: QB Colt McCoy, WR DaSean Jackson, WR Andre Roberts, LG Shawn Lauvauo, LOLB Trent Murphy, DE/DT Jason Hatcher, S Ryan Clark
Key Losses: WR Josh Morgan, C/G Will Montgomery, DE/DT Adam Carriker, ILB London Fletcher, CB Josh Wilson, P Sav Rocca

2014 Outlook: Another new era in Washington as Jay Gruden is the latest coach brought in to try to return the Redskins franchise to an era of sustained success. It has been 23 years since the Redskins have won 11 games or more in a season. The Shanahan regime thought they had found their man to bring that success, when they traded away the future to be able to select Robert Griffin III. Griffin was fantastic in his rookie season, but his reckless style came back to haunt him and he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in a playoff loss to the Seahawks. Griffin wanted to rush back and the coaching staff and organization acquiesced to his request and allowed him to start the 2013 regular season opener. Griffin ended up looking rusty for most of the season and suffered through a trying year. He clashed with the Shanahans and struggled to handle criticism, eventually being benched for the final three games of the season. He appears happier now playing for Gruden but the true measure of this relationship will be seen when the inevitable hard times hit. Will Griffin quickly throw Gruden under the bus like he did the Shanahan's? Or will he have the wherewithal as a third year player to understand that the true measure of a leader is how he handles adversity? Also, can he manage to get a through season injury free but maintain some of the elusiveness that made him so effective in the first place? Alfred Morris had another strong campaign proving that his rookie season wasn't a fluke. Gruden likes to have his running backs catch the ball out of the backfield, so either Morris will have to develop a new skill, or Roy Helu Jr. will see an increase in playing time. The biggest acquisition the Redskins made in the off-season was signing DaSean Jackson. The Redskins didn't overpay for Jackson and there is certainly reason to believe that he and Griffin could mesh into quite the duo. The Redskins also signed Andre Roberts away from the Cardinals and he should make a very solid number three receiver. Pierre Garcon returns, coming off a career season, but can he put up those big numbers and stay happy if he has to share the ball with Jackson? Jordan Reed was a pleasant surprise in his rookie year at tight end, although he had problems staying healthy. The Redskins have some nice pieces to have one of the most dynamic passing games in football.  What might stop that from being a reality is the highly questionable offensive line. The Redskins added LG Shawn Lauvao via free agency, but he is average at best. Center Kory Lichtensteiger, RG Chris Chester, and RT Tyler Polumbus are mainstays of the line but that isn't necessarily a good thing. The one elite player Washington does have on their offensive line is LT Trent Williams. Williams has lived up to his draft hype and has turned into a perennial Pro Bowler. The Redskins defense was atrocious and like everything else that sucked with Washington this somehow turned into Mike Shanahan's fault. Supposedly, he handcuffed defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. Nevermind that Haslett has never coached a top 10 defense in his career, it was all Mike's fault! The Skins did look to bolster their defensive line by plucking the Cowboys sack leader Jason Hatcher in free agency. Hatcher has been battling injuries this off-season so he could be a bit behind the eight ball once the season starts. London Fletcher finally had Father time catch up with him and realized it and retired. He will be replaced by Keenan Robinson who has shown some promise this preseason. The Skins also have the talented Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo at linebacker. Both guys have their moments of dominance but neither has been able to put it all together in a complete package. Orakpo is in a contract year, so if he wants to be paid like an elite talent this is the year for him to show that. The Redskins also drafted promising linebacker Trent Murphy out of Stanford. The secondary mostly remains the same despite their struggles, with the only change being the return of aging Ryan Clark at safety. S Brandon Meriweather was brought back and hopefully spent his summer learning the new hitting rules so he can avoid more fines and suspensions. No one has a higher opinion of themselves than CB DeAngelo Hall who laughably refers to himself as the best corner in football. Hall does have a nose for the football but he gets burned far too often for someone who sees himself as an elite corner. CB David Amerson had his rookie struggles but the Skins are hopeful he will make a jump in year two. Kai Forbath is currently in a battle with Zach Hocker for the kicking job. Forbath is pretty accurate but can sometimes struggle from long distance. Former New York Jet Robert Malone is the team's new punter. Niles Paul will likely return kicks and Santana Moss punts if he makes the team. Roberts and Jackson also have experience as return men so either way the Redskins return game should be much improved from a year ago. I think the Redskins offense can return to their 2012 form, but I am not expecting much improvement from the defense. I am not buying all this talk that Jim Haslett has just been held back all these years. The guy has proven with many teams that he just can't coach defenses to a high level. The Redskins will at least be respectable this season, but not good enough to make the playoffs.

Prediction: 8-8


4. Dallas Cowboys

2013 Record: 8-8, 2nd place NFC East
Head Coach: Jason Garrett (4th season Dallas, 29-27 career)
Key Additions: RG Zack Martin, QB Brandon Weeden, DE Jeremy Mincie, RDT Henry Melton
Key Losses: QB Kyle Orton, WR Miles Austin, G Brian Waters, C Phil Costa, DE DeMarcus Ware, OLB Ernie Sims

2014 Outlook: When looking up the definitions of mediocre or chokers you will likely find accompanied with them a picture of Jason Garrett and the Cowboys star. For three straight seasons Garrett has coached the Cowboys to an 8-8 record. During those three seasons the Cowboys played for a chance to win the division title in the final game of the season and all three times they have come up on the losing end. The notoriously impatient Jerry Jones has been strangely patient with Garrett. You have to think if the Cowboys wind up missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season that Jones would finally have seen enough. To be somewhat fair to the Cowboys, they played last season's finale without Tony Romo who had to sit with a back injury. Romo had one of the best years of his career last season, throwing 31 TDs to just 10 INTs. He did have some of his infamous late game turnovers that definitely hurt Dallas but overall he is the least of the Cowboys concerns and easily a top 10 quarterback in the league. RB DeMarco Murray will once again attempt to play all 16 games. a feat he has yet to achieve in his career. Murray had a strong season last year and serves a nice dual threat option for the offense, as he also a very effective pass catcher. WR Dez Bryant can be headache inducing with his antics on the field but there is no denying his abilities and that he is one of the top receivers in football. Terrance Williams is now the unquestioned #2 receiver with Miles Austin having moved on to Cleveland. Williams got plenty of chances last season since Miles could never stay healthy. Mainstay Jason Witten is back at tight end but he disappeared far too often in games last year. He would show flashes of his old self from time to time but he no longer appears to be the consistent threat that he used to be. The Cowboys offensive line is average but does have a current and future star in left tackle Tyron Smith. RG Zack Martin was drafted out of Notre Dame this year, and C Travis Frederick was drafted last season so the Cowboys do have some young pieces to build around on the line. Now that defense on the other hand, is ugly. Last season the Cowboys defense allowed the third most yards in a season in NFL history. The thing is, due to injuries, loss of personnel and suspensions they have a great chance of being even worse this season. Longtime star DeMarcus Ware was cut, sack leader Jason Hatcher left via free agency to the Redskins, the Cowboys best player, LB Sean Lee is out for the season after injuring himself in mini camps, and CB Orlando Scandrick will be serving a four game suspension for dancing with Molly. Looking at the Cowboys defensive depth chart, I can honestly say I am only really familiar with CBs Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. Last year's coordinator Monte Kiffin was demoted and now Rod Marinelli, former coach of the 0-16 Detroit Lions, takes over. Tasked with pressuring the quarterback this season will be DEs George Selvie and Jeremy Mincey and the run stuffers are supposed to be Nick Hayden and Henry Melton. I say supposed to be because let's be honest, there was no stuffing the run done by the Cowboys defense last season. Taking over for Lee will be the inexperienced Andrew Hitchins, while on again, off again bust Rolando McClain may see some playing time if he can stay out of trouble and keep himself dedicated to football. Claiborne will star the year at corner with Scandrick suspended but he has been a major disappointment thus far. Carr has also been disappointing since the Cowboys signed him to a monster contract a few years ago. Barry Chuch and J.J. Wilcox return at safety but both are underwhelming players. One spot the Cowboys did do well at was kicker where Dan Bailey has become one of the most reliable kickers in football. Punter Chris Jones is pretty serviceable as well. Dwayne Harris is a dangerous kick and punt returner. I think this is finally the year the Cowboys break that 8-8 mark. Unfortunately for them, I mean that they will actually be worse than 8-8 this year. Their defense is just so terrible, that no matter what Romo does, there is no way this team will be a contender this season. This will finally be the end of the line for Garrett as coach.

Prediction: 6-10

2014 NFL Divisonal Previews - AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers have missed the playoffs two years in a row but didn't change their principle of letting older, veteran players go, especially on defense. The Cincinnati Bengals latest trend is being a superb regular season team that falls flat on its face in the playoffs. The Ravens suffered a post Super Bowl swoon and saw firsthand how foolhardy it was to expect average Joe Flacco to carry an offense void of much talent. The Cleveland Browns have a new coach, which I could probably have just copy and pasted from a few other yearly previews I have done. However, Johnny Manziel will bring more attention to the Browns, even if he doesn't contribute any wins.


1. Pittsburgh Steelers

2013 Record: 8-8, 2nd place AFC North
Head Coach: Mike Tomlin (8th season Pittsburgh, 76-44 career, 1 Super Bowl championship)
Key Additions: ILB Ryan Shazier, RB LaGarrette Blount, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Lance Moore, S Michael Mitchell
Key Losses: RB Jonathan Dwyer, WR Emmanuel Sanders, WR Jerricho Cotchery, OT Levi Brown, DE/DT Ziggy Hood, DE/OLB LeMarr Woodley, ILB Larry Foote, S Ryan Clark

2014 Outlook: The Steelers started last season 0-4, before rallying to win 8 of their final 12 games, narrowly missing the playoffs. It was the second straight season the Steelers were home in January, not something Steelers fans are too used to seeing. They can't blame Ben Roethlisberger for those issues as his play continues to be stellar. He is hoping that he has a full season of a healthy LaVeon Bell to take some of the pressure off of him. When Bell was injured, the Steelers running game was anemic and almost non-existent. Once Bell started playing, not only did the team's play improve but so did Roethlisberger's. The Steelers also signed LaGarrette Blount who seemed to have a career resurrection towards the end of the season last year in New England. Antonio Brown returns as Roethlisberger's number one receiver but the rest of his receiving corps is filled with new faces. Both Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery are gone, replaced by Markus Wheaton and Lance Moore. Roethlisberger was able to find chemistry quickly with Brown and Sanders, and the Steelers hope the same thing can happen with Wheaton. Moore always played well on the fast track of the Superdome, so it remains to be seen how he will do well playing outdoors on a regular basis. The Steelers also signed Darrius Heyward-Bey but he's buried pretty far on the depth chart right now, and possibly might not make the team. Heath Miller returns at tight end and is always one of Roethlisberger's favorite, most dependable targets. Offensive line has been a major problem area for Pittsburgh for most of Roethlisberger's career but showed improvement last year. Ramon Foster and David DeCastro are both very good guards, and the Steelers get back center Maurkice Pouncey this season. The only major question mark on the line is right tackle Marcus Gilbert. The Steelers defense has been dealing with being called old for years, so this past off-season they started to draft some younger players for that side of the ball. If Cam Thomas struggles then rookie Stephon Tuitt from Notre Dame could start playing sooner rather than later. Cameron Heyward and Stephen McLendon both had good seasons in 2013 and the Steelers have high hopes for their front three. They also have high hopes at linebacker after drafting Ryan Shazier out of Ohio State. He'll play next to Jarvis Jones who was a disappointment in his rookie season. LB Jason Worilds led the Steelers in sacks last year while Lawrence Timmons is coming off a disappointing year. Mike Mitchell was brought over from Carolina to replace Ryan Clark and will start at safety with Troy Polamalu. For the first time in forever Polamalu was able to play an entire season, but at 33 years old his durability remains a question mark. Ike Taylor suffered through a poor season and hopes to rebound and will start alongside William Gay. Shaun Suisham had a good year in 2013 but also was never asked to make anything beyond 50 yards, which sounds about right from his Redskin days. Brad Wing is slotted to punt. Brown will return punts and Wheaton kicks, so the Steelers will have some speed at their disposal on special teams. The Steelers are too good of a franchise to miss the playoffs for a third straight season. I think the additions on defense will help and I think a full season from Bell will improve the offense immensely. I expect Roethlisberger to take a little bit of time to mesh with his new receivers but if Bell can carry the offense during that time Pittsburgh should be alright.

Prediction: 11-5


2. Cincinnati Bengals

2013 Record: 11-5, 1st place AFC North
Head Coach: Marvin Lewis (12th season Cincinnati, 90-90-1)
Key Additions: QB Jason Campbell, S Danieal Manning
Key Losses: QB Josh Johnson, WR Andrew Hawkins, DE Michael Johnson, OLB James Harrison

2014 Outlook: A quick encapsulation of the Bengals 2013 season is another playoff berth and another embarrassing playoff loss. Despite being heavy favorites at home against the average Chargers, Andy Dalton once again played awful in the playoffs and Marvin Lewis remains without a playoff victory. Despite his playoff failings the Bengals have hitched their wagon to the Red Rocket, signing him to a long-term contract this past offseason. We will see how Dalton fares with a new offensive coordinator, since Jay Gruden took the Redskins job. The new offensive coordinator is Hue Jackson and one of his first moves seems to be putting Giovanni Bernard as the starting running back over BenJarvus Green-Ellis. The Bengals seemed hesitant to give Bernard the ball last year, maybe nervous about his size and durability. However, he is far more talented than Green-Ellis and they need to use him to his maximum potential, including as a receiver out of the backfield. A.J. Green remains one of the best wide receivers in football, and Marvin Jones flashed moments of greatness last season, including a 4 touchdown day against the New York Jets. Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert figure to split time at tight end. The Bengals offensive line remains largely unchanged from last season except at center, with new starter Trevor Robinson. Andrew Whitworth will return to starting at left tackle and Andre Smith continues to impress at right tackle. The Bengals defense returns most of their personnel from their strong 2013 unit but will be without longtime coordinator Mike Zimmer. Paul Guenther is the new defensive coordinator and will have plenty of talent to work with. The Bengals lost NT Geno Atkins for most of the season after he tore his ACL on Halloween, and are very excited for him to return to the field this year. Ends Wallace Gilberry and Carlos Dunlap each registered 7 1/2 sacks in 2013. Vontaze Burfict has quickly become one of the premiere linebackers in football and will have Ray Mauluga lining up next to him. Mauluga has mostly been living off his name from college and has overall been disappointing as a pro. The Bengals are strong at safety with George Iloka and Reggie Nelson but are highly questionable at cornerback with aging Terence Newman and Leon Hall who is returning from injury. Mike Nugent is an alright kicker but likely keeps his roster spot because of his ability to hit the long kicks. Kevin Huber is a pretty strong punter. Brandon Tate is a quality kick returner and Adam "Pacman" Jones has the capability of turning loose on punt returns. I expect with mostly the same roster returning for the Bengals to once again have a double digit win season. There will be some adjustments with the new coordinators on offense and defense but both promotions came from in-house so that will help mitigate there being major adjustments for the players. I still cannot under good faith bet on Dalton or Marvin Lewis leading them a playoff win in January though.

Prediction: 10-6


3. Baltimore Ravens

2013 Record: 8-8, 3rd place AFC North
Head Coach: John Harbaugh (7th season Baltimore, 71-38 career, 1 Super Bowl championship)
Key Additions: ILB C.J. Mosley, FS Terrence Brooks, WR Steve Smith, TE Owen Daniels, C Jeremy Zuttah
Key Losses: FB Vonta Leach, TE Ed Dickson, OT Michael Oher, CB Jeremy Graham, S James Ihedigbo

2014 Outlook: The Ravens ended up not being immune to the Super Bowl malaise that has seemed to hit champions the year after for the past decade. They missed the playoffs for the first time in the John Harbaugh/Joe Flacco era. Flacco didn't look anything like the quarterback we saw in the playoffs a year ago, but he did look vastly overpaid. It was obvious how much he missed Anquan Boldin and it also didn't help that Ray Rice appeared to become extinct last season. Rice then made headlines in the off-season for an altercation he had with his then fiancee, now wife. He will be suspended the first two games of the season, moving Bernard Pierce into the starting role for those games. Problem is, Pierce was even worse than Rice last season, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. Torrey Smith is a decent receiver but not really a #1 guy like he has to be in this Ravens offense. Steve Smith was signed this past off-season and while he talks a good game, he is getting older and isn't the physical specimen that Boldin is. TE Dennis Pitta is healthy this season after missing 12 games last year, another absence that really hurt Flacco's play, The Ravens have also brought Owen Daniels on board, who should serve as a nice backup for Pitta. The Ravens offensive line imploded last season so changes had to be made. Jeremy Zuttah is the new starting center, and Rick Wagner replaces Michael Oher at right tackle. One positive for the Ravens on the offensive line is left tackle Eugene Monroe. It might have seeemd that the Ravens defense fell off last season but in reality they remained pretty effective. The Ravens still have the massive Haloti Ngata clogging things up front while they are hoping DE Chris Canty can give them far more production than he did in 2013. The Ravens are also strong at linebacker and have enough depth at the position that Elvis Dumervil is currently listed behind Courtney Upshaw on the depth chart. Rookie C.J. Mosley out of Alabama is slotted to start at left inside linebacker and Daryl Smith proved to be an effective replacement for Ray Lewis last season at right inside linebacker. Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith give the Ravens a nice cornerback combo but safety is a question mark with Matt Elam and Terrence Brooks manning those positions. Kicker Justin Tucker is arguably the best kicker in football and made a very memorable game winning field goal at Detroit last season. Sam Koch started to show some decline last year so he might be on the hot seat if his struggles carry into this season. Jacoby Jones is set to return punts and kicks and is as dangerous as ever. This off-season was one filled with arrests and headlines for all the wrong reasons for the Ravens. I expect them to not be much better than last season but I do think Gary Kubiak will make a difference as offensive coordinator. I believe that the Ravens will slip into the postseason but aren't any sort of threat to become Super Bowl champions this year.

Prediction: 9-7


4. Cleveland Browns

2013 Record: 4-12, last place AFC North
Head Coach: Mike Pettine (1st season Cleveland, 0-0 career)
Key Additions: CB Justin Gilbert, QB Johnny Manziel, RG Joel Bitonio, RB Ben Tate, WR Andrew Hawkins, WR Miles Austin, WR Nate Burleson, LB Karlos Dansby, S Donte Whitner
Key Losses: QB Brandon Weeden, QB Jason Campbell, WR Davone Bess, ILB D'Qwell Jackson, S T.J. Ward

2014 Outlook: The Browns had finally declared the Brandon Weeden experiment a disaster and turned the reigns over to little known hometown boy Brian Hoyer. He helped lead the Browns to 3 straight wins but in true Browns fashion he was injured in that third win and out for the season. The Browns would win just one more game the rest of the season and that meant the end of the line for first year coach Rob Chudzinkski. After a long search of almost no one wanting the job, Mike Pettine is the latest coach tasked with trying to turn the Browns into a consistent, winning franchise. His first major decision was to choose a starting quarterback between Hoyer and first round draft pick Johnny Manziel. Neither was all that impressive in the first two preseasons games, making Pettine's choice that much harder, but in the end Pettine made the choice I expected by going with Hoyer as his starter. The Browns were a dreadful rushing team last year, and became even worse when they traded away Trent Richardson. They ended up starting fossil Willis McGahee. They addressed the running back spot by signing Texans backup Ben Tate. Tate has looked pretty good when he has the few opportunities he could get backing up Arian Foster. One bright spot for Cleveland last season was the emergence of Josh Gordon as one of the best receivers in the NFL. However, Gordon had has issues with substance abuse and is potentially facing a year long suspension. Rumor has it that it could be cut to 8 games but either way his absence will be huge. The Browns added Miles Austin in the off-season, but Austin hasn't be a good player in a few years. The Browns also added Andrew Hawkins and Nate Burleson, but neither are players that will have teams shaking in their boots. Whoever is the quarterback between Hoyer and Manziel will likely turn to TE Jordan Cameron the majority of the time. Cameron disappeared some down the stretch but flashed a ton of potential early in the season. The Browns have some strong pieces on the offensive line, including left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack. They also drafted Joel Bitonio out of Nevada to start at right guard. If the pieces all fit together the Browns should have a very good offensive line for years to come. The Browns defense was a strong part of last year's squad, especially the pass defense. The rush defense did struggle the majority of the time, and they will need their front three of Ahytba Rubin, Phil Taylor, and Desmond Bryant to pick up their games. The linebacking corps will be bolstered by the signing of Karlos Dansby and the Browns hope the continued improvement of last year's top draft pick Barkevious Mingo. They also paid Paul Krueger a lot of money last season but didn't receive much of a return on their investment in year one. The Browns corners Joe Haden and draft pick Justin Gilbert could turn into one of the best tandems in the NFL. The Browns also added Donte Whitner from San Francisco, making life hard for opposing quarterbacks that want to try to go over the middle. Billy Cundiff didn't make Browns fans forget their best player Phil Dawson and punter Spencer Lanning was one of the worst in the league, which isn't good when you have an offense that doesn't score often. The schedule starts rough for Cleveland but then opens up a bit as the year goes on. I think the AFC North will be the best division in football this year, which means despite me projecting the Browns for a three win improvement this season, I still expect them to end up as cellar dwellers in the division.

Prediction: 7-9

2014 NFL Divisional Previews - NFC North

The Chicago Bears went through a role reversal last season. A team that had been challenged offensively and excellent defensively, saw the opposite happen in 2013. They are hopeful that in 2014 they can get both sides of the ball on the same page. The Green Bay Packers stayed just enough above water while they waited out Aaron Rodgers return from injury and then were able to wrest the NFC North from the Bears in the final seconds of the season. The Minnesota Vikings are starting over with Mike Zimmer at coach and also at quarterback where it appears to be only a matter of time before Teddy Bridgewater takes over. The Detroit Lions are rebuilding for the umpteenth time and made one of the least inspiring coaching hires in history by choosing the least inspiring man in history, Jim Caldwell.


1. Chicago Bears

2013 Record: 8-8, 2nd place NFC North
Head Coach: Marc Trestman (2nd season Chicago, 8-8 career)
Key Additions: WR Josh Morgan, DE Jared Allen, DE LeMarr Houston, S Ryan Mundy
Key Losses: QB Josh McCown, RB Michael Bush, WR Earl Bennett, DE Julius Peppers, DE Corey Wooton, DT Herny Melton, CB Zackary Bowman, S Major Wright, P Adam Podlesh, KR Devin Hester

2014 Outlook: In 2013 the Bears seemed to have set themselves up perfectly to take the NFC North. In a Monday night game at Lambeau Field they injured Aaron Rodgers, who would then miss the next seven games. Despite Rodgers missing and the Packers struggling, the Bears were unable to clinch the division but still had a home game against the Packers in the regular season finale to do the job. However, Rodgers was able to return for that game and then ripped the Bears hearts out when he hit Randall Cobb for a game and division winning touchdown in the final seconds. During the Lovie Smith era the Bears offense was always lacking and unable to keep up with the defense. In Marc Trestman's first season the opposite happened. The Bears featured one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and that was even with Jay Cutler suffering his annual injury. The Bears were fortunate last season to have Josh McCown step up when Cutler got hurt, but looking at the quarterback depth chart this season, it looks like another Caleb Hanie, Jason Campbell type disaster would be on Chicago's hands if Cutler goes down. Jordan Palmer is Cutler's backup this season and Palmer has never started a game in his career. Matt Forte continues to churn out strong season after strong season and is one of the most versatile running backs in football, with his abilities as a receiver to complement his rushing prowess. The Bears passing game is excellent with monster receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery and burly tight end Martellus Bennett. Cutler and Marshall have excellent chemistry and Cutler's objective this season will be to find that same type of chemistry with Jeffery. Jeffery really excelled when McCown was at quarterback last season. A main reason for the Bears quick improvement on offense was better play out of their offensive line. LT Jermon Bushrod made an immediate impact, and left guard Matt Slauson and center Robert Garza are each coming off strong seasons. The right side of the line is weaker with Kyle Long and Jordan Mills, but each player was a rookie last season so improvement is expected. The single biggest culprit for dashing the Bears playoff dreams in 2013 was their horribly inept defense. Age and injury seemed to catch up with the Bears defense last year so the Bears responded by signing more old guys. Jared Allen was plucked from the Vikings but Allen seems to be about half the player he once was. Lamarr Houston takes over at left defensive end while the Bears maintained the status quo at defensive tackle with Jay Ratliff and Stephen Paea. The Bears top linebacker Lance Briggs is healthy as of now but he missed more than half the season last year with various ailments and is starting to get up there in age. D.J. Williams is back at middle linebacker and didn't do much last season to make Bears fans forget about Brian Urlacher. Peanut Tillman and Tim Jennings are the starting cornerbacks and Tillman is another Bear like Briggs, who is seeing a sharp decline in play due to age and injury issues. Ryan Mundy and Brock Vereen figure to have their struggles at safety this season. Robbie Gould is one of the best kickers in football, especially dealing so well with the winds of Chicago. Rookie Pat O'Donnell is the Bears new punter. Eric Weems is set to take over punt and kick returning duties for longtime Bear Devin Hester. I am going out on a limb picking the Bears to win the division and a lot of things will have to break correctly for it to happen. Cutler has to somehow play 16 games because the Bears season will implode if Palmer has to start any games. The defense just has to be a tad bit better, as I think the Bears are so good offensively they can outscore most teams. It looks like 2014 will be another divisional dog fight between longtime rivals, the Bears and Packers.

Prediction: 11-5


2. Green Bay Packers

2013 Record: 8-7-1, 1st place NFC North
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy (9th season Green Bay, 88-50-1, 1 Super Bowl Championship)
Key Additions: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, DE Julius Peppers
Key Losses: WR James Jones, OT Marshall Newhouse, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, S M.D. Jennings

2014 Outlook: The Packers were left wondering what might have been when their 2013 season ended at the hands of the 49ers. Cruising along at 5-2, Aaron Rodgers was injured and the Packers limped to a 3-5-1 finish to the regular season. Packers fans might say that Rodgers wasn't 100% for that 49ers playoff game but let's be real, the Packers are the 49ers bitch right now. Rodgers remains one of the best quarterbacks in football and the Packers hope that he goes back to making it through a 16 game season unscathed. A major positive for Green Bay last season was the emergence of RB Eddie Lacy. For years, Rodgers had to do most things on his own since the Packers didn't have a rushing attack that could support him, but with Lacy running the ball that has all changed. Rodgers passing weapons will look a little different this season. Gone are James Jones and Jermichael Finley, but Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb should still be the beneficiaries of having Rodgers throwing the ball. Andrew Quarless is slotted to take over at tight end for Finley but is battling with Brandon Bostick and Richard Rodgers for the starting job. JC Tretter is the new starting center with the departure of Evan Dietrich-Smith. Bryan Bulaga is healthy after missing 2013 and ready to reassume his right tackle position. The rest of the line is solid, including the rapidly improving left tackle David Bakhtiari. The Packers shocked many when they went out and signed an aging Julius Peppers. The Packers hardly ever do much in free agency but these type of moves have worked out for them in the past. Charles Woodson was brought in when he was considered on the downslope of his career and had solid seasons in Green Bay. He will line up alongside B.J. Raiji, who was once the Freezer but lately has played like a mini-fridge. Mike Daniels doesn't have the name power of Peppers or Raji but is probably the most talented going into 2014. Clay Matthews has trouble staying healthy and when he is healthy he thrives at taking cheap shots at opposing quarterbacks. A.J. Hawk is another Packers defensive player living off past glory and not nearly as good as some think. The Packers are really excited for how Ha Ha Clinton-Dix might be able to help their secondary. Tramon Williams and Sam Shields make a pretty decent cover corner duo. Someone should test Packers kicker Mason Crosby for HGH stat as he went from one of the worst kickers in football in 2012, to one of the best in 2013. Tim Masthay has a pretty cool name but isn't a very good punter. I think Rodgers will stay healthy this season, Lacy will get even better, and the defense will be adequate enough that the Packers will return to double digit wins. But they still aren't good enough to beat the 49ers.

Prediction: 11-5


3. Minnesota Vikings

2013 Record: 5-10-1, last place NFC North
Head Coach: Mike Zimmer (1st season Minnesota, 0-0 career)
Key Additions: LB Anthony Barr, QB Teddy Bridgewater, DE Corey Wooton, DT Linval Joseph, ILB Jasper Brinkley, SLB Anthony Barr, CB Captain Munnerlyn, S Kurt Coleman
Key Losses: QB Josh Freeman, RB Toby Gerhart, WR/QB Joe Webb, TE John Carlson, DE Jared Allen, DT Kevin Williams, ILB Erin Henderson, ILB Desmond Bishop, CB Chris Cook

2014 Outlook: The Vikings have wasted most of Adrian Peterson's career and talent because of their inability to land a franchise quarterback. The only good quarterback Peterson has ever played with was Brett Favre and that was Favre's last good season as a pro. The Vikings reached a few years ago for Christian Ponder and predictably he has failed. So now Teddy Bridgewater is the latest "savior" that the Vikings hope can turn into a franchise quarterback. Right now it appears that he will start the season behind Matt Cassel. Cassel is adequate but unless the Vikings come storming out the gates this year, I would expect we see Bridgewater play sooner rather than later. Peterson feels excitement over the prospects of Norv Turner taking over the offense. There was no way that Peterson was going to have a season like 2012, but in some ways 2013 was a disappointment. Peterson only broke 100 yards in a game 5 times and it was becoming obvious that teams just focused all their defensive efforts on him. One bright spot for the Vikings on offense last year came with rookie WR Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson was a threat returning kicks and started translating that to the wide receiver position late in the season. Greg Jennings looked like a sunk cost and a player that was propped up by having Favre and Aaron Rodgers throwing to him throughout his career. The Vikings resigned TE Kyle Rudolph and with Turner calling the plays, people expect his role in the offense to increase. The Vikings have a good offensive line, an area that has been a position of strength for the team for quite some time now. Phil Loadholt and Matt Kalil make an excellent right and left tackle pairing. The Vikings were decent at stopping the run but their pass defense was atrocious in 2013. The Vikings knew that the time was right to part with some aging veterans so Jared Allen and Kevin Williams were allowed to leave. They are also hopeful that by bringing Mike Zimmer aboard as coach he can use some of his renowned coaching skills to help improve the defense.The Vikings signed Linval Joseph away from the Giants and are hoping for improved play out of second year man DT Sharrif Floyd. Everson Griffen will take over Allen's spot and the Vikings showed their faith in him by giving him a big money contract this offseason. Brian Robison will be on the other end and is coming off a 9 sack season. The linebacking corps is mostly new with the additions of Jasper Brinkley and Anthony Barr. Chad Greenway is the only holdver from last year's group. Captain Munnerlyn is expected to make a huge difference in the Vikings pass defense. Putting him next to second year man Xavier Rhodes and passing the ball on Minnesota should be much more difficult this season. S Harrison Smith battled injuries last year but when healthy is a premiere player in the league. Blair Walsh is a reliable field goal kicker, and punter Jeff Locke is less of a headache and a better punter than Chris Kluwe. Patterson will be back returning kicks and is always a threat to bust one off, even from the back of the end zone. One factor to not overlook is the Vikings will be playing games outdoors this year at the University of Minnesota as they wait for their new stadium to be built. The Vikings were usually pretty tough to beat the Metrodome so it will be interesting to see if they can keep that homefield advantage in their temporary home. I think Zimmer was a smart hire by the Vikings and they did some nice things to improve the defense. Hopefully, Bridgewater ends up being the real deal because a lack of quarterback is all that holds Minnesota from being a playoff team.

Prediction: 7-9


4. Detroit Lions

2013 Record: 7-9, 3rd place NFC North
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (1st season Detroit, 28-24 career)
Key Additions: LB Kyle Van Noy, QB Dan Orlovsky, FB Jed Collins, WR Golden Tate, DE Daryl Tapp, S James Ihedigbo
Key Losses: QB Shaun Hill, WR Nate Burleson, DE Isreal Idonije, S Louis Delmas, CB Chris Houston

2014 Outlook: The Lions have so much talent on both sides of the ball but the past two seasons they just couldn't being themselves and throwing it all away. With the Packers scuffling without Aaron Rodgers and the Bears unable to run away with the division, the Lions had the NFC North right there for the taking. They thrashed Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day to improve to 7-5 but then would not win for the rest of the season, costing coach Jim Schwartz his job. Former Colts coach Jim Caldwell is the new head man and showed his excitement by blinking twice in a 60 second span. QB Matthew Stafford has a world of talent and puts up video game like numbers at time, but he also turns the ball over way too much. Reggie Bush and Joique Bell will share rushing duties, although if I were coaching the team I would give Bell the most carries as he is a more physical and dependable rusher than Bush. Stafford has plenty of options at receiver, including the best receiver in football, Calvin Johnson. Golden Tate was signed away from the Seahawks and while the Lions overpaid him, he should benefit from defenses having to focus so much attention on Megatron. Ryan Broyles has shown some ability but has trouble staying healthy. The Lions have a pretty fearsome duo at tight end with Brandon Pettigrew and the newly drafted Eric Ebron. One of Detroit's biggest strengths is their offensive line. They may not be names you all are that familiar with besides veteran Dominic Raiola but they get the job done as witnessed by Stafford being sacked just 23 times last season. The Lions defense is filled with monsters and guys with big reputations, but they haven't always lived up to those reputations. Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley on paper should give the Lions the best interior defense in football but Fairley has never been a consistent presence. Plus, both have played undisciplined at times, one of the biggest problems during the Schwartz era. DE Ezekiel Ansah had a strong rookie season and should be even better in 2014. Even the linebackers Detroit has on defense are pretty good with a group that includes DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch, and Kyle Van Noy. The Lions season could be made or broken based on how their secondary plays this season. Their rush defense was excellent but they ranked 23rd in the league against the pass. James Ihedigbo was signed to replace Louis Delmas, but Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis return at cornerback and neither was very good last season. To the surprise of no one but the Lions David Akers really was past his prime and no longer a viable kicker in the NFL, so he was jettisoned in favor of Nate Freese. Punter Sam Martin has a pretty powerful leg. The Lions really just need to find the right coach and maybe move out of Detroit to escape the bad history the franchise has. They have a lot of the pieces needed to win the division but I don't think Jim Caldwell is the coach to lead them to it. They needed discipline more than anything, so how is quiet as a mouse Caldwell going to instill that in his team? I expect another missed opportunity of a season for the Lions.

Prediction: 6-10

2014 NFL Divisonal Previews - AFC South

The Indianapolis Colts could go 6-10 and still probably win this putrid division. The Colts think with the addition of Hakeem Nicks and Reggie Wayne returning from injury, that along with T.Y. Hilton that will give Andrew Luck one of the best wide receiver corps in the league. The Tennessee Titans are starting fresh with Ken Whisenhunt as coach, but will only go as far as Jake Locker can take them. My Super Bowl pick last year, the Houston Texans, instead went 2-14 and are also starting over at head coach, bringing in Bill O'Brien. The Texans have some talented pieces but don't have any talent at the quarterback position. The Jacksonville Jaguars have the most positive guy on the planet, Gus Bradley leading them, but he is the only positivity surrounding their franchise at the moment.

1. Indianapolis Colts

2013 Record: 11-5, 1st place AFC South
Head Coach: Chuck Pagano (3rd season Indianapolis, 14-9 career)
Key Additions: LG Jack Mewhort, WR Hakeem Nicks, DE Arthur Jones, ILB D'Qwell Jackson
Key Losses: RB Donald Brown, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, G Jeff Linkenbach, CB Cassius Vaughn, S Antoine Bethea

2014 Outlook: Andrew Luck managed to cut down on his interceptions during the 2013 regular season but once the playoffs hit, Luck turned into an interception machine, throwing 7 picks in just two games. The lack of a consistent running game and the Colts trailing for most of those two games certainly contributed, but entering the third year of his career, Luck has to show a lot more smarts when it comes to trying to force the issue. The Colts are hopeful that with a full off-season under his belt, RB Trent Richardson will perform much better than he did last season. They showed strong faith in him by letting Donald Brown exit via free agency. Ahmad Bradshaw will serve as Richardson's backup after missing most of last season due to injury. Another Colt returning from injury is WR Reggie Wayne. Wayne tore his ACL and is 35 years old, so the Colts added some insurance at the position by signing Hakeem Nicks. Nicks was once one of the fastest rising starts in the league but injuries and dissatisfaction with contract situation in New York have really limited his production the last few years. The Colts hope a fresh start will revitalize Nicks career. Big things are also expected out of T.Y. Hilton. Hilton really stepped up his game when Wayne went out with injury and he was thrust into the number one receiver slot. With Wayne back and the acquisition of Nicks he goes down to #3 on the depth chart, possibly giving the Colts one of the best wide receiver trios in football. TE Coby Fleener has shown flashes of promise and the Colts are hopeful that his third season will be a breakout year. Offensive line is a question mark for Indianapolis, and is a group that is sometimes made to look better than they actually are because of Luck's ability to evade pressure. The Colts line is mostly a bunch of no names and RT Gosder Cherilus is the only one I could honestly say I know much about. Defensively, the Colts have their issues and those issues might be exacerbated by the absence of LB Robert Mathis for the first four games of the season. Mathis was suspended for taking some sort of fertility drug. People remain skeptical as Mathis saw a huge increase in production last year, earning 19 1/2 sacks. Without Mathis for those first four games guys like DE Ricky Jean-Francois and DE Arthur Jones will need to step up their games. Free agent signing D'Qwell Jackson will also need to make an impact immediately and Bjoern Werner will likely get thrust into Mathis' role despite being in just his second season. Safety LaRon Landry can't manage to get through a season unscathed from injury so David Sims will need to be ready to play at a moments notice. Vontae Davis is a premiere cornerback, while Greg Toler on his opposite side is just average. K Adam Viniatieri appears to be ageless as he has remained reliable as ever despite being 42. Punter Pat McAfee makes more headlines off the field than for anything he does on the field. Despite some of their question marks the Colts are clearly the class of a very bad AFC South. They managed to go undefeated against the division last season and could be in line to that again this year. I think the Colts can manage to get a playoff bye almost by default because of their easy schedule, but I think they aren't good enough defensively to go far in the playoffs.

Prediction: 12-4


2. Tennessee Titans

2013 Record: 7-9, 2nd place AFC South
Head Coach: Ken Whisenhunt (1st season Tennessee, 49-53 career)
Key Additions: QB Charlie Whitehurst, WR/KR Dexter McCluster, RT Michael Oher, LT Taylor Lewan, ROLB Shaun Phillips, ILB Wesley Woodyard
Key Losses: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Chris Johnson, WR Kenny Britt, CB Alterraun Verner, K Rob Bironas

2014 Outlook: The Titans got off to a pretty hot start a quarter into the season at 3-1. But then Jake Locker remembered he was fragile and missed time due to injury and the Titans finished 4-8 the rest of the season, earning coach Mike Munchak a pink slip. Locker has one last chance to show the Titans that he is a franchise quarterback and Tennessee is hopeful that new coach Ken Whisenhunt can kickstart Locker's career the way he helped revitalize Philip River's career last season. The Titans are also starting over at running back, letting Chris Johnson go and turning over the starting reins to Shonn Greene. The plan eventually will be to turn the running back position over to 2nd round draft choice Bishop Sankey out of Washington. The Titans quietly have put together a better receiving corps than at first glance people might think. Nate Washington is still listed number one on the depth chart, but Kendall Wright led the Titans in catches last season with 94. However, Wright scored just two touchdowns last season, something he needs to improve upon to be considered an upper echelon receiver. Delanie Walker had a strong season as the starting tight end for Tennessee and gives Locker another reliable option. In an effort to keep Locker healthy the Titans invested some money this off-season in the offensive line. They drafted Taylor Lewan in the first round and signed Michael Oher away from Baltimore. Left guard Andy Levitre is one of the best in football, while the Titans are hoping a second season proves more successful for RG Chance Warmack. Defensively, the Titans are switching to a 3-4 scheme. That means it could take a few seasons for the defense to reach its peak as the Titans try to find the right personnel to match the scheme. Jurrell Casey will have to adjust to playing defensive end this year, after securing 10 1/2 sacks as a defensive tackle last season. Two former Broncos will now team up in Tennessee in the Titans linebacking corps with the additions of Wesley Woodyard and Shaun Phillips. Both are getting up there in football years though so how much they can contribute remains to be seen. The Titans have major questions at cornerback with the loss of Alterraun Verner. Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Jason McCourty are the starters and Andrew Luck is probably licking his chops at the prospect of facing those two. Safety wise, the Titans get steady production from Bernard Pollard and Michael Griffin. The Titans released longtime kicker Rob Bironas and still haven't settled on who their field goal kicker will be this season. Travis Coons and Maikon Bonani are battling for the job. Punter Brett Kern doesn't get a ton of distance but has accuracy when it comes to pinning opponents inside the 20. Leon Washington will serve as the punt and kick returner, and if he has anything left in the tank the Titans will be the beneficiaries. It seems inevitable that Locker will go down this year at some point which means Titans fans should load up on Charlie Whitehurst highlights. That might only take them about 25 seconds. Questions about Locker and the switch to the 3-4 on defense will equal a long season in Tennessee.

Prediction: 5-11


3. Houston Texans

2013 Record: 2-14, last place AFC South
Head Coach: Bill O'Brien (1st season Houston, 0-0 career)
Key Additions: DE/OLB Jadaveon Clowney, NT Louis Nix, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, S Chris Clemons
Key Losses: QB Matt Schaub, QB T.J. Yates, RB Ben Tate, TE Owen Daniels, DE/DT Antonio Smith, NT Earl Mitchell, DT Terrell McClain, ILB Daryl Sharpton, ILB Joe Mays, S Danieal Manning

2014 Outlook: When you are in the prediction business you are going to get things wrong. Honestly, you are likely to get more things wrong than right. However, I have never been more wrong than last season when I picked the Texans to reach the Super Bowl. Instead, Matt Schaub forgot how to throw it to his own team and the Texans limped to a 2-14 record and the #1 pick in the draft. That finally brought the Gary Kubiak tenure to an end and also saw the end of Schaub's time in Houston. Houston passed on taking Johnny Manziel with the first pick and instead focused on defense. That leaves Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback. Fitzpatrick is really just a backup at this point so the Texans appear to be conceding this year and perhaps hoping they can take their quarterback of the future in next year's draft. Arian Foster is still one of the best running backs in the league, but he has a hell of a time remaining healthy. His longtime backup Ben Tate was allowed to leave via free agency and the Texans had brought in former Giant Andre Brown as his replacement. However, the Texans cut Brown a few days ago so the depth behind Foster is a huge question mark. Longtime wide receiver Andre Johnson was not happy about the prospect of being part of another rebuilding effort in Houston and skipped OTAs. However, he did show up for training camp and it seems that new coach Bill O'Brien has gotten Johnson on board. DeAndre Hopkins is entering his second season and showed plenty of promise in year one despite the revolving door at quarterback that the Texans had last season. Ryan Griffin, Garrett Graham and C.J. Fiedorowicz are battling for the starting tight end position. Despite their struggles as a team, the Texans have a pretty strong unit on the offensive line. LT Duane Brown, RG Brandon Brooks and C Chris Myers are all coming off strong seasons. The Texans have some of the top talent in the league on defense in some areas but also some gaping holes, leading to an inconsistent mess on that side of the ball. DE J.J. Watt is an absolute beast but is coming off a down season by his standards, registering just 10 1/2 sacks. Former Cornhusker Jared Crick will start at the other side and has a world of potential if he can stay healthy. The gargantuan Louis Nix was taken in the 3rd round and could be the starting nose tackle sooner rather than later. The Texans took Jadaveon Clowney with the #1 overall pick and will line him up at LOLB in their 3-4 scheme. Playing next to him will be Brian Cushing, another player that is great when on the field but has been beset by injuries and steroids. Fellow linebackers Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus are question marks. The Texans are alright in the secondary but way too often gave up the big play. They are hopeful that S Chris Clemons, acquired in the offseason can help with some of those issues. CBs Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph will need to improve their games this season. Randy Bullock was a mess to start off the season at kicker for the Texans but seemed to find his way toward the end of the season. Shane Lechler isn't the premiere punter he once was but is serviceable. The Texans have pieces of talent but with a new coach and the question marks in key positions it is looking like another down year for the Texans. Houston once looked like they were on the cusp of being perennial contenders but now are back to the rebuilding days of the early years of their franchise.

Prediction: 4-12


4. Jacksonville Jaguars

2013 Record: 4-12, 3rd place AFC South
Head Coach: Gus Bradley (2nd season Jacksonville, 4-12 career)
Key Additions: QB Blake Bortles, WR Marqise Lee, RB Toby Gerhart, LG Zane Beadles, DE Red Bryant, DE Chris Clemons, DT Ziggy Hood, OLB Dekoda Watson
Key Losses: QB Blaine Gabbert, RB Maurice Jones-Drew, RB Justin Forsett, G Uche Nnwaneri, C Brad Meester, DE Jason Babin

2014 Outlook: The Jaguars really hired the perfect man for the job when they hired Gus Bradley last season. Only Bradley could see the positives in leading a franchise as inept as Jacksonville. Even when the Jags got off to an embarrassing 0-8 start last season, where they lost each game by double digits, Bradley was still smiling. The Jags recovered in the the second half of the season, even winning four out of five games at one point before ending the season on a three game skid. Then they shocked everyone by taking Blake Bortles with the third pick in the draft, a move many considered a major reach. That was after Jacksonville decided to end the Blaine Gabbert experiment, another quarterback that they drafted way too high a few years back. The plan for now is to start Chad Henne at quarterback and slowly bring Bortles along. However, after looking strong in the Jags first preseason game the pressure is already mounting to hand over the team to Bortles. Maurice Jones-Drew had turned into a shell of his former self, so he is gone, replaced by the newly acquired Toby Gerhart. Gerhart has never really had a chance to show off his skills playing behind Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, so he is looking at this opportunity with Jacksonville as his big break. Suspensions have had a major impact on the Jaguars receiving corps. They have lost both Justin Blackmon and Ace Sanders to suspensions. Blackmon probably won't play at all this year, while Sanders is eligible to return in Week 5. That leaves Cecil Shorts and the newly drafted Marqise Lee as the Jaguars starting receivers. Marcedes Lewis is back at tight end but years removed from being a factor in the passing game. The offensive line is a mess and a strong reason for Bradley to stick to his plan of not throwing Bortles to the wolves. Time and time again young quarterbacks have flamed out because they were treated like rag dolls because of porous offensive lines. The Jags are hoping a switch for Luke Joeckel to left tackle will get his career on track after a tough start to his career last year. To try to help the Jags on the defensive side of the ball Bradley brought in a couple of his former players from the Seahawks, Red Bryant and Chris Clemons. The signing of Bryant was basically a concession by Jacksonville that Tyson Alualu is a bust. They are hoping that Clemons can replace some of the pass rushing ability that Jason Babin had brought to the team. Besides LB Paul Posluszny the rest of the Jaguars defense is filled with a bunch of guys that I know little to nothing about. I do know that Jacksonville stunk on defense though and with most of their personnel returning they are going to have to hope for some major improvements. I think if Jacksonville is patient with Bradley he is the guy that could lead them back to the playoffs in the next few years. He is going to take his lumps in the beginning though but maybe him and Bortles are the Tom Coughlin/Mark Brunnell combination they have been searching for.

Prediction: 4-12

2014 NFL Divisional Previews - NFC South

Sean Payton proved to be the real MVP of the New Orleans Saints as his return to the sidelines coincided with another playoff season for the Saints. The Saints lost some weapons on offense but as long as Drew Brees is throwing the ball, they will remain high powered. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a strong coaching hire in Lovie Smith, and are hopeful that he is the one that can return them to their glory years of the 2000s. The Atlanta Falcons plummeted to just four wins last season and are eager to prove that their struggles were just a one year aberration. The Carolina Panthers came out of nowhere to win the NFC South last season, but are basically replacing their entire wide receiver corps and enter the season with a ton of question marks.


1. New Orleans Saints

2013 Record: 11-5, 2nd place NFC South
Head Coach: Sean Payton (8th season New Orleans, 79-43 career, 1 Super Bowl championship)
Key Additions: FB Erik Lorig, WR Brandin Cooks, CB Champ Bailey, S Jairus Byrd
Key Losses: RB Darren Sproles, WR Lance Moore, C Brian De La Puente, DE Will Smith, ILB Will Herring, CB Jabari Greer, S Malcom Jenkins, S Roman Harper

2014 Outlook: The Saints were a tale of two teams in 2013. The Superdome version of the Saints was an unbeatable juggernaut. The road version of the Saints was a pedestrian unit that lost more than it won. They did manage to win a playoff game in Philadelphia but weren't able to win at Seattle. For the Saints to have realistic Super Bowl aspirations this season, they need to win the NFC South and also try to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. 35-year old Drew Brees made news when he said he thought he could play until he is 45. Who knows if that is the case but one thing that is true is his play hasn't deteriorated in the least yet. It seems that as long as he and Sean Payton are teamed up, the Saints will always be dangerous on offense. The Saints are saying all the right things about wanting to be able to run the ball this year, but their true identity always seems to be a team that prefers to pass the ball. Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson are all capable backs, but none of them are above marginal. Lance Moore was allowed to leave via free agency so Kenny Still steps up to the number 2 receiver slot. Marques Colston remains the Saints #1 receiver but he had a disappointing season last year, capped off with an incredibly stupid play he made in the playoffs to end the Saints season. The Saints drafted Brandin Cooks, another speedster wide receiver that could make their offense even more dangerous. The Saints most dangerous weapon though is TE Jimmy Graham. The Saints got him signed to a long-term deal and the key to slowing down the Saints is slowing down Graham. Graham was invisible for most of the playoff game against Seattle and the Saints offense scuffled. The Saints are a pretty strong unit on the offensive line, with their best players being left guard Ben Grubbs and RG Jahri Evans. I admit to not expecting the hire of Rob Ryan as defensive coordinator last season to make much of a difference but I was wrong. The Saints had nowhere to go but up after the 2012 debacle but what Ryan was able to do in a season was still very impressive. The Saints let some defensive veterans go but did bring in Jairus Byrd and Champ Bailey. Byrd comes in with high expectations and should help immensely while Bailey is a question mark. Bailey showed his age last season and it will be interesting to see how he fares when he has to match up with a Vincent Jackson or Roddy White this season. The Saints are strong on the defensive front, led by Cameron Jordan and Brodrick Bunkley. Junior Galette is the Saints leader on the linebacking corps and coming off a 12 sack season. The Saints were excellent at getting pressure on the quarterback last year and with another year under Ryan's system could be even better. Journeyman Shayne Graham is the starting placekicker as Garrett Hartley missed his way out of town. Tomas Morstead is a strong, dependable punter the few times he is called upon. With the upheaval the Panthers went through this off-season, the Saints clearly seem to be the class of the NFC South. I expect them to reclaim their first division title since 2011 and make some noise in the playoffs this season.

Prediction: 11-5


2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2013 Record: 4-12, 3rd place NFC South
Head Coach: Lovie Smith (1st season Tampa Bay, 84-66 career)
Key Additions: WR Mike Evans, QB Josh McCown, TE Brandon Myers, LT Anthony Collins, RG Oneil Cousins, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, DE Michael Johnson, CB Alterraun Verner, S Major Wright
Key Losses: QB Dan Orlovsky, WR Mike Williams, OT Donald Penn, G Gabe Carimi, C Jeremy Zuttah, CB Darrelle Revis

2014 Outlook: It's the start of another new era in Tampa Bay. Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman are gone, replaced by Lovie Smith and Josh McCown. McCown is coming off an impressive season when he got inserted into the Bears starting lineup for an injured Jay Cutler. The Buccaneers offense will also be helped by the return of Doug Martin from injury. Martin never quite got on track last season before going down, and will be looking to reclaim his title as the "Muscle Hamster". The Bucsz have some depth at running back with Mike James and Bobby Rainey backing up Martin, as both saw significant playing time last season. The Bucs also feel they have a pretty solid 1-2 punch at receiver after drafting Mike Evans out of Texas A&M to go with Vincent Jackson. I didn't think Jackson would make much of an impact at Tampa but even with subpar quarterback play, Jackson has been worth the money the Bucs gave him a few years ago. Brandon Myers is the new starting tight end and hoping to rebound from a disappointing season with the Giants. Tampa did some pretty major retooling of their offensive line, bringing in three new starters with Anthony Collins, Oneil Cousins, and Evan Dietrich-Smith. Tampa Bay feels they have talent on defense and Smith will be the coach to get that talent to reach their potential. DT Gerald McCoy is excellent, and the Bucs are hoping for stronger seasons out of DE Adrian Clayborn and free agent acquisition from the Bengals, Michael Johnson. Lavonte David is a standout at linebacker, but his fellow linebackers Mason Foster and Jonathan Casillas are question marks. The Bucs ended the Darrelle Revis era after just one season and replacing him in the lineup will be Alterraun Verner. S Dashon Goldson was a major disappointment in his first season in Tampa Bay, and might have been made to look better than he really was because of the talent that surrounded him in San Francisco. The Bucs special teams are nothing special, pun intended. Punter Michael Koenen is overpaid, and Connor Barth returns after missing the 2013 season due to injury. I think over the long-haul the hiring of Smith will pay off but it will take time for him to implement his system and way of doing things and get result. I think the Bucs can certainly improve upon their 4-12 mark of last season, but not enough to earn a playoff berth in 2014.

Prediction: 7-9


3. Atlanta Falcons

2013 Record: 4-12, last place NFC South
Head Coach: Mike Smith (7th season Atlanta, 61-40 career)
Key Additions: RT Jake Matthews, QB T.J. Yates, TE Bear Pascoe, RG Jon Asamoah, G Gabe Carimi, DE/DT Tyson Jackson, NT Paul Soliai, CB Josh Wilson, CB/KR Javier Arenas, S Dwight Lowery, KR Devin Hester
Key Losses: RB Jason Snelling, TE Tony Gonzalez, CB Asante Samuel, S Thomas DeCoud

2014 Outlook: The wheels fell off fast in Atlanta in 2013 and the Falcons went from the precipice of playing in the Super Bowl to one of the worst teams in football. Injuries played a huge role in that, most notably losing stud receive Julio Jones for most of the season. However, before Julio even went down the Falcons were scuffling. Matt Ryan still had a strong season, completing 67% of his passes and throwing for 26 TDs but on the negative side he threw 17 INTs and definitely needs to cut back on that number this season. Not surprisingly, RB Steven Jackson battled injuries all season and couldn't be counted upon. Jacquizz Rodgers is too small to be a featured back, so the Falcons drafted Devonta Freeman out of Florida State. The Falcons tout one of the best receive corps in football with Roddy White, Jones, and Harry Douglas. White appears to be fully healthy this year, which wasn't the case for pretty much all of last season. Douglas got to see an increase in touches and playing time when Jones went down and made the most of it and is a very strong #3 receiver to have. The Falcons convinced Tony Gonzalez to come back for one last chance at the Super Bowl, but instead Gonzalez returned to play for a horrific team. He is retired now and being replaced at tight end with something called a Levine Toilolo. They also signed Bear Pascoe to serve as Toilolo's backup. The offensive line was a mess last season so the Falcons made that position their number one priority in the off-season. They drafted RT Jake Matthews out of Texas A&M, and signed RG Jon Asamoah away from the Chiefs. Defense has been a weakness in Atlanta even when they were good, especially their secondary. So the Falcons let aging, ineffective vet Asante Samuel leave and are replacing Thomas DeCoud at safety with Dwight Lowery. They have also revamped the defensive line by bringing in Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai. LB Kroy Biermann is another player returning from injury this season and have moved Osi Umeniyora to linebacker as they are switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme. CBs Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford are both very young and the Falcons only expect them to get better. The Falcons special teams were already good and should receive a boost with the addition of Devin Hester. Hester isn't quite the fearsome returner he once was but he will still make opposing teams think twice about kicking it at him. Matt Bosher is a pretty good punter and kicker Matt Bryant is one of the most consistent and accurate kickers in the league. If the Falcons can avoid the injury bug this season I think they have a chance at returning to the playoffs. They have a lot of weapons on offense and some interesting pieces on defense. I just think they might struggle some within the division and they have some pretty challenging road games this season at Cincinnati, Baltimore, New York Giants and Green Bay. It looks like it could be another losing season for the Falcons.

Prediction: 7-9

4. Carolina Panthers

2013 Record: 12-4, 1st place NFC South
Head Coach: Ron Rivera (4th season Carolina, 25-24 career)
Key Additions: WR Kelvin Benjamin, WR Jerricho Cotchery, WR Jason Avant, WR Tiquan Underwood, WR/QB Joe Webb, TE Ed Dickson, CB Antoine Cason, S Roman Harper, S Thomas DeCoud
Key Losses: WR Steve Smith, WR Brandon LaFell, WR Ted Ginn Jr., WR Domenik Hixon, OT Jordan Gross, OT Bruce Campbell, CB Captain Munnerlyn, S Michael Mitchell, S Quintin Mikell

2014 Outlook: Cam Newton made a large leap in 2013 and helped carry the Panthers to an NFC South crown. For the Panthers to repeat as NFC South champs in 2014, he will have to make an even larger leap. The Panthers wide receiver corps and part of the offensive line was gutted this off-season due to a combination of free agency and retirement. Newton will be working with an entire new receiving corps, with the only returnee being his TE Greg Olsen. The Panthers trio of Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn weren't a murderers row or anything but Newton will be challenged to immediately find chemistry with Kelvin Benjamin, Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery. The Panthers invested heavily in their running game a few years ago by giving big deals to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart but the return on that investment has been minimal. Stewart can't stay healthy and Williams isn't consistent. Newton's blind side will now be protected by Byron Bell as Jordan Gross retired. Bell gave up 9 sacks last season and if he plays that poorly this season Panthers fans might want to get used to seeing Derek Anderson under center. The rest of the offensive line is unproven and another in a long line of question marks for Carolina on offense. Carolina was an excellent defensive team in 2013, but trouble reached that side of the ball as well this off-season. Star defensive end Greg Hardy is dealing with legal woes and could be looking at a league suspension. Charles Johnson, the other defensive end hasn't had any off the field issues and is almost as much of a stud as Hardy. The Panthers also have young, rapidly improving defensive tackles in Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short. They also have arguable the best linebacker in football in Luke Kuechly. He gets lost in the shadow of Kuechly but Thomas Davis is a damn good player in his own right. The corners and safeties are mostly new this season with the only returnee being CB Melvin White. The aging Roman Harper, Thomas DeCoud and Antoine Cason will be the new starters in the secondary. Graham Gano joins a long list of former Redskin kickers that have found greater success elsewhere. Redskins fans would be shocked to know that Gano was a perfect 6 for 6 from over 50 yards last season. Punter Brad Nortman had a better 2013 season after a disastrous 2012 season. The Panthers will miss Ted Ginn's return ability and are hoping Kenjon Barner can adequately replace him. I expect the Panthers to fall from first to worst this season. Just way too many changes in important positions and I am still not sold on coach Ron "Riverboat" Rivera being able to consistently put out a winning team year after year.

Prediction: 6-10

2014 NFL Divisional Previews - AFC West

The Denver Broncos dream season ended in the most ugly fashion possible, being thrashed by 35 points in the Super Bowl. The offense couldn't do anything against the Seahawks defense, but the Broncos focused their off-season on improving on the defensive side of the ball. The Kansas City Chiefs started 9-0 under new coach Andy Reid, but then started facing teams with a pule and limped down the stretch, capping their season by blowing a 28 point second half lead to the Colts in the playoffs. The San Diego Chargers and most notably QB Philip Rivers enjoyed a career resurgence under Mike McCoy and are hopeful that they can return to their years of annually making the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders shockingly have the same coach for a third season but all Dennis Allen has proven so far is that he is good at leading them to a 4-12 record.


1. Denver Broncos

2013 Record: 13-3, AFC West Champs, AFC Champs
Head Coach: John Fox (4th season Denver, 115-91 career)
Key Additions: WR Emmanuel Sanders, C Will Montgomery, DE DeMarcus Ware, CB Aqib Talib
Key Losses: RB Knowshon Moreno, WR Eric Decker, G Zane Beadles, DE Robert Ayers, DE Shaun Phillips, OLB Wesley Woodyard, CB Champ Bailey, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, S Mike Adams

2014 Outlook: The Broncos and Peyton Manning ran roughshod over the NFL last season. Manning set a new record with 55 touchdown passes and it looked like he was well on his way to claiming his second Super Bowl. But then the Broncos dream season turned into a nightmare, as they were lambasted by the Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. The off-season saw Denver make some pretty big changes on both sides of the ball. On offense, they let Knowshon Moreno and Eric Decker walk. Montee Ball will take over as the lead back as the Broncos hope he works out some fumbling issues that plagued him his rookie season. Denver signed Emmanuel Sanders away from Pittsburgh to take Decker's place. Demaryius Thomas is Manning's favorite target and should be in line for another huge season. Wes Welker showed some signs of slowing down last season but also developed a rapport with Manning very quickly. Manning also found a new target in TE Julius Thomas, who was nearly impossible for defenders to stop with his massive size. The Broncos are pretty good at offensive line, although Manning's ability to get rid of the ball so quickly could make almost any line look good. The line did have its problems with Seattle and will be facing some tougher defensive lines this season than they did last season. Denver made some huge splashes on defense by signing veterans DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib. Ware has been injury prone recently and the Broncos are taking a bit of a risk bringing him aboard. There is no question that Ware is one of the best defensive players in football when healthy but his health has turned into a major question mark. Joining Ware on the line is DT Terrance Knighton who gained fame for being nickname "Pot Roast". The Broncos should have LB Von Miller all year this season as he isn't facing drug suspensions or injuries at this time. Talib replaces Champ Bailey at cornerback. He is definitely an upgrade over Bailey, but much like Ware there are questions about his durability. Kicker Matt Prater and punter Britton Colquitt are two of the best in football but the Broncos won't have Trindon Holliday returning kicks, as they allowed him to leave via free agency. Holliday was electrifying, that is when he could avoid fumbling. The Broncos schedule appears to be more challenging this year than last, but as long as Manning is under center, it's hard not to expect the Broncos to remain the class of the AFC. Manning is getting older and while I don't expect him to throw 55 touchdowns this year, he isn't showing any signs of slowing down. I think Ball will step in well for Moreno and I think the moves on defense will pay off for Denver and make them a more well rounded team on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: 13-3


2. Kansas City Chiefs

2013 Record: 11-5, 2nd in AFC West
Head Coach: Andy Reid (2nd season Kansas City, 151-108-1 career)
Key Additions: LILB Joe Mays
Key Losses: WR/KR Dexter McCluster, OT Branden Albert, G Geoff Schwartz, DE/DT Tyson Jackson, CB Dunta Robinson, S Quintin Demps

2014 Outlook: If you want to run with the lazy narrative then the reason that the Chiefs went from 2-14 to 11-5 last season was because of the additions of Andy Reid and Alex Smith. Those two played a part but if you looked deeper at the Chiefs season you would find that they were successful due to an easy schedule, Jamaal Charles, and an opportunistic defense. Two of those things could remain in play for 2014 but with the AFC West drawing the NFC West this season, an easy schedule will not be one of them. Alex Smith will be facing some tougher defenses and might be required to actually throw the ball further than 5 yards this year. He has pretty much the same weapons back that he had last year. Dwayne Bowe seems like a shell of his former self, and it was almost like Donnie Avery emerged as Smith's favorite target at times. The Chiefs offense will pretty much cease to exist if Jamaal Charles is hurt and misses anytime this season. Charles is an incredible talent and it was a huge blow to the Chiefs when he had to leave their playoff loss against the Colts. Charles and Smith could be in for some troubles this season as the offensive line saw some pretty major changes. Branden Albert and Geoff Schwartz are gone, so the Chiefs are hopeful the 2013 #1 pick Eric Fisher has a better season at his natural position of left tackle. The Chiefs defense was one of the best in the league during the first half of the season but along with the rest of the team they fell off a cliff in the second half of the year. Injuries were partially to blame, but tougher opposition also had something to do with it. The defense reached its nadir in the playoffs when KC blew a 38-10 second half lead against the Colts. Kansas City is strong at linebacker but the rest of the defensive areas are filled with question marks. Dontari Poe stuff things up front, but edge rushers Mike DeVito and Allen Bailey are only serviceable at best. To get any pressure on the quarterback the Chiefs count on their fearsome linebackers. Justin Houston, Joe Mays, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali give the Chiefs one of the best linebacking groups in football. Eric Berry is fantastic at safety but the rest of the back four are major question marks. The leash might be thin for kicker Ryan Succup, who couldn't be counted on to make field goals of any sort of long distance. Dustin Colquitt is decent as a punter, and the Chiefs will miss Dexter McCluster's presence in the return game. I think the Chiefs we saw in the second half of the season is closer to the real thing than the team that started 9-0. The Chiefs have to pray they don't lose Charles at any point or Smith and the rest of the offense will be exposed badly. While I expect the Chiefs to put together another winning season, I think all the question marks mean anoter season without a playoff win for Kansas City.

Prediction: 9-7


3. San Diego Chargers

2013 Record: 9-7, 3rd place AFC West
Head Coach: Mike McCoy (2nd season San Diego, 10-8 career)
Key Additions: QB Kellen Clemens, RB Donald Brown, CB Brandon Flowers
Key Losses: QB Charlie Whitehurst, FB Le'Ron McClain

2014 Outlook: Philip Rivers became rejuvenated last season and with his increase in effectiveness the Chargers fortunes improved as well. Rivers seemed to thrive under the new leadership of coach Mike McCoy and offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt left to coach the Titans, so we should find out this year whether McCoy or Whisenhunt was more responsible for Rivers improved play. Another offensive player that improved in 2013 was RB Ryan Mathews, who finally got through a season healthy. The Chargers and the world finally saw glimpses of why Mathews was a first round draft pick. The Chargers are pretty deep at running back with Mathews, Danny Woodhead and the addition of Donald Brown from the Colts. Another reason for Rivers finding renewed success was rookie WR Keenan Allen. Allen was tremendous in making plays after the catch and finding separation. Any time Rivers was in trouble he could count on Allen bailing him out and making a play. Eddie Royal also became a favored target of Rivers in the red zone. Malcom Floyd is returning from injury and Vincent Brown is slotted as the #2 receiver. Antonio Gates remains Rivers starting tight end but seems to be a shell of his former self, as age has begun to catch up to him. The Chargers are strong up front, which is especially important with Rivers inability to move much in the pocket. King Dunlap was surprisingly effective at left tackle last season, and Nick Hardwick remains one of the best centers in football. The Chargers defense showed improvement as the season went on last year but its mostly a unit of unknowns. No one on their defensive line really puts any fear into their opponents. DE Corey Liuget had 5 1/2 sacks last season, and fellow defensive end Kendall Reyes had 5, but neither are guys that an offense has to plan to stop. Playing in a 3-4, the Chargers rely on their linebackers to pressure the quarterback, but Jarrett Johnson and Dwight Freeney are getting up there in age. Manti Te'o was just average in his rookie season, so this year will be big for him as far as showing the Chargers he can make a leap. Eric Weddle is excellent at free safety, and helps carry a back four that is average at best. The Chargers added Brandon Flowers after the Chiefs gave up on him but he is currently slotted third on the depth chart at corner. Nick Novak is the latest in the line of former Redskins kickers that has found more success elsewhere. Mike Scifres is strong at punter and good at pinning opposing teams within the 20. The Chargers come into the 2014 season looking mostly the same as they did last year. I don't expect them to take a major step back but I also don't expect a huge leap out of them either. I think San Diego is a mediocre team that will just miss out on the playoffs.

Prediction: 8-8


4. Oakland Raiders

2013 Record: 4-12. last place AFC West
Head Coach: Dennis Allen (3rd season Oakland, 8-24 career)
Key Additions: SLB Khalil Mack, QB Derek Carr, QB Matt Schaub, RB Maurice Jones-Drew, WR James Jones, LT Donald Penn, RG Austin Howard, LG Keith Boothe, DE Justin Tuck, LDE LaMarr Woodley, CB Carlos Rogers, CB Tarrell Brown
Key Losses: RB Rashad Jennings, DE Lamarr Houston, CB Mike Adams, CB Tracy Porter, CB Phillip Adams

2014 Outlook: The 2013 season started promisingly enough for the Oakland Raiders. They started the year with Terrelle Pryor at quarterback and he turned heads with an impressive Week 1 performance at Indianapolis. Even while sitting at 4-6 after 10 games, they were still right in the thick of the Wild Card chase. But then they closed the season with six straight losses, giving coach Dennis Allen his second straight 4-12 campaign. Pryor turned out not to be the answer at quarterback and is now in Seattle and once again the Raiders are hoping that a veteran quarterback with his best days well past him can lead them back to the playoffs for the first time in twelve years. That veteran is Matt Schaub, who the Houston Texans couldn't get rid of fast enough. Schaub completely lost his confidence last season and went through a terrible string of throwing pick 6's in consecutive games, setting an NFL record. The Raiders went and added James Jones at wide receiver but Jones doesn't strike me as a guy that is a #1 receiver like he will have to be on Oakland. Rod Streater and Denarius Moore round out the Raiders underwhelming receiving corps, and some guy named Mychal Rivera is their starting tight end. Darren McFadden was brought back on a cheap one year deal, and the Raiders also added Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew seemed to have nothing left in the tank last season but fits the Raiders penchant for picking up former stars that are past their primes. The Raiders have some decent pieces on the offensive line including center Stefan Wisniewski and free agent pickup Keith Boothe. The Oakland defense was atrocious so they went out and added a bunch of new pieces. Keeping with the theme of picking up players past their prime, they signed Justin Tuck and LeMarr Woodley. The Raiders are expecting instant production from strongside linebacker Khalil Mack who they drafted fifth overall in the 2014 draft. Carlos Rogers and Tarrell Brown were added from San Francisco, so they could fortify things a bit, but incredibly old Charles Woodson is still in Oakland playing safety. Sebastian Janikowski is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro and Marquette King, while having an awesome name, is a pedestrian punter. Taiwan Jones will be returning kicks and I only have heard him because for one week he was a waiver wire wonder at running back in fantasy football. The Raiders have finally let a coach hang around for more than a year or two but it doesn't appear that Dennis Allen will be able to solves the Raiders woes. If the Raiders had signed some of these players three or four years ago then you might be looking at a playoff team. Instead, I expect another 4-12 debacle to come out of Oakland this season.

Prediction: 4-12

2014 NFL Divisional Previews - NFC West

Forget the NFC West, the NFC Best is more like it. This division had three teams win 10 games or more last season, and one of those teams didn't even make the playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks arguably hold the crown for best rivalry in the NFL right now. The 49ers added some offensive weapons and showed their faith in QB Colin Kaepernick by signing him to a long-term deal. The Seattle Seahawks and their Legion of Boom carried them to a Super Bowl title, causing Russell Wilson to become the latest overrated Super Bowl winning quarterback. The St. Louis Rams seem stuck in mediocrity and this might be Sam Bradford's last chance to prove he is a franchise quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals got a better than expected season out of QB Carson Palmer last year and also have a top notch defense.


1. San Francisco 49ers

2013 Record: 12-4, 2nd place NFC West
Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (4th season San Francisco, 41-14-1 career)
Key Additions: S/CB Jimmie Ward, RB Carlos Hyde, QB Blaine Gabbert, WR Brandon Lloyd, WR Stevie Johnson, OT/G Jonathan Martin, CB Chris Cook, S Antoine Bethea
Key Losses: QB Colt McCoy, RB Anthony Dixon, WR Mario Manningham, C Jonathan Goodwin, CB Carlos Rogers, CB Tarrell Brown, S Donte Whitner

2014 Outlook: Injuries were a common theme for the 49ers in 2013, but like any great team, they overcame those injuries and still managed to win 12 games. Unfortunately for them, the Seahawks were just a little bit better in 2013. 2013 was Colin Kaepernick's first full season as a starter and he showed enough for the 49ers to reward him with a new contract this off-season. Last year he had to deal with injuries to Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, leaving him with very little weapons. Thank goodness the 49ers acquired Anquan Boldin from the Ravens for practically nothing. Boldin showed no signs of slowing down last season and became the 49ers number one receiver. Crabtree enters the 2014 season healthy and ready to return to the productivity levels he showed in 2012. Davis had a ridiculous mini-holdout over his contract but is back in camp and remains an integral part to the 49ers passing game. The 49ers added Stevie Johnson in a trade with the Bills and he could be an excellent third option for Kap. They also brought Brandon Lloyd back and while not a ton will be expected of him, he did play pretty well in 2012. RB Frank Gore is 31 and it seems for about the past 3 or 4 years predictions of his demise have been in vogue. This year those predictions are reaching their apex but I have learned not to count Gore out. The 49ers had tremendous depth at the running back position but that has taken a hit the past few weeks. Dependable Kendall Hunter has been lost for the season after tearing his ACL. Marcus Lattimore sat out the 2013 season as planned but now is missing training camp practices so his status is up in the air. The 49ers drafted Carlos Hyde out of Ohio State, and still have LaMichael James, so those two could be pressed into duty if need be. The 49ers have one of the best offensive lines in football but have to be somewhat concerned about RG Alex Boone's prolonged holdout. Anthony Davis and Joe Staley are tremendous bookends, although Staley has had some injury scares the last few seasons. The defense is a bit of a question mark going into the season. The defensive line and linebacking corps is mostly the same, but the training camp injury bug struck Glen Dorsey last week and is he is now out for the season. However, Justin Smith is starting to get up there in age and the 49ers will be without NaVorro Bowman will miss at least half the season after his gruesome injury in the NFC Championship game. That means the untested Chris Borland will be manning the left inside linebacker position. Aldon Smith had an interesting off-season for all the wrong reasons and could be facing a suspension. Ahmad Brooks and Patrick Willis should still be their top notch selves in 2014. The 49ers secondary sees major changes going into the season, with Donte Whitner and Carlos Rogers gone, replaced by Antoine Bethea and Tramaine Brock. Chris Culliver will also be returning from injury but can be beaten like a drum at times. Eric Reid is quickly turning into one of the best safeties in football. Special teams remains a strength as Phil Dawson was as good as advertised last season, and Andy Lee just continues to boom the football when he punts. I'm biased as hell but I really think this is the year the 49ers break through and get that Super Bowl ring. They certainly have some question marks but I think Kaepernick will make a leap with some of the new weapons he has on offense and the defense will remain strong enough even with the changes.

Prediction: 12-4


2. Seattle Seahawks

2013 Record: 13-3, NFC West, NFC, and Super Bowl Champions)
Head Coach: Pete Carroll (5th season Seattle, 77-61 career, 1 Super Bowl championship)
Key Additions: DT Kevin Williams
Key Losses: WR Golden Tate, WR Sidney Rice, DE Red Bryant, DE Chris Clemons, CB Brandon Browner, CB Walter Thurmond

2014 Outlook: I'm going to do my best to not let my Seahawks seep through this preview. Seattle was clearly the best team in football last season and proved it with an exclamation mark by manhandling the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks success had led to people rushing to overrate QB Russell Wilson. Wilson is a nice player but if you were to list out the reasons Seattle won a Super Bowl he would come pretty low on the list. The truth is he is surrounded by an excellent running game, led by the Beast Marshawn Lynch and the best defense in football. He never got to enjoy Percy Harvin last season, as Harvin constantly battled injury but Harvin is injury free so far and will team up with Doug Baldwin as Wilson's two main receiving options. The Seahawks let Golden Tate walk, which is fine, as Tate was decent but nothing special and was overpaid by the Lions.Sidney Rice retired but he was never healthy anyway and not someone Seattle could count on.  Zach Miller is adequate at tight end. The Seahawks offensive line is decent but sometimes is made to look better than they really are because of Wilson's scrambling abilities. The most important offensive line position, left tackle, is always in doubt for the Seahawks because Russell Okung can never stay healthy. If the Seahawks repeat it will be because of their defense. They did lose some pieces this off-season, like Chris Clemons, Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond but that is normal to have happen to the core of a Super Bowl winning team. They locked up S Earl Thomas and CB Dick Sherman so the secondary should remain excellent. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett do a nice job rushing the quarterback and are also helped by the stingy secondary. Special teams is a major strength for Seattle with strong performances always coming from kicker Steven Hauschka and punter Jon Ryan. Recent Super Bowl winners have a had a tough time following up their Super Bowl winning seasons with success. I think that hangover effect will hit Seattle some but I still believe they will be a playoff team. It is hard when each week you become your opponent's biggest test and they always bring their A game against you. I think Marshawn Lynch will suffer a bit from his mini hold-out and I think the added pressure on Wilson will effect him.

Prediction: 10-6


3. St. Louis Rams

2013 Record: 7-9, last place NFC West
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher (3rd season St. Louis, 161-143-1 career)
Key Additions: LG Greg Robinson, QB Shaun Hill, WR Kenny Britt, DE/DT Alex Carrington
Key Losses: QB Kellen Clemens, G Harvey Dahl, CB Cortland Finnegan

2014 Outlook: The Rams showed flashes in 2013 of taking the next step to becoming a playoff team but were never able to string together enough consistent performances. That also encapsulates the career of QB Sam Bradford. Bradford was having a pretty strong season through 6 games last year, throwing 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. But he was then injured in a loss to Carolina, robbing him of the rest of his season. The biggest knock on Bradford has been his inability to get the ball downfield as he always has a very low yards per attempt average. I don't think Bradford's struggles can all be blamed on him though as the Rams front office has done a poor job of surrounding him with skill players. One positive on offense was the emergence of Zac Stacy at running back. Stacy emerged after Bradford went down, and prior to that the Rams had no running game to speak of. The Rams are very thin at wide receiver even after attempting to address the position the last few off-seasons. Tavon Austin had moments but overall didn't show himself to be worthy of a Top 10 pick. Bradford will be relying on no names Chris Givens and Austin Pettis, and hoping for a career resurrection from Kenny Britt. Tight end Jared Cook had a strong start to the season but then disappeared from the offense. The Rams have some good pieces on the offensive line, and added left guard Greg Robinson in the draft. If the Rams are to make the playoffs it will be on the strength of their defense. The Rams have one of the most fearsome front fours in football, anchored by Chris Long and Robert Quinn, while defensive tackle Michael Brockers had 5 1/2 sacks last season. They are also strong at linebacker with James Laurinaitis. Where the Rams did have problems on defense was in their secondary, so they said goodbye to Cortland Finnegan, and are hopeful that corners Tanoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson are the answers. St. Louis has a strong punter/kicker combination with Greg Zeurlein and Johnny Hekker. Austin is a dangerous punt returner as well for St. Louis. I think the Rams have taken on the personality of their coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher is constantly overrated as a coach and largely had produced mediocre results throughout his career. People keep waiting for the Rams to break out but they keep churning out 7 to 8 win seasons. I expect another average year from the Rams, as the defense isn't good enough overall to make up for the underwhelming offense.

Prediction: 8-8


4. Arizona Cardinals

2013 Record: 10-6, 3rd place NFC West
Head Coach: Bruce Arians (2nd season Arizona, 19-9 career)
Key Additions: S Deone Bucannon, TE Troy Niklas, RB Jonathan Dwyer, WR Ted Ginn Jr., TE John Carlson, LT Jared Veldheer, CB Antonio Cromartie
Key Losses: RB Rashard Mendenhall, WR Andre Roberts, OT Eric Winston, ILB Karlos Dansby, ILB Jasper Brinkley, S Jeremiah Bell, KR Javier Arenas

2014 Outlook: Going 10-6 wasn't enough and Arizona was the best team to miss the playoffs last season. QB Carson Palmer was slightly above average and threw too many interceptions but he was a far better option at quarterback than the Cardinals had had since the Kurt Warner era ended. Rashard Mendenhall retired, which was good because it will stop Bruce Arians from using him more than the much more talented Andre Ellington. Arians refused to incorporate Ellington more into the gameplan, and kept giving the ball to Mendenhall who barely averaged above 3 yards a carry. Mendenhall's exit should also allow the Cardinals to get a better look at second year back Stepfan Taylor. Palmer's presence was show in the reemergence of Larry Fitzgerald as a top flight wide receiver. Fitzgerald's receiving yards were down but he had 10 touchdowns and 82 catches. Michael Floyd began to emerge as a star last year, which isn't surprising to me as someone who watched him plenty in college. The Cardinals added another former Fighting Irish, Troy Niklas in the draft and he has already earned the starting tight end position. Free agent Jared Veldheer and 2013 first round draft pick Jonathan Cooper figure to improve the offensive line, which is the most important area on the Cardinals since Carson Palmer is a statue in the pocket. Cooper missed the entire 2013 season so this year will make up for his lost rookie season. The Cardinals defense features some exciting pieces but also some players whose best days seem behind them. Darnell Dockett basically showed up for one game last season, recording 3 sacks, but only finished with 4 1/2 on the season. The Cardinals also have question marks at linebacker. John Abraham could face a suspension for a DUI, and they already lost Daryl Washington for the season due to a drug suspension. Larry Foote is getting up there in age and may not have much left in the tank. Where the Cardinals are very strong is in their secondary. They just re-upped Patrick Petersen to a big, long term contract, and added Antonio Cromartie via free agency. Tryann Mathieu looks like he was a steal after a strong rookie campaign at safety. Those three should provide plenty of help for rookie safety Deone Buccanon. Jay Feely and Dave Zastudil make for a pretty decent combo on special teams. Ted Ginn was also signed and should bolster the Cardinals return game. In any other division the Cardinals might be a playoff team, but to me, they are the fourth best team in a loaded division. I would be shocked if Palmer gets through the entire season unscathed and if he doesn't that would mean turning to Drew Stanton. I expect a slight regression from last season and another playoff season of sitting home for Arizona.

Prediction: 7-9