The Separation Of Powers In The AFC.

The Separation Of Powers In The AFC.

A difference season, same old names at the top of the race to the super bowl in the AFC. With all due respect to the Houston Texans ( go ing on their third starting QB, the Oakland Raiders, coming out of a vary weak AFC west division ) the same old names ( New England Patriots, Pittsburg Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens ) pop up as the only real relevant teams that will represent the AFC in super bowl 46. Taking nothing away from the Cincinnati Bengals ( just to young a year or two away, or the Tennessee Titans they don't have enough to get there, and the New York Jets coach Rex Ryan can't talk this team into the title game this season ) you will see one of theses mainstays in this year's world championship game.

This season's AFC has had it's share of surprising teams. Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, oh and yes the Tebow led Denver Broncos. All great story's however by the end of the season this will be nothing more than a good read. It is aways said the cream rises to the top. And like always the Patriots, Steelers, and Ravens seem to be the same teams in the mix at the end of the season vying from home field advantage and that prize trip to the super bowl.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Will there be a surprise team in the NFL in the 2011 season?

Will there be a surprise team in the NFL in the 2011 season?

Every season in the NFL there's a team or two that steps up to have that dream season that no one saw coming, which teams will make their mark on the 2011 season. In the 2009 season it was the New York Jets with their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez going to the AFC championship game that caught everyone by surprise. In 2010 the Kansas City Chiefs had that season no one saw coming, winning ten games taking the AFC west division before bowing out in the first round round of the playoffs.

The Jets used a stifling defense and a great running attack, some timely passing and their cocky coach ( Rex Ryan ) to take heat off his young team to as they made their run. Kansas City had the great fortune Of playing in a division with the San Diego Chargers, hands down the best team in the division ( the number one team in the NFL on both sides of the ball ) but found ways with bad special team's play to lose game after game last season. It's not that the Chiefs didn't play well, they ran they ball extremely well. And with veteran QB Matt Cassel managing the offense, the Chiefs took advantage of the Chargers shote play.

With the lack of offseason praperatetion I'm finding it hard coming with any surprise teams coming into the 2011 season. So I have two 6 & 10 teams from last season that no one would be surprise if they made noise this season and made the playoff. The Detroit Lions and The Houston Texans had surprising season's in 2010. One ( the Lions ) serve notice they were doormats no more, the other ( the Texans ) fell flat on their faces after a dominating win in their opening game with the division champ's Indianapolis Colts.

Both the Lions and the Texans are in prime positions to take one of the six playoff spots this season in their perspective conferences, however with a history of losing in their background, taking that next step will take more than just wishful thinking. The Texans may never get a better chance at winning their division, with the Colts hall of fame quarterback Payton Manning career in limbo with a neck injury that will prohibit him from starting the season. And as Tennessee and Jacksonville go thought a rebuilding mode, anything other than a division title will be a felled season for the Texans.

The Detroit Lions on the other hand will be sneaking up on no-one this coming season, which mean's if there is a playoff spot in their future they will have to go out and earn it. The Lions unlike the Texans don't have a division for taking, with the division champ's ( Chicago Bears) and the super bowl champ's ( Green Bay Packers ) in the mix, a wild card spot seem to be their only way into the playoff's. While I do see the Bear's taking a few steps backward, I feel the Packers are just to high a mountain for them to climb.

Lion's fans must also remember if you give into the fact that ( the Packers will win the NFC north, the Eagles in the east, the Rams or Cards in the west, and the Saints or Falcons in the south ) they will need to compete with 4 maybe 5 teams for two wild card spots. ( the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the loser of the south, and maybe the Chicago Bears in their own division ) I believe the Lions in my opinion can be as good if not better than any of theses teams, but it all come down to the quarterback position. If Matthew Stafford can stay on the field for a whole season with the talent they have on both sides of the ball, the Lions may roar into the playoff's.

The fact that the NFL season is starting on time will be the only surprise fans can look forward to this coming season.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com

Five coaches who might not make it through the 2011 season

Five coaches who might not make it through the 2011 season

One might think The NFL lockout will force GM's around the league to take a more patient approach with coaches this upcoming 2011 season. With no ability to have contact with players this offseason, no rookies camps and very little time to game plan for this coming season. If there was ever a time for coaches to get a pass, this in my opinion would be the season coaches should feel secure in knowing their jobs are safe. However as we learn through out this offseason NFL football is big business so here is my list of five coaches on the hot seat going in to the 2011 NFL season.

Lovie Smith Chicago Bears
Andy Reid Philadelphia Eagles
Marvin Lewis Cincinnati Bengals
Gary Kubiak Houston Texans
Tony Sparano Miami Dolphins

These five coaches fair or not are sitting in the hot seat this coming season. Fans in Chicago are wondering out loud why Lovie got a new contract after the whole NFC championship meltdown. There's is no room for failure here, so if the Bears get off to a slow start a new contract might not save Lovie's job. In Philadelphia Andy Reid put his-self in the hot seat with the Kevin Kolb situation, and now that they have gone all in with their free agent signings there is no grace period for Reid. If the Eagles by the halfway point of the season are sitting at 500 Philly fans will be calling for Reid's head and they just might get it.

Why Marvin Lewis is still coaching in the NFL blow me away. This is a coach who has had no control of his team in years. Even knowing this team is in a rebuilding mode, Cincinnati fans may start calling for a new head coach to go along with it's group of talented players from this year's draft. In Houston Gary Kubiak has come to a make or break point of his head coaching career. Coming to the Texans in 2006 as one of the most sought after assistant coaches in some time, Kubiak has not live up to the billing with 9&7 being his best season and no playoff appearances a bad start to this season could bring early changes in Houston. There's very little I can say about Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano that has not already been said, Lame duck coach with a lame team to coach. If he make it through the season it would be a miracle. It's hard taking control of a team knowing ownership try everything they could not to bring you back. Miami is a hot mess and Dolphin's fans can't fire their team owner, however they may be the first fan base to see their coach fire this coming season.

Brought to by: AJ Jones from Cambridge
"Let's Talk Football" Visit- www.ajstakeontheNFL.blogspot.com