Cincinnati Bengals.. Who is your team?

[Bonzi_Wells]

What record do you think they will have this year, and why?

Let's all be sport writers for a day in honor of our (second) favorite sport besides basketball

Cincinnati Bengals are my team. They have been since the Superbowl in 1980-81 because I wanted to pick a team that was against my dad because I was mad at him for some reason or another (kids eh?) anyway, they lost, and I cried. What a way to pick a favorite team though isn't it? hehe..

This year I think they will get the wildcard at 10-6. We will start strong this year rather than start slow, and come on late.

QB- Carson Palmer will show you his worth this year. He had a slow start but until injured he had averaged a 97 point QB rating in the last 6 games he had started. Plus we have Kitna backing him up. He is better than a lot of starters out there!
RATE 8.5-10

RB- Rudi Johnson Rudi, RUDI, RUDI! Yah, no scares here. Rudi, and Chris Perry are back there. Nothing to worry about. EXCEPT if Rudi goes down, because PERRY IS ALWAYS INJURED
RATE 8-10

WR- Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Peter Warrick, Chris Henry Well, this has to be one of the deepest, and most talented WR core in the league.
RATE 8.5-10

Defense- Well. This is where the Bengals need to improve in which drafting Odell Thurman, and David Pollack SHOULD improve them mildly this year, and more so down the road. They will still give up the big plays this year, and probally 20+ ppg, but HOPEFULLY the offense will kick into gear.
RATE 6-10

Hopefully Marvin Lewis and the rest of the staff will whip these guys into shape and come out of this year with a playoff berth, and the first winning season in a looooong time.. The last I believe was 1991.. Yikes, been so long I forgot!

 

[captain bill]

10-6 is awefully optimistic, especially with their schedule. Weeks 7-13: Pittsburgh, GB, @Baltimore, Bye, Indy, Baltimore, @Pittsburgh. Granted there's a bye in there and a lot of home games, but that won't win them any favors against Peyton or the Baltimore D. Right before, in weeks 5 or 6, they face none too shabby teams in Jacksonville and Tennessee. They may be as good as 10-6 against a completely level playing field (say, throw in the massive quantity of middling NFC teams rather than the slate they with Minny and GB). But in their division and with their matchups, 9-7 or 8-8 is a stretch. It could be argued that they are better than that record, but their opponent aren't going to give them a chance to show it.

I am a Niners fan. And the Niners suck. I was in Candlestick when Arizona came to town, and I hope to be there again. So I'm going to go out on a limb and double their win total from last year. 4-12. Too much youth on this team, and all the vets can hardly play, for lack of talent, age, or injury. I expect us to gradually improve over the next 5 years, but the way things are going I'm not expecting anything huge. I would actually welcome another #1 pick. Grab Leinert, trade Rogers? Or trade that pick for a haul of talent. If we do get respectable and York blows this team up again, I will be done as a fan until he leaves.

 

[Grobar]

bears fan. the city of broken dreams all the way baby!! i'm optimistic for the bears this season. we have a lot of depth, a healthy defence that was one of the better ones with key pieces missing. our offense is only going to get better, and we just beat the fish in the HOF game!

 

[hoopsfan]

Vikings fan. Just a guess...even without Moss, they're defense is much better.11-5 or better...

 

[captain bill]

bears fan. the city of broken dreams all the way baby!! i'm optimistic for the bears this season. we have a lot of depth, a healthy defence that was one of the better ones with key pieces missing. our offense is only going to get better, and we just beat the fish in the HOF game!

Hah. The offense is only going to get better, right. I'll believe that when I see it. And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to put too much stock in any preseason games. GB and Minny will beat the snot out of them. Minny especially- even if Chicago's offense got marginally better, the Vikings' D is improved tremendously. Maybe you mean 'optimistic' in the way that I'm optimistic that the Niners can win more than 4 games. But if you're thinking playoffs, I say to you, ha.

 

[Fillmoe]

chad johnson and peter warrick.... LOVE THEM DUDES!

 

[FrenchCanadianKING]

Tampa Bay Bucs

7-7

Cadillac for Rookie of the Year!

 

[Fillmoe]

I am a Niners fan. And the Niners suck. I was in Candlestick when Arizona came to town, and I hope to be there again. So I'm going to go out on a limb and double their win total from last year. 4-12. Too much youth on this team, and all the vets can hardly play, for lack of talent, age, or injury. I expect us to gradually improve over the next 5 years, but the way things are going I'm not expecting anything huge. I would actually welcome another #1 pick. Grab Leinert, trade Rogers? Or trade that pick for a haul of talent. If we do get respectable and York blows this team up again, I will be done as a fan until he leaves.

we drafted Smith playa

 

[thesanityannex]

San Diego Chargers. 13-3. AFC Champs.


QB:Brees, enough said, most improved QB in the last 20 years. Stronger arm this year and more knowledge.
RB:Tomlinson, I have nothing to say.
WR:McCardell and Parker, excellent tandem.
TE:Antonio Gates, can I get a Tony Gonzales who!
DEFENSE:A much improved pass defense over last year.

 

[Kings10Bibby]

I'm a huge Giants fan since i was born. Had one of the NYG highchair QB bibs. I say that we will go 9-7 this year and be in contention for the wild card and may miss it by a game or two.

QB- Eli Manning - Had a bad couple of games and went 1-5 in 6 starts and had a td/int ratio of 6/9. i think all of that was behind him and for him to end the season on a big game winning drive that he helped make really helped his confidence. he seems really dedicated to becoming the best he can be as he cancelled a vacation to better himself in becoming a better qb. he even called out his own TE to tell him to get to the practice field so he and him could develope a chemistry. I know he has a little bit to go but he's trying to cut that time down tremendously.
8-10

RB- Tiki Barber - Had a monster season last year and was one of the top backs in the league. i can only see him keeping up that pace and carrying the giants in some tough close games. He should help and relieve some pressure off of eli.
9-10

WR- Plaxico Burress - One of the big pickups for the Giants in the offseason. he helps us in giving good depth at WR. He'll be a great target for eli to throw to with his speed and height. i hope to see alot of TDs from Eli to Plax that are just floated up there for only him to get.
8-10

TE - Jeremy Shockey - Alot of people said he had an off year when he actually lead the Giants in TDs with 6 and was second in recieving yards with 666 yds. With all his training down in Miami alot of people are saying he's in the best shape of his career right now. Now that him and Eli are practicing together to help develope a chemistry i see many good things to come from him. while sometimes his big mouth gets himself in trouble and gives him too much to live up to, you cant count out his fireyness to try and pump up the team. we need him this year to give Eli some options to throw to
8-10

Defense - I think this is where we may lose a few games because of some defensive lapses. I know we have Strahan coming back off of injury but his age is getting up there, i just hope this season that the defense can help out the offense when and if it has its struggles
7-10

i think we will finish again in 2nd in the division behind the eagles. i feel dallas is still a few years away and bledsoe is not the answer no matter what chemistry he and the tuna have. the redskins i think will be either tied with dallas or above dallas by a game this year. Their quarterback situation is still in question and is moos really much of an upgrade over coles?

 

[captain bill]

we drafted Smith playa

oops. total brain fart right there. yeah, trade smith and draft leinart after we tank another season. there we go.

 

[captain bill]

Tampa Bay Bucs

7-7

Cadillac for Rookie of the Year!

Apparently, a hurricane stikes Florida, forcing the NFL to cancel two of the Bucs home games. Or weeks 16 and 17 are just too close to call, I guess.

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

Apparently, a hurricane stikes Florida, forcing the NFL to cancel two of the Bucs home games. Or weeks 16 and 17 are just too close to call, I guess.

lol thats what i was thinking too...

anyways, I'm a Raiders fan, I'll try my hand at this writing thing, it IS what i want to do when i grow up, should be good practice

QB - Kerry Collins is not the most talented quarterback in the league by almost any means, but with the long-ball system Norv Turner and Al Davis have implemented, Collins should do well. With a high powered group of receivers and a hopeful run game, look for a good year from Collins, especially if his very talented offensive line plays to their ability. Collins might feel some pressure, with longtime backup Marquis Tuiasosopo looking over his shoulder for a sign of injury.
8/10

RB - LaMont Jordan is looking to show everyone that he CAN pull the weight of being the feature back. He is exactly what the Raiders need to balance the long-ball, pass offense. He will also get help from a third-year wunderkind of sorts in Justin Fargas and a good duo of fullbacks in Chris Hetherington and Zach Crocket. Also, don't count J.R. Niklos out, he may suprise you.
8.5/10

WR - Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry, and Co. are all ready and raring to get down the field and score some touchdowns. Defenses will surely focus on Moss, and will deffinetly not leave Porter out of double coverage consideration. They better be careful, Curry could very well be what Porter was to the Raider team that got to the Superbowl. Whats more, they also have speedster Carlos Francis, fellow youngster Johny Morant, playmaker Doug Gabriel, and potential TD machine Alvis Whitted. This is arguably the deepest and most talented group or receivers in the league.
10/10

Defense - Ranked almost last in many statistical categories last year as far as defense goes, this team will deffinetly need to step it up. With added line help and more developed young players, the defensive line will look to put pressure on the quarterback to help the defensive backs out. Warren Sapp's involvment is key, but Tommy Kelly may prove to be even better. A much strengthened cornerback core and added safeties make the backs look better than next year. If only they can stay healthy. And lastly, the linebackers. They will be the weakness if there is one on this defense. Former and current DEs will need to be quick and tough at OLB, and veterans such as Travian Smith and Danny Clark will need to lead like never before.
7-8.5/10

Looking at the schedule, I see this team going somewhere between 9-7 and hopefully 11-5. Either will be a vast improvement from the last few years' moratorium, and a wonderful building block for the years ahead.

 

[kings52/23]

49er fan here and im guessing we double our record for last season

 

[mcsluggo]

Redskins fan here.

They will suck. Therefore, I'm not interested in all this bogus football talk. ;(

 

[iheartBrad]

DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FAN

I see our record being somewhere in between 10-6 - 12-4

We obviously are going to miss guys like Ted and Teddy as far as consistency and leadership but even with all the players that we've lost this season I think we still have a great team to put out on the field...its not gonna be as easy going as the last two seasons but I think we'll be okay

GO PATS!!

 

[Kings10Bibby]

it hink you lost some of your coaching staff as well. weis went to ND and i think you lost you D-coordinator. Still think you'll have a good season. as long as you keep beating the jets and keep them as wildcard contenders i'll be happy.

 

[iheartBrad]

^Giants fan..?

Yeah I was gonna mention the loss of Romeo and Weis...I think I forgot to mention it...that probably the thing that worries me the most but like I said I think we'll be okay

 

[thesanityannex]

I'm a huge Giants fan since i was born. Had one of the NYG highchair QB bibs. I say that we will go 9-7 this year and be in contention for the wild card and may miss it by a game or two.

QB- Eli Manning - Had a bad couple of games and went 1-5 in 6 starts and had a td/int ratio of 6/9. i think all of that was behind him and for him to end the season on a big game winning drive that he helped make really helped his confidence. he seems really dedicated to becoming the best he can be as he cancelled a vacation to better himself in becoming a better qb. he even called out his own TE to tell him to get to the practice field so he and him could develope a chemistry. I know he has a little bit to go but he's trying to cut that time down tremendously.
8-10

I will be waiting for opening day when Eli Manning takes the field at Qualcomm and is welcomed by 50,000 boo's. Down with Manning, he made it personal. The irony of their records was even funnier.

 

[Gary]

Wow a lot of different fans here!!

I don't know about those Giants ratings.

A little high for Eli, and the WR core?

 

[Fillmoe]

all i have to say is watch out for the dude Frank Gore..... hes gonna be a beast!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kings10Bibby]

Wow a lot of different fans here!!

I don't know about those Giants ratings.

A little high for Eli, and the WR core?

i was rating more on importance to our season. if it was just rating i think eli would be at 7 along with the wr core.

 

[Kings10Bibby]

I will be waiting for opening day when Eli Manning takes the field at Qualcomm and is welcomed by 50,000 boo's. Down with Manning, he made it personal. The irony of their records was even funnier.

Chargers fan eh? i'd see why you'd be so hateful towards him. i wasnt fan of the whole "i want to go to NY" thing. the chargers should have just kept him then no moatter if he was happy or not. now your stuck with Rivers as a backup. i'd add a veteran backup qb just in case brees goes down b/c didnt he play last year with a seperated shoulder?

 

[thesanityannex]

Chargers fan eh? i'd see why you'd be so hateful towards him. i wasnt fan of the whole "i want to go to NY" thing. the chargers should have just kept him then no moatter if he was happy or not. now your stuck with Rivers as a backup. i'd add a veteran backup qb just in case brees goes down b/c didnt he play last year with a seperated shoulder?

I would take P.Rivers over Whiny Eli any day. Once he said no to S.D., it was personal. My dislike for Eli Manning is equal to my dislike for the Lakers, which is a lot. Anyways, I think Rivers will still be a better pick in the long run. On the note of a separated shoulder, I find it hard to put up stats like Brees did with a separated shoulder.

One of the areas that Brees showed the most improvement in 2004 was inside the “Gold Zone” (20-yard line). His 114.7 passer rating in the Gold Zone was second in the NFL behind Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb (118.0). Brees’ 114.7 rating in 2004, when he completed 40 of 60 for 352 yards with 20 touchdowns and one interception, showed an increase of 64.7 points over his Gold Zone rating in 2003, when he was just 19 of 47 for 104 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions for a rating of 50.0.

 

[TheRaven]

oops. total brain fart right there. yeah, trade smith and draft leinart after we tank another season. there we go.

Can't really do that. I am no cap guru, but as I understand it, for contract purposes Smith's large signing bonus is split up over the first several years of his rookie contract. This is standard practice for rookie bonuses. If he was traded next season the salary cap hit of his contract is "accelerated", meaning the amount of the bonuses hit the cap that season. That would leave the 49ers back where they started a few season ago in "cap hell" with a large amount of money counting against the salary cap for a player who no longer plays for the team anymore. That is one of the reasons the Chargers would not trade Phillip Rivers (the other being that they want to see if Brees was a one year wonder of course) even if they wanted to.

We are stuck with Smith, for better or worse, for at least 3-4 seasons. By then (barring injuries) we should be able to make a call on whether he has developed into a solid player or star (which I think he will), or has flopped.

I think the 49ers will have an interesting year. I say they get 5 wins but will struggle with their inexperience. If Smith starts, he will likely look a good bit like Eli did last year at first, making mistakes and tossing some picks. Smith is a quick learner though so if he is starting still during the mid-late season I think he will start showing flashes of why he was the #1 pick. This is a growing year for them where they let the rooks and young guys get comfortable starting to prepare for a couple years down the road when we hopefully should be ready for a SB run.

 

[captain bill]

okay, so tank another season, shouldn't be too hard, and trade away the no 1 pick. lots and lots of teams will be just drooling at the prospect of drafting matt leinart, and we should be more than happy to entertain whatever offers they want to give us.

 

[Kings10Bibby]

I would take P.Rivers over Whiny Eli any day. Once he said no to S.D., it was personal. My dislike for Eli Manning is equal to my dislike for the Lakers, which is a lot. Anyways, I think Rivers will still be a better pick in the long run. On the note of a separated shoulder, I find it hard to put up stats like Brees did with a separated shoulder.

One of the areas that Brees showed the most improvement in 2004 was inside the “Gold Zone” (20-yard line). His 114.7 passer rating in the Gold Zone was second in the NFL behind Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb (118.0). Brees’ 114.7 rating in 2004, when he completed 40 of 60 for 352 yards with 20 touchdowns and one interception, showed an increase of 64.7 points over his Gold Zone rating in 2003, when he was just 19 of 47 for 104 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions for a rating of 50.0.

i think the signing of p. rivers lit a fire under brees.

 

[thesanityannex]

i think the signing of p. rivers lit a fire under brees.

i don't think it lit a fire under his arse, i think he just pulled his head out of his arse.

 

[Grobar]

okay, so tank another season, shouldn't be too hard, and trade away the no 1 pick. lots and lots of teams will be just drooling at the prospect of drafting matt leinart, and we should be more than happy to entertain whatever offers they want to give us.

hate that kind of attitude in fans. i'm all for looking at the big picture, and god knows as a bears fan i've lived through years and years of futility, but when a fan says that their team should tank this season to get better the next, its like a stake through the heart. football is about heart and passion, you root for your team to win now, even if they suck. if they're giving it their all and still losing, then hooray for your plan, but to starting thinkin like this in preseason is just complete bs. that's the way i was brought up to play and think.

 

[SLAB]

49er's fan here...

And I say anywhere from 4-12 to 6-10.

QB: I say Alex Smith will take the starters job, and be relativly consistent...The problem is our recievers are still extremly young/underdeveloped.

WR: Brandon Lloyd, I think, will have his breakout year. After underwhelming me last year, he will fulfill some the potential he shows, and be catching most of what Smith throws his way...Unfortunatly, Battle, Woods, Fleck, and Hamilton will not be anything to write home about...Morton will be nothing more than a slightly better Curtis Conway.

TE: Eric Johnson will stay the same. He will be one of the better tight ends in the game, until he is overused, as he is one of the 9ers' only recieving threats, get injured, and be shut out the rest of the year.

Def: I think the defense will be the suprising part of this team...With the new 3-4 look, all the 9ers' LB's will get a chance to showcase their skills...Jamie Winborn will break out, and have a monster year, and Peterson will recover, and look great...The secondary will probably be torched on a usuall basis, but they will be a year more expirenced, and be mch better than last years version.