{"id":174,"date":"2009-02-26T12:01:36","date_gmt":"2009-02-26T17:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=174"},"modified":"2009-12-11T13:10:25","modified_gmt":"2009-12-11T18:10:25","slug":"the-official-nfl-preview-bsb-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=174","title":{"rendered":"The Official NFL Preview: BSB-Style (Recap)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As our loyal readers know, we here at BSB do our season previews a little bit differently than any old sports blog.\u00a0 We have a contest, between Doogan and Bry, that is structured around whether we believe a each NFL team is better or worse than they were a year ago, and how confident we are in those predictions.\u00a0 It is set up like a draft with all 32 teams in the hopper, and we go in order, selecting the teams we have the most (or least) confidence in their level of improvement (or regression).\u00a0 For a better understanding of the system, feel free to check out either our NBA preview <\/a>or our MLB preview<\/a>, complete with midseason updates and, for the NBA, the final standings.\u00a0 So, without further ado, we will begin our NFL preview.\u00a0 Since Doogan had first choice for MLB, Bry will start the NFL.\u00a0 [NOTE:\u00a0The tiebreaker usually does not come into play in the NBA or MLB, but it is certainly something to watch out for in the NFL.\u00a0 We do not have “pushes,” so if the team matches their total from last year, the person who selects them loses the bet, regardless of the direction they chose.\u00a0 For instance, if you select the Eagles and the OVER, they have to win MORE than 8 games for you to get credit for that selection.]<\/p>\n

So, now we are finished a pretty exciting NFL season, in which some teams made MONUMENTAL changes from a year ago.\u00a0 In fact, I cannot remember an NFL season that was so different from the one directly preceding it.\u00a0 Anyway, here we go with the final scoring of our annual “Preview Game – NFL.”\u00a0 As usual, the updates will be in italics, directly following the pick itself–that was made before the season started.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 1.\u00a0 New England Patriots – UNDER 16 wins:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is not exactly because I believe that the Patriots will take a large step backwards.\u00a0\u00a0Though I do feel that they are not nearly as good as they were a year ago, I still think that they are at least among the best two or three teams in the NFL.\u00a0 I just do not think they have a chance to go 16-0 again, even if they had the EXACT same team as a year ago.\u00a0 But, they do not.\u00a0 There are serious questions in the secondary and not-as-serious questions about the healthy of one Tom Brady.\u00a0 Lord knows if Brady is hurt, even for one quarter, this will probably be the easiest prediction in the league.<\/p>\n

11-5, CORRECT\u00a0(bry 1 – doogan 0).\u00a0 As Bry claimed, this was one of the easiest picks on the board–and it was made significantly easier when the\u00a0forecast came true and\u00a0Brady went down in Week 1, though I do not think the Pats would have made the “mistake” of going 16-0 again, regardless of Tom Terrific’s health.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 2. Miami Dolphins – OVER 1 win: <\/strong>I don’t think I need much analysis here.\u00a0 I’d love to know when\u00a0was the last time a team failed to win more than 1 game in consecutive years (I’m thinking the Bucs in the 70’s?).\u00a0 An experienced quarterback\u00a0like Chad Pennington should be good for at least 3 W’s.<\/p>\n

11-5, CORRECT (doogan 1 – bry 1).\u00a0 This actually turned out to be the best pick, as the Dolphins made a TEN-GAME TURNAROUND, with much to do with Chad.\u00a0 There was little to believe that they wouldn’t win 2 games, but ELEVEN?<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 3. New York Jets – OVER 4 wins: <\/strong>Looks like all the gimmies are in the AFC East.\u00a0 This would be an easy pick even before Mr. Favre came aboard because this team under-achieved last year and has\u00a0made numerous\u00a0improvements, including\u00a0solidifying the O-line with Alan Faneca and Damien Woody.<\/p>\n

9-7, CORRECT (doogan 2 – bry 1).\u00a0 Another very solid pick in the early-going, as the Jets were actually 9-3 at one point.\u00a0 They had a terrible finish and fired their coach, but certainly improved over last year’s 4-win season.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 4. Green Bay Packers – UNDER 13 wins: <\/strong>Don’t get me wrong, I actually think Aaron Rodgers is going to have a very, very good year.\u00a0 I think this team is a legit playoff team, probably the favorite in the NFC North again, and maybe even good enough to earn a bye.\u00a0 I see 10 or 11 wins, even without that other guy (what’s his name again?).\u00a0 In fact, with their defense and weapons on offense, they are one of the two or three best teams in the NFC, and it wouldn’t be a big surprise to me to see them in the Super Bowl.\u00a0 However, I think 13 wins is just a really tall order, especially with an improved division.\u00a0 PS…Doogan, good choices with the AFC East teams, especially since they get a real break on their schedules, playing the two Western divisions.<\/p>\n

6-10, CORRECT (bry 2 – doogan 2).\u00a0 Though a lot of this analysis wasn’t very good, Bry did get the important one right, in that the Packers would win fewer than 13 games.\u00a0 He was also right about the fact that the quarterback would not be the reason for their downfall.\u00a0 He was pretty good–the rest of the team was not.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 5. New Orleans Saints – OVER 7 wins: <\/strong>I was going for Green Bay next also, so it looks like we’re thinking alike so far.\u00a0 The Saints are a popular pick to turn things around this year, so I’m going to jump on that bandwagon.\u00a0 They definitely should have one of the top offenses in the league and the defense isn’t completely incompetent.\u00a0 They finished strong last year, they have a healthy Deuce McAllister coming into the year, and they’ve added Jeremy Shockey to the attack.\u00a0 A pretty easy schedule will also help to give them at least 11 wins this year, I think.<\/p>\n

8-8, CORRECT (doogan 3 – bry 2).\u00a0 While the 11-win prediction feel dangerously short of losing the pick, outright, the Saints did eke out 8 wins and get Doogan the point for this pick.\u00a0 We are 5-5 so far, but it only gets harder.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 6. Cleveland Browns – UNDER 10 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Last year’s surprise story is probably going to come back to the pack this year.\u00a0 Not only do I believe that Derek Anderson is going to return to back-up quality starting quarterbacking (so much so that Brady Quinn will probably be in there by Week 9), but I also believe that Jamal Lewis will revert back to his washed-up status and Braylon Edwards will be all alone.\u00a0 That and a ridiculously difficult schedule (they add easily the two best divisions in football–AFC South and NFC East–to an already pretty difficult divisional schedule).\u00a0 It sounds, to me, like a 6 or 7 win team this year, and certainly not 10.<\/p>\n

4-12, CORRECT (bry 3 – doogan 3).\u00a0 They were even worse than Bry predicted, and nowhere near their 10-6 season of a year ago.\u00a0 This is a bad team, with very little on the horizon–unless you believe in The Mighty Quinn.\u00a0\u00a0Six straight, we are on a roll.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 7. Chicago Bears – UNDER 7 wins: <\/strong>A few days ago, I was actually surprised to see that the Bears are pretty huge underdogs to the Colts for this week’s game.\u00a0 Then I took a look\u00a0at the players they’re running out there on the offensive side of the ball, and it became very clear to me that this team will be BAD.\u00a0 Really, the lack of talent at the skill positions on offense is staggering, unless you really think that Devin Hester can turn into a game-breaking wide out, which is certainly possible, but I have to think there’s a reason he hasn’t played there over the first couple years of his career.\u00a0 A good defense won’t be enough to offset the completely punchless offense and these guys are headed for 4-5 wins, and Lovie Smith is headed for unemployment.<\/p>\n

9-7, WRONG (doogan 3 – bry 4).\u00a0 First blood is drawn, as Doogan gets his Bears-under pick wrong.\u00a0 Though, honestly, it seems like they did do it with smoke-and-mirrors, so Doogan’s pick doesn’t look that bad, even though they were two games better than last year.\u00a0 I don’t really know how they did it, in retrospect.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 8. New York Giants – UNDER 10 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>If we were taking an over-under on the season, in general, this would have been my #1 pick.\u00a0 I think that the Patriots have a better chance of going 16-0 in the regular season than the Giants do of winning another Super Bowl.\u00a0 In fact, I think this “flash in the pan” team of a year ago may lose double-digits this year.\u00a0 After all, Eli is still their quarterback.\u00a0 On a totally unrelated note, I hate the Giants <\/a>more than North Korea, the Republican party, or even malaria.<\/p>\n

WRONG (bry 4 – doogan 4).\u00a0 And we’re tied again, as karma catches up with Bry and his hatred of the Giants.\u00a0 Though, he was right about the main point, in that the Giants did not win the Super Bowl again.\u00a0 Though, the double-figure loss prediction…well…uh…that was, uh, not exactly dead-on.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 9. Philadelphia Eagles – OVER 8 wins: <\/strong>And on that note, I’m pleased to make this completely unbiased pick.\u00a0 I’ve now seen numerous experts that have picked the Birds to win the NFC, and I’m really not inclined to argue with them about that.\u00a0 After all, I’m not the expert, they are.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 I’m sure we’ll discuss this team more in the coming days\/weeks, but I think 10 wins is well within their reach, and if they stay healthy and\u00a0get some breaks, they could definitely win more than that.<\/p>\n

9-6-1, CORRECT (doogan 5 – bry 4).\u00a0 The “completely unbiased pick” came through for Doogan, though it wasn’t looking good around Thanksgiving.\u00a0 The Eagles rallied, won the Wild Card and beat the Giants in the playoffs.\u00a0 One more time–they beat the Giants in the playoffs.\u00a0 Awesome!\u00a0 I think we’re all happy to hear that and to see Doogan win this point.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 10. Oakland Raiders – OVER 4 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Since Doogan took my next “objective” pick, I will go with one that actually is devoid of emotion.\u00a0 The Raiders have to be better than they were last year, right?\u00a0 They have a full year with JaMarcus Russell and they have a highly-touted running back, and, as we saw last year in Minnesota, rookie running backs don’t need much time to make an impact.\u00a0 Plus, to match their four wins of last year, they would only need to avoid losing to Kansas City, Atlanta, and Miami.\u00a0 I think they will get those 4 and at least one more.<\/p>\n

5-11, CORRECT (bry 5 – doogan 5).\u00a0 Well, it is debatable as to whether the Raiders were “better than they were last year,” but it is a fact that they won one more game this year.\u00a0 And, that one game?\u00a0 Well, it just happened to be Week 17, on the road, against the Tampa Bay Bucs, catapulting the Eagles into the most unlikely of playoff appearances.\u00a0 And, who did they beat in the playoffs, again?\u00a0 Oh, right the Vikings and then some blue team from up north somewhere.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 11. Minnesota Vikings – OVER 8 wins: <\/strong>This is just a good, solid team.\u00a0 They have a strong defense, a solid offensive line, a capable head coach, and a budding superstar in the backfield.\u00a0 They very well might get beat by the Packers on Monday night, but I think at the end of the season they’ll be atop the NFC North with about 11 wins.<\/p>\n

10-6, CORRECT (doogan 6 – bry 5).\u00a0 Excellent pick by Doogan here.\u00a0 He predicted 11 wins, got 10, and only needed 9.\u00a0 He was also right on about the Vikings winning the NFC North, behind their “budding star” in the backfield.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 12. Washington Redskins – UNDER 9 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Well, with the Vikings pick, we are officially into the “this-is-getting-difficult-way-earlier-than-I-expected” territory.\u00a0 So, I am going to go with a team that I don’t think is all that\u00a0good in one of the\u00a0two best divisions in football.\u00a0 I am not sold on Jason Campbell, and I’m even less sold on his wide receiver corps.\u00a0 I think their defense is average, at best.\u00a0 And, who the hell is Jim Zorn, anyway?\u00a0 All of this is a recipe for a sub-.500 team.\u00a0 Remember, they needed 4 straight at the end of the season last year, just to get to 9-7.<\/p>\n

8-8, CORRECT (bry 6 – doogan 6).\u00a0 By one game, Bry makes a nice pick here.\u00a0 Jason Campbell proved to be either “not there yet” or “not good” and, as predicted,\u00a0the receiving corps was rather pedestrian.\u00a0 Jim Zorn looked like a genius (just ask Mr. Portis) for about a month, and then he remembered that he was Jim Zorn.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 13. Buffalo Bills – OVER 7 wins:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is a young team with a lot of key players that gained valuable experience last year, namely quarterback Trent Edwards and running back Marshawn Lynch.\u00a0 With a favorable schedule, they should take second place in the AFC East and challenge for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

7-9, WRONG (doogan 6 – bry 7).\u00a0 This has got to be a pretty devastating point to lose for Doogan.\u00a0 He was pretty much right on with how he envisioned this team, but they simply imploded down the stretch, lost a slew of close games, finished 7-9, and cost Doogan a point.\u00a0 Ouch.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 14. Tennessee Titans – UNDER 10 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>If the NFC East is not the best division in football, the AFC South most certainly is.\u00a0 I don’t have any reasons why the Titans are any worse than they were a year ago, but I don’t think they had 10-win talent last year, and I still don’t.\u00a0 Vince Young, though the proverbial “winner,” probably won’t get them to double-digits again this year.<\/p>\n

13-3, WRONG (bry 7 – doogan 7).\u00a0 And, we are tied once again, after this simply atrocious pick by Bry.\u00a0 The only reason he gave for possibly getting this one wrong was the fact that Vince Young is a “winner.”\u00a0 Well, guess what?\u00a0 Vince Young is actually a lunatic and the Titans still finished three games BETTER than last year.\u00a0 Yeah, great pick here, genius.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 15. Detroit Lions – UNDER 7 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>I don’t have many reasons for this pick, but I think, in general, it’s a pretty great idea to bet against the Detroit Lions.\u00a0 Mike Martz is gone from the offense and, say what you want about the guy, his offenses put up points and they don’t necessarily need a running game to do it.\u00a0 Now he’s gone and Detroit still doesn’t have a running back they can rely on (there’s a reason the Bengals cut Rudi Johnson).\u00a0 So I expect the Lions to battle it out with the Bears for last place in the NFC North.<\/p>\n

0-16, WRONG (doogan 8 – bry 7).\u00a0 Doogan got this, well, rather comfortably.\u00a0 Looking back at the picks, it is telling that it took this long for us to go under 7 wins for the WORST TEAM IN NFL HISTORY.\u00a0 But, I think (and hope) that that says more about just how quickly the Lions went from mediocre to atrocious than it does about how quickly our picks took that same route.\u00a0 Either way, Doogan gets a pretty easy point and is back on track.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 16. Indianapolis Colts – UNDER 13 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>As good of an idea it is to bet against the Lions, it is just as bad of an idea to bet against the Colts, but I’m going to do it anyway.\u00a0 I still think they will make the playoffs and probably win 11 or 12 games, but I think that they are more likely to win 10 than they are to win 13, so I am going against them.\u00a0 I don’t really think that pros like Manning and Harrison will be affected by their offseason distractions (much different kinds of adventures, but still distracting nonetheless), but I do think that the strong division and relatively tough schedule has the Colts not winning 13 again.\u00a0 Yes, I also like to fire up Michael Stockman by picking against the Colts and Cardinals whenever I get the chance.<\/p>\n

12-4, CORRECT (bry 8 – doogan 8).\u00a0 If you had said that the Colts would have a 9-game winning streak and Peyton Manning would win the MVP, I think it would have been safe to say that Bry would have lost this pick, but somehow, he survived it, as the Colts lost the requisite four games in seven weeks.\u00a0 Oh, and the only thing better than firing up Mr. Stockman with an anti-Colts pick is when that anti-Colts pick turns out to be correct.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 17. San Diego Chargers – OVER 11 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>It’s always a little tough to pick a team to\u00a0hit the\u00a0over on a big number like 11, but the Chargers have a cake-walk of a schedule and, of course, are definitely a Top-5 team in terms of talent.\u00a0 The presence of Norv Turner is a concern, but if you look over the Charger schedule, it’s hard to find 5 games on it that they’ll lose, with or without Shawne Merriman.<\/p>\n

8-8, WRONG (doogan 8 – bry 9).\u00a0 It turns out that good ole Norv may have been more of a concern than the talent there could handle.\u00a0 Though, in Doogan’s defense, the team that ended the season–beating Indy in the playoffs–looked a lot more like a 12-4 team than an 8-8 team.\u00a0 What a weird season, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 18. St. Louis Rams – OVER 3 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Hopefully, I don’t start being “right” about this one until Week 2, as the Rams open with the Eagles on Sunday, but I am thinking that the Rams have <\/em>to be better than the awfulness that they put on the field last year.\u00a0 They still have talent, and they were crushed by injuries last year.\u00a0 I don’t see this team contending for anything in the near future, but i do think they should pull out 5 or 6 wins after they get crushed on Sunday.<\/p>\n

2-14, WRONG (bry 9 – doogan 9).\u00a0 So far, Doogan has gotten three picks wrong, and each and every time, Bry has followed that up with a wrong pick, himself.\u00a0 Interesting.\u00a0 Anyway, the Rams were bad, we both knew they were bad (waiting 17 rounds before picking them against a 3-13 season), and yet Bry still goes over, and pays the price.\u00a0 We are tied again.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 19. Cincinnati Bengals – UNDER 7 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>There’s that old cliche that goes something like, “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse”.\u00a0 I don’t see how the Bengals have gotten any better.\u00a0 I also think it doesn’t bode well for the franchise as a whole that they were willing to bring back Chris Henry after all the things he has done and all things the team has been through with off-the-field issues.\u00a0 They also have running back issues and the defense has never been fixed.\u00a0 Add the Chad Ocho Cinco drama\/distractions to the mix, and this looks like a 5 win team.\u00a0 Hopefully we can go back to calling them the Bungles.<\/p>\n

4-11-1, CORRECT (doogan 10 – bry 9).\u00a0 Doogan gets back on track with a solid pick against the “Bungles.”\u00a0 Calling for\u00a0five wins, Doogan actually got four plus that fateful tie, so this turned out to be a really good pick.\u00a0 The only problem here is that we have a tough line for next year because this looks like about a 4-win team for a while.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 20. Houston Texans – UNDER 8 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>It is getting pretty tough now, and yes, this is the 3rd team in this division on which I have picked the UNDER, which may all be just about mathematically impossible.\u00a0 However, I do not see 8 wins in this Texans team.\u00a0 Yes, they are better than their first 3 or 4 years in the league, but 9-7 is a playoff contender, and they are not a playoff contender.\u00a0 So, that means that the best they can be is 8-8.\u00a0 I’m willing to bet that they won’t make it to 8 again this year.<\/p>\n

8-8, WRONG (bry\u00a09 – doogan 11).\u00a0 And Doogan breaks through to take a commanding 2-point lead, as the Texans hit their last year’s total on the number.\u00a0 This pick was looking good for a while, but then Andre Johnson decided to be the best player in football and carried his team to a .500 season and more “optimism” in Houston.\u00a0 How many years in a row now have they given their fans “hope” going into a season?\u00a0 And, yes, those quotation marks are there with a purpose.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 21. Jacksonville Jaguars – OVER 11 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Yes, the toughness level just went up another notch here, and I’m picking another team on over 11 wins.\u00a0 The Jags are really good and they have a very good shot at ending the Colts reign atop this division.\u00a0 I’m slightly worried about David Garrard possibly taking a step backwards after a great season last year, but I think he’s legit and that this team is also.<\/p>\n

5-11, WRONG (doogan 11 – bry 10).\u00a0 And, Bry gets right back in the game here with a pretty bad pick by Doogan.\u00a0 It was a very surprising down-turn for the Jags after such a promising year last year, but they were flat-out bad this year.\u00a0 Garrard was, well, who we thought he was, and the O-line just never recovered from the rash of injuries early in the season.\u00a0 It should be really interesting to see where this team goes from here, having already made a major organizational decision to cut the face of the franchise and future Hall-of-Famer, Freddie Taylor.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – UNDER 9 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Jeff Garcia is a year older, but Jon Gruden is a great coach.\u00a0 The offense seriously lacks weapons and did not do anything to improve, but the defense is returning to a relative level of dominance.\u00a0 The division is getting better, but is still not overly difficult.\u00a0 All of this leads me to think that if I had to pick a number for the Bucs, it would be 8-8.\u00a0 And, since they won 9 games last year, and the other remaining teams are very difficult to predict, I will go with my 8-8 prediction and take the UNDER.<\/p>\n

9-7, WRONG (bry 10 – doogan 12).\u00a0 If you just think of the Tampa Bay season, you would never, ever think that there was anything positive with the way it finished.\u00a0 Their fans have to be sick<\/a>.\u00a0 But, if there was ever a silver-lining, it is that they did not hit the under in the BSB NFL Preview and, because of that, cost Bry a point.\u00a0 See, it’s not that bad.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 23. Dallas Cowboys – UNDER 13 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>This is, of course, a pick that I love to make, but the fact that it’s happening at #23 shows that both of us think Dallas is for real.\u00a0 They have a ton of weapons, on both sides of the ball, and no glaring weaknesses, but 13 is a whole bunch of W’s, so smart money has to be on the Under here.\u00a0 I see them winning 11 or 12.<\/p>\n

9-7, CORRECT (doogan 13 – bry 10).\u00a0 Wow, this could not have turned out any better for Doogan.\u00a0 Not only does he take a huge 3-point lead, but it is on the back of predicting one of the more stunning–and personally-fulfilling–disappointments of 2008.\u00a0 Both of us thought that the Cowboys were for real; both of us were wrong; and, Doogan is the one who profited most.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 24. Baltimore Ravens – OVER 5 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>In the effort of full disclosure, I live in Baltimore.\u00a0 Therefore, I know how awful the fans are and how stupidly optimistic they are about their Ravens.\u00a0 I am not that way.\u00a0 I see this team as a 7-win team–at best.\u00a0 But, this defense is too good–regardless of how bad the offense is (and it is bad<\/em>)–not to win at least 6 games.\u00a0 Yes, their schedule is rough, but I believe in Ray Lewis.<\/p>\n

11-5, CORRECT (bry 11 – doogan 13).\u00a0 Sometimes when you’re right, you just take the point and move on.\u00a0 That is the case here for Bry, as he predicted the Ravens to be “at best” a 7-9 team.\u00a0 Well, they won 11 regular season games and two playoff games, en route to the AFC Championship game.\u00a0 In fact, even with a brutal schedule, they finished the season a remarkable 13-3 against NFL teams that do not play their home games in Pittsburgh.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 25. Seattle Seahawks – OVER 10 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>This is a pick that probably isn’t that smart on paper, but I basically just have a hunch that the Seahawks are headed for a very strong season.\u00a0 The defense has a lot of talent and Matt Hasselbeck just gets the job done.\u00a0 I’ll put them at 11-5 this year.<\/p>\n

4-12, WRONG (doogan 13 – bry 12).\u00a0 Well, Doogan’s hunch was wrong–very wrong.\u00a0 Though, to be fair, the Seahawks were (along with a couple of Doogan’s other picks–the Jags and Chargers) one of the more surprisingly disappointing teams this year.\u00a0 The future of the Seahawks is one of the more interesting stories in the NFL, moving forward, as this team still has the talent that won all those NFC West titles and one conference title, but it’s aging.\u00a0 Do they rebuild after the 4-12 disaster or do they write it off and make one more run at a title with this nucleus?\u00a0 We shall see.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 26. Pittsburgh Steelers – UNDER 10 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>I have a lot of trouble betting against the Steelers, which I believe is one of the best-run organizations in all of sports (probably top 5, but I haven’t really thought about it), but I think they might struggle a bit to reach 10 wins this year.\u00a0 Though I bet against the Browns, every division game should be a war because these four teams clearly hate one another.\u00a0 Plus, the Steelers have tough games against 3 major title contenders:\u00a0 Indy, San Diego, and Dallas.\u00a0 Not to mention the fact that they had one of the worst offensive lines in football last year AND they lost their best O-lineman in the offseason.\u00a0 Tough to do, but I’m going UNDER on the Steelers.<\/p>\n

12-4, WRONG (bry 12 – doogan 14).\u00a0 12-4 in the most difficult schedule in the NFL.\u00a0 Was there any doubt that the best team in the league won the Super Bowl this year?\u00a0 With all the talk of parity and “crapshoot” tournaments, even in this crazy NFL season that had two #6 seeds in the conference title games and the Arizona freakin’ Cardinals leading the Super Bowl late in the fourth quarter, this NFL tournament produced a champion that was, unquestionably, the best team in the league.\u00a0 By the way, the under probably wasn’t the best call for the “best team in the league,” regardless of who is on their schedule.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 27. Arizona Cardinals – UNDER 8 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>It seems like every season you hear, “Look out for the Cardinals, they’re finally gonna turn it around this year”.\u00a0 Last year, they finally came through to a certain extent, getting to .500.\u00a0 I’ve never bought into the Cardinals as a playoff team, and with the unsettled and unencouraging quarterback situation, I have to pick them for a sub-.500 season.<\/p>\n

9-7, WRONG (doogan 14 – bry 13).\u00a0 So, the two Super Bowl teams go back-to-back with under picks.\u00a0 Yes, it is a lot harder in these later rounds.\u00a0 Anyway, the Cardinals only went one game over their total last year, but with Doogan thinking they’d be a game or so under, he got this one wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 28. Carolina Panthers – OVER 7 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>I feel like we’ve both picked a lot of UNDERs, and someone has to, ya know, win,\u00a0I guess I’ll pick the team that I overrate EVERY single season.\u00a0 Last year, I think I picked the Panthers to win the NFC.\u00a0 I’m not going to go that far this year, but I do think (probably incorrectly) that this team will win at least one-half of their games.\u00a0 [Interesting Note: Did you know that for FIVE straight seasons the winner of the NFC South finished LAST place the year before?\u00a0 I don’t think that the Falcons will win it this year, but that is incredible.]<\/p>\n

12-4, CORRECT (bry 14 – doogan 14).\u00a0 Well, Bry finally hit with the Panthers, though they looked really bad in the playoff loss to Arizona.\u00a0 Will they go get another quarterback?\u00a0 Is Jake Delhomme really that bad?\u00a0 Either way, they won 12 regular season games, and that brings us back to even after 28 picks.\u00a0 The final four picks will decide this one, folks.\u00a0 It’s a true nail-biter!<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 29. Denver Broncos – OVER 7 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>Alright, we’re pretty much at coin-flip time.\u00a0 Of course, I’ll look really dumb for saying that when the Broncos come out of nowhere to win 14 games. Or lose 14.\u00a0 Who knows, really.\u00a0 But I think this is a .500 team, so that means 8 wins.\u00a0 A good franchise, but they don’t have the talent that they used to have on the D-line and at linebacker.<\/p>\n

8-8, CORRECT (doogan 15 – bry 14).\u00a0 What a clutch pick, there, as Doogan absolutely nails this one.\u00a0 They did struggle mightily on the D-line and at linebacker, and more importantly, they finished at 8-8–exactly as Doogan predicted they would.\u00a0 Wow!<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 30. Kansas City Chiefs – OVER 4 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>There are a lot of rookies on this team, and this team is very short on talent.\u00a0 However, the best home-field advantage in the league (maybe other than Seattle) and an oft-criticized, yet underrated coach, might get this team to 5-11.\u00a0 Like Doogan said, we’re in coin-flip territory, but 4 wins is very few, so I’ll take this side of the coin.<\/p>\n

2-14, WRONG (bry 14 – doogan 16).\u00a0 And, Doogan’s magic number is down to one, as he clinches at least a tie.\u00a0 Bry should lose two points for calling Herman Edwards “underrated.”\u00a0 That is just an awful comment.\u00a0 By the way, what is the only thing worse than finishing 2-14?\u00a0 Finishing 2-14 and still only having the THIRD pick in the draft.\u00a0 Yes, there are two teams picking BEFORE the 2-14 Chiefs this April.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOOGAN 31. Atlanta Falcons – OVER 4 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>This is basically another “hunch” pick, even if it’s a hunch based on the fact that A) there are a bunch of really bad teams headed to the Georgia Dome to play the Falcons this season, and B) to quote Bry, 4 wins is very few.<\/p>\n

11-5, CORRECT (doogan 17 – bry 14).\u00a0 Talk about winning in style!\u00a0 Doogan comes through with the 31st pick to take one of the biggest surprises of the year.\u00a0 A 4-12 team a year ago with a rookie QB and a rookie coach, and they go to the playoffs with an 11-5 record.\u00a0 What a way to win it for Doogan.\u00a0 Great clutch call.\u00a0 Doogan just won this one with some big-time performances down the stretch.\u00a0 That is what champions are all about.\u00a0 What a thrilling victory for Doogan and a heart-wrenching defeat for Bry.<\/em><\/p>\n

BRY 32.\u00a0San Francisco 49ers – OVER 5 wins:\u00a0 <\/strong>So, you left me the Niners and 5, huh?\u00a0 I guess I’ll go over for no other reason than their division is really bad and 5 wins is really not very many.\u00a0 I’m not comfortable with it, but I have to pick a side, and UNDER 5 seems a bit ridiculous, especially since this team does have a little talent.\u00a0 How did this team go from so well-run to so poorly-run so quickly?<\/p>\n

7-9, CORRECT (bry 15 – doogan 17).\u00a0 Bry at least goes out on a decent note with a nice pick at #32 of the ‘Niners and the over.\u00a0 Is it crazy to call this team the favorite in the NFC West next year?\u00a0 Too soon?<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, that’s that for the 2008 BSB NFL Preview-Recap.\u00a0 Congrats to Doogan on the 17-15 victory.\u00a0 Bry has to settle for a nice finish giving his fans completely unwarranted hope for a big year next year (a la the Houston Texans).<\/em><\/p>\n

We will be back in a couple of weeks with the 2009 MLB edition, so until then, this is the BSB Season Preview Staff, signing off.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As our loyal readers know, we here at BSB do our season previews a little bit differently than any old sports blog.\u00a0 We have a contest, between Doogan and Bry, that is structured around whether we believe a each NFL … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,747],"tags":[480],"class_list":["post-174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl","category-season-previews","tag-bsb-preview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}