Can Danny Amendola stay healthy with the Patriots?

     Danny Amendola has already proven that he can be an explosive receiver in a good offense. Last year with the St. Louis Rams he was the most complete receiver on a bad team. If he can get his game up to par like it was in St. Louis, New England will have a very dangerous offense this fall. The only issue with his game is that he cannot stay healthy for an entire season. This might prove to be his downfall with the Patriots going forward as the physicality of the NFL can be grueling. Last season, Amendola injured his shoulder on an acrobatic catch in prime time television. You could see how frustrated he was with the injury after throwing his helmet while leaving the game. And even when he came back from his broken collarbone early, he injured his foot and was probable.

     Athough I have a strong tendency to knock players who miss games most seasons, there is a big issue when thinking about trusting Amendola. He has increased his yards per catch average by a yard every season and he actually played a full season two years ago for the Rams. Danny was clearly St.Louis' best receiver last year when healthy and that is clearly what the Patriots saw is this explosive slot man. New England is paying Amendola roughly $6 million per year over the next 5 seasons and they clearly have a plan in place for him. Having Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Danny Amendola in the mix is going to be a HUGE problem for the Pats AFC East opponents. Wes Welker may have been a great receiver, but i really think Danny Amendola will put it all together this season with the Patriots. Being the most dependable receiver on your team is completely different than playing as an important piece in Tom Brady's offense. It just doesn't compare...so look for Amendola to make plenty of wow plays this Fall.

Who Will Win the NFC West?

     Every year we predict which division will be the toughest in the NFL, and most of the time we are wrong. In the past it was a trend to say that the AFC North was the toughest in football, and some were even saying the NFC North was the best. Then comes Seattle and St. Louis providing legitimate opponents for the dominant San Francisco 49ers. Although I don't expect either team to unseat the Niners this Fall I do expect it to be a tight race from beginning to finish. Here is how I think things will shake up in the NFC West:

Division Winner - San Francisco 49ers

Na'Voroo Bowman is an animal at LB for the 49ers

Most Dominant Player - NaVorro Bowman

1.  San Francisco 49ers         11-5
2.  St. Louis Rams                 10-6
3.  Arizona Cardinals             7-9
4.  Seattle Seahawks             6-10

     Before you rip into me for putting the Hawks dead last in the NFC West, I caution you that reading this won't sway your opinion. All I ask is that you come back to this webpage in January and respond with whatever comment you desire. But my gut feeling says that Seattle will not make the playoffs this year for many reasons. The 49ers will be consistent with head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm and I expect Colin Kaepernick to be dominant once again. Teams will focus on the read option and Michael Crabtree and little more this season so Vernon Davis will have a big year. If you watched any 49ers games it was clear to see that Crabs was taking the targets that Vernon used to get. It worked perfectly for the offense but now teams will look to take out the team's main deep threat. Look for Aldon Smith to post double digit of sacks and the NaVorro Bowman/Patrick Willis LB tandem to be the best in the league.

     Now, about he argument that St. Louis will finish 2nd in the division. The Rams have a defense that tied for the lead league in sacks last year and I expect that trend to continue. The only reason they won 7 games last year is because their offense was horrific. With the additions of Tavon Austin and Jared Cook, Sam Bradford finally has the pieces to make this offense prolific. I know Steven Jackson was marvelous on 3rd downs last year but the Rams have young talent at he RB position. Jeff Fisher has impressive O-Line that includes Jake Long, Roger Saffold, Barrett Jones and Scott Wells. It doesn't matter who you put behind these hogs at this point...and on the outside they have Chris Givens(speedster) and Brian Quick(size) so there are no more excuses for Bradford moving forward. As long as he stays healthy I expect the Rams to win 10 games this year. Remember, they did finish with the best division record in the NFC West at 3-1-1.

Larry Fitzgerald was ecstatic when Carson Palmer was signed

Out west, the Arizona Cardinals will have a much better year with Carson Palmer at QB. Larry Fitzgerald now has a legitimate NFL starter throwing him the football and this should be a prolific duo. The Cardinals are trying to stay healthy at the RB position by adding Stephan Taylor and Andre Ellington in the draft, but they must be productive. It's not a matter of IF Ryan Williams and Reshard Mendenhall will go down, its a matter of WHEN. One of the questions I have about Arizona is their O-ine, which gave up a ton of sacks last year. I know that Kevin Kolb was responsible for some of the sacks but the protection was awful. Another issue will be the defense, which started strong but finished soft in 2012.  All in all, I expect an improved season for the Cardinals but it will take a few years before Bruce Arians wins a division title


     Last but not least, I have to mention the Seattle Seahawks who will not have the great year that everyone expects. It won't have anything to do with coaching, I just simply so don't believe Russell Wilson can stay healthy in the NFL. He is a great talent when upright, but sooner or later you will have a few "James Harrison" type defenders lay into him. Quarterbacks should be protected in this league but it doesn't hurt to have someone like Cam Newton or Ben Roethlisberger running your offense. Next year Jadeveon Clowney will come to the NFL and he is about to dominate like none other. If Russell Wilson is going to be the poor defenseless QB you have standing in front of Clowney, you can expect your season to end as quick as it started. Percy Harvin is an explosive playmaker but he also has a pretty long list of injuries while playing with the Vikings. Playing against the 49ers is not going to help...But the defense will be good as advertised if they can void 4 game suspensions. What is it with these guys? Brandon Browner was suspended last season for 4 games, Bruce Irvin will miss the first 4 games this season and Richard Sherman SHOULD HAVE been suspended for a positive test for a banned substance(He won his appeal because the urine sample was "mishandled"). Hopefully the Hawks can get over these issues because they bolster a great defense. All in all, expect a down season for Seattle in 2013.

2013 Record Predictions by Division: NFC North & NFC South

                                             

     When the 2013 NFL season kicks off, there will be plenty of expectations from teams who made the playoffs last year. But as we see each Fall, there will be some teams who return to the postseason and others who will not. With many coaching changes, draft/free-agent additions and players becoming more experienced you can expect an exciting season this year. My favorite team is the Detroit Lions and I believe that we will not make the playoffs this year, so whatever bias you might think I have...get rid of it. Here is how I think the NFC will play out after the regular season:

NFC South

Jimmy Graham is the most versatile TE in the NFC

Division Winner - New Orleans Saints

Most Dominant Player - Drew Brees


1.  New Orleans Saints         11-5
2.  Atlanta Falcons                10-6
3.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers    7-9
4.  Carolina Panthers             5-11

     Everyone expects the Falcons to pickup where they left off but I don't see that happening. As far as the playoffs are concerned, I think they will be in a better position being the Wild Card team. When you win a division and host a playoff game, there is a lot of pressure on your organization to get it done. Last year it was the Broncos and Bengals who were ousted in their opening playoff game and it ALMOST happened to the Falcons. This should make Atlanta more dangerous in January but the regular season will belong to the Saints. With the reunion of Sean Payton and Drew Bress you can expect New Orleans to have the most potent and balanced offense in the NFC South. And on the defensive side of the ball things couldn't get worse, literally, as the Saints finished dead last in the NFL. Rob Ryan will come in and help the defense be sustainable enough to get wins in Louisiana this year. I like the off-season addition that Tampa Bay made but I don't think it will be enough to get them into the playoffs, nonetheless beat Drew Brees and Matt Ryan twice a year. Josh Freeman isn't the answer at QB and the Bucs pass rush is non-existent. Carolina is stuck with a lackluster group of receivers and tight ends so you can expect another down season in Charlotte/Ron Rivera losing his job. Did I miss anything? Oh yea, Tony Gonzalez will not get the ring he came back for but I do expect the Falcons to make the NFC championship again this year.


NFC North


Division Winner - Green Bay Packers

Most Dominant Player - Aaron Rodgers

1.  Green Bay Packers               12-4
2.  Detroit Lions                         10-6
3.  Minnesota Vikings                 8-8
4.  Chicago Bears                      6-10

     The Green Bay Packers have dominated the division in the past 10 years, winning 5 NFC North titles in that span. How ironic is it that the NFC North has the two most valuable players in the entire NFL with Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson. If only they could be on the same team not named All-Pro or the NFC Pro Bowl...long sigh. However, in a QB driven league the advantage has to go to A-Rod. He stays more healthy than A.P.(by default), and he actually had the most rushing TDs on his team last year. AND he is a Super Bowl MVP!!! Simply put, you can't deny Aaron Rodgers the best player in the NFL title until someone else proves otherwise. As he has the past two years, expect Rodgers to lead the Pack to another division title. Clay Matthews will have another huge year, BJ Raji will play his way into a $50 million contract, and Sam Shields will prove that he is a very underrated talent in the NFL at CB. Expect the Vikings to get some wow plays from Cordarelle Patterson this Fall but at the WR position don't get your hopes up. Adrian Peterson will once again carry the team but he won't put up the same MONSTROUS stats he did in 2012. In all honesty, Peterson deserves credit for being the 2012 NFL MVP but I don't see him having a better year than Aaron Rodgers.

     The Detroit Lions bolster a nice group of young talent on the defensive line, but none have proven to be effective other than Ndamokung Suh. Nick Fairley and Ezekial Ansah will have to make a lot of plays in 2013 if the Lions want to make the playoffs, along with Suh stepping up his game as a mentor.  On the Lion's offensive side of the ball, I really like the direction Detroit is going with the O-Line. Adding depth along the line and trusting Riley Reiff at LT will only indent a positive future for the Lions going forward. Matthew Stafford will continue to be one of the most prolific passers in the NFL and Calvin Johnson will again be the best WR in the NFL. The running game is much improved by having Reggie Bush in the backfield. If he stays healthy, expect to see the Lions to finish 2nd in the division. However, Bush has an extensive injury history that is hard to ignore and one that shouldn't be overlooked. Mikel Leshoure never really looked like himself one year removed from an Achilles injury but should be much better as a compliment back. The only problem is that Joique Bell is still on the roster, and he has a bruising 5 YPC average. Bell is an excellent pass blocker and might develop into a premier complimentary back this Fall. The Lions have a small problem with 3 very talented backs on the depth chart, but one of them is certain to get hit with injury before the season finishes. And what about the Chicago Bears? With Brian Urlacher and Lovie smith gone? No disrespect to Bam Bam Briggs, Tim Jennings and Peanut Tilman, but things won't go too well this year on defense with a QB coach coming to town. Matt Forte has been exposed as a RB, Michael Bush is an OK backup (although he did recently admit to playing with a fractured right shoulder for part of the season), Brandon Marshall is on the verge of missing some games again, and Jay Cutler is an average QB who makes average decisions at best. The Bears don't stand a chance in the NFC North this year...forget about it

Who are the Buffalo Bills?

CJ Spiller may be the best player on the Buffalo Bills roster, but he has been highly under-utilized

      Last season was very disappointing for Bills fans everywhere and you can look for that trend to continue in 2013.  The fact that Buddy Nix was retained as GM has a clear correlation with Buffalo's lousy draft this year.  In the 1st round, the Bills selected....EJ Manuel(cough, CHOKE, cough) while also pulling in Clemson's Jonathon Meeks(pause....LONG sigh). I actually liked the picks of Robert Woods, Kiki Alonso and but they missed with virtually every other draft pick. Marquise Goodwin is another version of TJ Graham, while Duke Williams will have a very tough time adjusting to the pro game on AND off the field. Add in a TE who is coming off several college injuries and you have an underachieving draft class. I mean, you could have signed TWO of your draft picks as UDFA's, so there are two wasted picks right there!!! I am not even a Bills fan but I have to express pure frustration when I see people who are in charge of a multi-million dollar franchise make less than average decisions.

Stevie Johnson will have help with Robert Woods stepping in a WR

     With the loss of Ryan Fitzpatrick the Bills have lost their leading signal caller, so who gets the nod in the 2014 opener? Rookie EJ Manuel? All because he performed well in a bad weathered workout? PLEASE! When you draft a QB in the AFC East, the standard should be "my QB will be able to out-perform Tom Brady to win the division." Not only does that include a mentality of drafting quality pass-rushers to reach the Patriots QB, it includes bringing in a QB who can keep Mr. Brady off the field. Does what I'm saying make some sort of sense?



     Keeping Fred Jackson to go along with CJ Spiller was a great decision for the Bills because a two back system is the best way to keep your offense smooth(yes, even Adrian Peterson needs a break...to keep from tearing an ACL on a random run). But unlike Chan Gailey, Doug Marrone must quickly accept the fact that Jackson should be Spiller's backup. CJ averaged a RIDICULOUS 6 yards per carry while Fred only shelled out 3.8 yard per touch. In the NFL, explosiveness is everything and it seems that CJ Spiller has that part nailed down.  And although I have high praise for the RB position, I still expect the Bills to finish with a 7-9 record or worse with EJ Manuel behind center. Don't expect to see a rookie season even CLOSE to the likes of RGIII, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck.