NFL 2011 Regular Season Discussion Thread

With the labor dispute settled, players reporting to training camp, free agents being signed, and the pre-season games starting in two weeks, I thought it was a good time to start a new thread. After the quietest offseason in memory, it's nice to be able to discuss football again!

There's been lots of player movement already, even though free agents cannot officially be signed until Friday. Verbal agreements and player cuts include:

1. Matt Hassleback signing with Tennessee
2. Tavarias Jackson signing with Seattle
3. Donovan McNabb traded to Minnesota
4. Baltimore to cut MacGahee, Mason and Heap
5. Dallas to cut Barber, Roy Williams and Leonard Davis

There are rumors that Seattle may also sign Matt Leinhart. The Seahens may have the worst collection of QB's in the league -- competing with Washington, Carolina and Arizona. Rumors are that either Kolb or Orton will be traded to the Cardinals, though.

The Lions free agent focus will hopefully be at linebacker and cornerback. These are by far their weakest starting groups. They also need some depth on the offensive line.

Sidney Rice signs with Seattle. Interesting move, spending big money on a WR when you have nobody to throw him the ball. Maybe the Seahawks are planning on winning the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes this season.

Albert Haynesworth is traded to New England for a fifth round draft pick in 2013. Washington was just trying to get him off the roster, as they did with McNabb.

Reggie Bush is traded to Miami.

Ochocinco is traded to New England. The Pats just keep making good moves. This one is huge for them.

No hate involved -- just giving my opinion regarding their QB situation, which you seem to agree with. Seattle is just another team to me. My personal dislike is reserved for Dallas and Oakland.

I've been known to refer to Dallas as the Cowgirls and Minnesota as the ViQueens, so don't take it personally. I usually reserve much more foul labels for our Lions.

The Bears have traded TE Greg Olsen to Carolina. Since Mike Martz has no clue on how to use a pass catching tight end, I guess the Bears at least got something for a decent receiver.

Philly has made some nice moves. They get the big free agent prize -- CB Nnamdi Asomugha -- and also add Vince Young as a backup QB. Throw in CB Rogers-Cromartie from the trade with the Cards for QB Kolb, and the Eagles look like the favorites in the NFC East.

According to his agent, Randy Moss is retiring. Since this comes from his agent, though, take it with a grain of salt... agents lie.

Seattle's biggest advantage is playing in that horrible division. They added enough talent at positions other than QB to compete for the division title with St. Louis. Arizona seems headed in the wrong direction, and the 49ers are a mess.

I guess it's time for my 2011 predictions. With the lack of an offseason, young teams and those with new coaching staffs will be at a big disadvantage this year, so that is taken into account with my picks.

NFC North
1. Packers -- still the best in the division
2. Bears -- could finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th
3. Lions -- still one more good offseason away
4. Vikings -- headed in the wrong direction

NFC East
1. Eagles -- going for broke with all the acquisitions
2. Giants -- may not be as strong this year
3. Cowboys -- new coach, but roster not getting better
4. Redskins -- a disaster

NFC South
1. Saints -- tough to pick the top 3 in this division
2. Falcons
3. Bucs
4. Panthers -- better than last year, but play in tough division

NFC West
1. Rams -- going against my theory of young teams being at a disadvantage
2. Seahawks -- 2nd place by default
3. Cardinals -- keep losing players from Super Bowl team. Unproven QB.
4. 49ers -- Poor Jim Harbaugh

Wildcard: Falcons, Bucs

AFC North
1. Steelers -- have questions on OL
2. Ravens -- purged numerous veterans
3. Browns -- 3rd by default
4. Bengals -- another disaster

AFC East
1. Patriots -- added enough to stay ahead of NY
2. Jets -- still a bridesmaid
3. Bills -- 3rd by default
4. Dolphins -- yet another disaster in the making

AFC South
1. Texans -- the Colts have to not win the division eventually
2. Colts -- team getting older
3. Jags -- 3rd by default
4. Titans -- going in the wrong direction

AFC West
1. Chiefs -- best of a weak division
2. Broncos -- will finish lower if Tebow plays QB
3. Chargers -- will they finally fire Norv Turner?
4. Raiders -- new coach, same team

Wildcard: Jets, Colts

Super Bowl: Eagles over Patriots

#1 draft pick: Redskins, beating out Cincinnati and Miami

Yes, Andy Reid's clock management skills have always been entertaining to watch. I think the Super Bowl is wide open this year, and struggled with who to pick in each conference. Every team has some flaws. Another concern for Philly is whether Michael Vick can (1) repeat last year's performance, and (2) stay healthy.

I picked the Eagles basically because I think the NFC is a little easier to predict this year than the AFC. The Steelers, Ravens and Colts could win their divisions, or not even make the playoffs. I think, barring injuries to critical players, the Eagles, Packers and Patriots are all very good bets to make the playoffs.

My pick is more an indictment of San Diego slipping than the Broncos being good. This is the 2nd weakest division in the league -- behind the NFC West -- so it will not take much to finish 2nd.

The pick may be a stretch, but "incredibly poor"? That would be picking the Bengals to win the Super Bowl. Anyway, my viewpoint is that the Raiders will be horrible, so the Broncos just need to beat out the Chargers for 2nd place, and San Diego has gotten worse every year under Turner (as Johnny pointed out). Oakland lost three of their best players to free agency -- Asomugha, Zach Miller, and Robert Gallery. They also have the worst starting QB in the division, now that Denver is not trading Orton.

It's really a shame about the Leshoure injury. Achilles injuries are career-threatening, so this young player could possibly be done before his career ever got started.

Neither of the running backs are word beaters, but Mike Bell should be able to fill in for the role that Leshoure was slated for -- inside running presence and short yardage. He's a decent blocker, too, so he can help in pass protection. Harrison has been a tease his entire career -- he had a 275+ yard game against the Chiefs once, but has either been hurt or inconsistent. He's smaller, so would probably be considered as more a backup for Best instead of a replacement for Leshoure.

As you said, though, everything depends on the offensive line. Their top three tackles have all been hurt at the start of training camp, and there is not much depth at any of the OL positions.

I watched a little of the Pittsburgh - Philly preseason game last night, and was surprised by the condition of Byron Leftwich. I remember him as a slow tub of goo during his time in Jacksonville. Last night he looked trim and fit, and seemed to move better in the pocket. Did he finally decide to get in shape, or his my memory of him with the Jags distorted (I didn't see them play very often)?

I didn't know Batch was still with Pittsburgh. I always liked him when he was in Detroit. Charlie was a smart QB who just didn't have the physical skills to be a full-time starter. He's one of the QB's I always wanted to do a Frankenstein type of experiment with -- putting his brain in Scott Mitchell's body. Mitchell had all the physical tools to be a fine QB, but there was a huge void between the ears.