Super Bowl winner

Where's Mini-Ditka?

 

Went with the Packers. I figure there will be a lot of recalculating after the first three weeks. I can see a big time QB goes down for an extended period, one of the breakout players from last year will cause fans to wonder what is wrong with him this year and another team will suddenly realize that a player they believed expendable, really wasn't.
Most interesting teams for me this year are the Chiefs (new coach, qb), the Eagles (new coach) and the Bears (new coach).

 

Don't forget new GM also for the Chiefs -- one of Ted Thompson's soldiers from Green Bay. Interesting that they have two former Green Bay assistants -- Reid a former assistant under Holmgren years ago and Dorsey a former assistant to Thompson -- each part of a different Super Bowl winner.

 

Seattle and New England playing for it all. Giants as a dark horse in the NFC and Cincy and Pittsburgh being mini-dark horses in the AFC, but the road to the Super Bowl will run through New England.

 

I don't understand the Patriots love. I think people have been blindly picking them in most seasons since 2001.

The only argument I would somewhat understand is that there really isn't any contending team in the AFC that seems significantly improved from last season. Maybe the Broncos...

The Packers losing Bulaga is going to hurt a lot. If Jordy Nelson is forced to miss significant time, that will hurt them as well.

 

I think the NFC is going to be wide open.

The Saints should be a lot better. I think the Rams or Cardinals could surprise. I actually think Chip Kelly will be successful in Philly, maybe as soon as this season and by successful, I mean 9-7 or better.

 

The Patriot love comes from a lot of young talent at RB and TE to go along with all the investments they made on D over the years starting to mature. plus, like you said, the AFC does not look so great when you think about Dalton or Schaub leading a team to the SB.

And for all of those "QB does not matter" people; put a good QB on Cincy right now (Brees, Luck, Roethlisberger, Brady, etc...) and they are a prohibitive favorite to win the AFC right now and for the next couple seasons.

 

I threw in my vote for the Browns.

 

49ers and Ravens again.

Ravens repeat.

 

I would love to say the Saints, but I'm not convinced they've improved their defense enough, and I'm not sold on Rob Ryan as DC. Honestly, I have no clue who will win the SB, but I picked Denver. I think they're in a position where it's do or die this year.

 

Jesus, anyone but the Saints in the Super Bowl. I would take two weeks of Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder stories over watching Rob Ryan in a Super Bowl.