2008 Season Predictions (Conclusion)

After 14 days of training, the Raiders will finally get to face someone other than their teammates. they will take on the 49ers in Oakland, tonight.

All looks well for the Silver and Black. WR Javon Walker may or may not be ready. He did state, at one point that he wanted to give back his $11 million signing bonus and retire, but Raider owner, Al Davis, convinced him he come to camp and workout. As he did, he began to feel better about himself and the team. He looks good in Raider colors. He is working thru his issues in regards to his being attacked in Las Vegas, earlier this summer. LB Kirk Morrison is ready, QB JaMarcus Russell is ready and should fair well. RB Darren McFadden says he is “excited about going out there and getting to compete against a different team. You have nerves because it’s your first NFL game, but, hey, you gotta go out there and take care of business like it’s any other day.”

I think the Raiders will do well. Those who know me know I never make predictions on Pre-Season games and I am not going to change that philosophy, now. "Get 'em, Raiders!"

Back to the lesson at hand. The regular season predictions:

AFC North

In 4th place I see the Browns. They have a good team and they will shock some teams, but I do not think they can win their division.

3rd place will go to the Bengals. Too many distractions. Their management has little, if no, respect for thier best player, WR Chad Johnson. He asked to be traded and they will not do it. He is going to be forced to play, because of money, which is the wrong thing to do to your team. They will play him, but they will not use him. It will be an effort to make him look bad and get him negative publicity. I do not like that, but that is how I see it.

2nd goes to the Steelers. Age is a big factor. QB Ben Roethlisberger has not been 100% since his accident 2 years ago. They have no "playmakers" to catch his passes. It will be too tough for them to take the division.

That leaves the Ravens. I think they will regain the "fear factor" they were once known to have in the past. QB Kyle Boller is ready to be a leader and I think he will get the starting job. LB Ray Lewis is healthy and strong. when he is on his game, they can only be beat by the Raiders. That defense will be one of the toughest in the league to beat.

AFC East

I have had to revamp my predictions for this division based on moves made in the last 48 hours. With that said, here I go.

4th place goes to the Bills. I don't like them. But, on the serious side. They are too quiet to make a move. I think they are looking to the future and not on the present. They have good players, but no real "playmakers".

3rd place will go to the Dolphins. They have made good changes in the front office, which has carried over to the locker room. The only negative is giving away DE Jason Taylor to the Redskins. All else will prove to be better than last season.

2nd place will go to the Patriots. No more 16-0 season. Too much to recover from in the way of injuries, egos, emotions of losing the big one, etc. They will play well off thier reputaion, but will fall short too...

The Jets. They have aquired the legend of Lambeau Field, QB Brett Favre, form the Packers in a bitter split over his retirement/return. I will go into that more in a future blog, but for now know this, Brett Farve did not deserve to be treated the way the packer management treated him this past YEAR. He is great. I only wish Al Davis would have jumped into the fire sale when it started. Favre plays with the heart of a Raider. It will take him time to gather the jets playbook, but when he does...watch out. the Jets will sweep the Patriots and win the division.

NFC West

In 4th place will be the Cardinals. They have two good QB's, but can't seem to make up their mind which should be the leader. To be a winner, you must have a great QB in the driver's seat. Until they settle on one, they will struggle.

In 3rd place will be the Seahawks. Losing RB Shane Alexander will be their 2008 downfall. the pressure will prove too great for QB Matt Hasselbeck to overcome.

The 2nd place team will be the Rams. RB Steven Jackson is coming off of an injury which will cause them much pain in attempting to reach the top.

The 49ers will shock the NFL by winning the NFC West. They are ready. most people do not think so, but they are. You will see.

NFC South

The Falcons will find it tough to get out of the gate and they will never recover, making them the 4th place team in the division. They need a quality QB. It will be at least 2 more seasons before they are once again a contender for the division.

3rd place will go to the Buccaneers. They were a major player in the "Brett Favre Fire Sale" of the past 2 days. That, I do not think, sat well with they QB Jeff Garcia. The issues with that are going to kill the chemistry they Head Coach John Grudden has built and will be the downfall of the team.

The 2nd place team will be the Panthers. They are healthy, but the lack the QB leader they need. That will keep them from defeating the Saints.

1st place will go to the Saints. They are healthy and they will be able to utilize RB Reggie Bush as they originally intended. He will quiet his critics by having a Pro Bowl season in 2008.

NFC North

This is harch, but 4th place will go to the Packers. To put your trust in an unproven commodity when you have a "Hall of Famer" in you pocket is unaccecptable in my opinion. I think the pressure from the fans (who own the team) and the media will be too great of a distraction. The egos of the management of the Packers will do them in. They will win 6 games this season and fall from 1 game away from the 2008 Superbowl to not even making the playoffs this season.

3rd place will go to the Lions. They have a good team and they try hard, but they just can not get over the hump in 2008.

In 2nd place will be the Bears. They are trying to overcome minor injuries and that is not good. They will beat the packers twice.

1st place will go to another team who will beat the Packers twice, the Vikings. they will show everyone why they wanted, but did not need QB Brett Favre. they have a good team and we will all see in 2008.

NFC East

4th place goes to the Redskins. While they try hard, they will not be able to overcome the other teams in their division. They did add DE Jason Taylor to the roster, but it will not make much difference in performance.

3rd place will be the Giants. Yes, they are the defending Superbowl champs, but they have lost LB Micheal Strahan and that is they core of their defense. They also lost TE Jeremy Shockey (which could be a good thing). They got lucky last year and it will show this season. They will play hard, but they will fall short.

2nd place will go to the Cowboys. Everyone is expecting them to win the division, but they have too many new players on the roster who need to work into the system. You can not expect to win your division like that.

The 1st place team will be the Eagles. No one is paying attention to them and they can easily sneak up on everyone. QB Donovan McNab is healthy and ready. The RB core is tight. The WR core is tight. They defense is a quiet tiger waiting to pounch.
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That ends the regular season. I must add, The Cowboys will get the wildcard in the NFC. The Patriots will also be a wildcard team. They just will not win the division. So, stop hatin' on me.

This has been a long issue, today, but I hope you enjoyed it. Forward this to friends, family, even people you don't know. I will be back after tonights games.

Until then,
Raider-Man out!!!