The Sports Guru

Ok, So all of the teams are done. My thoughts on the regualr season have been recorded. When all said and done, there will be 12 teams left standing, playing for the chance to be Super Bowl Champions. Today we’ll look at the Wild Card Rounds teams battling it out in the NFL.

At the end of the season, these will be the 6 Seeded Playoff Teams:

1. Seattle
2. Carolina
3. Dallas
4. Chicago
5. Atlanta
6. Washington
Atlanta, Washington, Philadelphia and NY Giants will all end the season at 9-7 with Atlanta and Washington getting in due to tie-breakers. The Wild Card Round shapes up this way:

Washington @ Dallas — After splitting the 2 meetings in the regular season, each team winning at home, the Redskins and Cowboys renew their rivalry, this time in the playoffs. I really like the Cowboys this year, and really dislike teh Redskins. After watching both teams throughout the pre-season I am really second guessing the fact that Washington will get into the playoffs at all. If they do, they’ll head to Dallas as big underdogs and get beat down by the Cowboys. The NFC is top-heavy, with the 4 division winners being alot better than the rest of the conference. The big play guys on the Cowboys will play big and get the Tuna another playoff win.

Atlanta @ Chicago — Chicago will win the AFC North, if only by default. The division is terrible and the Bears play defense well enough to get to 10 wins. They’ll face a resurgent Falcons team that enjoys going on the road in January playoff games. The Bears have been known for falling flat at home during the plpayoffs that past few years, struggling against top notch athletes. Last season it was Steve Smith and Carolina, this time, it’s Michael Vick. Vick led the Falcoons into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers in the playoffs and will do the same to Chicago. Another disappointing ending for the Falcons move on.

AFC Wild Card Round –

The AFC playoff teams are much better than their NFC counterparts, with each team in double-digits in wins:

1. Denver
2. Indianapolis
3. New England
4. Pittsburgh
5. Miami
6. Kansas City

The Wild Card Weekend in the AFC is going to be a blast. Just look at these matchups:

Kansas City @ New England — For the 2nd straight season the Pats will have to win three games if they want to get to the Super Bowl. They’ll face a Kansas City team that will play just enough defense to get into the playoffs. If it isn’t K.C. in this spot than I’ll take the Bengals, but no matter who it is The Pats aren’t going to lose this game at home. Tom Brady is going to have his best season yet and the Pats defense will be healthy and ready. Don’t underestimate the return of Rodney Harrison in the defensive backfield. I like the Pas to move on.

Miami @ Pittsburgh — In a rematch of Week 1, the Dolphins head back to Heinz Field to face the Steelers. By this time, Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward should be healthy and the Dolphins are going to have to deal with the tropical Pittsburgh weather in January. Miami is an up and coming team, and the fact that they are even in the playoffs only 2 years from total chaos is amazing to me, but the defending champs won’t lose at home to start the playoffs. Look for the Steelers to beat the Dolphins and move on in their attempt to repeat.

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Projected Record

14-2, 1st Place AFC West

Projected Schedule W/L

@St. Louis (W)
Kansas City (W)
@New England (L)
Baltimore (W)
Oakland (W)
@Cleveland (W)
Indianapolis (W)
@Pittsburgh (W)
@Oakland (W)
San Diego (W)
@Kansas City (L)
Seattle (W)
@San Diego (W)
@Arizona (W)
Cincinnati (W)
San Francisco (W)

Here they are. My #1 team heading into the 2006 season. Sure, I might be a little biased, but this team did get to the AFC Championship Game last year. I can point to several reasons I think Broncos are the team to beat. They play in a tough division, every year. They have a Top 5 Head Coach in Mike Shanahan. They have a Top 5 facility. They have a Top 5 Owner. And last, but certainly not least, they have the best fans in all of sports.(Unless you consider tossing harmful objects on the field a good thing). On the field, the Broncos look pretty balanced across the board. Jake Plummer is not nearly as bad as everyone makes him out to be. The running game has been the best in the league for over a decade. The LB’s might be the best in the league, and if you look at teh Back-7 as a whole they’d be right up there. Add it all together and the Broncos should be right there come January. Certainly there are some concerns in there that will need to be addressed, but if the Broncos stay healthy, and win the games they are supposed to win, it’s going to be a wonderfully Super season!

Team Strengths - The Broncos are loaded with veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. Offensively, you need look no further than WR Rod Smith, who at 36 is still the #1 receiver on this team. Everybody respects Smith, and he demands and deserves it. An undrafted FA out of college, Smith is beginning to scratch the surface of teh Hall of Fame and shows no signs of slowing down. He is a coach on the field for the young guys, and a leader in the locker room and in public. Though many people may not believe it, Jake Plummer is also a leader, and a good one at that. The team rallies around Jake and they feed off of his energy. Say what you want, but Jake has the respect of his coaches and teammates alike. If something should happen to Jake, waiting in the wings is Jay Cutler, who has looked every bit a super star in the making through 3 preseason games. C Tom Nalen anchors a solid O-Line unit that continues to perform year in and year out. He too may one day call Canton his football home, but that can wait. On defense it’s more of the same, with MLB Al WIlson acting as the heart and soul. Wilson has never gotten the pub of a Ray Lewis or Tedy Bruschi, but he is definitely up there. Combined with Ian Gold and D.J. Williams, the Broncos have the fastest and arguably most talented set of LB’s in football. It is a position of depth as well, with proven players like Nate Webster and Keith Burns providing strong Special Teams play. The Broncos are also strong on special teams, with former Pro Bowlers Todd Sauerbrun and PK Jason Elam. Sauerbrun will miss the first 4 games of the season, but should return Week 5 to be his old self.

Team Weaknesses - There are a few things for Mike Shanahan to be concerned with heading into the regular season. The Broncos are banking alot of their season on how well Javon Wlaker returns from knee surgery. The results have been promising so far, but with Smith getting up there in age, and disgruntled WR Ashley Lelie sitting the bench in Atlanta Shanny is going to need someone to be a consisten 2nd option. Though Denver has had little problem plugging running backs into the sysem and watching them run for 1200 yards, there is some concern that noone has really emerged to take hold of the job. There could be other reasons behind it other than the backs not having talent. While good, this O-Line is not great, compared to Bronco lines of the past. Guys like Mark Schlereth and Adam Zimmerman are Hall of Fame caliber players. That’s why I love the Adam Meadows signing. Meadows is a proven commodity and will push George Foster to elevate his game. As for the RB’s themselves, it seems to be a three horse race, and one that won’t be decided anytime soon. Mike Bell took the early lead, but he doesn’t have a lot of speed. Tatum Bell has all the speed in the world, but can get worn out from the punishment. The sleeper in all of this is Cedric Cobbs, a stud in college until he blew out a knee, Cobbs has led the NFL in pre-season rushing and hasa looked determined and fast in camp. As for the defense, front 4 pressure on the QB is a concern, as is the health of Courtney Brown and Gerrard Warren. 2005’s Wunderkids Darrent Williams and Dominique Foxworth need to avoid the sophomore slump and contiue to elevate their game.

Best Case Scenario – Super Bowl XLI Champions. Boy that has a nice ring to it. I can just imagine the ‘FU’ attitude Jake Plummer would have if he ever won a Super Bowl. Even getting to the SB would be a bit of gratification for Jake who has taken undue criticism during his career. That said, Jake is what he is and needs to play from in front and in control. If the Denver lost 4 games last season including the playoffs. Two of them were horrible games for Jake, as the Broncos fell behind early. Denver needs to play from in front and impose it’s will on teams. Someone needs to step up and be the focal point of the running game and allow Shanny to get back to what he like to do best, run the football and control the clock. I keep harping on it, but pressure from the front 4 is the biggest key to the season. Denver ranked near the bottom of the league in sacks, and John Lynch, a safety, tied for the team lead with 4. To be a successful, dominate defense Denver needs to get that sack total closer to the upper half, with someone on the D-Line hitting double figures.

Worst Case Scenario - Let’s call it like it is, the schedule is brutal. A few years ago the Broncos had what I thougnt was a Super Bowl Caliber team. They lost 3 overtime games that season, and ended up missing the playoffs the last week of the season. There is a razor thin line between winning and losing in the NFL. Every championship team gets breaks alon the way and Denver will need it’s share. Pat Bowlen did well by refusing the trip to Pittsburgh to open the season. They still have to go to K.C. on Thanksgiving Night, where Arroehead Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Broncos. Obviously injuries to any of the key guys would be hard to overcome and if a running back doesn’t grab this opportunity by the horns the running game could struggle jsut a little bit. Any loss in focus during the season could turn a 14-2 team into an 11-5, 10-6 team in a hurry, and in the AFC I don’t know if that is going to be good enough.

My Opinion - Plainly obvious by where I have the Broncos ranked heading into the season. I like this team alot. I like to mix of veteran leadership and youthful exuberance. I think Javon Walker is going to be healthy and return to Pro Bowl status, and combined with Smith and rookies Tony Scheffler and Brandon Marshall form to give Plummer the best set of receivers he’s ever had. I am looking at the defense to step up and play huge, with Warren and Brown playing a big role on the defensive line. I think Kenard Lang was a great pick-up and can be that double-digit sack guy on the edge. Sure, the schedule is tough, but many of their toughest opponents have ot come to Mile High, where after a couple so-so home slates the Broncos once again are building a huge home-field advantage. I am eager to see Plummer react to the pressure of having a guy like Culer behind him. Plummer has never really had someone pushing him, and I think he is going to rise to the challenge and have his best year as a pro. One of these running backs is going to take advantage of the opportunity and become the next great Bronco runner. It’s all going to come together in 2006. In 2004 a certain team lost the AFC Championship game at home, only to come back and win the Super Bowl the next season. The pain of a loss like that, coupled witht the hunger it creates, does amazing things on football field. When it’s all said and done, Pat Bowlen will hoist another Lombardi Trophy and proclaim, “This One’s For Jake!”

Technorati Tags: Denver Broncos, Jake Plummer, Mike Shanahan, Broncos Preview, NFL, NFL Preview, 2006 NFL Preview, Super Bowl XLI, 2006 Super Bowl Champion, Rod Smith, Mile High, 2006 Denver Broncos Preview, NFL Power Rankings, Al Wilson, Champ Bailey

Projected Record

13-3, 1st Place AFC South

Projected Schedule W/L

@NY Giants (L)
Houston (W)
Jacksonville (W)
@NY Jets (W)
Tennessee (W)
Washington (W)
@Denver (L)
@New England (W)
Buffalo (W)
@Dallas (L)
Philiadelphia (W)
@Tennessee (W)
@Jacksonville (W)
Cincinnati (W)
@Houston (W)
Miami (W)

After 13 weeks in 2005 the Indianapolis Colts were 13-0. People were compairing them to the 1972 Miami Dolphins. It wasn’t ‘if’ they won the Super Bowl, it was ‘when’. People were talking perfection. Then came a loss on the field, then a much more tragic loss off of it. The day Head Coach Tony Dungy lost his son they team effectively lost their season. Lost their edge. A home playoff loss to Pittsburgh made it official, and another off-season of ‘what-ifs’ for Peyton Manning and Co. ensued. As Dungy’s Colts head into 2006 the hunger seems renewed. They know there was an opportunity lost, and you never really know how many opportunities you are going to have. They’ll have to deal with the loss of Edgerrin James. They’ll have to deal with expectations, and the pressure that comes with the ‘what-ifs’. Tony Dungy has moved on from his loss, choosing to use his loss as motivation. If we have learned anything from Dungy, his team will likely do the same, and are primed and ready to go after that ellusive Championship.

Team Strengths – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, need I say more? There really doesn’t need to be much more said. Peyton Manning is arguably the best in the game, and he and Harrison are the best in history when it comes to TD connections. Sure, they lost James, but they gained something that might be more important, the best closer in NFL history. Adam Vinatieri joins the Colts after 10 seasons in New England which saw Vinatieri win 2 Super Bowls and numerous games with his right foot. I may be wrong but I don’t remember seeing Vinatieri miss a kick that really mattered. His arrival alone could be the difference for the Colts. Even without James this offense is going to score points. Manning can still creep toward 50 TD’s. But when a game is close, and points are at a premium, having a guy like Vinatieri should take alot of pressure off the Colts’ Offense. Often overshadowed is the defense, that has slowly crept up the ratings and finished in the top 15 in the league last season. The expectation would be Top 10, and if the Colts can get there, watch out!

Team Weaknesses - If there are any questions for the Colts it is the running game, where Dominic Rhodes and Jospeh Addai are trying to replace Edgerrin James. Report out of camp have been favorable for both and this could be a strength as we hit the stretch run. The O-Line might also be a concern, even though they are considered one of the best in the league. I say this only because the last time we saw the group Joey Porter was running wild at Manning. The Steelers did this to everyone the last 8 weeks of last season, of course, so this may just be a aberration. There was a key loss on the defense during the off-season, as well, that has Dungy concerned. Defensive Captain David Thornton left for Tennessee and will be replaced by Gilbert Gardner. Gardner has seen limited action in his first 2 seasons but will be relied on to be a factor in the Cover 2 scheme that Dungy runs.

Best Case Scenario – A first title for the most successful regular season team the past 5 years. I have to admit, even though I am a Bronco fan a part of me would love to see Dungy get a ring. he has been so close, so many times that it just seems fitting. Manning is poised to have a huge year and could approach the TD record he set in 2004. The Colts are looking for the running game not to miss a beat, and even more importantly, need their RB’s to pick up the blitz, something James did a good as anyone. If the defense plays to it’s ability, this could easily be a Top-5 unit.

Worst Case Scenario - The Colts face the Patriots in the playoffs. I know, they beat a depleted Pats team in Foxboro last season. That excorsized the demons, right? Not in my opinion. Peyton needs to beat Brady and Belichick on the big stage, in the playoffs. To get there the Colts need to keep Manning on the field, because behind him there isn’t much. Backup Jim Sorgi was injured during camp and will miss a large part of the season. The Colts are looking to address this, but ask the Bears, put all your eggs in one QB basket and you are asking for trouble.

My Opinion - Yep, I have the Colts losing their opening game in NY. Not because I think the Giants are a better team, or even because I actually think it will happen. But after going 13-0 and all the press that went with it I think it would be a relief for Indy to lose that first game and get it out of the way. After that, however, a weak division shuld enable the Colts to clinch another division crown by Week 10. After that the problem for the COlts will be staying sharp, and it will be interesting to see how Dungy plays it if the Colts have everything wrapped up with a couple games to play. It is hard for a team to stay sharp if they pull up at the end of the season, and I expect the Colts to go full throttle all the way through week 17. As for teh results? I need to see Peyton Manning beat Tom Brady in January. Better yet, the Colts as a team beat the Patriots as a team in January. Until I see it, I am not predictiing it. After dominating the the AFC South, getting a 1st Round Bye with the 2nd seed in the AFC. What happens next…My playoff predictions are coming up next week!!

Technorati Tags: Indianapolis Colts, TonyDungy, Peyton Manning, Dominic Rhodes, Joseph Addai, 2006 Colts Preview, Football, NFL, National Football League, 2006 NFL Preview

Projected Record

12-4, 1st Place NFC South

Projected Schedule W/L

Atlanta (W)
@Minnesota (W)
@Tampa Bay (L)
New Orleans (W)
Cleveland (W)
@Baltimore (W)
@Cincinnati (L)
Dallas (W)
Tampa Bay (W)
St. Luis (W)
@Washington (L)
@Philadelphia (W)
NY Giants (W)
Pittsburgh (W)
@Atlanta (L)
@New Orleans (W)

Has any franchise in the NFL seen so many ups and downs so quickly? Since 2002, the Panthers have been 7-9, 11-5(Super Bowl), 7-9, 11-5(NFL Championship). Going by that trend 2006 would be a down year for the Cats. Not in my book. I really like the Panthers is 2006, so much so that they are my choice to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLI. For any team to make it to the Super Bowl alot has to go right. They have to avoid injuries to key players. They have to get career years from guys that weren’t expected to do a whole lot, and to be honest, they need to be a little bit lucky. Carolina has alot of tools and they have a top notch head coach that gets little recognition for the job he has done. I am a little concerned about the building steriod controversy that is swirling around the team, but if they can steer clear of that storm all signs point for the Panthers to be in Miami in February.

Team Strengths – This team has tons of leadership on both sides of the ball. Jake Delhomme is the type of quarterback that any fan would want to have on their team. He is fiery and fearless and seems to play his best when the game is on the line. It doesn’t hurt when you have one of the best weapons in the game to throw the ball to in Steve Smith. After missing almost all of 2004 with a broken leg, Smith was co-Comeback Player of the Year last year and received alot of consideration in MVP voting. He is small in stature but always seems to be behind the man trying to cover him and can make the tough catch accross the middle. The running game received a boost when the Panthers drafted DeAngelo Williams with their first round pick to play with oft’ injured Deshaun Foster. Look for both to see alot of action this season. On defense, the Panthers seem stacked. The D-Line is the strength, with Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker on the outside. They are also stout up the middle, with Kris Jenkins on the line and Dan Morgan at MLB. Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble are pesky cover guys and verteran safety Mike Minter patrols center field. The defense ranked 3rd in the NFL last season and very easily could top that in 2006.

Team Weaknesses - Not many to be honest, but injuries always seem to be a thorn in the side of Carolina. Several of the players listed above have significant injury histories, starting with Kris Jenkins who has missed the better part of the last two season with different ailments. Dan Morgan is a walking CAT scan, and might be one concussion away from retirement. Mike Rucker has also missed time and the Panthers are going to need their star defenders on the field. DeShaun Foster has yet to play a full season at running back and Steve Smith has had leg problems in the past. Health is going to be a major concern. The schedule is brutal as well, with the NFC South and NFC East playing each other this season. The Panthers also have to play the AFC North, with games at Baltimore and at Cincinnati.

Best Case Scenario – John Fox lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy after winning Super Bowl XLI. The Panthers have a lot of talent and have the experience to get it done. They were on the cusp of Super Bowl XL, before bowing out to Seattle and I expect them to be ready for the Seahawks this time around. If Smith can stay healthy and Delhomme can stay within himslef the Panthers will be tough to beat. The two headed rushing monster of Foster and Williams can have a huge season if both stay on the field. It will be key for Carolina to dominate the South in head-to-head matchups in order to offset the tough schedule. In the past they have dominated Tampa, but struggled against Atlanta. If Carolina can go 5-1 in the division they should be well on their way.

Worst Case Scenario - Obviously injuries are the one thing that has really derailed the Panthers in the past. At times Carolina seems snakebit and the trend in record proves that. The steriod issue swirling around them worries me as well. If this thing blows up it could be a major distraction. Playing the schedule that the Panters are playing is hard enough without having outside factors get in the way. I said earlier that a team needs a little luck to get to the Super Bowl, and if that luck doesn’t go their way they could miss the playoffs entirely, the NFC is THAT competitive.

My Opinion - When the difference between winning and losing is that razor thin I look at leadership, both on the field and on the sidelines to be the difference. With Jake Delhomme at QB and Head Coach John Fox the Panthers have two great leaders to see them through the storm of the NFL regular season. I think this team is primed for big things in 2006 and the near miss last season has them hungry for more. At 12-4, I think they will be the #2 seed heading into the playoffs, but a tough schedule, combined with the cupcake schedule Seattle plays, will give Carolina the advantage when the two teams meet in a NFC Championship Game rematch. Will the win the Super Bowl? You’ll have to wait for that. But it’s going to be a Super season in deed for the Panthers.

Technorati Tags: Carolina Panthers, Jake Delhomme, John Fox, Steroids, NFL Preview, Carolina Panthers Preview, football, NFL 2006, 2006 Carolina Panthers, Super Bowl

Projected Record

12-4, 1st Place AFC EAST

Projected Schedule W/L

Buffalo (W)
@NY Jets (W)
Denver (W)
@Cincinnati (L)
Miami (W)
@Buffalo (W)
@Minnesota (W)
Indianapolis (L)
NY Jets (W)
@Green Bay (W)
Chicago (W)
Detroit (W)
@Miami (L)
Houston (W)
@Jacksonville (L)
@Tennessee (W)

Can a team still be successful, still be elite, while going through transition? That’s what the New England Patriots are trying to do. Injuries, age, and attrition are all taking their toll on the Pats, who were knocked out of the playoffs last season in the 2nd round after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. During the off-season they said good-bye to the likes of Tom Ashworth on the O-Line and team leader Willie McGinest on defense. They have granted leading receiver Deion Branch permission to seek a trade, to find some sort of resoluton to the hold-out that has lasted all off-season. The one constant, however is #12 behind center. As long asa Tom Brady is on the field the Patriots have a chance, and in 2006 it is more than a fighting chance. The fact that the Pats are #4 on my Guru Power Rnakings should show you how much I like the Pats this year, even with all the changes. The Dolphins are tough, the schedule is tough, but Brady and the Pats are a little tougher.

Team Strengths – There are two big strengths the Pats have that most other teams do not. The Head Coach, Bill Belichick might be the best coach in football. He has won 3 Super Bowls the past 5 season and has done it with a patchwork defense on more than on occasion. He has been able to get role players and stars alike to buy into a team first mentality and has not given in to players like Branch who have gone against the grain. It goes a long way when your team trusts you and there is a lot of trust in the locker room. The coach can’t plpay so you better have a strong quarterback and again the Pats have one of the best in Tom Brady. Since being drafted in the 6th Round Brady has been playing with a chip on his shoulder that even with the success hasn’t left. The best of the best have skills that go beyond physical ability. They have a fire that burns, a desire to be the best and the expectation that everyone around them be the best. Brady is like that, and his fire raises the play of everyone around him. The Patriots may also have the best back-field tandem in the League, with Corey Dillon and Rookie Lawrence Maroney. Both should see alot of action in order to keep Dillon fresh the entire season.

Team Weaknesses - You know things are good when the biggest question mark on the team is at kicker, but when you are trying to replace a future Hall-of-Famer it has to be up there. The in-camp batter between Matrin Grammatica and rookie Stephen Gostkowski was decided last week when the team decided to go with the rookie. He has looked good during the pre-season, successful on every kick so far. The pre-season is a different animal than the regular season or Playoffs for that matter, so it will be interesting to see what happens the first time Gostkowski needs to make a kick to win or tie a game. The Defensive backfield is still a question mark to me with Rodney Harrison trying to comeback from a brutal knee injury suffered against Pittsburgh last year. The one thing all the injuries the past few years have done for the Pats is give alot of those young guys a ton of playing time. That has created depth, even though no one stands out as a star. Injuries during the pre-season has raised questions about the linebackers as well, with Tedi Bruschi nursing a wrist injury, but Junior Seau, talked out of retirement after 3 days, looked great in his first action and can be a sleeper if he can stay healthy and be used correctly.


Best Case Scenario – When winning championships becomes the norm only a victory in Super Bowl XLI can be conseidered as best case. I would really like to see this team stay healthy all season to find out just how good they are. That said I really think they need Deion Branch on the field in a ‘Flying Elvis’ helmet in order for the Pats to get there. The tandem of Maroney and Dillon are going to be agreat 1-2 punch for the running game and Ben Watson needs to step up and become a viable option in the passing game. Brady has the ability to put up great numbers and this season may the year it happens. If Bruschi can come back healthy and Seau be used in certain situations he could be a force for the defense.

Worst Case Scenario - Anyway you look at it, if Branch actually gets traded it will be a hit to the offense. Brady has said as much to the press, and I think deep down Belichick knows this as well. If he leaves, aging Troy Brown once again becomes the first option and injuries have plpagued him the past few years as well. Defensively, they have depth but there are a couple of guys the Pats cannot lose if they are going to win big. Tedi Bruschi needs to be on the field and he needs Richard Seymour on the line in front of him. Both players are difference and can change the course of a game with one play. The head to head matchups with Miami and Indianapolis will be fun to watch and Week 3 primetime against my Broncos should be fun as well.

My Opinion - In my reality there are 5 teams that have a realistic chance to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots are definitely one of those teams, IF Deion Branch gets on the field. Make no mistake, the Pats will be a competitive playoff team without Branch, but they are a Super Bowl caliber team with him. I really think Branch is out there seeing what the market holds for his services and will end up signing an extension with the Patriots. The way the situation is being handled insures neither side loses face and that a solution can be found amicably. On the field I expect Tom Brady to have one of his biggest seasons yet, and with Maroney and Dillon the Patriots will be one of the top running teams in the league. On defense, I expect more of the same from the Pats, a ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality that relies on the big play and a mistake from the opponent. I like the Patriots to win the AFC East and reach the AFC Championship Game, before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champs. Who’s that, you ask? Patience, patience….

Technorati Tags: New England Patriots, Tom Brady, NFL Preview, Patriots Preview, 2006 Patroits Preview, Corey Dillon, Deion Branch, Bill Belichick