Well, one minor Eagles point...thoughts and prayers to the family of Andy Reid for the loss of his son. It is a shame to have to bury a child and one problem I wish to never experience in my life. Take your time sir.
So, I am a football fan. I love everything about it. I would gladly watch the Browns vs. the Colts. I have grown to appreciate the NFL altogether from several years now of playing fantasy football. Knowing the players, rooting for these individual players and subsequently their teams. Below is a list of my favorite teams per division, aside from the NFC East, home of my precious Philadelphia Eagles.
AFC West
AFC West
Ah yes. The new home of Peyton Manning and home of some of the NFL's best rivalries. I was not a fan of football when these rivalries began brewing, and not having a super vested interest in this division I am not familiar with them at all. I previously rooted for the San Diego Chargers because I supported Drew Brees as my favorite non-Philadelphia player. He won me a couple of fantasy football championships in his earlier career. I disowned the thought of ever cheering on the Raiders after they let Jason Campbell become their quarterback.
Better than Jamarcus Russel, yes, but what you don't see here in this picture is his Under Armor turtleneck slowly creeping up out of his jersey. I don't like guys who wear turtlenecks. I found myself cheering for the Broncos occassionally as I liked Jake "The Snake" Plummer back in the day, and recently with the addition of Brian Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter. Dawkins just retired and now the Broncos are a potential Super Bowl entrant based on the services of Peyton Manning. However, the team I root for now out of the AFC West is a team that personnaly enriched my life and increased my cholesterol. Two years ago I bet my friend Brandon that the Chiefs would win 6 games before the Lions would. I then went further to say, "Fuck it, the Chiefs will win the division." Boom. I rule. I loved the chiefs when they had Tyler Thigpen, who they should have never dumped off! He was a gunslinger and excellent fantasy replacement QB. Anywho, with Jamaal Charles returning, Matt Cassel assumingly having nowhere to go but up, plus Dwayne Bowe, an emerging tight end, and up and coming receivers and returning key defensive players, they are part of the reason why the AFC West is still wide open. Don't be surprised to see them take the division, even though I feel the Broncos have the swagger.
NFC West
Yuck. I want to root for the Rams, but I just can't. I mean I physically cannot. It would be great if Sam Bradford developed into a great quarterback. It would be great if Steven Jackson could be on a team with a winning record for the first time in his career. It would be nice if an easier to spell name of Brian Quick is their best receiver over Danny Amendola and Michael Hoomanawanui. I like Jeff Fischer as a coach, so maybe I can flip flop over the course of the upcoming season. Seattle, more like boraphyl. I last enjoyed/rooted for the Seahawks back when Sean Alexander was making history and Madden Covers. He was a likeable guy and helped the Seahawks dominate. Then when he left for the Redskins, the Seahawks were stuck with nothing and a quarterback who had a bad back, ol' man Hasselback. They are far from the team that made it to the Superbowl a couple years back, and will stay that way for a while. They are the first team with a losing record to host and win a playoff game. They also are boring to watch. The San Francisco 49ers were a surprise team last year, but I truly believe if the Eagles found a way to hold them off, then their season would have turned out differently. That win gave the 49ers a confidence to trounce almost every other team they played thereafter and ultimately fell one game short of the Superbowl. I like their coach, I like Vernon Davis, but I cannot seriously cheer on Alex Smith. I think he is the next Rex Grossman.
By default, I will root for the Cardinals. They are the only team to ever beat the Eagles in the playoffs that I rooted for in the Superbowl. Kurt Warner was amazing for them. Larry Fitzgerald is a great player to watch, so it is sad to see the quarterback battle between Kevin Kolb and Jon Skelton. I think Skelton should be the starter going forward as he gets to grow up in the Cardinals system, as opposed to Kolb who got the foster kid treatment from the Eagles and now Arizona. It sucks that he sucks.
AFC North
Crazy ass division up here. First, I like more teams than I don't like in this division. If you are Chinese, you understand that means I like 3 of the 4 teams. The team I don't like - The Steelers. I like to joke about rape, but not actually support accused rapists. I don't like their dirty players on defense. What Ben Rapelsberger does though has been pretty significant over the past 5 years, so he earned his respect. I just don't like that they are successful.
So, I like the Browns because they are underdogs that cannot seem to catch a break. They used two first round picks this year to hopefully shore up their future and make things right. The Bengals are up and coming, and I like the way Andy Dalton plays plus their defense always works hard. Going with the youth movement was a smart choice for them. But these two teams don't exhibit enough qualities combined compared to the Baltimore Ravens. I can watch any Ravens game. I may not know all their players, but their defense and now their offense are very respectable. I don't think Joe Flacco is any better than "serviceable" but that is better than below average. However, every game I have ever watched of theirs I knew they were in it. I like that they have older players who refuse to retire but still play at that same level or try to impact the team and will them to win with their presence alone. That is rare, and the Ravens are special like that.
NFC North
Perhaps the new "most hardest division in the NFL"? It is hard to not like the Packers. Aaron Rogers is incredible. The defense could stop the bleeding though, which would make him less incredible, not having to get into a scoring sprint with other teams. The Bears have consistently beaten the Eagles over the past couple years and I find it very hard to get behind them with their quarterback who looks like he smelled some bad fish. I do like their defense, though. The Vikings are whatever. Several people in my family like the Vikes, but I cannot be fake and bring myself to like them. With Adrien Peterson suffering his ACL injury last year, even if he came back at 90%, still makes them a weak team. Therefore, I like the young, scrappy Lions. I always teased Brandon about his blind faith of Detroit, but I am behind them as well. The guys on that team that went 0-16 deserve every accolade heaped upon them. They have a good young corps, just need that extra boost at running back now. Their defense got picked apart by Drew Brees in the playoffs, so I hope they can bounce back from that (except for Week 6). I am a believer, so Go Lions! (except Week 6).
AFC South
I used to despise the Colts due to the greatness of Peyton Manning, and got a thrill of a sports fans lifetime watching the Eagles march back to victory over them two years ago in person. The presence of Andrew Luck and other young parts does not draw me to them at all. The Titans are meh. They have probably the new Pacman Jones - Kenny "The Tragedy" Britt. Maybe their younger players have a good opportunity, and I hope they can be competitive.
I used to really like the Jaguars. I remember them beating Pittsburgh in the playoffs one year in a really exciting game. Byron Leftwhich had the sweetest looking throwing motion, a full windmill of a throw. However, those glory days are long past gone and their star is holding out. Yet, I still have a warm place in my heart for them. The winner of last year's division is the Houston Texans. I liked them for a while, and their coach looks like my manager, but there is just something I do not like about rooting for them now that they have gotten over the Peyton Manning hump. I like the fire of Arian Foster, Ben Tate, and their defense. However I think they will be more disappointing than the Jaguars due to their propensity for injuries. The Jaguars have to improve their game before they go broke or funded directly by the NFL, and they are in the 32nd smallest market and the 32nd most popular team. I think I have to root for the little guys. And I hope Laurent Robinson wasn't what I fear he was - a one year wonder.
NFC South
In my mind, this is the real hardest division in the NFL. The Saints and Falcons made the playoffs the past two years. The Buccaneers were pushovers last year, but spent every red cent to get their team competitive again. And the Panthers have Lions-like potential. I used to be pro-Saints, 100 percent, because of Brees. I like that the town has become his home and he took them on his back to the Superbowl and every Monday/Thursday/Sunday thereafter. I like the upward mobility of the Panthers though. I liked the Bucs when Jeff Garcia was at the helm, and thought Josh Freeman would've done better overall, but I am wrong. Therefore, right now, I am 60 percent for the Saints, with 40 percent for the Panthers.
AFC East
I remember growing up, and before I become a big football fan, that the Bills would seem to go to the playoffs or Superbowl every year just to make sure another team won the title. I think I liked loveable losers. The Dolphins were last relevant with the Ronnie Brown experiment that took them to a division title. The Patriots and its recurring components are living legends. And the Jets ruin everything there is to love about fantasy football.
I have a 16 team league I run. That means that most likely to fill the roster spots, 2 positional players from each team will be selected, giving me 2 times 16 to eaqual 32 players, let's say widereceivers, to START the teams each week. Double that to account for bench spots, and you get 64 - 2 per team. However, when you factor in the Jets, there is really only a pool of 62 positional players because everybody at every position for the Jets are shitty value for fantasy. Perhaps their kicker is the best option. So, with 62 quality-ish receivers to choose from, that means somebody must rely on Jason Avant or Michael Hoomanawanui or Legadu Nanee. Throw in the flex spot, and the Jets have depleted the quality player pool even more. So, fist yourself, Jets.
I would have to root for the Bills. I like a team that has been disrespected by their own actions. I like a quarterback with the nickname "Fitzmagic." I like Fred Jackson and the dorky/insane Stevie Johnson. I like the fact they made every move they could to bolster the defense. I am hoping for just a playoff berth for them, and double fingers crossed for the division.
So, with this out of the way, please enjoy the (pre)season!
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