San Diego Chargers
Having finished one step away from the Superbowl a year ago despite several key players being hurt, anything less than a trip to the Superbowl will be considered a disappointment.
Yes, both the Patriots and Colts stand in their way. But the Chargers have already proven that they can beat the Colts on the road and should have beaten the Patriots as well.
This year, the Chargers have the opportunity to gain an advantage over both the Patriots and Chargers as they play both at home. This should enable the Chargers to gain any tie breakers and consequently earn the #1 seed throughout the playoffs.
The Chargers only main area of concern this year is the health of all pro LB Shawne Merriman. Merriman who is vowed to play and put off surgery is really rolling the dice on his career and possibly the Chargers season.
Predicted Record: 13-3
Playoffs: Yes

Denver Broncos
If you cannot …

In today’s sports world which includes salary caps and free agency, it is rare to see a team especially in the NFL, dominate like the Colts have.  Having win totals of 12, 12, 14, 12 and 13 which includes a Super Bowl title in the past five years is as good and consistent as it gets.  And in 2008, you should not expect anything less.

Note:  Teams listed in predicted order of finish

Indianapolis Colts

The only concerns that the Colts have entering the 2008 season are the health of two future Hall Of Famers in QB Peyton Manning and WR Marvin Harrison.  With Manning having played 10 years already and have started every game of his career, I am not as worried as the media is making Manning’s knee injury. Manning will be just fine and might take some time to get his rythm, but I would not be worried at all.  Harrison on the other hand, I do believe is a concern.  While Harrison has not showed any signs of any problems in the pre-season, …

With Pittsburgh most likely being the sexy pick for the majority of NFL expects, expect the AFC North to be one of the most open divisions in 2008.

Note:  Teams are listed in predicted order of finish

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are a team who when you expect them to be good (2007), they are not and when you expect them to bad (2008), they could prove you wrong.

I am going to take the latter, as the Bengals simply have too much offensive firepower with QB Carson Palmer and WR’s Chad Johnson and T.J.  Houshmandzadeh.  The recent roster cut of RB Rudi Johnson who has been one of the most consistent RB’s in the NFL in recent years will surely hurt the running game.  However, something tells me that the combination of RB Chris Perry, Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey will be more than feasible.  Additionally, the offense will also receive a boost from free agent signing of TE Ben Utecht who will help to open up the middle of the field for Palmer.

The only question …

Last season, the NFC was without question the most competitive top to bottom in all of football.  Every team in the division finished at an astonishing .500 or better with three of the four teams making the playoffs.  

While these will be rare feats to duplicate, you can still expect the NFC East to once again be the best division in the NFL.  

Note:  Teams listed in predicted order of finish

Dallas Cowboys

In my eyes, the Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC and are the most complete team in the NFL.  The question continues to remain though even with all this talent, can the Cowboys put it all together?

From last year, the Cowboys have clearly become better with the draft additions of RB Felix Jones and CB Mike Jenkins and the acquisition of Adam “Pacman” Jones.  Drafting Jones who is a great combination of speed and size, allows the Cowboys to make Marion Barber the #1 back.  This duo offers a tremendous combination …

AFC East Preview

What used to be the New England Patriots and the rest of the pack has quickly become a quietly competitive division.

Note: Teams listed in predicted order of finish

New England Patriots

The Patriots suffered some key losses in the off-season in CB Asante Samuel and WR Donte Stallworth that will hurt their great depth.  However, the Patriots will continue to find ways to win.

And with the help of a weak schedule where the Patriots play the AFc and NFC West teams, the Patriots could possibly go undefeated again in the regular season.

In the end though, expect the Patriots to clinch the #1 seed in the AFC forcing everyone once again to go through Foxboro if they expect to reach the Superbowl.

Predicted Record: 13-3

Playoffs: Yes

New York Jets

No team had a better off-season than the Jets where they traded and or signed a group of impact players.

Highlighting that group of players is QB Brett Favre who fills the Jets …

With the 2008 redeem team recently recapturing the gold in Beijing, many have begun to wonder who would win if the two stoic teams met. 
To me the answer is simple, the 1992 team would win.  Not only would they win, but they would win  possibly by double digits.  The 1992 team is probably 8 to 12 points better than the 2008 team for a variety of reasons.  First, the 1992 team was bigger on the front line with Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing.  The 2008 team features a great deal of athleticism and versatility on the perimeter, but outside of Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, the 1992 team would simply dominate down low.  Secondly, the 1992 team was a little more experienced in age (29 to 26) and NBA experience (8 to 6).   Lastly, the 1992 team was …

With the college football season on the horizon and less than one week away, many teams have realistic dreams of reaching the national title or a BCS game in 2009. However, after examining a variety of aspects like returning players, certain opponents that teams should beat and also strength of schedule, I was able to come up with the 10 teams who should be in the BCS picture come January.
Note: These matchups take into consideration the automatic berths for reach conference, the BCS standings, and the BCS rules:
BCS National Championship – Oklahoma vs. USC
Preview: Two storied programs will meet with both teams being undefeated coming into the game. Due to more big game experience and more play makers on both sides of the ball, I give the edge to USC to once again be crowned national champions.
Prediction: USC
Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs. Georgia
Preview: With Florida winning the SEC, how can the Rose Bowl selection committee not …

In what appears to have been a quiet story but definitely an interesting one, Andy Pettitte has asked that Jose Molina become his personal catcher.

According to the New York Journal News, Pettitte asked to no longer throw to catcher Ivan Rodriquez after his miserable outing on July 31st against the Anaheim Angels.

On that night, Pettitte just never looked comfortable in going 5 1/3 innings, giving up 11 hits, and 9 earned runs.  Furthermore, Pettitte threw an uncharacteristic 48 balls and only 62 strikes in his 110 pitch outing.

This is not to take anything away from what might be the best team in baseball in the Angels, but chemistry can not be discounted in baseball.  If a pitcher does not feel comfortable throwing to a particular catcher, has to continuously shake him off, this will result in no confidence with disaster on the horizon.

Pettitte, is a pitcher who is always focused and locked in on the mound but frequently fell behind Angel batters on that …

In order to win the Heisman just like the MVP in other major sports, there has to be a combination of intangibles which need to occur. The athlete must put up great statistics, be on a good team, play on a team with good media exposure, and most importantly in my eyes be the biggest difference maker out of all the candidates. The Heisman committee must take into consideration all of these intangibles mentioned but most importantly be able to envision the candidate’s team without them.

So without further adu, here is my list of Heisman candidates for 2008, my predicted winner top three, and a list of other candidates who will likely receive some consideration.

Tim Tebow – Tebow totally altered the way many college coaches are beginning to recruit for now on with his ability to beat you with both his legs and arm. Tebow threw for nearly 3,300 yards and ran for nearly 900 more in 2007 while totaling an eye popping 55 touchdowns overall. …

In what was considered the weakest conference out of the elite six in college football just three years ago, the Big East has quietly gained a great deal of respect around the country.
And in 2008, the Big East should be well represented again come January where everyone in the conference outside of Syracuse should finish with a winning record and a berth in a bowl game.
Note: Teams are listed in predicted order of finish.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Offense: It will be tough to replace the likes of RB Steve Slaton and WR Darius Reynaud, but with dual threat Pat White and electrifying RB Noel Devine the Mountaineers should put up nearly 40 points a game and once again be heading back to a BCS bowl.
Defense: With only four starters returning to a unit that ranked seventh best nationally in total defense at 18.1 points per game, there is no question that the defense will determine how far this …

Not only did the Yankees lose yet again to the Angels for the fifth time in seven games, they were also out coached.

With the game tied 3 to 3 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Joe Girardi decided to use Damaso Marte for a 2nd inning of work. While I would not have a problem with this against a tough lefty who might have lead off the inning, this was simply not the case. Instead, the Angels were due up the ever dangerous Howie Kendrick, Gary Matthews Jr., who is hitting .226 and Mike Napoli who is hitting .224.

Somehow Marte, who is a lefty specialist or at most a one inning type of guy in the 7th or 8 inning, quickly turned into a two inning reliever. While Marte is easily capable of recording three additional outs, especially against the bottom third of the Angels lineup, this was not the right managerial decision when you have your closer, who has not pitched …

As the long baseball season winds down to its final month, there is nothing more beneficial to a team in the pennant race than being able to call up impact players from the minors.
And, the Yankees may have more than a few players who can help in their pursuit of a post-season berth in 2008 such as Scott Strickland, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Phil Hughes and, yes, Carl Pavano.
With Darrell Rasner not pitching well of late and Joba Chamberlain on his way to see Dr. James Andrews, the Yankees need help in their rotation. While many teams would be in a great deal of trouble in trying to replace 2/5 of their rotation, the Yankees have formidable options.
Out of the group of starters previously listed, Kennedy is the most ready, as he has posted a 4-2 record with a 2.14 ERA in 46 1/3 innings recording 38 strikeouts while sporting a 0.91 WHIP. Based on …