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QB: Jay Cutler, 3rd yr, Denver Broncos
One of the strongest arms in football.

RB: Marshawn Lynch, 2nd yr, Buffalo Bills
Rushed for over 1,100 yards as a rookie. Improved patience will translate to big things.

WR: Vincent Jackson, 4th yr, San Diego Chargers
Outstanding size augments his first-class athleticism. Came alive in the playoffs last year.

WR: Calvin Johnson, 2nd yr, Detroit Lions
Healthy, more mature, playing in a new offense.

TE: Vernon Davis, 3rd yr, San Francisco 49ers
Even with the Niners’ shaky QB situation, he’ll get plenty of opportunities as one of the focal points in Mike Martz’s offense.

LT: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, 3rd yr, New York Jets
The arrival of Alan Faneca will…

DE: Tamba Hali, 3rd yr, Kansas City Chiefs
Excellent run-defender who now gets a shot at more sacks playing on the right side.

DT: Amobi Okoye, 2nd yr, Houston Texans
Amazing natural power; could one day reach the level of a Warren Sapp.

NFC East

1. Dallas Cowboys

2. Philadelphia Eagles*

3. New York Giants

4. Washington Redskins

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. Green Bay Packers

3. Chicago Bears

4. Detroit Lions

NFC South

1. Carolina Panthers

2. New Orleans Saints*

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Atlanta Falcons

NFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. Arizona Cardinals

3. St. Louis Rams

4. San Francisco 49ers

NFC Championship

Dallas Cowboys over Minnesota Vikings

It’s hard to trust Dallas in the postseason, but it’s even harder to trust Tarvaris Jackson. Plus, the NFC is unusually feeble at the top this year.

AFC East

1. New England Patriots

2. New York Jets

3. Buffalo Bills

4. Miami Dolphins

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

2.…

1. New England Patriots
A great rebound from devastating Super Bowl XLII loss will result in world championship. A terrible rebound will still result in a division title.

2. New York Jets
They’re apparently bent on winning now. Brett Favre is key, but their upgraded O-line is the linchpin. If it stays healthy, they’ll contend for a playoff spot.

3. Buffalo Bills
In a nice spot as they construct a long-term program. Jets are running a sprint for this year; these guys are running a marathon for this epoch.

4. Miami Dolphins
Not to worry – Parcells is on it.

Click cont. to see All-AFC East team

After his team’s stunning 17-14 Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants, the illustrious quarterback stood behind a podium in front of an inordinately rabid, callous media and spoke wistfully about going for a title again next year. Fortunately for Tom Brady, none of the bloodhound reporters were smart (or cruel) enough to ask this question:

Tom, you guys came into this game with the best record in NFL history. Over 18 weeks, you obliterated teams early in the season, took care of other elite clubs at all stops and thrived in every adverse, high-pressure situation. You personally, a three-time world champion, led a prolific offense that shattered virtually every significant NFL single season record. Your team’s defense allowed the fourth fewest points in the league and featured three Pro Bowlers (not to mention at least three other star veterans who could end up in the Hall of Fame). Your special teams were sharp, and the consensus was that your head coach was the closest in the business to reaching Vince Lombardi’s pedestal. If you couldn’t win it all this year, how will you EVER win it all?

Only Bill Parcells could be retired, move to South Florida and undertake a laborious NFL rebuilding effort. The soon-to-be 69-year-old left Dallas in ’07 and went all of one year without feeding his football addiction. To his credit, he did not jump back into the coaching ranks.

So here we go again––another Parcells reclamation project. This is the fifth one. With Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga having no ego and being in the process of turning the team over to Stephen Ross, it’s clearly the Big Tuna’s show in Miami. Nothing about this is new. This isn’t even the first time that the future Hall of Famer has inherited a 1-15 AFC East team. You may remember, Parcells took over the hapless Jets in 1997. He made them a nine-win club right away, then led them to the AFC championship the following year.

Of course, that AFC East division did not feature a dynastic Patriots franchise (which, by the way, given Bill Belichick’s NFL upbringing, is something the Big Tuna had a slight hand in as well). Nine wins is simply unrealistic for these Dolphins. In fact, any numerical expectations for 2008 seem almost pointless. The bottom line is, Parcells builds winners––which is exactly what the Miami Dolphins will be once he’s done.

So how does he do it?

From the tiny streets of Green Bay to the bright lights of Broadway. How’s that for a transition?

We’ve seen other NFL legends finish out their careers unceremoniously with different franchises. But given the folklore of Favre, the drama of this summer and the destination (again, Favre in the Big Apple!) that seems unlikely to be the case here.

Not to mention, the Jets were playoff contenders before acquiring Favre. They’re now playoff favorites. The AFC East division still belongs to New England (to keep it simple, is there anyone out there saying Favre is better than Tom Brady?) but players like Favre can bring magic…the type of magic that…

Well that didn’t last long. Eric Mangini’s reign as God, that is. After being canonized for leading what was thought to be a moribund franchise to a 10-6 record in his first year as head coach, “Mangenius” quickly fell from Einstein to Frankenstein during his team’s 4-12 ’07 campaign.

Now, Mangini––and GM Mike Tannenbaum, for that matter––is subject to questioning as he enters his third season as a head coach. Does his chilly Belichick-esque demeanor really get through to players? Are his practices too tough? His rules too draconian? What about his game plan? Too conservative offensively? Too complicated defensively?

Sure, it’s somewhat impetuous to raise these questions only one year after awarding a guy the unconditional benefit of the doubt. But Mangini understands––he’s probably asked himself the same thing.

After all, look at the personnel changes made during the offseason. The Jets are a portrait of a team that’s bent on winning now. They signed 31-year-old guard Alan Faneca to the richest contract in offensive lineman history (five years, $40 million, $23 million of it guaranteed). Faneca is still the crème de la crème at his position, but not even the Steeler team that he’d been with for over a decade was willing to consider such hefty compensation.

New York didn’t stop there.

It’s both inspiring and heartbreaking. The Buffalo Bills are like a scrawny, small town middle schooler who privately busts his tail everyday in hopes of somehow capturing the 12th spot on the basketball team. He’ll be given a chance, but considering he must beat out the fleet-footed, high-jumping, six-foot-something monster from New England, you know he won’t actually have a chance.

Hailing from the tiny Western New York market, the Bills are the closest thing the NFL has to an underdog. Their legacy is that they once lost four consecutive Super Bowls. Currently, their eight-year playoff drought is the longest in the AFC. Their last postseason showing was the ’99 Wild Card round, when they were victimized by the Music City Miracle.

1. San Diego Chargers

Injuries potentially pose major problems. Still, this team is loaded and this division, unequivocally, is not.

2. Denver Broncos

How many damaged free agents does this team have to sign before realizing they’re setting themselves up for mediocrity?

3. Oakland Raiders

Talent isn’t lacking, but the organization is a mess.

4. Kansas City Chiefs

Roughly half of their starters should be backups. That’s the nature of the rebuilding beast.

Click cont. to see All AFC West Team