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Table of Contents   TTA Evolution

Finally! The football season is right around the corner! We’re not even going to waste any time here. Kamikaze and Kaus Debonair have picked their division winners, most overrated and underrated teams, their Super Bowl teams, and the winners. Since the newsletter stays online all the time, it will be interesting to see who’s right and who’s wrong! And here they are!

Kamikaze’s Picks:

AFC East - New England Patriots
Everyone knows I hate the Patriots, but it's hard not to pick them as a favorite this year. Tom Brady worked his magic last year with an average receiving corps and a rookie running back. This year he has Randy Moss to add to the mix, and Laurence Maroney with a year under his belt. Those three are going to have a dynamite year. Last year they fell just short of going to the Super Bowl, should be interesting how they match up this year.

AFC North - Baltimore Ravens
Defense! Defense! Defense! It's too hard not to pick this team to win the division. Ray Lewis leads the best defense in the league with a hard hitting style, resulting in them having the best turnover ratio in the league last year. Turnovers help win games, and as long as McNair stays healthy they will be in good shape.

AFC South - Indianapolis Colts
The returning Super Bowl champions are at it again. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison are easily the best QB/WR duo in the league, possibly in history. Joseph Addai impressed me a lot last season as a rookie, and I expect great things out of him this year, and even greater as he matures as a player throughout his career. Their defense was never well known, but they get better ever year.

AFC West - San Diego Chargers
Ladanian Tomlinson is the most valuable player in the league without a doubt. The threat he causes as a running back forces his opponents to always be on their toes, giving Phillip Rivers the edge as a quarterback. Last year they had a disappointing loss in round 2 of the playoffs after having the number one seed. That won't be happening this year.

NFC East - Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo has two big targets to throw to with Terrel Owens and Terry Glenn. Last year they barely made it to the playoffs with a bye, but this team has grown a lot over the last year and Romo is only going to get better with the more experience he gets.

NFC North - Chicago Bears
Chicago's defense lead by Brian Urlacher is just about the best you can get. Their defense pulled them through last year, and they will certainly pull them through this year. Rex Grossman is a decent quarterback. He has what it takes lead a team to win the division, but I don't foresee them going further than the first round in the playoffs this year.

NFC South - Carolina Panthers
After making it to the NFC championship two years ago, last year they finished a disappointing 8-8, falling just two games behind the New Orleans Saints in a weak division. I expect Jake Delhomme to pick up his game this year with the help of Steve Smith.

NFC West - St. Louis Rams
Last year was a rough season for the Rams, starting out 4-1, then going to 5-8. But, they finished out their season strong winning their last three games. Marc Bulger is going to have a big season this year with Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt by his side. Steven Jackson is one of the best running backs in the league, rushing for 1,500 yards last season. Him and Bulger will give each other the support they need for both of them to be successful.

Most Underrated team - St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams finished with at .500 last year. Not bad, right? There is no reason why this team can't be the team they were when they won the Super Bowl in 2000. Marc Bulger is a great quarterback, with the same weapons Kurt Warner had having Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt, who has only gained more experience since then. Steven Jackson, now entering his fourth season in the NFL, has gotten better every season. 673 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2004, 1046 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2005, and 1528 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. This guy gets overlooked too much. I expect him to have a 2,000 yard season rushing this year, leading his team to the Super Bowl.

Most Overrated team - Philadelphia Eagles
Donovan McNabb is just at the same health that he was a couple years ago. The wide receivers aren't who they used to be, with no receivers that had 1,000 yards last year. They finished strong last season, but I don't foresee things coming together for them this year.

Super Bowl Picks
AFC - San Diego Chargers (Winner)
NFC - St. Louis Rams


Kaus Debonair’s Picks:

AFC East - New England Patriots
It took all of my energy to not pick the New York Jets for this division. Although it wouldn’t surprise me to see Randy Moss be a plague on this team like he has everywhere else, I don’t think that he’ll be enough of a distraction to keep the dynasty from winning another division crown.

AFC North - Baltimore Ravens
With a defense led by Ray Lewis and an offense led by Steve McNair, I don’t see anybody challenging the Ravens for the division crown again this year. Brian Billick is one of the best coaches in the game as well. While they will be tested by the Bengals for the division title, expect the Ravens to come out on top.

AFC South - Indianapolis Colts
This was an easy pick because it’s the Indianapolis Colts. No team has been more dominant in the regular season and coming off a Super Bowl win, I don’t expect their confidence to be any lower than it has in recent years. They probably won’t go 16-0 like the Dolphins once did, but they’ll give it a run for its money like they do every year.

AFC West - San Diego Chargers
Is there anybody else even in this division that will smell the playoffs? With KC and Denver’s quarterback issues and Oakland having just plain issues, San Diego will be the first to clinch their division title this year.

NFC East - Philadelphia Eagles
It’s hard for me to not follow the hype and pick the Dallas Cowboys, but I like Andy Reid as a coach and what he brings to the table. The team is bringing back most of its players from last year minus Jeff Garcia, but that won’t make a difference. The Giants don’t have a chance without Tiki and Washington will have their usual year. I do expect the loser of this division to win a wild card and make the playoffs.

NFC North - Chicago Bears
How can I not pick the Bears? Every stat about the team that loses the Super Bowl missing the following year’s playoffs is getting thrown out the window. There really isn’t anything to challenge them in this division to prevent them from getting another crown. Rex will probably go through a sophomore slump meaning they’ll only win 10 games this year, but that’s plenty to win this division.

NFC South - New Orleans Saints
I’m a believer, too. The Saints have every offensive tool imaginable to run away with this division. Reggie Bush will break out for real this year and show the league what he’s capable of and Drew Brees will have yet another Pro Bowl caliber year. Easy pick for me on this one.

NFC West - Seattle Seahawks
With all the injuries and misfortunes the team had last year, they still easily won their division. Shaun Alexander is due to return to form this year and Hasselbeck will keep throwing it to his many dominant receivers to vault this team to another division crown and possibly more. If healthy, watch out for these guys.

Most Underrated Team - Cincinnati Bengals
This team is probably the best team not talked about this off-season because all of their players haven’t gotten arrested this year. With all their weapons returning this year, all they need to do is not choke like they did last year and they should be a team to be reckoned with. While there’s so much talent, it’s hard to call them an underrated team. However, since they missed the playoffs this year, they can qualify for this category.

Most Overrated Team - Tennessee Titans
Madden 2008 just came out here in America and Vince Young is on the cover. That doesn’t mean much to the average person. However, there’s an ongoing Madden curse to everybody that has been on the cover for the last decade. The year after being on the cover, they player is either injured or has a terrible year. For example, Shaun Alexander - injured; Michael Vick - injured; Eddie George - career lows. The list goes on. But this isn’t the only thing I’m basing this judgment off of. Tennessee was underestimated last year and snuck up on a lot of teams. You’re only allowed to do that once. They will follow up this year with a maximum of 7 wins which doesn’t even smell the playoffs in the AFC.

Super Bowl
AFC - Indianapolis Colts (Winner)
NFC - Seattle Seahawks

Let the debates begin!