I'm a Giants fan as well; I'm viewing this year as an off-year. We don't really have a chance, and I think we're hardly gonna try

NFC East:
1. Eagles
2. Cowboys*
3. Giants
4. Redskins

NFC South:
1. Falcons
2. Saints
3. Buccaneers
4. Panthers

NFC North:
1. Packers
2. Lions
3. Bears
4. Vikings

NFC West:
1. 49ers (Hey, if a 7-9 team can win this division, ANY team can!) ;)
2. Rams
3. Seahawks
4. Cardinals

Saints over 49ers (I can only dream so much...)
Cowboys over Falcons(I DON'T buy the Falcons' hype, Cowboys break their playoff win drought.)

Saints over Cowboys
Packers over Cowboys

Packers over Saints (Just like tonight...Eden's going to kill me...)

AFC East:
1. Patriots
2. Jets*
3. Dolphins
4. Bills

AFC South:
1. Colts (I ALSO don't buy the Colts will totally fall apart like some are predicting)
2. Texans (I don't buy the Texans making the playoffs; I say they miss it on the last week)
3. Titans
4. Jaguars (I honestly wish this team would move to LA...3 FLA teams is too many, and the Jags hardly even draw with the Dolphins, Bucs, and Hurricanes...)

AFC North:
1. Ravens
2. Steelers*
3. Browns
4. Bengals

AFC West:
1. Chargers
2. Broncos
3. Raiders
4. Chiefs

Jets over Colts (Once again)
Chargers over Steelers (Semi-Upset...?)

Jets over Patriots (The Pats aging defense will finally do them in; the Jets squeak by)
Ravens over Chargers

Ravens over Jets (And Rex ONCE AGAIN leads the team to the AFC Championship and is stopped there and ONCE AGAIN starts guaranteeing a win next year...)

SUPER BOWL XLVI:

RAVENS: 24 PACKERS: 22

MVP: RAY LEWIS

So, obi, that's a brutal playoff schedule for the Cowboys, losing to both the Saints and Packers in the same round.

I'm not a big football follower, but I do have Drew Brees in fantasy, so it was a good night for me.

Alright, I do follow football, I just like to troll with fantasy because I know some people hate it getting brought up. I do think the Colts will not be nearly as good without Peyton, though.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Manning-undergoes-cervical-fusion-surgery-Thursd?urn=nfl-wp6714

Erm...

I MIGHT have been wiser to take the Texans in the South, as I read this...well, the Jets would beat either team, so it doesn't change my picks...

But poor Peyton, I like him as a player and person 1000% more than Tom "I'm the greatest ever so worship me...even though Manning's a better pure passer, Favre played 216 games through broken thumbs and hands and ribs and strained this and that and concussions and a father dying, and Montana has four rings and never lost a Super Bowl as he threw 11 TDs in them and 0 INTs...but *I* am the be-all and end-all of NFLevolution!"

:(

The Cowboys deserve to have their hopes crushed in the playoffs twice

That was a fantastic game. Speaking as a life-long GB fan, I can honestly say their last 7 or so games have been the happiest moments I've ever enjoyed in sport.
But seriously, that wad NEVER interference on Hawk.
And Obituaries, no chance in hell Ravens make the Superbowl, let alone win it.Patriots, Steelers & Jets all better.

*Obi

+1 to SD for seeing my Cowboys-playoff mistake (I meant Saints over my 49ERS, not the Cowboys again.)

+100 to Hugo for his correct summation...

I WISH the Cowboys could get crushed twice in the playoffs.

@jmeyersd:

That was totally interference on Hawk, he dove right into him...

What WAS blown, in my opinion, were:

-The call on the play near the endzone with the debate over touchback vs. at the 1-YD line downed (TOTALLY downed it at the 1, his knee was down before his foot hit the line...)
-The decision to onside kick in the first place (Rarely works, and if you're more than likely going to have to hope your defense can pull a 3-and-out against a team that's scored 42, you may as well do it as far down the field as you can go...plus a touchback wou;d've stopped the clock)
-That last play call (You have ONE PLAY, ONE MORE BREATH OF LIFE after the interference call, and a QB who's thrown for 400+ YDs tonight...and you RUN the ball up the MIDDLE into a stacked line?! Did Sean Payton turn into Mike Singletary for that one play?! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF CALL WAS THAT?!)

it was an outstanding game, but I am slightly shocked by the holes that I saw in the Packers defense. Don't get me wrong, Brees is a great quarterback, but the Packers secondary was not very good at all.

Which is good for me, since I'm a Bears fan lol, but I'll be the first to admit the Packers are a better team. However, I think we still have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. And once you get there, anything can happen!

GB -> everybody. Forever and always.

It's OK
I'm fine
We only just put the ball in a goddamn Bama boy's rookie-ass hands instead of the greatest quarterback in football
I don't give a SINGLE fuck

predictions:

AFC East: New Jersey*, New England*, Miami, Buffalo
AFC North: Baltimore*, Pittsburgh*, Cincinnati, Cleveland
AFC South: Houston*, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Jacksonville
AFC West: San Diego*, Denver, Kansas City, Oakland

NFC East: Philadelphia*, Dallas*, New York, Washington
NFC North: Green Bay*, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit
NFC South: New Orleans*, Atlanta*, Tampa Bay, Carolina
NFC West: San Francisco*, Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis

AFC R1: New England over Houston, Baltimore over Pittsburgh
NFC R1: Atlanta over San Francisco, Philadelphia over Dallas

AFC R2: New England over New Jersey, San Diego over Baltimore
NFC R2: New Orleans over Philadelphia, Green Bay over Atlanta

AFC R3: San Diego over New England
NFC R3: New Orleans over Green Bay

Championship: Drew Brees over the morons that let him go

Prediction: The NFL will continue to suck compared to college football.

^THIS.

WHOOOOOOOOOOO TIGERS ROAST THAT DUCK

I just can't get into college ball...

The players are only there 3, 4 years tops, and there are a ridiculous amount of teams.

Dunno what the appeal is over the NFL, I suppose it's the community feeling--

But as I'm not one for a community feeling anyway--and even if I was, with no NFL team here, it's a hodge-podge of fans here in the LA area...Raiders fans, fellow Niners fans, Chargers fans...a friend of mine likes the Vikings another couple like the Packers, my sister the Panthers my aunt likes the Broncos, my grandfather the Giants, it's a fee-for-all--I don't think I could get into it.

Plus, NFL football's of a higher caliber, the players and coaches are better, you see PLENTY of college-star coaches, QBs, RBs, and so on win titles and be a Top 5 pick in the NFL Draft, and then fizzle out in another few years and amount to nothing, whereas some players who flew under the radar in college excell in a professional system (see: Jerry Rice, Tom Brady, etc.)

:Dunno what the appeal is over the NFL, I suppose it's the community feeling-"

1. Kids only have 4 years to make a splash
2. They arn't making millions of dollars and thus have alot more pride in their uniform
3. There are a million different teams trying to get a slice of the pie, its a melee for supremacy and Every game counts
4. The styles of play are more diverse
5. The atmosphere

by million I mean alot

6. Alums at least have a true connection to the team

I've been a jet fan for a long time, but once my college team got goo you can really see the magic of college football

Passing yards totals are getting crazy in part because in the last 2-3 years the pendulum has swung way towards keeping quarterbacks safe. If defensive players sneeze on a QB's ACL, they get a flag and a fine.

College BB is a lot of fun. March Madness plays a big role in that, despite the ridiculous rule that keeps 18yos out of the pros and sends 'em to Kentuck for a season. College pigskin is a developmental league masquerading (poorly) as an educational enterprise. The on-the-field action can be fun, but off-field kabuki theater gives me ulcers every year.

the colts not as good without manning . . . no shit sherlock

@obi- you really think the ravens are that good? I just dont think their offense can score enough even with their defense. I will add that their defense is no where near what it used to and even though Lewis is good, he isnt that good, he can't carry a team like he used to.

7. The BCS

I know, I know, everyone hates it. I'm a huge fan.

@The & Virtues of College Football Laid Out So Far:

1. Exactly, only 3-4 years, and these are just kids, so you ahve a small sample size of an inferior product, so to speak, whereas the Pats and Colts have enjoyed Brady and Manning for over a decade, almost two generations of Packer fans had Brett Favre as their QB...decade-long dynasties solidify names and teams together...more bang for your buck.

2. The kids SHOULD be making some good money, the NCAA si completely backward on the whole matter; if a kid can get a job selling drinks in the student cafe, why can't a kid who's risking his body and getting pummeled for gains of 3 and earning the SCHOOL millions of dollars get some cash for, HMMM...SCHOOL...if kids were paid something, like any other student worker on camups, they MIGHT actually stay in school long enough and schools like THE Ohio State University might just have more kids graduate and pass classes...for all the money the kids make for the adults running the school, that seems VERY fair.

3. But it's just too many teams...32 is about the perfect number of teams to be able to align in a league and follow, 130+ is just unwieldy, there's NO WAY you'll follow even half of those teams all year the way you'll be able to follow most if not all of the teams in the NFL and NHL and MLB all year.

4. Meh...I wouldn't know about that, but again, I would say that a lot of that is the amateur-factor...a lot of those systems don't translate well to a professional game...so really, that diversity could be harming these kids' shots at pro careers

5. Alright, that I'll grant...

6. Eh...alums of NFL teams are recognized quite a bit, too...look at any Sunday Morning NFL Pre-Game Show with all those former players and coaches, and you'll see all the old allegiances pop out, and teams retire numbers, players root and pull for their own teams, and help out in the community...

7. GAH.

I MIGHT almost consider watching Bowl Games if it wasn't determined by some mornonic computer...

Further proof that math ruins everything! :p

PLAYOFFS!

*Insert Jim Mora "PLAYOFFS?!" rant here...*

THAT'S the best part of football...well, that and Thanksgiving and Holiday games, but that's waht it's all about!

ANYTHING can happen in the playoffs, a 6-seed can win the Super Bowl, it's happened!

But the BCS doesn't give them a shot...

If teams 1-12 were put in a playoff tournament, just might watch...

BCS=ZZZZZZZZZ

@akilies:

Yes, there's always a team that does just a bit better than expected--see: last year's Packers--and I think the Ravens are that team this year.

I think Joe Flacco is ready to take that offense to a 20-pt level consistently...

And about 22-25 is all they're really need with that famed Ravens defense.

Alright, so I'm going to butt in here with a question. In my fantasy league there has been a debate over who is more important to a team, the running back(s) or the quarterback?

I, for one, think the RB position is much more important than having a good quarterback. Minnesota is a perfect example. When have they ever had a good quarterback? But because they have Adrian Peterson they are always a threat. On the other hand (going back a few years to 2006ish) Cincinatti had a (then good) Carson Palmer but always went nowhere due to a lack of running game. Today, Detroit has a fabulous WR in Calvin Johnson, and a good QB in Stafford, but has had no running game to complement it.

What are your opinions?

Take it from me, a 49er fan:

Quarterback is the single-most important position on the team NO QUESTION.

It comes before ALL ELSE...

Case in point:

Great QBs in Montana and Young=5 SB wins, 0 losses, Greatest Offensive Dynasty Ever, only the 1970s Steelers challenge the 1980s 49ers for the Best Dynasty title.

(Seriously, THAT nwould be the most epic game ever, 70s Steelers vs. 80s 49ers, East vs. West, Walsh's West Coast vs. The Steel Curtain, Montana vs. Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann vs. Ronnie Lott...!)

Good QB in Garcia=two playoff trips, 1 win, 10+ wins per season.

Bad QB in Alex Smith=0 playoff trips and all .500 or under records...even WITH one of the league's best RBs in Frank Gore.

"Exactly, only 3-4 years, and these are just kids, so you ahve a small sample size of an inferior product, so to speak, whereas the Pats and Colts have enjoyed Brady and Manning for over a decade, almost two generations of Packer fans had Brett Favre as their QB...decade-long dynasties solidify names and teams together...more bang for your buck."

This is also a weakness. The NFL is substantially more stagnant than college football, which I personally would consider a bad thing, as the constant movement of players through college, coaches through the ranks, universities up and down the prestige ladder, and on the rare occasion like right now, programs through the conferences, means there's always something to watch.

"2. The kids SHOULD be making some good money, the NCAA si completely backward on the whole matter; if a kid can get a job selling drinks in the student cafe, why can't a kid who's risking his body and getting pummeled for gains of 3 and earning the SCHOOL millions of dollars get some cash for, HMMM...SCHOOL...if kids were paid something, like any other student worker on camups, they MIGHT actually stay in school long enough and schools like THE Ohio State University might just have more kids graduate and pass classes...for all the money the kids make for the adults running the school, that seems VERY fair."

They get paid. It's called a scholarship... realize that Andrew Luck got a four-year ride through STANFORD. I would LOVE a four-year ride through Stanford for being able to throw an inflated pigskin like some middle-aged guys want while in the presence of 60,000 or so people.

"3. But it's just too many teams...32 is about the perfect number of teams to be able to align in a league and follow, 130+ is just unwieldy, there's NO WAY you'll follow even half of those teams all year the way you'll be able to follow most if not all of the teams in the NFL and NHL and MLB all year."

I think most college football fans follow 1-3 teams in great detail, keep tabs on their conference, and pay a surface-level attention to the other teams that are doing well that year. That's more manageable than every team in the NFL, and yet if you try similar focus in the NFL, you'll find there's not much to follow (what, maybe 7-8 teams in all, then?).

"4. Meh...I wouldn't know about that, but again, I would say that a lot of that is the amateur-factor...a lot of those systems don't translate well to a professional game...so really, that diversity could be harming these kids' shots at pro careers"

Actually, the reason you see so many teams not using "pro" style offenses is because they don't have the athletes for them. So typically, it's not harming the kids' pro career shots -- they never really had the ability in the first place. There's scarcity of pro talent in college football, and so you see more innovation as teams try to work around their limited resources. It's actually pretty fascinating to me.

"6. Eh...alums of NFL teams are recognized quite a bit, too...look at any Sunday Morning NFL Pre-Game Show with all those former players and coaches, and you'll see all the old allegiances pop out, and teams retire numbers, players root and pull for their own teams, and help out in the community..."

Not quite the same degree as college football. The dedication is much more intense as a general statement.

As for the BCS -- brilliant ranking system (though the computers need more leeway, not less), though I would prefer some kind of playoff as well because those are fun. Still, for crowning a champion, the BCS trumps a playoff assuming the champion is supposed to be the best team. If it is, why not let the top two teams play for it instead of the top eight?

I'm a 49er fan too, but even more so, I'm a Cal fan. I follow all 32 NFL teams for fantasy purposes, but I have a special squishy place in my heart for those featuring former Cal players like Aaron Rodgers, Desean Jackson, Jahvid Best, Tony Gonzalez, Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, etc.

I think the most important position is head coach. With a good coach who knows how to use his players and put them in position to succeed, you can win a variety of different ways. It sure helps to have a good QB, but it's not essential -- for example, 2000 Ravens (Trent Dilfer), 2003 Bucs (Brad Johnson), 2008 Giants (Eli Manning). I fimly believe that if the 49ers had drafted Rodgers instead of Smith, Rodgers would have failed too because it was an impossible situation. That doesn't necessarily mean Alex Smith would have thrived somewhere else; we'll never know.

The 49ers had good talent, but I attribute the success more to the coaches (Walsh, Seifert) and the system. You could plug in guys like Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Tim Rattay, whoever and sitll get good results.

I pick Green Bay over Baltimore in the Superbowl (interesting that I had same as Obi, but different result). GB will dominate all season long, Rodgers gets his second SB MVP. Key pickups for Bal in Bryant McKinnie, Vonta Leach, and Lee Evans. Bal defense is much weaker than in the past, especially the CBs but the offense will be much better. I think Pit wins the division but Bal gets in as a wild card and then Ray-Ray, Ed Reed, Suggs, etc. make a push during the playoffs.

AFCN: Pit, Bal, Cle, Cin. AFCE: NE, NYJ, Buf, Mia. AFCW: SD, KC, Oak, Den. AFCS: Hou, Ten, Ind, Jax. NFCN: GB, Det, Min, Chi. NFCE: Phi, Dal, Was, NYG. NFCW: StL, Ari, SF, Sea. NFCS: NO, Atl, TB, Car.

@goldfinger: Min has good QBs with Randall Cunningham and Daunte Culpepper. Maybe not fantastic ones, but better than average. Detroit today is held back only by Stafford's injuries. If he stays healthy, their RBs are more than enough.

Anybody who doesn't think GB has a fair shot of repeating is deluded. Since those are the only games I watch, the rest doesn't particularly matter...

Is it bad I agree with yellowjacket? well on the first sentence anyway

I think they have a shot, Yellowjacket, but it's so hard to repeat nowadays, I'm not betting on it...

Won't surprise me if the Pack does repeat, but I'm happy picking the Ravens over them in the SB right now...

Ravens/Steelers 10am tomorrow, so we'll see right out of the gate...and then 1pm, the game EVERYONE has been DYING to see:

49ers/Seahawks, of course! :p

^^Seahawks better do good this year. And Lions too. I have some of both of them on my fantasy teams

With T-jack playing QB seattle doesnt have a chance to make the playoffs, they would have a better chance if they put lynch as QB and just ran the wildcat. . . sorry it's just the plain honest truth T-jack makes teams horrible.

Yep...

COME ON, ALEX SMITH!

PLEASE!

IF you have even the TINIEST amount of competitive spirit, you have to be PISSED the guy the 49ers passed on--despite his being a CAL QB and a hometown favorite--just won the Super Bowl while everyone's calling you a loser and a wasted FIRST PICK!

PLEASE...Jim Harbaugh is a coach, finally, who will let the 49ers play 49er--ie, West Coast, pass-that-ball--foorball!

DON'T MESS IT UP!

7-9 won the division last year...9-7 could be more than enough this year to win it...you have Pro Bowlers in the backfield, in the receiving game, and defensive line and line backing corps...

JUST DON'T BLOW IT IS ALL WE ASK!

(And if you do...Harbaugh, by Game 3, if Smith is still Smith, we DEMAND you put in Colin Kaepernick, who both has a cooler name and looked good in the preseason!)

go seahawks
go texans

Pack look like they're going to repeat, hopefully the Saints (and not the Eagles) stop them in the playoffs. Pats look strong again in the AFC. We'll see if their defense can hold up.

Otherwise, circle the wagons.