AFC 2010 Playoffs Preview - Division Winners, Seeds 1 - 4

The AFC playoff picture is looking really interesting. While many would have anointed the Colts the favorite to win it a few weeks ago, there are a few reasons that shouldn't be the case.

These playoffs are pretty wide open in both conferences, and we're sure to see a few really exciting weeks of football during the games to come.

Let's take a look at the AFC playoff picture here. We'll examine each division winner that made it through, along with a quick analysis of their situation.

The #1 seed is the Indianapolis Colts. Having run out to a 14-0 start, they were clearly the strongest team in the AFC through and through. Losses in their last two weeks were somewhat deliberate since the team wanted to avoid injuries.

Still, it makes one wonder if the team may have been thrown off its rhythm and could come out showing signs of rust. The fact that many of their wins this season were close, come from behind wins, including one against New England, goes to show that the Colts can by no means be considered a lock.

Next in line are the San Diego Chargers, perhaps the hottest team in the NFL. Having won 11 straight games to close out the season, this team rebounded from a 2-3 record and ended up with one of the best records in the NFL. The Chargers have a great offense led by QB Philip Rivers, and could easily find their way to the Super Bowl this year.

Coming in at number three are the Cincinnati Bengals. With a great QB in Carson Palmer, great receiving talent in Chad Johnson, and an able running back in Cedric Benson, this team turned everything around this year and found their way to the post season. They'll meet the Jets in round 1, and they'll be hungry to avenge them for last week's loss.

The fourth seed is the AFC East champion New England Patriots. With Tom Brady back in tow, anything should be considered possible. They also played extremely dangerously against the Colts in Indianapolis and should have won that game, so they have every reason to believe they can win this game should they meet again.

Still, the Pats have looked a bit rustier than usual at times this season, losing some games they would have won in years past. Additionally, the injury of Wes Welker in week 17 and the loss of him throughout the playoffs will leave a gaping hole in their offense.

Alex Wilhelm will be blogging about art deco table lamps [http://bankerslamp.org/art-deco-table-lamps/] and the bankers lamp as he watches this year's playoff matchups.

Arizona Cardinals Preview 2006

For years the Arizona Cardinals have been good for one thing--taking up space. Their best season came back in 2001 when they won seven games. Last season they were a paltry 5-11. Could this season really be any different? Since the Cardinals had money to spend this off-season, they went out and picked up running back Edgerrin James. Will this move be enough to propel the hapless Arizona Cardinals into a possible playoff scenario?

Quarterback

It's hard to believe that Kurt Warner is still around. He had some great years, but he's highly injury prone. When Warner is healthy and on his game he can toss 300 yard games with the best of them. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen very often. If Warner goes down, the Arizona Cardinals have no viable replacement. It's really going to come down to the offense line protecting their quarterback. Perhaps the addition of a superstar running back will help some.

Running Back

Anyone that's been watching the NFL for a least one year knows the name Edgerrin James. He's a former cog in the wheel of the Indianapolis Colts high-powered offense. Now he comes to the desert hoping to revive a struggling offense. The Cardinals had been lacking a good rushing attack. Now that James is in camp, that problem looks to be solved. Practically overnight the Arizona Cardinals go from having a nonexistent running game to being one of the best in the NFC.

Receivers

There's little to argue about when it comes to the receiving unit for the Arizona Cardinals. First, you have Larry Fitzgerald who's a big-play receiver. He made the Pro Bowl last season, and he should play very well again. Next, there's Anquan Boldin. While he's not going to burn cornerbacks down the field, he's a solid possession receiver. Finally, there's Leonard Pope. He's a rookie out of Georgia who's fast and athletic. He could be the next good tight end in the NFL. All of these guys have one thing in common--they're young.

Defense and Special Teams

The defense of the Arizona Cardinals is lacking. It's a mix of aging veterans, inexperienced starters and injury prone players. The defensive unit really needs the offense to step it up, because they're not going to stop anyone. The secondary of the Arizona Cardinals is pretty bad and the team didn't draft anyone to help fill the gaps. The Cardinals have a pretty decent special teams unit, which is anchored by a Pro Bowl kicker Neil Rackers and former Pro Bowl punter Scott player. During the preseason, the Arizona Cardinals will be looking for a solid return man.

2006 Prediction

While Arizona Cardinals fans are extremely optimistic thanks partly to the addition of Edgerrin James, they should temper their hope a bit. It's been quite a while since the Arizona Cardinals have won over seven games and this doesn't seem to be the year they will do it. Their schedule is fairly meaty with a healthy dose of better teams. If the Cardinals can beat the weaker teams, like San Francisco, Oakland and Detroit, they might get to six or seven wins this season. In the end, it should be another losing season.

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Weekend Preview: Sunday Games

Cowboys battle the Vikings and the Jets play the Chargers. Erik Kramer previews the Sunday matchups in the Divisional Round.

GENO'S PICKS 2010 NFL PREVIEW

Geno returns for season three of his picks show but let';s start out with about 8 team over unders so you have some playoff cash come January....

2010 South Florida College Football Preview

It will be a season of change for the 2010 version of the South Florida Bulls under new head coach Skip Holtz. After a successful stint at East Carolina, Holtz agreed to make the move to the Big East when Jim Leavitt was dismissed following allegations that he made physical contact with a player. The Bulls won 95 games in the 13 seasons under Leavitt, but could never quite get over the hump to reach the next level. Coach Holtz rebuilt the ECU program, but with 15 returning starters and plenty of talent to go around this should be a fairly easy transition. USF is currently +500 to win the Big East crown.

The cupboard is usually left bare when a coach that has cemented his status on a program leaves town. That is not the case for South Florida as QB BJ Daniels returns to lead a team that won eight games a year ago. The gifted signal caller led the Bulls in passing and rushing as a true freshman. He accounted for 23 total touchdowns and over 2700 yards of total offense after taking over for the injured Matt Grothe in the third game of the season. Skip Holtz would be wise to utilize his talents in a variety of ways, but other players will need to step forward also. Moise Plancher is a down hill runner that accounted for 581 yards and five tds last season. They will need better production out of the senior back in 2010. There are plenty of options to go to in the backfield and a name to keep an eye on is junior college transfer Michael Hayes. The receiving core is a little less settled. WR AJ Love tore his ACL in the spring game and is going to miss a considerable amount of time. Holtz loves to use the run to setup big plays in the passing game. Who will become Daniels' favorite target is yet to be determined but it will most likely be a committee of players. This unit should match or exceed the 366 yards averaged last season under new offensive coordinator Todd Fitch.

The defensive side of the ball has some question marks that need to be addressed. Only five starters return from a defense that featured four NFL draft selections in 2009. The Bulls put up respectable numbers last year, holding opponents to under 200 yards passing a game due in large part to the pass rush that was generated by the outstanding duo of George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul. Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder will not have the luxury of having these two studs come off the edge for the 2010 season. Newcomer Claude Davis could provide some extra punch up front along with red shirt freshman Ryne Giddens. Former coaches at USF were high on linebacker Sam Barrington before they were let go. The sophomore showed positive signs in his first year in the Big East totaling 41 stops and should be one of the major forces on defense for the Bulls. South Florida has quite a bit of depth in the secondary even though they lost their two best players. It will not be easy to replace 160 tackles and eight interceptions, but there is enough talent available to form a solid secondary.

View our expert college football picks from the top handicappers in the business.

South Florida gets a warm up game against Stony Brook in the opener before heading to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. Road games at West Virginia, Cincinnati and Miami (FL) will test this group of young players and a first year head coach. They do have three non conference games that are all but guaranteed wins. The offense should score enough points to pull off a couple of key wins, but I am not sure the defense is going to stop many teams. If they catch a couple of breaks, I see this team going 7-5 and heading back to bowl play.

College Football

NFL Football Picks and NFL Expert Predictions - Tennessee Titans Preview For the 2010 Season

The Tennessee Titans started the 2009 season by going 0-6 and turned their season around once Vince Young got the start to finish the season 8-2 just missing the playoffs. Although the tide changed for the Titans when Young was named the starter, the most significant impact player on the team and maybe in the entire NFL other than Peyton Manning was running back Chris Johnson.

Johnson is one of the most dynamic runners the NFL has seen in a long time and became the NFL's best running back by rushing for 2,006 yards and an amazing 49 carries of over 10 yards or more last season. With Johnson's unique talents and unmatched speed by anyone in the NFL, the Titans are now a run first offense that brings a lethal combination with Young at the quarterback position who had an 82.8 passer rating but is also a dynamic runner.

The Titans will pose an offensive threat with these two skilled players but they will need to improve their receiving core as they will count on a 2nd year player in Kenny Britt who will be their number one receiver going into the season. Britt produced big numbers in his first year catching 42 balls for 701 yards which was fifth in Titans history for a rookie while he scored three touchdowns averaging 16.7 yards per reception. If Britt can step up and improve this year bringing a third dimension to this offense, the Titans who were 12th in total offense last year will be hard for any NFL defense to stop.

The Tennessee defense that was considered to be aging cleared house and added 10 new defenders to a roster that was ranked 28th in total yards and scoring last season. The most noted players that are gone on defense are Kyle Varden, Jevon Kearse and Keith Bullock who played 10 years for the Titans and was the defensive captain. They have added players who will make an impact this season in linebacker Will Witherspoon and a rookie pass rusher Derrick Morgan who was ranked 10th in the draft overall amongst NFL experts although the leadership of the defense will be in question.

Jeff Fisher has been one of the NFL's top coaches for years but he will be faced with the challenge of putting all the new pieces together coming into this season. The Titans have brought in a lot of talent and will improve from 2009 but someone will have to take over the leadership role and form an identity for this team. The Titans will have to gain some confidence and win early especially playing in the tough AFC South Conference with the Colts and Texans. Our NFL experts for NFL Picks report that Chris Johnson has a chance to be the first running back in NFL history to gain 2000 yards in consecutive years and if he does complete that feat, the Titans will have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

Go to http://www.jrtips.com to get all your winning NFL Picks and NFL Expert Predictions for the 2010 NFL season.

NFL Picks and Football Predictions - Chicago Bears Preview For the 2010 Season

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This will be a make or break year for the Chicago Bears and head coach Lovie Smith's last chance to put a solid product on the field to make the Bears a playoff team. The Bears have spent the big money this off season as they now have marquee players on their team that should make an impact. Last season the Bears acquired quarterback Jake Cutler who is supposed to be one of the elite up and coming quarterbacks in this league although he did not perform as expected and this year they signed Julius Peppers to a whopping 91.5 million dollar contract.

Jake Cutler and the Bears offensive struggled last year with no consistency making too many mistakes as Cutler lead the league with 26 interceptions and 35 sacks. Cutler is a quarterback with big time arm who can make plays witnessed by his 3,666 yards and 27 touchdowns so the addition of the new offensive coordinator Mike Martz should put him in a better position to succeed in 2010. Martz is a known as an offensive genius amongst NFL experts bringing a resume that lead the league in offense for three years while finishing in the top ten in points six times from 1999-2005 with Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger.

Martz is the right coach to orchestrate this Bear offensive as they do not have a true go to player. The receiving core consists of Devin Hester, Earl Bennet and Johnny Knox while they will have a running back combination in Matt Forte and Chester Taylor who was brought over form the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears success on offense will have to come by a controlled distribution of the ball and Martz will put Cutler in good situation to do so.

The defense which will be solid with the addition of Julius Peppers and big play defenders in Lance Briggs, Hunter Hillenmeyer, Brian Urlacher and tackle Tommie Harris. The Bears laid it on the line this off season spending fifty-five million dollars in guaranteed money while changing both their offensive and defensive coordinators. Our NFL experts for NFL picks predict that if Peppers can bring his 10 ½ sacks or better this year, the Bears investment will pay off and they will get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Get all your winning NFL picks and football predictions at http://www.jrtips.com/ for the 2010 NFL season.