Health key for Super choice

It’s prediction time.
Yes, I know the Dallas Cowboys and defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants opened the NFL season last night. But that result, a Cowboys win, will have no bearing on my picks for the season.
I didn’t plan on taking either of those teams to make the playoffs.
Given that revelation, it seems only sensible to start with the NFC East.

NFC East
I’m not picking either team from the season opener, nor am I going to back a rookie quarterback. So that only leaves one option.
The best team in the division is the Philadelphia Eagles. That was true last year, but Philly consistently found a way to shoot itself in the foot. That won’t happen again.

NFC West
The San Francisco 49ers were a surprise team last year as they made it all the way to the NFC Championship game.
This year, they’re the easy pick to win the division.
Arizona is a disaster at quarterback, I have serious doubts about what Pete Carroll is doing in Seattle and the St. Louis Rams just aren’t good enough. The 49ers won’t win 13 games again, but they will win the division.

NFC South
The NFL averages about five new playoff teams every year. So it’s necessary to take some risks.
My big risk pick this year is taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 4-12 a year ago. With the additions of coach Greg Schiano, veteran receiver Vincent Jackson and rookie running back Doug Martin, Tampa Bay will make a big move this season.

NFC North
In a division loaded with talent, Green Bay is the easy pick.
I’m taking the Bears instead.
Chicago had won five straight last season before losing quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte to season-ending injuries and will be a force to be reckoned with if everyone stays healthy.
More on the rest of the division later.

AFC East
This is one of the two easy decisions to make in the AFC. New England wins, easily.
There’s a good chance the offense, with Brandon Lloyd as a legitimate deep threat, will be even better than last season when it averaged 32 points per game. That should be scary for the rest of the conference.

AFC North
While Cincinnati has gotten better, the story here hasn’t changed. For years this has been a decision between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and that is still the case.
The Steelers are banged up. The Ravens, who plan on using a more wide-open offense, will end up on top.

AFC South
Houston joins New England as the other easy AFC choice. This is a dreadful division.
The only team that has a chance to challenge the Texans is Tennessee, and I just can’t back the Titans when they’re starting second-year man Jake Locker over veteran Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback.

AFC West
Every team here is average. They might all finish between 9-7 and 7-9 for the second straight season.
With everyone healthy, I’m choosing Kansas City to rebound from last season and get back to the playoffs.

Wild cards
I said I would get to the rest of the NFC North later, and now I am. It’s a good bet that three teams in that division will win 10 games. Green Bay and Detroit will join Chicago in making the playoffs.
In the AFC, Pittsburgh is my easy first pick for one of the final two playoff berths. The second pick is less clear, but I’m going to make area fans happy and take Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Super Bowl
It comes down to two teams in the AFC — Baltimore and New England. And when the choice is between Brady and Joe Flacco, I’ll take Brady every time.
A strong argument could be made for any of nine teams to go all the way in the NFC. For me, it comes down to Chicago and Philadelphia, and I’m taking the Bears not only to make the Super Bowl but also to win it.[[In-content Ad]]