Hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day holiday. But everyone knows that Labor Day means NFL time has arrived. I'm so excited I could start Bankhead Bouncin' right now!


Everyone has been asking me what my NFL picks are for the season. Originally, I wasn't gonna do a blog about it, simply because every writer, analyst and blogger does this already a billion times over. I try to bring some creativity to my blog, so I hate doing what the next man or woman does. But since folks keep asking, I decided to give my thoughts on what will take place during the 2009 season. Hope you enjoy. If you get mad, sorry in advance... actually, I'm not.. but it seemed like the right thing to say LOL




(in order of which they finish)

Patriots- Tom Brady is back and I expect them to take back the AFCE crown
Dolphins- I don't expect another 11-5 year from Miami, but they'll try and be competitive
Jets- Rex doesn't have the Baltimore personnel anymore, so we'll see how the defense fares
Bills- No offense line, whatsoever. No even T.O. can help that sitcho.


Chargers- My boo Philip Rivers will finally make this team HIS team, and the rest will follow his lead
Raiders- I expect Russell, DMC and 'nem to take advantage of a dismal division. Nothing else
Broncos- Ehhh..... they have Knowshon Moreno on their squad. That's something good, right?!
Chiefs- Young team with new head coach, QB and looking for an identity


Steelers- They're the champs. Until they get knocked off they get the top spot
Ravens- Looking to close the gap on the Steelers. And they aren't as far off as folks think
Bengals- Defense will be much better. Palmer, if healthy, is a force to reckon with
Browns- Who the hell knows what the Browns are doing. The Browns don't even know yet


Titans- They showed they could play without Haynesworth. Same offensive philosophy. I expect them to continue what they did last year.
Colts- Manning and Co are still one of AFC's best teams, even without Dungy and Moore
Jaguars- Torry Holt signing was huge to me. But can they overpower Tennessee and Indy?
Texans- I wish they were in a different division. The other teams are simply better, but I think they are promising
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Giants- They don't get my vote by much. This was a toss up between them and Philly
Eagles- See response above, switch to Giants
Cowboys- I actually expect them to be decent. But Romo has to show me what he can do as a leader
Redskins- The Jason Campbell Project starts his final chapter in Washington, in my opinion


Cardinals- The only team I seeing competing with Arizona is Seattle. NFC Champs last year. Warner, Fitz, Boldin and Beanie Wells... gotta pick 'em!
Seattle- Healthy Hasselbeack, TJ Whoseyourmomma addition. Sounds like success to me
49ers- I think Singletary will be a very good head coach. But his QB situation kinda sucks
Rams- Uhhhh... Kyle Boller is your back up. Good luck with that. Signed, a Ravens fan who knows all about Boller


Vikings- With that running game and defense, who else would you pick?
Packers- Aaron Rodgers will show Green Bay why he's the real deal
Bears- Chicago's D isn't what it used to be. And other than Olson who does Cutler have at WR?
Lions- 0-16 last year. Nuff said


Saints- Drew Brees finally has somewhat of a defense. I expect big things from New Orleans
Panthers- I'm sorry but Delhomme's playoff game last season scared me away
Falcons- Their defense doesn't look promising to stop anybody
Bucs- Because the other 3 teams are better *shrugs*

contenders
Division winners (based on seed) NE, Pitt, SD, Tenn
Wild cards: Indy, Balt
AFC Championship- NE vs SD*
AFC Winner- SD

Contenders
Division winners(based on seed) Minn, NYG, Ariz, NO
Wild Cards: Philly, Carolina
NFC Championship- NO vs Minnesota
NFC Winner- NO

Super Bowl winner- San Diego

Of course, none of my AFC/NFC picks are the "sexy" picks. I didn't pick the Pats or the Steelers to go all the way, or the Vikings and Cards. The NFL is all about parity and every year is like a crap shoot. Of course, injuries can play a factor and change all of this. But this is what the NFL is about. Did any of us think in a million years the Cardinals would go to the Super Bowl? I use as hell didn't see that coming. And while the AFC has more consistent teams, I think it's time for new teams to finally step up and take the reigns over the current power houses.

I would like to add, that if the Ravens beat the Pats on 10/4, then I've already said to change this whole AFC picture around with Baltimore in the AFC Championship and not NE*. But it's fun in guessing who you think will hold the Lombardi trophy next February.

I'm so ready to get started on the path to Miami. Is it Thursday yet?

Now, I know that I will get some slack from my NFC fans for this blog. But I hate to say, but it's true. The AFC has been dominate of the NFC for almost a decade. And while the NFC has star power to take the crown back, I don't see the powers shifting immediately. In 2009, the AFC conference will continue to be THE conference to beat. Here are the reasons why:


1. Top Tier QB Class


When you have Manning, Brady, Rivers and Roethlisberger (yes, even Big Ben) in your conference, then this is almost unfair. Just think, in 2008, Jay Cutler was also listed in this group before being traded to the Bears. Scary. Now, I know the NFC doesn't have slouches for QBs either. Brees, McNabb, Warner and Rodgers are all good too. But anytime you have a team that brings a geriatric old guy who has retired a bunch of times, comes back every year, and even may not be 100% because of a tear in his shoulder become a SB darling, then something is wrong with this picture.

2. More Depth at WR


Okay, I blame T.O. to Buffalo for this. Now, this is just an opinion of mine, so you NFCers, please don't get your panties, thongs and boxer briefs in a bunch. Sure, we know the NFC has more explosive WRs on their roster. We know that Fitzgerald, Boldin, Steve Smith and Calvin Johnson run the show. But the AFC has more consistency, not necessarily star power, in their WR corps. Andre Johnson led the league in receptions and yards in 2008 but never gets talked about. Sure he's on a team that's not on a lot of folk's radar, but he's one of the best in the league right now. Add Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall to the mix and they can compete with the NFC in star power. But the depth that WR, the middle tier WRs, are the ones that catch my eye. The AFC has more players that aren't superstars, but are very important to their teams. The likes of Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson, and Lee Evans show that the AFC is stacked with playmakers. And I can't finish this point without mentioning Chad Ochocinco. Last year was a slow one, but you can never count him out.


3. Better Defenses

This is no disrespect to the Eagles, Giants, Vikings, or anyone else that was a Top 10 defense from the NFC last year. But I think it was clear- The AFC had the nastiest defenses.

Okay, if you want, I'll take it one step further... Pittsburgh + Baltimore's D>>>>> The rest of the Top 10 D.


Now, I have to give props to Minnesota for having the #1 overall rushing D in 2008. But Minnesota slid all the way down to 18th in passing defense. That's a huge drop off. The Ravens and Steelers were Top 3 in both rushing, passing and points per game. Every year these two teams duke it out for top defensive honors. You can't speak about defense and NOT bring up both teams. If you do, you are a bonafide hater and live in a bubble.

If you are a Fantasy Football lover, you know you struck gold if you had either defenses on your roster. Until an NFC team can come in and consistently be a Top 3 defense, you have to give the AFC the top defense spot for these 2 teams alone.

4. Conference Record Says So

The AFC has beaten the NFC for inter-conference play pretty much the entire decade. Not including the Rams win in 2000 (since, technically, they were a 1999 team), the AFC has beaten the NFC in the Super Bowl all but 2 times this decade, with two AFC teams going multiple times to the big game (New England, 4 times and 3 wins; Pittsburgh, 2 times and 2 wins). At the end of the day, everyone plays for a trip to the Super Bowl, and the AFC has dominated hoisting the Lombardi trophy in the new millennium. The NFC had the same power during the 90's, when the AFC only won twice, during the end of the decade (the Broncos won back-to-back for the '97 and '98 seasons), but the power has certainly shifted

We all know the NFL is a parity league. With rising stars such as Matt Ryan, Adrian Peterson and Patrick Willis, the NFC could easily be on a run to shift the dominance back to the NFC. But as of right now, the AFC holds tight to the title of best conference. They have more top tier QBs, defenses and depth at the skilled positions. As of right now the SB wins amongst conferences is almost dead even, with the NFC having 22 wins over the AFC's 21. We'll find out soon enough if the NFC can finally take back the bragging rights of "Best Conference".

But look out, NFC. The AFC is contending to tie, pass and run away with the title.