With week one in the books, it's time for The Spectrum to take a look and make some bold predictions about the upcoming season.
AFC East
The New England Patriots - It's always tough to pick the reigning Super Bowl champions and say that they should win their division, but a Bill Belichick-coached team has a great chance to stay at the top when they get there. After the rumors flew about Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, both of them stayed with Belichick. With the coaching staff fully intact, you can take a look at the personnel improvements the Patriots made - adding Corey Dillon - and just plain know that they'll be in contention for the AFC East title at the end of the year.
The New York Jets - No, Gang Green doesn't have their own stadium in Manhattan yet, but the Jets are looking much better than the team that finished 6-10 last season. With the addition of Justin McCareins, the Jets will be able to take some of the pressure off of Santana Moss. The big key for them will be Chad Pennington's health. If Jet fans thought Vinny Testaverde behind center last year was bad, they won't even be able to watch the games with Quincy Carter taking the snaps.
The Buffalo Bills - As the new head honcho, Mike Mularkey looks to lead a Bills team that was too conservative for the personnel it had last year. Eric Moulds will be joined on the field by rookie Lee Evans, and third year receiver Josh Reed, who looks poised for a breakout year after disappointing rookie and sophomore campaigns.
The Miami Dolphins - What can anyone say about a team that loses its best player and has no opportunity to replace him? If you believe the reports that say Ricky Williams knew that he wanted to retire weeks before he actually did, then he left the Dolphins in a terrible spot. The Dolphins could have picked up either Corey Dillon or Eddie George, but since Ricky didn't announce his intentions until after they were both signed, the Dolphins missed out on both of them. It's going to be a long year for Dave Wannstedt.
AFC West
The Denver Broncos - The blockbuster deal in the offseason that sent star running back Clinton Portis to Washington and brought Champ Bailey to the Mile High City was a head-scratcher at best. The Broncos let go of a guaranteed 1,500 yards, to pick up a cornerback who is going to be very limited by the new interpretation of the illegal contact rule.
The San Diego Chargers - There aren't too many bright spots for this team this year. After their draft-day debacle with Eli Manning and not being able to get Philip Rivers in camp right away, the Chargers don't look too impressive for this upcoming season. Their biggest bright spot is actually next year, when they get the Giants' early picks when they finish up the terrible season.
The Kansas City Chiefs - Don't kick the ball to Dante Hall! Once teams figure that out, all they have to worry about is Priest Holmes, his 23 rushing touchdowns, and Trent Green, who threw for over 4,000 yards last year. This offense is ridiculously good, but their defense certainly leaves something to be desired.
The Oakland Raiders - The Black and Silver probably had one of the best offseasons in football, with the additions of Warren Sapp and Robert Gallery. Gallery will anchor an offensive line that will protect Rich Gannon, who isn't nearly at the top of his game anymore. The Raiders also brought in ex-Giant Kerry Collins, who can be amazing when he gets proper protection. Look out for the Raiders - they're the dark horse in the AFC this year.
AFC North
The Cleveland Browns - Adding Jeff Garcia finally gave the Browns definition at the quarterback position. With rookie mouth-runner ... I mean tight-end Kellen Winslow II, Garcia has weapons to look to and very exciting playmakers on the field. Hopefully, William Green can play to the potential that was predicted of him when he was drafted, or Lee Suggs can get healthy and stay on the field for them. Either way, they'll need some way to keep opposing defenses from bull-rushing Jeff Garcia on every down.
The Pittsburgh Steelers - If the Steelers can pull off a thunder-and-lightning style duo with Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis, that will take a lot of pressure off of Tommy Maddox, who thrived in his first year starting for Pittsburgh because of their run efficiency. The defense should stay solid, because Bill Cowher has an amazing defensive mind.
The Baltimore Ravens - With Kyle Boller getting his feet set in the NFL, Terrell Suggs joining Ray Lewis on most likely the best linebacking unit in football, and Jamal Lewis tearing up opposing defenses on the ground, the Baltimore Ravens are a very dangerous team, and can beat many other teams that are a little weaker in those areas of the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals - Moving Carson Palmer into the starting position was definitely the right idea for Marvin Lewis and company. The second-year gunslinger adds a new aspect to an offense that was much improved from two years ago. You can't call them the Bungles anymore, now they have a quarterback who can make all the throws downfield, and scare opposing teams into covering the deep ball, and then run right up the gut with Rudi Johnson.
AFC South
The Tennessee Titans - They didn't need to change much from last year. Co-MVP Steve McNair will lead the team just like he's been doing over the last four years. While the football world was surprised at the unceremonious dumping of running back Eddie George, it's not as if he was the great runner that everyone remembers from the Titans' Super Bowl run. And his replacement, second-year back Chris Brown out of Colorado, will step in and provide McNair with just the right amount of ground support.
The Indianapolis Colts - Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison. There aren't many offenses who can say that they have three players even close to the caliber of any of those three big names. As long as Tony Dungy can continue to improve the Colts' defense, this team can continue to improve in general and go even further into the playoffs.
The Jacksonville Jaguars - As long as Byron Leftwich keeps getting better, the Jaguars can keep their fans happy and this team has something to look forward to. The only problem is they're looking forward a lot further than this year. The defense needs a lot more time to gel and come together as a unit. The receivers are OK, but they're not getting anyone to the Super Bowl any time soon.
The Houston Texans - David Carr is another young quarterback who is poised for a breakout season. With Andre Johnson entering his second year, and Domanick Davis coming into his own as a player, Carr has the options that he is going to need to bring the Texans out of last place in the South this year.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
