Shawne Merriman has elected to forget the season and have the surgery four doctors told him he needed.

He didn't look at the top of his game, despite playing an important role in the game. He probably aggravated it and felt that if he ever wants to play again, he should have the surgery.

OR, he thought that he wouldn't be able to win the Super Bowl this year with this team, so he called it in and said "we'll try it again next year"

Good move, but now the Chargers are slowly dropping off. Where does this leave their defense? Antonio Cromartie and the defensive backs now have tons of pressure on them to contain the passing game, but the front seven for the Chargers are now in the most intense situation. If they don't get at least a division title, the entire Southern Cali area will be extremely disappointed. The SoCal fans, and all California fans in general are great fans and die-hards of whatever game, and they need and deserve something in their professional sports besides the Padres, Raiders, Athletics, Clippers, 49ers and more stinking up the joint year in and year out.

The AFC has taken huge damage to it's popularity in terms of Super Bowl contenders in the span of just 3 days. Tom Brady's done, and essentially, the Patriots are too. The Patriots are Tom Brady, and Tom Brady is the Patriots. Without him, it will be a mess compared to what the city of Boston is used to: winning.

So, this all relates back to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that Tom Brady is no longer with the Patriots, I'm crossing them off as a serious playoff contender.

I'm not quite ready to write off the Chargers chances of making the post-season, but after watching the Broncos dominate the Raiders, and the Bolts lose with no time left to the Panthers, Denver looks undeniably like the AFC West favorite.

So, back to the Steelers. The Patriots and Chargers would both lose to Pittsburgh on one side of the ball or the other.

Willie Parker is going to have a monster year, and started it off well against the Texans. The Steelers and Chargers play in week 11 from Pittsburgh. We wouldn't have to rely too much on the passing game if our running game doesn't have the biggest run-stopper in the NFL in the way. Advantage goes to the Steelers.

Cassel barely slid by the bottom-feeders of the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, and they have one of the worst, if not the worst defense in the NFL. Whe Cassel or Gutierrez (who the Pats signed this week) has to play the best defense in the NFL of the Steelers, they won't stand a chance.

The Jaguars and Titans have plenty of injury and off-the-field problems to deal with before they become championship contenders. However, I can't write off Jackonsville yet, as they  have great resiliency. Tennessee has way to many problems for me to consider them at this point, despite Sunday's victory.

So, here are any teams left in the AFC that can challenge the apparent top dog, PIttsburgh:

Cleveland
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Denver
New York Jets

The Broncos beat the Steelers last season due to nothing more than simple rookie-mistakes. Tomlin handled certain regular seaosn games more important than others, when in fact, they are all equally important. If the Steelers have to play the Broncos, the Denver running defense would collapse. The passing defense could give Ben a run for his money, though. Then again, they lost John #### to the Patriots in the off-season. Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly aren't enough to stop Big Ben. Scratch Denver.

Jacksonville always seems to know how to get by the defense. This year, I don't think it'll be as easy. Lamarr Woodley got his first career start Sunday and made the best of it. He ought to be one of the top young linebackers in the NFL by the end of the 2009 season. Fred Taylor seems easier to contain than Jones-Drew, but Woodley makes incredibly fast reads and it won't take long for him to figure out which way to go prior to the handoff. Advantage- Steelers.

The Jets defense is way too weak, they barely got by lowly Miami on Sunday. If you think they could seriously challenge the Steelers, you should have your head examined. Obviously, Steelers would dominate this match-up.

The Browns will be easier for me to figure out when I see them on Sunday Night football against my Steelers. However, I did mangae to catch them against the Cowboys. That's what a division champion defense looks like? LMAO at the Brownies fans that think they have a chance.

I have only one thing to say for the Colts debate: If the Bears beat ya, so can we.

The Steelers are the obvious favorite, and the injury and eventually season-ending surgery to Merriman makes it that much more easy to call.

GO STEELERS!!!

-Mike Greenspire

Brady's injury; all I know is that he's having surgery on his knee and he's out for the season. I’m, not gonna relay the same boring info we already know. Now that Brady’s out, in comes Matt Cassel, who did decent yesterday.

Don’t forget, though, he did decent against the Chiefs, one of, if not the worst defense in the NFL.

So, one of three things could happen:
1. The Patriots don't make the playoffs, which keeps that strange run of 7 of the last 8 Super Bowl losers not making the playoffs the following year going.
2. The Patriots lose the division to the Jets or Bills. (or even the Dolphins?)
3. Cassel plays out of his mind and wins the division.

I think the 1st scenario is what will happen.

So, this obviously makes way for somebody else. But, who?

Here is a look at legitimate contenders as I see it at this point in the year to take over the AFC:

North
Pittsburgh

South
Tennessee
Indianapolis
Jacksonville

East
New York Jets
Buffalo

West
San Diego

Well, I'll tell ya some of the teams that come to mind that could really take advantage of the Brady injury.

San Diego Chargers
The Chargers pretty much had the game yesterday wrapped up, but somehow blew it with :00 left on the clock to the Panthers. The Panthers won 26-24. Currently: 0-1

Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are quite possibly the upset of the year victims, after somehow managing to lose to the Bears last night, 29-13. Currently: 0-1

Jacksonville Jaguars
I’m really unimpressed with the Jaguars’ level of play on Sunday. The Titans, although the 17-10 score doesn’t show it, really beat up the Jags for 60 minutes. Currently: 0-1

Buffalo Bills
The Bills put on a physical showcase and absolutely dominated the supposedly strong Seahawks. We may have just saw the beginning of a new legendary QB-WR duo: The Edwards and Evans Express. 34-10 Bills. Currently: 1-0

New York Jets
Brett Favre had an impressive debut against the Dolphins, winning 20-14. The Jets looked really good, but made some correctable mistakes. Currently: 1-0

Tennessee Titans
The Titans really stepped up in my mind and showed that they aren’t automatically out of the running like some people say they are. They’re on a mission, and I like their chances. They beat the Jaguars 17-10. Currently: 1-0

Pittsburgh Steelers
For some reason, the homers picked the Texans over the Steelers, and they showed them, routing Houston 38-17. The Steelers, by far impressed me most of this group of team yesterday. Currently: 1-0

So, in my opinion, the team that has the best chance of taking advantage of the Tom Brady injury has to be none other than the Pittsburgh Steelers. They took their foot off the throttle late, which you shouldn’t do, but you can’t blame a second-year coach for wanting to rest up his starters. Hell, ya can’t blame any coach in that situation when you’re up 38-10.

I don’t think that there’s a negative side to this. When the Steelers opened the season two years ago against the Texans, they were absolutely horrible; it was like playing against a high school team. This season, however, there’s a certain level of credibility for beating the Texans that wasn’t there before. They aren’t the same old Texans that are notorious for sucking it up and being Indy’s whipping boys. They have a mission, and it’s not to get 7 wins and be happy, which is apparently what they managers in Houston lived by for the first 6 years of the franchise. They’re on the rise, but they can’t afford to open against any Pittsburgh team. They just won’t win.

The Steelers are the new favorite. They won, they have credibility behind the win, both the running game and passing game was dominant, and the players know each other. This is a recipe for success brewing in the Steel City.

Here are my updated AFC predictions for the post-season now that New England is seriously depleted: (the seeding number and projected record is next to the team)

AFC

1. Steelers (13-3)
2. Colts (12-4)
3. Jets (11-5)
4. Chargers (10-6)
5. Jaguars (10-6)
6. Browns (10-6)

I also see the Steelers winning the AFC Championship Game. (who’da thunk?)

If nothing else, maybe the Patriots fans will hop of their high-horse now.

-Mike Greenspire

For the past two weeks, I have been doing a series, documenting each division and where everyone will finish in that division. Here are my final predictions for each division!

AFC East
z-New England (15-1)
x-New York (10-6)
Buffalo (9-7)
Miami (3-13)

AFC North
y-Pittsburgh (12-4)
Cleveland (10-6)
Cincinnati (8-8)
Baltimore (2-14)

AFC South
y-Indianapolis (12-4)
x-Jacksonville (10-6)
Tennessee (9-7)
Houston (8-8)

AFC West
y-San Diego (9-7)
Denver (8-8)
Oakland (6-10)
Kansas City (2-14)

NFC East
z-Dallas (13-3)
x-Philadelphia (9-7)
New York (8-8)
Washington (5-11)

NFC North
y-Minnesota (10-6)
x-Detroit (10-6)
Green Bay (7-9)
Chicago (4-12)

NFC South
y-New Orleans (11-5)
Tampa Bay (9-7)
Atlanta (6-10)
Carolina (5-11)

NFC West
y-Seattle (10-6)
Arizona (9-7)
San Francisco (5-11)
St. Louis (2-14)

*z = Clinched Home-Field Advantage, y = Clinched Division, x = Clinched Wild Card Spot

Well, here are my division winners and wild cards for each conference: (In parentheses next to each team is their seeding in the post-season)

AFCEast: Patriots (1)
North: Steelers (2)
South: Colts (3)
West: Chargers (4)
Wild Card 1: Jets (5)
Wild Card 2: Jaguars (6)

NFC
East: Cowboys (1)
North: Vikings (3)
South: Saints (2)
West: Seahawks (4)
Wild Card 1: Lions (5)
Wild Card 2: Eagles (6)

So, here are my playoff predictions for the 2008 season!

Wild Card

AFC
Jaguars at Colts = Colts
Jets at Chargers = Jets

NFC
Eagles at Vikings = Vikings
Lions at Seahawks = Seahawks

Divisional

AFC
Colts at Steelers = Steelers
Jets at Patriots = Patriots

NFC
Vikings at Saints = Saints
Seahawks at Cowboys = Cowboys

Conference Championships

AFC
Steelers at Patriots = Patriots

NFC
Saints at Cowboys = Cowboys

Super Bowl XLIII
Cowboys vs. Patriots (from Tampa, FL) = New England Patriots

So, the way I see it, the Patriots will be the Super Bowl 43 Champions.

Any disagreements? Who do you pick to be champ? Lemme hear what you guys and gals have to say! Have a great weekend, everyone, and enjoy the first Sunday of the season!

-Mike Greenspire

This is the first post of a two-week series I will be doing, discussing every team by division and how I see their 2008 NFL season playing out. Today, we are discussing the AFC East division, which is populated by the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Let’s get started!

New England Patriots
The Patriots almost capped off an undefeated season last year, only to come up short against the New York Giants on the biggest stage of them all. Well, Tom Brady’s foot is bothering him again, yes, the same foot that was all over TMZ and ESPN last January. I wouldn’t be too concerned about it, however. A hobbling Brady is still better than your quarterback.
The Pats upgraded their defense in the first round of the draft by picking up physical animal, Jerod Mayo, from Tennessee to bolster their already strong line-backer corps. He should have a sensational rookie year, and maybe even DROTY (Defense Rookie of the Year) honors.
My biggest question mark about this team has to be the health of Brady. I understand not wanting to risk injury in the pre-season, but if he’s in Week 1 against the Chiefs (which won’t be much of a challenge), and hurts himself rolling out of the pocket or getting hit by beastly rookie DT, Glenn Dorsey, then what? In my opinion, this will be the offensive line’s jobs on the line. I’m sure Belichick wants to put a red shirt on him in the games, as in “Don’t hit him!”. If he gets hurt facing one of the stud DTs or LBs, his season could be over, and for that matter, the season of the Patriots as well. You’re not gonna win enough games to make a playoff push with Matt Cassel in there.

Regular Season Prediction: 15-1, 1st in AFC East, No. 1 seed in AFC playoffs

New York Jets
Of course, the biggest off-season acquisition of any team was the addition of future Hall-of-Famer, Brett Favre. He already appears to have good chemistry with his new teammates, and that’s critical if you want him to win you football games. Favre has some secret weapons to utilize in that offense, such as Leon Washington, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller, rookie TE from Purdue.
The offensive line is now one of the toughest in the National Football League. The Jets acquired Alan Faneca and Damien Woody via free agency, and still have Nick Mangold, a strong center. If these pieces are put together correctly and quickly, then I would be confident in their playoff chances.
The Jets’ head coach, Eric Mangini has never been very popular here in my world, but if he can ride Favre’s coattails to the post-season this year, which is the best he can hope for, then I wouldn’t be afraid of keeping him around. He’s the guy until Favre doesn’t like him, because the Jets have no choice but to go as Favre goes. Do they really have a better option at this point? No. It’s basically up to Brett whether or not Mangini is coach, because they can’t afford their by-far best player to have a disagreement and lack of chemistry with the guy calling the plays.

Regular Season Prediction: 10-6, 2nd place in AFC East, No. 5 seed in AFC playoffs

Buffalo Bills
The Bills made quite a remarkable push last season, finishing 7-9 with most of their best guys gone or injured. Trent Edwards has really stepped up the past 10 months and proved to me he can be the leader of this football team for years to come. Lee Evans should have an extraordinary year, and Marshawn #### will keep the ground game moving, nay, shoving and pushing and gaining 4-5 yards a carry. This guy is nothing but power, and I look forward to watching him as much as I used to look forward to watching Michael Vick. Sheer excitement on every down.
The defense upgraded with Super Bowl 42 Champion linebacker, Kawika Mitchell, who had a sensational year for what was expected of him. This year, he won’t be as lucky. I have high expectations for this defense, in particular what Mitchell can contribute to it in the first few weeks of the regular season. It’ll be interesting as to how well he adjusts to Buffalo’s smash-mouth defense. Probably not much adjusting, because he’s used to slamming into people for losses of yards.
#### Jauron has nothing to worry about if you ask me, however, you never know. If him and the Bills have as good a year as I expect, he won’t be out of a job anytime soon.

Regular Season Prediction: 9-7, 3rd in AFC East, no playoffs

Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins made an attempt to improve their sad offense in the off-season, first drafting OT Jake Long in the draft back in April. He was a physical beast in college, and should transfer most, if not all, of that dominance over to the Pros.
The late off-season acquisition of Chad Pennington at QB was a good one. Pennington has the best completion percentage this far into his career of any starting QB in NFL history. Now, things could be said about that stat, but the reason it’s so high is because his passes are literally no further than 7 yards downfield. If he can be the 3rd down or pressure situation QB, and Chad Henne can start by Week 9, I like the offense’s chances of becoming more potent. They still need to get the reliable receiver that has eluded them for years. They should have addressed that in the off-season as well.
The defense still looks pitiful, and if the Dolphins offense is so slow that they have to rely on the defense to bail them out, they will go 0-16 this time.
However, I’m not prepared to hand out that bad of a record.

Regular Season Prediction: 3-13, 4th in AFC East, no playoffs

---

Check in tomorrow for my AFC North preview.

Take care, and let me hear what you think!

-Mike Greenspire

These are my predictions on each AFC team’s 2008 campaign. I will say below each team their record, whether or not they make the playoffs, and what seed they are if they do make it. Here are my predictions for the 2008 NFL regular season! (If two teams in the same division finish with the same record in my predictions, the team higher in the standings wins the tie-breaker)

AFC North
Pittsburgh
11-5, AFC North Champs, No. 4 seed
Cincinnati
9-7, no playoffs
Cleveland
7-9, no playoffs
Baltimore
3-13, no playoffs

AFC South
Indianapolis
13-3, AFC South Champs, No. 3 seed
Jacksonville
11-5, AFC Wild Card, No. 6 seed
Tennessee
9-7, no playoffs
Houston
3-13, no playoffs

AFC East
New England
14-2, AFC East Champs, No. 2 seed
New York Jets
11-5, AFC Wild Card, No. 5 seed
Buffalo
5-11, no playoffs
Miami
3-13, no playoffs

AFC West
San Diego
14-2, AFC West Champs, No. 1 seed
Denver
9-7, no playoffs
Oakland
8-8, no playoffs
Kansas City
1-15, no playoffs

Let me hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to check out the NFC post as well!

-Mike Greenspire