... the Dallas Cowboys are the team to beat in the NFC. 1) Their defense is only going to get better after their letdown against the Super Bowl champs at home in the playoffs, and 2) it will be T2: Judgment Day for Terrell and Tony, two Pro Bowlers who are on a major mission.

... the New York Giants will not repeat as champions. 1) the impact of Michael Strahan's absence both on the field and in the locker room is already being felt, and 2)  another one of their long time leaders, Jeremy Shockey, is uninspired and unhappy being a Giant.

... the NFC EAST is the best division in pro football. 1) Washington and Philadelphia are playoff caliber teams with playoff style defenses, and 2) the Redskins and Eagles, who finished #3 and #4 in the division last season respectively, gave up less total points than the two teams who finished ahead of them in the division.

... the San Francisco 49ers are wild card bound. 1) Quarterback Alex Smith, who has already gone through three offensive coordinators in his brief career, will finally have two leaders that are a perfect fit for his style of ball - offensive genius Mike Martz and future Hall-of-Famer Isaac Bruce - and 2) future Hall-of-Fame Linebacker Patrick Willis (you heard it here first), who possesses the intensity of Mike Singletary and the field awareness of Ken Norton Jr., anchors an up-and-coming defense built to fit the mold of the Baltimore Ravens that won the Super Bowl a few years ago.

... the Arizona Cardinals could potentially be the most exciting team to watch in football. 1) Cornerbacks Roderick Hood and Antrel Rolle, who combined for 10 INTs and 5 TDs last year, have a knack for big plays, and 2) there's nothing better than watching Matt Leinart  throw to two big, strong receivers like Anquan Boldin, who could easily turn a 10-yard slant into a 75-yard TD and Larry Fitzgerald, who seamlessly jumps over defenders to catch deep touchdown passes, not to mention the revival of aging running back Edgerrin James, who rushed for over 1,200 yards last year after most people said he was done.

... the NFC West will be the most interesting division in football this season. 1) No one knows what to expect from the Seattle Seahawks, who no longer have their former MVP Shaun Alexander, and 2) no one knows what to expect from the St. Louis Rams, who won only three games last year, but this time around are expecting the services of QB Marc Bulger, RB Steven Jackson, and WR Torry Holt for a full season.

... the Green Bay Packers will be the most interesting team to keep tabs on the entire season. 1) Brett Favre, and 2) Aaron Rodgers.

... the Minnesota Vikings are my favorites to win their division. 1) Adrian Peterson and the Vikings' ever improving defense, which added All-Pro DE Jared Allen, and 2) Brett Favre?

... we shouldn't expect much from the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. 1) the Lions have no defense, and 2) the Bears have no offense.

... the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will make the playoffs and lose in their first game. 1) As long as Jeff Garcia remains the starting quarterback, you'll know what to expect, and 2) Mike Alstott is not what he used to be.

... the rest of the NFC South does not interest me at all. 1) The only things worth watching are Steve Smith scoring touchdowns, and 2) waiting to see if Reggie Bush finally happens.

... the New England Patriots will lose their dominant form for good. 1) Tom Brady realized he wasn't Joe Montana, and 2) Randy Moss realized he wasn't Jerry Rice.

... the Miami Dolphins will win two games this year. 1) Bill Parcells is good for one win, and 2) Ricky Williams is good for the other.

... the rest of the AFC East is uninteresting to me. 1) The New York Jets have Chad Pennington, and 2) the Buffalo Bills have been in rebuilding mode for the last decade.

... the San Diego Chargers will keep trying to reach the Super Bowl but never get there. 1) When Norv Turner is your coach I wouldn't count on it, and 2) I believe we've already seen the best of LaDanian Tomlinson.

... the Oakland Raiders will contend for the AFC West division. 1) Jamarcus Russell and Darren McFadden are as good as advertised, and 2) the additions of CB DeAngelo Hall and S Gibril Wilson coupled by emerging safety Michael Huff gives the silver-and-black attack arguably the best defensive backfield in the NFL, and the addition of WR Javon Walker immediately makes Jerry Porter a better receiving threat on offense.

... the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos will be two of the worst defensive teams. 1) Although the Chiefs were 5th in the league in passing yards per game last year, the absence of pass rush specialist Allen will open things up for opposing teams against the Chiefs' defensive backs this time around, 2) although nobody in Denver wants to admit it, the Broncos have been in rebuilding mode for quite some time now.

... I still believe the Indianapolis Colts are the team to beat in the AFC. 1) They did a great job of grooming WR Marvin Harrison's replacement, Anthony Gonzalez, by giving him valuable experience last year and he didn't fail to impress, and 2) as long as Peyton Manning continues to do commercials, it means he's still sharp and on his game.

... the AFC South is the second best division in pro football. 1) Vince Young is a true leader, a true franchise player, and his Tennessee Titans are a true playoff contender. 2) JAX, TEN, IND, and HOU were a combined 29-19 against the conference last year and I have no reason to believe anything will change this year.

... the Cleveland Browns are the best football team in the state of Ohio. 1) Derek Anderson, Jamaal Lewis, Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow are rising fast, and 2) the Bengals' Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson are sinking faster than the Titanic.

... the Baltimore Ravens may wind up being the worst team in the conference. 1) No more Steve McNair, and 2) no more Air McNair.

... it looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers are the best team in the conference. 1) Defense (#1 in yards given up per game), defense (#2 in points given up per game), and more defense (#3 in pass yds and rush yds given up per game),  2) being balanced out by offense (Ben Roethlisberger), offense (Willie Parker), and more offense (Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller).

... Brett Favre wants to come out of retirement. 1) It's boring in Wisconsin, and 2) it's even more boring in Mississippi.