My heart wants to say 12 and 4, but my mind says 10 and 6. 10 wins, 6 losses. I honestly think we go to the AFC Championship. (D'oh!)
I've made some predictions in threads prior to pre-season and free agency, but this will be my final one: vs Indianapolis (W) @ Miami (W) @ New Orleans (L) vs Pittsburgh (L) vs Oakland (W) @ Baltimore (L) **BUTTRAPE MODE ENGAGE** @ Tennessee (W) vs Jacksonville (W) vs Cleveland (W) @ Tampa Bay (W) @ Jacksonville (W) vs Atlanta (L) @ Cincinnati (W) vs Carolina (W) @ Indianapolis (L) vs Tennessee (W) 11-5.
Look, I know I'm a huge homer, but this team has some scary dimensions that I don't think we've fully seen in the pre-season. James Casey I think if he's used right, James Casey could become a safety blanket for Schaub, even more so than Owen Daniels. Think about it. Casey will be lined up at fullback. In man coverage, it's hard to commit anyone but a linebacker to cover the fullback. Casey, while not blazing fast, has enough speed, that when given a 3-6 yard head start(the space from behind the line, to linebacker depth), I don't think any linebacker will cover him. In zone, a lot of his routes, I'm sure will take him to zones that are patrolled by linebackers and defensive ends. His blocking is decent, but he still tends to hold a lot, and that's my big concern about him. Think about Jumbo/Goal Line packages, with Casey, Vickers, and Foster in. All three are pretty good receivers out of the back field. That's hard to defend on a play action call on 3rd and goal from the one. With Casey, if he's used right, I think of Dallas Clark x 1000. Dallas Clark is moved around, but he's not much of a blocking threat, and thus, you can commit a safety to him in the passing game. Pass Rush Packages Our defense has been vanilla smothered in vanilla for far too long. With Wade Phillips, we're going to get after the quarterback. All pre-season long, you've seen it. When one guy is near the quarterback, there are usually one or two others. This team, coupled with these schemes, has sack potential just oozing out of it. This will help our (seemingly already improved) secondary out a ton. The Secondary The secondary is apparently actually being coached this year. That's great! Kareem Jackson even looked halfway decent in the third preseason game. If Kareem can hit his second-year stride (as corners often do), this defense can be scary good. Jason Allen, who is a playmaker, and Troy Nolan, who also has shown playmaking ability can potentially come in on the nickel, and I won't feel like the opposing team is going to convert every Third and Fifty-something like I did last year. God, I hated that feeling. Couple these things with the fact that the defense should have nowhere to go but up throughout the season (as they grasp the system), and I truly want to say that we make it to the AFC championship. And I don't even mind the fact that bringing in Wade Phillips could possibly mean that Kubiak is around for another 10 years. I think what we've done in bringing in Phillips is right in line with other top-tier teams in the league (see: New Orleans, Green Bay, the Jets, etc., etc.). There is no way that you get rid of one of the top offensive minds in the game (if things go as planned and we make the playoffs), when you just brought in a top-flight defensive coordinator. (D'oh!)
for the past four seasons, I've always had them at 9-7 t0 10-6. With the addition of Wade, I have them at 11-5 and superbowl bound if someone else takes care of the Steelers.
vs Indianapolis (W) @ Miami (W) @ New Orleans (W) vs Pittsburgh (L) vs Oakland (W) @ Baltimore (L) @ Tennessee (W) vs Jacksonville (W) vs Cleveland (W) (flyin high at 7-2, leads to mini-kubiak collapse) @ Tampa Bay (L) @ Jacksonville (L) vs Atlanta (L) (pick up the pieces at 7-5, head to the playoffs) @ Cincinnati (W) vs Carolina (W) @ Indianapolis (L) vs Tennessee (W)
Battlered koolaid and deep steel blue koolaid makes for some mean purple stuff. And I'm sizzurping that all day until our 11th win baby.
