A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: NFC East Edition

In Part 5 of my preseason punditry, we take a look at reasons to love and hate every team in the NFC East this season:

Dallas Cowboys
Love - Rob Ryan's Brand of Crazy
Rex Ryan's stock may be on its way down after a tumultuous off season in New York, but we still have a lot to learn about his woollier, more Dude-like zygote partner Rob.  The Dallas defense saw its ups and downs in 2011, but now we'll have a much clearer picture of Rob's capabilities with a full off season to mold his troops... All of this with Demarcus Ware still playing lights out and without any further "contributions" from recently traded CB Terence Newman.

Hate - Any Possibility That the Cowboys Reclaim 'merica's Team Status
Here's the thing, do we really want to see Dallas succeed?  The honest answer is that many people do, given that the Cowboys fan base rivals those of the Steelers and Packers in sheer ubiquity.  Still, haven't we not-so-secretly enjoyed America's Team going bust in the playoffs since 1999?  Especially at the behest of Jerry Jones and lovable-but-dopey Tony Romo?  Sometimes distraught Dallas fans just look better on an HD jumbo screen.

Philadelphia Eagles
Love - Living Up to Its Dream Team Potential
Talk about 15 minutes-- For a fleeting moment in 2011, the Eagles were a fantasy football team brought to life with some ambitious off season talent acquisitions.  Then they kamikaze-ed their way to a 4-8 start much to the chagrin of a Philly fanship that has yet to host a Super Bowl victory parade in its 43 years in the modern NFL.  Still, there's plenty of hope that with last year behind them and plenty of key players returning, the Eagles may yet prove they are the Dream Team that Vince "Not-strodomous" Young once prophesied they would be.

Hate - Miami Heat Syndrome
Unfortunately, it's damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't for the Eagles, who may fall victim to "Miami Heat" syndrome if they do break through this year.  What I mean is that special flavor of schadenfreude that happens when a team like the Heat [or the Yankees for that matter] buy their way to the top of the totem pole instead of climbing to victory against the odds through numerous building and rebuilding efforts.  Buying success just doesn't play well with the American bootstraps mentality, even if it gels just fine with capitalism.  Don't believe me? Just take a look at who America was rooting for during the NBA Finals this year:

New York Giants
Love - Dynamic Play on Both Sides of the Ball
There's something to be said about getting hot at exactly the right time of the season, and NYG is the poster child for this.  Just as they did in 2007, the Giants crawled their way into post-season relevance at the last possible moment--largely in debt to the Cowboys' sheer incompetence--and then ignited a defense and rushing game to match a powerful passing offense.  Eli Manning is here to stay, so look for human octopus DE Jason Pierre-Paul to continue stoking the defensive fire in order to keep the Giants towards the top of the NFC this year.

Hate - Regression to Old Habits
Nevertheless, the Giants are one of those teams you never know what to expect from-- One minute, they're toppling NFL Goliaths like the 2011 Packers and the 2007 Patriots with relative ease; the next minute, they're coughing up 21-point fourth quarter leads to the likes of the Eagles (2010) and Titans (2006).  Either Tom Coughlin is a resilient genius or a very, very, very lucky man.  Flipping a coin is probably the best insight we have into whether he'll be coronated or fired this season.

Washington Redskins
Love - RG3's Potential to Eclipse Andrew Luck
In my second reference to the 1998 Manning-Leaf-off in this series, the NFL odds suggest that there can be only one long-term QB standout in this draft class. Most are putting money on either long-time draft darling Andrew Luck or new Heisman recipient Robert Griffin III.  If RG3 ends up having a banner year like Cam Newton did in 2011, expect to see some fundamental changes not just to how QBs are drafted in the NFL but how offenses [and then defenses] are designed.  This could be a breakout to watch.

Hate - Mike Shannahan's Manson-esque Devil Eyes
Seriously, they're beady and a little dead inside.  Makes you wonder if there was ever any spark in this guy's soul that John Elway wasn't manufacturing for him.

A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: AFC West Edition

In Part 4 of my pre-season punditry, we take a look at reasons to hate every team in the AFC West this year:

Denver Broncos
Love - Peyton 2.0
Admittedly, I've never been the biggest Peyton Manning fan, but I am totally intrigued by what this year will show us about his leadership and talent with a new team.  Watching Manning play in 2012 should demonstrate whether his abilities are easily transferable in Mile high or part of a bygone Byzantine offensive system that will never reach its former Indy glory.

Hate - Manning-Face 2.0
One thing I definitely did NOT miss this past year was that all-too-entitled-consider-this-passer-eternally-roughed signature whine that Peyton Manning has perfected (a la "Manning Face") with his zebra counterparts.  You know, this one:

This level of referee interference should be reserved strictly for the NBA

San Diego Chargers
Love - Seeing Philip Rivers Return to His Old Form
To be transparent, I actually don't have a lot to impart on why you should love the Chargers this season.  While Philip Rivers is a good quarterback, he will never rise to the crowded level of elite QB status in all likelihood.  Nevertheless, let's hope he rides the momentum the Chargers built a little too late last season to make this year interesting.

Hate - The Talent-Bleeding and Inevitable Demise of Norv Turner
It's hard out here for a Chargers front office these days.  Though Rivers is no slouch, you unwittingly sold your most valuable asset, Drew Brees, to the Saints in 2006 and then Darren Sproles followed suit in 2011 with outstanding results.  You continued the talent-bleeding with Vincent Jackson going to Tampa Bay this year, leaving little to rebuild with.  Yet Norv Turner inexplicably gets another year to lead this team to certain playoff death, if that even becomes a possibility.  Nevermind-- it's much, much harder out here for a Chargers fan.

Kansas City Chiefs
Love - Having a Healthy Team to Do Battle in a Competitive Division
Who would've predicted that a Chiefs team riding high with a 10-6 record in 2010 would come crashing down to Earth in a matter of [seeming] minutes of the 2011 season.  Major injuries plagued the Chiefs' strongest players including Berry, Charles, Moeaki, Carr, Cassel and Orton to name a few.  A healthy roster and an appetite to reclaim the top of the AFC West with all of the pieces in place should elevate the Chiefs' standings this year.

Hate - A Tough Schedule May Torpedo Any Arrowhead Comebacks
7 out of 16 games on the Chiefs' schedule will be against teams that made the playoffs last year.  I'd argue that at least 2 others (the Panthers and Bucs) will see their stock rise this year, making for a challenging season at the very least for this recovering team.  Either KC capitalizes on the resilience it showed against a phenomenal Packers team last year, or it settles for another year of mediocrity.

Oakland Raiders
Love - Any Dark Horse Potential for the AFC West
If Carson Palmer and/or Jason Campbell and/or Terrelle Pryor has a decent year managing games and if this new coaching staff can stabilize a squad that's had 10 different head coaches in the past 16 years and if the Raiders can outperform all of their AFC West brethren with a very tough schedule (see previous comments about the Chiefs), they may just have a dark horse's chance to win their division.

Hate - The Strong Likelihood That There Is No Dark Horse Potential Here
Notice all of the ifs I just mentioned?  The Vegas odds aren't looking so good for the Raiders in 2012.

A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: AFC South Edition

In Part 3 of my pre-season punditry, we take  look at reasons to love and hate every team in the AFC South:

Indianapolis Colts
Love - All Eyes on Andrew Luck
Will he be the next Peyton Manning or the next Ryan Leaf?  Can he reanimate a pitiful DOA squad that went 2 - 12 last year?  The lights will be shining bright this fall on Andrew Luck as the most anticipated draft pick since his Indy predecessor, and I don't mean Curtis Painter.  America's appetite for triumph is there, especially with I'll Have Another's disappointing Triple Crown anti-climax.

Hate - Putting a Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound
As much as we would like to see Andrew Luck succeed, Petyon Manning's absence last season revealed a more troubling situation in Indianapolis than a mere quarterback deficit.  I get the sneaking suspicion that without a dynamic running game, pass rush or secondary, this team's problems are much deeper than a one-man revival can cure.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Love - Blackmon's Potential
Finally, we hope.  Jacksonville acquires a high-potential WR in Justin Blackmon (recent legal troubles aside) that could help this team move up in a pretty ho-hum division.  It'll be up to ex-Falcons OC Mike Mularkey to mold the Gabbert-Blackmon passing game into some semblance of what he achieved in Matt Ryan and Roddy White before.

Hate - Gabbert's Ineptitude
Still, there's the man himself, Blaine Gabbert.  He has been one head-scratcher of an early QB draft pick last year who nudged out middling-to-decent David Garrard just before the start of the 2011 season.  Gabbert has yet to show he has the chops to make it in the big leagues, and this may be his last chance to prove otherwise.

Houston Texans
Love - The Emergence of a New AFC Leader
Provided these guys can stay healthy and fill the [minor] defensive gaps that resulted from free agency, the Texans look poised to become a truly elite AFC team for the long haul.  Cheering for them now still gives you a chance to be a smug early adopter of "I knew them when."

Hate - A Team That Lacks History and Soul
I don't mean the Texans are soulless-- they're probably mostly stand up guys, save for juicehead Brian Cushing.  But they're still a young franchise without much to show for it.  They've made the playoffs only once, have a pretty interchangeable fanbase of not-Cowboys post-Oilers followers, and let's not even dwell on how uninspired the mascot choice of "Texans" is for the other 92% of the U.S. population.

Tennessee Titans
Love - Secret Weapon Karl Klug
Much fanfare (if you consider the Titans having "fanfare") will be paid to the Hasselbeck-Locker showdown for starting QB position this year and/or Chris Johnson's attempt to reclaim dominance as a running back.  But outside of the limelight, defensive tackle Karl Klug had a quietly impressive rookie year in 2011 (20 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 7 sacks) that I project will serve him and the team well this season.  He's definitely a buyer's prospect if DTs mattered whatsoever in fantasy football.

Hate - CJ2K's Regression
Like Ryan Fitzpatrick and many, many others, Chris Johnson's performance this past year demonstrates just how little a massive new contract can boost or even maintain prior performance.  Another underwhelming year of rushing could surely sink the Titans' playoffs hopes again.

A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: AFC North Edition

In Part 2 of the latest pre-season punditry, we take a look at a reason to love and hate every team in the AFC North:

Cincinnati Bengals

Love - A Young Team on the Rise

Who would've thunk it?  The former Bungles look poised to top this powerhouse division within the next couple of years thanks to excellent rookie play by QB Andy Dalton and WR A. J. Green and continuing team development under coach Marvin Lewis.  It may be a matter of time before three's company in the classic Baltimore-Pittsburgh rivalry.

Hate - Management Even a Hometown Could Loathe

The real reason to hate the Bengals this year comes from off the field.  Despite the fact that the Bengals looked better in 2011 than they have in a long time, the franchise practically (and in some cases literally) had to give tickets away in Week 17 when the team clinched a playoff berth.  The issue wasn't that Cincy fans don't support their team but that they are tired of Potter-esque owner Mike Brown gouging them with some of the highest ticket and stadium prices in the rust belt/adhering to anitiquated TV blackout policies, chasing away their top talent and semi-regularly threatening to move the team elsewhere.  Expect an Occupy Cincinnati movement if this out-of-touch bozo doesn't change his management style.

Cleveland Browns
Love - Every Win Is an Underdog Story
As a long-time Saints fan, I know a thing or two about managing expectations with a chronically underperforming team.  Each win--no matter how ugly--is a reason to celebrate, especially with the Browns being the low man on the totem pole in a stacked AFC North division.

Hate - A Very Uninspired Quarterback "Competition"

Still, you'll have to put up with what is likely to be some rather exhausting quarterback play from Colt McCoy and/or Brandon Weeden.  Fan tip: Put a towel on that pillow to avoid drool contact.

Baltimore Ravens

Love - Ray Lewis' Eternal Youth

Ray Lewis is a once in a lifetime pro, and we've been spoiled for nearly 15 years watching this ageless wonder bring unmatched intensity to the field every Sunday.  But that sunset is creeping up on the horizon, and this very well could be Lewis' last show to rekindle that old Super Bowl glory.

Hate - T. Fizzle

Unfortunately, Ray Lewis is going to have a tough time living the dream without esteemed colleague (and Defensive Player of the Year in 2011) Terrell Suggs.  With an ill-timed ACL tear, Suggs will be out until at least November, leaving an aging Baltimore defensive squad to pick up the pieces for most of the regular season.  Add to that Ed Reed's suspected retirement, and the Ravens defense may look very different this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Love - A Victory Lap for an Aging Team

You know that classic and cliched cinematic moment when two arch-nemeses finally come face-to-face before the final battle and confess, "We're not so different, you and I..." ?  Couldn't be more true for Baltimore and Pittsburgh this season.  With Steelers veterans like Polamalu and Harrison beginning to weigh retirement options with Super Bowl possibilities, it'd be nice to see them give it a final go.

Hate - Haven't These Guys Won Enough Already?

The AFC could use a serious shake of the playoffs 8-ball with the Steelers competing in the Super Bowl 3 of the last 7 times.  Don't even get me started with the Patriots, who, combined with the Steelers have appeared 8 of the last 11 times.  Variety is the spice of life.  Also, Ben Roethlisberger still sucks as a human being.

A Reason To Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: AFC East

Greetings, fair, patient and mostly non-existent readerbase!  Like Pavlov's dogs I'm starting to get more juiced about the upcoming 2012 NFL season as we approach the no man's land of just golf, tennis and baseball for the next two and a half months.  Uggh.  No worries, I'm going to start parsing out some posts bit by bit to help weather the storm.  In the first of 8 installations, here is a reason to love and hate every NFL team this season, AFC East edition.

Buffalo Bills

Love - A Rising Defensive Powerhouse

The talent seems to have come together for this team in a lot of ways, especially with the addition of Mario Williams who should add some ferocity to a defense that still has to face Brady & co. twice a year.  A healthy Stevie Johnson may also make Ryan Fitzpatrick look good again.

Hate - Thinking of All the Starving Children That Could Have Been Fed in Lieu of Ryan Fitzpatrick's Contract
Hoo boy.  Admit it, there might have been a moment last year when you too thought the Fitz had truly earned his meal ticket by leading the Bills to an unexpected 5 - 2 start.  Then reality [and $59 million in QB financial security] brought this team waaaay own to Earth--to Death Valley really--where the Bills closed out the year with a 1 - 8 slump.  The Bills may well start this year right where they left off.

Miami Dolphins
Love - Potential for New Offensive Sparks
In Reggie Bush's mind at least, this is going to be a banner year for his ego... and maybe the Dolphins too as a side note.  All things considered, Matt Moore played decent football under the radar last year, and some shakeups in the coaching staff can help this team start fresh.

Hate - Mediocrity At Its Meh-est

Still, the Dolphins aren't exactly ready for prime time.  Cheering for Miami at this point is most suitable for people who still subject themselves to M. Night Shyamalan movies.  There may be a few intriguing glimmers here and there, but you will ultimately be disappointed by how this one ends.

New York Jets

Love - Loving to Hate Tebowmania

Get your eyes a -rollin' as we gear up  for another year of unwarranted media obsession with a certain holy second-stringer whose completion percentage is roughly the same as Billy Graham's.  Nevertheless, who doesn't ultimately love to hate the Tebowmania phenomenon that, like Jesus and zombies, just won't die?

Hate - The Blind Leading the Blind at Quaterback

If ever the Tebowmania dust settles in New York, we'll still have to deal with the fact that either Mark Sanchez or Tim Tebow will have to pick up and throw a football several times for more money than you or I can fathom... until Vinny Testaverde or Brett Favre come back out of the woodwork or something.  This plane's going down, in other words.

New England Patriots

Love - A Surefire Winner

With three rings and five total Super Bowl appearances over the past decade, a stacked draft class and a Brady/Belichick tandem that shows no signs of slowing, the Patriots still look to be the stuff of legends rivaled only by the Walsh/Montana era of the 1980s.  Cheering for this team is pretty much guaranteed to grant you smug, winning satisfaction this year.

Hate - A Near Total Lack of Interesting Competition

With the exception of contests against the 49ers, Texans and [maybe] Ravens/Broncos, do not operate heavy machinery while watching the Patriots this season.  They look to have some seriously lop-sided routs going up against the rest of the AFC East, AFC South and NFC West this year that could rival watching paint dry.