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

After a long hiatus from all things speculative football BS, it's time to hit the grindstone as we gear up for 19 beautiful weeks of gridiron.  Rorschach test?  Not quite.  But let us conclude the annual ramp up with Reasons to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, NFC West Edition:

Arizona Cardinals

Love - Surprising Potential
I'm giving myself half a bonus point this time last year for reminding you that the Arizona Cardinals' defense was far, far better than their 5-win 2012 season would suggest.  Lo and behold, Bruce Arians was just the offensive wizard the Cards needed to complement their underrated secondary - doubling the Cardinals' win total, making Carson Palmer look serviceable, and getting Arizona to the cusp of a very stacked NFC playoff race.  This time around, they'll add one of the best left tackles in the game today in Jared Veldheer as well as speedy WR Ted Ginn to keep beefing up Palmer's game against the other great defensive minds of the NFC West.  Don't look now, but Arizona may just be the trendy darkhorse pick you've been waiting to bring up awkwardly at cocktail parties where no one cares about football.

Hate - Can Carson Palmer Really Do This Twice?
Answer: Not without some help, given that Palmer was sacked a career-high 41 times last season.  The Cardinals are addressing their protection issues in a substantive way for once with the aforementioned Veldheer, but it's a wonder that they ever got to 10 wins last season in spite of Palmer's punishment and his other career high: 22 interceptions.  A little luck and new management can go a long way with some team turnarounds, especially in Year One, but the Cardinals would be hard-pressed to repeat last season's success if this journeyman QB can't achieve a higher level of passing mojo than he's shown in recent years.

San Francisco 49ers

Love - Isn't Every Year the 49ers Year?
I mean really, what else is there to say about a team that has been to three NFC Championships in a row?  Before you go yammering on about how the Niners haven't actually won a Super Bowl yet under Jim Harbaugh, remind yourself how very, very close they were in each playoff game they lost during that time span and how dominant they've been on the whole since Neck-Veined McPleatsMaster first took that short drive up the coast in 2011.  With a brand new stadium to break in, depth at nearly every position, and a highly motivated group of guys who've brushed the edge of Super Bowl glory three years in a row, why not the 49ers this year?  It goes without saying this is not the NFC ending I'd like to see this season, but at least the "Six-burgh [blech] Steelers" wouldn't feel so special if San Francisco finally brought home another Lombardi.

Hate - Drama, Drama, Drama
Like I said before, the 49ers are so stacked this year that it's hard to imagine them losing a step for any reason, but it hasn't been the prettiest offseason away from Candlestick/Levi's, etc.  He of regressive tattoo decisions Colin Kaepernick got entangled in some shady-to-disturbing bro adventures in Miami.  Then Jim Harbaugh said some really, really dumb things about it despite allegedly caring about women.  Harbaugh also had his crying-in-the-rain moment of truth with management when rumors surfaced and then lingered for a little too long that the front office was willing to trade him for even more draft picks despite an unimpeachable win-loss record in San Francisco.  Then of course there's Aldon Smith doing his best Lindsay Lohan/Plaxico Burress impression with multiple substance abuse and weapons possession charges and a possible suspension to start the 2014 season.  It's enough to make a Hard Knocks producer cry.

St. Louis Rams

Love - Robert Quinn, Destroyer of Worlds
"Robert Quinn, who?," We all would have said this time last year. But Quinn is far from an anonymous defensive end after a blockbuster 19 sack, 50 tackle, 7 forced fumbles kind of 2013 season with a Rams team already known for its ferocious pass rush. In just three years, the guy has gone from relative unknown to an every-snap All Pro.  That's a feat in and of itself, but imagine how opponents will feel this season when they're forced to choose between double-teaming Quinn, Chris Long and James Laurinatis.  It's too early to say whether or not No. 94 can repeat this kind of performance year after year, but I like his chances with a little help from this kind of front seven.

Hate -Still Looking Fourth Best
After a decade of playing second fiddle to Peyton Manning's Colts, Jeff Fisher must be feeling some deja vu in a division that won 2 out of every 3 games played last season and landed both spots in the NFC Championship.  The Rams have taken noble steps forward under Fisher including two first round picks with major upside in 2014, but it still seems hardly enough to compete with the likes of the Cardinals, Seahawks and 49ers.  St. Louis has struggled in establishing its offensive bread and butter since Steven Jackson left, and Sam Bradford's monster rookie contract continues to drag the Rams through inflexible mediocrity in free agency.  It's hard to point fingers at anything St. Louis has done since the team parted ways with Steve Spagnuolo, but who knows how much patience ownership and a dwindling fanbase will have if the Rams spend another hardfought year at the bottom of the pack?

Seattle Seahawks

Love - A Defense of Epic Proportions
You may have forged a selective memory about Super Bowl XLVIII given that it was decided in about 10 minutes of playing time hidden between four times as many commercials.  But that wouldn't do justice to a superb effort by the Seahawks defense.  Heck, they scored more points than Peyton Manning and made Manning look like, well, Ryan Leaf in the process.  More importantly, the Seahawks made defense fun to watch again after years of league rule changes that have effectively put QBs like Manning in the Pope Mobile.  They hit hard, they make exceptional plays, and they don't overthink it.  Expect a whole lot more of that in 2014 and probably less colorful press conferences now that it's virtually impossible to underestimate the Seahawks.

Hate - Breaking Up the Band
Given how hard it is to repeat Super Bowl appearances much less wins back to back, the Seattle Seahawks have almost nowhere to go but down this season.  Don't get me wrong, they've got way more potential to do so than, say, the roster-bled Ravens last year, but there's a crazy number of things that have to go right including plain dumb luck to make it to the big dance these days.  The NFC West has become a nine-circle defensive gauntlet over the past few seasons, and you can make legitimate arguments for why each team in this post is better today than it was a year ago.  The Seahawks still have a young, proven core, but they've also already lost major defensive contributors in Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond, Red Bryant and Chris Clemmons in free agency as well as two of Russell Wilson's receiving targets, Golden Tate and Sydney Rice.  Add a Marshawn Lynch contract hold out to the mix, and there's a real possibility the Seahawks could be off to a slow start in 2014.  Be on the lookout for plenty of "Super Bowl hangover" hits on your newsfeed. 

A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, NFC South Edition

After a long hiatus from all things speculative football BS, it's time to hit the grindstone as we gear up for 19 beautiful weeks of gridiron.  Rorschach test?  Not quite.  But let us continue with Reasons to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, NFC South Edition:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Love - Lovie Returns!
It was no secret on this blog that I didn’t like Lovie Smith’s parting from the Chicago Bears after a 10 - 6 season marred by injuries and a historic year for rival Adrian Peterson. But judging by the quality of Tampa’s defensive roster these days compared to that of Chicago, Smith has to like where he’s sitting right now, especially since he’s got the kind of instant credibility with players that Greg Schiano couldn’t buy with a Vanderbilt trust fund. The Buccaneers have the makings of an elite, physical defensive line and plenty of motivation to atone for two squandered seasons under Schiano. That’ll come in handy for Lovie Smith & co. when they square off against Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers among others this season.

Hate - A Limited Track Record at QB
If the Bucs did one thing right during their 4 - 12 campaign in 2013, it was moving on from QB Josh Freeman after he reached the point of no return in the locker room and in his game. Mike Glennon proved a decent fill-in last season, all tumultuous things in Tampa considered, but now the ultimate fill-in Josh McCown will try his hand at starter after a surprising half-season in Chicago. It’s a logical business move given that Tampa opted for high-potential receivers in the draft over passers, but haven’t we seen this one before a la Matt Flynn and Kevin Kolb? One small sample of great games in a different system with a little-known backup (and limited film for defenses) leads to a big starting gig in a totally different system that is rarely set up for success. We can only speculate on how McCown will transition in Tampa, but one clue is just how different the Bears offense looks under Marc Trestman today than say, ex-Bears/new-Bucs coach Lovie Smith with most of the same personnel in place.

Atlanta Falcons

Love - A Healthy Julio
Before Julio Jones went down with a season-ending foot injury five weeks into 2013, he was on pace for an 1,800 yard, 130 reception season. There’s no way to know how much his health impacted the Falcons’ miserable 4 - 12 slide given their many other challenges last year, but Atlanta has nowhere to go but up with one of the very best returning healthier and rested in 2014. Similar to Calvin Johnson up north, Jones is without a doubt a game changer for the whole franchise, especially since Matt Ryan’s other favorite target Tony Gonzalez hung up his cleats for good in the offseason.   A little more help on the offensive line could pay dividends this year for Jones downfield - bet your fantasy draft on it.

Hate - 99 Defensive Problems
It was only two years ago that the Falcons had a top five defense in terms of turnovers and points allowed. The front office rolled the dice in letting Pro Bowlers John Abraham and Brent Grimes go the following offseason, and the results were disastrous, especially against the run.  Atlanta has already released Thomas DeCoud and Asante Samuel this offseason, presumably to start the overhaul in the secondary, but now they will also be without Sean Weatherspoon for the season due to injury and scrambling for free agency scraps.  They should be much better than a 4-win team this time around, but it's hard to fathom the Falcons getting back to the postseason if one step forward on offense is negated by two steps back on the other side of the ball.

Carolina Panthers

Love - Kraken and Kuechly
They may have been eclipsed by the Legion of Boom in 2013, but the Panthers’ defense is downright terrifying and looks to continue as such with Greg “Kraken” Hardy tagged to stay in Carolina for another year.  Hardy gives the Panthers a mean style of pass rush that’s been missing since Julius Peppers’ heyday while recent Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly is a run-stuffing, pass- deflecting hurricane that just cannot be stopped.  After watching the Seahawks totally dismantle the high-flying Broncos in February, there's no telling what the Panthers can do with their talent level and track record as a merciless defensive unit this year.  For the record, Hardy still completely sucks as a human being though - good thing he's not smoking the drugs, he might get suspended.

Hate - Kiddie Pool Depth at Receiver
I may be indulging in a little hyperbole for my division rival here, but it would not surprise me to see the Panthers’ Super Bowl window slam shut as quickly as it opened because of this offseason. Sure, Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly are still the very young faces of the franchise, but the Panthers front office completely dismantled Newton’s receiving corps this offseason, leaving him with just one of his top five targets from 2013, TE Greg Olsen. If that were Carolina’s only issue, they could arguably squeeze by with rookie Kelvin Benjamin and some so-so free agent acquisitions. But the Panthers still have a gaping hole where tackle Jordan Gross retired and a very expensive, aging RB duo that prevents them from solving a whole lot of other problems. With few guaranteed bright spots on offense to help Cam Newton out, he may be in for rough year of excessive hits and desperation decision-making all while recovering from a bad ankle injury.

New Orleans Saints

Love - A Real Defense
It’s hard to believe, but just one year ago the Saints were coming off the worst defensive season of all time and a yearlong suspension for Sean Payton. New Orleans improved beyond most fans’ wildest expectations last year with new DC Rob Ryan, rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro, and first-time Pro Bowler Cam Jordan, and they’ve only added fuel to the fire in the offseason with the acquisitions of Jairus Byrd, Champ Bailey and Stanley Jean-Baptiste. This is a versatile, physical group that will allow Ryan to get creative in the game plan and give the Saints more big-play ability on defense. And for once on Payton’s watch, we might be talking more about the Saints’ defense than their offense this season.  Unless Brandin Cooks is the real deal, anyway.

Hate - Jimmy Graham's Salary Tantrum
I guess this is sort of a moot point now that Graham has signed on to a $40 million deal with the Saints, but given that the front office reportedly offered him just about that same amount months ago before mounds of arbitration and missed OTAs, it seems like it was quite a waste of time for everyone not getting legal fees. On the one hand, what team wouldn’t want to spend gobs of money on Jimmy Graham after the spectacular season he just had? On the other hand, Saints fans are feeling a little Drew Brees-inspired deja vu in an era where pretty much every top 10 player by position demands to be the highest paid to the eye-rolls of the masses. Don't get me wrong, we're all thrilled No. 80 will be in New Orleans' end zone for seasons to come, but it's not a good look for rich people's problems.  And if he's going to remain a tight end, it certainly wouldn't hurt for him to block once in a while. Just sayin'.

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

After a long hiatus from all things speculative football BS, it's time to hit the grindstone as we gear up for 19 beautiful weeks of gridiron.  Rorschach test?  Not quite.  But let us continue with Reasons to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, NFC North Edition:

Chicago Bears

Love - Fire in the Sky
True, the Bears probably weren’t thrilled with finishing 8-8 last year--and yet again with a shortened season for Jay Cutler--but by all accounts, they are on a promising trajectory under Marc Trestman.  In 2013, Chicago's offensive line looked as good as I can remember in the past decade and second-year WR Alshon Jeffery proved a lethal complement to Brandon Marshall down the seam.  Long story short, these aren't your dad's Bears - they can put up a ton of yards and points while the next generation ripens up on defense.

Hate - Still Jay Cutler, Anti-Vaxxer Made of Glass
But JLotz, you may be saying to yourself, why don't you lay off Jay Cutler for once?  He's been your sole reason to hate the Bears for three consecutive seasons.  Can't you find something else to hate for once like a good American citizen?  The answer, of course, is no.  After all, Chicago just signed Cutler to a giant seven-year deal despite Cutler starting all 16 games and making the playoffs just once during his tenure to date with the Bears.  They're all in on the NFL's own grumpy cat.  If his gloomy demeanor and track record weren't enough though, Cutler and rocket scientist reality star wife Kristin Cavallari recently publicized (because why not) that they will not vaccinate their children for fear of having to read any scientific literature from the past decade.  So even if you care nothing about football, Jay Cutler or the Chicago Bears, you can thank him for bringing us back to the 1940s in willfully ignorant fashion when there's a polio outbreak in Wrigleyville.

Detroit Lions

Love - Megatron and Friends
That’s right, people, Calvin Johnson finally has friends on offense after arguably being the only real star in Detroit for years. Reggie Bush looked as good as he ever has in his debut with the Lions last season while Joique Bell proved a versatile workhorse in the backfield and in the screen game.  Furthermore, look for TE Joseph Fauria to continue creating matchup problems in the end zone after a surprising 7-TD rookie season in 2013.  This is still Megatron's show until trade or catastrophic injury says otherwise, but there can be no doubt that this strong surrounding cast in Detroit will take the pressure and the triple coverage off of Johnson.

Hate - The Jim Caldwell Enigma
Clearly the other Jim (Schwarz) had to go after consecutive disastrous seasons for his team on and off the field, but it’s hard to say how much better above replacement new coach Jim Caldwell will be given his recent track record. On the one hand, he took the Colts to a Super Bowl his first year as a head coach and could have possibly gone 16 - 0 had he not rested his starters. On the other hand, this one guy Peyton Manning didn’t play at all a couple years later and Indy plummeted to 2 - 14. On the one hand, Caldwell took over as Baltimore’s OC midway through the 2012 season and made Joe Flacco a freaking Super Bowl MVP with some savvy lineup adjustments. On the other hand, Flacco and Ray Rice looked like anything but MVPs in 2013 despite having most of the same offensive squad around them. So it’s anyone’s guess what Caldwell will accomplish his first year in Detroit with a roster that can dazzle just as easily as it can implode.

Green Bay Packers

Love - More Ground, More Pound
The Green Bay Packers are near the top of the Vegas Super Bowl odds every season because of one Aaron Rodgers.  It's a wonder they made the playoffs at all last season after No. 12 went down with a broken collar bone - what was clear during Green Bay's 2-5-1 slide without Rodgers is that they still have work to do in strengthening the roster around him.  Good thing DE Julius Peppers was willing to switch sides from the rival Bears to add some beef to the pass rush.  Even more promising, Eddie Lacy had a great rookie season at running back and can take tremendous pressure off of Rodgers in 2014 if he can stay healthy.  As is the case every year for the Packers, they look to have all the right pieces to make a deep playoff run with a little better luck than last time.

Hate - Why Is Dom Capers Still Here?
Lest I create the appearance of hypocrisy, I might have been a little generous if I suggested above that Julius Peppers is going to solve a lot of problems on defense. He'll bring experience and help to a decent line that includes Clay Matthews and B.J. Raji, but based on the rest of Green Bay's offseason and draft, they aren't terribly concerned with a defensive overhaul.  Exhibit A: Dom Capers is still the Packers' defensive coordinator despite having some of the worst postseason flameouts in recent memory three years in a row.  Green Bay ranked in the bottom quartile of every major defensive category last season and let Colin Kaepernick run all over Lambeau in January the same exact way he did during the teams' two previous meetings.  I don't know what's going on with Capers and the brain trust in Wisconsin these days, but it's just as effective as the visual I have of Dom putting his head in the sand and saying we got 'em right where we want 'em.

Minnesota Vikings

Love - Maybe Teddy Bridgewater?
As I do every season, I've got misgivings about where the Vikings are headed this year. They were awful on defense last year, have plenty of questions in the passing game, and are welcoming their third new coach in five years. As spectacular as he continues to be, AP can't make lightning strike twice without some help, folks. So if I'm looking for a bright spot in Minnesota, newly drafted QB Teddy Bridgewater may have some real sleeper potential after falling somewhat off the radar in the draft. Lost in the surprise factor of Blake Bortles' No. 3 selection and Johnny Manziel's ongoing media soap opera, Minnesota ended up walking away with the first-round passer that, by many accounts, is the most pro-ready due to his decision-making, footwork and accuracy under pressure. Given the Vikings' many also-rans on the QB roster these, they could stand to take some risks with a newer prospect who does the things the other guys do not.


Hate - Good Old Fashioned Extortion
The Vikings are by no means alone in squeezing every dollar they can from John Q. Public to build a brand new stadium since they're worth a paltry $1 billion as a franchise.  For the low, low price of $20 - 30 million a year, Minnesota tax payers will have the pleasure of ponying up the interest to build a very tacky crystal ship for their beloved Norsemen. So what kinds of things are the Vikings already paying for that prevent them from sparing Uncle Sam some change?  How about the salaries and benefits for Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman who had passer ratings of 78 and 41, respectively, in 2013?  Or legal fees to defend and retain upstanding citizen and special teams coach Mike Priefer (and on the flipside, keep attention harlot Chris Kluwe in the spotlight for a very long time)?  Expect way more pillaging in the Vikings' budget than on the field this season.

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

After a long hiatus from all things speculative football BS, it's time to hit the grindstone as we gear up for 19 beautiful weeks of gridiron.  Rorschach test?  Not quite.  But let us continue with Reasons to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, NFC East Edition:

Dallas Cowboys

Love - Starting to Feel Sorry For Tony Romo
You really never know about the NFC East these days, but the Cowboys look to be going nowhere fast after an uneventful offseason that sent Demarcus Ware packing and Tony Romo to the operating room.  Heck, even Jerry Jones looked the other way when Dallas could have picked up native son Johnny Manziel in the first round of the draft.  But I digress.  For those who love schadenfreude, the Cowboys have been a delight for nearly two decades - from the Romo fumble heard round the world to many a gut-wrenching 4th quarter interception since that time, only Dallas seems to crumble so often under such a spotlight, always thisclose to a legitimate playoff run.  I used to enjoy the Cowboys' failures tremendously, but I've watched Tony Romo give it his all year after year with a seemingly genuine heart, and it's almost like looking at a glassy-eyed puppy in an ASPCA commercial at this point and trying desperately to talk yourself out of adopting that three-legged Beagle even though you have a studio apartment.  In sum, it'd be worth cheering for Dallas this year if only for them to win just enough so we could all stop feeling so sorry for Romo and his swiftly closing playoff window.  He's just trying, dammit!

Hate - That Defense Though
Maybe new DC Rob Marinelli will right the ship this season in Dallas given his solid track record with the Bears' defense in recent years.  But whereas he had a core of elite linebackers in Chicago, he'll have to turn water into wine with the Cowboys' current roster after the departure of Demarcus Ware and health vulnerabilities with Sean Lee and Anthony Spencer among others.  Dallas' D was nothing short of abysmal in 2013, allowing 30 or more points in 7 games and ranking dead last in yards allowed.  It's fair to say they have nowhere to go but up this season, but expect baby steps instead of a magic carpet ride given a very tight cap space for adjustments.

Philadelphia Eagles

Love - A Well-Oiled Chip Kelly Machine
It sure didn’t take long for Chip Kelly’s Eagles to get rolling during his debut season as an NFL coach. After a rocky 3 - 5 start, Philadelphia won 7 of their last 8 regular season games and a division title with stellar QB play by Nick Foles and a league-best rushing effort from LeSean McCoy. Adding another offseason to build out Kelly’s intricate, fast-paced system along with Darren Sproles can only mean good things for the Eagles. Especially given the dumpster fire that is all other NFC East defenses.

Hate - That Pesky Regression to the Mean
As refreshing/surprising as the Eagles were in 2013, it still feels too early to say whether or not they're built to last above 0.500.  They were 2-3 against teams with winning records last season and had a pretty rough showing against the Saints in the playoffs despite playing host.  Philly also let DeSean Jackson walk and went for spare parts on defense in the offseason, which means Chip Kelly will arguably have to do more with less on both sides of the ball.  My main question mark, though, is Napoleon Dynamite himself Nick Foles.  The young QB had a spectacular sophomore campaign that almost nobody saw coming, but considering how his predecessors Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb fared after similar breakout seasons, I wouldn't count those eggs in the aerie just yet.  Foles is a great starter until proven otherwise, but he'll have to prove it against the vaunted defenses of the NFC West this season, just sayin'.

New York Giants

Love - Cyclically, This Is Their Year
There are NFL teams that you can count on to make the playoffs or play divisional bottom feeder every year and then there are the New York Giants.  It's a wonder Tom Coughlin hasn't stroked out yet given the annual rollercoaster this team puts him on.  So I won't attempt to tell you here why the Giants' wheelings and dealings during the offseason or their schedule or any human interest stories are going to put them at the top or the bottom by January.  I'm simply going to remind you that they've won the East every three years for the last decade and 2014 is next up, sure as the Mayans predicted we were toast a couple Decembers ago.  Patriots fans can breathe a sigh of relief since the Giants aren't scheduled for another Super Bowl until 2016, but somehow Eli Manning is going to trip and sneeze his way into a solid year like the tide to the moon.

Hate - Recovering from the 2013 Blood Bath
Give the Giants credit - they’ve done a lot in the offseason to shore up their tragic flaws of 2013. Among their notable moves, New York brought in ex-Packers OC Ben McAdoo to shake up playcalling, drafted and signed fresh blood for the offensive line and brought in a slew of cornerbacks after Corey Webster’s departure including Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Even with all of this though, the Giants’ Achilles Heel is more like an Achilles “Everything Below the Waist” with no depth in the running game or the pass rush after Justin Tuck went to the left coast. Given all of the transition and a stunningly poor performance in 2013, New York will have to work through painful memories--like starting out 0-6 and Manning’s career-high 27 interceptions--and much more to get back on track this season.

Washington Redskins

Love - Any Chance of an RG3 Comeback
If the Giants had it bad in 2013, the Washington Football Club found themselves about three circles lower after a surprising 2012 playoff campaign. Among the biggest disappointments was Robert Griffin’s sophomore slump; after carving up defenses like a Butterball for most of his rookie year, RG3 was far from healthy or confident in 2013 and didn't get much help from the rest of the team either.  So with another offseason to heal, a new coach and the services of DeSean Jackson at his disposal, Griffin's got to be feeling better about this season, at least in a relative sense. Who doesn't want to see his dazzling read-option magic tricks and lasers downfield to Jackson et al? Unless you want Dan Snyder to suffer a humiliating demise of course, which brings me to...


Hate - Dan Snyder's Impenetrable Cocoon of Denial
What can I say about owner Dan Snyder that hasn't already been said here or with much more depth and eloquence elsewhere?  He is the worst - a pathetic larval soul shielding himself from any acknowledgement of his own privilege, error, or ability to change - not, I think, because he genuinely believes half the things he says about "Redskins" being an honorable moniker but because he will bury his own PR grave before he admits he is wrong about anything.  The guy just hates to lose, except of course for those 11 out of 15 seasons he's owned said Redskins, and all the shadow foundations and embarrassing social media campaigns in the world can't topple the mountain of tone deafness he lives in.  In honor of Snyder's many other prominent traits as an owner, I say we call 'em the Washington Racketeers - Bonus: It's almost an anagram so he can also save on lettering costs!

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

After a long hiatus from all things speculative football BS, it's time to hit the grindstone as we gear up for 19 beautiful weeks of gridiron.  Rorschach test?  Not quite.  But let us continue with Reasons to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season, AFC West Edition:

Denver Broncos

Love - A Mile-High Dream Team
There can be no doubt that Denver is all in on another Super Bowl appearance this season.  He may be 38, but Peyton Manning is coming off the best quarterback season of all time and likely ready to erase all memory of SB XLVIII.  So the Broncos got to work in the offseason, signing DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward and Aquib Talib to more than shore up their defense as well as Emmanuel Sanders and Ronnie Hillman to restock Manning's offense.  With top-level talent all around and a never more motivated quarterback, the AFC is the Broncos' to lose this season.

Hate - The Near-Certainty That the Broncos Will Somehow Blow Their Super Bowl Chances
Remember the last time an NFL team signed a ton of high-profile free agents and immediately got a Lombardi?  Me neither, looking back at the non-success of the Dolphins and Eagles in recent years.  Of course those teams didn't have Peyton Manning or multiple 13-3 seasons in their recent history so it's not a fair comparison, BUT the pressure for the Broncos to win could not be higher, and such high-pressure situations have not played out well for Manning in the past.  Denver's high-flying offense was completely exposed by Seattle in the Meadowlands, and if No. 18 cannot outmaneuver his defensive opponents, he certainly cannot outthrow them with that arm strength much longer. When all signs point to yes, too often do we see "Dream Teams" choke their way to no.  Cue Richard Sherman GIF.

San Diego Chargers

Love - Philip Rivers' Vintage Era
Infuriating as this gunslinger may be sometimes, Philip Rivers had a career season in 2013 under Mike McCoy's leadership.  Now with a loaded arsenal of receivers and a full decade of dumb mistakes to grow from, Rivers suddenly looks like his best years are still ahead.  Even if you don't particularly like the guy, the Chargers certainly brought some entertainment value to the AFC West with a surprising Wild Card bid and a rare upset against the high-flying Broncos during the season.  With fantasy studs like Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd forging the way and a coach who's gallons more competent than Norv Turner ever was, expect Rivers to turn the corner and keep sprinting in 2014.

Hate - No Beef in the Pass Rush
San Diego wasn't as bad as you might think on defense in 2013, especially considering the Chargers ranked 29th in passing yards allowed and didn't have a single player notch more than five sacks.  All this despite (or perhaps because of) nabbing the shell of Dwight Freeney in free agency.  Indeed, the Chargers more than survived in terms of points allowed with few notable plays or playmakers, but that'll be hard to repeat without upgrading their front seven or getting more out of guys like Freeney, Melvin Ingram, and everybody's favorite Jan Brady, Manti Te'o.  With limited movement on this front in free agency and the draft, don't count on it.

Kansas City Chiefs

Love - Alex Smith on a Mission
Poor Alex Smith still can't get no respect after two NFC Championship appearances and helping the Chiefs get from 2-14 to 11-5 in one season.  Of course, I'd be lying if I said that I always believed in the guy, but he has fit exceptionally well in the Chiefs' system and had some spectacular games last season including a 378-yard, 4 TD playoff performance that sadly was for naught.  Despite all of that, he's dealing with a Kansas City front office that has been tortured by the ghost of Todd Blackledge and many another quarterback sin ever since, so they're a little reluctant to give him a long-term deal.  It may be the same story on a different day for Smith, but whether he's breaking Saints' fans hearts with a 6-point buzzer beater or putting a whole offense on his back when Jamaal Charles goes down, Alex Smith plays his best football with a chip on his shoulder.

Hate - A Much Steeper Hill to Climb
Who didn’t love the Chiefs’ massive turnaround from a 2-win team to an 11-5 Wild Card contender last season? Downtrodden outcasts Andy Reid and Alex Smith found a very good thing in Kansas City with a lot of help from a bruising defense and running game. But what goes up will almost certainly come down for the Chiefs with a tougher schedule and less depth at key positions like WR than last year. After dominating the bottom of the AFC barrel in 2013 with a schedule that included six backup QBs, KC will have to take on Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and a never-better NFC West this season. I’m all for an Alex Smith vengeance tour when he returns to San Francisco in October, but considering how abysmal the Chiefs were against teams with winning records last season (1 - 5), they’ll have to raise some eyebrows to repeat that kind of performance in 2014.

Oakland Raiders

Love - A Veteran Defense
The Raiders still look like they're a couple years from competing at best, but the upside this offseason has been adding and retaining veteran experience at key defensive positions.  Charles Woodson and Usama Young will continue to patrol the backfield while Justin Tuck, Carlos Rogers and LaMarr Woodley will try to keep the AFC West's many formidable passing opponents on their toes.  Add top rookie prospect Kalil Mack to the mix and Oakland may finally be able to hold off opponents long enough to have a chance at winning sometimes. 

Hate - QB Leftovers
Here's the thing about beefing up Oakland's defense, assuming all of those vets still have some gas in the tank - they can only take this team so far if the Raiders' offense can't put up points.  Tim Howard can surely relate.  Their best bet is to go full ground-and-pound on the legs of Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew.  But if the Raiders fall behind against [all three of] their better divisional opponents, it must be a scary prospect for fans of the Black Hole to imagine Matt Schaub, Matt McGloin or rookie Derek Carr having to rise to the occasion with a comeback performance in the air.  Then there's the question of who these guys are actually throwing to with their mostly C-List receivers.  It's just not a great recipe for success against, say, Peyton Manning.