2006: 12-4 overall record, 5-1 division record, 133.4 ppg, Lost in Rd 2 of Playoffs
A very successful 2006 season ended prematurely with a loss to the Devils in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The loss was made even more surprising by the fact that the Inferno won their last five games in the regular season and seemed primed to make a run at the league title. Boston went out and got a couple pieces to add to an already-stacked offense, in hopes that it would make the difference in 2007.
QB Peyton Manning returns to throw for 20+ points a week for another season with Boston. He’ll be leaned on even more with no proven backup behind him. John Beck, Kevin Kolb and Kellen Clemens will all compete to be Manning’s backup.
Both Laurence Maroney and Willis McGahee saw changes that should immensely help their 2007 numbers. Maroney’s platoon-mate Corey Dillon is gone from New England, and that could lead to a leap to the 200-point range for Maroney. McGahee is going to a much better offense for RBs with the move to Baltimore, and it would surprise no one to see him also score 200 points. Jerious Norwood is a fantastic RB3; the new scheme in Atlanta favors him over Dunn and he should be the starter by mid-season, giving Boston another weapon.
Roy Williams and TE Antonio Gates return to the team as pass-catchers, but the real story lies with the two players Boston brought in during the offseason. Terrell Owens seemed to hit his stride when Romo was QB, and that bodes well for his 2007 stats. Lee Evans emerged as one of the most exciting young receivers in the league, proving capable of scoring from anyway on the field. With sleeper D.J. Hackett and rookie Calvin Johnson also joining the fold, the Inferno WR corps is an embarrassment of riches, and will prove to be very valuable if injury causes the Inferno to need to trade for help somewhere.
Stud DL Jared Allen is back for another run and should continue to dominate, while DL2 Kyle Vanden Bosch also had a great year in 2006, leading Boston to snag him from Chicago in the offseason. No depth exists on the Inferno line. Donnie Edwards comes off another great year, but it’s yet known how the move to Kansas City will affect him. Brian Urlacher and James Farrior are expected to do most of the damage on defense along with Edwards. Ronde Barber is the big threat in the secondary, with Ken Hamlin as the DB2.
Three good RBs, six excellent receivers, and Peyton Manning. With that kind of formula, the offense will be one of the best in the league in 2007. If the playmakers on defense repeat what they did last year, this team should win the NFC and probably the NFFL. In any case, they’ll prove to be a difficult opponent each and every week.
Chicago Goodfellas
2006: 7-9 overall record, 1-5 division record, 115.9 ppg, missed playoffs
A late-season losing streak combined with the lowest points scored in the NFC led to a losing record and an early end to the season for Chicago. Injuries played a big part, as they always do, as the Goodfellas lost their franchise player and he still hasn’t recovered fully.
Six teams passed on QB Vince Young on draft day, and as a result the Goodfellas have an excellent young QB to lead the team for the next 10 years. Young will have a very up-and-down season in 2007, but if the Titans can get him some help on offense he should develop into one of the league’s best QBs. Jake Delhomme is a solid QB2 for now, but if he struggles he may be out of a job.
RB was a big problem for the Goodfellas last year, with the team forced to rely on part-time players at the end of the season. As a result, Chicago spent every effort bringing in talent this year to replace oft-injured Kevin Jones and part-timer Leon Washington. LaMont Jordan and Jamal Lewis join the team in 2007, and they are expected to be the starters in week 1. The team is hoping 2007 draft pick Michael Bush can develop into a starter and eventually take over for Jordan.
Though they don’t have a dominant WR1, the Goodfellas have a lot of talent at the position. Plaxico Burress, Braylon Edwards and Deion Branch are a solid group, with Burress leading the unit last year. Mike Furrey returns and should score a decent amount of points until the Lions bench him in favor of the rookie. Both Robert Meachem and especially Steve Smith are rookies with very promising futures.
DL Tamba Hali is proving the Chiefs and Goodfellas right for drafting him, scoring 122 points last year and looking to improve even more this year. He’ll be joined by a group of three DLs, all looking to rebound from injury. At LB, Brandon Moore will likely lead the unit in points, with Nick Barnett looking to put up solid numbers again. Chad Greenway returns from an injury last year that ended his season before it started and could emerge as an every-week starter. Former Copperas Cove (TX) CB Charles Tillman had another excellent year, and he’ll line up at DB2 playing opposite of Chris Hope, who finished last year with 181 points. Troy Polamalu and Danieal Manning are also capable of putting up points.
Chicago once again will trot out an above-average defense, but the key to winning the league has been RB, and without any inspiring options at the position it will be difficult for the Goodfellas to advance far in the postseason. Without consistency from Young, it will be difficult for this team to finish the season at the top of the division.
Glasgow Warriors
2006: 8-8 overall record, 2-4 division record, 133.8 ppg, missed playoffs
Despite scoring more points than the 12-4 Boston Inferno, the Cleveland Rocks lost five games in a row at the end of the 2006 season and missed the playoffs. Rather than deal with the ridicule and shame, Cleveland closed up shop and sold the team. The Rocks relocated to Glasgow and were re-christened the Warriors. Ironic, huh? The Warriors did everything they could to ship out every former Rock and ended up with a pretty good squad as a result.
The Warriors traded away Michael Vick in a deal to land Eli Manning, a move that looks very good at this juncture of the Vick proceedings. Manning should be the starter early on, and had a pretty solid year in 2006. Matt Schaub is being groomed to be the long-term QB1, and should see some action this year as well. Glasgow made an adept pickup of David Garrard, the new Jacksonville starting QB, giving them a solid, deep QB position.
Glasgow traded the exciting Reggie Bush for the #1 pick in this year’s draft, and used that #1 pick and another two picks to land Joseph Addai and Brandon Jacobs, immediately giving them an excellent young combination at the position. Edgerrin James is an excellent RB3, but with DeShaun Foster also in toe it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Warriors trade James and his hefty contract to a team in need of RB help.
WR1 Torry Holt returns to lead the WR corps, with second-year TE Vernon Davis expected to make a leap forward and begin to contribute. The Warriors signed big-play threat Bernard Berrian and traded for Austin WR Chris Chambers to round out the important players at the position.
Julius Peppers had an excellent year and was kindly rewarded with a new contract. He’ll join top rookie Gaines Adams on the Warrior line. Derrick Johnson returns at LB, and joining him are Leroy Hill (from Cincinnati), Cato June (from Carson City), Jarrett Johnson, Landon Johnson and rookie David Harris, who should blossom into an every-week starter by year’s end. Sean Taylor returns in the secondary, and Eric Coleman and Dawan Landry were brought in, with the latter the leading candidate to start Week 1.
A lot was done to this team in the offseason, and it definitely looks like a team on the rise. The Warriors might be a player or two away both on offense and defense from winning a title, but they should definitely make the playoffs in their first year and could make quite a bit of noise before bowing out.
Halifax Armada
2006: 10-6 overall record, 4-2 division record, 129.3 ppg, Lost in Rd 2 of Playoffs
The Armada used a balanced attack to piece together a 10-win season in 2006. Despite the success of rookie back Joseph Addai, Halifax traded him away for the #1 pick in the draft. Like it or not, Addai and rookie Adrian Peterson will be linked by this connection and will ultimately be compared against each other for years to come.
A committee cannot lead the Armada. Their fate must lie in the hands of one man. For that reason, QB Tom Brady is the beginning, middle, and end of the position for Halifax. He’s a good one to have; with a bunch of new toys to play with, Brady should easily be a top-five QB if healthy.
Peterson comes into the Halifax fold and joins real-life platoon partner Chester Taylor, who had an excellent year in 2006. Along with the Minnesota backs, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, and yet another Adrian Peterson enter the season on the team, as well as 2008 breakout star Michael Turner. This group has a lot of potential to go along with just as many question marks. At least two of these guys should emerge as starters, but that could take several weeks to sort out.
One of the best WR1-WR2 combinations in the league resides in Halifax. Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald combined for over 300 points, and Fitzgerald should be much better in 2007 after failing to reach 1,000 yards and only scoring six TDs in 2006. WR3 Vincent Jackson is a prime breakout candidate in a high-powered offense and rookie Jacoby Jones has “sleeper” written all over him. The unit gets even deeper, with TEs Kellen Winslow and Chris Cooley sitting on the bench as reliable options.
The defensive line isn’t very deep but features a good bit of talent. Will Smith recorded 113 points last year, and new addition Dewayne White will battle Andre Carter to start. Second-year LB D’Qwell Jackson was hurt late last year and didn’t quite live up to pre-season hype, but 2007 will be his year to shine. Even if he doesn’t perform, the team still has Antonio Pierce, Takeo Spikes and Mike Vrabel at the position. DB Kerry Rhodes is an every-week starter and will be one of the top DBs again this year, and rookie LaRon Landry should join him near the top of the list before too long. Terrence McGee is the other option for DB2 until that happens.
How this team performs will depend on whether a star or two emerges from the pack at RB. Another key is keeping Brady healthy as only real-life backup Matt Cassell is on the team to pick up the slack. Both of those things are likely to happen, and the Armada has a solid shot at winning the NFC this year if they can get back last year’s division champ Boston.
Predicted order of finish:
1. Boston2. Glasgow
3. Halifax
4. Chicago
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