Of course there is always the potential for a large portion of the starting lineup to be distracted by the GPS trackers on their ankles. That could be a problem... or maybe an opportunity for some: signify your gangsta cred with a Nike logo ankle bracelet. (Any Nike reps reading this can email me regarding royalties on that idea.)
Cleveland Browns 125/1
For the past couple of years, the Browns have been tagged as a "young team with promise." Unkept, so far, but that may have changed. The signing of Joe Thomas and other steps to shore up a pretty awful O-line indicate the Browns understand that the first step in building your team is a strong, solid O-line. They also snared in Brady Quinn in what will likely turn out to be a fate-altering draft, something that happens one every decade or two. In a couple of years that O-line will have some time to play together and jell, while Quinn gets his early hard knocks over with. Meanwhile they can use the time to work on the defense. Smart plan, in contrast to what many teams try, and it should pay off down the road. This year, a .500 record and no major injuries will be quite an achievement.
Denver Broncos 20/1
Without even knowing the names of any of the running backs, I think we can pretty much count on a successful running game along with the commensurate chop block controversy. Jay Cutler is an upgrade from Jake Plummer. The defensive secondary is killer, but they'll feel the pressure to make up for a mediocre-at-best D-line. With a cake schedule it should be no problem for Mike Shanahan to get the team back in the playoffs. When crunch time comes, they'll be hanging around.
Houston Texans 100/1
I can't see a single good thing happening in Houston. Okay, that's not quite true. If I squint really hard I see Mario Williams becoming a good lineman. Apart from that every aspect of this team is substandard. I fail to understand why, with a travesty of an O-line, they continue to invest heavily in sorting out the D-line. Let's repeat the Fool's First Law: The Offensive Line is the most important part of your football team.
Meanwhile, defensive players around the league have taken to calling their blocking dummies Matt Schaub.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
I mean, Brady Quinn is 7'8" and weighs 475 lbs. JaMarcus Russell is 9'2" and weighs 835 lbs.
Quinn and Russell are Transformers?
2 - Tinkerbell
Last week, I got a red pedicure, which isn't indicative of anything, so I have to wait until my next pedicure to accurately pick my predictions so you can get beat by a girl, as usual.