As promised, Mr. Optimism and Mr. Pessimism return for another weak of analyzing the NFL.
This week the duo moves on to the AFC, with Mr. Optimism showering praise on the Browns, Jaguars and even the Raiders, while Mr. Pessimism takes aim at Bill Belichick, the Bengals’ defense and the Ravens’ choice of John Harbaugh over a more offensive-minded head coach.
If you’re a regular reader, you know what to expect from these two. Mr. Optimism sees nothing but Super Bowl aspirations for every NFL squad, while it’s all Mr. Pessimism can do from single-handedly crushing your team’s hopes and dreams.
For Mr. Optimism and Mr. Pessimism’s breakdown of the NFC, click here. For the AFC, read below.
AFC East
Buffalo Bills
Mr. Optimism: QB Trent Edwards, RB Marshawn Lynch (right) and WR Lee Evans make a solid core on offense and the additions of DT Marcus Stroud, rookie CB Leodis McKelvin and LB Kawika Mitchell strengthen an already solid defense. The Bills might be the surprise of the AFC this year.
Mr. Pessimism: No way. The defense does look stronger, but Lynch’s off field issues will be a distraction and Edwards needs at least one full season as a starter before the Bills amount to anything more than an 8-8 team.
Miami Dolphins
Mr. Optimism: Bill Parcells has won everywhere he’s been and Miami will be no different. The addition of rookie OT Jake Long will go a long way to improving the offensive line and watch Josh McCown improve the quarterback play this year.
Mr. Pessimism: This team is absolutely brutal and Parcells has his work cut out for him. Jason Taylor’s trade demands are a distraction, the secondary is atrocious and the only thing the offense offers is RB Ronnie Brown, who by the way is coming off a season-ending knee injury. If they’re lucky, they’ll win two games this year and double their output from 2007.
New England Patriots
Mr. Optimism: With the re-signing of WR Randy Moss, you can expect the Patriots to once again run away with the AFC East and make another deep postseason run. The offense was simply too much for opposing teams to contend with last year and Laurence Maroney should have a bounce back campaign. They might not go undefeated again, but Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will surely dominate again this season.
Mr. Pessimism: Let’s see how good the Patriots do this year now that they can’t steal opponents’ defensive signals and videotape practices. The Giants exposed New England in the Super Bowl and offered a blueprint on how to get that crybaby Brady off his game. You heard it here first: The Patriots will crash back to earth this season and lose in the playoffs.
New York Jets
Mr. Optimism: This will be a rebound season for the Jets. The added a prized free agent in OG Alan Faneca, giving them one of the better offensive lines in the AFC. Kellen Clemens should earn the starting spot under center and RB Thomas Jones is going to have a more productive year than he did in 2008. LBs Calvin Pace and Vernon Gholston, as well as DT Kris Jenkins were outstanding offseason additions and the J.E.T.S. have an underrated secondary lead by SS Kerry Rhodes and youngster Darrelle Revis.
Mr. Pessimism: Rumor has it that head coach Eric Mangini might be on the hot seat after the disaster that was 2007. Will that be a distraction given the New York media circus? The fact of the matter is that the Jets still don’t have a quarterback. Clemens is inconsistent, Chad Pennington is limited and Erik Ainge is a rookie. As for Gholston, he is nothing more than a workout warrior and future top 10 bust.
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Mr. Optimism: Fantasy football owners take notice: RB Selvin Young is going to be a great sleeper this year. The Broncos will always be competitive with their running game and QB Jay Cutler will continue to develop. OT Ryan Clady was an excellent first round pick and the defense still boasts one of the best defensive backfields led by CBs Champ Bailey and Dre Bly.
Mr. Pessimism: And just whom is Cutler going to throw to? Who knows what the league is going to do with WR Brandon Marshall after his tumultuous offseason and Keary Colbert never emerged as a decent threat in Carolina. The secondary is solid, but the defensive line isn’t overly impressive and the linebacker corps will struggle. LB Boss Bailey was a bust in Detroit.
Kansas City Chiefs
Mr. Optimism: This is the year QB Brodie Croyle breaks out. He’s got a great running back in Larry Johnson, an outstanding deep threat in WR Dwayne Bowe and one of the best red zone weapons in TE Tony Gonzalez. The Chiefs also landed the best defensive prospect in the entire draft (DT Glenn Dorsey) and have fantastic young talent such as DE Tambi Hali and LB Derrick Johnson.
Mr. Pessimism: Croyle and Johnson are going to get buried by that heinous offensive line – same as they did last year. And just how did this team get better by losing their best player (DE Jared Allen) to Minnesota? It’s going to be another long season in KC.
Oakland Raiders
Mr. Optimism: Da Raiders are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL now that they landed RB Darren McFadden in the draft. And how good is Oakland’s secondary? Gibril Wilson was outstanding with the Super Bowl champion Giants last year, DeAngelo Hall is one of the best young corners in the league, Nnamdi Asomugha might be the most underrated corner in the AFC and Michael Huff is really coming into his own at safety.
Mr. Pessimism: The offensive line will struggle again this year, which means McFadden and QB JaMarcus Russell (right)will too. The secondary looks good on paper, but Wilson might be a fluke and Hall takes too many risks. Did the Raiders improve? Probably. But calling them one of the most exciting teams in the NFL is a major stretch.
San Diego Chargers
Mr. Optimism: What’s not to love about this team? RB LaDainian Tomlinson, TE Antonio Gates, QB Philip Rivers and WR Chris Chambers form a fantastic core on offense and the defense will surely be one of the best again this season, led by LB Shawne Merriman, CB Antonio Cromartie and DT Jamal Williams. Plus, head coach Norv Turner finally proved last year that he could take a team to the next level.
Mr. Pessimism: The Chargers will probably win the AFC West, but they still can’t stack up with the Colts, Patriots and even the Jaguars. Rivers simply doesn’t do enough and once LT gets frustrated, his emotion boils over and he takes himself out of the game. Is Merriman clean yet? Test that guy again, please.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Mr. Optimism: New head coach John Harbaugh is going to bring a fresh new attitude to the Ravens this year. RB Willis McGahee was a great addition last year and QB Kyle Boller finally has another chance to prove that he can play in this league. There isn’t a whole lot to dislike about the defense, either, with S Ed Reed, DT Haloti Ngata, LBs Bart Scott and Terrell Suggs, and CB Chris McAlister back in the fold.
Mr. Pessimism: What have the Ravens lacked over the past couple years? Offense. And what is Harbaugh’s specialty? Defensive and special teams. Yeah, that hire made sense. What the Ravens should have done was found a better offensive mind than Brian Billick, because clearly he made his living off Randy Moss, Randall Cunningham and Cris Carter in Minnesota. The defense is good, but Boller has had his chances before and never proved he can lead a team. Losing OT Jonathan Ogden is going to hurt, too.
Cincinnati Bengals
Mr. Optimism: Now that the Chad Johnson mess has subsided, the Bengals can get back to what they do best – scoring points. QB Carson Palmer, RB Rudi Johnson and WRs Chad Johnson (right) and T.J. Houshmandzadeh still make up one of the most impressive offensive units in the league and the o-line is solid as well. The defense is slowly improving too and added one of the best linebacker prospects in the draft (Keith Rivers).
Mr. Pessimism: The defense lost Justin Smith and Madieu Williams and it’s improving? That unit will once again hold back a great offense and trust me, the Ocho Cinco fiasco is far from over. He craves the spotlight and will be a distraction all season long.
Cleveland Browns
Mr. Optimism: The Browns were a pleasant surprise last year, but now they’re ready to take the next step and make the postseason. They did a great job in the offseason, adding massive playmaker Shaun Rogers and underrated Corey Williams to the defensive line. Innovative offensive mind Rob Chudzinksi also gets his fantastic core back with the return of starters QB Derek Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis, TE Kellen Winslow Jr. and WR Braylon Edwards, not to mention one of the best left sides in football with LT Joe Thomas and LG Eric Steinbach.
Mr. Pessimism: Anderson is a fluke and will be replaced by Brady Quinn as soon as the leaves change colors on the trees. Playoff teams usually don’t have quarterback controversies. And before we get too excited about the defense, let’s see how effective Rogers is as a nose tackle and Williams is in a 3-4 front. The secondary played over its head a bit last year too, so expect Cleveland to take a step back in 2008.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Mr. Optimism: Mike Tomlin brought a certain swagger to Pittsburgh last year and QB Ben Roethlisberger responded well to his new head coach. Before his late season injury, RB Willie Parker was a monster and if he’s not fully recovered, rookie Rashard Mendenhall is ready to roll. The starting unit is back on defense again too, so expect no drop off in the Steel City this season.
Mr. Pessimism: Tomlin showed his inexperience in the playoffs last year and the offensive line lost their best player when Alan Faneca signed with the Jets. It would be a mistake to assume that the loss of Faneca won’t be a big one. One of the reasons the Steelers have been so good over the years is because the offensive line has always been cohesive. This team better hope Parker is healthy too, because some believe Mendenhall is a potential bust given the fact he only had one productive year at Illinois.
AFC South
Houston Texans
Mr. Optimism: Before injuries ransacked his season, QB Matt Schaub was productive in his first year as a starter. If he can stay healthy, he has enough talent around him on offense to win. The Texans are also building a nice collection of young players on defense, too. DT Amobi Okoye had a solid rookie season, DE Mario Williams proved he isn’t a fluke and DeMeco Ryans continues to be one of the better linebackers in the game.
Mr. Pessimism: Outside of receiver Andre Johnson, Schaub doesn’t have enough talent around him on offense. Ahman Green is 31 years old, can’t stay healthy and only carried the ball 71 times last year. Plus, the offensive line is incredibly weak and the defensive backfield needs another corner opposite Dunta Robinson.
Indianapolis Colts
Mr. Optimism: Come on – these are the Colts! They’re always ready to win thanks to an offense that boasts QB Peyton Manning, RB Joseph Addai and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. The offensive line is once again a major strength and as long as Bob Sanders can stay healthy, the defense will be just fine.
Mr. Pessimism: Come on – these are the Colts! They’ll breeze through the regular season and lose again in the first round of the playoffs. That Super Bowl win was a fluke.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Mr. Optimism: Try to find a weakness on the Jags now that they’ve got a productive quarterback in David Garrard. Jacksonville has the best running game in the entire league thanks to a solid offensive line and a combination of Maurice Jones-Drew and the underrated Fred Taylor. Also, the passing game should receive a boost from Jerry Porter, and the defense is incredibly balanced.
Mr. Pessimism: Jacksonville is a graveyard for receivers; so don’t expect much from Porter. Garrard has to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke. (Come on, a 102.2 QB rating? David Garrard? Really?) And don’t forget, he missed three games due to injury so lets see if he can stay healthy all season. The defense is solid, but they also lost a huge piece on the line when they traded Marcus Stroud to Buffalo.
Tennessee Titans
Mr. Optimism: He might not have the most eye-popping numbers, but Vince Young wins games. With the addition of TE Alge Crumpler, he also received a solid weapon in the passing game and the Titans’ defense is going to keep this team in contention again all season. Being able to bring back DT Albert Haynesworth was huge.
Mr. Pessimism: Young is limited and if he doesn’t raise his QB rating this season, the comparisons to Michael Vick (on field comparisons, of course) will only continue. Crumpler’s better days are behind him. Is RB LenDale White in shape yet? Might want to check on that. And what the hell were the Titans thinking drafting another running back in the first round? What a wasted pick.
