NHL Season Preview: Central Division

One of the criticisms from Eastern Conference teams is the number of teams in their conference. There are six guaranteed playoff spots, leaving 10 to fight for the two Wild Card spots.

By comparison, the Western Conference has it easy, with only eight teams left to fight for two spots. Does it make it any less challenging? Not really, but it will be something to play with at the end of the season. "Which Eastern Conference team got screwed?" I can already see all of the blogs and Twitter rants about it now.

But that's not what now is about. We take our preview to the aforementioned Western Conference (read the Eastern Conference here and here) with a look at the Central Division - the home to the defending Stanley Cup Champions and a potential champion this year as well.

Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks took full advantage of the shortened season last year. They used their speed to win games during the regular season, including 24 straight games with a point during the regular season. The roster hasn't changed much since the final buzzer went that awarded the 'Hawks the Cup. Dave Bolland, who scored the Stanley Cup winning goal, was traded to the Leafs shortly after the season. Ray Emery left to fight for the starting job in Philadelphia. That's all well and good for Chicago as they have shown forward depth to replace Bolland without mentioning the likes of Toews, Kane, and Hossa. Emery would be the back-up as the Blackhawks inked Corey Crawford to a six-year contract extension in September. On defence, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook lead the defence and could both potentially make Canada's team for Sochi. Chicago also has players on the blue line that are tough and will get down to block shots. This could be another shot at the Cup for the Blackhawks. That's funny since they just recently broke their 49-year drought in 2010.

Colorado Avalanche
A new season for the Avalanche brings a new coach into the mix. Straight out of the QJMHL, Patrick Roy comes back to his former team to lead them back to the playoffs. He has a young team to work with, including players such as Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene. However, that inexperience is one of their biggest problems. The team is prone to going on losing streaks they can't bring themselves out of before it's too late. One of the reasons could be the offence. In the 48-game season last year, only two players had above 40 points (Duchene and PA Parenteau with 43). The next closest player was Paul Statsny with 24. Defensively, only five of the players who played more than 25 games had a positive plus-minus rating. How much of that was the goaltending? Semyon Varlamov has 21 regulation losses in 33 starts, with a save percentage just about .900. It could be another rough year for the Avalanche. However, this division seems to have a wide open race for the third playoff spot. If someone like Varlamov catches fire, it could be enough. But, most likely they'll finish near the bottom of the division.

Dallas Stars
Bolstered by a new uniform design and logo, the Stars made some changes on the ice as well. One of the biggest moves was acquiring Tyler Seguin from Boston for Loui Eriksson. One of the underrated players coming over in the deal is Rich Peverley, who should help shore up the third line. They also added Shawn Horcoff, who desperately needed a change of scenery from Edmonton. The defence is pretty strong with puck-moving defencemen like Alex Goligoski and Sergei Gonchar. I've always liked Trevor Daley's game, and Stephane Robidas rounds out a quality top-4. Kari Lehtonen will get the lion's share of starts between the pipes. He's a strong goalie who had a goals against average of 2.66 last season. With new captain Jamie Benn, this team is going to make a very strong run for third place in the division.

Minnesota Wild
The Wild made the biggest splash last offseason when they signed both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise for identical, expensive contracts. After a short camp and season last year, expect the chemistry with the team to be better after adding those big ticket players. Also great for Minnesota was the addition of Jason Pominville at the trade deadline last season from Buffalo. He adds leadership, scoring, and grit to the team, making the Wild that much harder to play against. Nino Niederreiter was added at the draft from the Islanders and his speed could add some life to the offence. He is able to create and score when giving the opportunity, which was hard on Long Island with all of the young players trying to find a spot. Sutor anchors the blue line with a good mix of veterans and young players. They should be an improved unit over last season. As for goalies, Josh Harding was the feel-good story of the NHL last season, playing extremely well while battling MS. Combined with starter Niklas Backstrom, the Wild will be hard to score against. They will be one of the teams in the mix for either the Wild Card or third place in the division.

Nashville Predators
The Predators may have got the steal of the 2013 NHL Draft when Seth Jones fell into their lap at the 4th overall selection. Thought to be the best prospect in the draft for most of the season, Jones will be a significant player in the future for the Preds. He looks like he has made the roster this year, so the learning curve for the young defenceman will be steep. The rest of the unit is led by captain Shea Weber, and will be a strong point for the team. The team will be offensively-challenged, especially with Martin Erat being traded to the Captials last season. It'll be interesting to see how Filip Forsberg fits onto the roster as well. Pekka Rinne will be very strong in net again for Nashville and will be one of the reasons they potentially make the playoffs. If he has an off year, Nashville will be at the bottom of the conference again. He'll have to step his game up to make this team competitive.

St. Louis Blues
This will be the team to challenge the Chicago Blackhawks for the division crown. Why? The St. Louis Blues are deep. They can confidently put out any of their top-6 defencemen at any time. Fresh off a big contract extension, Alex Pietrangelo is the best player of the unit and has a strong chance to make the Canadian Olympic team. Offensively, they added Brenden Morrow a couple of days ago, traded for former-Oiler Magnus Paajarvi, and signed Max LaPierre for some grit. They are still a very physical team all-around, and have a balanced offensive attack to go along with it. The Blues can also be confident either putting Brian Elliott or Jaroslav Halak in between the pipes on any given night. The Blues will definitely be a playoff team this year, with a potential to go very deep in the playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets
This season will be key in determining how travel really effects an NHL team over the course of a full season. With Detroit moving into the East, Winnipeg is now in the West - and rightfully so. It will definitely help their travel schedule as they don't have to consistently fly to places like Florida and Tampa Bay. In net, Ondrej Pavelec has been solid for the Jets and should continue to play well for the team. The Jets have some solid defencemen in players like Zach Bogosian, Dustin Byfuglien and Marc Stuart. They also have some young players who can come up and have an impact on the blue line. The forwards are led by Andrew Ladd, who has grit and puts the puck in the net. Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane can both score in bunches for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele will have a very good rookie season, with Calder Trophy potential. The Jets were really close last year to making the playoffs for the first time since the relocation. They will be close again.

Now, here is how the division will finish:

1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. St. Louis Blues
3. Dallas Stars
4. Winnipeg Jets
5. Minnesota Wild
6. Nashville Predators
7. Colorado Avalanche

Up next is the Pacific Division, which will clear up the playoff picture for the Western Conference. Will one of these Central teams in the bottom four be able to make the playoffs as a Wild Card? Or, will the Pacific steal both spots? Find out in the next post!

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NHL Season Preview: Atlantic Division

*takes off Leafs sweater*

Alright. Let's get unbiased in this piece!

In case you missed it, I started previewing the new divisions for the upcoming 2013-14 NHL season. Last time, I covered how I thought the Metropolitan Division would play out. This time, I go to the other division in the Eastern Conference.

As you may have gathered from above, I grew up a Leafs fan. This division comes with a lot of emotion, especially with the Red Wings becoming a division rival again. It also adds more trips south for the teams of the Old Atlantic with the inclusion of Florida and Tampa Bay.

Boston Bruins
The playoffs provided a roller coaster of emotions for the Bruins. First, they come from three goals down to deliver the expected heartbreak to Maple Leafs fans everywhere. Then, in the Stanley Cup Final, Boston surrenders two goals in 17 seconds at the end of Game 6 to give the Cup to the Blackhawks. Their offseason consisted up of locking up important pieces to the future. Tuuku Rask and Patrice Bergeron got paid. They let Nathan Horton walk to bring in Jarome Iginla - for real this time. Plus, they shipped off-ice distraction Tyler Seguin to Dallas for Loui Eriksson. He'll be a nice fit o the wing for Boston. Their defence is still as strong as ever under the captaincy of Zdeno Chara. Dougie Hamilton will have a break-out year and emerge as one of the best young defencemen. Boston is going to have a very good year.

Buffalo Sabres
It was a typical season for fans of a Buffalo sports team last year. The team opened up the wallet and signed a bunch of players, but the team slid down to the bottom of the standings. This year, the team will be relying again on Thomas Vanek for the offence. Cody Hodgson or Mikhail Grigorenko will have to take a big step forward in order for the Sabres to get close enough for Ryan Miller to steal them a playoff spot. Miller had an off year during the strike-shortened season (I would know since I drafted him in fantasy). Look for him to bounce back, especially with the Sochi Olympics coming up in February. Unfortunately for Sabres fans, it looks like a second straight year of no playoffs for the team. That is unless Ryan Miller wins the Vezina.

Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings had three natural rivals in the division from their Original Six days. After free agency, they added a fourth. With the signing of Daniel Alfredsson away from the Ottawa Senators, the Wings got some more veteran leadership and a player still capable of being a strong second line player. Paired with another new addition Stephen Weiss, Alfredsson is looking to prove he can still play at a competitive level. He also wants the Cup which has eluded him so far through his career. The roster still has the talent to get him to that level. Datsyuk and Zetterberg look to have great campaigns this season. Nik Kronwall is the anchor of the blue line and will provide a lot of poise back there. Jimmy Howard has proven he can be one of the game's elite 'tenders over the last couple of seasons. Expect to see the Red Wings in the playoffs again.

Florida Panthers
Poor Florida. The Panthers were starting to look good, especially two years ago when they made the playoffs. Now, it will be even more of a long shot as they are stuck in an extremely competitive division. Adding Barkov in the draft will help in the future, stockpiling talent to go along with the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau and Erik Gudbranson. The signing of Tim Thomas keeps the team in the news, but could prove to be more of a distraction in the long run. Look for Florida to be at the bottom of the conference again, but will have another solid piece for the future.

Montréal Canadiens
The Habs surprised a lot of people last year as they finished second in the Eastern Conference. After being eliminated in the first round, the Canadiens looked to add some more players. Enter Danny Briere for some scoring and George Parros for some extra toughness. The Briere signing didn't address the issue of size for Montréal. They are still a fairly small team that rely on skill more than their toughness. The Canadiens do have some grit in the defensive zone, as Josh Gorges will rough people up and reigning Norris trophy-winner P.K. Subban will get under the skin of the opposition. The season will fall on the shoulders of Carey Price. The young netminder has shown some cracks under the pressure of the Montréal media, but he is still one of the best in the game. This team will go as far as Price will take them.

Ottawa Senators
It will be weird watching the Senators play the Leafs and not hear the constant booing whenever Daniel Alfredsson touched the puck. Alfie is out. Enter Bobby Ryan from the Ducks and Clarke MacArthur from free agency. While the Sens gave up a lot to get Ryan, he'll fit in perfectly beside new captain Jason Spezza on the first line. One of the biggest "moves" for Ottawa is the return of a fully-healthy Erik Karlsson. He is a constant threat every time he is on the ice with this effortless skating and ability to make the perfect pass. The best news about the injury-plagued season for the Sens last year was all of the experience their prospects received, especially in the playoffs. Craig Anderson showed again that he could be the man for the Senators. Things are looking up in Canada's capital.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Another team lost their franchise player and captain. The Lecavalier era ended when the Lightning bought him out in the summer. Now, the new face of the franchise is Steven Stamkos and it will be up to him to take Tampa back to the playoffs. Stamkos, who is capable of scoring 60, needs to prove he can be a leader for this team. It will be he and Martin St. Louis that will be responsible for the majority of the team's offence. On defence, they are strong with the likes of Victor Hedman and Mattias Ohlund anchoring the blue line. It will be interesting to see what young players make the team. Will Jonathan Druin stay with the team all season? Which young defenceman will crack the roster? How will Anders Lindback and Ben Bishop co-exist between the pipes? It will be another tough season for the Lightning.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Alright, let's be reasonable here. The Leafs overachieved last season. All of the advanced stats say so. But, they looked very good against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Their style of play translated very well into postseason hockey. However, contracts became an issue. Dave Nonis needed to buy out Mikhail Grabovski - who flew around the ice during the playoffs - in order to resign Phil Kessel's BFF Tyler Bozak. In free agency, they threw money at David Clarkson who is now suspended for the first 10 games of the season. That will hurt the team early on and might be the deciding factor in the season. 10 games is a lot, almost one-eighth of the season. One bright spot was the addition of Jonathan Bernier. He will push James Reimer and eventually take over the starting job. This will be a tough season for the Leafs. Kadri and Franson are both playing for respect. Kessel and Phaneuf are on contract years, so you could expect big things from them. But, this is Toronto after all...

So, that is my brief overview of each team. How will this division play out?

1. Boston Bruins
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. Ottawa Senators
4. Montréal Canadiens
5. Toronto Maple Leafs
6. Tampa Bay Lightning
7. Buffalo Sabres
8. Florida Panthers

As for the Wild Card, I think the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs sneak into the playoffs with those positions. I just don't think there is enough in the other division to knock one of the teams out. Look for the Islanders or the Hurricanes to be dark horses in the Eastern Conference for a lower playoff seed.

Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments below.

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NHL Season Preview: Metropolitan Division

A lot changed this offseason in the National Hockey League. Coupled with all of the usual free agent signings, trades, and roster cuts, the NHL went under the knife and had a huge face lift.

For starters, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings both moved to the Eastern Conference to give them more favourable travel schedules. Both teams now won't have to fly out west as often, greatly reducing the fatigue accompanied by flying first class across the continent.

How did the NHL make room for them in the Eastern Conference? Simple! They cut the number of divisions from six to four. Now, the conferences are split 16-14 in favour of the East. Gone are the Northeast, Southeast, and Northwest Divisions. Enter the Metropolitan Division. Yes, that's right. That's the name the league settled on.

With the new divisions, there was also a new playoff format. The top-3 teams in each division make the playoffs. Then, the next two highest point totals in the conference make the playoffs as Wild Cards.

Anyways, this is the preview for the newest division in the NHL: The Metropolitan Division!

Carolina Hurricanes
The biggest addition this offseason for the Hurricanes may just be a healthy Cam Ward. When healthy, Ward and the Hurricanes were 9-6-1 during his 16 starts. The rest of the season? Dan Ellis and Justin Peters' combined record was 10-19-3-2. Bring back an all-world talent will definitely put Carolina back on track in the division. His presence between the pipes will improve the team's defence, especially picking up some abysmal plus-minus ratings on the team (Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner were a combined -39). The Canes also survived a scare during the World Hockey Championship when Eric Staal had a knee-on-knee collision with Alexander Edler. Staal, Carolina's captain, will be back in time for the regular season and he will need to continue his stellar play from last year, putting up 53 points in 48 games. The Hurricanes won't be one of the top-3 in the division, but they could challenge for a Wild Card spot. However, the Staal Brothers and the Hurricanes won't make it this year.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Jarmo Kekäläinen begins his first full season as General Manager of the Blue Jackets and he made some moves in the offseason. Kekäläinen signed Nathan Horton away from the Boston Bruins (even though he'll miss the first couple of months with a shoulder injury) and re-signing Vezina-winning goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to a contract extension. Bobrovsky carried this team last year, as his play was the only reason the Blue Jackets were even talking about the playoffs in March. He had to win games on his own as no player on the current roster had more than 30 points last season (Marion Gaborik only had 8 points after being acquired from the Rangers). When Horton gets back, he'll be expected to carry some of that load offensively. Keep an eye out for rookie Boone Jenner. He was a man amongst boys in the OHL last season and is looking like he'll play on Columbus' first line when the season opens. It'll be a much tougher test for the Blue Jackets this year. With the new alignment, I don't expect to see Columbus anywhere near a playoff position.

New Jersey Devils
The Devils made the best move of any team when they stole Cory Schneider from the Vancouver Canucks for their first round pick. Compared to what the rumours were last season for Roberto Luongo and what the Canucks were allegedly asking for from the Oilers, New Jersey comes out smelling like roses. They have a goalie who can now play right away, while slowly taking the reigns away from future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. It will protect the Devils in case of injury in the crease, but also set them for the future. What ruined some future plans was the "retirement" of Ilya Kovalchuk. He was their main offensive weapon last year and was supposed to be a major threat going forward. The Devils have now lost three of their best players in two years with Zach Parise signing in Minnesota and David Clarkson signing in Toronto. For New Jersey to stay competitive, they'll need Adam Henrique to bounce back and Jaromir Jagr to keep fighting off Father Time. Also, Travis Zajac will have to put up some numbers to support the extension he recently signed. If the Devils win games this year, they will be of the 2-1 or 3-2 variety. Unfortunately for them, that won't be good enough in a very competitive division and conference.

New York Islanders
One of the pleasant surprises from last season was this Islanders team making it into the playoffs and giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a scare in the first round. Led by MVP candidate and new captain John Tavares, I don't see this Brooklyn-bound team taking a step backwards this season. His game will continue to improve and the chemistry with linemate Matt Moulson will keep the offence flying on Long Island this season. The question will be on the back end as they failed to sign former captain Mark Streit. There are some holes defensively now, which might expose aging netminder Evgeni Nabokov. The Finnish goalie had 23 wins on the season last year, but had an average save-percentage of .910. Tavares and Moulson will have to put up impressive numbers again for this young team to be competitive in the division.

New York Rangers
The New York media will have some much calmer post-game conferences as John Tortorella was fired by the team during the offseason. Enter Alain Vigneault as the new coach. He inherits a team that floundered in the second round of the playoffs last year against the Bruins. You can't count out this Rangers team when they have a goalie as good as Henrik Lundqvist playing 65 to 70 games this season. Arguably the best goalie in the world, Lundqvist provides stability for New York's defence. He proves the saying that you build a team from the crease out. The defence also does an outstanding job of blocking shots for their goalie, making them a hard team to score goals against. The return of Mark Staal will help bolster the back-end to make the unit even stronger. New York hopes that Brad Richards will return to form after a very disappointing season that saw him become a healthy scratch in the playoffs. If he gets his game back, expect to see a bump in points to Rick Nash as well.

Philadelphia Flyers
It seems strange to say, but one of the concerns for the Philadelphia Flyers would have to be the blueline. Chris Pronger is still on injured reserve as does not look like he'll play again. They brought in Mark Streit to help out the unit. He, Kimo Timmonen, and Andrej Meszaros will provide veteran leadership amongst the defenders to guide young guns like Luke Schenn to improvement. Offensively, this team should be fine. Led by captain Claude Giroux, the Flyers will have plenty of scoring with the likes of Vincent Lecavalier, Jakub Voracek, and Scott Hartnell. Keep an eye out for Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn to have big seasons as they fully adjust to the NHL level. As always, questions between the pipes will arise as Ray Emery and Steve Mason will fight for the starting job. Emery will probably emerge as the Number One guy, but the team will still struggle at times.

Pittsburgh Penguins
It's hard to bet against a team that has the two of the top three players on the planet in their starting line-up. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will continue to produce at an unbelievable level. If healthy, you can pretty well pencil them both in for 100-point seasons. The Penguins are also deep. They can run three lines at you that can score, with many of them being able to play above average to good defence. Adding Rob Scuderi will help improve the depth amongst the six defencemen. Kris Letang will also quarterback a very intimidating power play unit. Like the Flyers, the question will be be in net. Marc-Andre Fleury didn't make it through the first round agains the Islanders. He was replaced by Tomas Vokoun who demonstrated his ability to take the ball and run with it. Will Fleury be able to overcome whatever is between his head and have a bounce back season? That will determine where the Penguins finish in the standings this year.

Washington Capitals
The Capitals are always a curious team. They put up great regular seasons, but flame out quickly in the playoffs. How much of that was due to the weak Southeast Division? Well, we'll find that out this year as the Capitals will only bring the Hurricanes with them to the new Metropolitan division. As for breaking down the team, Alexander Ovechkin continues to be the spark plug and motor of this team. As he goes, so do the Capitals. If he plays anything like the second half of last season which earned him the Hart Trophy, then Washington will be fine. Nicklas Backstrom will help Ovechkin carry the load offensively. Martin Erat was a nice pick up last season to add secondary scoring. A big factor for the Caps I believe will be the addition of Mikhail Grabovski. While he never lived up to the contract in Toronto, he provided great energy and grit amongst the bottom six when he settled into his role in Randy Carlyle's system. On the back end, the group is largely unchanged. Mike Green - when healthy - can put up great offensive numbers. Karl Alzner will continue to provide great defence and take a lot of the minutes in their own zone. In net, Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth will continue to fight. However, Holtby has proven he can take the majority of the starts. The Capitals could be a dangerous team this year.

Division Standings

1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. New York Rangers
3. Washington Capitals
4. Philadelphia Flyers
5. New York Islanders
6. Carolina Hurricanes
7. New Jersey Devils
8. Columbus Blue Jackets

Well, that's how I think the Metropolitan will play out this season. When I finish the Northeast Atlantic Division preview, I'll combine the two and show how I think the full conference will play out. Come back and check it out!

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Xavier Banks Road to Glory - Episode 7

Join Xavier Banks and the Oregon Ducks as they start Banks' sophomore season!

Xavier Banks Episode 6 - BCS National Championship

Sports by Schmucks Podcast - 2013 NFL Season Preview (Episode 7)

The NFL season starts tonight. Why not sit back and take some time to listen to our preview podcast this afternoon while you wait for kickoff? Trust me, it's worth it. Sean and I discuss some great season stories before diving in to our predictions for the season.

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Buffalo Bills Owner Mode - Episode 2

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Xavier Banks - Pac-12 Championship (Episode 5)

It's time for the Pac-12 Championship with Xavier Banks. Will he and the Ducks be able to take down USC?

NFL Offseason Review: AFC

With the NFC division previews done, I turn my attention to the AFC. Life has got in the way of me doing a division by division break down, so I am going to take a look at the entire AFC, starting with the AFC East.

AFC EAST

Tom Brady (Photo from wbur.org)

In the AFC East, the New England Patriots are still the team to beat there. As long as Tom Brady is there, they will be the top dogs. The Pats have taken many clear hits this offseason: losing Rob Gronkowski to his forearm surgery, Brandon Lloyd/ Wes Welker to free agency, and Aaron Hernandez to his alleged murder rap. So, all of their young receivers they have brought in will have to step up. Luckily, their running game will be solid with Stevan Ridley carrying the load for them. Shane Vereen will be a capable backup. The defence for the defending AFC East champs should be much improved this year with the addition of Adrian Wilson to the secondary. It adds to the experience their younger players - like Chandler Jones and Donta Hightower - gained last year. 

EJ Manuel (Photo from thescore.com)

The Buffalo Bills made the big splash in the 2013 draft, trading back to pick 16 to select quarterback EJ Manuel to be the guy to lead them into the future. I think the pick was fantastic. He has a little bit of Cam Newton/Ben Rothlisberger in him and should be a solid quarterback in the long run. Losing guard Andy Levitre to the Titans was a big blow and the young Buffalo line might struggle this year. Running back CJ Spiller is a big time option at running back. This man should have defences losing sleep the night before they play the Bills. Selecting Robert Woods from USC in the draft should help give Manuel options in the pass game. The Bills are moving to a 3-4 under new coach Doug Marrone and the front 7 should be solid with Mario Williams moving back to line backer and Manny Lawson being brought in to rush the passer. Buffalo's secondary is one of the better ones in the league with safety Jarius Byrd back to anchor it. Look for Buffalo to be a legitimate threat to push for a wildcard spot but to fall short. (Editor's note: Jeff Tuel)

Mike Wallace (Photo from miamiherald.com)

The Miami Dolphins went out in the offseason and made huge free agent signings. While one of their big signings for the year - tight end Dustin Keller - has gone down for the season with a brutal knee injury, this team will be better and compete with Buffalo to challenge the Pats for the division crowd. Second year quarterback Ryan Tannehill should take a big jump this year in terms of production. I am a huge fan of his and the addition of Mike Wallace from Pittsburgh can only help him in the vertical passing game. Losing Jake Long to St. Louis will hurt the offensive line. Second year player Jonathan Martin will need to step up with Long gone. Reggie Bush is also gone, so Lamar Miller will be the bell-cow runner for the Dolphins. He is explosive, but I expect some inconsistencies from him this year. Surprise 3rd overall pick Dion Jordan will help make the pass rush off the Dolphins explosive. Expect him to help eat up blockers, allowing Cameron Wake to have massive numbers this year - close to 20 sack type numbers. The line backing core will be solid with Dannell Ellerbe coming over from the Ravens this offseason. The secondary is kind of sketchy, losing a lot of their starters from last year but will be ok with Brent Grimes as their main man. Expect a good season from the Dolphins, but I think next year will be the year they push for a playoff spot.

From left to right: Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez (Photo from turnonthejets.com)

What a mess taking place in New York, as the men in green are going to be very bad this year. Geno Smith or Mark Sanchez will struggle this season with no weapons in the passing game or the ground game to help them. Second year wide out Stephen Hill is the biggest weapon for this team, and he has been very inconsistent at the very best, and the running back situation is dire since all of their running backs going for the starting job should be back-ups. The defence - after losing Revis in the offseason - drafted his replacement in Dee Milliner. He may be a good replacement in time, but the drop off from Revis to Milliner will be quite noticeable. The defence should be the bread winners of the team and the only unit that will keep this team in games. Expect Jadeveon Clowney in the gang green next year, they could be the first overall pick. (Editor's note: Please don't let the Jets get Clowney)

AFC NORTH

Andy Dalton (Photo from hdnux.com)

In the AFC North I expect the Cincinnati Bengals to reign supreme over the division, largely coming back in tact from last years squad, but with some noticeable improvements on offence. With the drafting of tight end Tyler Eifert and the selection of running back Giovani Bernard on offence, it gives the Bengals plenty of options for the Red Rocket Andy Dalton to have at his disposal to go along with all world wide out AJ Green. The front 4 of the defensive line is probably the best in football, lead by stud Geno Atkins. Expect them to wreak havoc week in and week out. The line backing core is sound and lead by thumpers Vontaze Burfict and import from Pittsburgh James Harrison. The secondary is a solid unit as well. Keep an eye out for Leon Hall - vastly underrated and deserves more recognition than he currently gets.

Trent Richardson (Photo from thefantasyprofessor.com)

I think the surprise of the division will be the Cleveland Browns. Don't get me wrong. I don't see the playoffs this season for the Brownies, but they will get close to .500 ball this year. The offensive line for the Browns is one of the better ones in the league. They have a stud running back in Trent Richardson, who as long as he is healthy, should put up numbers close to what Doug Martin and Alfred Morris did last year. Brandon Weeden had a solid rookie season and should be much improved this year. Keep an eye out for Jordan Cameron this year at tight end; he is going to bust out. The defence all-around for the Browns is a solid unit lead by D'qwell Jackson, Joe Haden, and TJ Ward. With the addition of Paul Kruger from division-rival Baltimore,, look for the Browns to no longer be considered push-overs in this rough AFC North. 

Troy Polamalu (Photo from nflpassers.com)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are only going to go as far as their defence can carry them. On offence, they will be solid but unspectacular. They really need rookie Le'veon Bell to show up and really give them something out of the backfield for the black and yellow. Big Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have Mike Wallace or Heath Miller to throw to this season, so Matt Spaeth and the wide receivers will really have to step up. Look for recent draftee Markus Wheaton to be a big part off this offence from the slot position. Jarvis Jones will be a huge boost to this defence, giving them a lot out of the linebacking spot. Expect him to take incumbents Jason Worilds' spot away by Week 4. The secondary will absolutely need a healthy Troy Polamalu to step up and be the game changer that he can be. Ike Taylor is one of the better cornerbacks in this league.

Joe Flacco at Super Bowl XLVII (Photo from baltimoresun.com)

From first to ... well, not first. I don't expect a repeat run at the Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens. Not because I think they lost to much in the offseason, but because there is so much more competition out there this year. It will be fierce. Losing tight end Dennis Pitta right from the start of the season is going to hurt Joe Flacco as he only has a bunch of unproven weapons at which to throw. Receiver Torrie Smith will really have to step up. Ray Rice will have to be used better this season than what he was at the beginning of last season when he was almost an after thought. Losing Ray Lewis and Ed Reed is going to hurt no matter what, but replacements Elvis Dumervil and Michael Huff will be a good start to replacing those legends.

AFC WEST

Peyton Manning (Photo from nydailynews.com)

In the AFC West, this division is the Denver Broncos to lose. With Peyton Manning at the head of the team, expect a deep playoff run - possibly even a Super Bowl birth in the card for the Broncos. The offence for the Broncos is a Top-3 offence in this league, with Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, and Eric Decker as all of the weapons on the outside for Peyton for which to throw. The offensive line is solid and the recent drafting of Monte Ball at running back gives even more weapons to an offence that is not lacking at all. The defence is going to sorely miss Elvis Dumervil, and losing Von Miller to suspension for the first 6 games of the season will absolutely hurt, but the offence should be good enough to cover up for 6 weeks until he gets back. As long as the secondary doesn't give up a 60 yard pass play in the playoffs again to lose at the last minute, the Broncos should be the team to beat here.

Jamaal Charles (Photo from thenewstribe.com)

From worst team overall to potential wild card contender, the Kansas City Chiefs boast a ton of Pro-Bowlers and a new starting quarterback, which should help lead the Chiefs back to the playoffs. New quarterback Alex Smith was quite possibly the best quarterback in the league last year up until he was hurt. Playing behind this offensive line in Kansas City with recent first overall pick Eric Fisher at right tackle, he might never be touched. That is good news for Jamaal Charles. He might be a legitimate threat to break 2000 yards if he is given the ball enough. Dwayne Bowe could have used another solid wide out option on the other side of him, but picking up tight ends Anthony Fasano and drafting Travis Kelce should help ease the pressure on him. On defence, the team is loaded with Pro-Bowlers. If tackle Dontari Poe can take the next step in evolving, this defence will be scary once again.

Mike McCoy (Photo from cbssports.com)

New coach Mike McCoy is in town in San Diego, but can he turn Phillip Rivers back into the quarterback he was 3 years ago? The offence for the Chargers has so many questions. Can Antonio Gates come back healthy? Will the offensive line stop letting Rivers get hit constantly? Can Ryan Mathews finally break out and become the running back the Chargers expected him to be.? My answers are: yes, Gates will be healthy and effective this year; no, the line will not protect Rivers; and Mathews will be out of a job next season after not showing anything again this year. Poor Rivers; he deserves better. The wide outs for him are just average at best as well. The defence shouldn't be too bad this year with the additions of Dwight Freeney at line backer and Manti Te'o. Eric Weddle is one of the best safeties in the league that very few credit with such, and Corey Liuget is a solid all around linemen for the Super Chargers. Expect another higher end draft pick for the Chargers.

Darren McFadden (Photo from fanduel.com)

The Oakland Raiders are rebuilding plain and simple. The offence has very few weapons outside of Denarius Moore and the always injured Darren McFadden. The quarterback position is a mess with neither Matt Flynn or Terrelle Pryor impressing anyone. I expect Pryor will start most of the year just so the Raiders can see what they have in him. Expect Teddy Bridgewater to Oakland in the draft. The defence does have some talent especially in the back end with Charles Woodson making his return to the black and silver. First round pick DJ Hayden will be a stud.

AFC SOUTH

Arian Foster (Photo from fatbeardsports.com)

The Houston Texans will be the team to beat in the AFC South. The team is very deep at almost every spot with an above average league starter. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins on the other side of the field from All-Pro Andre Johnson should help open up the offence even more for quarterback Matt Schaub. Ben Tate back and healthy this year should help Arian Foster keep fresher and healthier into the playoffs. Brian Cushing's return to the line-up at line backer for the Texans will bring a big boost with his play-making abilities. Oh yeah, and they signed a future Hall of Famer to captain their secondary in Ed Reed. If he can get healthy and to his regular level of play, this defence will be fearsome.

Andrew Luck (Photo from helmet2helmet.com)

Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts will be in a dog fight all year for one of the two Wild Card spots. The Colts will need one of Vick Ballard or Ahmad Bradshaw to step up in the back field and be the guy for the Colts AND be a thousand yard rusher for the team. The receivers for the Colts are solid with Reggie Wayne and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Keep an eye out for TY Hilton and the tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. They should be better in Year 2 with Andrew Luck. The defence of the Colts is still a bit shaky being in the 3-4 set up they have. The Colts will need to rely on Robert Mathis to create pressure on the quarterback as he is really the Colts main pass rusher.

Chris Johnson (Photo from nashvillecitypaper.com)

The Tennessee Titans are still building up for a run at a playoff spot next year. They are a couple of big weapons away from being a legit playoff threat. The big thing for the Titans is the growth of Jake Locker. He is going to need to step up and stop turning the ball over and even just be a game manager because of the running game they have. Chris Johnson is always a threat to top 2000 yards, especially with the offensive line being upgraded at the guard position with the addition of Andy Levitre from Buffalo and Chance Warmack in the draft. Kenny Britt will have to stay healthy this year for Jake Locker to make any strides in his career. The loss of Jared Cook Jr to St. Louis will hurt. The Titans have a really solid underrated defence. Middle line backer Colin McCarthy is a tackling machine, and the corners are solid and underrated.

Blaine Gabbert (Photo from nfl.si.com)

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still going to continue to be one of the not-so-great teams in the league. They do have some solid parts of the puzzle, but they are at least 2 drafts away from any thing close to a playoff team. Maurice Jones-Drew is this offence and there is no understating that. Blaine Gabbert will have to step up this year, or he will be out of a job at the end of it. Losing Justin Blackmon to suspension to start the year is really going to hurt, but Cecil Short is a potential break-out star if he had a solid quarterback throwing to him. On the plus side, the Jaguars' offensive tackle duo is one of the best in the league with Luke Joeckel and Eugene Monroe. The Jags' defence has potential but their secondary is terrible; seecond round pick John Cyprien is the lone bright spot back there. Jason Babin can be a solid player still and keep an eye out for Tyson Alualu. (Editor's note: At least they have some spiffy new uniforms. Oh, wait...)

So that is it with my brief look at the AFC. Stay tuned for the Sports By Schmucks NFL Season Preview Podcast with our predictions for MVP, Rookies of the Year, Conference Winners, and the Super Bowl champion.

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