The Flex's NFL Preview

If you know anything about us here at The Flex, or anyone in America for that matter, we love football and we are counting down the seconds to kickoff of the NFL season. I can smell it. It smells like facemasks and aggression. Well seeing as how well myself and Michael Herrmann broke down the stage set for the college football landscape this year (go read that now!) , its only right that we do the same for the big boys. And this time were bringing in some new blood, helping us will be The Flex's newest writer, Craig Lucas. Lets face it there are as many if not more questions waiting to be answered in the National Football League. Its getting close people, your favorite team will be taking the field of gladiators in a matter of days. Lets get to it.

Will The Patriots Struggle With Lack of Receivers?

Craig: The patriots are the patriots and as long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are running the show they are a playoff contender. We are talking about a team that has won the AFC east nine times in the last ten years. The Pats let go of Deion Branch and Gronkowski health is still a concern but I believe they will be fine. They signed former Rams receiver Danny Amendola to replace Wes Walker who will be catching balls from another Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning this season, but the patriots never struggle and I see no reason for them to this year.

Davey: The answer to this question would be an absolute, indisputable yes, if any other quarterback in the league was running this offense. Fortunately for Foxboro, Tom Brady could turn my father and his friends into pro bowl caliber receivers. This guy made a superstar out of Wes Welker and brought Randy Moss back to life. Anyone ever heard of Troy Brown before or after Brady? Didn't think so. With Brady at the helm the Pats will fill the void left by Hernandez with young TE Zach Sudfeld and will keep rolling until they get the Frankenstein monster that is Rob Gronkowski back in the huddle. Danny Amendola is basically the Pepsi to Wes Welker's Coca Cola, if Pepsi was good. As long as Gisele's husband in under center the Pats will be fine.

Michael: Nope, Tom Brady is a great quarterback and they always do well. Hell, they even did well with Matt Cassel at the helm. I think their success lies in video cameras, not wide receivers. 

Which Young Quarterback Will Take A Step Back?

Craig: I believe the 2012 NFL draft will go down as the best Quarterback class of all time, yeah I said it. Even better than the 2004 draft class which features Eli Manning, Ben Rothislberger, and Phillip Rivers. That class has a combined four super bowl wins between them, pretty Impressive. But I still like the 2012 class better, but one of these young guns will have a sophomore slump and I think it will be Andrew Luck. As much as I like Luck I feel he is in the worst situation out of all the second year quarterbacks right now. The Colts did go out and sign Ahmad Bradshaw but that will not be enough to help Luck. The Lack of an Elite receiver, Reggie Wayne is ageing, not the best Offensive Line and you have a Sophomore slump in the making. I do believe that Luck will have the better career, he just doesn't have the team around him right now to be successful this year. 

Davey: With so many first or second year quarterbacks playing at elite levels last year, one is destined to take a step back. For me it comes down to two, Andrew Luck who even though no one wants to admit it had the WORST year of the QBs in this discussion and Colin Kaepernick who probably has the least to work with on offense and will face the toughest competition. My pick has to be Luck. He through an ungodly amount of interceptions last season in a system that babied him the entire year. Yet, for some reason people think he stacks up to RG3 or could even be better. Based on last year that notion is laughable and this year Luck gets exposed. His turnovers will cost the Colts games with a tougher schedule and Luck will take a step back, even if only in perception. Quit foolin yourselves, he is no RG3.

Michael: Andrew Luck, solely because of the talent around him. Luck is the most prolific passer of the last two draft classes, but he doesn't have the same talent around him as does Russell Wilson or Robert Griffin III. I really, though, think Andrew Luck, and all of the young quarterbacks, succeed in their sophomore campaign. 

Can Adrian Peterson Pull Off A Repeat Performance?

Craig: No no and no. Adrian Peterson is an amazing talent and you have to be to run for 2097 yards and twelve touchdowns in a season, but not even superman himself could repeat that performance. Adrian Peterson will have a great year, but it would be tough for anyone to go through that again.  

Davey: YES. Why should anyone doubt this guy? He obviously isn't human so why should I doubt that he can do something that humans aren't capable of. If any running back could put up an even more impressive season than a 2,000 yard almost record breaking year its Purple Jesus. Defensive backs and linebackers beware, this man will not be stopped and if he has his eyes on Eric Dickerson and his out dated rec specs then hes going to shatter that record even if he has to chew Christian Ponder's arm off to make sure he gets the ball every play. Look out Christian, just give him the ball and slink away quietly, don't get eaten.

Michael: He sure can! He won't, but he can! Adrian Peterson is a very, very hard-luck player. He could get 1,500 yards in the first 12 games, then break his leg. He could rush for 1,994 yards. He could simply have a down year and rush for 800 yards and 9 touchdowns. Don't get me wrong, he's an incredible talent, but I don't think the stars will align for this lispy wolverine.

Will The Eagles Thrive In Chip Kelly's Offense?

Craig: If I could give Chip Kelly any NFL team to run the offense he ran at Oregon it would have been the Eagles. They have weapons all over the field and not to mention Micheal Vick at Quarterback. This offense will be tough to stop this year especially in a division that doesn't really have a great defensive team. Look for the eagles to have one of the better offenses in the NFL. Sadly for Chip Kelly and the Eagles this won't result in very many wins as they lack the tough Philadelphia spirit that their beloved city has. They are are in a tough division with the Cowboys, and Redskins and Micheal Vick has only completed one NFL season in his career. They also lost receiver Jeremy Maclin for the year, but I still believe they will put up points, just not enough to win football games.

Davey: Thrive? Possibly but they wont win many games with their lackluster defense behind them, but there is no doubt they will be a high powered excited offense. Vick is still a serviceable NFL quarterback and is the perfect QB for the Kelly system. DeSean Jackson will put up some big numbers this year and they will win some shootouts for sure. It will basically look like a madden offense out there for 16 weeks. Don't sleep on Shady McCoy either, Chip Kelly will run the ball in a lot of different ways (draws, wildcat, read option) and Shady is always a threat in the passing game. Chip will get him the ball in space and give him room to work with which as we all know can leave any NFL defender looking for their broken ankles. If they can stretch the field with Jackson and get McCoy in space they could score ridiculous amounts of points. The Eagles defense however, may give up an even more absurd amount of points this year.

Michael: Sure they will. The offense will, at least. Even without Jeremy Maclin, the high-paced Screech Attack will thrive with DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick. Pete Carroll has done quite well with Seattle as a coach from the Pac-10, so I believe Chip Kelly will succeed, even if it's moderately and solely offensively.

Who Takes Home The MVP?

Craig: This man is dangerous, this man also has the most underrated hair in the NFL, this man can fly! His name is Larry Fitzgerald. Larry struggled last year as did the Arizona Cardinals. It is time for him and the Cardinals to redeem themselves. The Cardinals now have a quarterback in Carson Palmer throwing him the ball which should be a major upgrade from Kevin Kolb and John Skelton last year. He also has receiver Micheal Floyd to take all the attention off him, he can make plays too. Larry also has the help of former Colts great offensive coordinator Tom Moore calling the plays. All this leads up to an MVP season for the great Larry Fitzgerald!

Davey: First off Craig, I will be as good a quarterback this year as Carson Palmer and I went undrafted yet again. I love Larry but not with that ginger train wreck throwing to him. Now, to my MVP pick. There is really only one choice here. A man who will score 99% of his team's touchdowns, a man who has set passing as well as rushing records in this league, a man who can run you over or throw absolute bombs over the top of a defense, and a man who will take the next step this year and become an absolute superstar all the while smiling and screaming while he rips your team's throat out. That man, is Cam Newton. Cam has his doubters for whatever reason (his body language, REALLY?!) and this year he proves them wrong. He alone will lead the Panthers to a winning season and take home the hardware. Remember the year he had at Auburn? It will be like that, except more impressive on the big stage. Don't doubt Cam!

Michael: Peyton Manning. Peyton, with Welker, Decker, Thomas, and Tamme, the Broncos will dominate the AFC West and make a Super Bowl Push. Peyton will pass for 5,000 yards and win his first outright MVP award all while leading Team Michael (name pending) to a fantasy title over Team Davey and Team Craig.

Which Team Will Surprise Us?

Craig: This is a hard one for me. I think the talent in the NFL over the past couple of years has gotten better as a whole and any team could breakout this year and have a great year. I'm going up north to Cleveland and picking the Cleveland Browns. Yes the factory of sadness. Cleveland has all the tools to have a breakout season this year. Trent Richardson can't wait to run all over that division. Brandon Weeden is the quarterback no one is talking about and will fly under the radar. Lets not forget the defense. Joe Hayden is ready prove he can shutdown any great receiver in the NFL. Bring on A.J. Green and Torrey Smith. Barkevious Mingo is also a sleeper for defensive rookie of the year. The talent is up and so will the brownies. They will surprise everyone and make the playoffs this year!

Davey: With the parody level of the NFL, this might be our toughest question to answer. Every year a team jolts into the playoff race after being written off in the pre-season. My pick has to be the Detroit Lions. Last year they posted a 4-12 record last season with a disastrous year. This year they added Reggie Bush who is a perfect fit for the Detroit offense and who is being written off way too early in his career. Bush will have a breakout performance this year catching passes out of the backfield and returning kicks, and of course there is always Megatron. In the tough NFC north the Lions are being slept on but take a peek at their defensive line. Nick Fairley is progressing very well and will surprise this year and rookie Ziggy Ansah will he an impact player from week 1. That's two very good defensive lineman and we haven't even mentioned the monster himself, Ndamukong Suh. Suh may rip Jay Cutler limb from limb this year and no one would be surprised. With Stafford at the helm throwing for 5,000 yards, the Lions will find themselves in the playoffs this season.

Michael: The Clevelands will have a very solid 8-8 season. Brandon Weeden is much improved from last years getting trapped under the flag fiasco and Paul Kruger strengthens the front seven. Joe Haden proves a shutdown corner and Trent Richardson leads the league in rushing, rushing touchdowns, and ties for the league lead in linebackers decapitated. Brown makes a good playoff push, but, while missing the postseason, they surprise everyone.

Which Team Will Disappoint?

Craig: Seattle Seahawks. My main reason for picking the Seahawks is because of Russel Wilson . I'm not ready to name him the next Drew Brees yet. The Seahawks whole team really came out of nowhere with names like Russel Wilson, Richard Sherman, and Bruce Irvin. There is no doubt the talent is there but not the experience of sustained success that you see with the other top NFL teams. Look for the Seahawks to disappoint this year.

Davey: This honor goes to the New Orleans Saints. After last year spiraled out of control Sanits' fans blamed Roger Goodell for their woes, but Goodell wasn't out there playing cornerback. Th Saints defense is getting worse and worse and its also getting really OLD. They have no pass rush to speak of and will get picked apart by the likes of Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and other big armed quarterbacks they face this season. Sean Payton is back I know, but they also hired Rex Ryan's fatter and dumber brother to run an already abysmal defense. Brees will bounce back from last year but outside of Jimmy Graham his best target will be Darren Sproles out of the backfield. Not exactly a formula for a Super Bowl team. The Saint will have a very similar year to last year, and they wont be able to blame Fidel Goodell for this one. 

Michael: Atlanta will not live up to expectations. Be them the expectations of a great regular season or the expectations of finally making a postseason run, I think the Falcons fall short. Steven Jackson is a good running back, but, to LaRome White's dismay, he's not the back that he once was. Matt Ryan is a good quarterback, but he's not on the same level as Peyton Manning or Drew Brees or, hell, even Andrew Luck. The Falcons fall short.