Thanks for checking in fellow sports freaks.  Doesn’t it feel good…Football is back baby!  First, I have to get one thing out of the way.  Make sure to join us Saturday night from 10-12 on 98.3 Wow FM in Des Moines or www.983wowfm.com for the Saturday Night Sports Special with the Des Moines Sports Freaks.  We’ll be chatting with Brendan Stiles of www.Hawkeyedrive.com and taking your calls on the Hawks and ‘Clones games, as well as looking forward to next week’s Iowa-Iowa State game.  Enough shameless promotion…let’s get to it!

10.  Cyclone fans should be happy.  The team won, looked pretty good, and played a fairly dominant game, except at the beginning of the 3^rd quarter.  Austen Arnaud looked good 98% of the game, and Alexander Robinson is still a man amongst boys.  All that being said, I think part of the Cyclones domination stems from Northern Illinois being overrated, or at least, unprepared. 

9.  The announcers mentioned it as well, but I loved the Cyclones game plan using Quarterback draws coming off of play fakes to draw the defense in.  Then bam, start attacking the sidelines with passes (Imagine John Madden with his telestrator for that last sentence).  I liked the adjustments Northern Illinois made coming out of halftime to start throwing the ball downfield.  I hated their Quarterback DeMarcus Grady.  He continually missed on passes that you must simply complete at that level.  Maybe Northern Illinois can turn it around and win the MAC, but after last night’s performance, I don’t see it.  Coach Kill has some work to do there.

8.  Bright spots for the Cyclones go to Austen Arnaud for only having two brain farts last night.  I was also impressed by Line Backer Jake Knott and Collin Franklin, who forgot which team in Iowa normally produces NFL Tight Ends.

7.  In other action, I tweeted last night that the Minnesota Gophers should consider conference realignment to the Missouri Valley Conference for football.  The only thing they have going for them is their bedazzled helmets which my wife called cute…that’s not a good thing.

6.  Great game in Utah last night.  Pitt lost another early season game as they seem to do often.  Don’t worry, they’ll be fine.  Dave Wannstedt should use his moustache as motivation at little more.  Offer to color it gold, shave it, or do something just for fun.  You know what drives me nuts, and Utes coach Kyle Wittingham did it twice, is call timeouts to ice the kicker a split second before the ball is snapped.  The Utes could have won in regulation, instead, on the third try, the Pitt kicker nailed the field goal and to OT we go.

5.  USC apparently looked good.  I don’t do well with left coast games.  It does surprise me a little, but then I realized that even if they can’t go to a bowl game or win the National Championship, they still have to play well to get more college girls to sleep with them, and that’s a pretty good incentive.

4.  Looking forward to the Hawkeye game, I’m not worried about Coach Spoo and Eastern Illinois.  Of course, crazy things can always happen in football, but after last years’ scare from Northern Iowa, I don’t expect Iowa to be caught sleeping again.  It’s been said a thousand times, the Kirk Ferentz staff learns from its mistakes.  Iowa should win big.

3.  I really wish I would have picked LSU over North Carolina in my Pick ‘Em.  If UNC can actually find enough non-suspended players to play, certainly the distractions will tilt this already close game in LSU’s favor.

2.  If Connecticut can beat Michigan, I’ll be giddy with joy.  Ditto for Notre Dame over Purdue.

1.  Speaking of giddy, it’s rare that a week one game has national title implications for multiple teams, but that’s how big of a game Boise State and Virginia Tech is on Monday.  If Boise loses, they can kiss their national title hopes good bye.  It could also affect the Rose Bowl team if a Big Ten Team ends up in the National Title game.  A Boise loss also opens the door for TCU to get to the National Title game if they can go undefeated.  I know it’s early, but this could be one of the top 5 biggest college games of the year…and it’s only the first week in September.  Football is BACK baby!!!

It has come, the end of the road for my NFL divisional predictions. Last up? The AFC West. The Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders duke it out for the last playoff spot. And I say last, because only one team from this division is going to be in the playoffs. And by duke it out, I mean it really isn’t a contest as to who will be taking the West.

4. Oakland Raiders (3-13)

The Raiders will continue to be in the bottom of the entire league until Al Davis decides to move on. He is a disease for this team, and everyone knows it. Jason Campbell is a decent quarterback, much better than JaMarcus Russell, but he isn’t their savior. Darrius Heyward-Bey will be the key target through the air, and Michael Bush will likely have a bigger year than Darren McFadden, who is probably going to end up being a bust in his own right. Zach Miller will have more touchdown catches than anyone else on the team. In some offenses, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. But on the Raiders? That doesn’t bode well. I don’t see any big upsets in their future. Three wins might even be generous.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)

Matt Cassel. Chris Chambers. Dwayne Bowe. Thomas Jones. This team has some weapons…but no superstars. They have the talent to possibly throw some upsets into the mix…but it probably won’t happen. This is still a big rebuilding team. Jones is getting old (just turned 32) and will begin to run out of gas by the end of the year. Dwayne Bowe would be a standout receiver on most teams, but even with Cassel throwing to him, he won’t crack the top fifteen receivers in the league. There is not enough talent on this roster to make a big difference in this division, let alone the league. They will have to wait quite a few more years before teams will start taking them seriously.

2. Denver Broncos (5-11)

Talk about your quarterback controversies. They draft Tim Tebow, who I still don’t think will be a successful NFL quarterback. They pick up Brady Quinn, who fell in the draft a couple of years ago…for a reason. Their starting quarterback is a great game manager in Kyle Orton…but they got rid of their biggest offensive weapon, Brandon Marshall. Once again, this team has some great players, but really no superstars on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins highlight a great secondary that should keep the Broncos in some close games throughout the year. A victory against Jacksonville in week one will give them some confidence, but after they lose their next five, not only will their confidence be shot, but so will their playoff hopes.

1. San Diego Chargers (11-5)

San Diego has some question marks this year. They are starting a rookie running back in Ryan Mathews. Their biggest threat, Vincent Jackson, is no longer a part of this team. Their hall of fame running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, was dealt to the Jets in the offseason. But they also have some really high points. Philip Rivers is going to be a top five quarterback this year, with or without Jackson. They have one of the best kickers in the league in Nate Kaeding. Darren Sproles is a lightning rod that can perform anywhere on the field. And, they have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, playing only two teams ranked in the pre-season top ten. Through everything, this team should easily take the AFC West and make it to the playoffs. I foresee a couple of teams surprising them throughout the year (in Seattle and home against Tennessee, for example), but nothing that will make this an unsuccessful year. The Chargers are not a Superbowl contender in my mind, but they should have no problem making the playoffs.

There you have it folks. My final division analysis. My playoff bracket has been set, and your Superbowl matchup will be…announced next week. Thank God its football season!!

Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari are rumored to be dating.  What would their children be like?–My Wife

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  I first heard about this rumor and couldn’t even imagine what the spawn would  looklike.  But the personality.  Good gawd the personality of this offspring would just be the worst of the worst.  CutCav may be pretty fun to party with for a while but in the end would just whine, and complain, non-stop.  The CutCav child would be a prima dona, and have very little legitimate success.  The child would probably be involved in some sort of 3D (because we’re talking 20-25 years down the road) sex tape.  (Wait, what the hell am I thinking?  Karma’s a bitch and my son is going to be born in less than 3 months…I take it all back about the CutCav love child!)  The part about this story that is even more disconcerning; Jay Cutler doesn’t need any distractions this year!  No Brooke Shields or Jessica Simpson curses are needed.  He has concentration and performance issues without CheboyganaPeopleMagazineheadline.  We just all need to focus and pray and think about the upcoming Bear season.

You seem to know nothing about sports and forget names a lot.  How did you get into this line of work?

I paid off a lot of people, and have no problemmaking things up to make my point better.  Ok Really though, I don’t pretend to know everything there is to know.  We don’t do this full time.  Both Joe and I come at it from a Regular Dude perspective.  Here’s the thing, maybe others can talk 3 deep Hawkeye Rosters or give me the intricacies of the Tampa 2 defense.  The thing is, I don’t care about those things and honestly, most people don’t.  They want to watch sports and enjoy them to escape from their jobs and real life.  If we can relate to the regular folks, make sports fun, make the reader/listener laugh, get a few predictions right, and talk endlessly about pop culture I’m happy.   Which brings up…

Who is more ridiculous in their defense efforts, Paris Hilton or Roger Clemens?

Tough question, but ultimately, Roger Clemens.  He’s had longer to think about his defense and more time for someone from his inner circle to help the guy not seem like a lying sack of poo.  Paris, although used to being in trouble, realized instantly how deep she was, and made up a stupid story that keeps changing about whose purse the cocaine was in, who the contents of the purse belonged to, and the insane theory that she believed the cocaine was chewing gum.  Paris will ultimately come to her senses, shut up, plea to the lowest possible charge, and do a little time.  Roger will go to pound me in the ass prison.

Who will take over for Bobby Cox?  There are rumors for every other vacancy but haven’t heard anything about that.– @jbboyles76

My best guess is Fredi Gonzalez, long time assistant for the Braves and fairly successful in Florida.  However, if everything goes to hell with the managerial situation in Chicago, I could see him being a candidate there too.  If the Cubs pass over Sandberg and Ryno decides he’s tired of waiting in that organization, Atlanta could be a great spot for him to fall into.  Blasphemy, I know.

What is the greatest and worst Sports Franchise over the last 5 years (front office, coach, players, etc) –Jeremy in the 515

I could write a whole column on this, but I’ll give the short answer:

NBA:  Both reside in LA.  Lakers for remaining viable, keeping Kobe over Shaq (ok, that was 6 years ago, but still) and winning…a lot.   Then you have the Clippers for having a jinx on number one draft picks, having a racist, cheapskate owner, and a coach/GM that most likely will never get another coaching job in the NBA.

MLB:  If I was that D-bag Colin Cowherd, I’d say the Yankees or Red Sox as the greatest franchise because of Championship rings.  But, baseball’s a different dynamic without a salary cap.  Therefore, I’m goingthe Minnesota Twins as best baseball franchise (with a runner up nod to the Tamp Bay.  Same style of running their team, the Twins have just been doingit longer).  Worst franchise in Baseball; either the Pirates or the Marlins.  At least the Marlins can point at their two World Series rings.  On the other hand, they can also point at the 10,000 fans in the stands because their fire sales have pissed everyone off.  The Pirates don’t have fans and they can’t keep the good players they have.  The organization pockets the money they do get from revenue sharing.  Good business model…low overhead costs (oozing sarcasm).

NFL:  I know the Lions went winlesswithin the last few years.  But they seem to be on the path back to pseudo-respectability, so I can’t do that to them.  The Raiders are too obvious.  You know who hasn’t had any good luck, has given fans zero hope for success, whose owner secretly died 5 years ago, and can’t find a coach that seems awake during games?  The Buffalo Bills.  Seriously…draft a Quarterback!  Their last decent QB was Drew Bledsoe!    Before that, Jim Kelly!  Are you kidding me?  I don’t care if they’d have taken Tim Tebow or Jimmy Clausen overly early in the draft, just do something to make us think you halfway pay attention to your own team.  At least they should be in great position to get Jake Locker first overall in this year’s draft though…PLEASE RALPH WILSON!  Best team in the NFL is a tough one.  I’m going with the Steelers though, despite the cesspool of STD’s currently taking snaps.  Good to the fans, good product on the field, stability, and a hard working attitude gives them my nod.

Tim Tebow Bashers/haters have been out, thoughts?–@bullsnbears7

Listen, nobody expected Tebow to start and be an All-Pro this year.  I don’t give a damn about his throwing motion, or how he holds the ball in the pocket.  What I care about are his leadership skills and his drive to always getbetter.  The kid can play the quarterback position.  He knows what it takes to be a winner.  That in my book is a recipe for success at any level.  Count me among the Tebow supporters and fans.  Worst Tebow moment I experienced-at a bar in Des Moines watching the Iowa-Penn State game.  Suddenly I heard a cheer from the other side of the bar.  Tebow had just gotten knocked out of the game with a concussion against Kentucky.  Total bush league.

My Husband is always out doing sports stuff and is never home and sometimes forgets he has two kids to support.  He seems obsessed with sports, and hangs out with his friends watching sports and doing silly fantasy stuff.  What should I do? – Leslie, Ankeny, IA

Leslie, you must learn to support and love your husband unconditionally.  Sports are a way of life for like 97% of the world.  As long as he’s not out Tiger-ing around, just think how happy he is watching sports.  In fact, you should buy him and his buddies tickets to a sporting event.

Who do you think will win offensive and defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL?- @thewood31

Specific question, I like it.  I’ll take CJ Spiller for Offensive ROY with the Bills, and Ndomakong Suh on the Defensive side.  He only has 3 tackles so far this preseason, but the dude is still a force that will give offenses fits once the season starts.  Also look for Kyle Wilson, the first round pick from Boise State of the Jets, to step up if the Revis holdout continues.  My thought behind Spiller is that offensive skill players always have an inside track on awards.  Spiller has looked great this preseason, and will start at least 4 games without competition.  That’s plenty of time to solidify himself as the number one running back, or at least worthy of half of the carries along with Fred Jackson.  Along the same line of thought, Ryan Mathews has a strong chance as well.

Do you think NFL Player salaries should be more performance based or more salary based and at what point should they be guaranteed money?–Brock in Ankeny

I get that players want guaranteed money.  It’s a violent sport, and teams are able to cut players at any point, so I’m good with guaranteed money.  What I do wish the NFL would institute is a rookie salary cap.  There is no reason that Sam Bradford should be making more money than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Worst fantasy football draft choice you have ever made.  Best choice you have ever made?  Funny Draft Story?  Draft, Draft, Draft! –@arebrown

Last year I turned the Flag Football playing Steve Smith for Miles Austin and Julius Jones on Week 7 from my buddy Troy.  The trade was proposed right after Week 6, a bye for Austin.  Remember week 5?  250 yards receiving.  Whoops.  I’m thinking Troy was banking on a one hit wonder.  Of course last year with the number one overall pick, I took Michael Turner.  He was off my roster by week 5.  The worst decision I ever made was taking Turner first, coming off so many carries the year before (Chris Johnson fans?).  Number 1 overall may be the worst pick.  Of course, not as bad as my buddy Kevin, who took Tom Brady in 2007. 

Here’s a good draft story.  Last year Tony, one of our buddies brought his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s parents to the draft.  Nothing like having your buddy’s GF’s Dad tell you that Michael Turner at #1 is a huge mistake and being right about it.

On to the West! So far I have previewed the North, South, and East divisions. The NFC West, in my opinion, should be one of the easiest ones to predict. At least, the likelyhood of how they will finish. There aren’t too many strong teams in this league, and after the Cardinals fall from grace this year, you should see pretty quickly how this division will end up.

4. St. Louis Rams (2-14)

Sam Bradford is going to be one hell of an NFL quarterback, but he can only do so much. They have Steven Jackson, who is still, many would argue, a top ten running back in the league. Even playing for the team he plays for, behind the crummy offensive line, he still produces every year. If he were on most other teams, he would be a pro-bowler every year, racking up multiple thousand yard seasons without breaking a sweat; he is that good. After those two though, the rest of the team is lacking. They play a relatively easy schedule, easier than at least half the league, but that doesn’t matter when you are just that bad. I see wins against Seattle and Kansas City in weeks 4 and 15, respectively (both home games), but that is about it.

3. Seattle Seahawks (4-12)

Welcome to the era of Pete Carroll. We’ll see how long he can hack it in the NFL. Again. Its not that Seattle has bad players. I just can’t see them meshing together to form a winning season. I think they’ll come away with some significant wins (week 3, San Diego, for example), but with a new coach comes new schemes and playbooks, and it takes a while for that stuff to mesh. They are a team that is lacking in the backfield, which never helps. Julius Jones is a decent running back, but he is no star. Matt Hasselbeck now has three significant weapons to throw to in T.J. Whosyourmama, Deion Branch, and the unproven, yet very talented, Golden Tate, so their passing attack may be decent…but I’m not impressed. Consider this a rebuilding year with a new coach and an old quarterback.

2. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

The more I think about the Cardinals, the more I think they are going to lose. Matt Leinart is going to end up being a bust, and there is no other way to look at it. He was supposed to be the man from day one, but Kurt Warner took that job. After Kurt Warner retired, it was his to lose…and he lost it…to Derek Anderson. Derek Anderson should be playing the role of A.J. Feely and mentoring young quarterbacks, not starting over them. Ride the pine, Matt. Other than quarterback, the Cardinals still have great weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Larry Fitzgerald is a top five wide receiver, but without Anquan Boldin, he is going to see a lot of double teams, forcing Derek Leinart, or Matt Anderson, or whoever is under center, to look more towards Steve Breaston and Early Ducet. Not exactly a threatening one-two punch. Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells should form a formidable backfield, but once again, if I was on the opposite side of the field, I wouldn’t feel too scared. Their defense is getting better, but I don’t think even Joey Porter can motivate them to be a top five defense. Arizona should start off the season alright, but after their bye, I don’t see them having a winning record.

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-5)

I had a last minute change to make them 11-5 and the Rams 2-14. Somehow, I had the Rams beating them in St. Louis in week 16. Huh. I might have been smoking something that day. I’m jumping on the 49er bandwagon this year. I think they are going to be a great team. Alex Smith, in his own right, is taking over this offense and making it his own. Frank Gore has had his setbacks, but his is still a very elusive running back, and should have a great year. I’m very excited to see what Michael Crabtree can do with a full season under his belt. Vernon Davis is getting better and better every year, and he should be a favorite target of Smith throughout the season. And you just KNOW Mike Singletary is going to jump down the throat of the defense if they don’t perform. The 49ers play a very favorable schedule, with only four games against teams in the pre-season top 10. I think they sneak by New Orleans at home on week 2 and in Atlanta in week 4. After that, it should be smooth sailing, compared to the rest of their division, of course.

I have one more division to conquer, the AFC West. Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders. Once again, it shouldn’t be too difficult to see how the rankings will go there.

August 30th: Football Football Football!!

Sponsored by Mark Charter Real Estate. Call Mark at 515-864-6444 for cash back in your pocket

You know how most sports talk guys take a week off in August to recharge the batteries and gear up for football? There’s a reason they do that. Because this time of the year is the worst! Normally for my weekend review columns I countdown my top 10 thoughts from the weekend, in reverse order. I think for this weekend, I’ll cut it down to 6. But, at least this is just the calm before the storm!

6. Did you watch the Emmy’s last night? Jimmy Fallon rocked as the host. Ricky Gervais killed Mel Gibson, and I found out there was a TV show called Nurse Jackie that was good enough to produce the Best Actress in a Comedy Series. I’ve never heard of this show. Frankly, I was hoping Kanye was in the building to interrupt the winning speech.  Oh well, at least the show was actually funny.

5. Why the Steelers insist on starting Ben Roethlisberger in preseason games is beyond me. He’s out for 4-6 weeks. Why wouldn’t you want Dennis Dixon or Byron Leftwich to get snaps against the other teams first string? I’ve watched Dixon and Leftwich play. They need practice.

4. You could argue that Dustin Johnson has had a worse 2010 than Tiger Woods. He choked at Pebble Beach. He grounded his club at Whistling Straits, and he was in 2nd, just 3 strokes back before Sunday’s final round of the Barclays. He finished 9th after a final round 72. He’s starting to get in Nate Kaeding/Greg Norman territory. Seems like a nice enough guy, but can’t finish.

3. Manny to the White Sox? That won’t hurt them. I still think that this race will come down to pitching. The hitters are nearly equal. The Twins have piecemealed the back end of their rotation for a few weeks because of injuries and fallouts. If the Twins can get consistant pitching, they’ll win the division.  That 4.5 game buffer though may help. The only reason the White Sox are as close as they are is because of the tear they went on in June and July. I still think the Twins take the Division.  Although the 3 games at US Cellular Field in the middle of September will be must see TV…especially in the middle of the week with no Football to take away from the series.

2. Brett Favre looks old already this season. Thoughts Vikings fans?

1. September baseball is going to be fun to watch. Can the Rays catch the Yankees (No, but they get in as the Wild Card)? Can the Braves hold off the Phillies and send Bobby Cox off into the sunset (yes, although the Phillies would be better positioned for a deep playoff run)? Will the Cardinals ever wake up and overtake the Reds (nope)? Can the Twins hold off the White Sox (yes) and just how long will the current slides of the Rangers and Padres last? Will it be enough for the Giants and A’s to overtake them (Giants: Yes if Lincecum stops smoking weed and remembers how to pitch; A’s: no, not a chance)?

In other news, you can now listen to your Des Moines Sports Freaks every Saturday night in Des Moines on 98.3 Wow FM from 10-12 on the Saturday Night Sports Special. We’ll be talking college football, Hawks, Clones, and Panthers, and setting the scene for the next day’s slate of NFL games. These are exciting times for us, and we thank everyone for your support. Ok, enough mushy stuff. Enjoy the week sports fans!!

This is the hardest division that I have had to pick so far, and something tells me it will be the most difficult one of them all, and I still have two more to go. The NFC East is packed with talent, but it is also consists of four teams with, statistically, the four very tough schedules (taking all pre-season ranked opponents and divide it out by number of weeks). To be honest, this is the division I have the least confidence in. But hey, what the hell, we’ll see how this shakes out!!

4. Washington Redskins (5-11)

“The ‘Skins are going 5-11!?! Are you f-in kidding me!?” That’s what I told myself after I finished my “in-depth analysis” on the NFC East. But, it is what it is. You share a division with the Cowboys, the Eagles, and the Giants. You can’t expect to be at the top of your game in Washington. I was pulling for the Redskins this year too; I like Donovan McNabb, and I think he will do good things. They just have too tough a schedule to give them too much credit. The good thing about their schedule? They have non-division home games against the Texans, Packers, Colts, and Vikings. The bad thing about their schedule? They have to play the Texans, Packers, Colts, and Vikings. The game against the Colts in week 6 is prime time…but it’s still against the Colts. McNabb should excel in this passing attack. When you have Santana Moss on your wing, and Clinton Portis in your backfield, success should come somewhat easy. I’m not too confident that McNabb will play the entire season though. He has only played one full season in the past six, and Jason Campbell was on his back more than…well, people who seem to be on their back a lot (family blog people!!). He’s gonna get hit, and he’s gonna feel it. In the end, most of the teams they are playing, when you get down to it, are just plain better.

3. New York Giants (8-8)

Eli Manning’s face still has just GOT to hurt! That gash looked damn painful. Thankfully for the Giants, he didn’t suffer such an injury that it would cost him the season. Otherwise, Jim Sorgi would be taking the reigns. In this case though, I just don’t think it would matter. This is not the Giants team who won the Superbowl a few years back. People have moved on, shot themselves, and/or retired. There is some strong young talent on this team, but there is another year or two before the Giants make it back into the playoffs. Victor Cruz is going to be a breakout player, as long as he can get in the game. He isn’t going to be DeSean Jackson breakout, but he will make an effect more often than not. Once again, that is if he is given the chance to get into games when it matters. Yes, it was the pre-season a week ago when he was making big plays and breaking pre-season records, but all you had to do was watch. It was phenomenal. Brandon Jacobs will still be the bruiser he is and run over linebackers all day long. Justin Tuck will anchor a great defensive line. Eli Manning will continue to make great decisions under center. But that will not add up to a lot of success this year. Once again, they are just playing too many teams that are better than them.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8, win tiebreaker for division record with the Giants)

Donovan McNabb does not heart me. It’s a good thing he doesn’t read this blog (of course, that is an assumption. If he does, hit me up D-Mac!). I still think him leaving the Eagles was a mistake. Will he find success in Washington? Maybe, if he can stay healthy. There are just too many weapons in Philly to discount. And now, those weapons belong to Kevin Kolb, who has so much to prove now that he is the man, he will do anything to make the naysayers go away. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin make up two great wide receivers, and they will be targeted often. LeSean McCoy is no Brian Westbrook, but he should have a decent year, as long as Kolb can get Jackson and Maclin the deep ball to open up the running game. The one thing that is going to separate the Eagles from the Giants is special teams. You never know what Jackson is going to do with the ball once he gets it, but it usually results in long yardage and touchdowns, both on the offensive side and on special teams as the primary punt returner. He had an amazing year last year and, pending injury, he should mirror his success, if not exceed it. Sweeping the Giants keeps them ahead of them in the divisional rankings, but I still don’t think it will be enough to warrant a trip to the playoffs.

1. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

On to the sexy pick to represent the NFC, at home, in the Superbowl. I haven’t made my decision on that one yet – I think the road to the Superbowl for the NFC will be more difficult than the AFC – but they are definitely in contention. They have one of the tougher schedules this year, so they will have to work until the end of the season to win their 11, but they have the team to do it. Tony Romo, regardless of what you think of him personally, is due to have his day in the sun. He has been ridiculed as not being able to win the big game, but last year he overcame that milestone. Now he just has to figure out how to string together multiple playoff victories. There is no reason to believe he won’t have a career year this year, leading his team to the top of the East. He has three proven backs in Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. He has three potent threats in the receiving corps with Roy Williams, Miles Austin, and Dez Bryant, not to mention Jason Whitten, one of the best tight ends in the league. (sidebar- I think Dez Bryant will take over Roy Williams’ starting job, and Williams will move to the number 3 receiver, by the end of the season). As for the defense? DeMarcus Ware is a freakin’ beast, and as the defense starts to gel, he should see his fair share of time in the backfield, giving the opposing quarterbacks some hell. What they do in the playoffs? That is up for a lot of debate…only time will tell. But at this time, they are clearly the best team in the NFC East, and should scare the rest of the NFC.

This post is sponsored by the home of OUR fantasy draft, 34′s Sports Grill at 1810 White Birch Circle off of Oralabor Road in Ankeny.  Call 515-964-8707 for draft day specials.

Fantasy Football.  The very thought make my wife cry, look up when Week 17 is, and circle the date on the calendar.  That’s when she gets me back and doesn’t have to spend every Sunday staring blankly at me as I cheer or cry over a computer screen.  For two years, my wife even played fantasy football, so she should understand.  One of her team names was “Team Hott.”  It featured the dynamic passing game of Brady Quinn.  Since I practically told her the players to play week to week, she ultimately gave up after those two years.

Don’t ask me what makes me so obsessed with Fantasy Football.  It’s really a quite geeky thing to do.  I really don’t even want to know why so many people are obsessed.  It may ruin the mystique.  There’s certainly no way that it should consume hours of my day (everyday), like it does, and I’m only in one league.  Yesterday on Twitter I heard of a guy that was in 7 leagues!?  SEVEN!!  I would literally not eat, sleep or poop if I was in seven leagues (ok, I could still poop…thank God for laptops and ESPN Mobile.  Don’t’ judge, you know you do it too).

I believe my most favorite moment of my fantasy history is a tossup between two events.

1. Winning my league last year – Boring, but the ultimate victory amongst friends.  Better than winning anything else among friends because of the amount of time invested.  Think about it.  If you win in pickup basketball, the game probably took what, 20 minutes to play?  Not a big deal.  Win at NCAA College Football, again, not that much time invested.  But over the course of 17 weeks (more if you count draft prep)…that there is taunting and gloating material for years to come.
2. In 2006 I was the only person out of my 12 team league to realize that the draft time was in Eastern Standard Time.  There were 10 auto picks that year.  My wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were the only two that participated in the live draft.  See, I kept that little tidbit to myself to achieve what an athlete calls, “competitive edge.”  To this day, Des Moines Sports Freak 2 brings this up to me, and to this day, I say I’m happy with the decision I and profess that he would have done the same thing.  (I didn’t win the league that year…no harm no foul right?  Ok maybe it was a little bit Belichikian.)  It was his fault for putting out the wrong time and not accounting for East Coast time.  I took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself (in other news, I would clearly do steroids if I played Baseball).

I still have no idea what makes us so obsessed with Fantasy Football (it’s so obsessive I used that word five times during this post).  How long is it before an MSN.com headline screams about a correlation between divorce rates, domestic abuse, and Fantasy Football?  In fact, if you Google “Fantasy Football and Divorce Rates,” shockingly, there are no strong matches.  In my home at least, my wife understands my vices, and I try to limit the number of sentences she has to repeat because I’ve tuned her out. What she doesn’t realize is that I’m also in a College Pick ‘em Pool and trying to get in a Big Ten Fantasy League, where they still score by hand.

The weird part about fantasy is, no matter how obsessed a person is with their own team, there is one universal rule.  Nobody cares about anybody else’s team!!  I don’t care who dropped a pass that led to your team’s loss.  I don’t care that you spent 36 hours deciding whether to play Steve Breston or Fred Jackson as your team’s flex play.  I have my own damn team to run, don’t pollute my brain with your issues, because you’ll probably make me over think strategy on my own team!

So, our fantasy draft is September 1^st.  Buy in is 20 dollars.  This year, is an added wrinkle, we’re picking an individual defensive player.  I have no strategy for this.  Personally, I’m hoping we could somehow draft a  historic player, and then, I’m taking Butkus.

In an effort to get back at me for the “Eastern Standard Time Debacle of ‘06”, Des Moines Sports Freak 2 has rigged the draft randomizer so he has the number 1 overall pick and I (Team Cromartie’s Lost Children since I know you were wondering) have the number 8 overall pick.  I will still kick his ass this year (In an old western movie, this is the part where the townspeople scatter in anticipation of the shootout).  So, I propose a little humiliation bet with my partner.  The Sports Freak Fantasy Challenge if you will.  If I end up in the standings worse than my partner, I will take him out to eat and drink at a sports bar in a wig and hula skirt and a shirt that says “It Just Feels Right, Don’t Judge.”  So, what do you say to a little side bet action Joe?  The ball’s in your court Bucko.

I SKIPPED ONE!!! Previewing the AFC East was supposed to be a couple of posts from now! Not that posting it on Monday was detrimental to anything, but I had a system. North, South, East, and then West. Oh well, we’ll move out and draw fire. I guess that leaves me backing up and giving the AFC South their love. This division has had a clear-cut winner for many years, but there is a team creeping up on the Colts this year. They will not overtake Peyton this year…but its coming!

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10)

To be honest, I can not say much about this team. David Garrard? Decent quarterback. Maurice Jones-Drew? He’s a great fantasy back, but he isn’t going to be able to carry this team on his own to the playoffs. Their receiving corps? The two Mikes are a decent duo, and Marcedes Lewis is developing into a high tight end…but really, none of the above is enough to bring the Jaguars into a winning record, let alone the playoffs. Their schedule is not extremely demanding, but seeing as how their team just is not that good, it really doesn’t matter. They have a great future with young impact players, but they do not have the ability or flash to make me drink any of their Kool-Aid just yet.

3. Tennessee Titans (8-8)

Chris Johnson is the only thing keeping this team at .500. I say ‘thing’ on purpose, because this guy is a freak of freakin’ nature. No one is faster. No one is quicker. He ran for over 2,000 yards last year with 14 touchdowns. Seven of his touchdowns went for 50 yards or more. That’s half of his endzone dances! I don’t care who you are, that’s amazing. Can he repeat something like that? It is unlikely. He led the league in carries and touches, so his workload, if anything, should decrease. Yes, he’s only 25, but if you continue to run the ball that much, you will break down much sooner than needed. The Titans don’t want that, so I expect to see Javon Ringer in the game more than the Titans utilized LenDale White…but still not that much. One bad thing about Johnson? Everyone now knows who he is. Everyone knows what he is capable of. He will not have as big of a year as he did last year; but he’ll still get his touches, which bodes well for this team. Under center you have a rejuvenated Vince Young who, if he plays to his potential, will keep the Titans in many close games. I see them giving a couple of teams some upsets (winning at San Diego in week 10, before their bye week, and winning at home week 15 against Houston), but in the end, the legs of Young and Johnson are not going to be enough to run this team into the playoffs.

2. Houston Texans (11-5)

The stupidest named franchise in the NFL is close to overtaking the Colts in the AFC South. Key word? Close. Implied? Not there yet. They do not have an easy road ahead of them. They play at home week one…against the Colts (which is a win for the Texans in my book). In week three they lose to Dallas; in week eight, they lose in Indianapolis, and then lose the following week when hosting San Diego; they then lose week 11 at the Jets, then get upset by the Titans in Tennessee in week 15. I count them for five losses during an average schedule, which would win, or at least tie, in most divisions. The damn Colts just will not get out of the way! But the Texans have some light. Matt Schaub is now a top ten quarterback. They have one of the top three receivers in the game in Andre Johnson, with Kevin Walter as a good number two. They have a playmaking tight end in Owen Daniels, and a good running back tandem of Arian Foster and Steve Slaton. Does Brian Cushing’s suspension hurt their defense? Absolutely. But they still have some decent playmakers who should keep offenses honest throughout the season. They are meshing well as a team, should surprise some people throughout the year. But damn those Colts…

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

You can not say enough about Peyton Manning. This team is a danger to go undefeated every season. It just seems they always find a way to win. You know what? I take that back. You don’t always have to find a way to win when you are just typically the better team on the field, week in and week out. You just do what you do. Peyton Manning? He’s the best at what he does. He could be the league MVP every single year, but that would just look bad, so the powers that be decided to move the trophy around most of the time. Everyone needs some love. But hey, when you throwing to people like Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, and Anthony Gonzalez, all while handing it off to Joseph Addai in the backfield, your job comes easy. I see two blemishes on their record, which is a good thing. That means they may actually have to PERFORM the last two games of the season! I think Houston has something to prove, and when Indianapolis comes into their house in week one, the Texans will be too amped up to be denied. I also think it is too difficult to take a win from Foxboro, even if you are the Colts. Those games aside, the Colts are going to roll through the regular season. They have the easiest schedule out of all the teams I have previewed so far (five of their first six games are against teams that rank outside the pre-season top 15, along with their last four games), they have the games best quarterback, and they arguably have the games best receiving corps. Defense? That always seems to be a question. When Bob Sanders is healthy, you better watch your back. And your front. As it is, he cannot be counted on to stay healthy. But when you have as potent an offense as they have, you can afford to have some slips on the defensive side. I see them losing two games by week 11, then winning out the rest of the season. What about the post season?? Keep reading my posts, and you’ll see how that shakes out!