Jaguars Schedule – NFL Football
There is little hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to surprise and be good this season. The question is whether they are going to be bad, as bad as last year or worse.
There is little hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to surprise and be good this season. The question is whether they are going to be bad, as bad as last year or worse.
Tennessee is a classic team that is not sure if they have a quarterback or not. The athletic Jake Locker has been outshined by other young signal callers and until they know whether he can be a legit pro or not it is going to be tough to know whether this current group can be a playoff contender.
Things went about as good as could be expected last season for the Indianapols Colts. They transitioned from one franchise QB to another about as seamlessly as possible and made the playoffs in the process. It was almost a little too fortuitous which is why almost nobody thinks Indianapolis can repeat that success against in 2013.
There is little doubt that the Houston Texans are the top team in the AFC South. The question is whether or not they are a true Super Bowl contender. On paper it looks like they are but I think this team lacks some of that grittiness you expect to see from champions.
Carolina finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the NFL but it can be easy to play loose when there is no pressure on you. The Panthers have one of the most dynamic players in the NFL in Cam Newton but the rest of their playmakers are probably on offense are not quite good enough to push this team into serious contention.
In the NFC South you have stalwart Atlanta, resurgent New Orleans and intriguing Carolina thanks to Cam Newton. The one team that no one seems to be paying much attention to is Tampa Bay, who should be much better than they were a year ago as coach Greg Schiano waded into the NFL pool for the first time.
There is probably no city with as much anticipation for the 2013 NFL season as New Orleans. Last year was a complete writeoff with Bountygate leading to a 0-4 start that had the Saints eliminated from contention before October. This year things should be much different.
The Falcons have proven they know how to win games during the regular season but the playoffs have been a different story. They caught a break last year with New Orleans in disarray but with the Saints “back” and Tampa and Carolina improving it might be harder to maintain their recent success.
For a team that has won a couple of recent Super Bowls nobody gives the New York Giants much respect. I don’t know if it s because their coach isn’t that likable, their QB isn’t as good as his older brother, or what, but it seems like the world is convinced that the Giants are going to drop to third fiddle in their division watching Philadelphia and Dallas overtake them.
The Miami Dolphins might have been the biggest losers in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes this offseason. Last year they were an undermanned squad on offense that wouldn’t quit on D.
The New England Patriots have probably been the quietest team in their division this offseason…but that doesn’t mean they are not still the favourites to win the AFC East.
There is lots of excitement in Buffalo heading into this season. They scooped up some serious defensive talent through free agency and are looking to make the AFC East a three team race (or at the very least finish a season).
You gotta give the New York Jets one thing…they are never boring. The jury is out on whether this team is better or worse heading into 2012, but with the addition of Tim Tebow, now the most famous backup quarterback in league history, the Jets certainly grabbed some headlines away from their stadiummates the Giants.
The Saints have Drew Brees back in the fold after signing him to a massive contract in the off-season, but can they get over the Bountygate scandal? Head coach Sean Payton is suspended for the season, as is one of the leaders on defense in Jonathan Vilma.
The Bucs were a mess last season and one of the main reasons they were 4-12 is that production of QB Josh Freeman. After the 2010 season he established himself as a future star with 25 TD and only 6 INT, but last season he only had 16 TD and a whopping 22 INT.
The Panthers landed the QB they have been looking for in Cam Newton, who had a great rookie season passing for over 4,000 yards. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are a great RB duo and Newton is already a star, but can the Panthers’ defense, which ranked 24th against the pass and 25th against the run, improve?