The bloggers here at the NFL portion of Fanhouse recently huddled up in a basement, put together our heads and came up with our predictions for the 2007 NFL season.
We don't just have our Super Bowl predictions [go after the jump to see our picks], but the entire NFL. We picked each division how we saw fit. Below is how the voting went, along with the links to our writers previews of each team.
2006 Offense: They missed Shaun Alexander for much of the season with a broken foot. When it comes to runningbacks, people tend to focus on LaDainian Tomlinson, but let's not forget about Seattle's Alexander just yet. Also hampered by injuries in '06 was Boston College alum Matt Hasselbeck. A healthy Hasselbeck and Alexander combo in 2007 will be the key to getting back to the postseason.
2006 Defense: The 'Hawks defense was less than stellar in 2006 ranking 22nd against the run and 19th in scoring. They drafted CB Josh Wilson in the 2nd round and brought in two safeties to help bolster the unit. The Seahawks may have the best linebacking trio in all of football.
2006 Special teams: Nate Burleson showed some skill in 2006 and was one of the leagues more exciting kick returners. Rookie CB Wilson will also help out in the return game. He's got sub 4.4 speed and can fly.
To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's the outlook for the Eagles.
With the recent departure of veteran linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, the Eagles have made it clear they aren't afraid to cut big name players. You'd think at his age, Donovan McNabb would have a handful of years left. Heck, look at Brett Favre and the Packers. But the way the Eagles have shown no loyalty to veterans, coupled with the steady growth of rookie Kevin Kolb, Philly fans need to realize Donovan's days as an Eagle are growing shorter.
But this is 2007 and the Birds have a healthy Donovan McNabb who is still at the top of his game. With McNabb at the helm, there is no limit on how far the Eagles can go. 2006 record: 10-6
2006 Offense: Gone are Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth. In are Donovan McNabb and Kevin Curtis. The Eagles offense in recent years has not had any trouble putting up points.
2006 Offense: Denver decided that the Jake Plummer Era has run its course. The team went ahead and plugged in Jay Cutler. Cutler has the same arm that Plummer has ... but handles pressure a bit better. Also, the team decided against the Tatum Bell/Mike Bell system and is going with former Titan Travis Henry. Hopefully Henry can take some of the heat off the young QB.
2006 Defense: This was a top notch defense last year ... and it only will get better. Dre Bly was added to form [along with Champ Bailey] a scary CB combo. The Broncos also added Jim Bates to run the offense. Bates has the perfect personnel to run his aggressive 4-3 defense. So, expect blitzes coming from everywhere while those lockdown corners do their job.
2006 Special teams: Jason Elam is still one of the best kickers in the league ... and troublesome Todd Sauerbrun resurrected his punting career in Colorado. An issue is at the return position, where there are no clear dominant force.
2006 Offense: Let's see. LaDainian Tomlinson set NFL records for TDs and points and won the league's MVP award. Philip Rivers turned in a very productive season ... which says something since the team let Drew Brees walk. Antonio Gates is still the best TE in the NFL, and the Chargers found themselves a probable to-to receiver in Vincent Jackson.
2006 Defense: The Chargers led the NFL in sacks and had one of the NFL's most destructive defenses. And that was with Shawne Merriman missing four games due to violating the league's substance abuse policy.
2006 Special Teams: Nick Kaeding was a Pro Bowler. So was long snapper David Binn. Punter Mike Scifres had the stats to warrant a selection.
2006 Offense: The start of the 2006 season was a bittersweet beginning for the New York Jets. On one hand, they knew they would be without their all-time leading rusher, Curtis Martin. On the other hand, they had Chad Pennington heading into the season completely healthy for the first time in his career. When all was said and done, the Jets had an offense that was "good enough" to win.
2006 Defense: Like the offense, the Jets defense didn't really stand out in any phase of the game, but they were solid enough to notch 10 wins. Statistically, they ranked an average of 20th in every category, yet they were able to step up and make a big play when one needed to be made. The entire unit actually proved that stats can sometimes be overrated and timely play is really the only thing needed for victory.
2006 Special Teams: Kick returner Justin Miller had a spectacular second season, earning him Pro Bowl honors and helping the Jets finish with the 5th ranked kick return unit in the NFL. Two of his 46 returns, including one of 103 yards [longest in Jets history], were brought back for touchdowns. In addition to Miller's solid year, kicker Mike Nugent was nearly automatic. He missed only three field goals all season.
2006 Offense: The Vince Young era began quicker than anyone expected, but it also turned out better than anyone could have had the right to hope for. For a team that began the preseason with Billy Volek penciled in as the starter, Young proved to be the franchise quarterback that the team has lacked since Steve McNair was younger and healthier. But with a rookie quarterback, Young beat teams as much as with his legs as with his arm--the Titans were 30th in the league in passing yards per game. Thankfully Young had a solid running game behind him thanks to Travis Henry, which helped the Titans finish fifth in the league in rushing yards per game. 2006 Defense: Normally to be successful as a run-first, ball-control team you pair the offense with a dominating defense. The Titans defense was not able to live up to those hopes, but the emergence of Pacman Jones (pre-strip club incident) as a cover corner and the continued solid play of Keith Bulluck and David Thornton at linebacker kept the Titans from being a disaster. Albert Haynesworth went from being known as a disappointing underachiever to being know as a guy who stomps on heads--it wasn't an upgrade. Kyle Vanden Bosch is still a solid pass rusher but with no help he found it impossible to beat constant double teams.
2006 Offense: The Cowboys found their QB of the future and present with Tony Romo. Despite getting slammed for dropping passes, Terrell Owens still came up with huge plays and led the league with TD receptions. Only LT and Larry Johnson rushed for more TDs than Marion Barber. Needless to say, that this was one of the league's most potent offenses.
2006 Defense: The defense was pretty good. They had one of the best run defenses in the league ... so-so against the pass. The two-gap zone scheme from last year will be replaced by a more aggressive one-gapper under new head coach Wade Phillips.
2006 Offense: Carson Palmer was coming back from a knee injury and looked pretty darn good. Rudi Johnson continued his record setting running for the Bengals. Chad Johnson led the league in receiving yards; TJ Houshmandzadeh was 16th [they were 11th and 7th, respectively, in receptions]. Yet the team really bogged down at times.
2007 Defense: They had the third worst defense ... including the worst pass defense in the NFL. They did a decent job getting to the opposing QB and a great job forcing turnovers. However, they are a hard hitting team that doesn't cover well. Of course, injuries and 'other things' contributed to this. Brian Simmons struggled with injuries, David Pollack was lost for the year in Week 2 and Odell Thurman never even saw the field.
2006 Offense: Led by Eli Manning and Tiki Barber, the 2006 New York Giants had a relatively effective offense, although you would have never known that by reading the papers. While Eli did struggle down the stretch, much of that inconsistency can be attributed to injuries that caused Amani Toomer, Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Sinorice Moss, Luke Petitgout and various other offensive players to miss time. Luckily for New York, Barber was able to remain healthy and have one of his better years as a pro.
2007 Defense: The Giants defense was ravaged by injury in 2006, but that was the least of their problems. Their secondary was so bad, thanks in large part to defensive coordinator Tim Lewis' scheme, that Ryan Leaf could have performed like Peyton Manning against them. If not for the solid run defense and surprisingly productive play from their defensive tackles, the Giants would not have even approached eight wins.
Shaun Alexander may not run it with the ladies
To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is 
To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is 
To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is 
To get you ready for the season, 
To get you ready for the season, 
To get you ready for the season, 
To get you ready for the season, 
To get you ready for the season, 
