NFL Preview 2012

Ray Lewis will lead his Ravens to the Superbowl. 

Matt Forte will lead his Bears  over the Ravens in the Superbowl. 

It's back. The sport that we've all been waiting for. The best five months of the year. A time of tailgating, endless pizza deliveries, and many moments shouting "Oh no, and Oh yes!" have finally arrived. It is time for the NFL 2012.

But wait, first let's recap the summer. Mario Williams signed with the Bills, who now have one of the best defenses in the NFL, Terrell Suggs tore his ACL, and is questionable for the rest of the season, the Patriots added a deep ball threat to complement their tight ends, in Brandon Lloyd, and finally, the Jets traded for Tim Tebow. Also, Mike Wallace and MJD each had holdouts, but eventually went back to their teams.

Now, let's get to the preview. There are many different ways this NFL season could pan out, especially with replacement refs for at least Week 1. Ten different questions are going to be asked, all ten are going to be answered. These questions are going to be about players, teams, coaches, and just anything NFL. So sit back with some chips and salsa. These should be interesting.

Question 1: Who will win each of the divisions? 
The most common question. First the East Divisions. AFC: Patriots, who have arguably the easiest schedule in the NFL, will cruise to be Division champs yet again. NFC: The defending champion Giants have some quirks that they need to fix, but they will still be able to win the Division. AFC North: The Ravens will win, despite the loss of Terrell Suggs, but the Bengals will be fierce challengers. NFC North: The Packers will win the division again, even with the addition of Brandon Marshall to the Bears. AFC South: In one of the weakest divisions in football, Houston led by its defense, will win a second consecutive division title. NFC South: With the Saints in trouble because of the bountygate, the Falcons, led by a fantastic offense will win the division. AFC West: The addition of Peyton Manning may help, but it will be the Chargers, not the Broncos who will surprise everyone and win the division. NFC West: In what was once a division where a 7-9 team made the playoffs, the 49ers will win an extremely weak division.

Question 2: Who are some teams that could sneak up on people? 
The Kansas City Chiefs. With Jamaal Charles healthy, this was a team that was able to make the playoffs a couple years ago. If Dwayne Bowe can repeat his 2011 season, the defense can hold up, these guys could win the division. The Philadelphia Eagles. The "Dream Team" was unfortunately unable to reach the playoffs, and Mike Vick, and LeSean McCoy want to keep Andy Reid's job. If DeSean Jackson "tries" this season, they have a chance. The Detroit Lions. Matt Stafford and Megatron. Those two are one of the best WR-QB combinations in the NFL. If the defense gets better, don't be surprised if they win a wildcard spot.

Question 3: How will Peyton Manning do? 
Manning will not be wearing the familiar Blue and White of the Indianapolis Colts. He is with a new team, and a new coach. Manning will be solid, but will not be what he once was. It won't be like the Brett Favre on the Vikings and Jets, but it won't be the Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison.

Question 4: Will Maurice Jones-Drew play? 
MJD is slated to start as a third down back during Week 1, as he has just ended his holdout. Rashad Jennings will get the majority of the carries, and depending on how he does, will effect MJD's playing time. Remember, this is the same MJD who led the league in rushing last year.

Question 5: Will the Madden Curse affect Calvin Johnson? 
When Calvin Johnson was announced as the cover of Madden '13, fantasy owners everywhere were worried. Why? Because of something called the Madden curse. Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, these are just two players who have been on the cover of Madden, and were never the same. Megatron will be different. Johnson has a fantastic quarterback throwing to him, and will still score plenty of touchdowns.

Question 6: Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III 
These two rookie quarterbacks went 1-2 in the draft last April. Who will have a better rookie season? It will be the man who went number two, RG3. Griffin is a fantastic quarterback, and has better talent around him than Luck does. Though Luck does have his college teammate Coby Fleener, RG3 has speed, and new acquisition Pierre Garcon and Fred Davis.

Question 7: Which Chris Johnson will we see? 
Chris Johnson ruined many fantasy owners lives last season, with his horrible year. Many people were hesitant to take him. But why? It could've just been a down year. He has a chance to bounce back, and be a great back again. Though he may not be as good as 2010, he still will be able to have a solid year.

Question 8: Who will be the MVP? 
Last year it was Aaron Rodgers. This year? It's a tight race. There are the three elite quarterbacks, as well as the running backs, and of course Calvin Johnson. But this year, the NFL MVP will go to Arian Foster. Foster is being hyped as the running back in the game, and he will be this season. If Andre Johnson gets injured, as he hasn't played a full season in two years, which will cause the passing game to be scaled back. Expect Arian to win the rushing title.

Question 9: Who will win tomorrow's game, Giants vs. Cowboys? 
The Cowboys will try to start off their 2012 campaign strong after a disappointing last season. Led by Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray, and a much improved secondary, the Cowboys could be hard to beat. However, the Giants have a great team of their own. Filled with salsa dancers, and Superbowl winners, the Giants have a versatile team. The Cowboys fixed their secondary this offseason, and who knows, Victor Cruz might cool down from last season. The pick: Cowboys 

Question 10: Finally, who will win the Superbowl? 
This season, there are a surplus of teams who can contend for the Superbowl. It is all about who has the best luck, as the Patriots and the Giants learned last year. The Chicago Bears, one of the most improved teams of the offseason, with one of the league's best defenses, and best running backs, will make a run to the Superbowl. Their opponent, will be the Baltimore Ravens. Led by Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, and an old but stellar defense, the Ravens will avenge their AFC championship loss. The Bears however, will conquer the Ravens.

Skills or Championships?

While Eli has just won a Superbowl, Peyton Manning's career could be in jeopardy.

He’s gone. After 208 games and 7,210 passes, Peyton Manning was cut by the Indianapolis Colts. What will happen? Will anyone sign him? Or, will the countless amount of neck surgeries force him into retirement?

 If Peyton either retires voluntarily, or no team signs him, a debate will begin. The debate of who is a better player, Peyton, or his brother Eli. There are different opinions for either of these brothers. Some say Peyton’s better because of his four MVP awards. Others say that Eli has won more Superbowl Championships, (2, to Peyton’s single championship) and thus is the better player. 

Peyton obviously has had a better career stats wise. It took Peyton only three years to throw thirty touchdown passes, while it took Eli seven. Peyton also threw for 4000+ yards in his first season, and Eli was playing for six years before he finally threw for that many yards. 

But, it all comes down to championships, and Eli has two of ‘em. Eli and his Giants have come from behind to beat the Pats twice. Peyton is 1-1 in his Superbowl appearances. Beating the Bears in his first appearance, but losing to the Saints in his next. 

All in all, Peyton and Eli are both great quarterbacks. Peyton has the edge on the skills side, while Eli has the advantage on the championship side. And who knows, the Washington Redskins are one of the teams in line to sign Peyton, so we could be seeing more Peyton and Eli battles in the future! 

NFL Awards

Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's passing yard record this season. 

MVP: Peyton Manning, IND

How can a guy who didn’t play a game be the MVP this season?  Sure, Drew Brees and Tom Brady broke passing records. But the Indianapolis Colts went from a 10-6 record in 2010 to a 2-14 record in 2011. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. Manning is clearly valuable to the Colts organization. Imagine what the Colts would have been this season? Imagine how they will fare be next season? 

Runner up: Drew Brees

Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees, NO

Brees broke Dan Marino’s passing yard record. Brees also threw the for the most touchdowns this season. Brees just dominated in the year of the passer. He threw 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns. He led his Saints to a 13-3 record. 

Runner up: Tom Brady, NE 

Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Allen, MIN 

In an otherwise miserable season for the Vikings, Jared Allen stood out. Allen had 22 sacks, 66 combined tackles, including 48 solos. His 22 sacks led the league. Allen also forced four fumbles, and recovered four as well. His four recovered fumbles were the most in football. 

Runner up: DeMarcus Ware DAL

Offensive Rookie: Cam Newton, CAR 

What a year for Cam Newton. Newton threw for 4,051 and 21 touchdowns. In addition, he ran for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns. Newton led the Panthers from a 2-14 record last year, to 6-10 this year. He also had the best completion percentage of any rookie quarterback, and finished 18^th among all quarterbacks, with 60%. 

Runners up: A.J. Green and Andy Dalton, CIN 

Defensive Rookie: Von Miller, DEN 

The Number 2 overall pick in the draft had a fantastic season. Miller had 64 combined tackles, including 50 solo ones. He also had 11.5 sacks. In addition, He forced 2 fumbles. Miller was a major factor in the Broncos defense. He helped the defense from allowing 29 points per game in 2010, to 24 this season. 

Runner up: Patrick Peterson, ARI 

Coach of the Year: Jim Harbaugh, SF 

The 49ers reached the NFC championship this season. And who was the man who led them to this championship? Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh inherited a 6-10 team, with a struggling quarterback, and turned the team into winners. A 13-3 team to be exact. Also, Harbaugh developed Alex Smith and Frank Gore into elite players this season. 

Jim Harbaugh led his 49ers from a 6-10 team, to an NFC championship team. 

Runner up: Jim Schwartz, DET 

Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Stafford, DET 

After two injury plagued seasons, Stafford finally broke out, and became the player we all thought he was. The Number one overall pick in the 2009. After two years of just 19 touchdown passes, Stafford threw 41 this season. He also passed for 5,038 yards. Stafford was also a big factor in leading the Lions to a playoff berth, the team’s first since 1999. 

Runner up: Steve Smith, CAR