Is the assesment that the Dolphins are going to fall back to earth a bit. I don’t see that as the case at all. Parcells will continue to add the right kinds of pieces, the rookies that were drafted this year and playing a ton will get even better, the new coach Sporano will have even more time to implement his strategy, etc. They certainly arent going to be any worse as a team, even though their record may fall a bit. Perhaps thats what you were referring to. Anyway, the way I see it, that Dolphins game might be our 2nd most difficult road game. Sweeeeeeeeet. No way Broncos, Bears or Lions are going to be very tough.

Well it is rare that the schedule will look the same in December of this year when it’s released as it will in the December after you have completed your games. I think that it will be nice to have a bit of an easier schedule next year, but I still think almost all the games except the lions in the NFC East should be difficult, and I think the Chargers and the Broncos will be improved. Hopefully Jay Cutler’s insulin is low when we play them and their high powered offense isn’t a big factor.

Agreed that things will look different by the end of next season, but while some of our opponents will get better next year, others will get worse. Who knows how coaching changes, offseason acquisitions, and injuries will change things? But on average, things will probably even out. For example, we knew this year’s schedule was going to be tough, but before the season, the Jaguars looked tough to beat and the Titans mediocre. Turned out to be the other way around, but it was still one tough game and one not so tough.

Blitz, thanks for the bump. Maybe I’m too hard on the Dolphins, but I think they got lucky this year. You’re right, Parcells has them pointed in the right direction (if he stays around), but I can’t be too scared as long as Chad Pennington is their QB.

for the road game in miami. I finally get to go to my first Steeler game, since I went to the sunday night game a few years ago against Miami. (Roethlisberger’s first NFL start)

Mark Clayton is only 26 years old blitz, he’s probably in the beginning of his prime if anything. I do agree for the most part though, just look down the list. McAllister, Rolle, Lewis, Mason, Reed, and more, all in their 30’s.

…somebody else gets the Colts, Jags, Pats*, and possibly the Texans could finally be a force next year….who knows?

Always say that schedules can be deceptive – especially with teams that go from crap to playoffs (Atlanta/Miami), but this one does look a little more comfy I have to admit. I still can’t fathom how the bottom feeders of the league stay so bad every year, getting the high draft picks, and still stank up the place.

In terms of payback…..looking forward to smacking the Raiders like we should have in 06! Not to mention the warm welcome we’ll have for the Thumbtacks at home!

The big thing will be how do we progress or regress next year. Will the D maintain its personel? Will the O-line get good? Fodder for the offseason.

it’s hard to gauge how tough the schedule is now, because teams do get better or worse, but the dolphins are almost a lock to decline because their schedule will not be as easy as the joke schedules the afc east faced this year. Strength of schedule is really, really important. If a team played the Lions 16 times, and went 16-0 they wouldn’t be considered an alltime great team even if their record was the greatest ever. I know some clown announcers and commentators say a win is a win, and is always tough. But all wins are not even sloe to being equal as measuring sticks. If you played both the afc and nfc west this year, that’s pretty close to half a season against inept bumblers.

or maybe a 14-2 or 13-3 season If the O-line improves and Ben gets it together on his decision-making. The defense will still be there as long as Lebau is DC. I’m looking forward to next year changes and just think how dominant we will be if the offense is playing as good as the defense….I know…scary! But I really hope the Steelers win it this year because they deserve it after that “hellacious” late November-December stretch.

As for next year, if the Ravens lose Ray Lewis who I think will get picked up by the Cowboys (they try too hard to buy a superbowl ring and looked what happened to them!) then the Ravens will lose a huge motivator. Ray Lewis is like the Engine to that defense as well as the team. Joey Porter was like that for the Steelers. Its a huge blow to the Ravens if they decide to release him IMO.

The Dolphins may be on an upswing because due to their success this year, they can only get better with Parcels’ genius. The only way they can be grounded is if they have a tough schedule next year.

The Titans may still be playoff contenders if Kery Collins keeps his magic touch or if Vince Young steps up to the plate when Collins isn’t performing. But lets face it, the Titans are not that great, they beat us after we played four straight exausting games. The Titans season record has been inflated by weak matchups. I believe they did prepare for the game against us better than we did against them but overall, I think we win it against them in the playoffs this year if we meet and next years season game in Pittsburgh.

These are all wins in my eyes:
Bengals (4-11-1), Browns (4-12), Broncos (8-8), Chiefs (2-14), Bears (9-7), Lions (0-16), Dolphins (11-5) Raiders (5-11), Vikings (10-6), Packers (6-10)

Winning the division this year will be key to continuing success. The schedule is easier but it gets even better! We have to play Miami and the Titans next year. The Ravens will have to play against the Colts and Patriots. While the Titans game will be hard, the two game difference give us a huge advantage in repeating for the third straight year!

Why not, right?

I only saw a few of their games, but (IMO) the fish have shown some creativity and the execution over this season. I’d still put them in our win column, but I don’t see them dropping off much.

I don’t see the Browns being the cakewalk everyone else seems to be expecting. Right now, they are pretty decimated with injuries. When they were healthier at the start of this season, we beat ‘em by a mere 4 points. Lewis went from 38 yards in that first game to 94 in our second. For the puppies, 2009 could be the year that 2008 was supposed to be. Not sayin’ they’ll be great, but they could make the post season.

Something similar could be said for the Bengals. When healthy, they can be dangerous. I think they have more team building to do, but with a healthy QB and their receivers, they’ve got a punchers chance.

Offseason hasn’t even started. New coaches are gonna come in and make changes. Remember baltimore last year… they went from very sorry to a playoff team. I think once free agency goes through and the draft takes place we will have a better idea of what damage we can do next year. I think some of those teams might surprise us, and i just hope that we avoid the injuries that we were plagued with this year. As of right now i’m with Varmint and predict 16-0, but that might chage…..we’ll see

But always fun to think about it. I just can’t wait any longer for the Sleeler’s first home playoff game. I’m just giddy with excitement.