Andrew’s 2012 NFL Projections

2012 NFL Projections

AFC

East

1. New England (1)

2. Buffalo (6)

3. NY Jets

4. Miami

North

1. Baltimore (2)

2. Pittsburgh

3. Cincinnati

4. Cleveland

South

1. Houston (4)

2. Tennessee

3. Indianapolis

4. Jacksonville

West

1. Denver (3)

2. San Diego (5)

3. Kansas City

4. Oakland

NFC

East

1. Philadelphia (3)

2. NY Giants

3. Dallas

4. Washington

North

1. Green Bay (1)

2. Chicago (5)

3. Detroit

4. Minnesota

South

1. Atlanta (4)

2. New Orleans (6)

3. Carolina

4. Tampa Bay

West

1. San Francisco (2)

2. Seattle

3. St. Louis

4. Arizona

Playoffs

AFC Wild Card

(3) Denver 38, (6) Buffalo 17

(5) San Diego 24, (4) Houston 19

NFC Wild Card

(3) Philadelphia 28, (6) New Orleans 20

(5) Chicago 20, (4) Atlanta 17

AFC Divisional Round

(1) New England 32, (5) San Diego 20

(3) Denver 27, (2) Baltimore 16

NFC Divisional Round

(1) Green Bay 38, (5) Chicago 31

(2) San Francisco 20, (3) Philadelphia 10

AFC Championship Game

(1) New England 23, (3) Denver 20

NFC Championship Game

(1) Green Bay 28, (2) San Francisco 24

Super Bowl

Green Bay 31, New England 28

Handicapping Peyton Manning’s Possible Destination

It looks as though Peyton Manning is heading out the door in Indianapolis in the near future with the next new young Quarterback coming down the pipe, *cough Andrew Luck cough*, and where he might land is up in the air. Just about every team in the NFL would have to look at their Quarterback situation if and when Peyton becomes available in the free agent market whether or not they already have a Quarterback in place. He is just that good when he is healthy. The problem is no one really knows if he is healthy enough to return to his MVP caliber play. Is he worth the risk? We will find out in the future but even if those doubts many teams will line up to talk to Peyton and possibly wear another uniform other than the Colts.

Miami Dolphins- 2/1

This matchup two times a year?

Miami has been searching for the player to fill the shoes that Dan Marino left behind and for more than 10 years now they havent come close. Falling behind the Patriots and the Jets in the AFC East the Dolphins need a leader of the offense that has at times been non existant. Miami has talent already in an effort to woo Manning with WR Brandon Marshall, RB Reggie Bush, and Lineman Jake Long which can make the difference for Peyton who wants another chance at a Super Bowl ring before hes done. The idea of playing rival Tom Brady and the New England Patriots two times a year may be intriguing for Manning as well.

Washington Redskins- 3/1

Being in the NFC East and playing against Eli Manning, Tony Romo, and Michael Vick, the Redskins know the importants of having a great Quarterback or in their case not having one. Obviously the combination of Rex Grossman and John Beck did not work at all last year and they need a change. With the 6th pick in the draft this year they have a chance of drafting a QB with Robert Griffin III as a possibility as the future. Washington has a habit of shelling out a lot of money for players whether they deserve it or not so Washington would not surprise me as a home for Peyton.

New York Jets- 4/1

Could you imagine the media explosion that would happen if both Eli and Peyton were both playing in New York? One of the major things holding the Jets back from taking the next step to the Super Bowl has been the play at Quarterback. Mark Sanchez has not grown and progressed as much as the Jets had hoped for and his time is running out. Watching the success of the Giants this year could push the Jets to make a drastic move to get the spotlight back on them. However if they make their aspiration of acquiring Manning public particularly to Sanchez and do not get him, they could ruin the psyche of the young, shaky QB for good.

Arizona Cardinals- 5/1

We saw this type of situation happen a few years back with the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. The success that they had together lead all the way to the Super Bowl which is where Peyton would kill to get back to. Playing in a dome similar to the domes he played in with Indy, the warm weather and airing deep balls out to Larry Fitzgerald would make Arizona a tempting destination for Peyton. But the Cardinals already have Kevin Kolb as their possible QB for the future and spending time behing one of the best all time wouldn’t be the worst thing for Kolb.

Seattle Seahawks- 5/1

Similar to the Cardinals, the Seahawks are looking for a QB who can bring the franchise back to the Super Bowl and Manning may be the guy. Seattle made a bit of a run towards the playoffs late last season and look to ride that momentum into the 2012 season and would like a QB to help out. Tarvaris Jackson did not have a bad year last year but he has never really been taken seriously as a franchise Quarterback here or in Minnesota. Seattle has a solid young team that could make a splash with a big offer to Manning and surprise everyone.

San Francisco 49ers- 8/1

Keeping up with the run of NFC West teams how about the defending division champs. Before last season the Niners would be one of the frontrunners for Peyton but after the success and turnaround of Alex Smith makes this decision a lot tougher. Smith earned his money last year putting up his best year as a professional leading the Niners one fumble away from the Super Bowl, earning the trust of the 49ers and their fans. But with Smith a free agent now the move could be made for Peyton. With Smith the team almost made the Super Bowl, imagine how far the team could go with Peyton at the helm.

Baltimore Ravens- 10/1

For some reason the trust in Joe Flacco has disappeared in Baltimore. Even though he has lead the Ravens deep in the playoffs every year he has been in the league, the Ravens and their fans are losing faith in the young QB. Flacco has almost lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl so bringing in Peyton could put them over the top just like the Niners. Knowing this I wouldn’t put it past them to make an offer to Peyton giving him probably his best chance at a Super Bowl he will have on this list.

Denver Broncos- 15/1

If anyone can silence Tebow Time, it is Peyton Manning. I am still not sold on Tebow at all and I am sure that John Elway and the Broncos organization are not either. Even though Tebow lead the Broncos to a 7-4 finish after a 1-4 start and winning the AFC West, he was just about useless throwing the ball for the first 3 and a half quarters relying on the defense to keep them in the game. You cant win in the NFL like that for long. Bringing Peyton in could open the Broncos playbook a lot more than Tebow can and expand the offense much more. The Broncos might take some heat from the fans for benching their boy, but getting Manning even for a few years could really make the Broncos a great team.

Other Longshot Teams- Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns.

Funny thing about all of this is that Manning and the Colts could resolve their problems and stay with each other. We will all have to wait and see what their decision about each of their futures will be, because their decision will impact the entire NFL for years to come.

by: Andrew Isaac