While no one knows what is going to happen during the season and that is why we have 16 weeks to figure it out, there are some teams that show great promise, at least on paper, to be clearly headed in the right directions to bringing a Super Bowl win to their city. One of the biggest questions out there is whether or not the Patriots are going to be able to perform at the level that they did during last year's phenomenal run of 16 regular season wins.

I think that they have a good chance especially bring some youth and speed into their line backing corps. They have moved Hobson to the inside and they drafted Jerod Mayo from the University of Tennessee. This, along with the experience of recently resigned Tedy Bruschi should help that shore up that 3-4 defense and I see no reason that they will not be at least their division champions as the other teams in their division such as the Miami Dolphins are going through a complete overhaul and may take years to become competitive again. In fact the Patriots could possibly be the top seed in the AFC as I only see, at this time, the Cleveland Browns having a shot to be in the mix for the AFC championship.

That's right, the Browns are my pick to be the surprise team of the season. They almost made the playoffs last year and people except big Ted Washington to return from last season. And their divisional teams seem to be in a rebuilding mode as the Ravens were hard to watch last year, the Steelers seems to be declining since Cowher's departure, and what can you say about the Bengals? So watch for the Browns!

If the Browns are going to stand a chance they are going to need to show teams such as the Indianapolis Colts that they can play them and get the win so that November 30th game between the two should have playoff implications. The Colts this year hope to have a more product running game to help preserve the arm of Payton Manning as he is now 32 years old and neither he or the teams wants to wear out his arm, shortening the years he can effectively quarterback the Colts.

One team that was oh so close to having all the pieces together to make it to the Super Bowl was the Dallas. The good thing about this team is it will keep most of its key players and last year's season certainly gave Romo the experience necessary to help his team get further in the postseason this year. Adding Zach Thomas in their line backing corps could be a great move if Thomas is fully healthy. Pound per pound Thomas is one of the best and most constant linebackers in the league.

Then of course you have the defending Super Bowl champions returning New York Giants. I wonder how long it will take the Giant fans to "boo" Eli this year? The Giants were not the best team on the field last year but they were the team with the most heart and that is why they stunned the Patriots last year. I think that the Giants may be the biggest let down this season but we will see as they did draft well.

Other teams that I think, due to off season changes, that may have a legitimate shot to make it all the way include, the Jacksonville Jaguars on the AFC side and the Seattle Seahawks on the NFC. For now we can all have high expectations for our teams but you have my picks for the upcoming season.

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