NFL News: 2004 NFL Season Preview and Super Bowl Picks

And The Super Bowl Champs Are…
By: Keith Dobkowski, NFL News Writer

The NFL season gets under way tonight as the Super Bowl
Champion New England Patriots take on MVP Peyton Manning and
the Indianapolis Colts. Both are considered part of the upper
echelon of teams in the league, but neither will be holding the
Lombardi trophy at the end of the season.

The NFL off-season saw the moves of all pros and MVPs. Kurt
Warner is now a Giant, Terrell Owens is an Eagle and Primetime is
37 and playing for the first time in three years for the Baltimore
Ravens.

A quick review of the haves and have-nots sees the likes of the
Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Oakland
Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns all fighting for the
number one pick in the 2005 draft. With the Browns and
Chargers leading the way.

As parity has swept through the league twenty-three teams
remain in the hunt for the Championship. However, one player
whose fragility can change the whole season leads many of
them. Brett Favre, Michael Vick, Chad Pennington, Steve McNair
and Byron Leftwich are all one big hit away from their respective
teams competing for the treasured first pick.

The NFL has been a quarterbacks’ league since the 1970’s. From
Bradshaw to Montana to Elway to Brady, great quarterbacks lead
teams to victory in the biggest games.

That is until four years ago when a great defense led the
Baltimore Ravens to victory in the Super Bowl. Two years later,
the Tampa Bay Bucs did the same thing. A conservative offense
designed to limit the amount of mistakes made and a shut down
defense. The results are two Super Bowls in the past four
seasons.

A list of the most important players in today’s game brings all
quarterbacks and one linebacker. Quarterbacks like Manning,
Brady, Donovan McNabb and Vick are the leading signal callers,
but no player is more important to his team than Ray Lewis.

Lewis guides the best defense in football, and though old, the
addition of Deion Sanders will create even more room for Lewis to
work in.

There is not another defensive player in the league who must be
covered by an offensive player on every play. With All-Pro Chris
McCallister shutting down half the field, Sanders stopping any sort
of deep threat, Terrell Suggs and Peter Boulware rushing the
quarterback from the outside, the only area left is the middle of
the field, Lewis’s territory.

There is no place to run or throw against the Ravens. Offensively,
the Ravens are lead by Jamal Lewis. Jamal Lewis ran for over
2,000 yards last season and will take incredible pressure off
second year quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller’s main target will be
tight end Todd Heap, owner of the best hands amongst NFL tight
ends.

But it is off the field that will determine the Super Bowl Champs.
Halfway through the season, 2,000 yard back Jamal Lewis will be
facing federal drug charges. If Lewis’s trial happens and he is
found guilty, Lewis will be spending January in the big house and
the Ravens will be watching the Super Bowl from their own
homes.

The few other favorites all have weaknesses that will keep them
from the Lombardi Trophy.

The Atlanta Falcons have Michael Vick. Vick is the most exciting
player in the league, but has yet to show the durability needed to
last an entire season.

Manning and the Colts are getting better and Manning will one
day hoist the Lombardi trophy above his head, but the Colts’
defense, the Patriots and the Ravens will all keep Manning
waiting.

There is no reason to believe that the Patriots will not win it again
this year. In fact, I have problems saying that they won’t. The
Pats got better. Corey Dillon is a legitimate running back and
Vince Wilfork should be able to replace Ted Washington.
However, parity has struck the NFL and only the Broncos have
won back to back since the inception of the salary cap.

The Philadelphia Eagles guided by the leadership of McNabb are
ailing in two places. Their running game is non-existent and they
stupidly traded for “Terrible” Terrell Owens. Owens is great if he
catches the ball, but there is a big emphasis on if. Owens
dropped at least two passes per game last year and managed to
blame everyone but himself. Having watched Owens up close for
his entire career, I have no doubt that he will self-destruct and
take the Eagles with him.

The Eagles may finally make it to the Super Bowl against the
Ravens and with Ray Lewis controlling the middle Owens is sure
to drop at least five passes.

On a personal note, it is hard as a full-fledged 49er fan to
discount my team. This year is different and the Ravens, Pats, or
Colts should win. The Niners will win in one place though and
that is Vegas. The Niners will surely beat the five and a half
victory line.