NFL Division Picks for the 2006 Season

The NFL machine is getting oiled up for another exciting season. The period officially known as the pre-season and unofficially known as "for godsakes, keep your starters from getting injured" has begun. Tune in to see your favorite stars take the field…for all of about five minutes, then scamper off to be replaced by a bunch of guys whose names you never heard and will promptly forget. Watch some spectacularly poor execution on both offense and defense while the coaches try to stay awake and the commentators take perverse pleasure in reminding you yet again about the utter pointlessness of pre-season games.

However, to the experience connoisseur of the game, the pre-season is a treasure trove of information. Not that it's great information, or consistent information, but it's a start. Enough for the annual exercise known as the divisional winner prediction. So here goes nothing.

AFC East. This used to be known as the "Nobody Can Touch New England" division, but time has passed and New England has gone the way of Ozymandias. The average age of New England playes is…well past retirement. The skills are still there. The experience is still there. Which is why New England would make a great team of halftime commentators, but as a football team, they are going to be severely challenged by Miami, a young team with a great coach and a solid quarterback hungry for days of glory. The Jets and the Bills are not going anywhere - both teams need to undertake some severe rebuilding, so other than some fireworks from Miami this division will not be terribly exciting.

AFC South. Indianapolis. Indianapolis. Indianapolis. This is a team with every imaginable weapon and a bad case of needing to prove that they are not destined to choke in the playoffs. Peyton is not going to take "no" for an answer. Indy is going to come roaring into the season and win their division without a sweat. Jacksonville will put up a challenge, especially with Indy finding themselves without Edgerrin James, but ultimately Jax is still a young team that needs to grow and become more cohesive. Houston and Tennessee still suck, so Indy and Jax are the teams to watch.

AFC North. It's difficult to go against the Super Bowl champs, so I'm going with Pittsburgh here. They still have most of their roster and they have the mental edge coming into the season. Cincinnati is going to have a difficult time without Carson Palmer, so they will not be as electrifying as they were last season. Both Baltimore and Cleveland could step up, but they will not be a serious playoff threat.

AFC West. Probably the most competitive division in the AFC. I still like Denver. Despite his problems, Jake Plummer is still a solid quarterback and Denver has the whole package. Look for Oakland to finally make a run this year with their new look offense. Kansas City is aging fast and San Diego is looking at an inexperienced quarterback, but both will put up a good fight. They always do.

NFC East. I have to go with Dallas here. T.O. is going to get his act together and he can make magic. Dallas had a solid season last year. Their record was not the best, but a lot of their games could have tipped in either direction. They are the underdog of the season. Watch them win the division. Washington cannot score and Philadelphia is rebuilding, so New York is the only team that can give Dallas a run for their money.

NFC South. The toughest division to call in the NFC. New Orleans has Drew Brees and Reggie Bush and a lot of goodwill. They are going to come out firing on all cylinders and taking some chances. They are going to take one of the top two spots, maybe even the whole division. Carolina is going to be solid as always, but they need some fresh blood and fresh strategies. Atlanta needs to finally realize that they need other players to step up besides Vick and to build a more cohesive approach. As far as Tampa Bay, Chris Simms needs another year in the saddle before he is ready to make a serious run.

NFC North. The Bears, by default. They are going to shut everybody down and this is the year their offense will finally start clicking. Detroit is going to try and finally do something this year, but they are destined for failure with a sub-par quarterback, sub-par offensive line, and sub-par defensive line. Minnesota has all sorts of problems. Green Bay? Four words: not until Favre retires.

NFC West. Can anybody touch Seattle? I mean seriously, folks. This is the easiest division to call in the entire league. St. Louis always chokes, Arizona needs improvement, and San Francisco…right.