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-Digger's Daily-

Indianapolis Colts almost pulled off a perfect season last year until their head coach decided to bench (rest) most starting players. They were 14-0 and leading the Jets at halftime of game 15. Starters were benched after halftime and watched in frustration as subs lost (team finished 14-2). Indy was out played in Super Bowl XLIV and seeks revenge in 2010. Plenty of off season moves by many AFC teams addressing various needs. Colts and Chargers appear to remain top 2 winning teams. Houston, Jets, Dolphins, Ravens & Chiefs on the rise. AFC play will be tough as any season in recent memory.

AFC East will be a dogfight. Brady will try resurrecting New England to dynasty status. The Jets were busy solidifying their roster after a tremendous '09 performance. Did they add talent or locker room headaches? Miami's players and front office brass believe they're the team to beat in the East? They may be right. Buffalo, well, every division needs a cellar dweller.

AFC East

1) New York Jets Here's an intriguing team. Head Coach Ryan's Jets defense established themselves as one of NFL's top units and most feared. The do just about everything right. Fast, smart and very hard hitting. Jets defense was reason #1 this group qualified for post-season play. Defense was responsible for setting up rookie Sanchez' offense with great field position most of the year. Key off season moves or did NY over spend on older players and trouble makers? LaDainian Tomlinson will try proving he's fit to become #1 back but will probably split time with Greene. WR's must catch the ball as they suffered through too many drops. The pressure is on Sanchez. The bar is high. After a successful '09 New Yorkers are expecting nothing less than a division title and playoff success. So is coach Ryan. Sophomore jinx or stardom? Jets should win no less than 11 (barring injuries). If defense dominates, perhaps 13.

2) Miami Dolphins Dolfans started to believe in their team midway through the year. Miami began slow (0-3) and collapsed at the end (0-3). In between, they were playing inspired football (7-3). Chad Henne finally has receivers. Running game is one of NFL's best. I'm not a fan of Dolphins draft results but this is a talented front office so maybe they know what they're doing. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Miami wins the East. Henne is the key. Is he ready to "lead"? If so, Miami's future is bright. All the pieces are in place for success.

3) New England Patriots New England won the East in '09 but it wasn't pretty. Offense was out of sync often disrupting drives. Running game was non-existent, passing game stats looked solid but actual game play didn't translate into wins. 8-0 at home, 2-6 on the road. No major additions heading into '10. Offensive line needs to open up lanes for less than gifted backs. Randy Moss needs to keep his head in games. Patriots can go either way but appear to be nothing more than a .500 team.

4) Buffalo Bills Buffalo looked pretty solid in 5 of their 6 wins. However, they looked grossly outplayed in 8 of 10 losses. Bills will be lucky to beat any division rivals this year (0-6) which spells doom and gloom. This team isn't maturing. 30th ranked offense should get a jolt with the arrival of draftee C.J. Spiller (Clemson). Nothing else to report. Last place finish is all but guaranteed.

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NFC West

NFC West is up for grabs. Each team has something to prove heading into 2010. Arizona's gamer Kurt Warner retired leaving the team Matt Leinart's hands. 49ers no nonsense coach demands excellence. Niners have rising talent. The time is now for them to step up and be counted. Seattle lost their way in recent seasons almost seeming unmotivated at times. The Rams have a long way to go after front office gaffe's and injuries quickly turned a once proud franchise into a laughingstock.

1) San Francisco 49ers The time is now for SF to put themselves on NFL radars. There's no clear cut dominant team in the West. Maturity breeds consistency, or so I've been told. Mediocrity ruled the day last year. SF's once pounding running game never got going until late in the year. QB's never put fear into defenders or confidence into receivers. Overall team stats were just below middle of the road. Room for improvement on all fronts. Their 2nd first round pick netted highly regarded Mike Lupati (OG, Idaho) who many think is already All Pro material. 2nd rounder Taylor Mays (S, USC) is a heavy hitter. Penn State LB Navorro Bowman (according to ESPN) has "great physical skills, natural instincts and a nose for the football." 49ers addressed needs. Now it's time for this club to come together as a team.

2) Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart will be given every opportunity to win the starting nod. He's had mixed results over the course of a short career. Can he step up and play like a #1? Arizona's immediate future depends on it. Running game showed flash for the first time in years with the 1-2 tandem of Hightower and Wells (combined 1,391 yds, 15 tds rushing - 75 rec, 571 yds receiving). Cards schedule was easy in '09. Guess which team has easiest '10 schedule? That's right. Cards opponents, based on '09 records, are 114-142. Worst in football. Leinart & Co. couldn't write a better script for success. Defense has to step up and clamp down opposing offenses. Great coaching staff but draft never lived up to expectations beyond 1st rounder Dan Williams (DT, Tenn).

3) Seattle Seahawks New coach Pete Carroll first season in Seattle will be challenging. 2009 offense was abysmal scoring 14 or fewer seven times. Defense was just as inept surrendering 31 or more points six times. The result, 17.5 points per game scored by offense vs 24.4 given up by defense. It's amazing they won 5 even when playing the Rams twice. Running attack seemed lost. Passing game never bailed out team when needed. Bickering on all levels prevailed starting with WR TJ Houshmandzadeh's personal ratings complaint against Madden Football. 'Hawks draft did not go well. Perhaps Carroll needs a new scouting crew too?! A kick in the butt might re-energize a team clearly playing below potential.

4) St. Louis Rams No winning seasons since 2003 and team has been progressively degenerating. Cumulative record last three seasons stands at 6-42. When you're this bad drafting becomes ultra important. NFL #1 pick was Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. Rams had better be careful not to mortgage their future on this kids contract. That said, Bradford has the tools necessary to become an upper tier signal caller if handled correctly. Rams second 1st round pick addressed another important team need when they selected offensive lineman Roger Saffold (Indiana). I'm a bit skeptical on their remaining picks and firmly believe a golden opportunity to build a powerful team was lost. Rams will not win many and seem years out from returning to competitive football. New ownership needs a big wrecking ball as this franchise needs a complete makeover.