Post by xCRUFFx on Aug 2, 2010 17:40:52 GMT -5
Everyday from now until August 10th, I will be posting a division by division preview of VNFL 2011 Season 1. By the time the previews are done, it will be August 10th, just in time for Madden NFL 11!!!
NOTE: This is supposed to be for fun and I'm in no way trying to offend anyone. Of course this is my view of the upcoming season, but feel free to voice your opinions as well to make this a fun discussion.
--AFC WEST PREVIEW--
2010 Recap
The not so wild wild west as Spyder and the Broncos have owned this division, winning the division title in all six seasons of VNFL 10. TheMainEvent and the Chiefs improved year after year, but never caught a break as they flirted with the potential of being a playoff team but end up falling short each year. Jstraus and the Chargers were up and down and never made the playoffs. The addition of w0psurprise (after taking over for tomtl in season 5) added an extra competitive boost to the division, finishing 2nd to the Broncos at 11-5 and 10-6 in seasons 5 and 6 of VNFL 10, respectively and bumping the Chiefs to 3rd place.
2011 Preview
The Broncos appears to have anointed QB Tim “Jesus” Tebow as the starter for season 1 as QB Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn have appeared on the trade block. Tebow, a fan favorite in Florida, is considered by many to be a project at this point in his career, and a QB that relies too much on his athleticism and strength. No matter the knock on Tebow, in the end, he is a proven winner and should bring that winning mentality to Denver. The Denver offense is lacking playmakers especially with the loss of WR Marshall; however, the defense should remain stout with LB Dumervil and CB Bailey. The biggest question surrounding the Broncos is whether Coach Spyder_ can get over the hump and finally make the Superbowl. The Broncos consistently dominate the regular season only to falter and fold like a cheap suit in the playoffs. Some say that ex-Bills Coach Niko coupled with RB Marshawn Lynch is Spyder_’s kryptonite. With Niko now coaching the Vikings in the NFC, Spyder_ should be licking his chops and will have no excuse if fails to make the Superbowl as the AFC representative in season 1.
Antec21 takes over as the new Chargers coach. In 2010, Antec took over the Redskins in season 6 and led them to an 11-5 record and a division title in the NFC East. The fact that he took the division crown from Evans/Philly speaks volume. I expect Antec to bring the same level of competitiveness to the AFC West and be stiff competition for the Broncos and the Chiefs who have become comfortable sitting at #1 and #2 in the division. At RB, the Ryan Matthews era will begin this season and it will be interesting to see if he and RB Sproles will be able produce an effective run game. The RB duo along with TE Gates and WR Jackson should give QB Rivers enough weapons to keep up with most teams while the defense continues to be among the top defenses in the league even without CB Cromartie who was shipped off to the Jets in the offseason. The Chargers should be a surprise team in season 1 and should make some noise at the end of the season.
The Chiefs was one of the most predictable teams in VNFL 2010. They would start off strong and consistently finish somewhere around 9-7 or 10-6 and miss the playoffs by one game or by tie breakers each year. It must have been frustrating for Coach TheMainEvent to see his team improve each year, yet miss the playoffs each year. It only becomes more difficult in 2011 as Antec21 and xgunrage round out the division and bring a higher level of competition compared to tomtl and jstraus from last season. Also, the Chiefs are back in rebuilding mode and will take a couple of years to collect enough talent to take the next step. The rivalry between the Chiefs and Broncos remain strong, but even wins versus the vaunted Broncos help in buying a playoff birth. The main goal for the Chiefs in VNFL 2011 would be to finally get over the hump and make the playoffs. I expect the Chiefs to eventually reach the playoffs, but probably not in season 1. This process will take a couple of seasons as the Chiefs are a bit lacking in talent, although the addition of FS Eric Berry should give TheMainEvent the elite safety he covets. The Chiefs should continue to remain competitive, but will likely fall behind the Broncos and in a bit of a surprise, the Chargers in season 1.
The Raiders is one of those teams that had enough talent to be competitive, but always finished near the bottom of the league. The Raiders finally became a contender when w0psurprise took over as coach and made the playoffs. This year, newcomer xgunrage looks to make the Raiders into a contender within the tough AFC West. There isn’t a lot of information on xgunrage, so you’re guess is as good as mine, but the Raiders have speed and speed, and oh, more speed. They have a great set of young WRs and have Jason Campbell calling the shots at QB instead of 1st round bust JaMarcus Russell who was cut earlier in the offseason. On defense, CB Asomugha is a shut down corner that will frustrate opposing teams and the addition of MLB McClain should boost the defense. I see the Raiders as an X factor in this division, and could potentially finish ahead of the Chiefs or Chargers.
The Broncos’ dominance cannot be ignored, but the division could be much tougher in 2011 if Antec and xgunrage show that they can play ball. But in the end, the AFC West can be summarized as such: the Chiefs are a tease, Antec has only played one season, xgunrage is an unknown and Spyder_ rarely loses in the regular season. So it should be no surprise that the Broncos will remain at the top of this division until we see someone else put together a string of impressive wins and challenge the Broncos.
Win/Loss Predictions:
Broncos: 12-4 (division winner)
Chargers: 10-6 (tie for wildcard but lose tie breakers and miss playoffs)
Chiefs: 8-8
Raiders: 6-10
Next: NFC East (August 3rd)
NOTE: This is supposed to be for fun and I'm in no way trying to offend anyone. Of course this is my view of the upcoming season, but feel free to voice your opinions as well to make this a fun discussion.
--AFC WEST PREVIEW--
Team | 2010 Owner | 2011 Owner |
Denver Broncos | Spyder_ | Spyder_ |
Kansas City Chiefs | TheMainEvent | TheMainEvent |
Oakland Raiders | w0psurprise | xgunrage |
San Diego Chargers | jstraus | Antec21 |
2010 Recap
The not so wild wild west as Spyder and the Broncos have owned this division, winning the division title in all six seasons of VNFL 10. TheMainEvent and the Chiefs improved year after year, but never caught a break as they flirted with the potential of being a playoff team but end up falling short each year. Jstraus and the Chargers were up and down and never made the playoffs. The addition of w0psurprise (after taking over for tomtl in season 5) added an extra competitive boost to the division, finishing 2nd to the Broncos at 11-5 and 10-6 in seasons 5 and 6 of VNFL 10, respectively and bumping the Chiefs to 3rd place.
2011 Preview
The Broncos appears to have anointed QB Tim “Jesus” Tebow as the starter for season 1 as QB Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn have appeared on the trade block. Tebow, a fan favorite in Florida, is considered by many to be a project at this point in his career, and a QB that relies too much on his athleticism and strength. No matter the knock on Tebow, in the end, he is a proven winner and should bring that winning mentality to Denver. The Denver offense is lacking playmakers especially with the loss of WR Marshall; however, the defense should remain stout with LB Dumervil and CB Bailey. The biggest question surrounding the Broncos is whether Coach Spyder_ can get over the hump and finally make the Superbowl. The Broncos consistently dominate the regular season only to falter and fold like a cheap suit in the playoffs. Some say that ex-Bills Coach Niko coupled with RB Marshawn Lynch is Spyder_’s kryptonite. With Niko now coaching the Vikings in the NFC, Spyder_ should be licking his chops and will have no excuse if fails to make the Superbowl as the AFC representative in season 1.
Antec21 takes over as the new Chargers coach. In 2010, Antec took over the Redskins in season 6 and led them to an 11-5 record and a division title in the NFC East. The fact that he took the division crown from Evans/Philly speaks volume. I expect Antec to bring the same level of competitiveness to the AFC West and be stiff competition for the Broncos and the Chiefs who have become comfortable sitting at #1 and #2 in the division. At RB, the Ryan Matthews era will begin this season and it will be interesting to see if he and RB Sproles will be able produce an effective run game. The RB duo along with TE Gates and WR Jackson should give QB Rivers enough weapons to keep up with most teams while the defense continues to be among the top defenses in the league even without CB Cromartie who was shipped off to the Jets in the offseason. The Chargers should be a surprise team in season 1 and should make some noise at the end of the season.
The Chiefs was one of the most predictable teams in VNFL 2010. They would start off strong and consistently finish somewhere around 9-7 or 10-6 and miss the playoffs by one game or by tie breakers each year. It must have been frustrating for Coach TheMainEvent to see his team improve each year, yet miss the playoffs each year. It only becomes more difficult in 2011 as Antec21 and xgunrage round out the division and bring a higher level of competition compared to tomtl and jstraus from last season. Also, the Chiefs are back in rebuilding mode and will take a couple of years to collect enough talent to take the next step. The rivalry between the Chiefs and Broncos remain strong, but even wins versus the vaunted Broncos help in buying a playoff birth. The main goal for the Chiefs in VNFL 2011 would be to finally get over the hump and make the playoffs. I expect the Chiefs to eventually reach the playoffs, but probably not in season 1. This process will take a couple of seasons as the Chiefs are a bit lacking in talent, although the addition of FS Eric Berry should give TheMainEvent the elite safety he covets. The Chiefs should continue to remain competitive, but will likely fall behind the Broncos and in a bit of a surprise, the Chargers in season 1.
The Raiders is one of those teams that had enough talent to be competitive, but always finished near the bottom of the league. The Raiders finally became a contender when w0psurprise took over as coach and made the playoffs. This year, newcomer xgunrage looks to make the Raiders into a contender within the tough AFC West. There isn’t a lot of information on xgunrage, so you’re guess is as good as mine, but the Raiders have speed and speed, and oh, more speed. They have a great set of young WRs and have Jason Campbell calling the shots at QB instead of 1st round bust JaMarcus Russell who was cut earlier in the offseason. On defense, CB Asomugha is a shut down corner that will frustrate opposing teams and the addition of MLB McClain should boost the defense. I see the Raiders as an X factor in this division, and could potentially finish ahead of the Chiefs or Chargers.
The Broncos’ dominance cannot be ignored, but the division could be much tougher in 2011 if Antec and xgunrage show that they can play ball. But in the end, the AFC West can be summarized as such: the Chiefs are a tease, Antec has only played one season, xgunrage is an unknown and Spyder_ rarely loses in the regular season. So it should be no surprise that the Broncos will remain at the top of this division until we see someone else put together a string of impressive wins and challenge the Broncos.
Win/Loss Predictions:
Broncos: 12-4 (division winner)
Chargers: 10-6 (tie for wildcard but lose tie breakers and miss playoffs)
Chiefs: 8-8
Raiders: 6-10
Next: NFC East (August 3rd)