Walker Sports NFL Preview Week 1

by user BigPPup

This is a weekly tradition at Walker-Sports.com. We do a quick little preview around the league and pick out the 3 or 4 most interesting or important games. These predictions are serious, but souly based on the research done within the Walker-Sports compound. So enjoy the preview, and lets see how accurate the staff is here.

We begin our trip around the league in Charlotte North Carolina, where the Carolina Panthers will play host to the Atlanta Falcons. This is a game that despite being week 1 is full of playoff implications. The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a tough 2005/06 campaign. The Falcons played in the NFC Championship game in 2005, and they were expecting big things during 2005 regular season based on the previous years success; however, that would not be the case. After a strong start to the season, the Falcons stuttered down the stretch and ended up missing the playoffs in the end.

As the 2006 season kicks off, this is the fifth year of the Mike Vick experience, and it is supposed to be the best season yet for the gifted one. Vick has struggled as a QB, as he tries to find a balance between his high flying days at Va. Tech and becoming a pocket passer who can efficiently run coach Jim Mora’s West Coast Offense. The transition has been a difficult one for the now veteran QB; however Atlanta’s success is based fully on how well Vick can run the Falcons offense. The Falcons also have a new look backfield now with T.J. Duckett shipped off to the Washington Redskins; the rushing responsibilities will rest with veteran back Warrick Dunn. The final piece of the offense was put into place with the addition of Ashley Lelie who will join Michial Jenkins and Roddy White in an effort to create a complete receiving core.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons struggled last year against the run, finishing 26th in the league. They began addressing that issue by revamping the secondary. Safety Lawyer Milloy is a veteran player, who is capable of stepping up and making tackles within the box. Add in young rising star, Chris Tucker who they acquired via trade, and the Falcons have an effective tandem in their secondary to compliment CB DeAngelo Hall. Throw in Pro-Bowl defensive end John Abraham and the Falcons have put together what should be a formidable defensive unit.

The Carolina Panthers are two seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and played in the NFC Title game last season. A sound argument can be made that the only reason the Panthers lost that game was because of injuries. They were forced to play their third string tailback in what was a valiant but a losing effort.

Well they are back this season, and appear to be even better. Steven Davis is out as the starting back leaving the bulk of the carries to DeSaun Foster, who has more than proven his worth in relief appearances in the past. Carolina also drafted stud RB DeAngelo Williams out of Memphis who can also play special teams, and looks to challenge Reggie Bush for Rookie of the Year Award. The Panthers also added Keyhsawn Johnson as a wide out. Keyhsawn will provide much needed relief for star receiver Steve Smith. Last year Smith put on a show every time he touched the field. It didn’t matter that teams quadruple teamed him (Chicago); he found a way to make big plays. The addition of Johnson means he will attract at least some attention from apposing DB’s hopefully giving Smith some more freedom to roam.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers showcased one of the best units in the league. Julius Peppers is a premiere D-end in the league. He has terrorized QB’s since he hit the league. Last season he saw his numbers dip a bit, all that will change this year with Kris Jenkins returning to the lineup after suffering a season ending injury last year. If he can stay healthy and take some pressure off Peppers and company them Panthers front four will cause havoc on any backfield they face.

This game will go far in determine who will win the NFC South, and who will have a leg up for the Wild Card. The Falcons are looking to improve on last years mark and regain their playoff form. They have made plenty of adjustments to their teams in order to be ready for this moment. However, Carolina has been many peoples pick to represent the NFC in the Super, and they look very capable of doing that. Look for the Panthers to test the newly rebuilt defense of the Falcons, with a heavy dose of the run game early on, and then transition that into some play action passes. The Falcons are an improved team but they will fall to the Panthers in week one.

Carolina 28 Atlanta 20

The Cincinnati Bengals will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to meet the Kansas City Chiefs in week 1. Both teams are entering the 2006 season with high expectations, and plenty of questions. A win in the first week, against a conference foe, will definitely go a long when come December and January.

The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the best teams in the league last season. However, none of that mattered when QB Carson Palmer went out in the first quarter of a playoff game last season. With one routine play the Bengals future was put into limbo, as everyone waited to see how he would respond.

After waiting till week 3 of the preseason Palmer looked sharp in his debut game. He torched the Packers for three first half TD’s. Two problems; 1) It’s the Packers, and they are a struggling team 2) Its preseason, and anyone who lives in the Washington D.C. can tell you that preseason doesn’t matter or count. The true test for Palmer and his recovery process will be on Week 1 of the regular season.

Other than Palmers health the Bengals have struggled with off the field issues. Seemingly every week a Bengal was being arrested for a number of different charges. As these cases progress and enter the legal system, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals can stay focused and out of trouble.

The Kansas City Chiefs are ready to begin the Herb Edwards era. Edwards wants to bring a new sense of toughness and a stronger defense to the Chiefs. His first move after stepping in as head coach was the addition of Pro-Bowl corner Ty Law. Edwards hopes his Cover 2 scheme will plug what has traditionally been one of worse defenses around the league.

On the offensive side of the ball, we will witness the passing of the torch this season. Larry Johnson will be the starting back for the duration of the season, replacing the still injured Priest Holmes. Johnson racked up over 1,000 yards in just 9 games, and people are mentioning his name in the same sentence as 2,000 yard season. Johnson has the skills and ability and he is up for that challenge. Just wish we could say the same thing about his offensive line. The Chiefs O-Line has taken a step back entering the 2006 season, most notably the lost of Tackle Willie Roaf.

Herm Edwards was brought in to get the Chiefs over the hump and make them a standout team. Too bad, that will not happen this season, and it definitely won’t happen in Week 1 against Cincinnati. The arrival of Edwards’s means the Chiefs will look to run the ball heavily, hopefully Johnson will be able to take the workload that has yet to be seen.

For as explosive as the Chiefs have been in past seasons, they have routinely struggled with weak receivers on their roster. They did nothing to address that issue during the off-season. Couple that with the departure of coordinator Al Saunders and the arrival of Herm Edwards and the Chiefs passing game may drift off into no mans land this season.

That could be a big problem on Sunday. The Bengals were one of the highest scoring teams in the league last season. Their defense is breakable, but their offensive attack is legit. To beat the Bengals a team must put up points, and a lot of them. The Chiefs will not be able to do that, and they will fall to the Bengals in Week 1.

Cincinnati 35 Kansas 24

The game that will no doubt garner some of the most attention of the weekend will be the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the Dallas Cowboys. Yes both these teams are looking to make the playoffs this season. Yes, both these teams have high expectations from fans, players, coaches and owners, and anything short of these expectations will be considered a failure.

However, none of that has anything to do with why this will be one of the most watched games of the season. It’s all about T.O. baby!!! He dominated the headlines, and news reels during the preseason, and he was riding a stationary bike. Just imagine what he will do when he hits the field and has to play. Everyone wants to see the Texas sideshow, and that is exactly why Jerry Jones brought him in. To make the Boys news worthy and relevant again is exactly why Jerry went out and found number 81.

Along with T.O. the Cowboys have made some other shifts in their offensive philosophy. They have adopted the double TE set. This will work miracles for a team that struggled with its offense last season. The Cowboys has one of the best TE’s in the game in Jason Witten, now add to the it rookie TE Anthony Fassano, and you have a formidable duo of receiving TE’s. More importantly the dual TE set gives QB Drew Bledsoe more options to hit down field. It also puts more blockers on the line that will buy the immobile QB more time to work in the pocket.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a 12 win campaign. They what may be the best QB duo in the league with Leftwich and Garrod. Too bad they both cannot play at the same time. Injuries in the backfield have left the Jags once again unsure of who will step up and lead the charge for the rushing attack. Offensive constancy has been the problem for the Jags over the past few seasons. The inability to consistently sustain drives, execute on the basics, and put points on the board, has been an issue that hurt the Jags.

Beginning the season with the Dallas Cowboys is a difficult way to find offensive stability. The Cowboys host one of the best defenses in the league, with a fast and athletic 3-4 scheme. With the addition of 2 new LB’s the Cowboys will look to attack, the Jacksonville line, and cause problems in the backfield.

Once people get past the sideshow of T.O. this will be a good game with the Cowboys stepping out into the winners circle in a close one.

Dallas 27 Jacksonville 20

Date

Wed 09/06/06, 4:40 pm EST