Week 1 of 2011-12 NFL Season Is Set To Kickoff

What did the final preseason game for the Browns reveal? Absolutely nothing. Now, it's showtime. The Browns will open the season against the Bengals, a division rival. It's an opportunity for Cleveland to make a statement, that they are here to play and here to stay. This weeks opening schedule to kickoff the season matches up teams who will be hotly contesting rivals. It almost looks like the playoffs are already beginning. You have New Orleans at Green Bay, Pittsburgh at Baltimore, Indianapolis at Houston, Minnestoa at San Diego, and Dallas at NY Jets. Well, maybe alittle like the playoffs.

No Brett Favre and no Peyton Manning to open the season. It just won't be the same. Indianapolis will be without Manning for the first time in 13 years. Kerry Collins will be taking the snaps against division rival Houston, who by the way are heavily favored to be the AFC South winners. Peyton Manning, being the competitive person he is, relishes that revelation like a horse fly on a fishing trip that just won't leave you alone and you can't get rid of, unless you kill it. If Collins is unable to pull off a Manning, Houston should take this one.

Green Bay and New Orleans are also heavily favored to take there divisions, and going a step further, popular choices to be facing each other in the Stuper Bowl. By the way, that is not a typo. Alot can happen between now and then and NFL predictions are like hurricane forecasts, they have an idea where it may go, but until it goes there, its anybody's guess. Green Bay should top out New Orleans in the opener.

Now we come to Pittsburgh at Baltimore. It's getting pretty tiresome seeing these two teams in the playoffs year after year and the predictions aren't helping any. Hopefully, in this season opener, the two of them will knock each other seriously silly so neither of them will be able to recover to their full senses in time for the seasons ending. Since that is highly unlikely, Cleveland and Colt McCoy are going to have to help us with this one and that would be a welcome change. I am giving the edge to Baltimore, only because it is a home game.

San Diego, no hands down, is picked to be the winner of their division, but like so many times before, that is where it ends for them. Minnesota doesn't figure into the final analysis even though Donavan McNabb is taking the snaps for them this year. They still look like last years team, just different quarterbacks. Philip Rivers and the Chargers should win the opener.

The teams that may surprise this year are the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. Just a footnote out of history: They were the two teams that took their divisions with a losing record in the strike shortened season of 1982. Well, there was a strike this year, but happily all parties settled and the NFL is ready to play a complete schedule. Let us flip flop that idea. Maybe, these two teams will take their divisions with a losing record in a full season. Why not, Seattle did it last year. The Browns need a wide receiver, like Joshua Cribbs for example, to step up and they will be complete. Honest, I am not drinking any achoholic beverages as I am writing this piece. I am going to throw the Buffalo Bills in for good measure.

Finally, these are only some of the predictions found on Fox Sports. Other commentators heavily favor the New England Patriots as the Super Bowl Champions when all is said and done and that probably makes alot of people wish for a strike. No-Show Cinco and Bill Belichick are an unlikely fit in my books and if Moss decides to join the Patriots, watch out, No-show will be acting like an out of control brat if he doesn't get all the attention.