Jeff Risdon - Football Analysis

The Cowboys possess plenty of prominent talent in their primes, and the reinforcements on the defense should pay immediate dividends. But a difficult schedule and a penchant for wilting under the hot spotlight make it hard to trust them as a serious contender. Read more »

On Tom Brady, Michael Vick, Doug Martin, Jason Pierre-Paul, Luke Kuechly, Alex Smith, Calvin Johnson, MJD, RG3, the playoff teams, a humble Super Bowl prediction and much more. Read more »

The injuries and age on defense for the Steelers is worrisome, as is the pass protection and underwhelming rotation at running back. Read more »

The offensive firepower of the Eagles is easy to love and their vast improvements on defense should allow them to win the NFC East and a first round bye. Read more »

For as much promise as Peyton Manning brings, the rest of the offense is largely the same unit that was one of the most inefficient in NFL history. The defense has questions on the back end and little depth anywhere, which is compounded by a brutal schedule. Read more »

How the Buccaneers start is critical to Greg Schiano’s fate as he arrives untested from Rutgers and he'll need Josh Freeman to drastically turn his career around. Read more »

Baltimore has been one of the most consistent winners in the league, and that is no accident. Even though there are reservations about Joe Flacco at quarterback and the offensive tackle situation, the offense will be productive enough to keep up. Read more »

If the Seahawks can survive their early season tests, they can surge late and win the NFC West in a surprise, especially if they go with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Read more »

The Redskins will be better but chalk this year up to determining who fits with Robert Griffin III as the secondary is not of the caliber to truly compete for the NFC East. Read more »

Last year this team went 6-10 despite a dreadful defense and poor special teams. Both of those will be improved in 2012, and the offense remains potent behind MVP candidate Cam Newton. Read more »

Peyton Manning's Denver debut, the draft ramifications of Tyrann Mathieu, Jonathan Vilma's can't-lose situation, Usain Bolt as a wideout and more. Read more »

The Cardinals have enough talent to make the playoffs and should have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but their play at quarterback, running back on the line will make scoring points difficult. Read more »

The hard part here is determining who the “real” Bengals are; was the 4-12 of 2010 or the playoff team of 2011 the true stripes of the tiger? We strongly believe it is the latter. Read more »

If Chris Johnson returns to form and Matt Hasselbeck starts all 16 games, the Titans will be a playoff team that can surprise a lot of people with 10 or even 11 wins. Read more »

It’s real hard to not like what the Lions have done under GM Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz, and the potential is certainly here to build off last year’s playoff berth. Read more »

How the 2012 season shakes out for the Chiefs will depend on how well Jamaal Charles returns a torn ACL. Read more »

The Colt McCoy Era appears to be over in Cleveland, but it remains to be seen exactly what they will do with him. Read more »

The Jets will focus on running the football, but the dynamic between Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow will be the most interesting storyline in New York this season. Read more »

On Matt Barkley, the youth of the Browns, Dez Bryant, Wes Welker, Marshawn Lynch, Joe Paterno and even Jeremy Lin. Read more »

Starting over is never easy, and while I expect better health and a confidence bump from Jeff Fisher, this is not a quick fix; no team that has ever been more than -200 in point differential one season has had more than seven wins the following year. Read more »