NFL Talk Guru Style

Let's hit the ground running, shall we?



Here we are, half way through the 2009 preseason, and as your window into everything Miami Dolphins and the rest of the National Football League I can tell you this:



1. Brett Favre is more likely to pull a hammy by Minnesota's second game than he is to have another 6-touchdown pass afternoon like he did last year with the New York Jets while playing in their throwback uniforms against the Arizona Cardinals.



2. The above Brett Favre reference is likely the last one you are going to see on this blog until said hammy is pulled or he melts down against his former team, the Green Bay Packers.



3. Jason Taylor was poised to have the type of season he had in 2006 when he was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year before Matt Roth landed on the Non-Football Injury list. With 12-15 pounds of added muscle to his 6-foot-6 frame and having gone through Miami's rigorous offseason conditioning program, Taylor is going to give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares as they try to decide who to double team, him or Joey Porter.



4. Jets fans are in for another long season with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez looking like a deer in headlights last night against the Ravens and Kellen Clemens looking even worse. To use the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for," how many Jets fans are rethinking their push to get rid of Chad Pennington right about now?



5. Tom Brady is less than a year removed from one of the most severe knee injuries imaginable, one that it took Carson Palmer two years to come back from and show his old form, yet just about everybody and their brother are picking the Pats to win the Super Bowl? Am I missing something here? There is no doubt New England will be a force to be reckoned with again, but a little perspective here people; the AFC East is not as down as it was two years ago when Brady and company tore through it and the rest of the league like a vicious tornado.



6. The NFC East certainly will be entertaining to watch this year between the Philadelphia Eagles and the whole Michael Vick-Donovan McNabb dynamic and how the Dallas Cowboys adjust to life in a ridiculously over-the-top stadium minus Jessica Simpson in the crowd.



7. Last year the NFC South almost sent three teams to the playoffs, with the Bucs getting eliminated on the last day of the season by the Oakland Raiders. That won't happen again this year as Tampa Bay and Carolina look like they are rebuilding, but Atlanta, with the addition of Tony Gonzalez at tight end, could be dangerous if Matt Ryan repeats his rookie performance.



8. As easy it would be to anoint the Arizona Cardinals as repeat winners of the NFC West with Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald still in the fold, don't be surprised if the San Francisco 49ers sneak in there and make things interesting. Now that Mike Singletary has had a full offseason and training camp in charge, he will prove more than capable of competing with the big boys.



9. The Pittsburgh Steelers' chances of defending their Super Bowl title have taken two hits directly related to their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. First they had to deal with the off-the-field distraction related to a civil suit filed against Big Ben for alleged sexual assault, and now his Achilles' injury is going to require delicate care, which will limit his reps between now and the opener. The last time Roethlisberger had these many issues to deal with before the season (can you say motorcycle accident without a helmet?), Pittsburgh finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs and that was 2006, the year after they won Super Bowl XL.



10. See what one successful season under the Bill Parcells regime can do for you? The Dolphins netted four primetime games (two on Monday Night Football, one on Sunday Night Football and one on Thursday Night Football) after having none, zilch, zero last year. The networks know compelling story lines when they see them, and after Miami unveiled the "Wildcat" again on Saturday night against Carolina, it's clear this will not be a boring team.



Since this is my first post I'm not yet sure if I will follow this format each time out or just mix things up a little to keep it fresh. But summer is definitely over my friends, so feel free to dive into football with the Guru and engage in some healthy debates.



Sayonara for now!!