Miami has a bunch of guys who could do well with good coaching. The injury bug hosed them hard last year on offense, and the Ajayi trade is a head-scratcher that I still don't understand. Their line is still bad...bottom 10 at best...but I think this year will be a marked improvement over last. They were that bad. Kenyon Drake is good, but I'm worried that Gore will get far more playing time than a RB at his age should. Parker is good, and will be able to fully emerge now that Landry and Cutler are gone, and the rest of their WR corps is underrated. Gesicki is Aaron Hernandez without the murders, and I expect him to dominate in the Red Zone. Speaking of Cutler, they won 6 games with Mr. Apathy tossing the ball like a decline-phase Rex Grossman. If Tannehill stays healthy, they'll win at least 9. And I'm not a fan of Tanny. Their defense should be better if it can stay healthy, but CB and DT are still huge question marks. Second place should be a good dog fight between them and the Jets with neither making the playoffs, with Buffalo falling back to their familiar home in last. The Spawns of Satan take the division, of course.

The AFC North is going to be Pittsburgh. Cincy should keep second, but I expect Cleveland to be MUCH better this year with Hue Jackson not calling the plays. If Cleveland finished 8-8 and second in the division I would not be surprised. I think Baltimore still has a ways to go, and won't really contend until Flacco gets the boot next offseason.

The South is going to produce 2-3 playoff teams. Jacksonville is a shoe-in barring injury, and I think Houston will be right behind them under the same circumstances. The Titans have a floor of respectable and a ceiling of dark horse, and Indy will come in last regardless of Luck's health...but, with key players healthy, none of these teams should finish with fewer than 6 wins.

The AFC West can go one of 3000 ways. If Case wasn't a fluke in Minnesota, which is 50/50, Denver wins handily. Even if he was a pretender, I think the Broncs still win 8. The fate of the Chiefs rests with Mahomes...and Andy Reid's idiocy. I'd like Phillip Rivers to go out in a blaze of glory, but I think that he just gradually withers away into obscurity like my hero Dan Marino. The Raiders are going to look incredibly stupid with the Gruden hire, and Gruden is going to lose all of the coaching credibility he never deserved by week 10. I think the Raiders being a dumpster fire is the easiest call in the division, and if they aren't picking in the top 5 next draft it will be because Carr and Mack take the team onto their shoulders like they've never done before.

The NFC is boring and inferior.

The East goes Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Redskins. The Eagles do not fall off, but are given more competition by both Dallas and New York. I think Eli and the Giants just miss the playoffs, and the Redskins completely fail at sports.

The North is taken by the Vikings, with the Packers taking the second Wild Card spot with Dallas. The Lions regress a bit, but still put up enough of a fight to have an outside shot at the playoffs. The Bears are better, but are picking in the latter half of the top 10 again.

The South turns into a true battleground. I think Brees and the Saints pull out one last year of magic and take the division in week 17, but are subsequently and brutally dumped in the first round. The Panthers are the odd team out of the NFC playoffs, with the Buccs coming in third after yet another total collapse by Atlanta.

The West is all Rams, with the 49ers coming in second but not nearly as strongly as many pundits would hope. The Seahawks collapse continues, and the Cardinals pick first in next year's draft. Fitzgerald probably isn't back after this season.