SportsFullCircle

Now that we have named all of our division winners, it’s time to take a look at those teams that just missed winning their division and will compete for the two Wild Card spots in the American Football Conference. There are four teams I am going to identify who I believe are true contenders for the Wild Card, they are the Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New York Jets, the Tennessee Titans, the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.

The Tennessee Titans won a Wild Card spot last year, but I do not believe their team is good enough this year. They drafted yet another running back in the first round of the draft and failed to give Vince Young a viable option to throw to. Vince Young probably regressed last year from his rookie year and I’m not sure if he will be good enough to be the leader of this team. I’m also not sure if his heart is in it after apparently almost retiring after his rookie season in which he won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The Houston Texans are close to becoming a winning team but I don’t think they are quite there yet. I see the Texans as a team that is a piece away. Matt Schaub looked good last year, and so did the Texans as a whole. Mario Williams solidified his status as a great defensive end and showed he was deserving of the number one overall pick in the 2006 draft. I do not think their defense is good enough overall though, and I think they will have a tough time competing with the teams in their own division.

The Buffalo Bills are probably a little further away than these other teams. Their defense is decent, and their offense will be too, if they can find a good starting quarterback. I only really consider them a contender for the Wild Card because their defense looks to be good, and if they get solid play at quarterback they’ll have a better chance than, for example, Tennessee if Vince Young doesn’t improve his play the way he should.

The New York Jets are another team with a puncher’s chance. Chad Pennington has been a good quarterback in the past, and Kellen Clemens was the Jets second round draft pick only a couple of years ago. However, QB play will determine the Jets’ success, and they can only make the playoffs if they find a quarterback to anchor the ship (or plane). The Jets improved a lot in the offseason. They signed Calvin Pace, Alan Faneca, and Damien Woody, they traded for Kris Jenkins, traded away Jonathan Vilma, and also drafted Vernon Gholston and Dustin Keller. Keller will be a receiving threat out of the slot, Gholston and Pace should be great rush linebackers (like the tandem of Phillips and Merriman in San Diego), Jenkins should sure up the middle, and Faneca and Woody will make the offensive line much better. Trading Vilma was good because he didn’t fit the Jets 3-4 scheme, and now they can put David Harris, their second round pick in the 2007 draft in his place. The Jets also have an extremely easy schedule, and have a chance to rebound from the disappointing 2007 campaign. I am a Jets fan, so call me a homer for giving them a chance, but I saw the 06′ Jets make the playoffs after an awful 05′ season. The league is filled with parody, and whether or not you like it, it’s easy for teams that aren’t great like the Jets to make the playoffs. I still think the Jets will narrowly miss out on a spot though.

Expect the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars to win the Wild Card spots. The Browns have a great quarterback in Derek Anderson and are coming off a great 2007 season. They also have a resurgent Jamal Lewis and a defense that has room for improvement, but should be good enough to help the Browns win games. Braylon Edwards is a top tier receiver as well.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won a playoff game as a Wild Card team in Pittsburgh last year, and expect them to win a spot again. David Garrard has emerged as a great QB, Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor are a great tandem at tail back, and the defense stops anyone and everyone from scoring.

NFC Wild Card teams come tomorrow.