2009 Expert NFL Picks Preview: San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers’ 2008 season was a roller coaster ride, to say the least.

The majority of the Chargers’ season was seen as a disappointment. They struggled and were 4-8 after their first 12 games of the season. The Broncos were well ahead of them and 2008 Chargers were on the verge of becoming one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history.

However, they miraculously ended up winning their last four games of the year, while the Broncos proceeded to lose out. San Diego made the playoffs and even won a game, before being knocked out by the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So what can we expect out of the 2009 version of the San Diego Chargers?

If you’re looking for free NFL betting picks, they’ll probably end up being Division Champions in the AFC West.

The Good News

The best news in San Diego isn’t exactly who they got in the offseason. It’s all about who they got back from injury.

Shawne Merriman is back from a terrible knee injury that sidelined him for 2008 and he’s ready to wreak havoc on opposing backfields again. The Pro Bowl outside linebacker made a world of difference for the Chargers’ defense as a whole. Without him, they couldn’t seem to find any type of pass rush. Without a pass rush, their pass defense dropped to 31st in the league. They were also able to add another pass rushing specialist in Larry English through their first round draft pick.

The defense was their weak suit in 2008 and they definitely bolstered it back up.

The Bad News

The window of opportunity might be closed or closing.

They’ve been one of the most “talented” teams for about five years now. However, they always seem to blow it in the playoffs, before they can make a run.

LT dropped off quite a bit from his former self last year and Antonio Gates didn’t look like the tight end that he once was. They still don’t have a great wide receiver on the roster either. While Rivers should be able to keep their offense decent, the defense was pretty bad last year.

It remains to be seen whether one player can make that much of a difference on an entire unit. Antonio Cromartie had a terrible year last year after a league leading 10 interceptions in his rookie season, the previous year.

Do they have enough studs in the secondary to contend against the other members of the AFC West?

Outlook

As far as NFL football predictions go, the majority around the Web have the Chargers in the playoffs and as possible Super Bowl contender.

However, nothing is guaranteed in this division and they’ve been picked to make the Super Bowl for the last three years, yet they never seem to live up to high expectations.

Look for the Kansas City Chiefs to rebound and battle with the Chargers for the top spot in the West. The Chargers are still the favorite, but they’ll have a lot more competition this year than they’ve had in recent years.

 

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 Expert NFL Picks Preview: Oakland Raiders

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The 2008 version of the Oakland Raiders was a lot like the previous few years of the Oakland Raiders: dysfunctional, terrible, and a laughingstock. They stumbled through the season, fired their coach, and watched their No. 1 overall draft pick play uninspired football.

This was actually only the first half of the season! From there, it only got worse. Did the Raiders do anything in the off-season to make anyone believe that they can compete? If you’re looking for good NFL preseason football picks, look no further. The Oakland Raiders will battle it out with the Broncos for last in the division again this year.

The Good News: Hmm…surely there’s got to be something good about this upcoming season for the Raiders, right? Well, there is an ultra-talented first round running back in Darren McFadden coming back, so that’s good.

It remains to be seen whether he can carry the load for a full season or not. He played second fiddle to Justin Fargas last year until he got hurt and was knocked out for the year. If he matures and learns from last season, he could be a special player in this league.

The Bad News: Where to start? First of all, the No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell is pretty much a joke. He’s got a rifle for an arm, but unfortunately, being able to throw it the hardest doesn’t translate into Super Bowl victories.

Usually someone drafted that high is expected to be a leader. Russell showed up to camp out of shape yet again this year. His accuracy was terrible last year and he didn’t inspire much faith. In fact, they went out and got Jeff Garcia as an insurance policy this year.

Then there was the debacle of the NFL draft for the Raiders. Al “I love speed” Davis again went with his mantra. He drafted Darrius Heyward-Bey at No. 7 overall, even though every other draft board had Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin ranked ahead of him. Why did he do such a thing? Speed.

The guy can run fast. However, he can’t catch a cold, which is a bit of a problem as a wide receiver. Then as if that wasn’t a big enough joke, he drafts a safety in the second round that wasn’t projected to go until the seventh round. In fact, when Michael Mitchell’s name was called, ESPN didn’t even have any footage of the guy.

How often does that happen? Why would Al Davis do this? Again, the answer is speed. Mitchell had a good 40 time. As long as Al Davis is in charge of the Raiders, they will never be competitive again.

Outlook: Free NFL betting picks are pretty much in unison again this year in regards to the Raiders. They’re going to lose and lose frequently. They’ll probably stumble along to another three or four win season. Then Al Davis will watch the combine and proceed to draft the fastest player out there.

If you’re a Raider fan, I’m sorry, but it’s the truth and preseason wins mean absolutely nothing.

 

Make sure you Check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 NFL AFC Betting Odds & Football Picks

Every year, the NFL is full of surprises from top to bottom. Many of the teams you expect to be competitive are awful and many of the teams that no one expected to succeed, do. Therefore, picking anything in the preseason can be difficult. However, if you look for several key factors, you can usually have a good feeling about a team before the first kickoff. Let’s look at the 2009 NFL football picks in the AFC and who you should put your money on.

Baltimore Ravens +1200. This seems about right for the Ravens as they’re not yet one of the elite teams, but they’re pretty good. They lost their defensive coordinator and Bart Scott to the Jets, so the defense might have a bit of a transition period. Joe Flacco is a year older and should be better this year, but will they be able to move the ball consistently?

Buffalo Bills +2200. The Bills are coming off a disappointing season that was a bit up and down. Unfortunately, that’s the same story pretty much every season. They made a big splash signing T.O in the off-season, but will he be enough to get the team to the Super Bowl? Probably not. He’s managed to implode every team that he’s ever been on, so why would this team be any different?

Cincinnati Bengals +4000. The offseason for the Bengals isn’t so much about who they picked up, but who they’re getting back in the lineup. Carson Palmer will be back under center for the Bengals and they couldn’t be happier. Anytime your season relies on the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick like it did last year, things are not good. Bengals fans are optimistic that the former No. 1 pick can right the ship this season.

Cleveland Browns +3600. What did the Browns do in the offseason to give fans hope that they’re going to make it to the Super Bowl? Not much. Yes, they hired “Mangenius,” but how did that work out for the last team that did? He shipped off Kellen Winslow which basically only leaves “Stone Hands” Braylon Edwards to catch passes. Things are not looking good in Cleveland.

Denver Broncos +2500. Whatever the textbook definition of the “worst offseason ever” looks like, it can’t be far off from what the Broncos pulled off this year. They fired their successful coach, traded away their young Pro Bowl quarterback, angered their Pro Bowl wide receiver, and brought in a “wet behind the ears” coach. Not to mention, they now have Kyle Orton under center. Need I say more?

Houston Texans +1800. The future looks bright in Houston. If they can manage to keep Matt Schaub upright, then they’ll be able to do some things this year. They spent a lot of energy fixing the defense this year, so hopefully they got it right.

Indianapolis Colts +650. It seems like every year the Colts trot out a team and they win at least 12 games and make the playoffs. This year will be no different and this is a pretty good value here. To have the Colts at +650, you really can’t beat that. Many people think they could go all the way this year.

Jacksonville Jaguars +1800. The Jags are coming off a disappointing year that saw a lot of injury. They shipped out Fred Taylor in the off-season and made MJD their feature back. That should be a good move considering he was one of the most productive backs in the league with limited touches. They’ll have a decent year, but they didn’t do enough to make the Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs +3300. The Chiefs are coming off the worst season in franchise history, but spirits are high in K.C. They brought in the architect of the Patriots dynasty in Scott Pioli to be their GM. He’s made some great moves that include hiring Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and trading for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel with one draft pick. They won’t make it to the Super Bowl this year, but they’ll surprise some people.

Miami Dolphins +2200. Last year was a dream season for the Miami Dolphins. They made the single biggest turnaround in NFL history and made the playoffs. Will they be able to duplicate that success this year? Don’t count on it. They won’t be able to sneak up on anyone this year and they didn’t really do enough in the offseason to make it to the upper echelon. Ted Ginn is still their No. 1 receiver? Seriously?

New England Patriots +250. They are the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year. Not a good value at only +250, so you won’t be able to make much betting on them. However, there is a good chance that they’re going to go all the way, so you make the call. “The Golden Boy” Brady is back and they’re planning on going for another perfect season.

New York Jets +1800. Another one of those middle of the pack teams that probably won’t win anything of consequence. They might make the playoffs if they’re lucky, but they definitely will not make it to the Super Bowl. Rookie quarterbacks don’t have a rich history of going to the “Big Game.”

Oakland Raiders +5000. Feel like taking a flier on the team with the worst odds to make the Super Bowl this year? Don’t. There’s no way that they’ll win their division, much less make the Super Bowl. They are the laughingstock of the NFL and they’re not going to do anything this year.

Pittsburgh Steelers +450. Not a bad value here at 450. They were obviously good enough to win it last year. The big question is can they get past the Tom Brady-led Patriots? It might be worth betting on them now.

San Diego Chargers +650. According to the odds, the Chargers have a decent shot of making the Super Bowl this year. Don’t believe them. Every year they tempt you into thinking they’re going to be good. Every year, they lose in the first or second round of the playoffs. Don’t think this year will be any different. Save your money.

Tennessee Titans +1000. The Titans might be a sleeper team here. At +1000, the stakes are high enough that you could make some money, but we’re not talking about the Raiders either. They’ve got a decent team that could get hot at the right time. If you’re feeling lucky, they might be on the fringe of a Super Bowl contender.

Keep these 2009 NFL football picks in mind when you’re picking your Super Bowl teams in the near future. While this isn’t an exact science, if you put some time and research in, you’ll have a much better chance of winning some money.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Guaranteed Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 Expert NFL Picks Preview: Miami Dolphins

The 2008 version of the Miami Dolphins was a remarkable story of a complete turnaround. They went from 1-15 the previous season to 11-5 in 2008. This marks the most drastic regular season turnaround of all time and it was unbelievable to say the least.

If you would have asked any football fan in the world prior to last season if the Dolphins would make the playoffs they would have laughed uncontrollably at you. However, with the help of Bill Parcells decision making, they did just that.

Can the Dolphins continue the improvement and move up into the ranks of an elite team this season? If you’re looking for free NFL preseason picks, expect the Dolphins to contend with the Patriots for the top spot in the AFC East.

The Good News:

The good news is that they left most of what was a winning combination intact.

They brought back long-time Dolphin Jason Taylor to play linebacker and they still have Joey Porter in the fold. Pennington was a great game-managing quarterback last year and he should be no different this year. He’s still the NFL’s all time leader in passing accuracy and that will be the same as always.

Last year, the Dolphins helped make the Wildcat offense cool in the NFL. While it had been popular in college, no NFL teams had run it consistently. It was very successful for the Dolphins and that was with Ronnie Brown running the formation most of the time.

The Dolphins found a way to improve upon this formula by drafting someone who could run and pass in Pat White. They claim that he will be able to revolutionize the position. If so, this could add a huge dimension to the Phins offense.

Getting Jason Taylor back will help on defense as well. He’s still a solid player and he’ll feel more comfortable being back in Miami. They also added a great young corner in Vontae Davis out of Illinois. He should help a solid secondary become even better.

Overall, the defense is looking good and should only get better as they go.

The Bad News:

They still don’t have a legitimate No.1 receiver on the team. It would really help out the development of Pat White at the Wildcat position if he had some reliable wide receivers to throw to. Tedd Ginn Jr. is still fast and talented, but he is yet to develop into a consistent receiver. Hopefully he can justify his draft position this year and start to put up some catches and yards. There were several options out there in free agency and the draft that they passed on that could have really helped the offense.

Outlook:

If you’re looking for free NFL picks, expect the Dolphins to be about like last year. They will probably win 10 or 11 games and possibly make the playoffs. However, they’re probably not going to go deep into the playoffs just yet. They’re pretty solid all the way around, but they’re not great at anything just yet. Expect them to finish second in the division behind the Patriots.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 NFL Football Picks Preview: Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history. With a 13-3 regular season record its hard to believe that they needed a lot of help in the off-season.

However, as with any NFL team, you can always get better. Did the Titans do enough in the off-season to merit consideration as a Super Bowl contender? Will they even make it back to the playoffs? If you’re looking for free NFL preseason picks, don’t expect the Titans to even be the top team in their division, let alone the entire NFL.

The Good News

The best thing that you can say about the Titans is that they still have their unbelievable rushing attack. Last year, the “Thunder and Lightning” tandem of LenDale White and Chris Johnson led the Titans offensive attack. Chris Johnson proved that he is one of the up-and-coming running backs in the league.

His combination of speed and power is unmatched in the NFL. He was the fastest player at the combine coming out of college, but his elusiveness was a question mark.

However, after a full season, we now know that he is the real deal. Look for more of the carries to shift his direction as the season goes on. They also added another decent wide receiver in Nate Washington from the Steelers.

The Bad News

Probably the biggest setback of the off-season was losing “All-World” defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to the Washington Redskins in the opening minutes of free agency. He signed a $100 million contract to make him the highest paid defender in league history.

His brand of punishing play in the middle of the defense is not found anywhere else in the league. He will be a very tough player to replace. A talent like him does not come along very often and the Titans will not be nearly as strong on defense as a result.

They also will not be that dynamic on offense. Their pass game is still a liability in most cases. They don’t have a No. 1 wide receiver on the roster and Nate Washington isn’t about to change that. Kerry Collins is still their quarterback and he’s not getting any younger.

Then behind him, you’ve got one of the biggest head cases in professional sports in Vince Young. The only thing their offense has going for it is Chris Johnson with the occasional dose of Lendale White. Their defense might not be able to win them 13 games this year.

Outlook

Don’t look for the Titans to repeat their performance from last year. As far as NFL football betting picks go, expect the Titans to be overtaken by the Texans and Colts and finish third in their division. They’ll still be competitive, but overall, I think the Texans did enough to surpass them in the division. Even the Jaguars might jump up and compete in this division.

They’re only one season away from having a very good team and you never know what could happen. This division will be a knock-down, drag-out fight the whole way.

2009 NFL Football Picks Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

In 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a pretty decent year.

They managed to win the Super Bowl against the Arizona Cardinals and put another Lombardi Trophy in the trophy case. How do you improve upon a world championship team? Did the Pittsburgh Steelers do enough in the off-season to merit another trip back to the Promised Land?

If you’re searching for free NFL preseason picks , don’t expect the Steelers to repeat as champions. They’ll probably be a playoff team again, but there’s a rule in life that says, you’re either getting better or getting worse. You don’t just sit still and hope that no one else gets better.

That’s pretty much what the Steelers did this off-season. They just sat on their hands and hoped that no one else caught up. Let’s take a look at what the Steelers did and what they have to look forward to.

The Good News:

The good news is that they still have the best defense in football. Last year, they provided some proof to the old saying that “Defense wins championships”. They had the No.1 overall defense including a No.1 ranking in points allowed and against the pass. In addition to that, they were the second best team against the run. The only players they lost were LB Larry Foote and CB Bryant McFadden on defense.

They shouldn’t make that much of a difference as all of the defensive stars are back on board for another run. They even added a talented defensive tackle in Ziggy Hood in the draft. He could do nothing but help this defense moving forward.

The Bad News:

The bad news is that they still have the same offense. Despite the $100 million contract, Ben Roethlisberger isn’t really that great of an individual quarterback. He does have a knack for pulling off some ridiculous plays when the Steelers have to have one. As it turns out, the way the offense puts points on the board, they pretty much always have to have a heroic play just to win the game.

Last year, their running game wasn’t that great either. Both Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall were injured most of the year. The Steelers are hoping that they can stay healthy for the entire season. The Steelers did absolutely nothing to improve the offense over the off-season. They basically said, “Well, let’s see if we can win another one with the defense last year.”Somehow, I don’t think they’re going to continue to get lucky like they did last year in the Super Bowl.

They needed a few blown calls in the Super Bowl (including Holmes catch) in order to beat the Cardinals and I just don’t see it happening two years in a row. Big Ben isn’t suddenly going to wake up this year and learn how to be a prolific passer.

Outlook:

The Steelers will once again have a dominate defense and grind out 11 or 12 wins. However, if you’re looking for the shocker of free NFL football picks , I’m going to pick against the Steelers to make it back to the Super Bowl. They’ll probably make the playoffs, but don’t pick them to win it all.

2009 NFL Football Picks: Cincinnati Bengals Preview

NFL football betting is all about finding an undervalued team and riding it to victory on the money line.

 

If you can find someone that the experts don’t believe in and pick them to win, you have a good chance of making some money. Don’t expect the Cincinnati Bengals to be that team in 2009. They will probably be more respectable this year than they were last year.

 

But seriously…how could they be any worse? They were the worst team in the league on offense last year and they can only go up from there.

 

The Good News:

 

The best thing the Bengals have to look forward to this season is the return of injured quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer was out for the majority of the season last year with an injury. His absence had a domino effect on the rest of the team. The two Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers were mostly non-factors.

 

Without a quarterback the receivers couldn’t get the ball. This in turn allowed teams to cheat up and stop the run as well. Without an offense that could drive down the field, the defense didn’t get much rest and was pretty bad in their own right.

 

The Bengals did add a few good players in the off-season. They added a good receiver in Laveranues Coles from the Jets. They added a big-name safety in Roy Williams and a big defensive tackle in Tank Johnson. Their first two draft picks brought in some good talent in Andre Williams and Rey Maualuga. They’re hoping that Maualuga can bring in some leadership to the defense right off the bat.

 

The Bad News:

 

The Bengals lost their best receiver in T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks. Now they are left with Chad Ochocinco and Coles to take care of the receiving duties. T.J.’s loss will be felt in the offense this year.

 

The Bengals also have to worry about the usual legal troubles for their players. Despite having the most players in legal trouble the last few years, they went ahead and gambled on Tank Johnson and Andre Smith. This means they just added two more questionable players to the lineup.

 

For those of you who missed it, Tank got in trouble with a gun a few years back and Smith went crazy during the NFL combine this year. He came in out of shape for the biggest showcase of his life and then just decided to quit and go home. He seems like a time bomb just waiting to go off.

 

Outlook:

 

If you’re looking for free NFL picks , I’ve got a great one for you here. Don’t pick the Bengals to do anything this year. There’s really not a game on the schedule that is a sure thing for them. Every week is going to be a challenge just to stay in the game. Look for them to maybe get one or two more wins than they had last year. Beyond that, you can pretty much forget about the Cincinnati Bengals this year.

 

2009 NFL Football Picks Preview: New England Patriots

The 2008 New England Patriots were supposed to come back from their perfect regular season the year before and dominate the NFL again.

The “golden boy” Tom Brady was supposed to get back in the saddle again and ride the juggernaut back to the Super Bowl.

However, during the first half of week one, the plans got changed along the was, when Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard went for the sack on Brady, his knee buckled along with the expectations for Patriots fans everywhere.

Much to fans’ surprise, Matt Cassell stepped in and took over admirably for Brady.

He guided them to an 11-5 record and barely missed the playoffs.

How will the 2009 version of the Patriots look?

If you want free NFL picks, mark this down. The Patriots will win the division this year and make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Good News: The best news of anything is that Tom Brady is back. He has rehabbed his injury and is supposedly 100% and ready to go for the season.

It might take a little bit to get his timing back, but after a game or two, he should be back to normal.

While Matt Cassell did a fantastic job learning on the job, its hard to replace a future Hall of Fame quarterback. His presence will give the team back the confidence that they need.

As far as off-season movement goes, they made a few good acquisitions as well.

Bringing in Fred Taylor was an underrated move that will help out the running game immensely.

They haven’t had a consistent running back since Corey Dillon, and it will be nice to have another player in the same mold.

Yes, he’s on the tail end of his career, but he still has some gas in the tank.

Taylor has been one of the healthiest running backs as of late and can provide some nice runs. This will make the offense even more dynamic as they won’t have to rely solely on the passing game.

The Bad News: There isn’t anything that will be particularly crippling to the Patriots as far as who they lost. With that being said, they lost some valuable players in the offseason. Matt Cassell proved that he has the goods at quarterback.

While they’ve got Brady back, who knows what could happen. He could go down in week 1 again and then who will play quarterback?

Cassell went to Kansas City along with a great leader on defense, Mike Vrabel. Vrabel is at the end of his career, but his leadership will be sorely missed in the line-backing unit.

The Pats’ also lost another leader on defense in Rodney Harrison. He was slowing down a lot and this might actually help the level of play on the field.

However, his leadership is an intangible that will not easily be replaced.

Outlook: As far as free NFL betting picks go, this might be the easiest one out there. The Patriots will rebound to win the division this year and quite possibly the Super Bowl.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 NFL Football Picks Preview: New York Jets

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Last year, the New York Jets were all about Brett Favre. Like ESPN, they were “All Brett, All-the-Time”.

The Jets traded a draft pick for his service for one year and now he’s back out the door.

They started off great last season and everyone was happy again. However, they faltered down the stretch and missed the playoffs. Favre left the Jets without a legitimate quarterback.

Can the Jets rebound and get back to the playoffs in 2009?

As far as free NFL preseason picks are concerned, I wouldn’t put my money on them just yet. There are a lot of question marks that need to be answered before they can be considered a good team.

The Good News

One of the best things about last year was that Thomas Jones proved that he could be a consistent threat in the running game. They will probably want to rely more heavily on the ground game this year now that “Jet Favre” is out the door.

While Favre left a void at quarterback, they filled it by selecting highly touted Mark Sanchez out of USC with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. They gave up a lot to trade up and get Sanchez, so they’re really hoping that he pans out. They also gave him a huge guaranteed contract, without ever seeing him throw a pass in the NFL.

Another great move was bringing in Rex Ryan as the team’s head coach and showing “Mangenius” the door. Ryan is looking to bring his tenacious brand of “D” to the Jets. Bringing in linebacker Bart Scott from the Baltimore Ravens will help instill the culture that he needs as well. It will be a huge help if Ryan can do in New York what he did to the Ravens’ defense.

The Bad News

Probably the biggest question of the upcoming season is, how will Mark Sanchez play? The Jets obviously believe in him or they wouldn’t have traded up to get him and hand him a big contract. They’re probably looking to throw him in the fire immediately. This means that there’s a good chance that he’ll struggle right off the bat. The question then is, whether he can bounce back from the struggles or if he’ll just drown in the sea of adversity.

The ability to bounce back is what separates the great quarterbacks from the rest. We’ll likely find out which category Sanchez fits into this season.

There is also a void at wide receiver now. They still have Jericho Cotchery, but they lost Laveranues Coles to the Cincinnati Bengals. While Coles wasn’t exactly considered an elite receiver, he was definitely a solid option in the passing game. Now, the Jets don’t really know where they are going to get the production from. Hopefully Brad Smith or someone on the roster can jump up and be productive.

Outlook

If you’re looking for free NFL picks , I’d put the Jets in no higher than the third position in the division. Depending on how the Buffalo Bills are, the Jets might even fall to last place in the division.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

2009 NFL Football Picks Preview: Houston Texans

The 2008 Houston Texans had a roller coaster of a season. They started out slowly and then rebounded to have a decent year. They missed the playoffs, but they made the long climb to respectability.

They had a great offense and the defense was a little questionable. The off-season was spent trying to shore up the defense and they believe that they’ve done enough to be contenders in the AFC South this year. If you’re looking for NFL preseason football picks , expect the Texans to be one of the three best teams in the division this year.

The Good News: The best news is what the Texans bring back from last year. They already had a pretty strong nucleus last year, but injuries to Matt Schaub hurt the team early in the year. They have a solid, accurate quarterback in Schaub if they can keep him healthy.

They also have one of the top five receivers in the league in Andre Johnson. Last year, he made fantasy football owners extremely happy with the stats that he put up. They also managed to find a great rookie running back last year in Steve Slaton.

Slaton didn’t start out as the “go-to-guy” but emerged as that later in the season. With a year under his belt, he should be even better this year. They also added some good defensive talent in Antonio Smith and Shaun Cody in free agency. They drafted a potential stud linebacker in Brian Cushing as well. They hope that these additions can help the defense catch up with the offense.

The Bad News: Other than “The Big Three”, the Texans need someone else to step up on offense. They need some more help to keep their big guns from being double teamed all the time. Can Walters step up and make some catches to help out the offense? Will anyone be able to give Slaton a breather from time to time?

The defense is still a big question mark at this point. While they added some nice names in the off-season, no one knows exactly how it will work out until they play together in some games. They can look great in training camp, but until it happens for real, there’s no reason to get excited. They do have Mario Williams at defensive end, but besides him, they need to generate a pass rush. They also need some consistency at linebacker if they’re going to make the jump to a playoff team in 2009.

Outlook: As far as free NFL betting picks go, expect the Texans to be a winning team this season. They will probably battle for a Wild Card berth in the playoffs. They’re not ready to unseat the Colts as the perennial division No. 1, but they will battle with the Titans to be the second team from the division into the playoffs. Again, the big questions are on defense. Can they find some defensive leaders to step up and make some plays? If so, they could be a force to be reckoned with this season.

Make sure you check out Vernon Croy’s Expert NFL Picks this season.

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