Preseaon NFL rant

Training camps open up later this month and soon the NFL season will commence. It will be another season for me to root against Payton Manning, hate Herm Edwards, watch the Texans miss the playoffs and wait another year to go piss in the confluence of the rivers in Pittsburgh. Oh yeah and figure out how to make a Joe Pisarcik reference each week.

It will also be another season in which old man Ford tries to figure out how to fire Matt Millen from beyond. Maybe Tony Romo will remember to start his vacation after the season. And just maybe the Patriots will remember if you're going to lose a one game all year it shouldn't be the Super Bowl.

Being a Texans fan hasn't been easy but I scan the NFL landscape and rejoice I'm not a Dolphins or Bears fan. The Bear quarterback situation is a disaster. Only Miami fans can look at the Bears quarterbacks and be envious.

It's a shame Brett Farve didn't ride off into the sunset. At first I thought it was the media stirring up all the unretirement mess. Green Bay should have taken the high road and given Farve his release. Farve is a fierce competator and last year showed he can still be a good player. Realistically though where can Farve step into the starters role and make the team a serious Super Bowl contender? Minnesota comes to mind. Combine Farve with Adrian Peterson and the Vikings defense and the Vikes become a instant threat to win the NFC. However, I don't see Green Bay releasing him to play for a division archrival. The only other teams where Farve might be a good fit are Washington or Buffalo.

As much as it pains me to admit, Dallas is the class of the NFC but the Giants and Vikings are half a step behind. In the AFC it's the Pats and Colts with the Chargers and Jaguars a hair below.

Pittsburgh just has too many questions to be considered an elite team anymore. Age and free agency have caught up with the O-line. Denver and Jacksonville showed the Steelers can be pushed around. The Steelers can still win it all but it is a tough road with the Pats, Colts, Chargers and Jags standing in the way. An interesting side show will be if the Rooney brothers turn the ownership issue into an old man pissing match. As much as I like chaos, I'd hate to see the Rooneys no longer majority owners of the Steelers.

As usual I save my Texans comments for last. The hype is that the this might be the year the Texans make a playoff push. I don't see it happening it all. First of all the Colts and Jags reside in the same division. The Titans will have a big say on how the Texans season will go. The offensive line remains a big question mark. Matt Schaub needs to stay upright all season an running back needs to emerge. The defense has a nice base of young players in Mario Williams, Amobi Akoye and DeMeco Ryans but Dunta Robinson's injury keeps the second player off the field until November. To top it off the first five games are brutal. The first game is at Pittsburgh, first home game with the Ravens and on the road for games @Tennessee and @Jacksonville and the home to face the Colts. A 1-4 start isn't unrealistic and 0-5 is quiet possible.

The early predictions range from 7-9 to 9-7 with a rare 10-6. I'm jumping in on the early prediction business. My bold fearless prognostication is that they go 7-9. They start the season 1-4 with the Ravens the lone victory. The will split the season with the Jags and Titans with two losses to the Colts. Here's to hoping I'm wrong and they make the playoffs.

For the third season I'll be on my perch near the twenty five yard line yelling and wishing bad things on the opponent. In spite of my prediction....BRING ON THE STEELER!!!! That hatred still burns from the Oiler days.