Not So Fast Heading into the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Eagles have been dubbed the "Dream Team" by many. After acquiring five former Pro Bowlers through trade or free agency, the Eagles are the heavy favourites in the NFC East. Head coach Andy Reid made his biggest acquisitions in the defensive secondary, where they were able to add former Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who many believe to be the best corner in the NFL. The Eagles also acquired Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals (part of a deal that sent QB Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals). The Eagles also added firepower up front on the defensive line, adding former Green Bay Packer Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin from the Buffalo Bills. Offensively, the Eagles running game received a boost after signing Ronnie Brown as a compliment to LeSean McCoy. The most underrated signing may have been WR Steve Smith, who agreed to a one-year deal after leaving a division rival in the New York Giants. Former Pro Bowl QB Vince Young was even added to build depth at the QB position after the loss of Kolb to Arizona. And that leads us to Michael Vick. After starting only 12 games last season, Vick set career marks in completions, passing yardage, passer rating and both passing and rushing touchdowns. As a result, the Eagles made Vick one of the highest paid players in the league, signing him to a 6-year $100 million contract. So we now know who the NFC representative is at this years Super Bowl in Indianapolis right? Not so fast my friend. This has been a very awkward off season in the NFL thanks to the lockout, and I believe the teams most affected are the ones that either expect rookies to play impact positions (i.e. QB), or the teams that made changes within their coaching staffs. While the Eagles dont have a rookie QB expected to start this year, they do have a new offensive line coach and a new defensive coordinator. Juan Castillo takes over as the DC, after spending 13 years as the Eagles offensive line coach (Ive never heard of such a transition on a staff!) When new systems are installed on either side of the ball, a new philosophy and a new terminology come with it. Because of the lockout, players werent able to participate in mini-camps, or organized team activities to learn the subtleties needed to perform at the highest level when the season begins. Instead, theyve been forced to take on a one-month crash course throughout summer training camp, before the games begin to count this upcoming Sunday. Can the Eagles defence gel in time? Is Michael Vick a one-year-wonder since his return from prison two years ago? Nobody denies the talent level on this Eagles team, and the Eagles should be the favorites to win the NFC East, but Im not ready to crown them Super Bowl champions just yet. Finally Their Time? Could this finally be the year the Detroit Lions make some noise in the NFC North? The Lions showed tremendous promise late last season, when they won their final four games of the regular season. I thought the Lions had an outstanding draft in April. Unfortunately, many of their incoming rookies have been forced to miss time due to injuries this past summer. Defensive tackle and first-round pick Nick Fairley suffered a foot injury that required surgery and RB Mikel LeShoure was lost for the season after tearing his Achilles. It wasnt only the rookies who got hurt, as mainstay left tackle Jeff Backus tore a pectoral muscle, and is questionable for Week 1. Even with all of the injury concerns, I think the Lions can still compete to make a post-season run. QB Matthew Stafford has suffered multiple injuries in his first three seasons as a starting QB, but he bulked up this off-season in hopes of playing all 16 regular season games. Stafford spent the entire off-season throwing to big-play WR Calvin Johnson, who is coming off a 1,120 yard, 12 TD campaign in 2010. This past spring marked the second consecutive off-season Stafford and Johnson have spent together. You can never underestimate the chemistry between a QB and his top WR, and this will be the season that fans begin to see the fruit of their labor. Stafford and Johnson have only played 13 games together in the past two seasons, but they each have enormous big play ability. Johnson is already one of the best deep threats in the NFL, and Staffords best attribute is his ability to throw the football downfield and stretch defences. While the passing game expects to receive a major boost with a healthy Stafford, the running game can benefit from a healthy Jahvid Best this season. Best has the quickness and the speed to gash defences in the run game, and he catches the football extremely well out of the backfield. It was unclear whether or not Best would be the feature back this season, but with the sudden loss of rookie LeShoure, it becomes critical that Best stays healthy. Over the past three years, the Lions have been systematically building one of the NFLs best defences, and theyve been able to construct one of the leagues best defensive units through the draft. Last years first-round pick Ndamukong Suh was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and played in the Pro Bowl. Suh will team with former Auburn standout Fairley on the interior of the defensive line, and cause major schematic issues for opposing offences. When looking at the big picture, the majority of the veterans on the Lions roster have now played in the same system for three seasons. Familiarity often breeds success in the NFL; and if the Lions can stay healthy this year, watch out. Learning Curve Im very curious to see how the NFL lockout will impact incoming NFL rookie quarterbacks. Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker and Christian Ponder were all selected in the first round of this past years NFL draft. While Newton and second-round pick Andy Dalton are the only ones expected to start Week 1, Im expecting the lack of preparation this off-season to affect every rookie QBs performance early this year. The jump from college football to the pros is a steep one. Quarterbacks often need a full off-season of mini-camps and organized team activities to allow themselves the best chance of success if they are pushed into the starting lineup in their rookie season. Rookie QBs need to spend countless hours in the playbook, familiarizing themselves with foreign schemes and complex passing attacks. They also require time on the field with their receiving targets, to find the rhythm and timing that every successful passing game has. Without ample time to prepare for training camp, offensive coordinators around the league had to limit the amount of offence they could install this summer, opting for simpler schemes that their rookie QBs could digest. Players like Newton and Dalton were spoon fed throughout four pre-season games, often facing more vanilla looks on defence from their opposition. But now the training wheels come off, as the regular season is about to get underway. Defensive blitz packages will begin to look a lot more unfamiliar, and coverage schemes much more complex. I cant help but feel for Panthers play-caller Rob Chudzinski and Bengals play-caller Jay Gruden, because they have to keep things simple enough on offence so that their QB can execute, while trying to remain balanced and multiple enough so that they arent easy to defend. On a side note, many people (including myself) thought Stanford QB Andrew Luck made the wrong decision this past spring, when he decided to forgo the NFL draft in order to return for his junior season at Stanford. Luck was expected to be the 1st overall pick had he come out, but wanted to return for his junior season to polish his game, and compete for a PAC 12 title. Looking back in hindsight, he made the right decision. The lockout would have only hampered his chance of success this season, and his value goes up with another year of college football under his belt. Expectations are always high for QBs that get drafted early, but the QB position is the most difficult position to play in team sports. The lockout didnt do several rookie QBs any favours this season. Super Bowl Prediction Its always fun to predict which team will win the Super Bowl before the season has even started. Many believe the Green Bay Packers return the fire power needed to make another run at the Vince Lombardi trophy. While Green Bay has to like their chances with Aaron Rogers returning at QB, I believe it will be another QB hoisting the trophy in Lucas Oil Stadium come February: Tom Brady. The New England Patriots are mad. The Patriots lost in Super Bowl XLII, blowing their chance of becoming the second team ever to go undefeated throughout the course of a season. The 2009 season ended with a crushing defeat at Baltimore in the wild card round of the playoffs. Last year, the Patriots carried the AFCs No. 1 seed into the post season, and promptly lost at home to their hated division rival, the New York Jets. Three straight playoff losses, each one more embarrassing than the next. NFL MVP Tom Brady returns after throwing 36 TD passes versus only four interceptions, and is in search of his fourth Super Bowl championship. Bad news for opposing defences this year, as the Pats are loaded at the wide receiver position. The Patriots signed former Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco, who now pairs with Wes Welker and Deon Branch. Second-year TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez team to make one of the best pass catching TE tandems in the league. On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots became a whole lot more multiple, and a whole lot more dangerous this off-season. After two tumultuous seasons in Washington, former Pro Bowl DT Albert Haynesworth was traded to New England in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Many people viewed this as a potentially risky acquisition for the Pats, but the change of scenery has been uplifting for the massive 66 335 lbs defensive tackle. Haynesworth said that he feels rejuvenated in New England, and that unfortunately spells bad news for Patriots opponents this year. Bill Belichick will have the option of lining Haynesworth up alongside Pro Bowl DT Vince Wolfork, who normally lines up at nose tackle. The Pats ran a 3-4 scheme 40% of the time a year ago, and with the addition of Haynesworth, may now opt for more of a four down look along the defensive line. One key ingredient missing from the Patriots a year ago was the presence of a pass rusher on the outside of the defensive line. The Patriots feel theyve filled that void, stealing DE Shawn Ellis away from their division rival New York Jets, and signing him to a one-year deal. Head coach Belichick is in his 37th season coaching in the NFL, and is now the most tenured among active head coaches. Hes already coached three New England teams to the Super Bowl championship; this years team could be the fourth. [url=http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.com/Steve-Larmer-Blackhawks-Jersey/]http... . Ike Davis hit a tiebreaking double during a four-run 10th inning, Shoppach had a two-run homer and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-5 Tuesday night for their third straight victory. [url=http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.com/Jonathan-Toews-Blackhawks-Jersey/]ht... .C. -- Kamloops, B. [url=http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.com/Martin-Havlat-Blackhawks-Jersey/]htt... . A football player, lets call him Quarterback X, has an extraordinary college career that includes winning the Heisman Trophy and leading his team to a national championship while playing in the SEC, the toughest NCAA conference there is. [url=http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.com/]http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.... . Lucic, a second-round choice in 2006, is a Vancouver native and was a key part of Bostons 2011 Stanley Cup victory over the Canucks. He had five goals and seven assists in that championship run. "I have spent five great years here in Boston and Ive really embraced the city and the Boston Bruins, and they have embraced me," he said in a conference call. [url=http://www.blackhawkshockeyproshop.com/Stan-Mikita-Blackhawks-Jersey/]http:... . Using a pick acquired from Sherbrooke, the Wildcats selected the five-foot-11, 175-pound captain of the Russian under-17 team. ST. LOUIS -- Carlos Gonzalez is feeling good once again. Thats great news for the Colorado Rockies. Gonzalez, in his eighth game back since coming off the disabled list on Aug. 6, hit a three-run homer, Jason Hammel pitched into the seventh inning and the Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 on Saturday night. Gonzalez also doubled in a run in the ninth to help the Rockies snap a three-game slide. Colorado had dropped its last five games in St. Louis by a combined 22-3 score. Left-hander Jaime Garcia had a rare off night at home as St. Louis fell five games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central. Gonzalez hit his 18th homer in the third inning, sending an 0-2 pitch over the wall in right. He also became the first lefty batter to connect against Garcia since Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard accomplished the feat on July 21, 2010. "Im getting better, but I still have a lot to work on," Gonzalez said. "Ive only been playing for a week. Im really excited because things are going to get better. Gonzalez went on the disabled list with a strained right wrist on July 22. Colorado manager Jim Tracy believes Gonzalez is close to 100 per cent. "Hes looking like the Carlos Gonzalez that weve been accustomed to seeing around here," Tracy said. Gonzalez also homered in Friday nights 6-1 loss and has three homers in his last six games. He has three homers and nine RBIs since returning from the DL. The Rockies have homered in their last six road games. Garcia (10-6) gave up five runs and six hits in five innings, dropping to 6-3 with a 2.06 ERA in 11 home starts this season. Hammel (7-11) allowed one run and five hits in 6 1-3 innings to earn his first win since July 29 at San Diego. "The big difference today was I had fastball command on both sides of the plate," Hammel said. "I did some things on the side in between my previous starts. I knoww that I can dominate.dddddddddddd This is a step in the right direction." Hammel has been plagued by inconsistency this season after getting off to a 5-1 start. "It was as aggressive a performance as hes had all year," Tracy said. "He did a great job of establishing his fastball for strikes." St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday, who went 0 for 3, agreed. "He had great stuff and he didnt make a lot of mistakes," Holliday said. David Freese drove in Holliday with a fielders choice and Yadier Molina singled to put runners on first and second before Hammel was replaced by Josh Roenicke in the seventh. Third baseman Chris Nelson then started an inning-ending double play with a diving catch on Ryan Theriots line drive. Todd Helton hit a two-run double in the fifth inning to push Colorados lead to 5-0. Garcia is 0-2 with a 17.28 ERA this season against the Rockies. He gave up a career-high 11 earned runs in a 15-4 loss at Colorado on May 28. "Obviously, walks arent the thing you want as a pitcher," Garcia said. "They came back to hurt me. All you can do is put it behind you." Three of the four walks issued by Garcia eventually scored. Albert Pujols, who entered the game 2 for 2 against Hammel, went 0 for 2 with a walk against the right-hander. NOTES: Edwin Jackson (8-8, 4.07 ERA) makes his fourth start for St. Louis against Esmil Rogers (6-1, 5.85 ERA) on Sunday night. ... St. Louis OF Allen Craig is mired in an 0-for-10 slump. ... The Rockies have 33 home runs against left-handers this season, second in the NL. ... Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning stopped by to visit with Helton during batting practice. The two were former football teammates at the University of Tennessee. ... St. Louis IF Rafael Furcal extended his season-high hitting streak to eight games with a third-inning single. ' ' '