It’s the early odds on team’s chances to make the Super Bowl. What are your team’s chances? Just look below. My team, the Falcons, well, they’re pretty much as long a shot as there is, and at 100-1, I think that’s kind of unfair (this one should be somewhere in the thousands or millions). Pats at 7-2? Chargers at 7-1? I like that action. . .

Arizona Cardinals 50 - 1
Atlanta Falcons 100 - 1
Baltimore Ravens 75 - 1
Buffalo Bills 50 - 1
Carolina Panthers 40 - 1
Chicago Bears 35 - 1
Cincinnati Bengals 60 - 1
Cleveland Browns 25 - 1
Dallas Cowboys 6 - 1
Denver Broncos 50 - 1
Detroit Lions 80 - 1
Green Bay Packers 25 - 1
Houston Texans 60 - 1
Indianapolis Colts 7 - 1
Jacksonville Jaguars 12 - 1
Kansas City Chiefs 100 - 1
Miami Dolphins 100 - 1
Minnesota Vikings 18 - 1
New England Patriots 7 - 2
New Orleans Saints 25 - 1
New York Giants 15 - 1
New York Jets 35 - 1
Oakland Raiders 50 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles 20 - 1
Pittsburgh Steelers 15 - 1
Saint Louis Rams 75 - 1
San Diego Chargers 7 - 1
San Francisco 49ers 80 - 1
Seattle Seahawks 25 - 1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 40 - 1
Tennessee Titans 40 - 1
Washington Redskins 50 - 1

There’s never enough Madden 09 previews, and with that said, I present you with yet another. As long as these things keep popping out, I’m going ot keep showing them.

I posted the original trailer, but this one seems to be the actual gameplay, which is so much more revealing than the closeups that come out at first. Enjoy.

Here’s a look at Madden 09, which features Brett Favre on the cover, which is probably bad for Brett. Before, Madden only ruined a person’s statistics. Now, it’s gonna mess up sonmeone’s fishing trip on a nice Saturday.

The day after the draft, and it’s time to see who the winners and losers are. I’m not one who believes you can pick winners and losers the day later — I think it takes two years, not three, like most of the experts say to see who really won — but with that said, I will say this: Tennessee, m’friends, you were losers. They drafted Chris Johnson in the first round, a halfback who’s fast, and that’s about it. In the fourth round, they drafted William Hayes, who wasn’t a player expected to be picked in the full seven rounds.

Aw, such is life; we’ll know more of who won and who lost when the season starts, but for now I cling to the hope that Matt Ryan’s a combination of Michael Vick (without the animal abuse, of course), Brett Favre (without the interceptions, of course), Tom Brady (without being a dick, of course), Dan Marino (without the anger, of course), and Peyton Manning (without being a, you know, a Manning, of course).

It’s hard waiting for the football season, given that it’s baseball and that’s it for quite a while, but the NFL does do whatever the NFL can do to try and pass time. They have a combine, they have a draft and, as little as it may seem, they’ve got the releasing of the NFL schedules (not to mention fantasy drafts, which are always nice). The schedules were released today, and while I won’t go through each game, I will go through some games that are sure to be some fun to watch this year.

Sept. 4
Washington Redskins @ New York Giants
-Super Bowl Champs have a history of sliding off the year after. We’ll get a good idea in week one how New York will handle the pressure of being a Champ.

Sept. 7
Kansas City @ New England
-Wonder what the spread will be for week 1? Remeber: Last year, for the first eight weeks, the Pats covered every Sunday. Vegas finally adjusted and they wore down. Like I said last year, I’ll say it for this year: Pound that ATM until they fail you. Pound it.

Sept. 14
San Diego @ Denver
-Remember Philip Rivers, Jay?

Sept. 21
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis
-The Colts will win, they always do against the Jags, but these matchups are always close.

Sept. 28
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
-Let’s see if one of these defenses can hold the other to under 40 points.

Sept. 29
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
-It’s a fun rivalry, and based on the other MNF games leading up, it’ll be the best of the first five.

Oct. 5
Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville
-Last year, Pittsburgh was thought to be one of the best in the AFC, and then Jacksonville steamrolled them at home, then did it again in the playoffs. The Steelers should have a sour taste in their mouths, and will hopefully have some kind of plan to stop that Jaguars running game.

Oct. 12
New England @ San Diego
-Let’s hope a Super Bowl berth isn’t on the line and LT doesn’t have a stubbed toe. Let’s also hope Tom Brady throws to Wes Welker more than he does Antonio Cromartie, who terrorized him in the AFC Championship.

Oct. 19
Tennessee @ Kansas City
-Around this time, you’ll hear fans saying V-Young should be benched. Mark my words.

Oct. 26
Cleveland @ Jacksonville
-A strong defense and strong running game vs. no defense but one ridiculous passing game. Makes for a fun matchup.

Nov. 2
New England @ Indianapolis
-May want to mark this one on the calendar. ESPN is licking their chops for this Sunday Night game.

Nov. 8
New Orleans @ Atlanta
-Just kidding.

Nov. 16
Philadelphia @ Cincinnati
-Two good offenses, though one has to wonder just how good the Bengals offense will be without Ocho-Cinco. Guy’s a douche, I get that, but he’s a douche that’s really good at catching and then running.

Nov. 23
Indianapolis @ San Diego
-Peyton plays his worst games against the Chargers. Every time I say it’s a fluke. I’m starting to just think they know what they’re doing against the guy. He won’t have six interceptions in this one, but I don’t see him winning.

Nov. 30
Indianapolis @ Cleveland
-Two good offenses. Who doesn’t want to watch that?

Dec. 8
Carolina @ Tampa Bay
-It’s one of the few MNF games that I think will have playoff implications. I said it last year, and I was wrong, but I think the Panthers do win the NFC South, and NFC overall, this year.

Dec. 15
Cleveland @ Philadelphia
-If you haven’t noticed, I’m looking forward to seeing Cleveland this year. They’re young, they’re fast, and they don’t play defense. It’s everything I love in watching a game in which I bet the over.

Dec. 22
Green Bay @ Chicago
-Eh, it’s a rivalry. But I don’t see either team being over .500 at this point.

Dec. 28
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh
-Let’s hope the Browns are good, or else half the games I’ve said to watch will be no fun to watch.

That’s the word from Pro Football Talk, who is saying the Bills have completed a trade with the Jags that will send Marcus Stroud to Buffalo and a third- and fifth-round pick to Jacksonville.

The Jags have been busy during the off-season making upgrades; this move, however, may be judged as a downgrade, depending on how Marcus Stroud can play when he’s not juiced. They still have John Henderson, who’s one of the best DT’s in the game, as well as Grady Jackson, who’s one of the fattest.

It was a busy day 1 of Free Agency, and there’s much more craziness that’s expected. Here’s a rundown of some of the things that took place.

• Kawika Mitchell, fresh off a Super Bowl win that has him looking better than ever, cashed in like most Super Bowl free agents do. He signed a 5 year, $17.5 million deal with the Bills, which should help a defense that struggled statistically, but rarely gave up points.
• The Jets came to terms with Kris Jenkins, the oft-injured DT formerly with the Panthers. When healthy, Jenkins is as good a defensive player there is in the game; something that can be a big “if.” Jenkins will more than likely play nose guard in the JEts 3-4 set.
• Josh Brown is headed to the Rams, and it appears to be a record deal as kickers go.
• Andre Davis signed a multi-year deal with the Texans. With Andre Johnson out most of the year, Davis had 33 cathces for 533 yards, and was considered their No. 1 receiver in Johnson’s absence.
• The biggest news of the day was Asante Samuel signing with the Eagles. The Eagles already have Lito Sheppard listed as their second string corner, and it is thought they’ll seek a trade for the vet with plenty of experience and plenty of speed.
• Allen Faneca signed with the Jets. Mangini’s first pick as head coach was on an OT, and now he’s going out and spending on a guard. Fortifying that line is clearly his first concern.
• Randy Moss still has no deal. Every Patriots hater out there is hoping he somehow lands on another team — preferably their team.

Last week before the playoffs. Here’s my tally for the year.

Last week: 8-8
On the season: 114-94

Patriots @ Giants (+13.5): I’m only picking because I’m forced, and I’m telling you now to not touch this game with your friend’s last dollar. If the Giants starters play, my guess is they cover (and maybe win; Brady has a problem against a good front four pass rush, and that’s exactly what the Giants have). If they play a half, my guess is that Brady shatters Peyton’s record, the Pats shatter the Vikings record, and the Dolphins won’t be toasting this New Year’s Eve. Question: If the Giants are up or down by seven at the half, do they really yank their starters when they could be the first team to beat the Pats and have a place in history themselves? The game’s in New York. I think Coughlin’s going to give New England a heavy dose of Brandon Jacobs. I’m not saying upset. Not yet. But take the G-Men and the two touchdowns.

Bills @ Eagles (-7): The Eagles are probably the hottest team in football right now. The NFC can’t be happier that this team is out of the playoffs. With nothing to play for, Eagles finish the year on a strong note, cover.

Panthers (-2.5) @ Bucs: You see the spread, and you think, “Oh my, this one’s a lock. Tampa covers.” Then you realize that the Bucs starters really aren’t that great — do they really have the sound of a playoff team and division winner to you? — and come to figure out that must mean their backups aren’t any good. No one important is playing for Tampa. Carolina, meanwhile, needs Matt Moore to get some reps. Take the Panthers to cover in a pointless one.

Bengals (-2.5) @ Dolphins: Miami’s playing better. It’s a shame that Cam Cameron won’t be there when things finally get going. Bengals cover.

Cowboys @ Redskins (-9): Backup, backup, backup galore! ‘Skins get into the playoffs, but take Dallas and the nine.

Lions (+5) @ Packers: Hmmmm. . . hard to say. But take the Lions, because I just don’t see Green Bay playing their starters too long in this one.

Jaguars @ Texans (-6): I hate calling games when one team isn’t playing their starters. Rule of thumb: Bet the other team. Houston wins in a blowout that doesn’t matter.

Saints @ Bears (+2): All aboard the Orton Express! Bears cover.

Steelers (-3) @ Ravens: Baltimore has officially hit rock bottom, and the feeling here is this team has quit and is looking for a higher draft pick. Brian Brohm, anybody? Maybe Matt Ryan? Let’s hope that scenario plays out better than Kyle Boller did. All this said, take the Steelers.

Seahawks (-1) @ Falcons: If you want to find a team that’s just given up, look no further than Atlanta.

49′ers @ Browns (-11.5): It doesn’t matter if the Browns win or lose this one. All that matters here is if Tennessee loses. But I don’t see Romeo laying off any after last week’s debacle on offense, so I’d take Cleveland and the 11 points.

Titans @ Colts (+5): The Colts have been firing on all cylinders, and the Titans have struggled on offense. Marvin Harrison, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, and Dallas Clark are all expected to play a half. If they put up 21 points in that half, Tennessee may not make the playoffs. The Browns are better than the Titans. I’m rooting for ‘em. Oh, and Colts cover.

Vikings (-3) @ Broncos: Vikes need a win. Broncos stink. Adrian Peterson runs for 3,000 yards in this one.

Chargers (-8) @ Raiders: The Chargers have found their groove, so much so that even Philip Rivers thinks it’s okay to talk shit. Remember when LT and the Chargers were complaining about the Pats having no class last year? Might want to take a long look in the mirror, Philip. As Champ says, you’re not that good. And the playoffs may be a short event if you keep running your mouth against top competition. Oakland isn’t that compeition, though. Classy Chargers cover.

Rams (+6) @ Cardinals: These are two teams that are expected to be back towards the top each year. Neither panned out this year, which makes them an early favorite again next year. Steven Jackson is doing what Steven Jackson does best, manufacturing nothing at the beginning of the season and then piling on 150 yard, 2 touchdown games at the end of the year, making every fantasy owner furious at the potential he could be. I’m on a rant. Rams cover, win.

Chiefs (+6) @ Jets: Heads, Chiefs. Tales, Jets. Heads it is.

If you missed last night’s game, you didn’t miss much, not from an “exciting football game to watch” standpoint. What you would’ve missed, though, is TO going down with what they’re calling a high ankle sprain, which suddenly puts the Cowboys’ Super Bowl hopes in jeopardy. The guy played with a broken leg in the Super Bowl with the Eagles, so my guess is he wouldn’t miss it if the Cowboys make it, but the question: Can they make it without TO? If only Jessica Simpson was that big and fast.

Anyway, updates.

Giants 17, Bills 21: Looking like last year to anyone else? The Giants started off strong, were thought to be the best team in the NFC — I was guilty of believing they were better than the Cowboys, myself — and now they’re that team that’s limping into the playoffs, much like last year. To their credit, they’re having to face a Bills team that is high on emotion with Kevin Everett in attendance, but still.

Eagles 24, Saints 17: The Eagles continue their great play, making everyone in Philadelphia sick at how much talent there is and how slow of a start there was. D-Nabb is 10/18 for 154 yards and a touchdown. The Saints have done a good job of keeping Brian Westbrook in check, holding him to only 82 rushing yards and six receiving yards.

Raiders 3, Jaguars 35: Oakland has made progress this season, but this won’t be one of those games that will point to such results. Down by 2,000 points, JaMarcus Russell has entered the game, and he’s looked a lot like a rookie, going 3/11 with two interceptions. When your interceptions nearly equal your completions, well, it’s usually not a good sign for the outcome.

Chiefs 14, Lions 22: There’s still the entire 4th quarter left in this one, which is plenty of time for Detroit to give up 50 more points.

Texans 7, Colts 38: Everyone’s handed this Super Bowl to the Pats, but I keep on saying: Don’t sleep on the Colts. They’ve been palying without Marvin Harrison all year, and if he’s healthy in January, this already dangerous offense becomes that much better with the return of their star, and the maturity of Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez. The only good news for Houston in this one is that Mario Williams notched a sack, his 14th of the season, making it even more ridiculous that he wasn’t elected to the Pro Bowl, and suddenly quieting some of those people who said they should’ve taken Reggie.

Browns 7, Bengals 19: Derel Anderson has one touchdown and three first half interceptions, making it probably his worst game as an NFL starter. The 4th quarter is about to begin, but with the Browns offense and the Bengals defense, I don’t think two touchdowns is something that’ll be too much to overcome.

Packers 7, Bears 28: My guess is that the Bears have Green Bay’s number. The Packers lost their first game against Chicago, and this one hasn’t ever been close. Brett Favre has zero touchdowns and two picks, but he’s still the best quarterback ever. Ever. (Yes, this my Brett Favre bashing time — one of these days people are going to realize that throwing 1,000 touchdowns isn’t very good when you’ve thrown 800 interceptions.)