With the NFL season kicking off Thursday, I figured what better time than now to do a quick preview of what might be to come. For all you fantasy football geeks (myself included), the season brings w/ it more than just the games themselves – it’s your time to shine & dominate your league.

Saints vs. Vikings Highlights New Season

On Thursday night, we get a great game right from the get-go, as the two teams from the NFC Championship game re-unite to see who might be the dominant team for the 2010-11 season. I haven’t seen the New Orleans Saints play in the preseason, but I have no doubt that Drew Brees & Sean Payton will have the team ready to go in the rematch. On the other side of the ball, we have Brett Favre who tries to lead a banged up Minnesota Vikings squad into a new season with high hopes. After nearly retiring (again), Favre comes back to a team missing several key targets on offense, but that shouldn’t be an excuse – although I expect Brett to come up w/ something mid-way thru the season as to why he’s not 100%.

Easy pick here… Saints.

Those That Have It

There are a slew of good teams this year and all will be expected to perform up to their high expectations. Anything less than a playoff win for any of these teams would be considered a disappointment. Here are the NFL teams most likely to advance deep into the playoffs this season (barring catastrophe) – in no particular order:

• New York Jets – Fresh off re-signing Darrelle Revis to a new 4-yr deal, the Jets offseason moves are intended for one thing and one thing onlly… Super Bowl victory or bust.
• New England Patriots – Any time you have Tom Brady behind center, good things are expected.
• Dallas Cowboys – Could this be the year in Big ‘D? Super Bowl on-site, high expectations… Colossal failure to ensue.
• Indianapolis Colts – See Patriots above, replace Brady w/ Peyton Manning.
• New Orleans Saints – Fresh off a Super Bowl victory last season, anything less will be an under-achievement.
• Green Bay Packers – Offense is spectacular w/ Aaron Rodgers at QB, but unless the defense picks it up, this team won’t reach it’s full potential.
• Cincinnati Bengals – Surprising run last year, including a sweep of their division – tougher road ahead this year, but Carson Palmer will have plenty of help w/ the likes of Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Chris Benson.
• Baltimore Ravens – Joe Flacco is another year older and the receiving core has been drastically upgraded to compliment the strong running attack.
• San Diego Chargers – Even without Vincent Jackson, Phillip Rivers and the defense should be able to lead this team into the playoffs and god help them, to a playoff victory.

Pick to win it… New York Jets.

Those That Don’t

Sure, there are a few teams on the cusp of what it takes to reach and/or advance in the NFL playoffs, but until they show up and actually do it, it doesn’t mean shit.

Here is the laundry list of teams that are basically playing for a high NFL Draft pick and/or next season already:

• NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams
• NFC South: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• NFC North: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
• NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants
• AFC South: Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars
• AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns
• AFC East: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills
• AFC West: Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs

Breakout team…. Houston Texans.

For more in-depth division analysis, please visit our friends at AllSportsTalk.net.

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LeBron James Miami Heat jersey #6

Cleveland fans are probably the most dejected bunch in the country right now, while there are parties starting in South Beach no doubt. One has to feel bad for the Cavs’ following, but this is a business – it is a game – these are real people  - and really tough decisions have to be made.

See real-time reactions from Twitter fans here:

It remains to be seen exactly what other moves the Heat will make to build a full-fledged roster that can compete for 48 minutes each of the 82 games that the NBA regular season demands.

All three players – James, Chris Bosh & Dwyane Wade – will all have a lot of pressure on themselves now to deliver. With all the negative feelings with him moving on to another team, they’re going to have to produce results quickly.

Next on your mind (I’m sure)…

Where do you get a LeBron James Heat jersey? Right here…

You can also look for Chris Bosh Heat jerseys and of course Wade’s Miami jersey at the same link. Fans beware… these are going to FLY off the shelves so order quickly if you want one.

Enjoy some additional LeBron James / Miami Heat media:

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The final key piece before all the other free agents start getting targeted by teams looking to fill their holes?

LeBron James is to decide his future tomorrow at 9PM (EST) on ESPN. Once James declares his destination, expect a slew of smaller deals to start happening much more quickly. Everyone has been waiting for the Top 5 (or so) guys to sign and everything else should start falling in place.

The question in James’ case is… Did he wait too long to declare? While he could certainly still go to Miami, New Jersey, NY, Chicago or even stay in Cleveland, he’s no longer what everyone else is waiting on.

Miami Improves Moderately

While Miami improves, their roster is somewhat scarce and they are looking to make even more moves to free up more money for free agents. Michael Beasley could be on his way out if the Heat can find a taker for him.  The addition of Bosh helps, but they really need to fill a few more holes to be considered a top competitor in the Eastern Conference. I would still rate Miami behind Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and Atlanta with Chicago challenging.

Knicks Make Splash, But Are They Improved?

New York on the other hand, is about as barren as the Phoenix desert (now minus Amare too ironically). They lack a point guard, center and essentially replaced David Lee with Amare Stoudemire – not exactly a huge upgrade. I think they should try re-signing Lee and letting them split center duties for the first season, while they wait for additional opportunities to add to the lineup next year.

There’s still a lot of time for things to shake out, but it looks like a couple teams are going to be “losers” in the sweepstakes for the top-tier free agents. Unless he signs with them, the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets are going to have a lot of cap room to spend, but on who is the question?

©2010 Jock Jerseys' Flash. All Rights Reserved.

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Uniform Details/Features

The Team USA jerseys will once again feature the “aerographics” on the back, which is just a clever way of saying “a pattern”.  This feature does more than look cool, they actually keep the player cooler via small perforations/air ducts in the pattern itself. The pattern itself, which you can see in more detail below, is a torch w/ a flame and surrounded by a  tribal art(?) design.

Nike even upgraded the basketball shorts to make them more comfortable and “airy”, lightening them overall and adding perforations (again) in the sides to help regular the player’s temperature, etc. Really fancy, technical mumbo jumbo for most of us, but they should turn out well for the USA team.

Thanks to Nike’s new Hyperelite design, the shorts are about half as light as a normal basketball short when dry. Get them wet like, you know, from sweating during a game and they’re even better, weighing less when soaked (10.1 oz.) than a normal pair does when dry (13.6).

Tons of media & previews for you all to enjoy – thx to Freshness Mag & Ball Don’t Lie (Trey Kirby) for the hot tips & photos.

Enough w/ the chit chat… here are the new uniforms.

I’d take the white jersey/shorts btw… what’s your pick?

2010 Team USA Basketball Jerseys (Preview/Video)

Click here to view the embedded video.

2010 Team USA Basketball Uniforms (Photo Gallery)

Photo Credits: Nike(?), FreshnessMag.com

Updated 8/15/10: Nike Team USA Basketball Gear is Available for Purchase

• LeBron James Nike USA Basketball 2010 Replica jersey (Choose: White / Blue)
• Kobe Bryant Nike USA Basketball 2010 Replica jersey (Choose: White / Blue)
• Nike Team USA Basketball Shorts (Choose: White / Blue)
• Still waiting for others to become available… Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, Etc.

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