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Usually when a team trades away their five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman a week before the start of the season they are perceived as bumbling fools.

In the case of the New England Patriots, who sent Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a whopping 2011 first round draft pick, they are hailed as geniuses.

Then again the Patriots have gone 97-31 over the past eight seasons with three Super Bowl rings.  When a team does that they always get the benefit of doubt. 

This unconditional confidence in the Patriots’ football I.Q. is why they are once again favored to win the Super Bowl. 

However, this unflinching infatuation with New England seems unwarranted if you consider the amount of talent they’ve lost—besides Seymour—since last season.  Departures include offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, defensive backs coach Dom Capers, special teams coach Brad Seely, and personnel man Scott Pioli.

The team lost linebacker Tedy Bruschi and safety Rodney Harrison to retirement.  They traded away backup quarterback Matt Cassel, linebacker Mike Vrabel and cornerback Ellis Hobbs. 

Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, special teams captain Larry Izzo and superb long snapper Lonie Paxton exited via free agency.

Yet somehow the Patriots are still the odds-on favorites to win it all, even leaping over the defending Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh Steelers?  Why?  It’s simple, they still have head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.

Picking the Patriots on the strength of Belichick and Brady, an annual ritual amongst NFL pundits, is about as insightful as saying college football needs a playoff system, Major League Baseball’s regular season is too long and the NBA fixes games for big market teams.

So what other reasons besides the greatness of Belichick and Brady does one have for picking the Patriots to go all the way in 2009?

For starters the Patriots’ offense is better than it was in 2007 when the team went 18-1.  Not only are Randy Moss and Wes Welker still around but the Pats added running back Fred Taylor, wide receivers Joey Galloway and Greg Lewis and tight end Chris Baker. 

As for their offensive line, right tackle Nick Kaczur, right guard Stephen Neal, and left guard Logan Mankins will all be free agents at the end of the year.  We all know how well NFL players perform when they’re in the final year of their contracts.  Brady may not even be sneezed on this season.

Last year’s secondary was abysmal but it’s been completely overhauled for the 2009 campaign.  Jonathan Wilhite will step up and replace Hobbs.  The team signed Leigh Bodden, who will start, and Shawn Springs, who will fill in when needed and play nickel.  The team drafted safety Patrick Chung and cornerback Darius Butler for depth. 

As for the front seven, Belichick likes what he has or he wouldn’t have traded away Seymour.  Defensive end Ty Warren and nose tackle Vince Wilfork are in contract years (we know what that means).  Veteran Jarvis Green will likely replace Seymour. 

The linebackers got younger with Bruschi’s retirement and Vrabel’s departure.  Pats believe Adalius Thomas and Jerod Mayo can step up and take on leadership roles.  The rest of unit is a little suspect.

While defense is still somewhat of an issue for the Pats it won’t be as big of a sore spot as it was last season.  After all, Brady and company will be scoring 40 points a game so it’s not like New England’s “D” needs to pitch a shutout every week in order for the team to be competitive. 

Two years ago the Patriots were 18-1.  Last year they were 11-5 and missed the playoffs only because the league failed to disqualify the lowly winner of the AFC West and their 8-8 record.
 
Now Brady is back healthy with an improved offense and Belichick has fixed the team’s glaring weakness, the defensive backfield.  Clearly, the Patriots are poised to return to the Super Bowl and avenge the tragedy of 2007.

This slobbering over New England is probably quite insulting to Pittsburgh and their ardent fans.  After all, they are the current NFL title holders.  But the last time this team won a Super Bowl, back in 2005, they started the following season 2-6.

This year the Steelers are doing and saying everything they can to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl hangover.

"I think this team has done a good job of focusing on the upcoming season," said defensive end Aaron Smith.

"Just trying to win another Super Bowl, man, that's my main thing.  Trying not to be complacent like we were the last time and showing these young guys how to work and get back to where we were at," proclaims nose tackle Casey Hampton."

"I am not concerned about what happened in '05, '06-'07 or '08 for that matter.  I am a singularly focused guy.  My single focus is on developing a world championship-caliber team for 2009.  2008 was great—it was an awesome team.  Where we are is where we are.  Where we are headed, more importantly than that, is our focus," preaches head coach Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers return 19 of 22 starters and get back Rashard Mendenhall.  The running back was the team’s top draft pick in 2008.  He was knocked out of last season after playing just four games.

The team improved their return game by adding former CFL stand-out Stefan Logan.  Special teams were further improved with the return of punter Daniel Sepulveda.  Losing him to injury last season punt a crick in the Steelers’ punting game.

Pittsburgh lost their number three wide out, Nate Washington, to division foe the Tennessee Titans.  Free agent pick up Limas Sweed and rookie speedster Mike Wallace had great camps and the team feels confident they will make excellent replacements.

The bad news, no Steelers games for guard Darnell Stapleton.  He’s out for the season with knee problems.  Trai Essex will probably be his replacement.

The Steelers are blessed with a fairly easy schedule.  They play Cincinnati and Cleveland twice as well as Detroit, Denver, Kansas City and Oakland.  That’s eight wins right there.

There’s no one in the football world that would be surprised if the Patriots and the Steelers clash in the AFC Championship Game. 

But who will the Patriots (or the Steelers) meet in the Super Bowl?  

Many like the running game and the defensive line of the New York Giants.  Others pick Matt Ryan and the explosive offense of the Atlanta Falcons.  Then there are two veteran teams that need to win now, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Eagles have played in the NFC Championship game five times in the past eight years.  That’s impressive but Philly fans want rings.  So the clock is ticking for veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb and head coach Andy Reid.   From now on, every year they’re together could be their last. 

You may have heard that the Eagles signed beleaguered ex-con Michael Vick.  The former Falcons quarterback will be McNabb’s backup and featured in the offense via the trendy wildcat formation.

There are some worries that Vick will be a distraction and a disruption for McNabb.  These concerns seem unfounded since McNabb lobbied the Eagles to bring Vick in.  Even so, McNabb publically stated that he’s “okay” with Vick as an Eagle.  How secure of an “okay” that is remains to be seen. 

Outside of Vick, the Eagles have a few obstacles to overcome in 2009.  During the offseason their venerated defensive coordinator Jim Johnson lost his battle with cancer.  Their star middle linebacker Stewart Bradley is out for the season with a knee injury.  The heart of their defense, Brain Dawkins, left for Denver.  And injuries have ravaged their renovated offensive line.

The Eagles promoted 35-year-old Sean McDermott, the team’s defensive backs coach, to replace Johnson.  He knows the system very well but replacing someone like Johnson is nearly impossible, he was one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history.

Bradley will likely be replaced by Omar Gaither.  He’s good but lacks Bradley’s athleticism.  Quintin Demps steps up to fill the void left by Dawkins.  It may be an bad omen but Demps had an erratic preseason.

The Eagles added some talent on their offensive line this off season in the form of left tackle Jason Peters and right guard Stacy Andrews.  Unfortunately, the squad hasn’t had time to play together. 

Right tackle Shawn Andrews missed training camp and the first three preseason games with back problems.  Left guard Todd Herremans needed surgery on his foot and is likely to miss the first three or four games of the season.  Stacy Andrews is coming off ACL surgery and Peters missed tons of practice time with a quad injury.

The injuries to the “O” line must frustrate Eagles season ticket holders.  Just when the offense finally gets some dynamic playmakers the offensive line comes hobbling into the regular season.

Fortunately for the Eagles their early schedule is quite kind to them.  Philadelphia doesn’t play a division foe until Oct. 26.  Starting Week 2 they play three games in a row at home and their early season opponents include Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.

Their relatively easy start to the season will give them time to get healthy, gel, and work out all the kinks. 

On paper, they might be far from reaching the Super Bowl, but McNabb and the Eagles have proven they know how to win in December and early January.  It’s just that pesky NFC Championship Game they have trouble with. 

This year, their opponent in that game could very well be the Minnesota Vikings.

As soon as the Vikings signed Brett Favre they became a Super Bowl contender.  Do they deserve that label? 

Yes.

The truth is the Vikings were very close to being a Super Bowl contender even before they signed Favre.  They have the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson.  They have big play receivers in Bernard Berrian and rookie Percy Harvin.   Visanthe Shiancoe is one of the league’s best up-and-coming tight ends.  And their offensive line, led by Steve Hutchinson, is insanely awesome.

Defensively, the Vikings are about as good as it gets, especially against the run.  Dynamic middle linebacker E.J. Henderson is back after missing most of last season.  That’s as huge of a personnel move as any free agent signing or trade.

Now with Favre on the team the Vikings have no glaring weaknesses and are certainly a legitimate pick to represent the NFC in Miami this upcoming February.

Favre and the Vikings will face some stiff competition in their division.  The Bears finally have a franchise quarterback and the Packers’ franchise QB finally has a full year under his belt. 

Still, with their ability to run the ball and stop the run, the Vikings should win that division going away.  A trip to the NFC Championship Game and beyond will depend on the health of old man Favre.  He not only turns 40 on Oct. 10 but he’s the only member of the Vikings team born in the 1960’s. 

Playing in Minnesota’s Metrodome, handing off to Peterson 25 to 30 times a game and having Harvin take a few snaps in the wildcat formation should help preserve Favre for the stretch run.  That’s when the team will need him most. 

You think Brady versus Favre in Super Bowl XLIV would receive much hype?