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NFL teams are about to report to training camp, which marks the official beginning of the 2009 football season. And with that are my predictions for the AFC Conference.

My NFL predictions for 2009 - 2010:

AFC (in predicted order of finish)

East:

New England Patriots: Tom Brady is back under center, but few players have been effective the season following the type of knee injury he suffered last season. The only saving grace is that the injury happened so early last season. That and the fact that they were still able to win 11 games show that this team is not a one-man show by any means. Their only challenge for the division should be Miami, whom they do not meet until halfway through the season.

Should Help: Three of their first four games at home. Team played well without Brady.

Could Hurt: Loss of Josh McDaniels (Broncos). Playing an inferior team (Bucs) in London.

Result: This team has enough talent to win the division and make a deep playoff run.

Miami Dolphins: The Wildcat offensive was the rave last season. Lost in the hype was the fact that they ran the offense mostly out of desperation due to not being able to run the ball from a more conventional offensive set. Also, the wildcat was not very effective against good defenses. With a whole off-season for opponents to study tape, it may not be as effective against even average defenses. This could mean more reliance on Chad Pennington, which may not be a bad thing.

Should Help: Continued development of receivers, especially Devone Bess. Rookie Pat White running the Wildcat.

Could Hurt: First three opponents (@ Falcons, Colts, @ Chargers).

Result: The Dolphins' schedule is not kind to them. Do not expect better than 8-8.

New York Jets: After dating Brett Favre for a season, they decided to marry rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. But the real interest with this team will be the defense. They added new head coach Rex Ryan and also linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard. And it's not like the defensive cupboard here was bare, with the likes of cornerback Darrelle Revis, safety Kerry Rhodes, and outside linebacker Calvin Pace. Add in the fact that they will be using the same base defense; this unit should keep their games close for their young offense.

Should Help: Talented offensive line. New, very aggressive defense. A fire under outside linebacker Vernon Gholston.

Could Hurt: No experience at quarterback. Washed-up starting running back. Average (at best) receivers.

Result: Despite limited offensive weapons, the Jets should be able to challenge the Dolphins for second place in this division. And depending how Sanchez finishes this season could go a long way for next year. No playoffs, though.

Buffalo Bills: Wide receiver Terrell Owens could not coexist with multiple Pro Bowl quarterbacks, so how do they suspect this will turn out??? Running back Marshawn Lynch will miss the first three games of the season, but with the way he played most of last year backup running back Fred Jackson may be more effective anyways.

Should Help: A healthy defense. Wintertime in Buffalo.

Could Hurt: Lynch's suspension. Little pass-rush to speak of. T.O.'s attitude by mid-season.

Result: Signing T.O. was the beginning of the end for head coach Dick Jauron, as if it mattered. The Bills' schedule is not difficult, but this team is so wildly inconsistent they will find a way to 10 loses.

North:

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Super Bowl winning roster returns mostly intact. But how will the recent off-field situation affect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger? The defense will be one of the best again for about the umpteenth year in a row. This division is still theirs to lose. And they won't.

Should Help: A breakout year for wide receiver Santonio Holmes. More durable Rashard Mendenhall.

Could Hurt: Super Bowl hangover (see: 2006 season). Offensive line.

Result: The Steelers easy handled their division last season (6-0), and there is no reason to believe they will not do the same this season. Divisional Champs, yes. But probably not Super Bowl participant this year.

Cincinnati Bengals: Who Dey? Do not sleep on these Bengals. Quarterback Carson Palmer is fully healthy now, and the defense will be much improved compared to the ones before Palmer's playoff injury (which, I admit, is not saying much). Running back Cedric Benson flashed NFL type abilities late last season, even if it was against lesser defenses. They were able to replace wide receiver T.J. Houshmandezah with former Jet Laveranues Coles and even added another highly regarded former USC linebacker (Rey Maualuga).

Should Help: Rookie offensive tackle Andre Smith. Signing Tank Johnson. If he stays clean and motivated, he will make the defensive line tough.

Could Hurt: Locker-room attitude. Lack of pass-rush and consistent running game.

Result: It's not a question of whether they have the players to win. It's whether they have the DESIRE to win, same type of attitude teams like the Patriots, Steelers and Colts have. I predict 9 or 10 wins and a wildcard berth this season. You've heard it here first!

Baltimore Ravens: I expect a fall off from last season's success. Teams have had a full season to study the Ravens' offense (which probably did not take very long). They are expected to ???open up' the offense. In other words, look for Flacco to have a sophomore slump.

Should Help: The emergence of Ray Rice. The unretirement of Derrick Mason.

Could Hurt: The offense. Legit challenge from the Bengals.

Result: This will be a .500 team this season.

Cleveland Browns: I still do not understand the Brown's hiring Eric Mangini. Really does not matter, since offensive tackle Joe Thomas and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers are two of a handful of bright spots on this sorry franchise. Staph infections running rampant in the locker room, embarrassing loses on the field, and felonies committed off of it. Their kick-returner (Joshua Cribbs) even has the audacity to demand a pay raise. A KICK RETURNER??? REALLY???

Should Help: A miracle (maybe).

Could Hurt: Possible locker room tension due to quarterback controversy. A #1 wide receiver (Braylon Edwards) with hands of stone. Trading of Kellen Winslow.

Result: If this team wins more than 6 games, Mangini should be honorable mention for Coach of the Year.

South:

Indianapolis Colts: Despite losing their most successful coach (by far) since moving to Indy, do not expect a drop-off in their record, especially with an easier schedule than last season. Peyton Manning enters training camp 100% healthy. Enter rookie Donald Brown, who will receive a lot of work as the season progress. A new, aggressive-minded (finally) defensive coordinator (Larry Coyer) will have fun with the extremely fast defense that ranked, believe it or not, 11^th in the NFL in total defense last season.

Should help: Five (count ???em FIVE) defensive lineman at or over 300lbs. A healthy Manning from opening day. Relatively soft schedule.

Could Hurt: Questionable wide receiver depth. Suspect run-blocking offensive line. Still no proven kick/punt returner.

Result: If the influx of beefy defensive tackles can protect the undersized linebackers (allowing them to make more big plays), this team could be dominate. My Super Bowl pick.

Houston Texans: This team as been on the cusp of a playoff berth for the last two seasons. GM Rick Smith and head coach Gary Kubiak are doing a great job assembling and coaching a young, talented team built to win for years. The fruits of their labor should payoff this season. It's not a question of whether Matt Schaub can win, but stay healthy. Steve Slaton was a real find at running back, and Owen Daniels is one of the best tight ends most people never heard of. But the real deal is Andre Johnson, a top 3 receiver. Mario Williams is playing like a first round pick, and has plenty of help on defense.

Should help: Matt Schaub for 16 games. Solid running game to go with underrated receiving options.

Could Hurt: Lack of quarterback depth. Average secondary. Colts.

Results:  If Matt Schaub stays healthy and the pass rush makes up for a suspect secondary, 10 wins and a wildcard should be expected.

Tennessee Titans: Losing Haynesworth hurts, since they were a different team last season in the games he missed. Quarterback Kerry Collins played well last season, but does anyone really expect a similar performance this season? The running tandem of Chris Johnson and Lendale White is their offensive. It will be interesting to see how good the secondary really is without Haynesworth causing havoc up front.

Should Help: Confidence in knowing they can win division. Rookies wide receiver Kenny Britt and defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks.

Could Hurt: Motivated Colts and emerging Texans. Losing Haynesworth.

Result: Right now they are a .500 team. Barely.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags' draft strategy was to fix the offensive line. Good move, since that was the beginning of the end of their season last season. They lost Matt Jones (discipline) just when he was showing a little ability. They replaced him with Torry Holt, a clear upgrade, but a player near the end of his career. How will Maurice Jones-Drew handle being the only guy?

Should Help: Highly touted rookie running back, Rashad Jennings, who fell in their lap. Signing Torry Holt.

Could Hurt: Another year of inexperience on offensive line. More talented divisional foes.

Results: David Garrard will have a better season this year, but their record will not reflect it. Expect a similar record as last season (5-11).

West:

San Diego Chargers: Clearly the best team in this division, with or without Shawne Merriman. Philip River came of age, tying for first in the league in touchdown passes. Yet he was not voted to the Pro Bowl. Speaking of Merriman, he is back, but it is hard to tell how a player will respond after such an injury. That was probably the Chargers' thinking when they drafted a pass rushing specialist (Larry English) in the first round. A better pass rush should protect an overrated secondary.

Should Help: Emergence of Vincent Jackson. A healthy, if ageing, LaDainian Tomlinson. Only team in division not in rebuilding mode.

Could Hurt: Tendency of playing down to competition (as evident of 8-8 record last season).

Result: They could go 8-8 again this season and still win their division.

Denver Broncos: On paper, they were the most talented out of the rebuilding teams. That was until Lane Kif...oops, I mean Josh McDaniels (hard to keep those young, arrogant done-nothings straight) ran the franchise quarterback off the mountain. Now their top receiver (Brandon Marshall) wants out of town, and I'm getting the feeling the feeling may be mutual soon. They do have running back Knowshon Moreno, who likely will be offensive rookie of the year, assuming McDaniels call more running plays here than he did at his previous stop.

Should Help: Knowshon Moreno. Very weak division.

Could Hurt: Changing to a3-4 defense with players who could not even run the 4-3 defense very well.

Result: Opening three games (@ Bengals, Browns, @ Raiders) will speak volumes. I say expect no better than 6-10.

Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell will probably start opening day, but it's safe to say that he will be on a short leash with Jeff Garcia on the bench. There's no guarantee the Raiders will do a lot better with Garcia, but they definitely would not do worse. The running game is solid, but their first round receiver choice was mind-boggling, even by Al Davis' standards. On the other hand, this team could be a dark horse, especially if Jeff Garcia starts from opening day.

Should Help: Garcia's veteran leadership. Resigning Nnamdi Asomugha. Strong running game.

Could Hurt: Russell, if his work ethic has not improved. Al Davis' constant influences.

Result: Believe it or not, especially in this division, this team could potentially end up second place. Of course, they also could end up in last place.

Kansas City Chiefs: Seems like they are betting the farm with Matt Cassel. Good luck with that. Nothing against the guy, but he will not be throwing to the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welker here. He will not even have Tony Gonzalez to bail him out, since he was shipped to Atlanta (lucky him). And Larry Johnson is not happy (what else is new). This team is extremely young, but most of them received plenty of playing time last season. And as bad as their record was last season, they did lose six games by 7 points or less.

Should Help: Proven general manager. Lots of young, talented players with NFL experience.

Could Hurt: Lots of young players. No Gonzalez. New base defense.

Result: Ever since the Chiefs' '90s era offensive linemen retired a few seasons ago, this team has quickly gone downhill. That said, the line still has not been rebuilt. Maybe another season as a bottom feeder is needed for this to change.