Join the celebration!!! The 2007 National Football League season is right around the corner. And now is as good of a time as any to offer my 2007 NFL predictions, including division winners and Super Bowl champion.

Get free game picks and predictions every day on each of the individual handicappers pages under the advisory board section on the left site bar. Get picks from top handicappers including: Doc's Sports - Robert Ferringo - Strike Point Sports - Vegas Sports Informer and Allen Eastman.

The only place to start 2007 is with the team that won it all in 2006, the Carolina Panthers. Wait. Hold on. That's right, the Panthers didn't win the Super Bowl. In fact, they didn't even make the playoffs. I was confused, since it was just this time last year that every NFL bobblehead out in the ether predicted that the Panthers would waltz through the NFC and into the Big Game. There, so the story went, Carolina was going to claim the championship that John Kasay kicked away in 2003.

Deposit $250 at BookMaker
and get a FREE $100 bet
and a FREE $25 4-Team Parlay
Click Here

But just because everyone with a pen, keyboard or functional voice box pegged the Panthers as the preseason favorites to win last year's title didn't make it happen. Now this season the mantle of Team That Everyone And Their Sister Predicted To Win The Super Bowl has been bestowed upon the New England Patriots. And why not? After their whirlwind offseason - a solid draft, a strong free agency, Tom Brady sowing his seed across the country and the Randy Moss trade - the Pats took a team that was 30 minutes away from another Super Bowl and got even better. They still have the top clutch quarterback in the league as well as its top coach. All the tools are in place for what could likely be the last push for the NFL's postmodern dynasty.

But before Logan Mankins and Vince Wilfork strip down to their jock straps and start dousing each other with champagne, maybe we should address the chinks in the armor of the Unbeatable Patriots. I know it's heresy, but I can think of three specific issues that could derail New England's rampage through the NFL. These aren't far-fetched schemes either. They're just the sort of trap doors that slide open and let loose the noose on football teams each year:

1) The Running Game.
Laurence Maroney showed a ton of promise as a hard-charging runner last year. But the guy isn't exactly Mr. Durability and isn't necessarily battle tested. He missed a pair of games last year with some nagging injuries, and if he goes down this season then it will be on Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris to carry the load. I don't think so. A team can't win a Super Bowl without a running game, and if Maroney gets injured then the Patriots will become one-dimensional very quickly.

2) The Secondary.
Asante Samuel is a wild card for this defense. He was arguably New England's best defender last season and is threatening to hold out if he doesn't get a contract that he feels is befitting one of the best three or four corners in the league. Rodney Harrison is clearly going to get hurt again, so if they were forced to play without that pair then they wouldn't be nearly as stout in the third level. And given that New England could have to run through Cincinnati, San Diego and/or Indianapolis in the playoffs that could be a major problem.

3) The Chemistry.
Brady's got paternity issues. Belichick is a dick. Asante may holdout. Moss is a dick. Bruschi thinks he's a Shetland pony. Brandon Meriweather is a dick. Adalius Thomas is primed for the ol' Free Agent Letdown. Donte Stallworth is a dick. Needless to say, there are some issues on the team with the greatest expectations and under the most intense scrutiny in the NFL.

Also, it's ironic that the Patriots could fall into the same trap as Boston's most hated franchise - the Yankees - slid into. New York developed a winning formula and established a dynasty. But then they sacrificed chemistry and character for mercenaries and overpaid underachievers. The results speak for themselves. The New England front office is gambling on guys like Moss and Meriweather, and it could blow up - especially in a town that isn't exactly known for diversity and acceptance of the Thug Life.

As we saw with Carolina last season, a lot can go wrong for the Team Expected To Win It All. Granted, Brady doesn't have the Cajun blood of a hothead Jake Delhomme. But injuries, underperformance and plain old bad bounces can derail the Victory Train before it leaves the station.

After completing this article view our NFL Division Winners page. When it comes to betting NFL our understanding odds feature is a must for any NFL fan. Our NFL Season Win Totals page is also a valuable tool for your NFL research. For 35+ years the team at Doc's Sports Service has provided and insight on NFL handicapping.

Anyway, today I'm going to make my pre-preseason NFL predictions. They'll be updated again the first week of August, and then one final time the first week of September. Believe me, this is just the first step in what will be the most extensive and informative NFL preview section that you'll find on any other handicapping site. But here's what I've got for now:

AFC East - New England, New York, Miami, Buffalo
AFC North - Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland
AFC South - Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Houston, Tennessee
AFC West - San Diego, Denver, Kansas City, Oakland
Wild Cards - Indianapolis, Denver
AFC Championship Game - New England over Jacksonville

NFC East - Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, New York
NFC North - Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota
NFC South - Carolina, New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa Bay
NFC West - Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, Arizona
Wild Cards - New Orleans, San Francisco
NFC Championship Game - Philadelphia over New Orleans

Super Bowl - New England over Philadelphia

Yeah, after all that smack I'll go with the Patriots. They're the least shaky of all of the teams in the AFC. Since the NFC is still the equivalent of the D-League then I suppose that makes the Pats the best in the business - for now.

Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.