There is no question that the Cleveland Browns have been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the years, but with all the changes they have made over the last two seasons they might have started to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

One of the biggest moves that Mike Holmgren and company made during the NFL offseason was drafting former Heisman trophy finalist quarterback Colt McCoy out of Texas.

Even though the young quarterback still has a ways to go to prove himself on the NFL level, McCoy showed some tremendous talent last season helping Texas be favored in college football picks every single Saturday and leading the Longhorns to the BCS championship appearance.

Along with adding Colt McCoy into the mix in Cleveland, the Browns also brought in veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme and should be a much better team on offense this season, but will ultimately continue to struggle by finishing dead last in the AFC North division once again.

The future of the Cleveland Browns might be much brighter with Mike Holmgren running the show, but it could be a few years before they can actually contend with the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals or the Pittsburgh Steelers within their division.

The San Diego Chargers are without doubt one of the best teams in the NFL as they have a potent offense led by perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates and a lockdown defense that can maintain leads with the help of superstar linebacker Shawne Merriman.

Even though the Chargers will be Super Bowl title contenders once again heading into the NFL regular season, the San Diego franchise will be without former NFL MVP and face of the franchise in running back LaDainian Tomlinson (New York Jets).

Without LT coming out of the backfield in San Diego, the Chargers will turn to rookie running back Ryan Matthews out of Fresno State to handle the bulk of their carries and even though most people aren’t expecting much out of this young running back, Norv Turner and company believe he is the real deal and worthy of filling LT’s shoes.

During his time with Fresno State, Matthews helped the Bulldogs become favored in college football picks, but whether or not he can do the same for the San Diego Chargers remains to be seen.

Over the past half decade or so, the Oakland Raiders have been amongst the worst teams in the NFL as they haven’t been able to recover after former NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon left town.

Ten years ago, the Raiders were a serious force to be reckoned with in the AFC Conference as they had one of the best offenses in the league, but that is no longer the case as the team has failed to rebuild despite having plenty of high draft picks to do just that.

Fortunately, the Raiders may have made some considerable upgrades to their roster during the offseason with the addition of Pro Bowl caliber quarterback Jason Campbell and rookie linebacker Rolando McClain.

Even though Campbell didn’t have much success with the Washington Redskins during his time in the nation’s capital, but his numbers steadily improved with every passing season and could be the missing piece of the puzzle for the struggling Raiders offense & this could cause problems with your NFL Picks.

Along with Campbell’s contribution to the offense, McClain’s contribution to the defense could be just as beneficial as it was when he was leading Alabama’s defense to being favored in college football picks every single week last season on the way to the BCS title.

Whether or not these two promising young players will be enough to turn this struggling NFL franchise around remains to be seen, but as of right now it is a step in the right direction.

Last season was an absolute nightmare for the Atlanta Falcons, they may have finished with a winning record of 9-7, Matt Ryan and company were ravaged by injuries and never really played at a 100% throughout the entire season.

Heading into this season the Atlanta Falcons will be looking to get back on track and with their three best players back healthy in running back Michael Turner, wide receiver Roddy White and of course quarterback Matt Ryan, the team has a great chance of being able to compete in the NFC Conference once again.

Even though the Atlanta Falcons play in the same division as the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, they could quite possibly give their division rivals a run for their money in the NFC South with some big wins throughout the regular season while being favored in NFL picks.

As long as this team can stay healthy during the regular season, I believe they have a legitimate shot at winning the division, but in all likelihood, the New Orleans Saints will win the NFC South and the Atlanta Falcons will make into the playoffs through the NFC Wildcard.

Heading into last season, the Chicago Bears had high hopes of being able to get back into playoff contention after acquiring Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Even though Cutler was a huge upgrade under center, the young quarterback struggled in his first season with Bears as he threw a career and league-high 26 interceptions.

Despite having the worst season of his NFL career, Jay Cutler seems more motivated and more comfortable as the Bears gunslinger this time around and could be poised for some big numbers.

Not only will the offense get a much needed boost with Culter being more confidence under center, but the Chicago Bears could be the one thing that tilts NFL picks in their favor this season as they have added All-Pro defensive end Julius Peppers to play alongside the face of the franchise in linebacker Brian Urlacher.

With the addition of Julius Peppers to an already dominant defense and Jay Cutler leading what could be a potent offense, the Bears could be one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season and ultimately headed back to the playoffs.

Obviously, this will be no easy task as they play in the same division as the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, but they will still be a force to be reckoned with and could compete for the division title.

The only substantial addition to the team has come through the 2010 NFL Draft in rookie running back Toby Gerhart (Stanford) and a recent trade to bring in wide receiver Greg Camarillo from the Miami Dolphins.

Even though the Vikings will be a little thin at wide receiver heading into the regular season with Sidney Rice out for the first eight games and Percy Harvin still battling severe migraines, Brett Favre and company should still come out on top in the NFC North division as they are one of the best teams in the league on both sides of the football.

Along with having arguably the best running back in the game in Adrian Peterson, the Vikings will get even more of a boost out of the backfield this season with Toby Gerhart getting some carries.

During his time with Stanford the Heisman trophy finalist helped the team be favored in the college football picks on a weekly basis, but if he can produce for the Vikings in 3^rd situations and when AP needs a breather, Minnesota could be Super Bowl bound this season.

The defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints still on cloud nine at the moment as they will come into the NFL regular season full of confidence that they can pull off the repeat, but even though Sean Payton and company are convinced they are the team to beat this season, everyone else believes that there are quite a few teams to put ahead of the defending champs in the race for a Super Bowl title.

Despite the consensus being that the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings are the best teams in the NFC Conference ahead of the New Orleans Saints, the defending champs will still have the same team intact and will most likely be favored in NFL picks on a weekly basis once again, but their defense is in serious question as it is uncertain whether or not Darren Sharper and company can put the brakes on potent offenses like the Cowboys, Packers and the Vikings.

Only time will tell whether or not the New Orleans Saints can continue to compete with the best of best in the NFL, but with perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees under center and head coach Sean Payton calling the shots, the Saints will always be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC Conference.

The Philadelphia Eagles have made a drastic change this offseason by trading away the face of the franchise in six-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb to the division rival Washington Redskins.

With McNabb no longer in Philly, Eagles head coach Andy Reid will hand over the starting quarterback position to youngster Kevin Kolb.

Last season the Eagles faired pretty well with Kolb behind center in the three games he played in place of the injured McNabb, but even though he has only started a few games in his NFL career, Kolb will be taking over at a position that has been highly criticized in Philly regardless of the outcome.

Obviously, Donovan McNabb was a great player for this storied franchise and had them favored in NFL picks on weekly basis, but the new era has begun and Kevin Kolb with either turn out to be a great success or a disappointing failure with former NFL MVP Michael Vick sitting on the bench waiting for his shot at being a starting quarterback in the NFL once again.

Even though the season could go either way with the Philadelphia Eagles really struggling or being an instant success, in the long run the team will only get better with the likes of wide receiver DeSean Jackson, running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Kevin Kolb leading the way.

As you prepare to make NFL picks this season, you will run into some trendy picks. These are teams that someone talked about once in May, and someone else picked up on them this summer. Before you know it, these teams will have run the entire gauntlet from unrecognized to Super Bowl pick in a matter of months. So who are the trendy teams and should you be buying into them?

The 2010 Houston Texans are a trendy pick for a team that can surprisingly make the playoffs in the 2010. Many people will be making NFL picks on them in the early going, and they might be rewarded. They have a prolific offense and improving defense, but there are still question marks. Be careful making NFL picks on Houston until they prove they can stop an other team from scoring the football.

The New York Jets have become such a trendy pick that they’ve gone all the way from underrated to overrated. When making NFL picks on them this year, you might end up paying a little tax as a result. Because they are so well known as a trendy selection, there is a chance you will end up losing value on the Jets.

If you are a college football bettor who occasionally likes to move over into the professional waters, then you need to understand the differences. College football betting and pro football betting are different animals. If you want to make solid NFL picks, then you cannot approach the game as you would a typical college game. You have to make NFL picks with some knowledge of the way things are handled in the NFL. Many players each week just move from Saturday to Sunday and act as if nothing is different. These guys undoubtedly fail, though, because they don’t note the differences in the Sunday league.

When making NFL picks, you have to recognize that games will be lower scoring and that points are more valuable. A seven-point spread in a college game is nothing, but seven points in the NFL is a huge number. You also must note the fact that the NFL is designed to reward passing offenses. Those teams that can chuck it around the yard will do well in the NFL, since pass interference and illegal contact rules really restrict what defenders can do. If you don’t know this when you make NFL picks, you have no chance.