Hey everyone,
Just thought I would throw something together before the first game of the year begins. By no means do I expect my predictions to be perfect (see last year's results for proof of that), but who knows, maybe this year will be different. Everyone knows how hard the NFL is to predict and I think I have put this off long enough. Of course, that's because I don't have high hopes for my Dolphins this year. Let's hope their drafting was as smart as they think it was and not as dumb as everyone else thinks it was. Here we go:
AFC EAST
New England (14-2) - I'd be silly not to expect the Pats to be ridiculous this year. They have an amazing team and they are the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins (9-7) - Probably over-estimating them again this year but they still have one of the best defenses in the league. Defenses win championships, right? RIGHT???
New York Jets (8-8) - Many people have the Jets as a playoff team. I don't see it. Slightly above average defense and a QB made out of wood, glue and duct tape. Am I missing something?
Buffalo Bills (6-10) - You'll hear Losman-to-Evans a lot, and rookie Marshawn Lynch will be good someday, but I expect them to be a sleeper team next year. Not this one.
AFC NORTH
Cincinnati Bengals (11-5) - Everyone says it takes two years to come back from the type of injury that Carson Palmer had. Well, it's been two years. Expect a monster season.
Baltimore Ravens (10-6) - The Ravens hope that new RB Willis McGahee will put them over the top this year, but he's only one man...and their passing game still stinks. The defense will win them enough games to get them back in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7) - I'm not a huge Steeler fan, but they are still a fairly good team. Everyone is healthy and they still get to play the Browns twice a year. If they stay healthy, they could win more.
Cleveland Browns (7-9) - This team is moving in the right direction and had a really good draft. They will be the team that nobody wants to play despite their record.
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis Colts (12-4) - No change from last year. Great offense...suspect defense. First game against New Orleans will be a good test. They should go deep in the playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) - Another good team with a bad QB. They dumped their starter from last year and are going with his backup who isn't much better. They will be running...a lot.
Houston Texans (7-9) - Much like Cleveland, the Texans are moving in the right direction. Being improved on both sides of the ball should get them out of last place this year.
Tennessee Titans (5-11) - Vince Young is in for a rough year. Everyone knows what he can do, and they will be gunning for him. Then there is the Madden Jinx...ouch!
AFC WEST
San Diego Chargers (13-3) - Yes, they still have the best player in the league. As long as LDT (I refuse to call him LT) is healthy, the Chargers will win games...lots of them.
Denver Broncos (11-5) - Denver should be an improved team this year and will be the main competition for the Chargers. They aren't improved enough to take the division, though.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-10) - Um...they have a good RB that they will probably overwork like they did last year. That's about all I can say they have going for them.
Oakland Raiders (5-11) - Saying that they will be better than last year doesn't mean much. They only won 2 games in 2006. Improved QB situation should get them a few more wins.
NFC EAST
Philadelphia Eagles (12-4) - They won the division without McNabb last year, but if he and RB Brian Westbrook stay healthy, they are the team to beat in the NFC.
Dallas Cowboys (10-6) - Not many changes from last year on this team. An improved Tony Romo (who won't be the placeholder this year) should get them back in the playoffs.
New York Giants (9-7) - Can Brandon Jacobs be the RB that Tiki Barber was. Many people are saying he can't handle the workload. I disagree. Look for him to have a huge year.
Washington Redskins (5-11) - Did they do anything to improve this team from last year? I didn't think so. Another disappointing football season in D.C.
AFC NORTH
Chicago Bears (10-6) - Are they as good as last year? No, but they are still the best team in their weak division. Even with Rex Grossman as their QB. Did someone say Byron Leftwich?
Detroit Lions (9-7) - Most improved team in 2007. They got the best player in the Draft with WR Calvin Johnson, and QB John Kitna will be throwing so much this year, his arm might fall off.
Green Bay Packers (8-8) - Hey Brett Favre...retire already, will you? We know you are just staying in the league to break records. Too bad you are just causing more harm to a team that is actually pretty good.
Minnesota Vikings (4-12) - This is what many like to call a "rebuilding season" for the Vikings. They picked up a nice RB in the Draft, but they didn't really need one that bad. I'm not sold on Tavaris Jackson as the QB of the future, either.
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints (12-4) - By the end of 2006, the offense was "jellin' like Magellan". This year, they could set some scoring records. Not a bad defense either. The Saints will be marching into the playoffs (pun intended).
Carolina Panthers (10-6) - QB Jake Delhomme needs to rebound from a poor 2006 season. When RB DeAngelo Williams takes over the starting job, it should relieve some pressure for his QB. Carolina could surprise some people this year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) - Jeff Garcia is not the QB of the future for this team, but he's still better than what they had last year. RB Carnell "Cadillac" Williams should have a nice bounce-back season as well.
Atlanta Falcons (4-12) - Thanks to Michael Vick, the Falcons will switch places with the Bucs and will be fighting for the #1 pick in the next draft. Atlanta's QB of the future could be there waiting for them.
NFC WEST
St. Louis Rams (11-5) - I'm sure I just upset a couple of people (cough Jeff & Eric cough) with this pick, but the Rams are a good team. RB Steven Jackson could end up being the league MVP. An improved defense always helps, too.
Seattle Seahawks (10-6) - RB Shaun Alexander seems to be healthy and should get the Seahawks back in the playoffs. Not enough firepower to go all the way, though.
Arizona Cardinals (8-8) - The Cardinals always look good on paper, but for some reason, it never translates to wins. QB Matt Leinart is improving, but he needs another year. Look out for this team in 2008.
San Francisco 49ers (7-9) - Was RB Frank Gore a fluke last year? Probably not. He was good the whole year. He just needs a supporting cast in the passing game. It's not quite there yet.
PLAYOFFS
ROUND 1
Indianapolis over Baltimore
Cincinnati over Denver
St. Louis over Dallas
Seattle over Chicago
ROUND 2
New England over Cincinnati
San Diego over Indianapolis
Philadelphia over Seattle
New Orleans over St. Louis
ROUND 3
San Diego over New England
Philadelphia over New Orleans
SUPER BOWL XLII
San Diego over Philadelphia
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Saturday, June 16, 2007
A-Lone Star State
Hey everyone,
I'm going to Texas for 2 weeks by myself. Not necessarily because I want to (I'm going for work). I'll still have access to my cellphone, email and AOL IM, so feel free to contact me and keep me from being too bored. Also, if you want me to bring back anything for you, let me know. See you when I get back on 06/30/07...just in time for Man-Movie Day (Live Free or Die Hard and Transformers). Can't wait!!!
I'm going to Texas for 2 weeks by myself. Not necessarily because I want to (I'm going for work). I'll still have access to my cellphone, email and AOL IM, so feel free to contact me and keep me from being too bored. Also, if you want me to bring back anything for you, let me know. See you when I get back on 06/30/07...just in time for Man-Movie Day (Live Free or Die Hard and Transformers). Can't wait!!!
Sunday, February 04, 2007
2007 NFL Playoffs - Super Bowl - FINISH HIM!!!
Um, yeah...I didn't have time to write out any background on this, so I'll do this quickly. I think this game will be a lot closer than people think. I still don't trust Rex Grossman in a big game. He has played well enough to get this far, although it was mostly the defense and special teams saving his ass. The Colts defense had been playing well in the playoffs until they came against a real challenge in the Patriots. They still somehow managed to win that game, and now face a Bears team that should pose a good threat with their running game. So what does this all mean? I have no idea. It's gonna be a good game and I'm picking the Colts to win because I don't want to see Peyton Manning go through what Dan Marino did. So there. Final Score: Colts 34 Bears 31.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
2007 NFL Playoffs - Round 3...FIGHT!
Well, I didn’t fare as well as I did in round 1, but I didn’t do too bad at all. I picked 2 out 4 games correctly, but I was 3-1 against the spread. I’ll take it. These playoffs have had some of the more entertaining games I have seen in a while. The final 4 are all very good teams in their own special ways and I can see any of them playing in the Super Bowl in 2 weeks. Today is going to be a great day for football.
Let’s look at the Conference Championship matchups: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Although I’m not a big NFC guy, I’m pretty excited about this matchup. The Saints are obviously the emotional favorite around the country right now. Everyone seems to be jumping on their bandwagon. Even the “experts” are in love with them. Amazingly, every single one of the 8 “experts” on ESPN.com have picked them to win this game (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/features/talent). How is this possible? The Bears have a better record, they are playing at home in the snow (2-4 inches expected today), and they have possibly the best defense in the league. So, how can everyone pick them to lose? Well, here are a few things to consider: Although the Saints are a warm-weather team, their QB, Drew Brees, went to college at Purdue, which is a colder-weather school. The Bears QB, Rex Grossman, went to Florida which is obviously a warm-weather school. If the field gets messy, and you can bet it will, expect to see a lot of running in this game with a few shots downfield to keep the defenses honest. Also, look for Special Teams to come in to play, with both Devon Hester for the Bears and Reggie Bush for the Saints returning kicks/punts. Either of them could bring it to the house at any time. So, the weather shouldn’t be considered a negative for New Orleans. The Bears defense, although still very good, has not played as well in the past several weeks due to injuries. The Saints should be able to score a few points on them with the offense they have. They have very good running and passing games, so they should be able to find the weaknesses and exploit the Bears defense. Can I honestly say the same about the Bears offense with confidence? They still have Rex Grossman at quarterback. Who knows what will happen when this guy takes the field? He’s bound to make a mistake or two, and if the Saints can capitalize on this, it could make all the difference in the world. So, call me a bandwagon jumper if you want, but the Saints are a darn good team and they have just as much of a chance to win this game as anyone. Final Score: Saints 24 Bears 20
New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts – I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised about the participants in this game. It seems like every year, these two teams are in the hunt for the Super Bowl, and quite often they end up playing each other in the playoffs. The last two times these teams met in the playoffs, the Patriots were on the winning end, but the last two times these teams met, both in the regular season, the Colts were the victors. Has the tide shifted, and are the Colts the better team now? Or, are the Pats going to step up like they always do when it really counts and send the Colts packing again? A lot of people are saying the Pats are lucky to be in this game. They did everything they could last week to lose to the Chargers, but as it turns out, San Diego did more to lose that game, and that’s exactly what happened. Well, that’s why you play the game every week. Although the Patriots were outplayed in many categories, they came up with the big plays when they needed them, so they deserve to be where they are. On the flip side, the Colts weren’t supposed to win last week either, but their defense stepped up for the second straight week and they never trailed against the Ravens. In fact, they haven’t trailed once for the entire playoffs. I don’t expect that to continue in this game. The Patriots have a better, more balanced offense than the Chiefs and Ravens. Not to mention they still have the Tom Brady at QB, and he seems to always step up in big games, especially against the Colts. Does that mean they are going to win? Maybe…maybe not. I am expecting a lot of back and forth action in this game. Peyton Manning has a huge monkey to get off his back, and Brady/Belichick want to keep it there. Either way, this is going to be a damn good game, but I’m picking the Colts because I picked the Chargers last week and the Patriots won. Maybe it will work again. Final Score: Colts 31 Patriots 30
So there you go…it’s going to be Saints and Colts in Miami on February 4th playing for the Vince Lombardi trophy. That’s defintely an exciting matchup that I would love to see. Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing any of the possible matchups between these four teams. I can’t wait!
Let’s look at the Conference Championship matchups: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Although I’m not a big NFC guy, I’m pretty excited about this matchup. The Saints are obviously the emotional favorite around the country right now. Everyone seems to be jumping on their bandwagon. Even the “experts” are in love with them. Amazingly, every single one of the 8 “experts” on ESPN.com have picked them to win this game (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/features/talent). How is this possible? The Bears have a better record, they are playing at home in the snow (2-4 inches expected today), and they have possibly the best defense in the league. So, how can everyone pick them to lose? Well, here are a few things to consider: Although the Saints are a warm-weather team, their QB, Drew Brees, went to college at Purdue, which is a colder-weather school. The Bears QB, Rex Grossman, went to Florida which is obviously a warm-weather school. If the field gets messy, and you can bet it will, expect to see a lot of running in this game with a few shots downfield to keep the defenses honest. Also, look for Special Teams to come in to play, with both Devon Hester for the Bears and Reggie Bush for the Saints returning kicks/punts. Either of them could bring it to the house at any time. So, the weather shouldn’t be considered a negative for New Orleans. The Bears defense, although still very good, has not played as well in the past several weeks due to injuries. The Saints should be able to score a few points on them with the offense they have. They have very good running and passing games, so they should be able to find the weaknesses and exploit the Bears defense. Can I honestly say the same about the Bears offense with confidence? They still have Rex Grossman at quarterback. Who knows what will happen when this guy takes the field? He’s bound to make a mistake or two, and if the Saints can capitalize on this, it could make all the difference in the world. So, call me a bandwagon jumper if you want, but the Saints are a darn good team and they have just as much of a chance to win this game as anyone. Final Score: Saints 24 Bears 20
New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts – I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised about the participants in this game. It seems like every year, these two teams are in the hunt for the Super Bowl, and quite often they end up playing each other in the playoffs. The last two times these teams met in the playoffs, the Patriots were on the winning end, but the last two times these teams met, both in the regular season, the Colts were the victors. Has the tide shifted, and are the Colts the better team now? Or, are the Pats going to step up like they always do when it really counts and send the Colts packing again? A lot of people are saying the Pats are lucky to be in this game. They did everything they could last week to lose to the Chargers, but as it turns out, San Diego did more to lose that game, and that’s exactly what happened. Well, that’s why you play the game every week. Although the Patriots were outplayed in many categories, they came up with the big plays when they needed them, so they deserve to be where they are. On the flip side, the Colts weren’t supposed to win last week either, but their defense stepped up for the second straight week and they never trailed against the Ravens. In fact, they haven’t trailed once for the entire playoffs. I don’t expect that to continue in this game. The Patriots have a better, more balanced offense than the Chiefs and Ravens. Not to mention they still have the Tom Brady at QB, and he seems to always step up in big games, especially against the Colts. Does that mean they are going to win? Maybe…maybe not. I am expecting a lot of back and forth action in this game. Peyton Manning has a huge monkey to get off his back, and Brady/Belichick want to keep it there. Either way, this is going to be a damn good game, but I’m picking the Colts because I picked the Chargers last week and the Patriots won. Maybe it will work again. Final Score: Colts 31 Patriots 30
So there you go…it’s going to be Saints and Colts in Miami on February 4th playing for the Vince Lombardi trophy. That’s defintely an exciting matchup that I would love to see. Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing any of the possible matchups between these four teams. I can’t wait!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
NFL Playoffs - Round 2...FIGHT!
Amazing…I was actually 4 for 4 last week in picking games. Even against the spread I was 3-1, which is pretty incredible. This week, though, is going to be much tougher to predict. In fact, I think it’s going to be darn near impossible…but, what the heck, I’ll give it my best shot. Here we go!
Here's how the second round looks:
Saturday, January 13th, 2007:
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens – Woah…when did the Colts get a defense? Were they really that good, or was the Chiefs offense that bad? My guess is that it was mostly the Chiefs offense being bad, but holding Larry Johnson, the league’s #2 RB, to 32 yards is no small feat. Now, the Colts must go into Baltimore and face a slightly better (or maybe smarter) offense and a defense that could very well be the best in the league. The Colts are not used to being underdogs, but all 4 of their losses have come on the road this year, and the Ravens are 7-1 at home. The odds are seemingly insurmountable for Indianapolis, but let’s not forget who the QB is in Indy. Peyton Manning knows how to win games and he has the weapons to do it. I know the Colts track record for losing in the playoffs, and this game seems to be a perfect situation for them to lose, but I just have a feeling about this one. I think the Colts defense can hold off the Ravens long enough to allow Manning to put together another game-winning drive, capped off by an Adam Vinatieri game-winning kick (sorry New England fans). Final Score: Colts 23 Ravens 21
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints – What can you say about this game? So many subplots to follow. The Saints have been playing emotional football all year long for a city that really needed something to uplift their spirits. New Orleans has one of the most exciting players in football with rookie Reggie Bush, who somehow slipped to them at #2 in the draft when he should have gone to Houston at #1 (thanks Houston!). He can hurt you in so many different ways. Running, receiving, returning kicks…he’s all over the place. The Eagles have also had a bit of an emotional year. They started the season at 5-6 and lost QB Donovan McNabb for the year. When all hope seemed lost, backup QB Jeff Garcia stepped in and led the team to 5 straight wins and the division title. Philadelphia then fended off the Giants in the first-round of the playoffs to get to this point. This will be a fun, fast-paced, exciting matchup that might just be won by whoever gets the ball last. Hot streak or emotional favorite? Tough choice. I’ll go with the home team. Final Score: Saints 35 Eagles 28
Sunday, August 14th, 2007:
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears – What a game last week between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. It was a nail-biter from start to finish and Seattle was lucky to win because of a botched snap on a field goal. Maybe it wasn’t luck, though. Maybe the gods are looking down on the Seahwaks because of the Super Bowl that was bought out from under their noses last year? Either way, they are now heading into Chicago to face a team with a streaky QB in Rex Grossman, and an amazing defense that has struggled as of late due to injuries. If Grossman struggles early, will the Bears be smart enough to pull him out of the game for a respectable backup in Brian Griese? Seattle may be able to jump out to an early lead. Then, they can just keep pounding away with Shaun Alexander. If Seattle can keep the mistakes to a minimum, there’s a good chance they might pull out the upset. Final Score: Seahawks 17 Bears 13
New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers – Probably the most anticipated game this weekend by fans and experts alike. This year’s top team, San Diego, against the last decade’s top team, New England. The league’s top rusher and record setting TD machine, LaDainian Tomlinson against the best playoff coach/QB combo ever, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (11-1 record in the playoffs). San Diego is 8-0 at home. The Pats are 7-1 on the road. The Chargers led the league in points scored with 492, while the Pats were second in the league in points allowed with 237. It’s like the proverbial Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object. Well, something has to give in this game. The Patriots are once again without defensive force Rodney Harrison, and that could become a big issue when trying to stop Chargers TE Antonio Gates. It is not easy to pick against Brady and Belichick, because they always seem to find away to stay in the game right up until the end, but the Chargers are just too good at home this year. Final Score: Chargers 27 Patriots 24
Here's how the second round looks:
Saturday, January 13th, 2007:
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens – Woah…when did the Colts get a defense? Were they really that good, or was the Chiefs offense that bad? My guess is that it was mostly the Chiefs offense being bad, but holding Larry Johnson, the league’s #2 RB, to 32 yards is no small feat. Now, the Colts must go into Baltimore and face a slightly better (or maybe smarter) offense and a defense that could very well be the best in the league. The Colts are not used to being underdogs, but all 4 of their losses have come on the road this year, and the Ravens are 7-1 at home. The odds are seemingly insurmountable for Indianapolis, but let’s not forget who the QB is in Indy. Peyton Manning knows how to win games and he has the weapons to do it. I know the Colts track record for losing in the playoffs, and this game seems to be a perfect situation for them to lose, but I just have a feeling about this one. I think the Colts defense can hold off the Ravens long enough to allow Manning to put together another game-winning drive, capped off by an Adam Vinatieri game-winning kick (sorry New England fans). Final Score: Colts 23 Ravens 21
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints – What can you say about this game? So many subplots to follow. The Saints have been playing emotional football all year long for a city that really needed something to uplift their spirits. New Orleans has one of the most exciting players in football with rookie Reggie Bush, who somehow slipped to them at #2 in the draft when he should have gone to Houston at #1 (thanks Houston!). He can hurt you in so many different ways. Running, receiving, returning kicks…he’s all over the place. The Eagles have also had a bit of an emotional year. They started the season at 5-6 and lost QB Donovan McNabb for the year. When all hope seemed lost, backup QB Jeff Garcia stepped in and led the team to 5 straight wins and the division title. Philadelphia then fended off the Giants in the first-round of the playoffs to get to this point. This will be a fun, fast-paced, exciting matchup that might just be won by whoever gets the ball last. Hot streak or emotional favorite? Tough choice. I’ll go with the home team. Final Score: Saints 35 Eagles 28
Sunday, August 14th, 2007:
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears – What a game last week between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. It was a nail-biter from start to finish and Seattle was lucky to win because of a botched snap on a field goal. Maybe it wasn’t luck, though. Maybe the gods are looking down on the Seahwaks because of the Super Bowl that was bought out from under their noses last year? Either way, they are now heading into Chicago to face a team with a streaky QB in Rex Grossman, and an amazing defense that has struggled as of late due to injuries. If Grossman struggles early, will the Bears be smart enough to pull him out of the game for a respectable backup in Brian Griese? Seattle may be able to jump out to an early lead. Then, they can just keep pounding away with Shaun Alexander. If Seattle can keep the mistakes to a minimum, there’s a good chance they might pull out the upset. Final Score: Seahawks 17 Bears 13
New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers – Probably the most anticipated game this weekend by fans and experts alike. This year’s top team, San Diego, against the last decade’s top team, New England. The league’s top rusher and record setting TD machine, LaDainian Tomlinson against the best playoff coach/QB combo ever, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady (11-1 record in the playoffs). San Diego is 8-0 at home. The Pats are 7-1 on the road. The Chargers led the league in points scored with 492, while the Pats were second in the league in points allowed with 237. It’s like the proverbial Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object. Well, something has to give in this game. The Patriots are once again without defensive force Rodney Harrison, and that could become a big issue when trying to stop Chargers TE Antonio Gates. It is not easy to pick against Brady and Belichick, because they always seem to find away to stay in the game right up until the end, but the Chargers are just too good at home this year. Final Score: Chargers 27 Patriots 24
Saturday, January 06, 2007
"Hello everybody? I should say that?"
"HELLO EVERYBODY!!!"
Did you miss me? Don't lie...it's OK if you didn't. I've only been gone for about 4 months. I was just a little busy with work...and football...and the holidays...and other crap that I don't want to get into. Anyway, the NFL playoffs are upon us and I had a request to revamp my predictions from the beginning of the year (thanks, Jim). I was a much better predictor of the NFC than I was of the AFC before the season started. I correctly picked 5 out 6 playoff teams in the NFC as opposed to 3 out of 6 for the AFC. Oh well...just goes to show how hard the NFL is to predict.
So here's how the first round looks:
Saturday, January 6th, 2007:
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts - The Colts have lost 4 of their last 6 games and have been unable to stop the rush all year long. They still have a healthy Peyton Manning, who is arguably the best QB in the league. He'll be throwing the ball all over the place to Pro Bowl WR's Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. The Chiefs barely snuck into the playoffs and rely heavily on their running game with the league's #2 RB, Larry Johnson (1789 yards rushing in the regular season). The Colts can expect to see a lot of Johnson coming at them. Can the Colts get back to their winning ways? Is the Chiefs running game enough to compete with the Colts high-powered offense? This could quickly become a high-scoring game, but the Colts just have too many weapons as well as "home-field advantage". Final Score: Colts 34 Chiefs 27
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks - Both of these teams have had up and down seasons. Seattle's year has been marred by injuries to key players. Even going into this game, they have question marks at WR with both Darrell Jackson and D.J. Hackett listed as gametime decisions. This may be a game where stud RB, Shaun Alexander, has to run the ball 30-40 times. The Cowboys have also had an up and down season that was turnmed around when they switched quarterbacks from veteran Drew Bledsoe to youngster Tony Romo. Romo started out well, going 6-2 as a starter before the Cowboys lost their last 2 games. Romo is going to be a good QB for a long time, but he has no playoff exeperience and I don't see him going into Seattle and pulling off the upset. Final Score: Seahawks 28 Cowboys 20
Sunday, August 7th, 2007:
New York Jets at New England Patriots - If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the Jets would go 10-6 and make it to the playoffs, I would have asked you what you had just been smoking and could I have some? I still can't figure out how it happened. Strength of schedule maybe? The Jets have just an average team all around. QB Chad Pennington is the comeback player of the year and he's 10th in the league in passing with a couple of talented WR's Laveranues Coles & Jerricho Cotchery. The Jets don't have much of a running game, though, so the Pats defense will be putting the pressure on Pennington. The Patriots are once again AFC East Champions, led by QB Tom Brady and the dual rushing attack of Corey Dillon and rookie Laurence Maroney. There is a lot of playoff exeperience on this team with a coach who knows how to win big games. Bill Belichick is a coaching mastermind, and he will have his team ready for whatever the Jets bring at him. The big question is, will he shake the hand of the opposing coach, Eric Mangini (Belichick's longtime protege), after the game? I guess we'll see. Final Score: Patriots 24 Jets 10
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – This could be the best game of the weekend between two bitter rivals from the NFC East. It’s no secret that these teams don’t like each other. I’ve seen firsthand how much the fans hate the other team, and this season has been no different. The two teams split victories by winning at each others home stadium. After starting the season 6-2 and taking a commanding lead in the division, the Giants fell apart and watched as the Eagles went on a 5-game winning streak at the end of the season to take the NFC East title. The Eagles have been without their leader, QB Donovan McNabb, but backup QB Jeff Garcia has stepped up and played admirably in leading the Eagles to the division crown. He has plenty of weapons around him in RB Brian Westbrook, WR Reggie Brown and TE L.J. Smith. The Giants are without defensive captain Michael Strahan for the rest of the year and hope the younger players can step up and make some plays. Emotions are high as RB Tiki Barber has said he will retire after this season. So the Giants want to keep winning and hopefully get Tiki a title. To do so, the star players need to step up their game. QB Eli Manning, WR Plaxico Burress and TE Jeremy Shockey need to start making things happen. Unfortunately for them, they are facing a team that is on a roll and playing at home. Final Score: Eagles 28 Giants 27
Did you miss me? Don't lie...it's OK if you didn't. I've only been gone for about 4 months. I was just a little busy with work...and football...and the holidays...and other crap that I don't want to get into. Anyway, the NFL playoffs are upon us and I had a request to revamp my predictions from the beginning of the year (thanks, Jim). I was a much better predictor of the NFC than I was of the AFC before the season started. I correctly picked 5 out 6 playoff teams in the NFC as opposed to 3 out of 6 for the AFC. Oh well...just goes to show how hard the NFL is to predict.
So here's how the first round looks:
Saturday, January 6th, 2007:
Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts - The Colts have lost 4 of their last 6 games and have been unable to stop the rush all year long. They still have a healthy Peyton Manning, who is arguably the best QB in the league. He'll be throwing the ball all over the place to Pro Bowl WR's Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. The Chiefs barely snuck into the playoffs and rely heavily on their running game with the league's #2 RB, Larry Johnson (1789 yards rushing in the regular season). The Colts can expect to see a lot of Johnson coming at them. Can the Colts get back to their winning ways? Is the Chiefs running game enough to compete with the Colts high-powered offense? This could quickly become a high-scoring game, but the Colts just have too many weapons as well as "home-field advantage". Final Score: Colts 34 Chiefs 27
Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks - Both of these teams have had up and down seasons. Seattle's year has been marred by injuries to key players. Even going into this game, they have question marks at WR with both Darrell Jackson and D.J. Hackett listed as gametime decisions. This may be a game where stud RB, Shaun Alexander, has to run the ball 30-40 times. The Cowboys have also had an up and down season that was turnmed around when they switched quarterbacks from veteran Drew Bledsoe to youngster Tony Romo. Romo started out well, going 6-2 as a starter before the Cowboys lost their last 2 games. Romo is going to be a good QB for a long time, but he has no playoff exeperience and I don't see him going into Seattle and pulling off the upset. Final Score: Seahawks 28 Cowboys 20
Sunday, August 7th, 2007:
New York Jets at New England Patriots - If you had told me at the beginning of the season that the Jets would go 10-6 and make it to the playoffs, I would have asked you what you had just been smoking and could I have some? I still can't figure out how it happened. Strength of schedule maybe? The Jets have just an average team all around. QB Chad Pennington is the comeback player of the year and he's 10th in the league in passing with a couple of talented WR's Laveranues Coles & Jerricho Cotchery. The Jets don't have much of a running game, though, so the Pats defense will be putting the pressure on Pennington. The Patriots are once again AFC East Champions, led by QB Tom Brady and the dual rushing attack of Corey Dillon and rookie Laurence Maroney. There is a lot of playoff exeperience on this team with a coach who knows how to win big games. Bill Belichick is a coaching mastermind, and he will have his team ready for whatever the Jets bring at him. The big question is, will he shake the hand of the opposing coach, Eric Mangini (Belichick's longtime protege), after the game? I guess we'll see. Final Score: Patriots 24 Jets 10
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles – This could be the best game of the weekend between two bitter rivals from the NFC East. It’s no secret that these teams don’t like each other. I’ve seen firsthand how much the fans hate the other team, and this season has been no different. The two teams split victories by winning at each others home stadium. After starting the season 6-2 and taking a commanding lead in the division, the Giants fell apart and watched as the Eagles went on a 5-game winning streak at the end of the season to take the NFC East title. The Eagles have been without their leader, QB Donovan McNabb, but backup QB Jeff Garcia has stepped up and played admirably in leading the Eagles to the division crown. He has plenty of weapons around him in RB Brian Westbrook, WR Reggie Brown and TE L.J. Smith. The Giants are without defensive captain Michael Strahan for the rest of the year and hope the younger players can step up and make some plays. Emotions are high as RB Tiki Barber has said he will retire after this season. So the Giants want to keep winning and hopefully get Tiki a title. To do so, the star players need to step up their game. QB Eli Manning, WR Plaxico Burress and TE Jeremy Shockey need to start making things happen. Unfortunately for them, they are facing a team that is on a roll and playing at home. Final Score: Eagles 28 Giants 27
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