Three sizeable posts in a week? Well, that's just the way it goes around here sometimes. It just fully dawned on me today that football season starts tonight, and now I can't concentrate on anything else. Since I'm at work, that's not the best thing. But the day's almost over, so what better to do than post? First off I think I should mention one thing: I'm picking the Pats to go to the championship game, but nothing would please me more than seeing them lose every game they play this year. I hate the Pats, and I'm tired of their fans. Is that because I'm jealous? Absolutely. I wish everyone was sick of the Eagles (they may be anyway) and hated their fans because we continually gloat about our team winning three of four Super Bowls. I'm just sayin'. On to the picks.
East: Let's just get this out of the way. The Eagles will dominate the division once again. I see no team here that can pose a threat. The Cowboys may take a game from them this year, but even that stands to be questioned. The 'boys replaced Vinny Testaverde at QB with the youth of...Drew Bledsoe? What? Is Bill Parcells trying to make himself feel young? He's bringing in old QBs that used to play for him when his teams were good because that awful blonde dye-job on his hair didn't work? I don't know. But enough about the Cowboys. The Eagles are too good on offense and they are going to be absolutely ridiculous on defense. Jevon Kearse has been in the system for a year now, and he's going to be a monster. Jeremiah Trotter plays like a man possessed and is 1000% better in this defensive scheme than he was with the Redskins. The loss of Corey Simon has zero impact. Hollis Thomas and Darwin Walker are more than suitable to take over, and Sam Rayburn will rotate in along with rookie Mike Patterson (who has looked superb thus far). The loss of Todd Pinkston will show what Greg Lewis has to offer, and I think that will be significant. He's quick and has hands made of super glue. Watch this guy. Throw in L.J. Smith at tight end along with the fullback-looking Stephen Spach for two TE sets, the awesome Brian Westbrook at RB, along with the recently acquired Lamar Gordon for short yardage situations, and this offense will be explosive. And I didn't even mention Donovan F. McNabb. I'll stop now, but you'll hear more about the birds this season (duh). Pick: Eagles.
North: Okay, Detroit people. The Lions, barring injury, have the potential to be a lot of fun to watch this year. Their offense could be insane if Joey Harrington can keep his wits about him. Kevin Jones is going to be great at RB, and I don't even need to say anything about the receivers here. My question is whether their defense will be able to keep up. They did something by adding R.W. McQuarters, but I don't know if it's enough. They've got to be able to rush the passer too. I'm seeing them barely ahead of the sinking ship that is the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre single-handedly got the Pack into the playoffs with a horrendous, terrible, awful, dreadful defense that has not made improvements for this year. Favre can only win so many shootouts. The Bears hardly warrant mention here. It's not completely their fault, as injuries have plagued them for the last while, and Rex Grossman went down for the season once again. They're young and they'll bounce back, but aside from the glimmer of hope their solid defense will provide, don't expect much. That brings me to the Vikings. On paper, the Vikings look like a lock, and I do think they'll take the division. They've vastly improved their defense with a bunch of offseason acquisitions. Will they be as good as their roster indicates? I think they'll be really good, but not quite as good as everyone thinks (they seem to be the popular pick to come out of the NFC this year). Pick: Vikings.
South: Ah, the South. I honestly have zero idea what to expect from the Saints given their well-documented and tragic situation. I'm not going to dwell on that because there's not much more to say. The salary cap has killed this team. They'll be bad again this year, and probably next year too. And there's not much they can do about it besides draft well and develop what they have. The Falcons will go as Mike Vick goes, despite their very good defense. They won't get as far as they did last year, because a replenished Carolina team will probably come roaring back from a year when they were decimated with injury. Just getting the players back that they lost will help them immensely. It will be an interesting battle to watch, but I don't think the race between Atlanta and Carolina will be as close as it could be. Pick: Panthers.
West: This was just a bad division last year. It may get better this year, though it's hard to say (I guess that's a common theme in predictions, huh?). The Cardinals are everyone's favorite sleeper pick to take the division, and they may very well have a chance. The Seahawks are so back-and-forth that it's hard to predict anything with them. The 49ers will be basement-dwellers. The Rams can be very explosive on offense when Mike Martz doesn't coach the team to death. So what's that leave me with? Pick a team out of a hat (leaving out the 49ers), and that team probably has as good a chance as any other. So here's my "if-then" scenario for the west: If the Cardinals offensive line can protect the increasingly-skittish Kurt Warner, they'll take the division. If the Rams can do anything at all on defense, and if their special teams don't cost them games like they very possibly could, they'll win the division. If the Seahawks can be consistently good and the new players can add to the team chemistry, they'll win the division. The problem with picking the Cardinals here is that if there's one place you don't want to be weak when you have a potentially explosive offense, it's on the offensive line. I don't see the Seahawks making waves like they did last year, though they'll be one of those teams that can beat pretty much anyone if they play their game. The Rams have self-destructive tendencies that go right to the head coach, and I can't see those improving. I sigh as I say this, but I've got to go with the Cardinals. I know they're the popular sleeper pick, but it actually shakes out pretty logically if they're as good as they seem to be. Pick: Cardinals.
Wild Card: This is tough. No one else from the East is coming out, so get them out of here. To me it comes down to St. Louis, Atlanta and............Detroit. Yes, I said it. I admit that the Cards and the Lions have been my sleeper picks for the last two years--not to make the playoffs, but to have at least .500 records--that hasn't happened, so why am I saying they might go to the playoffs, for goodness sake? I don't know. The Falcons aren't as good as everyone thinks they are (and they weren't even that good last year--everyone else was just bad). The Rams are just so volatile. The Lions have given me no good reason to pick them for a wild card spot, but I'm going to anyway. The other spot goes to the Rams. This is such a crapshoot, but it's fun. Picks: Lions and Rams.
Conference: Please. Do I even have to say anything? The Eagles are the team to beat here. They'll probably end up playing Minnesota in a tough conference title game, but they'll pull it out and go on to beat the Chargers in Super Bowl Xtra Large in Detroit, winning their first ever Super Bowl. Andy Reid will solidify his legacy in Philadelphia as the best Eagles coach ever.
So will any of these things happen? Do I have any idea what I'm talking about? Did my inattention during the offseason (due to the anguish of enduring another championship loss) hurt my picks? Only time will tell. All I know is that football season is here and I couldn't be more excited for it. So go watch the Patriots lay waste to the Raiders tonight and get ready for what looks to be a pretty friggin good lineup of games this Sunday and Monday.
9 years ago
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