2010 NFL Predictions

Last year I predicted that Ravens would beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl......yeah, that didn't work out. So I present to you another set of football predictions that are bound to be wrong.

AFC East: NY Jets, New England, Miami,Buffalo,
AFC North: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland
AFC South: Indianapolis, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville
AFC West: San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Kansas City
NFC East: Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants, Washington
NFC North: Green Bay, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit
NFC South: New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina, Tampa Bay
NFC West: San Francisco, Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis

AFC 1st Round:
(5) Cinncinati def. (4) San Diego
(3) Indianapolis def. (6) Houston

NFC 1st Round::
(5) Philadelphia def. (4) San Francisco
(3) Dallas def. (6) Minnesota

AFC Divisional:
(1) Baltimore def. (5) Cincinnati
(2) NY Jets def. (3) Indianapolis

NFC Divisional:
(1) New Orleans def. (5) Philadelphia
(2) Green Bay def. (3) Dallas

AFC Championship:
(1) Baltimore def. (2) NY Jets

NFC Championship:
(2) Green Bay def. (1) New Orleans

Super Bowl XLV:
Baltimore def. Green Bay

2009 NFL Predictions

Every year I come back for more, knowing damn well that I really have no prayer of even being close in predicting the right outcome (hey, a Patriots/Cowboys Super Bowl seemed plausible at the time).

Nevertheless.....

AFC East: New England, Miami, NY Jets, Buffalo,
AFC North: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati,Cleveland
AFC South: Indianapolis, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville
AFC West: San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Kansas City
NFC East: NY Giants, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington
NFC North: Green Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit
NFC South: Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay
NFC West: Seattle, Arizona, St. Louis, San Francisco

AFC 1st Round:
(5) Pittsburgh def. (4) Indianapolis
(3) San Diego def. (6) Houston

NFC 1st Round::
(5) Philadelphia def. (4) Seattle
(3) Green Bay def. (6) Chicago

AFC Divisional:
(1) Baltimore def. (5) Pittsburgh
(2) New England def. (3) San Diego

NFC Divisional:
(1) NY Giants def. (5) Philadelphia
(2) Atlanta def. (3) NY Giants

AFC Championship:
(1) Baltimore def. (2) New England

NFC Championship:
(2) Atlanta def. (2) NY Giants

Super Bowl XLIV:
Baltimore def. Atlanta

NFL Predictions

Well it's not like these are going to be any more accurate than the Ravens/Saints Super Bowl prediction last year, but they are back and I am ready to go on record with the once more, and yes I am wildly backing off of the 9-7 Ravens prediction now that Joe Flacco is being forced to start, and with so many question marks still with this team ...

AFC East: New England, NY Jets, Buffalo, Miami
AFC North: Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore
AFC South: Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston
AFC West: San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Kansas City
NFC East: Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants, Washington
NFC North: Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit
NFC South: Tampa Bay, Carolina, New Orleans, Atlanta
NFC West: Seattle, St. Louis, Arizona, San Francisco

AFC 1st Round:
(5) Tennessee def. (4) Pittsburgh
(3) Indianapolis def. (6) Denver

NFC 1st Round::
(5) Philadelphia def. (4) Minnesota
(3) Seattle def. (6) NY Giants

AFC Divisional:
(1) New England def. (5) Tennessee
(3) Indianapolis def. (2) San Diego

NFC Divisional:
(1) Dallas def. (5) Philadelphia
(2) Tampa Bay def. (3) Seattle

AFC Championship:
(1) New England def. (3) Indianapolis

NFC Championship:
(1) Dallas def. (2) Tampa Bay

Super Bowl XLII:
New England def. Dallas

As if I needed another reason to hate the Steelers...

.....team owner Dan Rooney endorsed Barack Obama today.

"Our country needs a new direction and a new kind of leadership – the kind of leadership, judgment and experience that Senator Obama has demonstrated in more than 20 years of public service, and in a particularly impressive way in this campaign."

Well, there is no accounting for judgment or taste, I suppose.

Specter Beclowns himself again

Apparently, I missed this in American history, because Arlen Specter has declared that, "We have a right to have honest football games."

We do? Of all the problems that we have in American society, this is fundamental the right that Arlen Specter decides to stand up for?

Words cannot even describe Specter's continued foolishness on this subject...

I'm lumping three sports topics together

Orioles: Orioles bring back Steve Trachsel. Well, that's the move that'll put us over the top in the AL East.

All kidding aside, we needed a veteran starter, and he came cheap. No harm no foul.

NFL: Steelers to keep grass. That's completely ridiculous, because I think the Pasadena Chargers play youth football on a better field over at Lake Waterford Park than the Steelers play on at Heinz Field. It's a completely bush league situation.

Baseball: John Rocker says Selig knew he was on steroids. Enh. It's John Rocker. How credible is it?

Redskins put fun in Dysfunctional

Words cannot describe how much this cracks me up:

The Washington Redskins made a stunning decision Saturday night, naming recently hired offensive coordinator Jim Zorn as the team's new head coach, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Zorn, who has never previously served as a head coach or offensive coordinator in the NFL, replaces Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs, who resigned as team president and coach on Jan. 8.

The team's coaching search had been shrouded in secrecy. At various points, former assistant head coach Gregg Williams and former Giants coach Jim Fassell were considered leading candidates after long interviews with owner Daniel Snyder. Indianapolis Colts assistant coach Ron Meeks also interviewed multiple times for the position.

I am starting to get the feeling that the Redskins are becoming the Raiders of the east, a death trap of a head coaching job that nobody actually wants, particularly when ownership makes these kind of decisions. It was bad enough that Snyder hired the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators before finding the new Head Coach. But then to suddenly decide that one of those guys is the guy you want to be the big boss makes it look like nobody else of substance or quality actually wanted the job (and considering guys like Jim Mora, Jr and Steve Spagnuolo turned the job down, that's likely).

I bet Jimmy Braswell and my RedMaryland colleague Mark Newgent, both fans of this hapless lot, can't be too happy about this one...

Well....

.....I don't think I could've gotten that prediction any more wrong.

The Giants won the game fair and square. It was bowling shoe ugly for three quarters, but they won it in an amazing fashion and they deserve the win hands down.

As for the Patriots....well, sad to say but they end the season as failures.

And incidentally, David Tyree's fourth-quarter game saving catch may be the greatest catch I have ever seen.....

Your Super Bowl Prediction....

New England 37, New York 17

The Patriots are just too good, and are going to be mad from their near loss in Week 17, as well as the trash-talking from Plaxico Burress.

Plus.....it's 19-0. When are they ever going to get a shot to do that again?

Specter needs to get a clue

Once again.....Congress is doing the people's business:

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wanted to hear the NFL's explanation for the purging of evidence in the infamous "Spygate" case involving the New England Patriots. He wrote commissioner Roger Goodell on Nov. 15. He got no response.

Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Goodell again more than a month later, after getting no acknowledgment to the initial communication.

Two days before the Super Bowl, there is plenty of response.

In a phone interview Thursday with The New York Times, Specter said the committee at some point will call on Goodell to discuss why the league destroyed the tapes that revealed the Patriots had been spying on the competition.

"That requires an explanation," Specter told The Times. "The NFL has a very preferred status in our country with their antitrust exemption. The American people are entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. It's analogous to the CIA destruction of tapes, or any time you have records destroyed."

Words cannot even describe how misplaced Senator Specter's priorities are if this, of all things, is what he is most worried about. We've got a war, terrorism, a potential recession, a crisis with the cost of health care, and immigration woes.....but let's haul the NFL Commissioner before the Senate to address an issue where no laws were broken and no harm was done to anybody.

Frankly, Specter's actually pretty clueless on the issues too. 1957's Radovich v. National Football League established that the NFL does not have the same type of antitrust immunity that was granted to baseball, so I'm not even sure how Congress has skin in this game.

This is beyond stupid, and Specter should feel foolish for even broaching the subject....

UPDATE (11:46 PM): No sooner than I post this I go to ESPN and see that there is a Q&A about what Specter is referring to regarding antitrust law. But this seems to be the main crux for the NFL:

What is Specter talking about when he talks about the NFL's "antitrust exemption"? Specter is talking about a law known as the Sports Broadcasting Act that is the legal and economic foundation of the NFL, the most successful enterprise in the history of sports. There is no faster way to capture the attention of NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell than to suggest that Congress could revisit the law that allows NFL owners to pool their television rights, sell them as a package, and split the profits equally. Enacted in 1961, the law is the single most important factor in the league's success. Without the law, each franchise would be selling its television rights individually, which would result in the big-market teams making big money and a team like Green Bay going out of business.

So.....who really knows, other than another Senator is realistically sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.

I will now light myself on fire

The headline says it all: Ravens hit rock bottom.

Yuck....

There's no accounting for taste

Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White and his teammates seem to think that there is a need to Free Michael Vick. Never mind the fact that Vick allowed heinous crimes to be committed on his property, using his money, and that he has admitted to committing said crimes. Never mind the fact that Vick got a light sentence from a federal judge yesterday for committing said crimes. And never mind the fact that Vick still faces state charges related to this operation. Clearly, Mike Vick has been done no wrong in their eyes and needs to be freed.

Maybe Vick is the Mumia of his generation, who knows. Either way, both we convicted of crimes and are in the clank because of it. And neither one of them have been adequately punished for their crimes yet.

Of course, if Roddy White and the rest of the Falcons focused more on football, maybe they wouldn't be 3-10 after getting stomped by New Orleans last night....

Surprise!

I'm stunned at this:

For the fifth time in seven games, Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino is making a quarterback switch in an effort to jump-start his sagging offense, with little-used Chris Redman taking over as the starter for Monday night's game against New Orleans.

The start will be Redman's first in a regular-season game since Oct. 20, 2002, when he was playing with the Baltimore Ravens. Since that game, he has thrown only 24 passes.

"It's unbelievable," Redman said. "I have a chance to be on a pedestal that I never thought I would be on again, to be honest. I want to take advantage of this opportunity."

Truthfully, I didn't even know Redman was back in the league. Last I'd heard of him he had signed with the Austin Wranglers of the Arena league.

Of course, this just further proves the problems the Falcons have these days. And, with the Ravens luck, he'll probably be the league MVP next year...

Meltdown

Patriots 27, Ravens 24......and I am at a loss for words. I have never seen a football game so heartbreaking as this one. And I have never seen a team self-destruct in the waning moments like the Ravens did.

Other than that.....I am at a loss.

Run for the Border

Remember when Bills fans beat up current Ravens RB Willis McGahee when he said the Bills should move to Toronto? Well...

The Buffalo Bills on Thursday announced they are seeking approval to play a preseason and at least one regular-season game in Toronto as part of the franchise's attempt to expand its market base beyond western New York.

"The team hopes to capitalize on the increasing interest of fans in the Canadian market by playing a regular-season game in Toronto," the Bills announced in a release.

The Bills hope to play a preseason game at Toronto next summer, with plans to play a regular-season game as early as 2009. The games would be played at Rogers Center, a downtown stadium with a retractable roof that serves as home to baseball's Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League Argonauts.

Of course, the NFL in Toronto does sense. Possibly one of only two viable major metropolitan area on the continent that currently do not have NFL football (the other being Los Angeles; you're not gonna sell me on Mexico City). Certainly more viable than Jacksonville or Arizona have proven to be (two cities which got teams, incidentally, ahead of Baltimore; though I think it's safe to say that we came out ahead on the Cardinals deal).

Blast from the Past

Yes folks, Vinny Testaverde may be in an NFL starting lineup near you this weekend:

Carolina Panthers quarterback David Carr missed practice for a second straight day Thursday with a sore back, increasing the chances 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde could start on Sunday at Arizona.

Testaverde, signed on Wednesday, and undrafted rookie Matt Moore, signed just over a month ago, took all the snaps in practice for the banged-up Panthers. Coach John Fox wouldn't say which QB he'd use if Carr can't play Sunday.

I am stunned an amazed that the same Vinny Testeverde that was run out of Baltimore after the 1997, only to be succeeded by a guy who is now Stanford's Head Coach.

Vinny getting pretty close to Steve DeBerg and George Blanda territory, actually...

Studio 53

53. That's how many pass attempts Steve McNair had during today's 27-13 debacle against Cleveland.

53 passes. Only 20 rushing attempts. It was completely unbelievable.

Bud wants to lay all of the blame at Billick's feet. And yes, a lot of blame can be sent Billick's way for the playcalling. But a lot of the problems came with execution, not playclling. Two missed field goals. McAlister getting burned in coverage. Dropped passes. The inability to put the ball in the end zone. Coaching had nothing to do with that. That was just execution. Billick's insanely late throwing of the red flag on the Lewis touchdown? That's a coaching problem. Poor execution was only players not performing.

Looks like in the north, first team to 11 wins takes the division title, if that many wins are necessary.

In the meantime, and here's a question I didn't think I would ask: can anybody beat Dallas?

I think Dick Enberg needs a script

So far he noted that Kellen Clemons is an "Oregon Cowboy" (they're the Ducks) and that Derrick Mason "started out with McNair in Jacksonville."

It's gonna be a long game from the broadcast perspective...

Warning: Non-AA GOP Material

There is other important work to be done; like 2007 NFL Predictions.

AFC East: New England, NY Jets, Buffalo, Miami
AFC North: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland
AFC South: Indianapolis, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston
AFC West: San Diego, Denver, Oakland, Kansas City
NFC East: Dallas, Philadelphia, NY Giants, Washington
NFC North: Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit
NFC South: New Orleans, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Atlanta
NFC West: Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis, Arizona

AFC 1st Round:
(5) Cincinnati def. (4) Indianapolis
(3) San Diego def. (6) Tennessee

NFC 1st Round::
(5) Philadelphia def. (4) Seattle
(3) Dallas def. (6) San Francisco

AFC Divisional:
(1) New England def. (5) Cincinnati
(2) Baltimore def. (3) San Diego

NFC Divisional:
(1) New Orleans def. (5) Philadelphia
(3) Dallas def. (2) Chicago

AFC Championship:
(2) Baltimore def. (1) New England

NFC Championship:
(1) New Orleans def. (3) Dallas

Super Bowl XLII:
Baltimore def. New Orleans

Poor Misguided Soul

See, all conservatives aren't necessarily right about everything. Take my RedMaryland colleague Mark Newgent, who outed himself as a Redskins fan today.

Mark is right about one thing. The Ravens and Redskins do not have a rivalry. That would require the Redskins to be, you know, good.....