Come and Blog It Annual Prediction of How the NFL Season Will Play Out

This may be the earliest I have ever jumped into my annual NFL predictions, which if you'll kindly notice has a name now. Kind of rolls right off the tongue. Then it lands on the floor and explodes and gets all over your shoes. Sorry about that.

Technically it's about the same time as last year, but I usually get through Week 3 of the preseason before diving in to my picks.

There are a couple of reasons for the early timing of this post:

First off, I normally like to wait until most of the preseason has played out in order to have a better grasp on injuries, rookies, new coaches and players, etc. However, I've come to the realization that none of that really matters. Tom Brady was injured on the first play of the regular season last year; the Patriots still went 11-5, but missed the playoffs. Had he been injured in the preseason, I would've predicted their season to be a total disaster.

And let's be honest, with all of that preseason info thrown in last year, I correctly predicted 2 of the division champions and only 5 of 12 playoff teams. But that's what makes the NFL the most popular sports league in this country. It is a league where anything is possible and this time of year in particular optimism reigns supreme.

Secondly, I've been holding out all year for a true summer, and I just don't think it's coming. We've had a couple of really warm days, much more so than last year anyway. But this summer the consistency has been way off. It's 66 and raining today. It's August. The average temperature for July here was 68.9 degrees. Are you freaking kidding me? Much like Dr. Evil's request for sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads, I have only one simple request as well: a July with a freakin' average temperature in the 70s!



I guess neither one of us will get our way anytime soon. That being the case, I figured I might as well embrace that which cometh with the autumn: the NFL, baby!

So, here we go. You and me. No testing the temperature of the water; we're just diving in, head first with no floaties. I don't really know what that analogy means, but nevertheless, I will see you on the other side. I've sprinkled some videos in for your entertainment as well (and mine). You'll notice a theme: they're all pretty old and pretty entertaining. That's a good theme if you ask me.

COME AND BLOG IT 2009 PREDICTION OF HOW THE NFL SEASON WILL PLAY OUT!!

Usually I start out with the AFC North, my team's home division. This year I figured I'd change it up. Let's go West to East. Left to Right. It'll be just like reading. Try to keep up...

NFC WEST

The Cardinals. Who saw that coming? Now this division has me a little confused. Seattle thinks they're going to compete again now that they took Housh away from my Bengals. Grrr. And now that Hassleback is apparently healthy. I think the Seahawks will be better than last year, but that's like saying I think the next movie that I watch (anything) will be better than the last movie that I watched (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.) It's hard to watch a worse movie than that one. And the 'Hawks will have to work to have a worse year than last season. The question now becomes "can the Cardinals build off of last year's success?" I think they can. They have a really nice offense and a defense that is improving. So, against all that history has told me, here goes.

Prediction

ARIZONA CARDINALS



2. Seattle Seahawks - getting old
3. St. Louis Rams - getting healthy
4. San Francisco 49ers - getting on-the-job training

AFC WEST

This division got interesting in a hurry during the off season. Maybe in a bad way, but definitely interesting. Jay Cutler was a little peeved at Denver for firing their coaches and started whining. Then new coach Josh McDaniels sat Cutler down and said hey man we love you; you're our dude. And then immediately tried to trade for Matt Cassel. Cutler got super angry, demanded a trade and ended up getting traded to the Chicago Bears. All of this while Cassel went to division rival Kansas City. And once all of this went down, Brandon Marshall, troubled yet talented Denver receiver, has now decided he wants a trade, too. But since they traded Cutler, there's no way they want to trade Marshall. They'll head down a very slippery slope then. It's a bit confusing, but fun. Kind of like this:



At the end of the day, it probably doesn't matter because the Chargers are the cream of this crop. Although I like what the Chiefs are building, they just won't be there yet.

Prediction

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS



2. Denver Broncos - still have talent
3. Kansas City Chiefs - still have offensive issues
4. Oakland Raiders - still have Al Davis

NFC NORTH

Much the same as the AFC West got more interesting, so did the NFC North. The Bears were the beneficiaries of Denver's inept HR moves, so now Chicago is believing they've finally found a quarterback. Especially since the only one they've ever had do anything for them was this guy:



Outrageousness indeed. That's not even a word.

Will finally having a QB put the Bears into Super Bowl contention? I don't think so. That defense has been on a downhill slide since their last Super Bowl run. And the division is filled with some good offenses, the Lions notwithstanding, of course.

This division comes down to the Vikings or Packers. If the Packers can even improve their defense a little, they could be a very tough match up for the rest of the NFC. Plus they serve a chili cheese dog at Lambeau where the cheese is mac and cheese...that should win them a title more often than it does.

Prediction

GREEN BAY PACKERS



2. Minnesota Vikings - no good QB playing
3. Chicago Bears - no good WR playing
4. Detroit Lions - no good football player playing

AFC NORTH

Obviously, I'm picking the Bengals to win this division. I mean did you see the Ocho kick that extra point? What else do you need to win it all!!!? Okay, so I'm not picking the Bengals. I want to because I want them to win. If I want it bad enough it can happen, right?

Actually, I'm beginning to have injury concerns for my boy Carson Palmer. He has not played a lot of football lately if you haven't noticed, and now he rolls up his ankle in preseason play...not a good sign. I believe if the Bengals get a full year out of Palmer they compete for the division title. But that's mainly because of their much improved defense. If the offense can even become a shadow of its former self and have an ordinary top 15 defense that could be enough.

But it's a tough division. Baltimore never seems to run out of good players and I'd write about Pittsburgh, but everyone knows about them already: great D, manageable O, wins Super Bowls.

Oh forget it! I'm picking the Bungles! I was wrong about everything last year, so maybe this will be an unexpected correct pick.

Prediction


CINCINNATI BENGALS



2. Pittsburgh Steelers - probably going to be the ones who really win the North
3. Baltimore Ravens - probably going to finish second in the North
4. Cleveland Browns - probably going to wish they were in the NFC West

NFC SOUTH

I think I've picked New Orleans to win this division two years in a row now. And two years in a row the Saints have let me down, despite Mr. Brees and his fantastic throwing arm. So now, I'm going a new route. I really like what the Falcons are doing in the post-Vick era. Matt Ryan appears to be the real deal. Michael Turner can run, White and Jennings can catch and now they went out and got Tony Gonzalez to be a security blanket of sorts for Ryan. And they've done all of this while maintaining a decent defense. I think this division will play tough, but I really like the Atlanta Falcons.

Prediction


ATLANTA FALCONS



2. Carolina Panthers - great running game, iffy QB play at times
3. New Orleans Saints - great passing game, iffy everything else at times
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - great weather, iffy football

AFC SOUTH

Can Indianapolis maintain its very sound footballing into a Tony Dungee-less era? As long as it's not a Peyton Manning-less era, all is well with Colts football. I believe a repositioning year of sorts took place for the Colts last season. I don't want to call it a rebuilding year because it wasn't really. Marvin Harrison was there, but he wasn't. The running game was there, but it wasn't. Manning was adjusting to new players; they were adjusting to him. And through all of that, the Colts still had a nice year.

The Titans will be very strong this year, too. They are a solid stable organization with two pretty fantastic running backs. Unfortunately for the other guys in this division this probably spells out a pretty tough year. I could see the Texans making some noise, but I say that every year. And Jacksonville is never a slouch of a team, but despite last year's second place finish, I think this is still Manning's division and everyone else is just playing in it.

Prediction


INDIANAPOLIS COLTS




2. Tennessee Titans - Can Kerry Collins still get it done?
3. Houston Texans - Can they get out of their own way?
4. Jacksonville Jaguars - Can they ever find a decent WR?

NFC EAST

Usually a difficult division for me to predict, the NFC East has made it no easier this year. About the only thing that I can guarantee is that the Redskins will finish last. I'm having a hard time taking the Cowboys seriously. Ever since Tony Romo botched the hold in their playoff game against the Seahawks, this team has seemed more like a caricature of itself than a true Dallas Cowboys team. So for me, this thing comes down to a Giants team that I always seem to under appreciate and an Eagles team that I constantly distrust because of Donovan McNabb's accuracy issues.

What to do, what to do? Gotta go with the G-Men here. Manning seems to be improving and gaining his teammates confidence. The ground game looks good. Kevin Boss is a nice tight end. I said is, not has. And the defensive line seems to be locked and loaded again. If you get pressure on the quarterback, that quarterback becomes mediocre. Whether it's Tom Brady or Rex Grossman, they are going to struggle.

Predictions

NEW YORK GIANTS



2. Dallas Cowboys - Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up?
3. Philadelphia Eagles - Will Brian Westbrook hold up?
4. Washington Redskins - Will Chris Cooley ever shut up? (I kid, I like Cooley and his antics.)

AFC EAST

Two years ago, the Patriots were on the verge of another Super Bowl title when Eli Manning and the Giants D-Line defeated the 18-0 team, thwarting their efforts to surpass the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only team to go a full season without losing. Last year, before the train even left the station, all-world QB and part time male model Tom Brady was lying in pain on the turf, out for the season. You'd think the Patriots would've been done at that point, but somehow (Matt Cassel) rebounded to go 11-5 yet still missed the playoffs. Now, where there was no debate before, some are arguing amongst themselves about whether Pittsburgh may be the team of this decade. Some say if the Steelers can get another world championship this year, they could unseat the Team of the Early 2000s as team of the...00s.? The 2000s? How do you say that anyway?

Regardless. Right now I picture Bill Belechick standing in front of this year's Lombardi Trophy saying these words:



I'm not going to stand in his way. So, Patriots, you get the nod.

Prediction

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS



2. Miami Dolphins - Love that Wildcat, sick of the word "Wildcat"
3. New York Jets - Love that Sanchez, sick of Rex Ryan
4. Buffalo Bills - Love me some me, sick of T.O.

PLAYOFFS...?! PLAYOFFS...?!



NFC:

1. New York Giants
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Arizona Cardinals

Wild Cards:

5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Dallas Cowboys

AFC:

1. New England Patriots
2. San Diego Chargers
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Cincinnati Bengals

Wild Cards:

5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Tennessee Titans

SUPER BOWL:

ARIZONA CARDINALS

VS.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

CHAMPIONS:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS