Last week, I managed a disappointing 6-10 among the slate of meaningless
games to finish 149-107 on the season.
But now the playoffs are here, and everyone is 0-0 again! Right?
riiiight.......
Anyhow, despite a mediocre effort in the week-by-week picks, my pre-season
predictions were not too bad. I correctly predicted 6 out of 8 division
winners: Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Eagles, Packers, and Seahawks. My
first slipup predicting the Chargers to be good one year too early - last
year, and after being burned, going with the Raiders in the AFC West. If
history is any prediction, watch out for the Raiders next year. I also
tabbed the Saints in the AFC South, who while finishing the season strong,
finished just shy of the playoffs. Little did I know that rookie head
coach Jim Mora would do so well in Atlanta this year, even as Michael Vick
has struggled to pick up the West Coast offense.
In my divisional standings, I also correctly predicted the place finish of
16 out of 32 teams. I got the AFC East and NFC North completely right,
and the AFC West completely wrong. The only other glaring errors was
not correctly predicting the outcome of what ended up as a three-way tie at
the bottom of the NFC East, and predicting the Titans to be good and the
Jaguars to not be good in the AFC South.
My Super Bowl picks were Indianapolis over Seattle. Now that the playoff
field is set, both teams are at least still alive, but I have to say that
Seattle has definitely convinced me this season that they won't be getting
anywheres near the Super Bowl. More on that in a moment. In the AFC,
with Peyton Manning playing at an unbelieveably high level, it is hard to
believe that the Colts lost three out of 15 meaningful games this year.
(Then again 13-3 is often, perhaps even usually, good for a 1st round bye
in most years.) A loss on the road to New England in the season opener
is understandable, a home loss to Jacksonville and a road shellacking in
Kansas City are not, though. Fortunatley for Indy, their defense seems
to be really coming together since then, and New England can't beat the
Colts *every* time, can they? It says here that the Colts roll at home
this week, finally get over the hump against a depleted New England
secondary next week, and then are just too much for the Steelers and their
rookie QB in the Championship game. Their victim, err.... opponent in the
Super Bowl will be Atlanta, as the Eagles lose yet another NFC Championship
Game - the third home Championship game to the NFC South Team of the Year.
Sorry Eagles fans, but football requires both skill and luck, and the
loss of Terrell Owens was decidedly unlucky.
On to this weeks games:
St. Louis at Seattle - It is amazing to think that the Buffalo Bills, a
team that finished in 9th place in the AFC, still had a better record than
three NFC playoff teams, and would have qualified for a home playoff game
in the NFC North. As I wrote before the season, the table looked set for
the Seahawks to run away with one of the Top 2 NFC playoff berths, and
Seattle simply could not deliver. The Rams are 8-8, but several of those
losses came while having lost Marc Bulger at QB, when they simply weren't
competitive. The Rams have beaten the Seahawks twice, and figure to
complete the sweep. Pick: RAMS UPSET SPECIAL
NY Jets at San Diego - Both of these teams had very fine years..... they
just happen to be stuck in the same conference as New England, Pittsburgh,
and Indianapolis, and now have to play each other. While Curtis Martin
quietly led the League in rushing, LaDainian Tomlinson is the NFL's most
dynamic offensive player after Michael Vick and Petyon Manning. The
Chargers will load up on the run, and force Chad Pennington to beat them.
The Jets will do the same against Tomlinson, but Tomlinson has more big
play potential, and the Jets don't have a weapon like Antonio Gates to
exploit a defnse selling out against the run. Pick: CHARGERS
Denver at Indianpolis - The Colts look like they have put it altogether to
me, and the Broncos simply choked too many times this season to believe in
them. Look for the Colts to roll. Pick: COLTS
Minnesota at Green Bay - The Vikings have so much offensive talent, and yet
still finished 8-8, and should have missed the playoffs for a second year
in a row after a strong start. You really have to question the coaching
of Mike Tice and Defensive Coordinator Ted Cottrell on this team to be
getting so little out of so much. Green Bay is at home, and has already
beaten the Vikings twice, so I'll give them the edge again. Pick: PACKERS
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John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us."
-George W. Bush, 11/3/2004
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