Part II - Football picks!

Just what you need: more useless, mostly incorrect predictions! I'm not sure why I'm bothering with this because the Pats are going to be the first to chalk up a 19-0 season after winning the Super Bowl, but I guess just to humor you...

x-Division champ
y-Wild Card

AFC East:
x-New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills
New York Jets
Miami Dolphins

Let's be serious for a moment - the Pats were 1 minute away from winning (because they would have beaten the Bears) their 4th Superbowl in six years, until the Colts stomped all over those dreams. I'd forgotten how incredibly disappointing that was until this week - it would have solidified their "dynasty" or whatever word you prefer. Instead, Peyton got his ring. Anyways, the point was going to be, the Pats got BETTER by fixing most of their glaring deficiencies (WR, defense). The AFC is going to be tough to get out of like usual, but I'll be extremely disappointed with anything less than the AFC championship game in Foxborough. As for the rest of the division, I don't think any of them will make the playoffs. I don't think the Dolphins are going anywhere with Trent Green and Ronnie Brown. The Jets were a perfectly built 8-8 team last year who played an easy-ish schedule that allowed them to chalk up 10 wins. The schedule is harder this year, so I think it's a real 8-8. I'm not sure why I placed the Bills second, I just have a weird feeling that they're going to be better than people expect. JP Losman has slowly improved, and if this Marshawn Lynch character is any good for real, well, you never know.

AFC North:
x-Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cleveland Browns

A lot of people like the Ravens, and it's not that I don't think they're good, I just don't love them this year. The Bengals flat out blew a playoff spot last year and they have a really good offense behind Palmer (now two years out from knee surgery), Rudi Johnson, Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmandzadeh. The Ravens have a good D and probably will be right on the playoff bubble at worst, but how far can you go with Steve McNair these days? I sure don't know. I think the Steelers will be bubble-icious too but third best in the division and the Browns, well, poor Romeo Crennell. You can only do so much with a terrible team.

AFC South:
x-Indianapolis Colts
y-Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans

The Colts are obviously winning this division. If you don't agree, you should go find a new friend. Like the Bengals, the Jaguars really coughed up a playoff spot last year and I think they'll make it this year. No one really talks about the defense after Chicago, Baltimore, New England, but they always give the Colts fits, and now that they dumped Leftwich and finally said "Hey David Garrard, your better and permanently our starting QB." I think you can't underrate that stability enough. As for the Titans, Vince Young will probably make enough big plays to keep them out of the basement, but he doesn't have much to work with. And... poor Texans. One of these years they'll really go 8-8. I'm not going to say I'd rather have Matt Schaub and Ahman Green over some other tandems in the league, but they could do it.

AFC West:
x-San Diego Chargers
y-Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders

The Chargers are still stacked, so that's a no-brainer. I really like Denver as the other wild card - it didn't help them last year, but Jay Cutler has 6-7 NFL games under his belt and that probably helps him a lot - and now they're plugging Travis Henry into Mike Shanahan's running back factory, except he was already good to begin with. I never understood how he got buried for two years in Buffalo and Tennesse. I don't like the QB situation in KC or Oakland, so good luck and enjoy a long season chaps.

NFC East:
x-Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys
NY Giants
Washington Redskins

Huge assumption alert! Assuming McNabb and Westbrook stay healthy... I don't know, how do you pick against Philly? They have a reasonable defense too. The other three teams in this division are all on that weird mediocre plane of existence. I'm not sold on Tony Romo, I'm not sold on Brandon Jacobs, I'm not sure the Campbell kid in Washington has enough experience. So the rest is purely guesswork.

NFC North:
x-Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers

Let's just say Rex Grossman should be ever so thankful to play in this division. People like the Lions for some reason this year - they drafted a hot prospect WR, just like the last 13 years running - but I dunno, I'm rooting for them to pull off 8-8. Jon Kitna is by no means a great QB, but I always kind of liked him. Tavaris Jackson doesn't have nearly enough experience to get the Vikings more than 6 wins, but I put them ahead of Green Bay based on the quality of their defense last year. Green Bay is a disaster and Favre should retire. And by that I mean when he breaks the QB records he's going for (I'm convinced this is the only real reason he's still playing) he should hang them up mid-season. I know they love him out there, but he's killing this franchise.

NFC South:
x-New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I write this with a little hesitation after they got whupped 41-10 by Indy, but I still think the Saints are for real. Maybe not REAL with all capitals, but real. That offense should win 10 games in its sleep in the NFC. The Falcons and Panthers are a toss up. Carolina's weird because they're the team every year that if they put it together they could be really good, and then they put it together 50% of the time. So I gave the Falcons the benefit of the doubt. Word on the street is maybe Joey Harrington isn't terrible... perhaps wishful thinking, but I think Atlanta fans deserve it if he plays well. The Vick thing isn't their fault. Tampa Bay's gonna be bad.

NFC West:
x-Seattle Seahawks
y-San Francisco 49ers
y-St Louis Rams
Arizona Cardinals

I think Seattle is ready to bounce back into form as one of the top NFC teams this year. Between injuries and not playing well, last year was a lost year, but they still managed 9-7 and a playoff win. I like the 49ers and Rams a lot too, and I don't know if this ever actually happens, but I made them my two wild card teams out of the same division because I think they're next best after the division winners. Probably those three teams have to beat up on each other enough that this is impossible, but whatever, they're my picks. I think if Alex Smith makes a leap forward, and he's been steadily improving, he and Gore make a great duo. Ditto for Bulger and Steven Jackson. I have no idea how the Rams didn't take this division last year, presumably its defense killed them. I think whichever defense between the 49ers and Rams holds up best, that team will make the playoffs. Sorry Cardinals. You're getting better, but so is your division. Better luck next year.

Real Super Bowl contenders: New England, Indy, San Diego, Philly, Seattle.

Let the games begin!