Are you ready for some football?

[Jason Menard]

Pre-season is just about finished and in a couple of weeks the regular NFL season begins. Anyone have any predictions for this coming year?
Here are my pre-season picks for division winners.
AFC
---
East (toughest division in the league): New England (it could be any team in this division though. The teams in this division will beat up on each other and the division winner won't be decided until the last week)
North: Cleveland (Pittsburgh can't get it together, Baltimore just isn't that good, Cincinnati once again manages to redefine 'suckiness')
South: Tennessee (In a sucky division, their only real competition is Indy, who always manages to self-destruct)
West: Kansas City (old age catches up to Oakland, who can't seem to whine their way to another playoffs)
NFC
---
East: Philly (Due to the fact that they are pretty much guaranteed six wins just from their division, they will get a buy in the playoffs.)
North: Green Bay (a mediocre division, but they'll play each other tight. Randy Moss will discover a new and innovative way to throw a tantrum.)
South: Tampa Bay (Like Philly, life in a sucky division is good for TB. Their division opponents being slightly less sucky than Philly's, plus a 1st place schedule, means that they will not get a first round buy)
West: San Francisco (in this two team division, St Louis won't be able to pull it together. Terrel Owens will make the highlight reels this year with a new TD celebration that involves a hot tub, pina coladas, and a latin cabana boy.)
[ August 20, 2003: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

[Thomas Paul]

I don't have any predictions other than that I will be as happy as a clam once football season starts.

[Paul Stevens]

Cleveland will not win the division and SF only wins if Garcia stays healthy.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Paul Stevens:
Cleveland will not win the division and SF only wins if Garcia stays healthy.

Are you a Pittsburgh fan?

[Joel McNary]

Just bein' from the 'Burgh, I have to say that Cleveland doesn't stand a chance. (Not that I necessarily beleive that--I just have to say it...)
Cleveland doen't scare me. Baltimore doesn't scare me. Cincinatti really doesn't scare me. The only thing that scares me is the Steeler's secondary. How good (or bad) that is will determine how well the Steelers do.
[ August 20, 2003: Message edited by: Joel McNary ]

[Damien Howard]

The eagles will not get a free 6 wins from their division. The Giants will cause them problems. While it is true the Giants always screw themselves out of winning it all they always manage to scrounge up some wins.
I would have said they could win the division, but after seeing last weeks preseason game I've changed my mind.

[Eric Fletcher]

Originally posted by Joel McNary:
Just bein' from the 'Burgh, I have to say that Cleveland doesn't stand a chance. (Not that I necessarily beleive that--I just have to say it...)
Cleveland doen't scare me. Baltimore doesn't scare me. Cincinatti really doesn't scare me. The only thing that scares me is the Steeler's secondary. How good (or bad) that is will determine how well the Steelers do.
[ August 20, 2003: Message edited by: Joel McNary ]

Right now what scares me is how banged up the O-line is and how bad Maddox has looked so far, of course there may be a correlation between those two things...

[Jason Menard]

For all you Pittsburgh fans, I thought I would point out a couple of DVDs highlighting some of the teams finest moments.
DVD 1
DVD 2
Definitely moments every Pittsburgh fan will want to relive over and over again. I know I do.

[Eric Fletcher]

Well, I guess that makes at least one Patriots season worth remembering.
[ August 20, 2003: Message edited by: Eric Fletcher ]

[Paul Stevens]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:
For all you Pittsburgh fans, I thought I would point out a couple of DVDs highlighting some of the teams finest moments.
DVD 1
DVD 2
Definitely moments every Pittsburgh fan will want to relive over and over again. I know I do.

I think I prefer this super bowl.

[Badriprasad Bumbabol]

And Here are mine for the English Premiership "Football" Season :
1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Newcastle
When you ask Football, you get Football
Shaz
[ August 21, 2003: Message edited by: Tintin Herge ]

[Paul Stevens]

It's still early but.... Not looking good Jason. At least half your picks will be 0-1. NE and GB looked really bad.

[Joel McNary]

Anytime Pittsburgh has a mediocre pre-season, they do well in the regular season. My analysis on the (Pittsburgh side of the) game:
The offense looked sharp today against Ray Lewis and the rest of the vaunted Ravens defense. The only real lapse in the offense was in the fourth quarter where the second-stringers were put in. They fumbled at the two, setting Baltimore up for their second touchdown. The old Pittsburgh offense is on the way out: Zeroue and Bettis didn't do much running, but Maddox and his cadre of receivers (how many more can they add!?) more than made up for that fact. Grade: A
The defense, well, they didn't allow 30 points as they did eight times last year. The front line had a good game, putting the expected pressure on a rookie quarterback. The secondary still needs some working on, however. 62 yards on two pass-interference penalties on Baltimore's first TD drive is not a good thing, especially against a rookie quarterback. It remains to be seen what seasoned veteran sill do to them. Grade: B
The special teams performed solidly. Josh Miller booted several good punts, and Jeff Reid was 2/2 on feild goal attempts. They allowed some decent punt/kick-off returns, but when the returner is Jamaal Lewis (sp?), that is somewhat to be expected. Grade: B
The coaching staff did a good job of mixing up the calls. They had the surprise QB switch, having Randel El take not one but two snaps in a row, and did a good job of spreading out Baltimore's defense. On the defensive side, they managed to settle down the pass interference penelties and put together a more solid performance. As far as getting the team fired up, that wasn't a problem -- they were playing Baltimore, after all. Instead, they should have focused on calming the players down. Taunting penelties are just not acceptable. Grade: A
Overall grade: A

[Paul Stevens]

Not looking good so far Jason.

[Jason Menard]

Hey, those were preseason picks. Of course I would have to change a couple.
[ October 21, 2003: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

[Gregg Bolinger]

Good call so far on the West - Kansas City. That's my team.

[Paul Stevens]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:
Pre-season is just about finished and in a couple of weeks the regular NFL season begins. Anyone have any predictions for this coming year?
Here are my pre-season picks for division winners.
AFC
---
East (toughest division in the league): New England (it could be any team in this division though. The teams in this division will beat up on each other and the division winner won't be decided until the last week)
North: Cleveland (Pittsburgh can't get it together, Baltimore just isn't that good, Cincinnati once again manages to redefine 'suckiness')
South: Tennessee (In a sucky division, their only real competition is Indy, who always manages to self-destruct)
West: Kansas City (old age catches up to Oakland, who can't seem to whine their way to another playoffs)
NFC
---
East: Philly (Due to the fact that they are pretty much guaranteed six wins just from their division, they will get a buy in the playoffs.)
North: Green Bay (a mediocre division, but they'll play each other tight. Randy Moss will discover a new and innovative way to throw a tantrum.)
South: Tampa Bay (Like Philly, life in a sucky division is good for TB. Their division opponents being slightly less sucky than Philly's, plus a 1st place schedule, means that they will not get a first round buy)
West: San Francisco (in this two team division, St Louis won't be able to pull it together. Terrel Owens will make the highlight reels this year with a new TD celebration that involves a hot tub, pina coladas, and a latin cabana boy.)
[ August 20, 2003: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

New England pick starting to look better. Don't know how they are doing it with their injury problems and lack of offense.
AFC North doesn't look like any team in there can WIN it. They all seem to be able to lose it though.
KC looking like a good pick.
Ten. Indy leads right now. But Ten is the better team.
NFC
Philly boy are they a bad team in a mediocre division.
GB Not going to happen.
Bucs Carolina leads for now. Can they hold on?
SF Doesn't look like they can win the division.

[Jason Menard]

The NFC has always been harder for me to judge, since I follow the AFC so much more closely. Still, with the exception of San Fran, I think I've done alright. As of this week anyway, all the teams I've selected (except San Fran) are either on top of their division, or second place in their division.
Is there anyone who honestly would have picked the Cowboys to lead their division right now? I also wouldn't have expected the Vikings to be running away with the NFC North. Tampa was an easy pick to win their division, and I still think there's time. I just can't see Carolina pulling it off. I didn't do so hot in the NFC West though. I didn't even factor in the Seahawks (I'm still not used to them even being in the NFC), thinking that it would come down to St Louis or San Fran.
I think I'm doing alright in the AFC, but there's still plenty of football left to be played.

[Jason Menard]

Just thought I'd update this after week 13. I'm 3-for-4 in the AFC, although only 1-for-4 in the NFC. Green Bay's only one game back though so I think I'll at least hit .500 in that conference.
Man, how 'bout them Patriots! I don't care what anyone says about KC, New England is the team to beat in the AFC. They are riding an eight game winning streak (they haven't lost since September) and most impressively they are 6-0 against teams with a winning record. That includes Miami, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Denver, Philadelphia, and Dallas, all of which have a good shot at the playoffs. They still have three tough division games remaining as well as hosting Jacksonville. They've won despite tremendous injuries and having to start over 40 different players this year (and Indy was crying last weekend because they were short personnel due to injuries. WAAHH!!!).
KC has only played 3 teams with winning records (Denver, Cincinnati, Baltimore), losing to one of them (Cincinnati). Of their remaining four games, only two of their oppoonents (Denver and Minnesota, both 7-5) have winning records, with the other two being bottom feeders (Chicago, Detroit). So KC will likely get a buy, but the playoffs will be the first time all year they've faced other playoff calibre teams. I think they've basically benefitted from a soft schedule and won't be able to hang with the prime time competition. Their season will end with Dick Vermeil crying... again.
As for the NFC... who really cares about the NFC anyway. This year's Super Bowl winner will be from the AFC.
[ December 03, 2003: Message edited by: Jason Menard ]

[Joe Pluta]

The scary thing is that the Bears are only two games out.
Joe

[Alan Labout]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:
Man, how 'bout them Patriots!

Jason, I should have known you'd be a Patriots fan! Go Dolphins...!

[Steven Broadbent]

oh you mean American Football. Thought you meant the real thing.....

[Mark Fletcher]

NFC North could be a good race between the Bears, Packers and Vikings. Vikings started off well, but they done really badly in the last few games.
The Packers (Id like to see them win) are too inconsistent. They should have won against Detroit but they blew it. Theyve got to win every game now and hope that the Vikings really lose their nerve.
The Bears started off terrible, but seem to be coming back, at least theyre putting pressure on the Packers, if the Packers maintain their current inconsistent form they could be overtaken by the Bears.
My money is on Kansas to win this years Superbowl. Theyve just had a good run this season, apart from that one game.
Mark

[Mark Fletcher]

Elsewhere, in *real* football, I expect Celtic to win the Scottish Premiership, Chelsea to win the English Premiership, and England to get put out in the semi finals of Euro 2004

[Howard Kushner]

Originally posted by Mark Fletcher:
NFC North could be a good race between the Bears, Packers and Vikings.

Hi Mark,
I know this is way off topic, but I just could not help myself:
The Vikes, Packers & the Pope
On a tour of Texas, the Pope took a couple of days off to visit the coast for some sightseeing. He was cruising along the beach in the pope-mobile when there was a frantic commotion just off shore. A helpless man wearing a Green Bay Packer jersey was struggling frantically to free himself from the jaws of a 25-foot shark.
As the Pope watched, horrified, a speedboat came racing up with three men wearing Minnesota Viking jerseys. One quickly fired a harpoon into the shark's side. The other two reached out and pulled the bleeding, semi-conscious Packer Backer from the water, Then, using long clubs, the three beat the shark to death and hauled it into the boat.
Immediately the Pope shouted and summoned them to the beach. "I give you my blessing for your brave actions," he told them. "I heard that there was bitter hatred between Green Bay Packers & Vikings fans, but now I have seen with my own eyes that this is not true." As the Pope drove off, the harpooner asked his buddies "who was that"? "It was the Pope," one replied. "He is in direct contact with God and has access to all of God's wisdom."
"Well," the harpooner said, "he may have access to God's wisdom, but he doesn't know anything about shark fishing. Is the bait holding up O.K., or do we need to get another one"?

[John Dunn]

Looks like the Jets just may sneak in again. Go NEW YAWK!!!

[Ranga Sreenivasan]

Go Dolphins!!!
The pats got lucky last week.
And how about the Bengals. Man they are showing it.

[Paul Stevens]

Originally posted by John Dunn:
Looks like the Jets just may sneak in again. Go NEW YAWK!!!

Not a chance.

[John Dunn]

Their only way to the playoffs is first to get out of the division in tie-breakers. To do that, the Jets need the Dolphins to lose two of their next three games entering the regular-season finale in Miami, which the Jets then have to win. That would leave the Jets tied with the Dolphins at 9-7, and the Jets would have a better divisional record.
Sprung from the AFC East, the Jets need Denver (7-5) and either Cincinnati or Baltimore (both 7-5) to lose at least two of their final four games. If the Jets at 9-7 are tied with the Broncos and either the Ravens or Bengals, or even the Texans (who are 5-7) or Titans (9-3), they would become the second wild-card based on a better AFC record than the rest.
The Jets would be 9-3 against the AFC, a better record than most of their competition and equal to the Titans, whom they have beaten.

The next two weeks will really decide their fate...

[Joel McNary]

Grumble...grumble..grunt..grumble.
Stupid "Stillers". Looks like they want to lose the AFC North more than any of the other teams.
grumble...grumble..grumble.

[Axel Janssen]

Originally posted by Tintin Herge:
And Here are mine for the English Premiership "Football" Season :
1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Newcastle
[ August 21, 2003: Message edited by: Tintin Herge ]

from what I have seen:
1. Arsenal
2. Chelsea
3. ManU
Bundesliga:
1. Werder Bremen (yes)
2. VFB Stuttgart
3. Bayern Muenchen (don't like them and this year won't be champion)
Borussia Moenchengladbach (my favourite since childhood) is going to win the german cup-final and will play in uefa cup next season
German team will reach final of Euro, but they are going to loose with 1-3 against Spain.
Then they will win the 2006 world cup by silver goal in extra time against England (3-2)
Scottisch team will participate in 2006. And -for first time in history- they are going to reach second round.
[ December 06, 2003: Message edited by: Axel Janssen ]

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Ranga:
Go Dolphins!!!
The pats got lucky last week.

Looks like they got "lucky" again this week.

[Ranga Sreenivasan]

Oh well...got to blame the snow this time
Those guys are just steam-rolling ahead
Pretty sure(hope?) someone will put a stop to this run in the playoffs

[Thomas Paul]

Can we now officially bury the Jets?

[Alan Labout]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:

Looks like they got "lucky" again this week.

Patriots 12 Dolphins 0. No offensive touchdowns. Yuck.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Alan Labout:
Patriots 12 Dolphins 0. No offensive touchdowns. Yuck.

It was a fun game. A great defensive battle in the snow in December in Foxborough. You can't ask for much better. It was all about field position (and Miami had plenty of good field position), who made the fewest mistakes, and which defense would be more dominant. Plus it was amusing to see a few snowballs coming Fiedler's way as he lay crumpled in his own endzone after being sacked for a safety. Kidding aside, that display of the fans tossing the snow into the wind like that was certainly picturesque, and not anything I've ever seen done before. That in itself made the game worth watching.
Now if they can only hang on to the number one seed in the AFC, life will be good.

[Ranga Sreenivasan]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:

It was a fun game.

I'm sure it was, though all I could see was the highlights
We had Chiefs @Broncos...which was great too
Finally the Broncos have something going for em

[Thomas Paul]

Originally posted by Jason Menard:
Kidding aside, that display of the fans tossing the snow into the wind like that was certainly picturesque, and not anything I've ever seen done before. That in itself made the game worth watching.

Kidding aside, throwing snowballs is extremely dangerous. A few years ago this happned at Giant Stadium and a snowball hit a coach in the face and knocked him out. A snowball thrown from any height can pick up a huge amount of speed as it falls and can be a dangerous weapon.
"The game against the Chargers devolved into a massive snowball fight in which fans pelted the field, with one snowball hitting Chargers equipment man Sid Brooks, 60, in the bridge of the nose, briefly knocking him out. There were 175 ejections, 10 security guards were injured, 15 fans were treated for injuries and 15 people were arrested."

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
Kidding aside, throwing snowballs is extremely dangerous.

I'll take it you didn't actually see the game. It wasn't hard pack. The snow was too powdery to make effective snow balls. What you did get (at least what it looked like on television) was the occasional clump of powdery snow from someone closer to the field, but I only saw one or two in the vicinity of a player (as opposed to a camera shot of a fan wearing Miami gear, the back of whose hooded head was covered in snow). Jeesh, we're talking about New Englanders here, not a New York Giants home crowd. Give us some credit.

[Mark Fletcher]

Oh yes, yes, yes.
NFC North:
The Vikings throw their latest game, and the Packers tie it. Almost. I know their W/L scores are the same, but other stats come into play doesnt it? Well Done Chicago! I almost thought that the Packers were going to throw it at the end there when San Diego came storming back.
Im looking forward to the last games before playoff, I still reckon it could go either way between the Packers and the Vikings, I guess its a case of "Any Given Sunday"
But meh, I want the Packers to win