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Posted 09/09/2009 at 02:58 AM
“Who do you like to win the Super Bowl, DC?”
In the nearly 30 years I’ve spent analyzing sports, including the last 23 in assorted broadcast and print media, that’s far and away the question I get asked more often than any other. That’s not tough to comprehend. The NFL is king and since the majority of fans would qualify as casual, it’s the one thing everyone has an opinion on, and lots of people want to know mine.
My true answer to the query is simple. I don’t know. Nor do I care.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy watching the NFL. I’m not crazy about the hypocrisy of the league with their inane attitude toward gambling. I’m not a huge fan of corporations that are absolute monopolies, either, so naturally I’m not fond of some of the spreadsheet mentality that’s rampant in the NFL. But like so many red-blooded American men, and women as well, I love watching pro football, and while it’s not a perfect product, it’s damn good entertainment.
But I’ll have to admit I’m probably more jaded than most when it comes to a rooting interest. I guess I’m supposed to be a Patriots fan since I come from New England. But my only real loyalty as a fan has always been pretty much exclusively limited to just two teams. I still love the Red Sox and I was a huge fan of the old AHL Rhode Island Reds growing up. The Reds went belly up and eventually returned as the Providence Bruins, but that was well after I’d moved to Las Vegas, so I have no connection with that franchise. As for the Patriots, to be honest, I really don’t care much about them one way or another, except to have some fun at the expense of friends who hate them. I’ll pretend to be an ardent Pats fan in those cases, but the truth is, if they went 0-16, I wouldn’t lose any sleep. On the other hand, a bad week for the Red Sox has me tossing and turning. And swearing. Often.
That answers the I don’t care part. As for the I don’t know, well, I just don’t. Hell, it’s tough enough just trying to figure out what might happen this week in that league. Forget about what I’m guessing might take place four-plus months from now.
But since none of this will stop anyone from asking me that question, and because I’m in the business of predicting sports events, I’m stuck. I have to take a stab. So without further adieu, here are my picks for the upcoming NFL season. Just bear in mind that this is not my best game by any means, and the safest bet is that I’ll get most of these long range predictions wrong.
NFC East
1. Giants
2. Eagles
3. Cowboys
4. Redskins
NFC North
1. Bears
2. Packers
3. Vikings
4. Lions
NFC South
1. Saints
2. Panthers
3. Falcons
4. Buccaneers
NFC West
1. Seahawks
2. Rams
3. Cardinals
4. 49ers
AFC North
1. Patriots
2. Jets
3. Dolphins
4. Bills
AFC North
1. Steelers
2. Ravens
3. Bengals
4. Browns
AFC South
1. Colts
2. Titans
3. Texans
4. Jaguars
AFC West
1. Chargers
2. Chiefs
3. Raiders
4. Broncos
My Wild Cards are: Eagles, Packers, Ravens and Bengals (have to make one crazy pick, right?)
I know how tough it is to repeat as Super Bowl champs, but I think the Steelers are the best team in the league, so I’ll take them to win it all again, this time at the expense of the Saints.
And if it’s actually those two in the big game at the end of the year, trust me, no one will be more surprised than me.
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