One of my greatest nicknames is The Swami (not to be confused with that blowhard, Chris Berman). I got this nickname about 10 years ago, because of my prognostication abilities. It has been successful in fantasy football as well as weekly NFL predictions. If you don’t believe me, check out my Fantasy Sports profile on Yahoo! Sports. But even my prognostic ability has not saved me from some of the worst Post-season football predictions in history. I have never gotten a post-season prediction right. So with that in mind, I’ve come up with 10 predictions for this season just for chuckles and grins:
10) With a possible season-long lockout looming, this may be Peyton Manning’s last shot at a Super Bowl. Crazy thought, huh? Peyton Manning’s last hurrah being this season? Think about it, though. If the NFL’s 2011-12 season is lost, Peyton Manning would be 36 heading into the 2012-13 season. But a lost season would probably cost Peyton a step and give the elder brother Manning a life-changing choice: continue on with the slower step risking concussion injuries, or retire intact and do something new. I don’t think Peyton is consumed with a Favre-like ability to keep playing. I see him in a broadcast booth, providing analysis for years to come once he retires. Or maybe acting. Whatever Peyton’s post-NFL career plans are, I believe a lockout could hasten those plans.
9) The Jets will win the AFC East and lead the league in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. If I wasn’t living in Baltimore, I would root for the Jets. Rex Ryan should have been a head coach years ago. In his first season, he justified why he should have been a head coach. Now, he has all the pieces of the puzzle in place to make a serious run at the Jets 2nd Super Bowl. Though I predict they will ultimately knock out the Colts in the division round, they will not win the AFC title, thanks to Mark Sanchez’s sophomore slump. Meanwhile, the attitude of their coach will rub off on the Jets, and they will cause so many unsportsmanlike penalties, the U’s alumni will accuse the Jets of getting too rowdy.
8) The Redskins will make the playoffs and the Eagles will not. Before you all think I’ve lost my mind, consider that the Redskins finally did the right thing and got rid of the dead weight that was Vinnie Cerrato. They brought in Football personnel in Mike Shannahan and Bruce Allen. They brought in Donovan McNabb as their QB. As for the Eagles, they will regret trading McNabb. Vick and Cobb are not the answers at QB. Ultimately, the Eagles go 7-9 and Andy Reid gets canned.
7) 9-7 will win both the NFC and AFC West… and the Division winners could be unexpected. It’s clear that the Arizona Cardinals will suffer with the retirement of Kurt Warner, while San Francisco and Seattle are much improved. My guess is the 49ers will be the NFC West champions. In the AFC, Norv Turner will finally remember he’s Norv Turner and the Chargers will regress. Can the Broncos or Chiefs capitalize? Maybe not, but I don’t expect San Diego to win more than 9 games this season anyways.
6) Jay Cutler will end the season on the bench. I remember when all the Bears fans were printing Super Bowl tickets when Cutler came to Chicago. They forgot that Cutler has never won anything in his career. That lack of vision will cost Lubby Smith his job. However, it will also cost Jay his job. Look for Chicago fans (who notoriously call for the backup QB early and often) to revolt on Cutler around mid-season.
5) 5 of the 8 division champions from last season will not repeat. The division champs for this year will be… AFC: Chargers (repeat), Colts (repeat), Ravens, and Jets. NFC: 49ers, Falcons, Packers, Cowboys (repeat). Other playoff teams… AFC: Texans and Dolphins. NFC: Redskins and Saints.
4) Brett Favre will not make it through the season. Even God has to be pissed off at Brett’s act. My guess is that Brett blows out his Achilles about midway through the season, ending his season and career. Without Brett, the Vikings will miss the playoffs and Brad Childress will be fired.
3) The Houston Texans will make the playoffs. Finally, the Texans will live up to their expectations and make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They may even win a playoff game, but they will ultimately fall in the division round.
2) The New England Patriots will not finish above .500. Speaking of fate catching up with a team, the Patriots will finally pay the price for years of undercutting veterans. Also, Tom Brady is not happy and the risk of holding out will crush any hopes of avenging last year’s playoff debacle. They go 8-8 and finish 3rd behind the Jets and Dolphins in the AFC East.
1) A regular season match-up will be a Super Bowl LXV preview… and it will take place on Veteran’s Day. That’s right, I’m not going with the easy pick of a Colts-Cowboys Super Bowl re-match from the regular season. My dream Super Bowl will become reality when the Baltimore Ravens win the AFC and the Atlanta Falcons win the NFC, setting up The Swami Bowl (regular season match-up will be Veteran’s Day in Atlanta on NFL Network). Both teams are dark horse candidates to go all the way to Dallas. The Falcons have all the pieces assembled to win now, while a potentially explosive offense in Baltimore may be Ray Lewis’s last shot at glory. Who will win? I’m not saying…
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