Random Sports Thoughts (Football Edition)

Okay we get it - it's a passing league!

I have become increasingly disinterested in pre-season football games with each passing year, which means my gauge on accurately assessing the 32 football teams is slightly off kilter. This is why I wait until after week 1 to give you a glimpse of what to expect for the 2011 football season. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are the 2 best players in the game of football right now, and I don't care who you have ranked 1st, as long as it's those 2 on top.

The Packers are a tour de force team that should be better offensively with JerMichael Finley healthy and an easy choice to consider making a return trip to the Super Bowl. But I do not like the Patriots as they are constituted right now. They rely waaayyy too much on the pass, and their defense is shaky at best. When I see them, I see the Phoenix Suns: built for the regular season, but not for the playoffs.

It's easy to write off the humiliating loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but the Pittsburgh Steelers did lose the Super Bowl last year. Unless you play in the putrid NFC West, then making a return trip to the playoffs is extremely difficult. Expect a 9-7 record. Anyone that believes in Norv Turner and the San Diego Chargers are either from San Diego or mildly retarded and think the thunderbolts on their helmets are really cool. The Ravens have a super stud in Ray Rice, an aging but effective defense and a solid QB - all things needed to make a Super Bowl run - except I believe the Jets have the same thing. And since they are younger, they will represent the AFC. You didn't think I was going to say Houston, did you?

The Saints are a bit like the Patriots; they are too good offensively to be kept out of the playoffs, but Sean Peyton play-calling scares me, and the defense has given me no reason to think they can make consistent stops. Atlanta losing to Green Bay the way they did last year in the playoffs is a real eye opener, and seeing the way they started off week 1, their eyes are still closed. Tony Romo cost the Cowboys game 1, and Tony Romo will cost them any real chance of going deep into the playoffs. The QBs are just too good in the NFC.

My beloved Bears are the real deal. If Jay Cutler plays well or average, the Bears win, so I look for him to play average or better at least 11 times. The Eagles look really good on paper, but the Miami Heat have made me a bit squeamish on dream teams. They have home run hitters, but can they effectively move the ball when the playoffs will be in cold weather stadiums? Who is their go-to guy when it's 3rd and 7? If the answer is a Vick scramble, then no. If Andy Reid figures that out, then a SB appearance will be in the cards for them. I say yes. So a Jets/Eagles SB will play out, and although the Jets will scheme well, Vick will make enough plays to pull it out.

What's going to happen if Boise state goes undefeated (They will.), Oklahoma goes undefeated (They might.), Alabama or LSU have just one loss (That's still better than any undefeated team in any other conference.) and Wisconsin goes undefeated (They have a fucked up schedule with basically 6 straight home games, 5 road games and then back at home to finish the season, but that offense is a cheesy explosion.)? I'll tell you: a clusterfuck, and hopefully enough for the BCS to have a final four format to settle this once and for all.

I went 2-1 last week only cuz Adam Vinateri missed a fg, and the Colts kept going for touchdowns when they were down by 30 points. All I needed was 3 lousy points. This time, I will fix that.

Lions-9: Did you see how bad the Chiefs are?

Ravens-6: Did you see how bad the Titans are?

Cowboys -3: I'm not big on cross country traveling, but the season is long, and the Cowboys are already in must-win mode.

Deuces!