Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

Today is Father’s Day, and it’s just as hard as I thought it would be. I didn’t even think about the fact that it’s also my Father’s Day to be with my girls, all I could think about was that you aren’t here for us to see. I can’t believe it’s been a month already. Each day I keep waking up waiting for someone to tell me this has all been a bad dream but now it’s over. A few days ago mom, Corina, Monica, McKall and I went to the temple, but I know you already know that because I know you were there. It was a really good day, even though it just wasn’t quite the same without you physically sitting right beside me.

My girls are missing you like crazy. We just bought a new house that we will be moving into next month, and the first thing Lily said was “I just wish we could call and tell Papa.” I told her that you already knew, and that I know you had a hand in making sure we got the house we truly wanted. I’m going to miss being able to have you help me with things around the house, so you might need to whisper some instructions to me from time to time since we all know I’m not good with those things like you were.

We watched the Stanley Cup Final cheering like crazy for the Bruins for you, but unfortunately they came up just short to the Blues, just like the Stars did. The girls were super bummed but I told them there is always next year.

The NBA finals were one of the weirdest I’ve ever seen with the Warriors losing pretty much everyone but Steph to injury and then losing to the Raptors. This offseason looks like it will be one of the craziest we’ve ever seen, and I wish so badly I could talk with you about it. The Celtics situation… well let’s just say we’ve seen better days, especially now that Anthony Davis has been traded to the Lakers. I know, I know, don’t even get me started.

The White Sox are doing better this year than in years past, and I have a hard time not sending you a text every night about something with them, like when they came back from 4-0 to beat the Yankees 5-4 a few nights ago.

With football coming up soon, I told the girls we are officially now Colts fans on your behalf. I bought the girls all matching Colts shirts and I have my Peyton Manning jersey ready for Sundays. It’s not like the Bucs have given me a reason to cheer in the last 15 years anyway, but now cheering for the Colts will be even more special.

We are all still having a hard time, but we have each other for support, and we will take care of mom. Brock especially is doing everything he can to make sure she’s taken care of with everything she could need. You taught us well, and we won’t let you down. I know you are doing way more important things right now on the other side, and people there need you. It doesn’t make it any easier for us back here for now. You truly were a giant among men, and meant so much to each and every one of us. I miss you so much, and wish I could still talk to you every day, but for now this will have to do.

Happy Father’s Day Dad

I love you!

Dallas

NFL 2014 Predictions

I started these and had them basically all done a week ago, but never finished them off. Even though a couple of my picks already look pretty bad based on week 1, I will stick with my original predictions. Go Bucs! :(

Here is my one and only consistent post I've had here, my predictions for the upcoming NFL season. Pretty simple, I will pick the order of each division, then my playoff picks. Last year I didn't do too poorly overall, even getting the super bowl right before the season started. Crashed and burned with my Bucs division pick, but oh well what can ya do?

AFC East
1. Patriots (3)
2. Dolphins
3. Jets
4. Bills

I hate the Patriots and hope they lose every game they play, but this division is terrible and I don't see any way the Pats don't come out on top.

AFC North
1. Bengals (2)
2. Steelers
3. Ravens
4. Browns

If Andy Dalton plays decent, not even great, this is the Bengals division to lose. Ravens and Steelers are the same in my book, with neither of them making the playoffs, and the Browns are the Browns, which means they will be bad, Johnny Football or not.

AFC South
1. Colts (4)
2. Texans (5)
3. Titans
4. Jaguars

This division will look a lot like last year, with the exception of the Texans moving back up with having a strong defense. I love Blake Bortles and hope the Jags can be better quickly especially if they are starting him, but I think they are still a year or two away from being really competitive. If Andrew Luck stays healthy, this division is the Colts to lose.

AFC West
1. Broncos (1)
2. Chargers (6)
3. Raiders
4. Chiefs

I find it funny the people that are worried about the Broncos this year. They improved on defense dramatically this offseason, and they got all their injured players back. Manning is the best qb in the world, and will have another great season. Broncos won't score as much this year simply because they don't need to with a better defense, but they will run away with this division. The Chargers will be good, but not Broncos good, and the Chiefs will take the biggest step back this season.

NFC East
1. Eagles (3)
2. Giants
3. Cowboys
4. Redskins

I think this division is the worst in football. They get the most attention because of the national bias with this division, but other than the Eagles, the rest of the teams are just bad. The Eagles are going to be even better this year under Chip Kelly, especially having Maclin back and getting Darren Sproles. For personal fantasy football reasons, I hope that RG3 has a great year, but I do not expect him to, and could even see him being benched by the end of the year for Cousins.

NFC North
1. Packers (4)
2. Bears
3. Lions
4. Vikings

Packers need to get something done about their offensive line so that Aaron Rodgers doesn't get killed, but if they can keep Rodgers upright the Packers offense will be enough to win this division. The Bears and Lions will be fairly equal to each other, but neither will make the playoffs.

NFC South
1. Saints (2)
2. Buccaneers (6)
3. Falcons
4. Panthers

The Saints are scary good offensively and should win this division pretty handily I think. This year my picking the Bucs isn't even as much my bias as it is a new coaching staff, great free agent pickups, a stud rookie wr in Mike Evans, and the fact that I think the Panthers are going to drop back dramatically, and the Falcons are overrated. I obviously wrote this before week 1 :( really hoping Tampa can pull their heads out and not make me look horrible 2 years in a row.

NFC West
1. Seahawks (1)
2. 49ers (5)
3. Cardinals
4. Rams

I think the Seahawks are going to run away with this division this year. With all the drama surrounding the 49ers (suspensions, injuries, Jim Harbaugh rumors) I think they take a step back and neither the Cardinals nor the Rams will come close.

Playoffs

Wild Card

Bucs over Eagles - Totally homer pick, but I actually think this is a good matchup for Tampa since their run defense should be great this year.

Packers over 49ers - Packers get revenge for their playoff lost last year.

Patriots over Chargers - The afc sucks, that's all I will say

Colts over Texans - Andrew the Giant wins his 2nd playoff game.

Divisional Round

Seahawks over Bucs - even I can't be that big of homer.

Packers over Saints -  I think Aaron Rodgers won't be effected by the noise in the Superdome.

Broncos over Colts - Manning puts a big hurting on the colts, a reverse from 10 years ago when he put a big hurting on the Broncos when he was with the Colts

Bengals over Patriots - Pats will probably win this because they get the most help from refs ever, and let's be honest, we are dealing with Andy Dalton here, but the Pats are a bad road team at this point so I'm going with the Bengals to end Tommy's season.

Championship Round

Seahawks over Packers - If the Packers O line can hold up at all, I think this will be a very close game and wouldn't be surprised if  they pulled the upset, but right now I just don't see anyone in the NFC beating the Seahawks. Again, wrote this prior to the season. If this matchup does happen, Packers O line will have to be a whole lot better than they were last Thursday or it will be another blowout.

Broncos over Bengals - Broncos at home against Andy Dalton... Broncos win by 20.

Super Bowl

Broncos over Seahawks - Last year I correctly predicted Seahawks over Broncos before the season, but I feel differently about the Broncos this year. I think Seattle is every bit as good, if not better, than last year, but Denver is much better. If the Broncos can stay healthy, they will be a much better all around team than last year and Peyton won't have to carry them on his back every single week. While the Seahawks blasted Denver in the Super Bowl, the biggest reason for that was line play on both sides of the ball. Broncos couldn't protect Manning, and couldn't generate a pass rush. Both of those should be different this time around, and the Broncos will prevail 27-24 in sunny Arizona.


Season Awards

MVP - Should be Peyton, but like Durant winning over Lebron in NBA last year simply because they don't want to give the award to the same guy every year, someone different will win this year. My guess is that it will be Drew Brees simply because he has the best chance to put up monster numbers and the Saints should finish with a good record.

Coach of the Year - John Fox. Fox has never won the award, and while this Broncos team will go as Peyton goes, Fox will win the award since Denver will have a dominant season with nobody else winning any hardware.

Offensive rookie of the year - Mike Evans. This is a slight homer pick. Mike Evans is an absolute stud and if Tamps's line can protect Mccown and he can throw the ball whatsoever, Evans should have a great rookie season, even better then Brandin Cooks for the Saints. This might be the one that really comes back to look bad after Cooks lit it up Sunday and Josh Mccown couldn't get the ball anywhere near Evans for most of the game. Still holding out hope.

Defensive rookie of the year - Khalil Mack. The Raiders defense will be on the field plenty this year, so Mack will have the opportunity to put up a lot of numbers in tackles and sacks.

More than anything I am just stoked that football season is here. Basketball season is way too long and football season not nearly long enough. So here's to a great season, and as always...

Til Next Time,
Dallas

NFL Playoffs

Looking back on my regular season predictions I think I did pretty good. Manning broke the td record while I got 5 of the 6 AFC playoff teams (badly missing on the Chargers and Texans records) and 4 of the 6 NFC teams (again, badly missing on my Tampa pick, while underrating the Panthers. My playoffs picks are going to be different from what I actually want to happen, but we shall see what happens. I am hoping for a Broncos domination, mostly because I want Peyton to finish off the greatest regular season a qb has ever had with another super bowl. I think Peyton is the greatest qb of all time and he gets criticized way too unfairly for his lack of playoff success. Take away Peyton off of any of the teams he has been on and they probably don't even make the playoffs. Take Tom Brady off the Patriots and Matt Cassell of all people still leads them to an 11-5 record. I will stop my Peyton tangent and get on to my picks, but here's hoping for a Peyton dominated postseason.

Wildcard Round
Bengals over Chargers
Colts over Chiefs
Eagles over Saints
Packers over 49ers

Divisional Round
Broncos over Colts
Patriots over Bengals
Eagles over Panthers
Seahawks over Packers

Championship Round
Broncos over Patriots
Seahawks over Eagles

Super Bowl
Seahawks over Broncos - This was my prediction before the season started so I am sticking with it now. I hope the Broncos are able to pull it off and Peyton shuts up everyone at least for a little while, but I think the Seahawks are the best all around team.

Til Next Time,
Dallas

NFL Season picks

Just to clarify, I did these picks last week, but because of a couple different things going on I did not have time to post them, but this isn't reactionary to yesterday. I started out by going through the entire schedule and picking win-loss records for everyone, but I decided against that and instead will just give my division order of finish for everyone. Without further ado, here are my 2013 NFL predictions.

AFC

East
1. Pats
2. Bills
3. Dolphins.
4. Jets

Despite the Jets win over my Bucs yesterday they are going to be a terrible team. The dolphins are overrated while the Bills are underrated but none of them will beat the Pats for the division. Pats win by at least 3 games and get a bye in the first round.

North
1. Bengals
2. Ravens
3. Browns
4. Steelers

I have everyone in this division finishing within 2 games of each other and until 3 days ago had the Steelers winning the division. Ravens will drop off from last year and the Browns will be better than most people think as long as they can figure out their play calling and not let Weeden throw all day. After what happened to Pouncey yesterday I think a bad season just turned into a disaster for the Steelers.

South
1. Colts
2. Texans
3. Titans
4. Jaguars

After the Colts almost blew the game to the Raiders yesterday I am a bit less confident about this pick but this is what I went with so I am sticking with it. Jaguars will battle with the Raiders and Chargers for the worst team in the league, while the Titans will be mediocre at best. Texans will be right there with the Colts and both teams will be in the playoffs at the end of the season.

West
1. Broncos
2. Chiefs
3. Raiders
4. Chargers

The Chiefs are going to be much better than last year and I think they get the last wild card spot, but they won't compete for the division with the Broncos. If the coaches let him, Peyton Manning will break the touchdown record this year for 2 reasons. 1. their defense is bad enough to let other teams hang around and score points and force the Broncos to keep putting up points themselves, and 2. the Broncos don't have a running game, so all their offense is going to come from Peyton and the receivers. Manning should have been co-mvp last season, but he will win it outright this year.

AFC final standings

1. Broncos
2. Patriots
3. Colts
4. Bengals
5. Texans
6. Chiefs
7. Ravens
8. Browns
9. Bills
10. Dolphins
11. Steelers
12. Titans
13. Jets
14. Raiders
15. Chargers
16. Jaguars

NFC

East

1. Cowboys
2. Eagles
3. Giants
4. Redskins

After last night's game this is another division I am a little nervous about. The giants turned it over 6 times on the road and the Cowboys barely won the game. I think this division is very close all year and Cowboys will pull it out in the end. The Redskins are the most over hyped team in the NFL and they will not be as good as advertised. I picked the Eagles to go 15-1 last year and they went 4-12. This year I am buying into the Chip Kelly hype and picking them to make the playoffs as the last wild card team.

North

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Lions
4. Vikings

This is another division that I do not think will be close. The Packers are the best team in the division and it's not close. the lions will battle the Bears for second but Green Bay wins the division running away. The Vikings get another exciting year from AP but that's about it as they will have another top 10 draft pick next season.

South

1. Bucs
2. Falcons
3. Saints
4. Panthers

This is the one that will most likely come back to haunt me. Even before yesterday I knew it was a long shot to pick my Bucs to win the division but after yesterday's debacle I don't see how they can do it. Josh Freeman is a terrible quarterback and you just can't win in this league without a good qb. More than likely the Falcons win this division but this is most definitely a heart and not head pick.

West

1. Seahawks
2. 49ers
3. Rams
4. Cardinals

The Seahawks and Niners are the 2 best teams in the league and will be neck and neck the whole season. The thing that sucks for one of these teams is that they will finish 2nd in the division but be the 5 seed in the playoffs. It will be close but I think Seahawks get the division while the Niners still make the playoffs. The Rams will be mediocre and finish with no more than 7 wins, while the Cardinals once again have another high draft pick as well.

NFC Final Standings

1. Seahawks
2. Packers
3. Cowboys
4. Bucs
5. 49ers (even though they'll have the 2nd best record)
6. Eagles
7. Falcons
8. Saints
9. Giants
10. Panthers
11. Bears
12. Lions
13. Redskins
14. Rams
15. Cardinals
16. Vikings


MVP - Peyton Manning
Coach - Andy Reid
Offensive ROY - EJ Manuel
Defensive ROY - Alec Ogletree


Playoffs

Wildcard round

Cowboys over Eagles
49ers over Bucs
Colts over Chiefs
Bengals over Texans

Divisional round

Broncos over Bengals
Patriots over Colts
Seahawks over 49ers
Packers over Cowboys

Championship round

Broncos over Patriots
Seahawks over Packers

Super Bowl

Seahawks over Broncos - I think the Seahawks are the best overall team in the NFL, especially once Percy Harvin comes back, but part of this pick is also because the Super Bowl is being played outside in New York this year and they are forecasting a huge storm already. If the game is played in bad weather, I favor Seattle.

I'm sure most of these will be wrong, but as always it is fun to pick anyway.

Til Next Time,

Dallas

NBA Playoff Predictions

Hello to the few people who actually read this; I have not written anything for months and it is pretty sad because I am constantly thinking of things I want to write about, but haven't made the time to do it. I am going to try to write a bit more but we will see if it actually happens. As for today, I am going to give my predictions for the NBA playoffs which begin in just a few hours. Here goes:

First Round

#1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Houston Rockets

As much as I would love to see OKC go down early because Russell Westbrook drives me insane and Kevin Durant has started to really annoy me, I don't think Houston stands a chance in this series. OKC will want to prove they are better off with Harden (even though they aren't) and will play balls to the wall from the get go. These games will be entertaining and high scoring, but OKC is just too good.
Thunder in 5

#2 San Antonio Spurs vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers

I find it rather funny how many "experts" are talking about how dangerous the Lakers are against a "beat up" Spurs team. The Lakers shouldn't even be in the playoffs; they needed the help of the NBA (50-16 free throw advantage last Friday and only win by 2, one of many games handed to the Lakers this season) and the Utah Jazz. If the Jazz don't lose a whole bunch of very winnable close games this season, the Lakers are sitting at home right now. No worries though, they shall be there soon enough; if Tony Parker is healthy for this series, he will destroy the Lakers backcourt all series. Lakers will win one game, possibly even two because sadly more Lakers games means more money for the league. In the end, Spurs are way better than L.A.
Spurs in 5

#3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Golden State Warriors

I love watching Steph Curry play, and I think he will score a lot in this series. That being said, I think Denver is just a better overall team and plays similar to how Golden State plays, only better. If healthy, I think Denver wins this series easily, but that is a big if right now. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are dealing with injuries and Galinari is already done for the year. I am banking on Lawson and Faried being okay, and Nuggets winning the series fairly easy. If those two aren't healthy, this paragraph never happened.
Nuggets in 5

# 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs #5 Memphis Grizzlies

A rematch of last year's first round where the Clippers took out the Grizzlies in 7. I think Chris Paul is the best player in this series, but the combination of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol is far better than the combination of Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. If Memphis is able to keep those two out of foul trouble, they should be able to slow the games down and win a very low scoring, hard fought series.
Grizzlies in 6

#1 Miami Heat vs #8 Milwaukee Bucks

Not much to say about this series. Miami is far superior and Lebron is just playing on a level far above anyone else in the league.
Heat in 4

#2 New York Knicks vs #7 Boston Celtics

I am 100% biased in making this pick, but I really think that if Garnett can stay on the floor for a solid 30-35 minutes a game, and if good Jeff Green shows up, the Celtics will take down the Knicks. I could be way off the the Knicks could sweep Boston, but I just don't see it happening. The Knicks rely way too heavily on 3 pointers and in the playoffs, games slow down and scoring is much more difficult. Boston has a very good defensive backcourt and Paul Pierce seems to play his best against New York. I know Melo is playing well right now, but I just have a feeling about this one. Celtics will steal game 1 today, and they won't lose back in Boston.
Celtics in 6

#3 Indiana Pacers vs #6 Atlanta Hawks
Not to be mean, but nobody cares about this series other than the players families, and they might not even show up. Nobody is watching this series, and luckily it won't last long. Even though they have struggled lately, the Pacers are the better team.
Pacers in 5

#4 Brooklyn Nets vs #5 Chicago Bulls
With Joakim Noah hurt it makes this series very difficult to predict. If he was healthy I think Bulls win easily, but without him the Nets will be able to force feed Brook Lopez all they want. We all know Carlos Boozer isn't playing defense against anyone. I am hoping Noah is able to play because I really want to see a Bulls Heat matchup in round 2, and I really really want Deron Williams to just go home as soon as possible.
Bulls in 6

Second Round

Thunder vs Grizzlies

If the Clippers beat the Grizz in round 1, I think OKC takes them out quickly in round 2. If the Grizz advance, however, I think they match up really well with OKC and can slow them down enough to frustrate both Westbrook and Durant. The one toss up: officials. If Durant and Westbrook get every call, the Grizzlies will be in trouble because they have to be able to keep Gasol and Randolph on the floor. If the officials let them play in this series, I think Memphis is able to pull the upset.
Grizzlies in 6

Spurs vs Nuggets

I think this series will be very entertaining. Tony Parker and Ty Lawson both run their teams extremely well and the defenses might not show up for either team. Denver is extremely tough at home, so if they can steal a game in San Antonio, watch out. I think this series goes back and forth, but in the end, home court wins out.
Spurs in 7

Heat vs Bulls

As I said before I hope this series happens. Not because I actually think the Bulls can win the series, but because they won't just roll over for Miami. Chicago is very tough team that isn't scared of the Heat in any way. Miami will win the series and it won't go past 5 games, but Chicago will make them work for every bit of it. This series will test Lebron's patience because Chicago will go at him time and time again with physical play. Let's just hope the 6'8, 250 lb freakish athlete doesn't spend the whole series whining.
Heat in 5

Pacers vs Celtics

If Boston is able to upset New York, I actually like this matchup for them. Indiana likes to slow it down just like Boston does. Boston won the regular season series 2-0, with the last game being cancelled. I think this is a very physical, low scoring, at most times "boring" series that will feature a lot of missed shots. Again I think Boston steals home court in the first 2 games and takes care of business at home.
Celtics in 6

Conference Finals

Spurs vs Grizzlies

This series will be very close throughout. They split the season series, and 3 of the 4 games were decided by 4 points or less, 2 of them in overtime. Parker will win the point guard matchup while the combination of Gasol and Randolph will be very tough for the Spurs to handle. The key to the series is going to be Kawai Leonard. If he plays well, spurs win a close hard fought series.
Spurs in 7

Heat vs Celtics

As much as I would love to, I can't be that big of a homer. Boston will be tired and worn down by the time they get to this point, and Miami will run through them for the most part. Boston won't go down without a fight, but the series won't be as close as I would like it to be. Barring a Lebron injury, Celtics don't have a chance.
Heat in 5

NBA Finals

Spurs vs Heat

I think this will be a fun series to watch, and it wouldn't shock me if the Spurs won. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the NBA by far and he will have the Spurs ready to go. That being said, I don't see any way the Spurs can contain both Lebron and Wade. Kawai Leonard can slow one of them down, but that's it. The Spurs will be more tired after 2 straight 7 game series, while the Heat won't have played more than 5 games a series, and they won't here either. Really hope I am wrong, but I think Miami takes it for the 2nd straight year, and Lebron keeps moving up the list of all time greats.
Heat in 5

There you have it. I will be back next weekend to make my (wildly speculative) NHL playoff picks.

Til Next Time,
Dallas

NFL PICKS WEEK 1

Just gonna jump right into the picks this week as I am running short of time and have a video game waiting for me right now.

Cowboys 23, Giants 17 - Yes I picked this game before it happened, don't care who doesn't believe me, I have multiple people to prove it :)

Texans 31, Dolphins 10

Bears 34, Colts 23

Jets 23, Bills 16

Eagles 38, Browns 10

Lions 34, Rams 13

Patrtios 41, Titans 21

Chiefs 23, Falcons 20

Vikings 20, Jaguars 17

Saints 38, Redskins 17

Packers 27, 49ers 17

Cardinals 24, Seahawks 23,

Buccaneers 27, Panthers 24

Steelers 23, Broncos 20

Ravens 20, Bengals 13

Raiders 27, Chargers 24

Til Next Time,

Dallas

NFL Season Predictions

It's baaaaaaaaaack!
The NFL season is officially upon us, and I couldn't be more excited. I have already missed week 1 of the college picks, but I will get to picking those as well. Last year I finished the season picking roughly 75% of the winners correctly, and am hoping to continue that this season. This post will be just for the overall season predictions, and my weekly picks will be up later this week. With no further ado, here are my 2012 NFL season predictions.

AFC EAST
1. Patriots (13-3)
2. Jets (10-6)
3. Bills (8-8)
3. Dolphins (8-8)

As much as I hate them, the Patriots are the best team in this division and will cruise to the division title and a bye in the playoffs. The Jets will be a lot better than people are making them out to be in the preseason. They have a very good defense, and whether you like him or not, Tebow will be playing a lot and helping the Jets have a very good rushing attack that will not have a lot of turnovers. They won't blow people out, but they will win a lot of games 20-17 ish I think. Moving on...

AFC NORTH
1. Steelers (13-3)
2. Ravens (11-5)
3. Bengals (7-9)
4. Browns (2-14)

This division won't be as close as it looks either because Ravens have a tougher schedule early and will fall behind by a couple of games in the first month, and will stay that way throughout the season. The Bengals fall back a little this year and miss the playoffs, and the Browns aren't even worth talking about. Next...

AFC SOUTH
1. Texans (14-2)
2. Colts (3-13)
2. Titans (3-13)
4. Jaguars (2-14)

Other than the Texans, this division is terrible. The only wins the other 3 teams will have will pretty much be against each other. No more is needed here...

AFC WEST
1. Chargers (10-6)
2. Broncos (8-8)
3. Chiefs (6-10)
4. Raiders (4-12)

I think the Broncos are a better team this year than they were last year. I think Manning helps them tremendously and will have a great year. The problem is they have in my opinion the toughest schedule in football, and they still don't have a very good defense. I know a lot of Broncos fans think I'm wrong on my pick of them, but i just don't see them being a super bowl favorite just because they added Manning. I am sure I will hear about it plenty if I am wrong, which is fine, but I think Denver will be sitting home come playoff time.

NFC EAST
1.Eagles (15-1)
2. Giants (11-5)
3. Cowboys (10-6)
4. Redskins (3-13)

Eagles are going to be a very good team if Vick stays healthy, which I am taking a huge leap and saying he will. The rest of the division will also be good with the exception of the Redskins. RG3 will make a few highlight plays, but overall that team is terrible and they will be sitting at the cellar again.

NFC NORTH
1. Packers (14-2)
2. Bears (10-6)
3. Lions (10-6)
4. Vikings (4-12)

Packers again will be the best team in this division, despite a lot of "experts" overrating the Bears. The Bears will be a good team, but nowhere near as good as the Packers. The Lions will still be good, but not quite good enough to make the playoffs, and the Vikings will just be bad.

NFC SOUTH
1. Saints (9-7)
2. Buccaneers (8-8)
3. Falcons (7-9)
4. Falcons (7-9)

This will be a close division race all year as no team is great but they will all be competitive. I am very biased with the Bucs because that is my team. They could easily finish 4-12 again but I am going to go out on a limb and say they finish 8-8. Even with all the Saints problems, Drew Brees is the 2nd best QB in the league right now and will be able to do just enough to sneak them into the playoffs.

NFC WEST
1. 49ers (14-2)
2. Seahawks (4-12)
3. Cardinals (2-14)
4. Rams (1-15)

The 49ers will again run away with this division. Enough said.

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS
1. EAGLES
2. PACKERS
3. 49ERS
4. SAINTS
5. GIANTS
6. COWBOYS

1. TEXANS
2. PATRIOTS
3. STEELERS
4. CHARGERS
5. RAVENS
6. JETS

WILD CARD WEEKEND

49ers over Cowboys
Saints over Giants
Ravens over Chargers
Jets over Steelers

DIVISIONAL ROUND

Eagles over Saints
Packers over 49ers
Texans over Jets
Ravens over Patriots

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Packers over Eagles
Texans over Ravens

SUPER BOWL XLVII

Packers over Texans

There you have it, those are my official picks for this season that are sure to be way off and everyone can make fun of me. For the individual awards, here are a few of my thoughts...


MVP - Michael Vick - Too easy to say Aaron Rodgers here, taking a gamble.
Comeback player of the year - Peyton Manning - nobody else even in the discussion
Coach of the year - Andy Reid
Offensive rookie of the year - Andrew Luck - RG3 could win just because he'll get more attention and is flashier, but Luck is by far the better player and will show it.
Defensive rookie of the year - Mark Barron - This is a complete homer pick for me, but I don't care, the fact that they have someone who could be in the running is all I need to pick him.

Til Next Time...

Dallas