NFL 2009: How'd We Do?
Hello all, and happy Post-Apocalypse Thursday to all those in the northeast area. As the snow has pulverized my streets, I find myself secluded to indoor activities-- reading, Madden, and best of all, BLOGGING! Considering that many call this the 'dead area' of the sports year, fans actually have a decent amount on their platter. The Winter Olympics opening ceremonies tomorrow, and those famed pitchers and catchers report in a little over a week.
With so many events about to take place, I thought now would be a good time to put a nice little bow on the NFL season. I will revisit my predictions sections from late August. This is something I wish a lot more pundits/columnists/writers would do. It's fun to see where you were right on, where you were close, and where you must have been drinking heavily to make such a prediction. Luckily, I did pretty good for myself in shaping out the NFL season. Granted I may not be so inclined to write this column if I had a Super Bowl prediction like Sports Illustrated's Peter King (Patriots over Bears?? Yuck.)
Whatever. These are always fun to write, hopefully they are fun for you to read, as well. I suppose we will break it down into three sections, based on how close or far off my predictions were. We'll start with what will surely be everyone's favorite category...
CONOR, YOU DOPE! (Predicted Records Were 2 Or More Games Off)
1. Denver Broncos: 8-8 (Predicted to be 4-12)
The crown jewel of the "Conor, You Dope!" category. Denver was the only case where I was off by an astounding four games on their record. That's 1/4 of the season! It looked like I was going to be banished from blogging forever when the Broncos started out 6-0. But a horrific 2-8 end to the season brought my incorrect pick within reason. Sorry for conjuring all the bad memories, Bianchi.
2. Indianapolis Colts: 14-2 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Indy leads the pack in teams that I missed by 3 games. Much like Denver, I got a little fortunate on this one. Every rational football fan knows that the Colts probably would have been 16-0 had they tried for it. Alas, they rest some guys, take some losses, and make my predicted record a little more respectable.
3. Green Bay Packers: 11-5 (Predicted to be 8-8)
4. New York Giants: 8-8 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Understandably, these two get bunched together. Many, many people had the Packers correctly pegged as the solid team they ended up being. For some reason, I just didn't see it. The Giants had me feeling pretty good with that 5-0 start. But looking back at those weak opponents early on, that record was very hollow. Once they hit some quality opponents, it all went to hell. Dopey-ness all around on my part.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Much to my relief, the "wrong by three games or more" came to an end with the four teams above. The rest of these will only be a two-game discrepancy. But the Steelers one bums me out in a lot of ways. I let what everyone else was saying affect my pick, and that's something I never like doing. I loved the Bengals going into this year (admittedly, Hard Knocks was about 85% responsible for that) but I talked myself into the Steelers. It wasn't so hard, considering they were defending champions. And maybe they indeed would have been close to 11-5 if Polamalu didn't get hurt. Nevertheless, a very bitter incorrect pick here.
6. Seattle Seahawks: 5-11 (Predicted to be 7-9)
7. San Francisco 49ers: 8-8 (Predicted to be 6-10)
Now here come the slew of wrong picks I'm not going to lose too much sleep over. We'll start with this NFC West duo. Seattle has to be considered one of the season's biggest disappointments. That division looked like it could be theirs if they wanted it. Instead, they now look like a team that's utterly lose. San Francisco is included here because if not for that ridiculous throw by Brett Favre at the buzzer, I would have been wrong on them by three games. Lucky me.
8. Miami Dolphins: 7-9 (Predicted to be 9-7)
Miami gets its own slot here for a specific reason. They are the only team where I was on the 'wrong side of .500" This made me really excited to see. The loss of Chad Pennington put this prediction in danger of falling many, many games short. But Chad Henne looks like a real quarterback for them and my prediction ended up not-so-bad.
9. Detroit Lions: 2-14 (Predicted to be 4-12)
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-13 (Predicted to be 5-11)
11. Washington Redskins: 4-12 (Predicted to be 6-10)
12. Kansas City Chiefs: 4-12 (Predicted to be 6-10)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-9 (Predicted to be 5-11)
All teams I picked to be crappy, but not crappy enough I suppose. Except for Jacksonville, who held on as a wild card candidate until the final weeks. Nonetheless, all pretty crappy...
14. New Orleans Saints: 13-3 (Predicted to be 11-5)
15. New England Patriots: 10-6 (Predicted to be 12-4)
16. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5 (Predicted to be 9-7)
Ok, so technically I'm a dope on these three teams. But that's only by the strict letter of the rules. I picked the Saints and Patriots to win their division, and the Cowboys to be a wild card team. All that was correct, which I think absolves me of being off two games with their records.
SO CLOSE (Predicted Records 1 Game Off)
1. New York Jets: 9-7 (Predicted to be 10-6)
So close, Jets. So close. Believe me, I know just as much as anyone else how lucky they got with those last 2 games. But that's a just reward for picking a rookie coach/QB combo to make the playoffs, right? Yep, I had the Jets making it as a wild card team and losing in the first round to...the Indianapolis Colts. Oh, the tangled webs.
2. San Diego Chargers: 13-3 (Predicted to be 12-4)
3. Minnesota Vikings: 12-4 (Predicted to be 13-3)
Nothing too impressive here. Everyone knew that the Chargers would trounce their awful division. It was that whole 'going to the Super Bowl' thing where I got a little off track with them. Since everyone seemed to have all kinds of doubts with Favre leading the Vikings, I was pretty happy to see my prediction of their division championship come to fruition.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5 (Predicted to be 12-4)
I may have been off by only a game, but it turned out to be a big one with Philly. Along with that 12-4 record, I foresaw them as division champions. Instead, Dallas caught up to them, won that division, and ended their season in the wild-card round.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6 (Predicted to be 9-7)
6. Baltimore Ravens: 9-7 (Predicted to be 8-8)
These two are on the same lines as the Philly prediction, only a bit worse. I thought both of these teams would finish just short of the playoffs, and both ended up making it. So Baltimore and Cincy probably belong in the middle ground of "so close" and "Conor, you dope!" Luckily there is no such ground.
7. Atlanta Falcons: 9-7 (Predicted to be 8-8)
Sorry to short-change you, Dirty Birds. Won't happen again.
CONOR, YOU GENIUS! (Predicted Records Dead-On)
1. Arizona Cardinals: 10-6
Some pundits had Seattle or even San Francisco taking the division from the Cardinals this year. Keeping the faith in Kurt and the boys was rewarded handsomely.
2. Chicago Bears: 7-9
3. Carolina Panthers: 8-8
4. Tennessee Titans: 8-8
The Bears pick made me overjoyed because I got the best of Peter King (see above) and that will probably never happen again. You like apples, Peter? The Panthers and Titans had the most topsy-turvy seasons you could have, so those 8-8 correct picks were more luck than anything else. We'll take it, though.
5. Houston Texans: 9-7
Houston is grouped in the same area as the Ravens/Bengals in the "so close" section. It was great to get their record correct, but I lose some major brownie points as well. I thought Houston was a playoff team, and they came up short. So I'm not a total genius on this one, unfortunately.
6. St. Louis Rams: 1-15
7. Oakland Raiders: 5-11
8. Cleveland Browns: 5-11
9. Buffalo Bills: 6-10
Ahhhh. There's really no better feeling than gauging the exact stinky-ness of an NFL team. Out of the whole season, I am most proud of that Rams pick. Any team you say a team will go 1-15, there's always a fear they will make you look stupid. I didn't care and guaranteed the people that they would rather watch this video than read a preview section I could write about the Rams. Man I love being right, and man I love being a turtle.
So there you have it. In case you're keeping score, I cashed in on 6 out of 8 division winners and 9 of 12 playoff teams overall. Not too shabby at all. I picked the Saints over the Giants (whoops) in the NFC Championship and the Chargers (uh oh) to beat the Patriots (oy) in the AFC. Overall though, my Saints Super Bowl pick came through. I shoulda really called Vegas on that one. I'll just have to do that next year (when my predicted champion will go 3-13.)
Thanks for reading, everybody. And good luck keeping warm/shoveling if you're up in the northeast. Stay tuned for a Saturday hockey post as well as some Olympic stuff coming up. Talk to you soon.
Trying to visually put a bow on the NFL season...shut up.
With so many events about to take place, I thought now would be a good time to put a nice little bow on the NFL season. I will revisit my predictions sections from late August. This is something I wish a lot more pundits/columnists/writers would do. It's fun to see where you were right on, where you were close, and where you must have been drinking heavily to make such a prediction. Luckily, I did pretty good for myself in shaping out the NFL season. Granted I may not be so inclined to write this column if I had a Super Bowl prediction like Sports Illustrated's Peter King (Patriots over Bears?? Yuck.)
Whatever. These are always fun to write, hopefully they are fun for you to read, as well. I suppose we will break it down into three sections, based on how close or far off my predictions were. We'll start with what will surely be everyone's favorite category...
CONOR, YOU DOPE! (Predicted Records Were 2 Or More Games Off)
1. Denver Broncos: 8-8 (Predicted to be 4-12)
The crown jewel of the "Conor, You Dope!" category. Denver was the only case where I was off by an astounding four games on their record. That's 1/4 of the season! It looked like I was going to be banished from blogging forever when the Broncos started out 6-0. But a horrific 2-8 end to the season brought my incorrect pick within reason. Sorry for conjuring all the bad memories, Bianchi.
2. Indianapolis Colts: 14-2 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Indy leads the pack in teams that I missed by 3 games. Much like Denver, I got a little fortunate on this one. Every rational football fan knows that the Colts probably would have been 16-0 had they tried for it. Alas, they rest some guys, take some losses, and make my predicted record a little more respectable.
3. Green Bay Packers: 11-5 (Predicted to be 8-8)
4. New York Giants: 8-8 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Understandably, these two get bunched together. Many, many people had the Packers correctly pegged as the solid team they ended up being. For some reason, I just didn't see it. The Giants had me feeling pretty good with that 5-0 start. But looking back at those weak opponents early on, that record was very hollow. Once they hit some quality opponents, it all went to hell. Dopey-ness all around on my part.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7 (Predicted to be 11-5)
Much to my relief, the "wrong by three games or more" came to an end with the four teams above. The rest of these will only be a two-game discrepancy. But the Steelers one bums me out in a lot of ways. I let what everyone else was saying affect my pick, and that's something I never like doing. I loved the Bengals going into this year (admittedly, Hard Knocks was about 85% responsible for that) but I talked myself into the Steelers. It wasn't so hard, considering they were defending champions. And maybe they indeed would have been close to 11-5 if Polamalu didn't get hurt. Nevertheless, a very bitter incorrect pick here.
6. Seattle Seahawks: 5-11 (Predicted to be 7-9)
7. San Francisco 49ers: 8-8 (Predicted to be 6-10)
Now here come the slew of wrong picks I'm not going to lose too much sleep over. We'll start with this NFC West duo. Seattle has to be considered one of the season's biggest disappointments. That division looked like it could be theirs if they wanted it. Instead, they now look like a team that's utterly lose. San Francisco is included here because if not for that ridiculous throw by Brett Favre at the buzzer, I would have been wrong on them by three games. Lucky me.
8. Miami Dolphins: 7-9 (Predicted to be 9-7)
Miami gets its own slot here for a specific reason. They are the only team where I was on the 'wrong side of .500" This made me really excited to see. The loss of Chad Pennington put this prediction in danger of falling many, many games short. But Chad Henne looks like a real quarterback for them and my prediction ended up not-so-bad.
9. Detroit Lions: 2-14 (Predicted to be 4-12)
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-13 (Predicted to be 5-11)
11. Washington Redskins: 4-12 (Predicted to be 6-10)
12. Kansas City Chiefs: 4-12 (Predicted to be 6-10)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-9 (Predicted to be 5-11)
All teams I picked to be crappy, but not crappy enough I suppose. Except for Jacksonville, who held on as a wild card candidate until the final weeks. Nonetheless, all pretty crappy...
14. New Orleans Saints: 13-3 (Predicted to be 11-5)
15. New England Patriots: 10-6 (Predicted to be 12-4)
16. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5 (Predicted to be 9-7)
Ok, so technically I'm a dope on these three teams. But that's only by the strict letter of the rules. I picked the Saints and Patriots to win their division, and the Cowboys to be a wild card team. All that was correct, which I think absolves me of being off two games with their records.
SO CLOSE (Predicted Records 1 Game Off)
1. New York Jets: 9-7 (Predicted to be 10-6)
So close, Jets. So close. Believe me, I know just as much as anyone else how lucky they got with those last 2 games. But that's a just reward for picking a rookie coach/QB combo to make the playoffs, right? Yep, I had the Jets making it as a wild card team and losing in the first round to...the Indianapolis Colts. Oh, the tangled webs.
2. San Diego Chargers: 13-3 (Predicted to be 12-4)
3. Minnesota Vikings: 12-4 (Predicted to be 13-3)
Nothing too impressive here. Everyone knew that the Chargers would trounce their awful division. It was that whole 'going to the Super Bowl' thing where I got a little off track with them. Since everyone seemed to have all kinds of doubts with Favre leading the Vikings, I was pretty happy to see my prediction of their division championship come to fruition.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5 (Predicted to be 12-4)
I may have been off by only a game, but it turned out to be a big one with Philly. Along with that 12-4 record, I foresaw them as division champions. Instead, Dallas caught up to them, won that division, and ended their season in the wild-card round.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6 (Predicted to be 9-7)
6. Baltimore Ravens: 9-7 (Predicted to be 8-8)
These two are on the same lines as the Philly prediction, only a bit worse. I thought both of these teams would finish just short of the playoffs, and both ended up making it. So Baltimore and Cincy probably belong in the middle ground of "so close" and "Conor, you dope!" Luckily there is no such ground.
7. Atlanta Falcons: 9-7 (Predicted to be 8-8)
Sorry to short-change you, Dirty Birds. Won't happen again.
CONOR, YOU GENIUS! (Predicted Records Dead-On)
1. Arizona Cardinals: 10-6
Some pundits had Seattle or even San Francisco taking the division from the Cardinals this year. Keeping the faith in Kurt and the boys was rewarded handsomely.
2. Chicago Bears: 7-9
3. Carolina Panthers: 8-8
4. Tennessee Titans: 8-8
The Bears pick made me overjoyed because I got the best of Peter King (see above) and that will probably never happen again. You like apples, Peter? The Panthers and Titans had the most topsy-turvy seasons you could have, so those 8-8 correct picks were more luck than anything else. We'll take it, though.
5. Houston Texans: 9-7
Houston is grouped in the same area as the Ravens/Bengals in the "so close" section. It was great to get their record correct, but I lose some major brownie points as well. I thought Houston was a playoff team, and they came up short. So I'm not a total genius on this one, unfortunately.
6. St. Louis Rams: 1-15
7. Oakland Raiders: 5-11
8. Cleveland Browns: 5-11
9. Buffalo Bills: 6-10
Ahhhh. There's really no better feeling than gauging the exact stinky-ness of an NFL team. Out of the whole season, I am most proud of that Rams pick. Any team you say a team will go 1-15, there's always a fear they will make you look stupid. I didn't care and guaranteed the people that they would rather watch this video than read a preview section I could write about the Rams. Man I love being right, and man I love being a turtle.
So there you have it. In case you're keeping score, I cashed in on 6 out of 8 division winners and 9 of 12 playoff teams overall. Not too shabby at all. I picked the Saints over the Giants (whoops) in the NFC Championship and the Chargers (uh oh) to beat the Patriots (oy) in the AFC. Overall though, my Saints Super Bowl pick came through. I shoulda really called Vegas on that one. I'll just have to do that next year (when my predicted champion will go 3-13.)
Thanks for reading, everybody. And good luck keeping warm/shoveling if you're up in the northeast. Stay tuned for a Saturday hockey post as well as some Olympic stuff coming up. Talk to you soon.
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