As promised here are some NFL predictions. I'll start with the NFC West. Of course these predictions are based on key players from each team remaining healthy for most of the season. If Marc Bulger goes down then so do the Rams. If Shaun Alexander or Hasselbeck are out for the season then it's probably not going to be a great season for the Seahawks. You get the picture.



St. Louis Rams
I am a Ram fan so I'll start with them. Being emotionally tied to this team explains the streaks of grey in my hair and the bloodshot eyes that tend to hang around from September to December. Anyway, under the leadership of Elmer Fudd…I mean Mike Martz, the Rams did one thing I like a lot (pass the ball) and one thing I hate a lot (lose). I’m hopeful new head coach Scott Linehan will still employ a passing attack and not turn into the Baltimore Ravens. Just because they have a big back like Steven Jackson doesn't mean they need to hand it to him 30 times a game. Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Kevin Curtis are too good of receivers to be blocking all day. That said, Jackson will be used more than in the past which is good. And Linehan will protect Bulger better than Martz did, which is key because Bulger is as slow as a dial up connection to the internet. The Rams defense should be better under Jim Haslett, but still lacks a few players to truly make them a threat. I’m biased obviously, but I believe the Rams will be a better team this year and the fact that Martz won’t be around to expend all timeouts by the end of every third quarter just can’t be stressed enough.

Division Prediction: 2nd
Playoff Prediction: Wild Card game (yes the blinders are on. I told you I’m biased.)

Seattle Seahawks
Matt Hasselbeck surprised me last season. At the beginning of last season I had him pegged as an inconsistent QB who would probably never rise to the level Mr. Cheesy Mustache guy (Holmgren) thought he should. And I said so. Then about mid season, Hasselbeck said, “Armchair QB?, “Who the @#$% is he?, What the #@%* does he know” "$#@% him!!”.
Suddenly he started playing out of his mind and entered the realm of franchise QB (and I never got a thank you card or anything….bastard) . Sure he had Alexander and a good O-line which helped, but he started making plays and without his consistency and clutch throws down the stretch they never would have played in the Super Bowl. They still have the core of team from last year and they should win this division again. Hopefully not as easily as they did last year. If they are through bitching about the Super Bowl (legitmate bitching though...those calls really sucked) and are ready to concentrate on this year, they should make a run at it again.

Division Prediction: 1st
Playoff Prediction: NFC championship game

Arizona Cardinals
Last year was supposed to be the Cardinals year. Didn’t happen. Now many are saying it’s this year. I mean they have two studs at receiver in Fitzgerald and Boldin, a star running back in Edgerrin James, and a quarterback who...well... can drive you crazy. Warner can throw for 300 yards a game but he will need to cut down on his turnovers and play better when it counts. It would also help if he could fit wife Brenda with a wig so we can stop laughing when the camera pans to her. Anyway, back to the “Edge”. Will he be as good as he was in Indy? Certainly he and Manning complimented each other and things opened up in the running and passing game because of their skills. I just don’t see him as a one man show so he will need Warner to be a threat so that the play action can work effectively. I think the Cardinals will be better than last year but will miss out on the playoffs again this year.

Division Prediction: 3rd
Playoff Prediction: Not this year

San Francisco 49ers
Everyone is saying Alex Smith looks a lot more confident and poised in training camp than he did when the season ended last year. Could be that’s true. Could be true also that he resembles an elf in Lord of the Rings and he doesn’t have Brian Urlacher slamming him to the turf yet either. We’ll see how poised he really is after his first couple of big hits. I’m rooting for him though. I watched him in college at Utah and I thought he was a good guy. His O-line still sucks (although adding Larry Allen should help a little), and his receivers actually could be worse this year. 1st round draftee Vernon Davis might be a nice safety valve for Smith at TE but he still doesn’t have a great running back to take pressure off him. I see another long year for the 2nd year quarterback. The defense is still a mess as well and it will take another good draft with some free agents thrown into the mix before this ship starts to turn around.

Division Prediction: 4th
Playoff Prediciton: ummm…no

Ahhh. Football is in the air. Can you smell it? At this point in the summer I am pretty much salivating like a rabid dog at the very mention of the NFL and College Football. I find myself even watching and nodding my head to Sean Salisbury on ESPN, which is troubling on all kinds of levels.

What is it about football that enables it to hold us as emotional hostages? Is it the fantasy element which has captured so many fans attention, interest, and at times cash? That certainly helps but I'll be honest, although interested in it, I have never played fantasy football (it's blasphemy I know but at another time I'll outline my reasons for this sin). No it's something about the game itself that appeals to fans and has helped it become the top sport in America. Maybe it's the violence or the fact that games are played on a weekly basis, thus ramping up the anticipation. Whatever it is, I'm hooked and so are you most likely.

So it's time for me to start talking some football. Soon I'll start posting my predictions on what I think will happen this year. In football that is. Other predictions like my end of the world theories can be found on another site entitled "We're all gonna die horrible gruesome deaths so eat lots of cheese while you can". .....Ahem. Anyway, they ought to be pretty amusing to check back on later on in the season. The football predictions, not the doomsday stuff cause that's serious business. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go make sure my Sunday NFL satellite ticket has been renewed....and check my cheese bin.

As if my posting habits aren't bad enough, I'm off to Puerto Rico for a week to work on my tan. But before I go just a couple of quick thoughts:

 

-Reggie Bush should remember the lesson of Cedric Benson and Philip Rivers. When you have a pretty good guy playing your position already on the team, it is a big mistake to hold out for much time in training camp. Maybe Bush will sign soon and that will be that. But if not he will only hurt himself and fans who want to see him at his best during the season. Rookies need the time to learn their position at the pro level.

 

-What the hell's going on with the Minnesota Twins? They are playing out of their minds the last few weeks. Wouldn't it be wild if both the Twins and Tigers made it to the post-season (one as the wild card)? That would be a bit embarrasing for the big money clubs.

 

-I'm pissed Harold Reynolds couldn't keep his hands to himself. Now John Kruk will have even more room on set to wiggle his fat ass and spout complete nonsense. Harold say it ain't so.

Marshall Faulk's knee surgery will take him out for the coming season and probably end his career. To put it lightly, that blows. Why don't you just give me a thousand paper cuts and then throw me in the ocean. That would be preferable to this.

Yes I know Steven Jackson is the man now and Marshall probably would have been mis-used just like he was last season when he averaged 4.5 yards every time he carried the ball. But that's not the point. I'm a Ram fan and Marshall has been the stud of that organization since he was traded from the Colts.

Excuse me, I have to go cry now.

Poor Cub fans. I mean it's not enough that most seasons their teams sucks, or that even when they're good they end up blowing chunks, but they also have to deal with a "what if" factor that never seems to end. I'm of course talking about their star pitching duo of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior that was supposed to anchor their staff for years to come. Basically these two guys have the letters DL stamped on their forehead and it's that nasty ink that takes forever to rub off.

There is no denying the talent these guys have. They've got great stuff. Tantalizing great stuff. So good that you want to keep believing that someday they'll make it an entire season healthy. Maybe it will happen. Maybe they'll eventually catch some luck. Then Cub fans will be glad they have them on their team.

But that is foolish thinking. It's a dream that will never be. What is going on now is just cruel and unusual punishment for their fans. The Cubs need to get these guys healthy and trade them as fast as they can. If they get even a whiff of a decent offer for either guy (and by decent offer I mean anyone that can hold a glove) they need to act calm, agree to the trade, and then run wildly down the corporate offices screaming, "free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, free at last".

Prior's latest trip to the DL is proof enough that enough is enough. Sure these guys may end up on another team and never get hurt again in their careers. Jessica Alba also might give me call one of these days and tell me she has always wanted to meet me in person. It could happen.