And here it is-the greatest 150 days of the year. Football season. Five months of heaven, 22 weeks of bliss. And with that comes arguing, bickering, bitching and moaning over who will win what, who’s overrated, who’s getting fired, what’s the over-under and, of course, who in your group of friends knows the most about football.Every year, ESPN’s NFL experts make their full-season predictions, from Super Bowl champion to rookie of the year. And what do we do here at The Daily Utah Chronicle? We rip them off, of course.This week, the sports staff have previewed every division from top to bottom. Here, at long last, are all of the NFL prognostications from The Chrony’s panel of experts…
Chris BellamyForget all that talk about the Broncos and especially the Chiefs. If any team from the AFC West is going to surprise people, it’ll be the San Diego Chargers. After all, you can never underestimate the power of Tim Dwight.But despite Dwight (aka God), the Raiders are the class of the division and the conference. The Titans may challenge, as could the Steelers, provided Tommy Maddox isn’t a one-year wonder.As for winning the whole shebang, it’s hard to pick against the Tampa Bay Bucs. The smart money is on them to repeat, and it certainly wouldn’t surprise me. But I’m just going on a hunch-Brett Favre is still the best quarterback in football, and I can’t see him finishing his career with just one title. He’ll probably be around for a while, but why not the Packers this year?
AFC East: BillsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: TitansAFC West: RaidersWild Cards: Patriots, ColtsNFC East: EaglesNFC North: PackersNFC South: BuccaneersNFC West: RamsWild Cards: Seahawks, FalconsMVP: Brett Favre, Green BayOffensive Player of the Year: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisDefensive Player of the Year: Julius Peppers, CarolinaOffensive Rookie of the Year: Kyle Boller, BaltimoreDefensive Rookie of the Year: Terence Newman, DallasCoach of the Year: Gregg Williams, BuffaloAFC Champion: Oakland RaidersNFC Champion: Green Bay PackersSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: Green Bay PackersAlso…: In an Oct. 26 meeting between the Jets and Eagles, 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde’s right arm will actually fall off in front of a dumbfounded Philadelphia crowd. The Philly crowd, of course, will cheer.
Asad KudiyaThe Raiders will make it back to the Super Bowl, since they are easily the best team in the AFC. I don’t care about the age of the team because the West Coast offense will still flourish-that is, until the Super Bowl, where they will meet the St. Louis Rams.I love the Raiders, but the Rams are on a mission this season and it’s not going to be pretty.Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner will dominate and it may be close contest in the Super Bowl, but in the end the Rams take home the Lombardi Trophy once again.
AFC East: DolphinsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: ColtsAFC West: RaidersWild Cards: Broncos, TitansNFC East: EaglesNFC North: PackersNFC South: BuccaneersNFC West: RamsWild Cards: Falcons, RedskinsMVP: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisOffensive Player of the Year: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisDefensive Player of the Year: Charles Woodson, OaklandOffensive Rookie of the Year: Andre Johnson, HoustonDefensive Rookie of the Year: Terence Newman, DallasCoach of the Year: Steve Spurrier, WashingtonAFC Champion: Oakland RaidersNFC Champion: St. Louis RamsSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: St. Louis RamsAlso…: Steve Spurrier will change his ways and he will not bench Patrick Ramsey all season long.
Mathew OuelletteA wise man once said: Bet with your head, not with your heart. So, to certify my stupidity, I bet with my heart and chose my two favorite teams to face off in the Super Bowl. Luckily, we haven’t put any money on these picks (yet), because we’re playing for mere bragging rights, and since humility is a virtue I should be forcibly virtuous for the entire football season. But if the Giants win the Super Bowl…my colleagues will know it.
AFC East: PatriotsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: TitansAFC West: RaidersWild Cards: Bills, ChiefsNFC East: GiantsNFC North: PackersNFC South: BuccaneersNFC West: RamsWild Cards: Eagles, VikingsMVP: Tiki Barber, N.Y. GiantsOffensive Player of the Year: Tiki Barber, N.Y. GiantsDefensive Player of the Year: Ray Lewis, BaltimoreOffensive Rookie of the Year: Onterrio Smith, MinnesotaDefensive Rookie of the Year: Nick Barnett, Green BayCoach of the Year: Gregg Williams, BuffaloAFC Champion: New England PatriotsNFC Champion: New York GiantsSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: New York GiantsAlso…: Brett Favre will suffer a career-ending injury at the hands of Warren Sapp. Sapp denies involvement, but a DNA test prove he was the culprit. (Hey, that damn streak has got to end sometime.) Tye SmithThe Denver Broncos will be returning to Super Bowl glory this year. That’s right-Mike Shanahan will have his crew ready for a run through the playoffs, culminating in a Super Bowl championship, where Clinton Portis will be named MVP. It may seem improbable to those who believe that Priest Holmes will not be reinjured and to those who believe that the Raiders are not too old. It could be hard for LaDainian Tomlinson fans to absorb as well, but the Broncos are not only the best in their division, but they are the best team this year in the entire NFL. (I should admit that I am a huge Broncos hack, having spent the first five years of my life in Denver.) Still, all biases aside, the Broncos are going to kill everyone they play.
AFC East: DolphinsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: ColtsAFC West: BroncosWild Cards: Titans, ChiefsNFC East: EaglesNFC North: PackersNFC South: BuccaneersNFC West: RamsWild Cards: Saints, GiantsMVP: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisOffensive Player of the Year: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisDefensive Player of the Year: Derrick Brooks, Tampa BayOffensive Rookie of the Year: Andre Johnson, HoustonDefensive Rookie of the Year: Terrell Suggs, BaltimoreCoach of the Year: Jon Gruden, Tampa BayAFC Champion: Denver BroncosNFC Champion: St. Louis RamsSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: Denver BroncosAlso…: Steve Spurrier will be coaching a college team by next season.
Ali HasnainI’ve been waiting a long time for this.Not the football season, but a chance to see my mug on the sports page.Basically, I’m here to give you emotional biased and perhaps even illogical predictions of the NFL season.So, in a nut shell, Seattle is in the playoffs because I said so, the Vikings resurge thanks to a new found perspective by Randy Moss (I promise, this is the year), the Dolphins take the AFC because my brother would like nothing better, and the Falcons take it all because Michael Vick is the Michael Jordan of football, and I don’t care what you think, but one player can make the difference. At least this one can.
AFC East: DolphinsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: ColtsAFC West: ChargersWild Cards: Raiders, BroncosNFC East: EaglesNFC North: VikingsNFC South: FalconsNFC West: RamsWild Cards: Seahawks, PackersMVP: Michael Vick, AtlantaOffensive Player of the Year: Marshall Faulk, St. LouisDefensive Player of the Year: Ray Lewis, BaltimoreOffensive Rookie of the Year: Charles Rogers, DetroitDefensive Rookie of the Year: Marcus Trufant, SeattleCoach of the Year: Mike Holmgren, SeattleAFC Champion: Miami DolphinsNFC Champion: Atlanta FalconsSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: Atlanta FalconsAlso…: Randy Moss will put down the pipe, and in just one season will establish himself as the greatest receiver ever. Probably. Maybe. I hope so. Damn, probably not.
Adam BensonFor those of you who know me, calm down. I really do think the Pats are that good this year. Not having a running game will catch up with New England during those cold weather games in December, but Ted Washington, Roosevelt Colvin and Richard Seymour will make sure other teams won’t eat up the turf. Losing Lawyer Milloy hurts, but Rodney Harrison will stop the bleeding at first. Unknowns Aric Morris, Antawn Harris and Chris Akins need to play outside anything ever experienced to fill the gap at free safety.As for Emmitt…Merry Christmas.
AFC East: PatriotsAFC North: SteelersAFC South: TitansAFC West: RaidersWild Cards: Chiefs, ColtsNFC East: EaglesNFC North: PackersNFC South: BuccaneersNFC West: RamsWild Cards: 49ers, SaintsMVP: Priest Holmes, Kansas CityOffensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, IndianapolisDefensive Player of the Year: Chris Hovan, MinnesotaOffensive Rookie of the Year: Kyle Boller, BaltimoreDefensive Rookie of the Year: Terence Newman, DallasCoach of the Year: Gregg Williams, BuffaloAFC Champion: New England PatriotsNFC Champion: Tampa Bay BuccaneersSUPER BOWL CHAMPION: New England PatriotsAlso…: Emmitt Smith will retire before December.