NFL Season Predictions

Alright. Got to get these thoughts down before the season begins.

First off, the division winners:

NFC East: New York Giants
I hate to say this, but they just seem like they have everything in place. The Redskins seem really shaky. The Cowboys have TO. I'm tempted to put the Eagles in here just because they are always competitive, but I don't think they'll quite make it.
NFC North: Chicago Bears
Good defense. Bad division. They seem like they can sneak by without being too good
NFC South: Carolina Panthers
I think this division will be between the Panthers and Tampa Bay, but I'm giving it to Carolina because they have a better QB.
NFC West: Seattle Seahawks
No competition there
NFC Wild Card Teams: Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AFC East: New England Patriots
They're a lot like the Eagles in that they are always competitive, but I think their division will be easier to win.
AFC North: Cinncinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh will be good, but I think the Bengals will still win more games.
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts
I didn't even look at the other teams in this division. It's that easy
AFC West: Denver Broncos
I like the Chargers, but with a new QB it's tough to pick them. Denver has Javon Walker too.
AFC Wild Card Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars


Alright. Now that I've got that, how about some player predictions

NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Jon Kitna!
Yeah. Last year I said Joey Harrington would be great. I was wrong. This year, the Lions have Jon Kitna as their QB and I think he can win the award for the second time (he also won it in 2003 for Cinncinnati). Mark my words. Kitna will be good.
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year: AJ Hawk, Green Bay
He was the top linebacker taken in the draft and he'll be starting from week 1 on a bad Packers team. That means he'll be able to rack up the numbers.
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Reggie Bush, New Orleans
Even if he plays only a limited role in the offense, I still think he will be impressive enough to make the case to win.
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Larry Johnson, Kansas City
He's number one all over ESPN! Reggie Bush took him in his fantasy draft. You have to think he'll put up great numbers.
NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Keith Bulluck, Tennessee Titans
He's been putting up great seasons for years. Why do I know this? He's been one of my favorite fantasy players. I've had him on my team for a while now.
NFL MVP: Carson Palmer, Cinncinnati Bengals
I think this could be the year for Cinncinnati. If Cinncinnati does do well, I think Palmer could take this award.

Super Bowl Prediction: Cinncinnati over Carolina


Alright. That covers everything I can think of. While I'm on a roll, why not mention awards for baseball:

NL Rookie of the Year: Ryan Zimmerman
After a slow April, he's consistently hit .280 or better and has 93 RBIs right now. Zimmerman is playing solid baseball, both offensively and defensively. That's good enough for me. Josh Johnson has been great for Florida, but he's been slowing down in August.
AL Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Papelbon
ERA under 1 with 35 saves? 75 strikeouts in 68 innings? Those are ridiculous numbers, even for someone who's been in the league for years.
NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter
For me, it was between Carpenter or Brandon Webb, but Webb's second half numbers aren't nearly as good. It's surprising the lack of good pitchers this year in the NL. I don't even like Carpenter, but there isn't a better option.
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
He hasn't lost since before the All-Star break. Santana is also the only pitcher who will strike out more than 200 batters this year (maybe Jeremy Bonderman from Detroit, but that's about it) . Point being, Johan Santana is far and away the best pitcher this year.
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
Here's what I think of the MVP award. If you take the player away, does the team fall apart? There's no way the Phillies win nearly this many games without Ryan. For those who say Pujols is the MVP, I say that he was out for 20 games and the Cardinals still did fine. That means he wasn't that important.
AL MVP: Deter Jeter
I saw him play last week. Even on a team with so many great players, there's no way the Yankees are where they are now without him. He gets clutch hits, steals clutch bases, and plays clutch defense. That would make him the MVP.


So that's what I've got. A lot of predictions. Probably too many predictions. It's all good though


15-10, 24 games to go