Super Bowl Predictions

OK, so I didn't do too well on my playoff predictions. I challenge you to find someone who did!

Here are some Super Bowl predictions. Just throwing these out there...

Coinflip winner:
Pittsburgh

Halftime Score:
Pittsburgh 14, Green Bay 13

Stats:
Ben Roethlisberger
14-29, 147 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

Aaron Rodgers
21-31, 257 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

MVP:
Aaron Rodgers

Final Score:
Green Bay 27, Pittsburgh 21

NFL Playoff Predictions

Here are some predictions for the 2011 NFL Playoffs. Probably not a good idea to take these to the bank, but you never know...

NFC

Wild Card
Green Bay 31, Philadelphia 16
New Orleans 27, Seattle 17

Divisional
Atlanta 28, Green Bay 24
Chicago 17, New Orleans 16

Conference
Atlanta 23, Chicago 13

AFC

Wild Card
New York Jets 24, Indianapolis 20
Baltimore 20, Kansas City 16

Divisional
New England 27, New York Jets 14
Baltimore 19, Pittsburgh 13

Conference
New England 33, Baltimore 10

Super Bowl
New England 31, Atlanta 23

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 9

Last week's record: 5-8-0 (Bill Simmons' record: 8-5-0)

Season: 54-58-5 (Bill Simmons' record: 62-50-5)

Buccaneers (+8.5) over FALCONS
BILLS (+3) over Bears
Patriots (-4.5) over BROWNS
Jets (-4) over LIONS
VIKINGS (-8) over Cardinals
Saints (-6.5) over PANTHERS
Dolphins (+5) over RAVENS
Chargers (-3) over TEXANS
SEAHAWKS (+7) over Giants
Chiefs (+2.5) over RAIDERS
Colts (+3) over EAGLES
Cowboys (+7.5) over PACKERS
BENGALS (+4.5) over Steelers

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 8

Last week's record: 5-9-0 (Bill Simmons' record: 8-6-0)

Season: 49-50-5 (Bill Simmons' record: 54-45-5)

Broncos (+2) over Niners
BENGALS (-1.5) over Dolphins
CHIEFS (-7.5) over Bills
RAMS (-3) over Panthers
JETS (-6) over Packers
Redskins (+2.5) over LIONS
COWBOYS (-6.5) over Jaguars
CHARGERS (-3.5) over Titans
PATRIOTS (-4) over Vikings
Seahawks (+2.5) over RAIDERS
CARDINALS (-3) over Bucs
SAINTS (PK) over Steelers
COLTS (-5.5) over Texans

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 7

Last week's record: 5-7-2 (Bill Simmons' record: 6-6-2)

Season: 44-41-5 (Bill Simmons' record: 46-39-5)

FALCONS -3.5 over Bengals
BEARS (-3) over Redskins
TITANS (-3) over Eagles
Steelers (-3) over DOLPHINS
SAINTS (-13) over Browns
BUCS (-2.5) over Rams
RAVENS (-13) over Bills
Jaguars (+9) over CHIEFS
PANTHERS (+3) over Niners
Cardinals (+6.5) over SEAHAWKS
CHARGERS (-3) over Patriots
Raiders (+8.5) over BRONCOS
PACKERS (-2.5) over Vikings
COWBOYS (-2.5) over Giants

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 6

Last week's record: 9-5-0 (Bill Simmons' record: 9-5-0)

Season: 39-34-3 (Bill Simmons' record: 40-33-3)

STEELERS (-13.5) over Browns
BUCS (+4.5) over Saints
Chargers (-8.5) over RAMS
Dolphins (+3) over PACKERS
Falcons (+3) over EAGLES
Ravens (+3) over PATRIOTS
Chiefs (+4.5) over TEXANS
GIANTS (-10) over Lions
Seahawks (+6.5) over BEARS
Raiders (+7) over NINERS
BRONCOS (+3) over Jets
Cowboys (+1.5) over VIKINGS
Colts (-3) over REDSKINS
Titans (-3) over JAGS

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 5

Last week's record: 8-6-0 (Bill Simmons' record: 6-8-0)

Season: 30-29-3 (Bill Simmons' record: 31-28-3)

BENGALS (-6.5) over Bucs
Falcons (-3) over BROWNS
Jags (-1) over BILLS
COLTS (-7) over Chiefs
LIONS (-3) over Rams
Packers (-2.5) over REDSKINS
PANTHERS (-1) over Bears
RAVENS (-7) over Broncos
TEXANS (-3) over Giants
CARDS (+7) over Saints
Titans (+7) over COWBOYS
RAIDERS (+6) over Chargers
49ERS (-3.5) over Eagles
JETS (-4) over Vikings

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 4

Last week's record: 8-8-0 (Bill Simmons' record: 10-6-0)

Season: 22-23-3 (Bill Simmons' record: 25-20-3)

Ravens (+1.5) over STEELERS
TITANS (-6.5) over Broncos
Bengals (-3) over BROWNS
Lions (+14.5) over PACKERS
Panthers (+13.5) over SAINTS
49ers (+7) over FALCONS
Seahawks (-1) over RAMS
Jets (-5.5) over BILLS
Colts (-7) over JAGUARS
Texans (-3) over RAIDERS
Cardinals (+8) over CHARGERS
Redskins (+5.5) over EAGLES
GIANTS (-4) over Bears
DOLPHINS (+1) over Patriots

Will We Boo McNabb?

This weekend, Donovan McNabb makes his return to Philadelphia. He'll be wearing the gawd awful burgundy and gold with his new team, the already-hated Washington Redskins.

The question many have been pondering is "Will the fans boo McNabb?" Here's my take.

Before heading down I-95 to play for the enemy, #5 led the Eagles to multiple 10 win seasons, NFC Championship games, and one Super Bowl appearance. Whether he accomplished a lot is no argument - the Eagles had never seen that sustained level of success they saw with McNabb.

However, there are a few important points to mention. First, he never got over the hump. Given 5 opportunities to advance to a Super Bowl, McNabb only led us to one. And given the opportunity to win that one, he came up short. It's always tough to appreciate what you have when you have it, but it's even tougher to appreciate what you have when you think you should have had even more.

Second, it appeared that McNabb didn't quite feel our pain when he failed to clear these hurdles. Philly fans appreciate hard work, but also appreciate accountability, and it seemed McNabb was content with these shortcomings. Often, he'd shrug off serious questions or apply lip service to them, saying what he thought the fans wanted to hear and often missing the boat.

There's another factor that plays into what I think will happen on Sunday: how well the Eagles are playing right now. Currently, we have a quarterback at the helm who is playing better than McNabb and who many think is playing the way McNabb should have been playing throughout his career, by displaying mobility when the pocket breaks down. Michael Vick is doing everything right thus far, and Eagles fans are feeling quite good about themselves. Does that translate into boos or cheers?

One could take this to mean two different things. Either fans will cheer for McNabb and show respect for what he brought to this team over the last decade because they are generally in a good mood about the team; or, fans will already be in a booing mood for the Skins and keep that momentum going as #5 trots onto the field - sort of a "who needs him anyway?" mentality because things are looking good for our guys right now.

Honestly, I don't think the reaction will lean one way or another. I think we'll have a combination of boos and cheers. Some fans will be riled up already and want to boo the enemy through and through. Some fans won't be in that mode quite yet, as the kickoff wouldn't be happening a few minutes down the line anyways from when he first steps onto the field.

If I could quantify it, I'd say the ratio would be 60-40, boo-to-cheer. I think fans will do what it takes to fire up this team and the rest of the crowd this Sunday afternoon just to get a victory against our hated rival.

Some fans will be wearing their old McNabb Eagles' jerseys on Sunday. Some fans will be attending burning parties for those same jerseys. All fans will have McNabb on their mind one way or another.

One thing is clear - nearly 100% of this stadium will want to see the Iggles come out victorious and stay atop the NFC East. There will be some love. There will be some hate. Booing and cheering will both be part of the equation.

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 3

Last week's record: 6-9-1 (Bill Simmons' record: 8-7-1)

Season: 14-15-3 (Bill Simmons' record: 15-14-3)

GIANTS (-3) over Titans
Steelers (-2.5) over BUCS
Browns (+10.5) over RAVENS
PATRIOTS (-14.5) over Bills
Falcons (+4) over SAINTS
CHIEFS (+2.5) over Niners
Bengals (-3) over PANTHERS
SEAHAWKS (+5.5) over Chargers
Redskins (-3.5) over RAMS
Lions (+11) over VIKINGS
TEXANS (-3) over Cowboys
Colts (-5.5) over BRONCOS
Eagles (-3) over JAGS
CARDINALS (-4.5) over Raiders
DOLPHINS (-2) over Jets
Packers (-3) over BEARS

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 2

Last week's record: 8-6-2 (Bill Simmons' record: 7-7-2)

PACKERS (-13) over Bills
VIKINGS (-5.5) over Dolphins
FALCONS (-6.5) over Cards
BENGALS (+2.5) over Ravens
BROWNS (-2) over Chiefs
COWBOYS (-7.5) over Bears
TITANS (-5) over Steelers
PANTHERS (-3.5) over Bucs
Eagles (-6.5) over LIONS
Seahawks (+3.5) over BRONCOS
RAIDERS (-3.5) over Rams
CHARGERS (-7) over Jaguars
REDSKINS (+3) over Texans
COLTS (-5) over Giants
Pats (-3) over JETS
NINERS (+5) over Saints

Forbesy's Favorites - NFL Week 1

This year I'm going on record with my NFL picks against the spread (ATS). No analysis here - just a run down of who I like to cover in each game. I'll use the point spreads that Bill Simmons (ESPN's "Sports Guy") uses. Let's see how well I do!

SAINTS (-5) over Vikings
GIANTS (-7) over Panthers
Packers (-3) over EAGLES
Dolphins (-3) over BILLS
STEELERS (+2) over Falcons
BEARS (-6) over Lions
Bengals (+4.5) over PATRIOTS
Colts (-2) over TEXANS
TITANS (-6) over Raiders
Broncos (+2.5) over JAGS
BUCS (-2.5) over Browns
Niners (-3) over SEAHAWKS
Cardinals (-4) over RAMS
Ravens (+2.5) over JETS
Chargers (-5) over CHIEFS
REDSKINS (+3.5) over Cowboys

My NFL Predictions

This year should be a good one, with New Orleans looking to repeat and most of the attention and pressure on the NY Jets. Will teams like Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit jump out of their perennial cellar-dweller spots? Will the NFC South flip its standings once again? Will Pittsburgh bounce back from a sub-par season? Many questions to be answered this season. I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

This summer I created a fun little Excel spreadsheet to ease the process of picking games and alleviate the headache of ensuring total wins and losses are the same. Fun times, I tell ya.

Without further ado....

NFC East
NYG 12-4
DAL 10-6
WAS 8-8
PHI 6-10

NFC North
GB 13-3
MIN 9-7
CHI 7-9
DET 2-14

NFC South
NO 11-5
ATL 9-7
CAR 7-9
TB 4-12

NFC West
SF 10-6
SEA 7-9
ARI 6-10
STL 3-13

AFC East
NE 12-4
NYJ 11-5
MIA 9-7
BUF 3-13

AFC North
BAL 13-3
CIN 10-6
PIT 9-7
CLE 3-13

AFC South
IND 12-4
HOU 9-7
TEN 9-7
JAX 4-12

AFC West
SD 12-4
DEN 7-9
OAK 5-11
KC 4-12

Playoffs

Wildcard
NFC
NO over ATL
DAL over SF

AFC
NE over CIN
NYJ over SD

Divisional Round
NFC
NYG over NO
GB over DAL

AFC
NE over IND
BAL over NYJ

Conference Champs
NFC
GB over NYG

AFC
BAL over NE

Super Bowl
GB over BAL

My NFL Proposal

So a lot has been discussed about this silly OT proposal, where a team that kicks a field goal in their first possession would then allow the other team to get the ball and an attempt to score.

Fine. I'm not too concerned about this, seeing as this would only show up in the playoffs and the odds of seeing OT games are slim as it is.

What I'm more interested in are the discussions about moving to a 17-game season. Where is all that chatter? Well, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd provide a proposal that I think would work very well and add even more intensity to this league. Who doesn't want more intensity? Check it out...

There are 32 teams in the league, so I say split them up into 4 total divisions based on regions. Each team would then play the other 7 teams in their division twice - totaling 14 divisional games - and then one team from each other division - totaling the remaining 3 games.

This would create additional rivalries. For instance, what could be called the Northeast division would essentially combine the current NFC and AFC East, with a few exceptions. You'd have Philly, Washington, NY Giants, NY Jets, New England, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Carolina.

Other divisions would be:
South: NO,TB,MIA,ATL,JAX,HOU,TEN,DAL
West: SF,SEA,ARI,DEN,SD,OAK,STL,KC
Midwest: MIN,GB,DET,CHI,IND,CIN,CLE,PIT

Some classic rivalries would be broken, but I don't think this would kill the league. Dallas moving to the "Southern" Division might have an effect, but I would think playing teams closer to home over the years would help develop better, fiercer rivalries.

Anyways, this plays into the NFL wanting a 17-game season. All teams essentially play the same strength of schedule with this equal round robin format. Also, travel costs are cut substantially. Fans are able to go to more games, instead of having to fly out west for multiple games, for instance, in the current format. And ultimately, true regional champions are determined before the Super Bowl is played for league bragging rights.

I mean, who really cares about the Cleveland vs. San Francisco game if it doesn't involve two great teams? Not to mention, attendance doesn't reflect this. And most people aren't watching these types of games (San Diego vs. Buffalo? Detroit vs. Oakland? Washington vs. Seattle? Huh???) unless they have fantasy implications.

Sure, it's nice to see your team play someone out of their division and region, but let's limit that to 3 times per year. When you're playing 14 games of true divisional meaning, fans and players are more likely to show up and get up for these. Why wouldn't a Washington vs. Carolina rivalry work? Dallas playing Houston twice a year makes much more sense to fans in the Lone Star state. Who wouldn't want to discuss that rivalry going forward?

There's plenty of room to play with the inter-divisional schedules, too. If Dallas still came out East to play Washington every year, there's room for that in the 3-game out of conference schedule. And the playoff schedule could see the North play the South one year and then the North play the Midwest the next. Maybe the top 3 teams in each league make the playoffs, with the bottom two fighting it out for a guaranteed third matchup that year to play the top team who has earned a bye week.

Personally, as an Eagles fan, this allows me for more chances to see my team play. A schedule with both New York teams twice lowers my travel costs over the season if I'm a die hard and raises the likelihood I could show up to more games. East Coast bias? Perhaps, although a Denver vs Arizona match-up twice a year isn't exactly a worse situation for Broncos fans than they currently experience. Denver vs. Oakland? Who goes to those games anyways?

I think the most fitting argument is that this would put more fans in stadiums. If you're only relying on Jacksonville's fans, for instance, to fill the stadium when San Francisco comes to town, well, you see how that goes. But when JAX plays Tampa, Miami, and even Atlanta every year, you're more likely to see those fans show up from the short distances from JAX to fill the seats. I know certain teams travel well, but I also know this isn't saving the NFL in that regard, as Pittsburgh fans aren't selling out the Oakland stadium when they travel out west to play the Raiders.

So, there you have it. Sure, this may kill a few historical rivalries like the Cowboys vs. the NFC East, Indy's current rivalries with the AFC South (not really that strong anyways, except over the last 10 years maybe?), and the Dolphins vs. the AFC East, but I think the new regional rivalries would have a chance to grow very quickly. Heck, if Miami came out of the South to play the Jets in the playoffs, I'm sure that would create an even more dynamic match-up. Or Dallas vs. Philly in the Super Bowl? I'm sure the football gods would work their magic.

And, We're Back....With an Eagles Preview

We’ve heard a lot of chatter this off-season about the Eagles, whether it was concerning Lito’s role on the team, Shawn’s depression, our lack of receiver depth, or McNabb’s superhuman abilities. Well, all that goes out the window once again as we start another season filled with high expectations. Many questions linger about all of these things, but the questions I’m concerned about are the ones that have gone unanswered for the entire decade.

Can the Birds stop the run? You’d think with all this talk of the improved secondary, that somehow stopping the run would be a problem that has long since been resolved. But I’m not convinced. We have guys that are undersized and unproven. And didn’t a few teams in the preseason march down the field on their first possession and score at will?

Will Donovan carry us? I mean, he sort of has to, no? With receivers that resemble the accountants sitting next to me, it’s going to take a lot from number 5. People say he’s improved and healthier than a mule. Well, does this translate into less happy feet and more touch on the ball? Does it? Because above all else, it has to. When opposing defenses are putting 8 in the box, and those 8 are storming towards D-Mac’s grill, will he have the wherewithal to step up, relax, and place a nice ball into the hands of these accountants that might only be 5 yards downfield? Or, will he get happy again and zing a ball like a scud missile to a guy with no one within 7 yards of him only to either swipe his feet out from under him or miss him high by 3 yards? That remains to be seen. All I know is, judging from one such throw that sailed over Kevin Curtis pre-hernia, Donovan can use a lesson or two in breathing and relaxation. Dude had plenty of time and he still missed a throw. And this was preseason, where there’s no pressure and D-Mac presumably felt like a million dollars.

Will Andy Reid get plays in on time and manage the clock well? History has proven that these skills have eluded him. What has he done to improve on this? I can all but guarantee we see one or both of these issues surface right away against a team that we should beat by 3 touchdowns (which raises another question – Can the Eagles avoid playing down to teams they should easily defeat?). Nothing says “kill momentum” like a delay of game penalty. Nothing says “we’re unprepared” like a wasted final minute and a half in the second quarter. Nothing says “wild card chances slim” like a bunch of these mishandlings during a season.

We can all agree that these questions have been huge concerns for Eagles’ fans throughout the decade. The question is, can the Birds prove that they’ve progressed beyond these annoying peeves on their way to a successful season.

My Super Bowl Predictions

I'll post my predictions for a bunch of things now and then see how I faired on Monday.

Outcome
NE 38, NYG 16

First to Score
Randy Moss

Halftime Score
NE 24, NYG 6

MVP
Randy Moss

Brady's Stats
23-32, 274 yds, 3 TDs, 0 INTs

Manning's Stats
26-43, 297 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Sweet NFL Artwork

The above photo is a screen shot from Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. I noticed it during a piece on drinking at NFL games. Gumbel was interviewing the NFL's VP for Security and I'm assuming walking through the NFL offices with him. I noticed the wall in the background - looks like a mozaic-type tapestry of each NFL team's jersey or pants stripe design. Very cool!