Last year I got half of the Super Bowl combo right. I picked the Aaron Rodgers's Green Bay Packers to beat Peyton Manning's Broncos. Right loser, wrong winner. The Seattle Seahawks roared out of the NFC (North)West and conquered the Broncos from the very first snap (over the head of a hapless Manning for a first-play safety), and went on to win 43-8.
As usual there are multiple story lines for the 2014 NFL season. The one that intrigues me the most is that even though most people enjoyed the offensive fireworks of the 'Hawks (and Broncos, and 49ers, and Saints, and Patriots, etc.), the sneaky strength of Pete Carroll's team was its defense. What team can put together a defense that can hold down some of the explosive offenses, quarterbacks, and receivers?
Of course, all pro football speculation is local. What will our newer, younger, more immature Steelers do this year? Last year I did not see them making the playoffs--and they didn't, despite a furious effort at the end. Maybe five or six plays kept the Steelers from 12-4 or better. That's the nature of the game today. To quote a baseball manager, Clint Hurtle, and apply the same line to football, "There are no little plays."
I am down on the quality of the Steeler players this year. Despite high caliber coaching, I just do not think that the Steelers have the quality and experience it takes to win their division. I've seen predictions for the Steelers everywhere from 6-9-1 to 10-6. I'm firmly in the 6-10 camp. (And I hope I'm wrong.)
So, here goes for my predictions for the 2014 NFL season:
NFC EAST: Eagles (4)
NFC NORTH: Packers (1)
NFC SOUTH: Saints (2)
NFC WEST: Seahawks (3)
Wild cards: 49ers (5) and Bears (6)
Seahawks over Bears
49ers over Eagles
Packers over 49ers
Saints over Seahawks
Saints over Packers
AFC EAST: Patriots (1)
AFC NORTH: Bengals (4)
AFC SOUTH: Colts (2)
AFC WEST: Broncos (3)
Wild cards: Chargers (5) and Chiefs (6)
Broncos over Chiefs
Chargers over Bengals
Patriots over Chargers
Broncos over Colts
Patriots over Broncos
SUPER BOWL 49: Patriots over Saints
And for our Steelers (and poor Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu), it's wait till next year.
A couple of more predictions. If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, as I predict, Tom Brady retires, having equaled Terry Bradshaw's four Super Bowl rings (albeit in six tries). And win or lose, I'm guessing that Peyton Manning also retires at the end of the season, ending one of the great, great mano-a-mano competitions in league history.
The Washington Football Team Playing In Maryland will be forced by public opinion to change its nickname by the end of the season. Owner "Chainsaw Dan" Snyder will change his position, see the light (and the dollars) in a new name (same colors), and the fans in the nation's capital will have one less thing to encourage political gridlock.
Several more passing records will be broken this season, amid calls for tweaking rules to bring more balance into the game.
The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will again try to increase the number of playoff teams to 14 for the 2015 season, and again will be beaten down by public opinion (and common sense). But next year there will only be three pre-season (exhibition) games played.
And the Oakland Raiders will try to move back to a stadium-to-be-built in the greater Los Angeles area. But the league officials, and LA politicians, will reject the move. Stay in Oakland, steal a real NFL team from some other city!
Enjoy the show!
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