1 Pittsburgh
2 Indianapolis
3 New England
4 Denver
5 Baltimore
6 Miami
7 San Diego
8 Cincinnati
9 Kansas City
10 Jacksonville
11 Oakland
12 Tennessee
13 Buffalo
14 Cleveland
15 New York Jets
16 Houston
Round 1
16) Houston at 1) Pittsburgh---The defending champs lost trick-play master Antwan Randle-El to Washington, QB injuring lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen to the Jets, and ‘The Bus’, Jerome Bettis to TV land. Even still they have more talent then the rebuilding Texans. This one will be close for about a quarter, and then the Pittsburgh running game will get going and send Houston back home. Stealers 35-14
15) New York at 2) Indianapolis---A few years back, the Jets beat Indy 41-0 in the playoffs. Peyton Manning looked like a bum, while Chad Pennington looked like the second coming of Joe Namath for Gang Green. Now Manning looks like a Hall-of-Fame lock while Pennington can barely play an entire game without getting banged up. Look for the Colts to get some revenge. Colts 42-7
14) Cleveland at 3) New England---Romeo Crenell, the former defensive coordinator for the Patriots, is the second year head coach for the Browns. He understands how New England works, what Tom Brady likes to do with the ball, and how Bill Bellicheck will approach his team. Still, it won’t mean a thing when you have Charlie Frye as your quarterback. Patriots 27-6
13) Buffalo at 4) Denver---I’m not a big Jake Plummer fan. For every big play he makes, he turns around and makes a dumb one. But the Broncos just have too many weapons to be stopped by a so-so Bills defense. And when Buffalo has the ball, other then a few nice Willis McGahee runs, I doubt the ball will be moved downfield much. Broncos 21-10
12) Tennessee at 5) Baltimore---You may recall that Ravens quarterback Steve McNair had quite a career as a Tennessee Titan. In 2000 he led them to within one yard of a Super Bowl title. He holds many of the franchises passing records. But with the drafting of Vince Young and the rebuilding process taking place with the Titans, it was time to go. Lucky for him, a legitimate Super Bowl contender in Baltimore picked him up. McNair, if he stays healthy, will make the Ravens a force to be reckoned with. Ravens 24-7
11) Oakland at 6) Miami---A lot of people are really high on the Dolphins this season. NBC chose them to be part of their regular-season kickoff on Thursday night. ‘Sports Illustrated’ picked them to be in the Super Bowl. I’m still not convinced. Daunte Culpepper has to prove he’s 100%, and their defense is getting up there in age. The Raiders on the other hand, also have an ex-Viking that has something to prove. Randy Moss wasn’t the unstoppable player in 2005 that we’ve seen in the past. Look for him to get back to normal this year if Oakland gets any type of QB play. Raiders 21-20
10) Jacksonville at 7) San Diego---A year ago the Jaguars were 12-4, and now there the number ten seed. Yes, the AFC is stacked. This one will be fun, because these teams match up so well. The Chargers love to pound the rock, while Jacksonville has the best interior D-Line in football. The Jaguars spends a lot of time in the shotgun, and San Diego runs the 3-4 to get after the quarterback. The lack of receivers and a probably hurt Fred Taylor is a concern for me, more so then the in-experience of Phillip Rivers. Chargers 27-21
9) Kansas City at 8) Cincinnati----CJ, Chad Johnson. LJ, Larry Johnson. One is a top-three receiver. The other a top-three running back. And most important, both love to talk trash. But this game will come down to defense. Whoever can make the big stop will be able to take control of the scoreboard and get the win. I believe that Cinci’s D is superior, so they advance to face a squad I’m sure they are familiar with. Bengals 34-28
Round 2
8) Cincinnati at 1) Pittsburgh---These two teams faced each other three times last season, with the home team losing all three. Unfortunately for the Bengals, the playoff game between these two took place at Paul Brown Stadium. That was also the end of Carson Palmer, as his knee was shattered during the games first play. This time the games in Pittsburgh, and Big Ben Rothlessberger is the one who isn’t 100%. Revenge is sweet. Bengals 24-20
7) San Diego at 2) Indianapolis---I can guarantee you that this was not the team that Tony Dungy wanted to see in round two. A year ago, the Chargers were the one’s who knocked the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten. They also provided the game plan that the Stealers ended up using to beat Indy in the playoffs. This year the Colts are ready for what San Diego throws at them, and having Adam Vinatieri ends up being the difference. Colts 27-24
11) Oakland at 3) New England---There won’t be any ‘tuck rule’ controversy this time. The Patriots are better then Oakland in every single way, from starting quarterback to backup safety. Other then a few Randy Moss scores, this one will be a blowout from start to finish. Patriots 35-14
5) Baltimore at 4) Denver---These two teams are very evenly matched, and this has the makings of a classic defensive struggle, with each team trying to run the ball and somehow make a big play. I like Baltimore’s quarterback and defense more, but Denver gets the edge in receivers and coaching. It may come down to the team with more experience, and while each squad has some key veterans, it’s tough to bet against Ray Lewis in this situation. Ravens 17-10
Round 3
8) Cincinnati at 5) Baltimore---Back-to-back division games for the Bengals, and this one should be as tough as the one versus Pittsburgh. The strength of Cini, which is their offense, goes head-to-head with the strength of the Ravens, which is their impressive D. The key for Baltimore will be shutting down Rudi, not Chad, Johnson. If the Bengals can run the ball, then Ed Reed and the rest of the DB’s will have to play up, allowing Chad and the rest of the Bengals receivers to beat them deep. I think that this what will happen, and Cincinnati continues it’s magical run. Bengals 24-20
3) New England at 2) Indianapolis---Well, look what we have here. Mr. Manning, I believe you have met Mr. Brady. Coach Bellicheck, this is Adam Vinatieri, the kicker of the Colts. I think he used to play for you. How many storylines can one game have? This game has that many, times two. You have the two best quarterbacks in the league. One of them can’t win the big game, the other thrives in it. You have a kicker that switched sides, and a coach that can game plan for anyone. Oh, and that thing about New England knocking Indy out of the playoffs two of the past three years. This game is at the RCA Dome, and I think Peyton and his crew just have too much to be stopped this season by a rebuilding Patriots team. But then again, he is Tom Brady. Colts 31-28
Round 4
8) Cincinnati at 2) Indianapolis---This is just a guess, but my money’s on a lot of points being scored in this one. You’ve got two top quarterbacks, two great groups of receivers and two defenses that tend to give up big plays. Cincinnati has stopped some good running backs so far in this tournament, (Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, Jamal Lewis), but they haven’t seen a QB like Peyton Manning. The Colts on the other hand have faced both a top passing team (the Patriots) and a high-powered rushing attack (the Chargers). A top of the line offense and an experience D gives the win to Indianapolis. Colts 38-28
So now were down to two teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. Who will be the one holding the Lombardi Trophy in Miami on that February night?
Super Bowl
6) Tampa Bay vs 2) Indianapolis---Some amazing storylines heading into this game. There are the quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Chris Simms. Both are sons of ex-NFLers. Each came out of college know for not being able to win the big game. (Manning vs. Florida, Simms vs. Oklahoma) Then the coaches. John Gruden already has won a Super Bowl, but since then, his teams have struggled and he’s no longer regarded as the league’s premier coach. Tony Dungy used to coach the Bucs, but was fired because he couldn’t get to the big game. And what about veteran receivers Marvin Harrison and Joey Galloway, each taken in the 1996 draft but each making their first appearance in the big game. 
The game will be decided by who can impose their will on offense. The Bucs love to run the ball with Carnell Williams, Michael Pitman, and on occasion, Mike Allstot. The Colts want to air it out with Manning, Harrison, Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark. The Bucs have some big-time linebackers and D-lineman, so they may be able to stop the Indy attack. But will Simms be able to make enough big plays against the Colts D that loves to be aggressive? I think this one will be surprisingly low scoring, and Dungy, Manning and the Colts will come out as champions of Super Bowl XLI. Colts 21-17Here are my picks for some NFL awards:
MVP---Tom Brady, New England
Defensive Player of the Year---Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
Offensive Rookie of the Year---DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
Defensive Rookie of the Year---Earnie Simms, Detroit
Coach of the Year---Brian Billick, Baltimore
Tomorrow I’ll post my picks for week one.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment