Gimme your NFL 2004 Predictions

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

Note: Predictions were made just after the draft and have not taken into account injuries or Ricky Williams' retirement. I also made my predictions by predicting the outcome of each game (I had nothing to do at work one day, so I sat down with the schedule and did it.)

[nickinSTL]

1. Bears 2-14?

Come on. That's unduly harsh.

I don't expect the Bears to be great (or even good), but 2-14?

What are you, a Packer fan?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Actually, yes

But I assure that really wasn't why. I just think they're terrible. I can't point to anything on that team that's really a strength and I don't think they got much better in the postseason. Plus that's a more difficult division than most that they're playing in. Sorry! Hey, I never said I was right though, they're just my humble opinion and I will likely be wrong.

[bearfan454]

50. I say the Bears will go 9 and 7

That is what I would love to see. Maybe even sneak into the playoffs by another team losing.

[St. Jarvitude]

57. You want strengths? How about their offensive line

A solid O-Line - absolutely the most underrated part of any NFL team - is the cornerstone of a successful offense. Just look at what happened to Kurt Warner. Three All-Pro linemen (C Olin Kreutz, G Ruben Brown, and T John Tait) isn't too shabby.

In terms of skill positions:

QB: Grossman may not be a superstar, but he's good enough to get the job done. In his 4 starts last year, he proved to be consistent completing passes and moving the ball down the field. Cannon arm.

RB: When you have a former Rookie of the Year backing up, you know you've got good depth. Thomas Jones was explosive as a tailback for the Bucs last year and should have a strong season. Bryan Johnson is a well above-average FB and will flourish under Terry Shea.

WR: Booker is an All-Pro WR. Aside from him, here the Bears don't have much depth but have big play capability - but inconsistency - out of Justin Gage and David Terrell

TE: Desmond Clark is an OK tight end but should improve under Terry Shea's offense. Desmond Clark is an athletic receiving TE, like KC's Gonzalez. He needs to improve his blocking skills.

On defense, the Bears' strong point is their secondary. FS Mike Brown and Charles Tillman are playmakers (remember Peanut ripping the ball from Randy Moss in the end zone? That play got your boys into the playoffs. You're welcome) who will also shut down their man in coverage.. The Bears have a luxury at SS in that they have a hard-hitter in Bobby Gray for running downs and 46 situations, and an excellent coverage back in Mike Green, who will likely be their nickel back until the injured Jerry Azumah returns from neck surgery. R.W. McQuarters is a starting-quality CB who was bumped down to the nickel with the emergence of Jerry Azmuah, until his recent injury.

The Bears' linebacker corps should flourish under Lovie Smith's new speed defense. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs (future All-Pro, I guarantee it) are athletic linebackers who will get to the ball and disrupt plays before they can start. On the strong side, I wish the Bears had better than Joe Odom, but he's a decent LB who shouldn't be a hinderance.

The real weakness on the Bears is their defensive line. Michael Haynes and Alex Brown are mostly unproven pass rushers at the ends. The interior line of the Bears' defense is horrendous; rookies Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson need to develop quickly to plug the weakest position on the Bears.

On special teams, Paul Edinger is an All-Pro caliber kicker. The same goes for puner Brad Maynard. Before Jerry Azumah's inury, they had an All-Pro returning kicks and a punt returner in R.W. McQuarters who performed as well as any other returner in the NFC last year. Now the Bears will have to rely on receivers Bernard Berrian and Ahmed Merrit to return kicks, and it looks like Berrian may replace R.W returning punts as to avoid injuring another starting CB.

All-in-all, I think that, while the Bears aren't spectacular at any one position, they're good enough all-around to compete and do well in the NFL. A solid (but unproven) coaching staff doesn't hurt, either. My prediction for the Bears this year is a 9-7 record, and missing the playoffs.

[underpants]

2. Atlanta 12-4?

Vick is good but not that good

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Schedule, schedule, schedule

I don't think they're THAT good either... but they play something like 10 games against teams I don't think will be better than .500.

[CO Liberal]

3. I Predict That I Will Not Watch A Single NFL Game This Season

IMHO, pro football sucks. Just a bunch of overpaid jocks playing for millionaire owners - mostly in taxpayer-financed stadiums with corporate logos on them.

Give me an old movie over a football game every time.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. Have fun

why'd you even bother clicking on this thread?

[CO Liberal]

6. Just To Show...

...that not everybody gives a damn about pro football.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

9. Did I say everyone did?

That's funny, I don't see where I typed that anywhere. Or maybe you just wanted to be condescending for no apparent reason?

[CO Liberal]

13. I'm Not Being Codescenting At All

I'm just stating my opinion. That pro football sucks. And watching it is a supreme waste of time.

[Snoggera]

14. Everyone wastes time

Some choose to do it by watching reruns of American Idol, others like to watch live competition between athletes that are able to perform feats that others can only dream of.

Whatever floats the boat.

[CO Liberal]

40. Some Realize What They're Doing is a Waste of Time

Many football fans think that sitting glued to the tube all day Sunday is the most important thing that have to do.

How sad..

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

43. Some people think making condescending comments in a place

where such comments will offend people is pretty sad.

[CO Liberal]

55. I'm Not Condescending Anyone

If you feel inferior to me, that's YOUR problem.

But I'll stop posting to this thread. I've made my point.

[democracyindanger]

69. Point taken

People glued to the tube watching football = sad
People glued to the tube watching an old movie = superior

:eyes:

[mrboba1]

8. I don't think there are going to be that many extremes.

The whole league has gathered more to the middle in terms of records - so I think the best record will be 13-3 and only 1 team will hit that:
New England.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. You're probably right

That's the danger in picking every game pre-season though - you wind up looking at who's got the best team in each case and, though I tried to account for that, it still wound up being a bit extreme.

[Snoggera]

10. Alrighty then

Buffalo will be 11-5

Miami (poor souls) won't win 6

Jets 10-6

Cleveland will do better.



AFC South - I think you may have gotten Jax and Hou transposed!

KC has beefed up the defense. They are at the top of the division.

Detroit wins 11? Did I read that wrong??????????

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Nope, didn't read it wrong at all.

7 games against bad teams, and I think they're good enough to steal some games this year. Their offense is looking great now, even if a bit young, and their defense isn't atrocious. I'd be willing to cut it back to 9-7 though.

No, I don't think Jacksonville is that good at all, and though they're the chic sleeper team, I don't see any good reason to believe that's the case at all. I don't see that they're vastly improved from last year. Meanwhile, Houston really impressed me last year and they're only getting better. Cleveland was a hard team to predict, mostly because they're so erratic. I don't think the Jets' failure last year was entirely due to Pennington's absence. He's not like Mike Vick, whereas he changes the entire scheme of the game. And Buffalo's got a whole boatload of problems too, but they'll probably be a few games better than I have them, since they'll likely take down Miami twice now.

[vivalarev]

15. WOW!!!!

Seattle in the Super Bowl? Put down the pipe!. The Super bowl will be the Patriots (13-3) vs. the Eagles (14-2). Im not going to predict the winner, but this will be the matchup.

[trotsky]

16. No way will that happen.

How many Super Bowls in a row now have featured a team that had a losing or mediocre record the year before?

So while NE or PHI may make it to the dance, I highly doubt it will be together.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. The Eagles have proven their ability to choke

And it'd be pretty lame to just pick the two favorites, no?

[vivalarev]

18. well, they are the favorites for a reason....

if you look at the teams in the league, these 2 really are the best on paper...the pats dont seem to have any weaknesses at all, and the only question mark for the eagles is their cornerbacks. so i still say, barring any injuries, these are the two teams to beat.

im also a huge philly fan since i live in philly, so my opinion is also a bit biased, but im still hoping the birds can finally do it this year. im tired of them choking!

[sniffa]

19. pats beat the cowboys

to repeat as champs.

parceLLs wiLL make a bLockbuster trade for drew bLedsoe, and squeeze one decent year out of him... setting up the showdown of biLL vs. biLL and tom vs. drew.

[Snoggera]

20. Testaverde doesn't like you

or so I hear!

[trumad]

21. Here's the thing about the Phins.

They do have one of the better D's in football. SO that may get them to 500. Unfortunately their offense is severely impotent. I say 8-8 for the Phins and goodbye Wanny.

http://firedavewannstedt.com

[Awsi Dooger]

51. Miami will win between 8 and 10

One of the safest predictions among the lot. Too many blue and red chip players on defense who are in their prime to make the freefall almost everyone is expecting. The offensive line takes a big step up in athletic ability with Jeno James and Vernon Carey, plus the huge addition by subtraction of Tim Ruddy.

As I recall, we made the playoffs every year immediately prior to acquiring Ricky Williams. But Derrius Thompson admittedly sucks as the #2 wideout. He needs to be replaced and pronto.

[trumad]

58. Vernon Carey's a rookie ad we lost our best in Todd Wade..

I wouldn't say it was a "big step"...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

24. blockbuster trades don't happen in the NFL

Especially not midseason. And I think Dallas will struggle heavily against a much more formidable schedule this year.

[sniffa]

27. that was a misnomer

drew bLedsoe wiLL be traded for season tickets to the buffaLo sabres and a sack of baLLs.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

28. LOL

I think you're overpaying for him!

[funkybutt]

22. Saints all the way!

HAHA>..that chart has Atlanta above the Saints. That's not gonna happen.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

25. I wouldn't predict anything positive about the Saints

They've been the definition of mediocre the last few years. I don't expect that to change.

[funkybutt]

33. nope

there's gonna be a turn around this year...i can taste it!

:)


In the past 3 years, we've beaten some pretty impressive teams...just didn't have the consistency. How is getting our first playoff win in history "mediocre" or how about beating the team that ultimately goes on to win the superbowl...that's not mediocre either.

[lpbk2713]

23. I predict Tampa Bay will do somewhat better than 5-11.

Granted they are in "rebuilding" phase but they ought to do at least .500 with the talent they do have.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

26. .500 will be a reach

MAYBE better than 5-11, but I think 7-9 is as far as I'd go. They're not very good on offense and their defense lost some key guys.

[frylock]

29. the chargers will be lucky to win 2 games this year..

even with their last place schedule. I just don't give gnat's ass about football this season.

[CRK7376]

30. GO

PANTHERS! All the way this year!

[MikeG]

31. The Patriots won't even make the playoffs.

So there. 4-12 Steelers my ass.

Wait till October.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

32. LOL, riiiiiiiiight

The team that was by far the best in the NFL last year won't even make it to the playoffs, despite having their entire team come back, including players like Roosevelt Colvin, who was hurt all last year.

Sorry, I know you love the Steelers and all, but they're not good. They had, what, 10 good years? Everyone has to rebuild at some point. This is their time.

[MikeG]

34. Your team is overrated. They will suck big time like 2002.

They will finish 5-11.

The Steelers will be 11-5. Their line is now healthy.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

35. Overrated?

Hmm, I'm not sure what part is overrated about the Patriots.

Is it the 15 game winning streak? Or was it their 11-0 record against teams above .500?

[MikeG]

37. Everyone will get hurt. Teams will purposely injure your players.

[MikeG]

38. And the refs won't allow your DBs to mug the receivers.

[MikeG]

39. And Brady is still a weak-armed scrub.

[Dan-W]

41. Scrub? Scrub?

Hahahahahaha. Two Superbowl winning drives. Scrub my ass!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

42. Two time Super Bowl MVP

Scrub... right.... Go back to Never-Never Land, where your Steelers are actually good.

[MikeG]

47. As in the Patriots will never win the Super Bowl again.

HEX ON THEE!!

[Dan-W]

52. A pox on your house, Sir!

[Commendatori]

36. My two cents

;)

You had the Phish at 6-10 BEFORE Williams retired? I don't think they'll lose that many without him.

Seattle may well get to the Super Bowl, but 14-2 is a but much. St. Louis is better than 9-7, and there's no way KC loses eight times this year. Philly won't win 13 because T.O. is a disrupting force(McNabb won't throw often enough to keep him happy), Pittsburgh isn't bad enough to lose 12 (maybe 9 or 10, not 12), and I think you're giving too much credit to Green Bay and Atlanta. Atlanta's division is too tough; if they split with each team they have to go 9-1 against the rest of the league to win 12.

I have a feeling that it's the Colts' year - just a gut feel. That defense can't be that bad for a third year in a row with Dungy at the helm, and clearly the offense is covered.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

44. Thanks to Mr. "I'll Never Win a Super Bowl" Manning...

The Colts had to ditch a bunch of players because they couldn't afford him. I don't think the Colts will be as good as they were last year, ESPECIALLY on a defensive unit that is still weak against the run.

I agree, 14-2 for Seattle might be a bit much. I went on head-to-head for every game of the season, and while I think they're good, they're young, so they'll probably drop a couple of games that they shouldn't.

I agree again on Philly, but they are still good. 11-5 wouldn't surprise me. They're definitely a playoff team.

Pittsburgh is that bad. I think they could lose more. But hey, I never said I have a crystal ball or anything - what the hell do I know?

I may be overrating Green Bay and Atlanta, although Atlanta plays 7 games against teams I think will flat out suck, along with a few other games against mediocre opponents at home. Green Bay is going to depend on their defense and the development of their young corners. They'll take some knocks, and I'd be willing to drop their win total a bit, but I think a winning season is likely at the very least for the Packers.

[Commendatori]

46. Hey, I may be way off base

Regarding the Colts, all I have is a gut feel.

Here's another - I don't think Philly will see the playoffs this year.

Either or both of these predictions has the potential to blow up in my face like a firecracker.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

48. I would not be surprised at all about Philly missing the playoffs

Personally, I haven't thought that they were all that good the last few seasons, benefitting from a rather weak NFC. I think any number of teams and/or injuries COULD keep them out of the playoffs altogether. Do I think it's likely? No. I just wouldn't be surprised.

[St. Jarvitude]

60. Who else is there in the East.

I pick the Eagles only because there is no other title-quality team in the NFC East.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

62. Good point

I don't buy Dallas either, and I don't think Joe Gibbs is going to make an instant change in Washington.

[youngred]

45. I have The Dolphins

I'm a hopeless liberal, why not a hopeless football fan.

;-)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

49. It's okay - I understand suffering

:pals:

[mvd]

53. I'm saying this is the year for the Eagles

Of course, Terrell Owens is a wildcard. I wouldn't put it past him to attack other teammates at the first sign of trouble. And you know how he can make other teams angry.

[PittPoliSci]

54. Pittsburgh 4 and 12?

Are you outta your skull?

[WilliamPitt]

56. Patriots win a third trophy

Period.

[St. Jarvitude]

59. My Picks:

NFC North: Vikings. Sorry, but the Packers are a wildcard team this year. Brett Favre's best years are behind him, and their defense is hardly spectacular. And I don't know what crack you're smoking picking the Lions to go 11-5 and the Bears to go 2-14. Have you forgotten the Lions' pesky little road losing streak?

NFC East: Eagles. This division is a joke, and Philly should have no problems coasting through the season.

NFC South: Carolina. Atlanta's defense is too piss-poor to make them division champs, though I could see them sneaking in through the wildcard.

NFC West: Seattle. THE most underrated team in the NFL. St. Louis is too explosive to not make the playoffs as a wildcard team.

Wildcard teams: Green Bay and St. Louis. The Pack Attack are a lock for a wildcard berth, but I'm still a bit torn between St. Louis and Atlanta for the second berth. I decided to take St. Louis' playoff and stretch run experience over the Falcons' youth and awful defense.

---

AFC North: Baltimore. Ha ha, you picked the Bengals. They haven't done anything to improve their team, so what makes you think they'll be any better this year? Carson Palmer is still very iffy in my book as to living up to the hype.

AFC East: New England. Without the Pats, this division would be the biggest joke in sports. They have a real good shot at going perfect, with one of the easiest schedules in the NFL.

AFC South: I like your picks here. In fact, I'm not going to change them at all. Colts win the division, Titans and Texans take the wild card berths. This is definitely the best division in the NFL.

AFC West: I'll have to take the Broncos here, but I'd say that the Raiders will go 0-16. They suck donkey balls :D

Wildcard teams: The Titans aren't the same team as last year, but I just know that Chris Brown will have an incredible season. The Texans have a very solid defense along with an explosive offense, which will be led by another great year out of Domanick Davis.

I still can't believe you picked the Bears to go 2-14. :puke:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

66. Lions are young

That changes. Their offense is vastly improved and I'm betting Harrington makes the leap this year. Their defense wasn't all THAT horrible either. I'm a big Brett Favre, so I'm a tad optimistic, but I think the Pack's defense will be much better this year. The Bears f'ing suck. Sorry, I won't budge much on them. I'm willing to give on the Pack and Lions, but not the Bears.

Vick DOES make a huge difference in Atlanta, though I could see Carolina winning the division.

St. Louis, while explosive, is aging, and for a team built around speed, that's not a good thing.

The Bengals are a year older - they didn't need to make many changes to get better. Ravens have to have a court case, so I'm not putting any eggs in their basket, but they definitely could be better than I'm giving them credit for.

I agree - Raiders do indeed suck donkey balls. Broncos are the best of a horrible bunch out west. They'll all be exposed after playing a cup-cake schedule last year.

You're absolutely right on the Titans, and I think this is the year McNair finally misses significant time to injury. He's going to age in dog-years from this point on I think. That said, they're still a solid unit and will make the postseason. And I'm pretty high on Houston this year. They should me a lot of guts last year, and like the Bengals, they'll be improved simply because they're a year older.

[MadHound]

61. Chiefs with a 13-3 record, go all the way

Number one offense combined with Cunningham's defense, they are a lock for the Super Bowl, unless injuries strike.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

63. Cunningham doesn't suit up, last I checked

And they didn't upgrade an atrocious secondary. Your "lock" looks ripe for "picking".

[MattNC]

64. Panthers all the way!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

68. Not likely.

They're good, but they had quite a cinderella run to the Super Bowl. So while they won't collapse ala Atlanta after their Super Bowl, don't expect to repeat as NFC champs. It's a tighter field this year.

[KamaAina]

65. Seahawks 14-2?!

Truly, should such a thing come to pass, shall we know that we are indeed living in the End Times.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

67. Maybe not that high, but they'll crack 12 wins.

They're good and young.