This is my opinion, and I am often times criticized for these opinions - and most of the time for good reason. But I want to toss out some predictions for the heck of it. These are off the top of my head and I haven't exactly done my research on this sort of topic, so feel free to disagree or comment harshly.

2007-2008 NFL Season

Biggest Surprise Player: Joey Harrington. I have and despite argument, probably always will stand by my belief that he is the most underrated QB in the game. Last year wasn't his best year, but look at it this way - as a come of the bench QB, he didn't do too bad. Sure the 15 INTs weren't pretty, but what can you expect from a back-up QB...who isn't Tony Romo. He will atleast lead the Falcons to a 8-8 season. Will that be enough for playoffs? Probably not.

Biggest Bust Player: Larry Johnson. This is a tricky one and please try to understand what I am saying. As much as I like him and agree with the decision to start him, Damon Huard cannot carry that team. Their defense is going to be weak and unpredictable and besides Dwayne Bowe, their receiving core can't compare to most teams. Given all of that, the Chiefs are going to expect huge numbers from Larry Johnson. Can he provide them? Yes. But only for so long. He is human and he will be worn out, and if he's not careful - injured.

Biggest Surprise Team: San Fran 49ers. I think we can all agree on this. I wouldn't really even consider this a surprise, but the only other team I can think of surprising anyone is the Cardinals...and I don't think the world is ready for that yet. The 49ers had huge additions in the off-season and Alex Smith is only getting better. He now has D. Jackson (providing he doesn't get injured) and V. Davis, who some are considering the northern California's answer to A. Gates. Don't forget about the defense - with a huge first round draft pick and Nate Clements - they had potential to be dangerous on both sides of the ball.

Biggest Bust Team: Seattle Seahawks. I cannot wait to see the power striving Rams destroy them. The Seahawks are no longer the heart and soul of their division. Like said before, the 49ers are going to be dangerous, the Cardinals can always upset, and the Rams are stacked this year. With the loss of D. Jackson, the injury prone S. Alexander (still recovering) and the aging M. Hassellbeck, watch for the Seahawks to flop.

Superbowl Prediction:
AFC: New England Patriots. If they lose a single game I will be shocked. That was sarcasm. If they lose more than three games I will be shocked. I don't think anyone can pin-point a team who can perform better in the playoffs, and with weapons for Tom Brady and a rising back, watch out...for the next four years.
NFC: St. Louis Rams. I'm going out on a limb here. Given their defense holds up, they could easily dominate a fairly weak NFC conference. Their offense is stacked with Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, Issac Bruce, and that one guy...what's his name. Oh yeah - Stephen Jackson! They also added a strong TE and good 3-Slot WR.

MVP: Tom Brady. Despite the small chance he gets injured, he has no reason not to win. I mean - he's almost won every year for the past three years with no weapons. Moss and Stallworth both have a reason to play now, and with the exception of injuries, will be dominate forces. Say for instance they do get injured; K. Washington and W. Welker are their backups - that's still better than what they've had in years past.

As For The Colts: As a Colts fan, I would love nothing more than to see them repeat; and don't get me wrong, they always have a chance. But the AFC is just too strong. Denver, Baltimore, San Diego and New England all have weapons on both sides of the ball now, where as the Colts mainly just have an offense (last night their Defense played wonderful so I may regret saying that in a few weeks). The Colts will still win the AFC South and make playoffs, but will not have home field advantage, thus leaving with a wild card win and very vulnerable to a second round loss. Watch for huge developments in Gonzalez as he replaces B. Stokley, and Quinn Pittcock as he will soon be a starter at DT. After this year, the Colts will be right back in the race with a strong defensive 2008 draft, and maybe a couple of good signees.

...since his name was bleeped, we can all refer to him as Quinn P. - the second round DT from THE Ohio State University.

As For The Lions: I respect you Jon Kitna, but shut up. The Lions getting ten wins is the equivalent of  Michael Vick being proven innocent. Ya, I think it's great your team drafted Calvin Johnson, but seriously, unless he plans on playing WR, CB, KR, PR, FS, and SS, don't expect ten wins.

Rookie Of The Year: Brady Quinn. I love the Browns and think they have some of the most die-hard fans in the nation. So with that said, I think all Browns' fans will agree that Brady Quinn will be the starter by week four. Let me rephrase that - he needs to be the starter by week four. No one is expecting him to have a great rookie season with a slumped team, but watch - he will surprise you. I have yet to join the Brady Quinn bandwagon, but something tells me he is right for the job. And when he does get in there as the starter, he will have potential to be dangerous. He has a decent WR core and a TE who, if he can stay healthy, will hurt you.

Oakland Raiders: Good, but no good enough. I still don't understand the reasoning behind McCown starting at QB. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a good QB. But I would have tossed Daunte in as the starter. Sure, he is washed up, old, and injury prone - but you're the Oakland Raiders! No one is expecting Daunte to do good, so what do you have to lose? There is always a chance he will have his first breakout season without R. Moss. And you better think of something fast, because J. Russell isn't going to get much playing time this year. Note to Russell: Get Over Yourself! You haven't even proved yourself as an NFL QB yet! Sign the contract! All you have to do is write your name on a piece of paper you are an instant millionaire! The only thing you are doing is showing the nation that you are in for the money and not the game!

As a student at Western Kentucky University, I thought it would be appropriate to share with the rest of the world what's going on on the Hilltopper campus pre-Florida. From 6:00am until roughly 8:00pm - the only thing that can really be heard around my general area of campus is the blaring music coming from L.T. Smith Stadium. Head coach David Elson says that the players are going to open the first season as a D-1A (or FBC) team in what some argue as the hardest stadium in the nation. He also says that the only way to prepare for the noise is to practice with noise, and that's exactly what they are doing. Loud music is all you can hear around campus. From the cafeteria, restrooms, dorm rooms, and buildings - loud music is thrashing the halls in the slight attempt it might help our team not be destroyed by 50 points. The players are working out around the clock, the coaches are scrambling through numerous playbooks, and the students are...ready to get it over with. Trust me, we support our team! Very much! We have some very die hard fans - but this is a game that we don't want to remember.

For the past three years, WKU has opened at the SEC champion's home turf. (Auburn, Georgia, and now Florida) Sounds like fun, right? An opening game of that caliber would be terrifying for any team - let alone a team who is playing this as their first game in the Sun Belt Conference and D-1A. If you recall the Georgia game this past year, our Toppers made it to double digits, scoring 12 points (yes that is right, we recorded a safety). If we can make it to double digits this game, it would make us look like we atleast belong in D-1A...at most. I guess what the fans want is for us to have an opening game we may have a shot at winning. But a quick fact that most don't know: the University of Florida is paying our school $650,000, and covering all travel, food, and lodging for our team just so we can go down and play them.

Although we want the game to end as quickly as possible, it is still all we talk about. From every Performing Arts class to Sports Broadcasting class (hey broadcasting - there's something WKU is proud of - Top 3 School Of Broadcasting & Journalism in the past 15 out of 17 years), everybody is chatting it up. Everybody tries to be optimistic about it, but that usually doesn't last very long. Here's the typical optimistic conversation:

Person #1 - I know everyone is predicting a 70 point blow out. Atleast our basketball team is pretty good, right?
Person #2 - Hmm what if our team showed up there and shocked everyone and played the Gators real close until ... Ha Ha Ha - I almost made it through that.
Person #1 - Good one! For a second I thought I mixed you up with that Special Ed class down the hall.

Now, I know this sounds like everyone on campus doesn't believe in our team. And we do! Believe me! I mean, look at who our team has released into the wild in the past...anyone familiar with "He-Hate-Me" Rod Smart? Or how about Cleveland Brown's coach Romeo Crennel? Or even Michael Rosenbaum - that guy that plays Lex Lugor on Smallville. All of those are just a few of the big name graduates from Western Kentucky. Although football may not be our strong point, basketball season is just around the corner. We do have NBA  first-round draft prospect, Courtney Lee, returning this year. And if you remember, Bruce Peal (University of Tennessee Men's Basketball coach) has said many times that we are the best basketball team in Kentucky.

So although football may not be much to brag about - we still have pride in our team. And don't worry, every student, faculty member, and probably player is expecting the same outcome as everyone else.

"For most of my life, I've been a football player, not a public speaker, so, you know, I really don't know, you know, how to say what I really want to say.

You know, I understand it's -- it's important or not important, you know, as far as what you say but how you say things. So, you know, I take this opportunity just to speak from the heart.

First, I want to apologize, you know, for all the things that -- that I've done and that I have allowed to happen. I want to personally apologize to commissioner Goodell, Arthur Blank, coach Bobby Petrino, my Atlanta Falcons teammates, you know, for our -- for our previous discussions that we had. And I was not honest and forthright in our discussions, and, you know, I was ashamed and totally disappointed in myself to say the least.

I want to apologize to all the young kids out there for my immature acts and, you know, what I did was, what I did was very immature so that means I need to grow up.

I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player.

I take full responsibility for my actions. For one second will I sit right here - not for one second will I sit right here and point the finger and try to blame anybody else for my actions or what I've done.

I'm totally responsible, and those things just didn't have to happen. I feel like we all make mistakes. It's just I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. And you know, those things, you know, just can't happen.

Dog fighting is a terrible thing, and I did reject it.

I'm upset with myself, and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think that's the right thing to do as of right now.

Like I said, for this -- for this entire situation I never pointed the finger at anybody else, I accepted responsibility for my actions of what I did and now I have to pay the consequences for it. But in a sense, I think it will help, you know, me as a person. I got a lot to think about in the next year or so.

I offer my deepest apologies to everybody out in there in the world who was affected by this whole situation. And if I'm more disappointed with myself than anything it's because of all the young people, young kids that I've let down, who look at Michael Vick as a role model. And to have to go through this and put myself in this situation, you know, I hope that every young kid out there in the world watching this interview right now who's been following the case will use me as an example to using better judgment and making better decisions.

Once again, I offer my deepest apologies to everyone. And I will redeem myself. I have to.

So I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think about my actions and what I've done and how to make Michael Vick a better person. Thank you."

(www.cbssportsline.com)

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Its been a good two weeks since I've blogged, mainly because I've been so busy getting back into school. I didn't get  chance to watch the speech live because of class, but I was able to get that transcript of his speech word for word.

I'm not here to judge. That's God's job...and the media's. But when someone from the world of sports is suddenly making news outside of sports in a negative fashion, how can sport's fans, like ourselves, keep from pointing fingers, judging, and get over-heated in anger? I, for one, have two dogs and they are my life. They truly are my best friends and I spoil them rotten as most pet lovers do. When this scandel began I was furious and "ready to go fight him" (quote on quote exaggeration). It's inhumane, cruel, and most importantly sad. When I read his speech today, I could easily point out what truly came from his heart and what his publicist and lawyer wrote for him to say. And then when I watched the video, it became even more obvious which was which. I'm still not buying into it that he realizes what he did was wrong. I, honest-to-God, believe that something has to seriously be wrong, mentally, with a person who can do such things. I do think that he was sincere about his apologies to his fans, coaches, and teammates. That part just kind of stuck out to me.

There really was no point to this blog at all. Just a word-for-word transcript of what Michael Vick had to say for those who wanted to read. I've been working on some statistics for the Yankees and what needs to happen to continue their playoff streak. I'll post that later in the week. Thanks guys.

P.S. - What a sweet sigh of relief that Reggie made the right choice! Woo!

I just got back from a four day trip to Indianapolis and I found some good information on Reggie Miller's possible return to the NBA. First in the Indianapolis Star, the Indiana Pacers CEO, Donnie Walsh, and Larry Bird both said that they had heard the rumor of the possible return of Reggie. They noted that they still stay in close contacts with Reggie and feel that Reggie would have atleast told them if he was even thinking of returning. Larry Bird said they talk regularly but he has never mentioned anything about it, so he doesn't believe Reggie will leave his deal with TNT.

As for how the people of Indiana would feel about his return, it was actually a different response then I expected. I talked to a lot of people and they all said that if Reggie wanted to return, they'd respect that and cheer for him no matter what team he was in.

Anyone who has watched a Indiana Pacers' home game or listened to one on the radio has heard the infamous sports words:

"Boom, baby! Boom - Boom - Boom - Boom - Boom!"

For those who don't know that phrase or argue that they hear at any NBA game now - just know it started with Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers. Right now, it is being reported that the Boston Celtics are approaching Reggie Miller about coming out of retirement and backing up Ray Allen for a championship run. From what I hear in the rumor mill, it's going to happen. I, personally, see this from several different angles:

1.) Being born and raised in Indianapolis and seeing the effect Reggie Miller had the Indiana community,  the fact he was drafted by the Pacers and remained with them his entire career (something rare in any sport),  and the fact the Pacers retired his jersey last season, I would not like to see Reggie Miller back on the court.

2.) Reggie Miller is a great personality to have in sports broadcasting. He is not only good at what he does on the court, but give some practice and a few years - he will be a wonderful play-by-play/color commentator. Since my field of education is sports broadcasting, he gives me someone to look up to and learn from. From that angle, I would not to see Reggie Miller back on the court.

3.) The man is 42 years-old. No one really questions the fact that he can still move and is in enough shape to get back on the court. If he decides to return, he will probably not be the same Reggie Miller we all remember. Being 42, his muscles are probably weaker. All it takes is one bad step and your injured and out for the season, making the return a fluke. From that angle, I would not like to see Reggie Miller back on the court.

4.) Being able to witness, first hand, the excitment and energy Reggie brings to the game, I would like to see him return to the court.

5.) He is a positive influence. Not just to me, but to young children, teenagers, and struggling basketball players everywhere. He has never been in trouble and could be just what the NBA needs right now. From that angle, I would like to see him return.

I'm going to be venturing up to Indianapolis this weekend to see family, so I hope to hear more about what the people of Indiana are feeling about the subject. The Indy Star always has a good take on issues like this, and Reggie still does interviews with them on a weekly basis, so I'll hopefully get more of an inside scoop. In the mean time, how does everyone else feel about the return of Reggie? If you are from Indianapolis or have been a Pacers fan - clarify and then give your point of view.