In my short life, I have gone to about 6 soccer/football matches.  Of those, I watched in person: a friendly between Chelsea and AC Milan in Foxboro; a World Cup Qualifying Match in Belgrade between Serbia and Monte#### vs Belgium. The 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul between AC Milan and Liverpool; two Champions League qualifiers involving Red Star Belgrade (against Cork City from Ireland and AC Milan) and finally a Czech League matching involving Slavia Prague against Sigma.
As you can tell, a pretty varied amount of games. The best game of the list of course was the Champions League final while the most boring/uneventful one was the World Cup qualifying match between SCG and BEL. The matches with the most atmosphere was the Liverpool v Milan and the Red Star v Milan matches but the one with the least was the Chelsea v Milan match at Foxboro.

I am a big Premier League fan and a strong supporter of Chelsea. I was in London in 2002 but didn't get to watch them (as I went in early July), so I was unable to see a match at Stamford Bridge but I'd like to go one day and watch them regardless of the location (as long as it's in Europe). In my eyes, while the idea of the Premier League having matches outside of England is nice, I don't like the idea since it is essentially a cheap knock-off of the original product. Regardless of the fact that they are bringing regular-season matches that actually have meaning to them, I think the experience will not be the same.
In order to enjoy a sport, you need to be enjoy it in the proper atmosphere. To watch a soccer match involving British teams, you have to watch it in a British atmosphere. When I was in Istanbul, while I supported and cheered for AC Milan, I spent my time before the match with the English speaking Liverpool fans and it was incredible. Yes, a good chunk were ####s towards me (when they found out I was a Chelsea supporter and I fan of AC Milan) but it was the best way to watch the match and to discuss the sport.

I feel this way about the Premier League. If given the chance to watch a match in person, I would rather travel to London (again) or Manchester or Birmingham and sit in Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford or Villa Park and absorb the atmosphere with the dedicated fans, singing the songs and cheering like mad when our team scores. The matches that will be played abroad will be over-priced (while Premier League matches are not cheap to begin with) and hard to find. They are going to play them in areas which are not close to me at all (except if they decide to play a match in Vancouver, Seattle, San Fran or Los Angeles) so getting to the match won't be easy. Chances are for the same amount of money, I can catch a charter flight to London for about 500 dollars, pay another 40-50 dollars for match tickets and a couple of hundred for hotel and food and still have a lower total cost.

Unlike the NFL, who really need to branch outside of North America for the product to be international, the Premier League and European Football in general has been extremely popular around the globe. The league doesn't need help in marketing themselves.
If the Premier League really wants to get viewers, they should have started lower and moved either the Community Shield or the FA Cup final to a neutral venue. I wrote back in November of 2006 about the possibility of bringing the Champions League final to New York (link) so why not take that idea and use the Community Shield or the FA Cup have them played overseas. In that situation, you are almost ensured that at least one top class club would be involved and considering the magnitude of the match, the over-priced ticket prices would be justified (although, still too high for most people).

The only thing stopping the Premier League from doing their proposed matches is getting approval from the countries that were mentioned. Japan, Australia and The United States have already stated that they'd like to avoid these matches as all three have still young soccer leagues and that this could stun their growths. It is a valid point and also differs greatly from the NFL's European match project. There, they had nothing competing against them and it was an open market, but here, if you bring the Premier League and it succeeds (which it will) then these leagues will suffer. Fans will have been spoiled with the riches of England and will not want to force themselves to settle with the '2nd-rate' soccer they have available.

In my eyes, the best course of action the Premier League should take is the welcome attitude. I would rather see them offer cheap flight, hotel and match options to people who would like to travel to England to watch a footie match. They already have a partnership with Fly Emirates, so they could agree something with them or any other airline carrier to offer discounted prices on selected flights. Not only would this help the airlines with added business, but it would boost the economies of these English cities. Also, have the clubs save a section of decent (not the best but not the worst) tickets for fans from abbroad so they get the chance to watch a live match. London and Manchester probably wouldn't need this, it would help 'smaller' or lesser visited cities like Birmingham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, or even Portsmouth in boosting their tourism industries. Heck, you could even offer better deals to people who want to watch The Coca Cola Championship. Watch QPR, Southhampton or even a Leeds United match for an even better deal and still get a great deal out of it. This would help the clubs even more so, since fans will want to take a tour of the stadium and would more than likely would not leave without a purchase or two from the club-store, once again, helping the team in more ways than one.

Everyone has been making their predictions for Super Bowl XLI and now it's my turn. For the Championship Games I was 0-2. I thought one way and I was completely wrong. While I felt bad that I was that bad, I didn't try to make too many excuses and was glad that the matches were golden. But will Super Sunday be just as good or will it end up being a disapointment?

I'm thinking it will be the later because like last year's Super Bowl there is a storyline that is making people forget about the match...that story is Mr. Peyton Manning. The NFL's greatest current player is only 60 minutes away from completing his superb football resume. Yes, he didn't win anything in college, but this is more important and the league would like nothing more than to have him win a title. He's the good-guy, never a problem starter (excluding the #### Kicker moment) and he's broken or will break countless QB records. The league doesn't want another Dan Marino and this could be the last, best chance that Manning and the Colts have of showing up in the big stage. In my eyes, just as last year's focus was on The Bus and the wild-card Steelers, this game's focus will be solely on Manning and that will result in the Colts winning.

But, before Colts fans start chopping my nuts off. Even without this, I still think Indy are the better team and have the more experienced players who will show up on Sunday. The Bears are a young team and I do not think these players are ready psychologically for what will happen on Sunday. The nerves will not settle right away and that will give the Colts the oppertunity to take the early lead and control the time of possession. Indy's never give up attitude two weeks ago was clearly impressive as every member on this Colt's team is playing for Manning and Tony Dungy. They want to make history and to ensure that Manning goes in Canton, Ohio (whenever that may be) as a Super Bowl Champ.

The only way that Chicago can win this game is if they get an early INT and can score on offense without using their Kicker. If they can take the early lead and keep Manning off the field, then they can win this game. Indy's rush defence has been good in the playoffs but Chicago is going to be playing with both their backs (Benson and Jones) so they will constantly have a fresh threat in the back. But if the Colts take the early lead and have a two+ possession lead, then that will be thrown out and Grossman will have to step up and throw the long balls and get big plays quick. He was able to get some nice, deep passes against Seattle and New Orleans, but will the big game shake him from getting any rhythmn?

In the end I see Indy running the scoreline early and coasting in the 2nd half. This game will not be remembered for anything more than Peyton Manning's proof that he isn't Dan Marino and when he lifts that trophy on Sunday night it will be so sweet for every Colt fan in the world.

My Prediction - Indianapolis Colts 34 - Chicago - 20

After I wrote my predictions on Saturday night I was certain that I'd go 1 for 2 on the Championship games, but like most of the world, I doubted home-field advantage and ended up getting both wrong.

While the Chicago v New Orleans was competitive until the 4th quarter, upon watching the game, I realized that the cold weather was going to benefit Chicago (edit: when it began to snow heavily. When the field conditions were decent then it's anyone's game, but the second grass becomes hard to work with (with either rain or snow), then a team who is used to it should always benefit) and I didn't think to consider how weak New Orlean's rush defense was. Chicago won that game thanks to their backs and while Rex Grossman didn't do anything special, they at least proved (in my eyes) that they can win games not solely on their defense.

As for the AFC Championship, I think at Half-time it was certainly over. New England was in control only allowing 6 points, on two field-goals and had a two+ possession lead. Then Indy woke up and did not give up while it seemed that New England did what San Diego did last week and ended up losing the game. What will forever go through my head is how this team (New England) did not captialize on their chances ( the dropped ball with no-one close to you) and the two stupid penalties (too many in the huddle and roughing the passer) in the last three minutes ultimately cost this game for New England. I know LT is probably thanking the big guys upstairs for the justice being served, but you have to give Indy the credit because they did what was needed to be done.

Once again, I'm no pro, so I don't mind going 0-2 in the Championship games. I want to congradulate all Bears and Colts fans on supporting their team all the way. I felt the rush last season when my Seahawks took the road to Detroit and now you get to watch your teams in sunny Miami.

As for who I'm picking in the Super Bowl...I'll wait until Feb to make that decision.

 

A few months ago when I was trying to piece together the jumble that was the NFL playoff race I stated that New England and Chicago would face ether other in the big match. At that time, I thought the teams they'd face in the AFC and NFC Championships would be different (Denver and Seattle) but I felt confident that both those teams would make a trip to Miami for Super Bowl XLI. Now it's Saturday night and in only a matter of hours the first of the two games begin and now I need to make sure I am still making the right decision.

• NFC Championship: New Orleans v Chicago

Although the focus is on the AFC Championship, you still have to look at this as just as good of a match-up. On the visitor's side you have the team that every red-blooded american is secretly cheering for in the New Orleans Saints. A team of players who like and a team that has been impressive in their route to this game. Yes they did only have a 10-6 record, but considering at the start of the season many still felt that this team hadn't improved enough from last season to make enough of a difference. On Sunday they will be facing their toughest match of the season. Had Seattle beaten Chicago last week then New Orleans would be clear-cut favorites, but instead, they are the slight underdogs but it's not warrented. This team can score points as proven week in and week out. But at the same time, they can also be stopped on the scoreboard (case in point Washington). Chicago is a good team defensively but still have to prove themselves on the offensive side of the ball. Rex Grossman was good when he threw the ball deep but on short plays, the drops hurt Chicago. They also gave up a lot of points to a Seattle team that hasn't played a single game with all of their starters so to think that Chicago can stop New Orleans might not actually happen.

In the end, I don't think this is going to be a high-scoring game but I definately seeing a surprise occur and with that I still feel that the team most of the United States will be cheering for will remove their name off the list of teams never to reach the Super Bowl. But even if that is not the case, the NFC team will have earned their spot in the Super Bowl regardless of what people say.

• My prediction: New Orleans 21 - Chicago 17

• AFC Championship: New England v Indianapolis

Well the game everyone has been talking about since Sunday evening is probably going to be a really one-sided game because that is always the case. Last year both AFC and NFC matches were on paper clear-cut wins for Carolina (who had Steve Smith) and Denver (who had the altitude) but both lost. This time in this game you don't have an exact favorite. For some, the fact that Colts are finally playing this game at Home are the being given the chance to win the game they so deserve. While others feel that Mr. Brady is made for the playoffs and will win yet again to improve his near flawless record. In my eyes I have to agree with those who feel Mr. Brady is the playoff master.

Payton Manning has not been impressive in the playoffs and a team like New England knows that. KC played well defensively but couldn't pass or run and they lost. Baltimore played Indy really well, only allowing Field Goals, but again, they could not score the points on offense to win that game. Although this game is being played in the RCA dome, New England's defense will be good enough to stop Mr. Manning from running the passing yards and because of that Field Goals will be call on 4th down for the Colts. While with New England, they too won't score too many, but Dillon is a good running back and he will get into the end-zone once, maybe twice - while New England's defensive should be able to get a score. Also, because this is in the dome, field goal advantage doesn't really go in Indy's favor. so if it's close, it's all about who has the ball in those last few minutes.

In my eyes, my prediction from a few months back doesn't change. Yes New England are on the road, but they will do more than enough to win this game and reach yet another Super Bowl.

• My Prediction: New England 17 - Indianapolis 13

Over the holidays I was spending most of my time preparing for a big move from the Eastern Time-Zone to the Pacific Time-Zone. I knew from the get-go that this would greatly affect my sports watching. After only two days here on the West Coast I must say that it's already bothering me.

I like the idea that you can watch just about any game in the late afternoon and still be able to go out afterwards, but considering that I will more than likely be working until 4-5pm, I miss most of the beginning of all east-coast Hockey and Basketball games of the day. What will suck more is that once Champion's League action kicks off next month, the games will all start 11:30 in the morning. Because of that I will never get to watch these games live and will have to hope that I can catch the repeats (or that I work with a computer where I follow the games via web-cast).

The weekend will be coming soon and that will be a great test for me to see how Weekend Soccer and Football will affect my life. The Seahawks have a game at 10am on Sunday, and that will be the ultimate test: do I sleep in on Sunday or do I wake up early and watch them? I hope I can still have fun the night before and still have the power to get up and watch the NFL playoffs.

There is always the question 'is it ok to cheer for more than one team in one sport?' Most people would say 'no!' without hesitation, while others might give you the '...umm...I don't know' response. Well, in my eyes the answer is 'maybe!'

I am a great sample for this question. Of the sports that I follow closely I can clearly state that I support one or more teams. But unlike other people who jump from team to team season after season, I have stayed pretty much with the teams I have supported from the beginning.

First off, you have to remember if you're under the age of 16, changing teams is probably normal for a kid to do, espcially if that kid doesn't have a parent who is a fan of the team. Chances are, if you have taught your son/daughter to be a fan of a specific team, they probably cheer with you right now. But if the child picks the team on his own, then I won't be surprised if he changed his teams from time-to-time.

When I was younger and I followed the NHL, I loved Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens. I wanted to be a goalie when I was younger and he was the player I wanted to be. But over time I started cheering for another team from Quebec, the old Quebec Nordiques. While I really cheered for Quebec, the Ottawa Senators (where I live at the moment) were getting a team and I wasn't a fan (yet), but I did start to also like the Vancouver Canucks, to the point I even had a Kirk McLean (former Canuck Goalie) poster in my room. So I had two teams (Quebec and Vancouver) which I followed closely, then economics kicked in and Quebec was moved to Denver and they became the Colorado Avalanche. Now I had two teams I liked in the same conference. I was torn between the two teams but I ended up cheering for Colorado when Patrick Roy was traded to them and have been a fan since. But considering I wanted to cheer for the local team, I started to go for the Sens as well and now have two main teams I cheer for: Ottawa and Colorado but I still have a small spot in my heart for both Montreal and Vancouver.

Football is also the same problem. When I was younger I had only one team I supported and that was the Minnesota Vikings. I loved the team and I followed them closely. But over the 90s, I started to have a crush on the city of Seattle and everything related to the city. I became a Seattle Mariners fan in Baseball (still am) and I really loved the Seattle SuperSonics (1996 team with Kemp and Payton was the best (too bad Jordan's Bulls were better)) so I started to follow the Seattle Seahawks. There wasn't a problem, because considering how rarely AFC and NFC teams faced I didn't worry about my allegiances being put into question...that is until Houston got a team again and the NFL decided to move Seattle to the NFC. Now the problem occurs and since that change Seattle and Minnesota have played each other more than once and every game puts me in an awkward position. If I had to choose now, I definitely take Seattle over any NFL team, but I love it when I hear Minnesota winning, especially if it helps Seattle in the process.

Now things get really messy for me in Soccer. Now this is where my brain could explode if European Soccer only had the Champions League and not domestic leagues. When it comes to domestic leagues, I support one club in each country and no other, but when Champions League action occurs, I am in trouble. Here is my list of the top 5 clubs I support:

1) FK Crvena Zvezda Beograd (Better known as FC Red Star Belgrade): This was my father's soccer club when he was younger and thus it's my club now. When I was younger I started to cheer for FK Partizan but that was only because I didn't know about my father's following (as he died when I was 9) and I also followed them because of a friend. When I found out my father was a fan of this team, I felt it was my duty to cheer the same way as my father and I have been a fan since I was 16.

2) FC Barcelona: I know I have been a fan of FCB since 1999. I liked this team for two reason: I hated Real Madrid and I loved the players on the team in 1999 including Luis Figo and Sonny Anderson, not to mention the huge influx of Dutch Players they had (Marc Overmars, The twins, Patrick K.) . I have stuck with this team for a while and visiting the Camp Nou is a goal I have in life. I also respect the fact that they are club owned by the fans and that gives them a lot of 'cred'

3) Chelsea FC: I became a fan before Roman started splurging money on the team as I enjoyed the fact they were a Multicultural Club for a long time. I remember hearing comments about a Champions League match between Chelsea and Lazio where they said the two teams combined to represent players from more than a dozen countries. While Roman's billions helped the club, I was faithful to the team and constantly cheer for them. I even went to Boston two years ago to watch them play in a Friendly against another team on my list.

4) Ajax Amsterdam: When I was younger I loved Dutch Football and they way they played; thus I cheered for Ajax because of the way the played Dutch Style football. I think of all the teams I support, I've been a fan of them the longest. Another dream I have is watching an Ajax match in Amsterdam.

5) AC Milan: If I liked Ajax the longest, I probably have been a fan of AC Milan for just as long. The reason why I loved AC Milan was because of one person: Marco Van Basten (the Ajax connection). He was my absolute favorite player (and still among my favorites) and since he played on that Club I cheered for them. In fact, of all the live games I have seen (6), half of them have featured AC Milan. What is interesting, of those three games, only one of them I was cheering for Milan. I watch AC Milan lose in the Champions League Final in Istanbul, I watched them lose to Chelsea in Boston two years ago and I watch AC Milan beat Red Star Belgrade in Belgrade last August.

Honorable Mentions. These are clubs I like but have not honored them the same way as the other five:

FC Spartak Moskva: The only team I cheer for in Russia. Serbian Defender Nemanja Vidic (a player a model myself after) used to play for this club.

FC Schalke 04: I hate Bayern Munich so I didn't know who else to cheer for so I decided to cheer for FC Schalke 04. I have been a fan for a few years now. When I was looking for a team to cheer for from Germany it was either Schalke or Dortmund, I think I made the right choice.

Olympique Lyonnais: I'll admit it. I started cheering for Lyon when they started winning. I didn't follow the French League until recently but I have quite impressed with this team. The French League isn't anything special, but this team deserves to reach the Champions League final and they need to do it soon.

Liverpool FC: The only team that breaks the rules. I definitely do not cheer for them in the EPL, but I witnessed what was probably the greatest comeback in UEFA history and because of that I will always have a spot for them. They a big team, but they don't always play that way. They are successful in Europe, but I really do hope that one day they turn it around and finally win a League title in England. They are long over due.

So this is my list and as you can see, when it comes to cheering for teams, I am in put in some awkward positions. Thankfully my list of teams in America is small and there isn't too much conlfict. It happens but not as frequently. But when it comes to Champions League soccer I have to use the list to show who I support first. But like everyone else in the world, I am happy regardless of who wins, especially if they can win the 'big' games.

The joys of being a fan...

There is a reason why sports analysis only focus on one sport. If they had to do their work for more than one they'd probably go insane. I know I was pulling my hair when I saw New Orleans absolutely man-handle Dallas in Irving and really prove their point that they are not a fluke team.

While I respect New Orleans, wish them a lot of luck but I still worry that come playoff time, their lack of experience will end up costing them. At this moment, thanks to Seattle's loss to Arizona, the Saints should be in control of getting the second playoff bye. While it might be good, I think the extra week off for this team might hurt them as the players could let their guard down and lose that game. I think both Seattle and Dallas are hoping to get that #3 seeding which would all but ensure them a match with New Orleans while Seattle does control that spot at the moment, they need to make sure they win both their NFC matches (against San Fran on Thursday and Tampa on week 17).

Last week when I made my predictions for the playoffs I thought Carolina would win on Sunday against New York but that was before Weinke got the start and now Delhomme's injury will essentially dictate if Carolina reaches the playoffs. I know it's not good to judge a team on one player, but unfortunately that is the case quite often and when you have to rearrange your offense at the nucleus it takes about two or three games until the offense gets re-adjusted and that will end up costing Carolina.

I doubt the top 4 will change with the only question mark being who gets #3. I like Seattle only because they have San Fran on Thursday then play a potentially meaningless San Diego team who might already have already locked up their bye. Although the Charger might want to play for the ability of Home-Field advantage, I doubt they'll play their best in a game to ensure no injuries to any stars. I'm eager to see the pre-game hellos as Shaun and LT should make for some great photo moments. As for the Wild-card, I'm going to stand back and just watch because of the fact that anything can still happen as theree are some potentially great matches in store.

Before I begin, I want to thank Carolina for blowing it last night against Philadelphia and making this piece I am not writing even more difficult. Had Carolina won, then I’d have to focus on one less team, but thanks to their inability to hold onto leads, this is going to be extremely difficult in predicting.

Unlike the AFC where the division pictures are clear, in the NFC while all three remaining divisions (considering that Chicago has already locked up the NFC North) have their leaders at 8-4 they all stand a good change of making the playoffs even if they happen to lose their last four games. The question for them is who gets #2 behind Chicago for that first-round bye. The two wild-card spots are also very much up for grabs with four teams with realistic shots at nabbing one of those two spots. For this weeks predictions of the playoffs I am only looking at teams with .500 records or better (7 teams) and have divided them up in divisions.

NFC North

The easiest of the bunch as Seattle will reach the playoffs almost certainly and all they have to do is win one of their next 4 games to get in. This week they play @ Arizona a team that is extremely questionable but will give up a lot of points. They follow this up with two home games against San Francisco and San Diego then end the season in Tampa.

Seattle

            @ Arizona                     – Win 

            Versus San Fransisco    - Win

            Versus San Diego          - Win

            @ Tampa Bay               - Win

           Final Record 12-4 (conference 9-3)

NFC East

Three teams fighting are in the mix. Dallas look to be on fire to win the division but still have a tough road ahead with crucial games against 3 of the 4 playoff contending teams. Their last game at home against Detroit is a gift that they should win and lock up a spot. While both New York and Phildelphia might be able to continue pressure on Dallas but are more concerned with nabbing a wild-card spot.

Dallas

           Versus New Orleans      - Win

           @ Atlanta                      - Loss

           Versus Philadelphia       - Win

           Versus Detroit               - Win

           Final Record 11-5 (conference 8-4)

New York

           @ Carolina                    - Loss

           Versus Philadelphia       - Win

           Versus New Orleans      - Win

           @ Washington   - Loss

           Final Record 8-8 (conference 7-5)

Philadelphia

           @ Washington   - Win

           @ New York                  - Loss

           @ Dallas                       - Loss

           Versus Atlanta               - Win

           Final Record 8-8 (conference 7-5)

NFC South

Another tough one as you have Carolina and Atlanta fighting for the wild-card with New Orleans in a solid position for the playoffs. The problem with this division is the fact that New Orleans has it tough and could still lose the division if they do not play consistently until the end of the season. Carolina and Atlanta both have legitimate shots but will have to play above their current form to make a strong enough charge at host a game in the playoffs.

New Orleans

          @ Dallas                       - Loss

          Versus Washington        - Win

          @ New York                  - Loss

          Versus Carolina - Win

          Final Record 10-6 (conference 9-3)

Atlanta

          @ Tampa Bay               - Win

          Versus Dallas                - Win

          Versus Carolina - Win

         @ Philadelphia  - Loss

         Final Record 9-7 (conference 7-5)

Carolina

         Versus New York           - Win

         Versus Pittsburgh          - Win

        @ Atlanta                      - Loss

        @ New Orleans - Loss

        Final Record 8-8 (conference 5-7)

So with this the final NFC Standings are as such:

1. Chicago 13-3* predicted
2. Seattle 12-4
3. Dallas 11-5
4. New Orleans 10-6
5. Atlanta 9-7
6. New York 8-8
7. Philadelphia 8-8
8. Carolina 8-8

 So I conclude that the way the standings look now is pretty much the same way they’ll look at the end of the season with only Seattle moving up two spots to secure a first-round bye and Atlanta sneaking into the #5 at the cost of Philadelphia and Carolina. But like the AFC, this isn’t a clear answer and things can change pretty quickly from week-to-week. The key factor here for the playoff bye is this week’s New Orleans and Dallas game. If Seattle wins their game, then they have a great shot of taking control. Seattle fans should cheer for Dallas in this one because of New Orleans better conference record but it doesn’t mean that if New Orleans wins, they’ve locked it up. 

Just wait until next week when I go through this all again looking at what could happen for the playoffs.

            Both the AFC and NFC playoff pictures are blurry but the AFC’s playoff picture is really crowded with 5 teams with 7-5 records and all with significant shots at the two wild-card spots. At this moment, I don’t see the division winners changing.

New England will lock up the East either this week @ Miami or the week after their home game against Houston. Yes, they didn’t play too well against Detroit but like a lot of good teams, the teams that have nothing to lose they play their hardest against the best.  

 

Baltimore should reach the playoffs with one more win, but if they lose to Kansas City (which I think they will) they need to win the week after versus Cleveland. Division record will matter here as they still have that game against Cleveland and the week after against Pittsburgh which could be factor if Cinci finish with a similar record.

 

While the Colts lost to Tennessee, no one should worry as they should finish with the division and a first-round bye. While they have some tough opposition with games at Jacksonville and versus Cincinnati, they follow that up with a game in Houston then at Miami. The Colts should finish with at least 2 wins here and a 12-4 record should be enough to get that bye, but maybe not home-field if San Diego does really well.

 

            As for the West, the division I predicted Kansas City would win looks to be San Diego’s unless they implode. San Diego has three home games, two against Divisional foes (Denver and Kansas City) and finish off the season against Arizona. There only road game, in Seattle might be a meaningless game for both teams if the Playoffs picture is already settled for both teams (although Seattle might still be playing for first round bye). I expect San Diego to win at home against Denver, which should be more than enough to win the division (especially if KC loses to Baltimore) and will lock up a first-round bye the following week when they welcome Kansas City. 

 

            If the divisions are settled then the only questions remain with the Wild Cards and the five teams there: Cincinnati, New York, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Denver. Here is how I see things ending for those five 7-5 teams.

 

            Cincinnati:

 

                                    Versus Oakland             - Win

 

                                    At Indianapolis               - Loss

 

                                    At Denver                      - Loss

 

                                    V Pittsburgh                  - Win

 

            Final Record 9-7            (7-5 conference)

 

            New York Jets:

 

                                    Versus Buffalo               - Win

 

                                    @ Minnesota                 - Win

 

                                    @ Miami                       - Loss

 

                                    Versus Oakland           - Win

 

            Final Record 10-6           (7-5 conference)

 

            Jacksonville:

 

                                    Versus Indianapolis        - Loss

 

                                    @ Tennessee                - Loss

 

                                    Versus New England      - Win (unless New England is still in the hunt for a Bye)

 

                                    @ Kansas City              - Loss (unless KC is eliminated from the playoffs by then)

 

            Final Record 8-8            (5-7 conference)

 

            Kansas City

 

                                    Versus Baltimore           - Win

 

                                    @ San Diego                 - Loss

 

                                    @ Oakland                    - Win

 

                                    Versus Jacksonville        - Win

 

            Final Record 10-6           (conference 6-6)

 

            Denver

 

                                    @ San Diego                 - Loss

                                   @ Arizona                     - Win

 

                                    Versus Cincinnati           - Win

 

                                    Versus 49ers                 - Win

 

            Final Record 10-6           (conference 8-4)

 

So with that, the final standings would be as such :

 

5. Kansas City 10-6

 

6. Denver 10-6

 

7. New York Jets 10-6

 

8. Cincinnati 9-7

 

9. Jacksonville 8-8         

 

Since KC has the better division record over Denver, they would take the #5 spot because of it while Denver would be in #6 since their conference record is better than New Yorks. 

 

            Remember, this is only a prediction and as you can see with the Jacksonville schedule a lot of these games might play out differently if their opposition has nothing to play for (or the opposite, a lot to play for). These predictions could change greatly, especially if Denver upsets San Diego or if Kansas City loses to Baltimore. If either of those occurs then this could change the complexion a lot and a whole new set of predictions would have to occur.

 

I’ll take a look at the NFC playoff picture tomorrow after the Carolina/Philadelphia game which has great playoff implications.

Another NFL weekend is just about to wrap up and yet another week of questions is about to begin. Just when you think you know what to expect in the NFL, you get hit in the face with a reality check. You'll never know what to expect. Questions and comments arise with all teams:

• Indy can now run the ball, but still can't stop the run and what's wrong with Marvin?
• Baltimore is for real while San Diego nearly fell to earth, Baltimore in the AFC Championship?
• The Broncos missing the playoffs? It could happen if they give up and bring in Cutler.
• Cinci's back in the Hunt and stand a good chance, but the muddled wild-card is going to get ugly over the next 2-3 weeks
• Pittsburgh proves me wrong when I thought they still stood a chance to surprise everyone. Even if they win the rest of the season, it won't be enough

Then you have the NFC:

• Tony Romo is for Real? I guess so but he needs to face some stiff competition and will he be playoff ready?
• NY Giants, I guess after dominating 4th quarters in the first of the season, there needs to be balance.
• Carolina: I knew playing in Washington would be rough but you need to win more of these games.
• Atlanta: I don't mind the middle-finger but this season is done for ATL
• San Fran: They beat Seattle (at home) they've won games (at home) but on the road they still need to improve and could have stolen yet another game if they only played smarter
• Seattle: St. Louis helps you, now can you wake up and destroy Green Bay and retake the #3 seed in the NFC
• Chicago: Rex Grossman didn't win you a playoff game last year, it doesn't look like he can win you one this year even if the road should go through Chicago.

 

 

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So Chelsea and Man Utd played to my predicted draw. I watched the game and while it was a good game to watch, it was definately over-hyped by everyone at FSC and FSWC. Matches like this usually end in a draw because neither side is willing to take a risk. Man U had less to lose but more to gain. Maintaining their 3-point lead is fine, but when you could have taken a 6-point lead against Chelsea, who still have a match to play with Arsenal before the year's end, the bigger the lead going into the New Year the better. Just like the NFL, anything can still happen in the EPL so there still plenty of time for either team to take control. While I am a Chelsea supporter I would not be surprised if Man Utd do end up winning the league. Manchester have plenty of good young talent upfront and in the back, I still think their central midfield needs help and I know Michael Carrick is not the answer (just yet) but their ability to score and to prevent scores will help them.

As for Chelsea, while I love the fact that this club has depth, can do just about about any formation and have the right players for it, it actually hurts them.  When every week you have to question why isn't Super-Player X playing but Super-Player W is, there is something wrong. Also, who didn't expect Sheva to have problems in his first season? It's a known fact that players have a hard time adjusting from the Southern European game to the Northern European game. The Spanish and Italian leagues are so different than England, France and Germany and it shows when year after year players who leave the South for the North fail to adjust in their first season. Sheva should be ok in Year 2 but needs to stay commited and not think about going back to Italy.

It's Wednesday and meaning that NFL Sunday is one more day closer and I don't think I have to really stress the point but this season is quite incredible. So many surprises and yet, there are so few teams who have legitimate playoff chances.

In the AFC the top 5 teams are (in my eyes)

1. Colts
2. Chargers
3. Ravens*
4. Patriots*
5. Broncos

The Broncos are in 5th only because I want the top four teams to be the division winners, but right now they would occupy the 3rd spot because they are better than both the Ravens and the Patriots. The race for 6th place is what is going to be really interesting. There are only 3 other teams with winning records: New York, Kansas City and Jacksonville; only 4-5 Cincinatti who could still content for a playoff spot., although that is falling fast.

With the rest of the AFC at either 3-6 or 2-7, I don't see any of those teams reaching the playoffs, except for maybe Pittsburgh, who are probably the best team with a 3-6 record. I see them with a playoff chance because they still have games to play against Cleveland (2), Cinci (1) and Baltimore (2). These divisional games alone could actually see this team reach the playoffs. With their next two games on the road and against divisional teams (Cleveland and Baltimore) it could change the complexion of this division.

Every week the playoff outlook changes and when you thought Jacksonville was going to be a strong canidate for the playoffs, they get beaten by Houston, and just when you though KC was also picking up steam, they lose to the Dolphins.

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The NFC picture is much more confusing but in my eyes the Top 5 are:

1. Bears
2. Seahawks
3. Saints
4. Giants
5. Eagles/Panthers (tied)

There is no questioning that Chicago has the NFC home-field locked up, considering they have it really easy. Outside their next two matches against the Jets and Patriots, they rest all have losing records. In fact, Chicago's last 7 oppenents are a combined 27-36. Seattle's last 7 (counting San Fran twice) is 29-34. So if Chicago does not finish 1st, then they do not deserve the hype.

While Seattle, New Orleans and Giants are all 6-3, Seattle is 2nd because of the easier schedule even though New Orleans is currently #2 in the conference on their better Conference record of 5-1 to Seattle and New York's 5-2 records. I like New Orleans to surprise, but looking at their schedule of teams, they face some tough opposition with a combine record of 32-31; with teams like Atlanta, Dallas, New York and Carolina with all playoff hopes.

The New York Football Giants don't have it much easier either with their opposition with a 31-32 record. New York goes on the road for their next two games (in Jacksonville then in Tennessee) and in order to stay on top of their division will have to win both games. I do not know what happened to New York on Sunday night. They led for most of that game and then just imploded. Did they have to balance out their other lop-sided games. Right now, I could see them losing this division if they led their guard down.

As for the wild-card, this is extremely interesting since we have 4 teams with winning records and 4 teams with just below .500 records. This week I like Carolina and Phili, but this changes every week and next week I could see two new teams with wild-card hopes.

Everyone (except for Seattle and Oakland) have played half the season of football and now it's time to see who I feel will still be a factor in January. I am not going to look at every single team, but only those that at this point in time could be a playoff team in the 2nd half of the season.

Let's start in the AFC

EAST

New England = Contender

While Tom Brady had a horrible game last night against the Colts, not all blame could be placed on him. Two of his picks were tipped passes and when that happens, the QB shouldn't be faulted for that. This loss was more on the poor play of the Defence who can be extremely incredible (against Minnesota and Cinci) or extremely poor (against Indy). The Patriots' next two matches are at home against the Jets and on the road in Green Bay. I'm looking for them to win those two games before playing host to Chicago. At the end of the season I predict that New England will finish with a 12-4 record but will not finish worse than 11-5. The real question will be are they resting an extra week or playing a Wild-Card team?

New York Jets = Pretender

In my opinion, out of the three other teams in this division, the Jets have the best chance at finishing behind the Patriots but I doubt they'll be a playoff team, unless other wild-card teams start losing games. While the Jets do have games against the Texans and Raiders, they also have some tough contests hosting the Bears and visits to Green Bay and Minniapolis. I predict the best The Jets finish is 8-8 but more realistically, they wll probably finish 7-9, enough for second (Bills should finish 6-10 while the Dolphins will probably finish 5-11 or 4-12)

NORTH

Baltimore Ravens = Contenders (but not fully there yet)

Before the season started I predicted that Baltimore would win this tough group. Mind you, I also expected Pittsburgh to be much better than they are now. While I like McNair at Quarterback, this team for the 2nd straight week took an early lead, sat on it and let their opposition comeback. Cinci were able to force Baltimore to 4 field goals after giving up 14 points in the first quarter (and half of that on an INT return). Baltimore are still relying too heavily on their great defence to win them games and later in the season it's not going to be enough for them to do much in the playoffs. In the end, Baltimore will probably finish 11-5 and host a wild-card team. Their chances of advancing afterwards is dependant on their offence controlling the ball and getting the necessary scores.

Cincinnati Bengals = Pretenders

When I was watching the Halftime show on NBC's Sunday night coverage the small snippet of Chad Johnson was priceless in showing his emotion. While he almost didn't speak a word, his eyes gave you more than enough understand of how he feels right now...like garbage. This team on paper should be amongst the best in the league. They have two great receivers in CJ and TJ, a strong runningback in Rudi Johnson and Carson Palmer is going to be a great quarterback for years to come. But this defence with all it's off-field problems is what's hurting this team from winning games. They give up too many points to their opposition and when you can't even win home games, you know there is something wrong. At 4-4, their chances of making the playoffs are slim-to-none. They won't be winning this division unless Baltimore slips-up and with my prediction of a 9-7 finish will not be enough to get even a wild-card spot. At least Bengal fans can look at the positive of another winning season but need to address their defence problems with some free-agent pick-ups.

SOUTH

Indianpolis Colts = Contender

Not much to say here. The road to the Miami should go through the RCA Dome. But for Indy to anything they need to lose a game within the next two-three games. Forget trying to go 16-0, it would be better for this team to lose a game or two now rather than later on. If they can lose to Dallas on week 11, they can go into the last few games resting players and properly planning for their Divisional game. But when looking that their schedule and having beaten New England, the Dallas game and the game in Jacksonville could be the only two games this team could lose. So expect either a 14-2 or a 15-1 season for the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars = Pretenders (just missing out)

So I predict the Jags will miss the playoffs. After a great start to the season, the second half the season is going to be much more difficult for this team. With matches against teams like the Gitans, Colts, Patriots and Chiefs this team will be praying to get into the playoffs. While they are pretenders, the could still make the wild-card spot but only if the Wild West doesn't get end up how I predict. Final prediction for Jacksonville is at best 10-6 but probably 9-7.

WEST

Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos = Contenders

I've group all three of these teams togther because of the fact that this division is going to end up being so interesting. To the shock of myself and the rest of the world. I see not Denver or San Diego winning this division but rather the Kansas City Chiefs being the victors in this division. From this point on the Chiefs have the easier schedule of the three. They swept the NFC west, have winnable games against Miami and Cleveland and they have two more games against Oakland. right there that should be 4 wins, giving them 9, then they have a home game against Denver, which should they should win (now at 10) then they host both Baltimore and Jacksonville late in the season. The game against Baltimore could be a toss up but this KC offense isn't anything Baltimore has faced this season and Jacksonville being the season finale could be a sure win if Jacksonville are out of the playoff hunt. San Diego will give KC a loss but it should be their only one in the 2nd half. With that, KC finishes 12-4 and a Bye in the playoffs. Will they go far after that, no, but making the playoffs alone gives them street cred

But all you Broncos and Chargers fans, fear not; your two teams will each get Wild-Card spots with 11-5 records. Both teams still need to face NFC West's Seattle Seahawks and I could see Denver winning but San Diego losing. Also, SD have had quite a few close games and that could also be problematic in the 2nd half considering they have road games in Cinci and Denver and the game in Buffalo could also be a toss up.

As for Denver, they will get the #5 seed as their better division record over the Chargers should be enough to get a match against Baltimore.

 

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So here is my predictions for the playoffs:

#6 San Diego Chargers v #3 New England Patriots = New England wins

#5 Denver Broncos v #4 Baltimore Ravens = Denver wins

#5 Denver Broncos v #1 Indianapolis Colts = Denver wins

#3 New England Patriots v #2 Kansas City Chiefs = New England wins

#5 Denver Broncos v #3 New England Patroits = New England wins

 

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NFC

EAST

NY Giants = Contenders

The New York Football Giants, winning games they should have lost (against the Eagles) , winning games as road underdogs (against the Falcons) but only squeeking by teams they should be running over (Houston Texans). Considering this team started the season 1-2, they have gone on fire with 5 straight wins and are undefeated in their division. The key for them now is to continue this trend going into the 2nd half of the season. Realstically, I see the Giants finishing the season 11-5, they've got three tough games against Chicago at home, and Carolina and Washington on the road. Those three should/could be losses and their game against Jacksonville is a toss-up. What also helps New York is that they have 2 out of their 3 division games at home and that could be enough to win the division and earn a bye. The only thing stopping them from that Bye is the NFC South.

Dallas Cowboys = Pretenders

Had Dallas won their game against Washington yesterday, this section would be a bit different, but now that Dallas is 4-4, they will be hard-pressed to win 10 games to get into the playoffs. They do not have it easy: with games still to play against New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa not to mention divisional games in New York and at home against Phili, the Cowboys will be lucky to get a record of 5-3 in the 2nd half. They should win next week against Arizona and their last game of the season against Detroit should be wins, but it will not be enough to go through. I predict 8-8 with the best possible finish 9-7

Philadelphia Eagles = Pretenders (but maybe a playoff berth)

Two teams really needed the bye for week 8 and the Eagles must be glad they got it now. They can rest players, Donte Stallworth should be back and their offense will thrive now; but the 2nd half is going to be much more difficult for them. Home games against the Titans and Redskins should be victories, their other two home games the Panthers and Falcons are toss-ups while their 4 roads games, which include 3 straight aginst divisional opponents will be the deciding factor if this team reaches the playoffs. In the end I also see this team finishing 8-8 but a 9-7 finish isn't out of the question. They should finish ahead of Dallas on better divsional record, but still might not be enough to make the playoffs.

NORTH

Chicago Bears = Contenders

I was quite surprised that Chicago lost to Miami at home, and it definately gave a wake-up call to the Bears and the rest of the league. It just goes to show that Miami watched the Zona game and replicated it but didn't fall apart. Rex Grossman will ultimately decide how well this team finishes the season. While he isn't the worse quarterback in the league, he's definately not as good as everyone was hyping him at the beginning of the season. Teams now know how to beat the bears and I see losses occuring now for them. They'll probably lose only 2 or 3 of their next 8 games and should finish with a 12-4 or 13-3 record and the number #1 seed, but come playoffs, will Grossman be able to lead this team when they need him the most? I don't know.

Minnesota Vikings = Contenders (but losing their cred)

Another situation where had they won this week would be in a viewed in a very different light. But losing to San Fran in a game with only field goals is really bad. This is the same team that destroyed Seattle at Qwest Field. But this is typical Vikings behavior in the 21st century. Great starts overshadowed by horrible finishes. The Vikings in my eyes should be able to go 9-7 considering they have games at home against Green Bay, Arizona, The Jets and Rams, but their road games against Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay could be losses. The toss-up here is the road game against Miami. If the Vikings can win at least 2 road games and all their homes games, they will reach the playoffs with a 10-6 record, but if they can only manage one win and finish 9-7, it might not be enough.

SOUTH

New Orleans Saints = Contenders / Atlanta Falcons = Contenders /Carolina Panthers = Pretenders

Like the AFC West, the NFC South will be a very tough division and like West, I see three teams duking it out, but only two will go further. I see Carolina finishing 8-8 considering they have a pretty tough 2nd half with games aginst Phili and Washington on the road, divisional games in New Orleans and Atlanta to finish the season. Those four games could end up being losses meaning the best Carolina would finish is 8-8 and nowhere near a playoff spot.

As for New Orleans and Atlanta, I see both making the playoffs but I see Atlanta edging the Saints for the division crown. These two teams meet @ week 12 and the winner here will ultimately win the division. If the Saints can pull off the road win, they will win the division but if Atlanta wins, give them the division. New Orleans also have road games against New York Giants, Pittsburgh and Dallas which should also help Atlanta win the division. So I see Atlanta finishing 11-5 and New Orleans with the #5 spot for the Wild-Card game

WEST

Rams = Pretenders

St. Louis needed to win against Kansas City more than other game. They are now 4-4 and next week visit Seattle which could end up being the division decider. Having lost already 3 in a row won't help this team which really needs the confidence and with a tough schedule still to play with two straight road games in Seattle then against the Panthers could put St. Louis at 4-6 and no real shot of coming back. I really do not see their three straight home games as being enough help considering they still would have to face Washington and Minnesota to finish the season. The best the Rams will finish is 7-9 but an 8-8 finish isn't out of the question. BUT...tonight's game involving Seattle could change things

Seattle = Contenders (but unfairly)

This could change quickly if Seattle blow a home game against Oakland. At this moment, if Seattle wins and goes to 5-3, I only see them losing 1 more game the rest of the season (in Denver). This team should be able to win the other games agaisnt teams like San Fran, Arizona, Tampa and Green Bay and if they beat St. Louis next week, can lock up the division. The question for this team is injuries. With Hasselbeck still doubtful against the Rams, this team will be banking that Seneca Wallace has meshed with the offense that he can get enough points against the Rams. If Alexander is back for that game, it will also help relieve some pressure on him as the Rams will be thinking to stop the running attack, thus opening up the pass. The Seahawks have what should be the best Wide Receiving core in the NFC and if the runningbacks can control the ball, earn from first-downs, the defence should be able to do their part. What will #### off a lot of people in the end is that I still predict that Seattle will finish 12-4 and earn the 2nd seed, but I do not see them taking it very far.

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Here is my predictions for the NFC Playoffs

#6 Minnesota Vikings v #3 New York Giants = New York wins

#5 New Orleans Saints v #4 Atlanta Falcons = Atlanta wins

#4 Atlanta Falcons v #1 Chicago Bears = Chicago wins

#3 New York Giants v #2 Seattle Seahawks = Seattle wins

#2 Seattle Seahawks v #1 Chicago Bears = Chicago wins

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So there you have it, my predictions for the 2nd half of the season. A couple of surprises but in the end I predict a New England v Chicago Super Bowl. Who wins, I'm putting my money on Brady.

Well looking at my old superstition it continued again this week. I watched the entire game with my buddy (the Chief's fan) and look what happened, a loss. But considering that KC should have won the game early in the 3rd, I can't complain about the end result. Seattle's secondary is still in need of some work, but even the rushing defence was unable to do anything. I know Larry Johnson is a great player, but the defence was a joke as they were unable to stop him; they even had a hard time stopping Michael Bennett who came on a few times to give LJ some rest. Thankfully San Diego helped Seattle by defeating St. Louis keeping Seattle in first place, but with a very unimpressive 4-3 record.

Next week, I too become a Chief's fan as the battle of Missouri occurs. With KC only one game behind Denver and definately in a wild-card position, they will be playing this game with the focus of continuing their winning ways. I think they will have a hard t