I am not one to believe I am wrong too often. Honestly, I’m pretty self-righteous, so when I begin prognosticating, I’m putting a bit on the line… and the following teams, players, and twists of fate have already ruined it for me…

1) The Patriots. OK, they can be shady. I’m not surprised. I don’t think it’s an uncommon issue in the NFL, and I don’t like it. I also question their treatment of the team itself… I’ve always said Belichick creeped me out. But I also said that I questioned the Pats ability to gel as a team and play as well as they seemed able on paper. I was wrong. Beating the Jets was one thing, but the way they shut down and burned up the Chargers was another. I hate them, but they are a team to beat.

2) The Saints. Granted, it’s only week 2, and it is not the time to declare anyone dead in the water, but I now question my own sanity in picking them to go all the way to the Super Bowl and… win. It’s not that I don’t consider them still capable, it’s just I’m horribly dismayed by the terrible play of an “improved” defense, and the short, conservative approach taken earlier in the game. That’s not what propelled them so far last year. If they don’t start picking it up and playing like a team on a mission, they will leave many people looking stupid.

3) The Falcons. This might have been more wishful thinking, but I really wanted Joey to do well. I really wanted the Falcons to do well. I really thought they might actually do… OK. Now, not only will they make me look silly for picking them to do well, but also because I picked Tennessee and Minnesota to be the worst…

4) Steven Jackson: During my fantasy drafts, Jackson was listed as my #2 selection. He looks lost and vulnerable out there, and with Pace out, I’m suddenly relieved that of my many FF leagues, I never got to draft second.

5) The NFC. I still don’t believe the NFC on the whole is on par with the AFC. It’s just, within the NFC, my rankings were all upside-down, it seems. Darn them.

But there is a silver lining, folks. I’m not wrong all the time. Here’s why…

1) Carson Palmer. I said he would come back to full strength, and the offense would take off in Cincinnati again. I was right. I just didn’t foresee the defense being “give up 51 points to the Browns” bad.

2) The Panthers. I said with a healthy Steve Smith, Delhomme would look good again, and they could make themselves into players in the NFC… which brings us to…

3) The Texans. Looks like Kubs finally has a team this year… and they could rule the NFC. Too bad about not being in there… Still, don’t be surprised if they make waves this year.

4) I said Culpepper would be a great mentor for JaMarcus Russell. If nothing else, it seems like they can share a lot of quality bench time together.

5) I said Denver would be the top of the AFC West… and this week, they are. This may change, as people are quick to point out that last second field goals against so-so teams are not a good sign, and I would sort of agree. Except that I remember many a year where Denver did not play at their own level, but at the level of their opposition. Conservative game play was opted for over putting a team away, and errors could nearly take the game out of their hands. It’s not good for a guy with high blood pressure to watch this sort of thing. But, as the trite saying goes, “A win is a win”. And for anyone claiming Shannahan cheated, it’s called “icing the kicker”, and it’s one of the oldest coaches’ tricks. And for the record, that game proved another part of my season predictions. The Raiders are going to be better than anyone thinks.