Let the games begin this weekend. I can’t wait. The NFL Hall of Fame ceremonies with several greats - Troy Aikman, John Madden, and the late Reggie White - will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Then the start of pre-season games. Life as we know it has returned, sports fans.
So my predictions for the NFL. I think it will be an interesting season, both on the field and off. You have Terrell Owens with this third team in four years in Dallas. Will it work? You have the Steelers trying to repeat without several key pieces from last year’s team, including Jerome Bettis. You have several quarterbacks coming back after injuries in Chad Pennington (Jets), Carson Palmer (Cincy), and Big Ben (Pittsburgh), as well as teams going to new quarterbacks. Off the field, you have the return of NBC airing pro football with Sunday Night Football and ESPN picking up Monday Night Football.
Off the field, I believe Sunday Night Football will overtake Monday Night Football in importance by the end of the year. Monday Night has always been a trademark with fans, but the last few years the product has declined. NBC has put together a good tandem with bringing in Madden and Al Michaels and many other MNF mainstays. The pre-game show will be hosted by Bob Costas, with Bettis and Chris Collinsworth also on the set. With the lead-in of other games on other networks, NBC has the chance to do something great with the game.
I’m not sure about ESPN doing Monday Night Football. I never enjoyed ESPN’s telecasts of the NFL, but I did enjoy Mike Patrick (and no, that’s not just because he’s from West Virginia) on play-by-play. I’ll be interested to see this double-header the first week of the season.
Other predictions -
- The 49ers will continue to be among the worst teams in the NFL, but should show signs of improvement this year. This will be a crucial year for Alex Smith to prove he can be an under-center quarterback, especially if the 49ers end up with the No. 1 pick with Brady Quinn out there for the taking in the draft.
- Must See Games this year: Indianapolis v. New York Giants and Philadelphia v. Dallas. Don’t plan anything on those days. Move your schedule around. Order the pizza from Papa Johns and enjoy because these games should be classic.
As for the playoffs:
AFC
Miami, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Denver, San Diego, New England
NFC
New York, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle, Dallas, Tampa Bay
Super Bowl
Miami v. Carolina - Carolina winners.
