Kickoff 2006

... and Football's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

ahhh ... another year, another season.

here we are again, perusing websites and magazines, taking notes of names, inadvertently memorizing stats, and playing fantasy football in my head. i don't think i was this giddy for the NBA in recent years.

far be it for me to put all this information together and come up with something clever. who cares? i root for certain teams, read up on interesting articles, watch the games, go nuts on highlight reels and chug the occasional Miller Light. if i spare a buck or two, i buy some fan gear. or two.


speaking of teams, here's who i like this year:
(yeah i always pick 2 teams per division. sue me.)

AFC
Patriots - until Tom Brady retires. its always interesting to see how a Belichick-led Patriot season plays out.
Jets - of course. it seems weird, given the NY vs Boston dynamic of the Yanks-Red Sox. but hey, when the Patriots play them, I'll always pick the Green.
Steelers - until Cowher retires. or maybe 'til Big Ben again rides without a helmet. ok, bad joke.
Bengals - always a trendy pick. Cincinnati is probably a boring city (no offense), so the Bengals are the only good thing going in there.
Jaguars - the second cat-themed team i like. in fact, i usually like 3 out of the 4 cat teams in the NFL. maybe it'll be all 4 this season.
Texans - not having native son Vince Young doesn't diminish the fact that i still like to see them succeed. but you know i'd be keeping one eye on Tennessee.
Chiefs - Priest Holmes, we hardly knew ye. godspeed.
Chargers - the Brees becomes Rivers. good thing we still have LT and Antonio Gates.

NFC
Rams - a new era begins. A New Show on Turf.
Cardinals - yep, i'm dropping the Seattle in favor of Arizona. take that, Mike Holmgren.
Buccaneers - its probably something about Chuckie. yes, its hard to leave out Vick and the Falcons. but i'd still keep an eye out when Vick does his thing.
Panthers - yes, the 3rd cat team. in fact, they're my SuperBowl XLI favorite. if they stay healthy, that is.
Giants - can it be true? that i root for Manning The Younger, but i dislike Manning the Elder?
Redskins - i needed another team, i don't like the Eagles, and B.O., i mean, T.O. is stinking up the joint in Dallas.
Bears - will Rex Grossman finally play a full season? abangan.
Lions - aha. yes, cat teams come full circle. the Vikings are rebuilding, and Favre should've retired a couple of seasons ago. so enter Rod Marinelli and the Detroit Marines, i mean, Lions.


ah, what the heck. To each his fun. and for my prognostications, i just balance whom i want to win with who could really win. the overall tally so far shows that i pick the right ones.

1st and 10 ... Week 1 prognostications


Miami at Pittsburgh ... the Fins want to make a statement. they will.
Atlanta at Carolina ... ditto with the Panthers
Baltimore at Tampa Bay ... Chris Simms takes over completely
Buffalo at New England ... c'mon, this should be easy
Cincinnati at Kansas City ... Carson Palmer should cement his return
Denver at St. Louis ... Broncos have all the tools to get to the SuperBowl
New Orleans at Cleveland ... the Browns will beat Bush ... Reggie Bush that is
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee ... how long til Vince Young takes the field?
Philadelphia at Houston ... Brian Dawkins guaranteed Eagle emotion. let's see.
Seattle at Detroit ... SuperBowl losers need to start strong or else.
Chicago at Green Bay ... rivalry renewed. too bad it isn't much of one anymore.
Dallas at Jacksonville ... just because i don't like T.O.
San Francisco at Arizona ... the 49ers are not there yet
Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants ... the Elder vs the Younger! place your bets!
Minnesota at Washington ... i'd still pick the Redskins to win this despite 0-4 preseason
San Diego at Oakland ... a Raider win will be an upset