Right off the top, I’m going to pick against the popular trend for the 2010-2011 season. In fact my Super Bowl picks completely defy the odds, and I’m almost 100% certain, that nobody else on the continent is going with my selections. So with that in mind, I am picking the Indianapolis Colts ( I am biased……. I am a Colts fan ) to beat the New Orleans Saints in this years championship. Indy will win the game 33- 26.
I don’t need to be reminded, because I already know, that the teams who make it to the Super Bowl sometimes don’t even get back into the post season, but I don’t care. Both teams are still very good, and besides, when was the last time that the Colts weren’t thought of as a team that had the potential to get to a Super Bowl ? It’s been a long time !!!
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the Colts first round draft pick, Jerry Hughes, a 6’2”, 255lb. defensive end from Texas Christian University. He is said to have similar skills to Dwight Freeney, who partners with Robert Mathis on the other side, but is not as difficult to defend as Freeney is.
The Colts always have a chance as long as Peyton Manning is quarterback. If he gets hurt, they’ve got no chance at all. He’s already among the greatest of all time, even though he only has the one Super Bowl win, and his intercepted pass clinched the win for New Orleans, with time winding down in the fourth quarter last February. Quite frankly, if both Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders had been healthy for the big game last year, the Colts would have won it for sure.
Sean Payton is a very innovative and bright coach, who knows that it is difficult for championship teams, to stay motivated after winning it all. I think he began planning for that dilemma, the day after the Saints won the Super Bowl, and because he is an unconventional coach, I think it is not that far of a stretch, to suggest that he might be able to get the Lords of Louisiana, back to the promised land of professional football. Drew Brees is similar to Peyton Manning, in that he can dominate a game and carry a team on his back. Last year’s team led the NFL in takeaways, with 39, and that explains, along with the Super Bowl win of course, the impact of Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, considering that the Saints were 8-8 the season before
Realistically, their is a lot of parity in the NFL now, so there are other teams that you could make a case for as well, in terms of being good enough to win a Super Bowl this year.
The Green Bay Packers are among those teams, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on the verge of joining the upper echelon of that position, as he too can put a team on his back and lead to them to big wins. I hear they made a very wise selection with their third round draft pick, Morgan Burnett, a 6’1” safety, from Georgia Tech, who should help improve their defensive secondary.
The Dallas Cowboys are another legitimate choice for Super Bowl glory this year. Tony Romo’s idol was Brett Favre. Whether or not Romo can match his success in playoff games on a continuing basis, remains to be seen. Romo certainly is willing to take his chances in a game on risky plays, just as Favre has done through his career. Concern has been expressed by some, that the running backs, Felix Jones and Marion Barber, did not have good training camps.
The New York Jets are also a popular pick for the Super Bowl, and now that they have re-signed cornerback Darrelle Revis, arguably the very best at his position in the NFL, their bandwagon will certainly swell. I still think that quarterback Mark Sanchez still has some maturing to do, before the Jets are ready to take that next step.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are behind the 8 ball for a few reasons. Big Ben has to sit for his 4 game suspension, so they have to go with inexperienced Dennis Dixon, to go along with an aging receiving crop, although Mike Wallace is a good young player. The Steelers are also in a very tough division,as the Ravens are certainly good enough to get to a Super Bowl, as Joe Flacco has won 3 of 5 playoff starts,and with the addition of Anquan Boldin, the offense received a huge upgrade. Of course the defense inspires fear in many, with the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The Bengals added Terrel Owens so their offense is potentially more dangerous,depending on how he gets along with everyone. Cincinnati has also been getting props, for drafting wide receiver Jordan Shipley from Texas, who is regarded as having solid potential.
For San Diego fans, even though the Chargers are the best in the division, the contract disputes with Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeill and wideout Vincent Jackson, could prove to be costly to the tough luck team. General Manager A.J. Smith, is a very smart evaluator of talent, as a former protégé of Bill Polian, when they were assembling those 4 Buffalo Bills teams, that made it in succession to the Super Bowl. He is also regarded as being very tough, and that includes in scenarios like contract negotiations.
The Vikings would also be a good pick for a Super Bowl win,but the absence of Sidney Rice leaves big shoes to be filled, and even with Brett Favre, I think his absence will prove to be very costly, while he recuperates from hip surgery in the first half of the season. Add to that the migraine headache problems of Percy Harvin, and it looks like an overwhelmingly difficult task, for even the greatest of quarterbacks.
It almost goes without saying, that the New England Patriots are a good bet to go all the way and claim another title. I still think they are hurting a little, from the loss of leadership of former key personnel, like Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel.
Even with defensive end Julius Peppers, I wouldn’t pick the Bears to get to a Super Bowl. He wasn’t kept in Carolina because of inconsistency in his effort. They didn’t think he was worth the money. Quarterback Jay Cutler has all kinds of talent, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he played last season. He has a lot to prove this year, in terms of character and ability.
PICKS FOR WEEK ONE:
Vikings at Saints: For the reasons I stated in the preview, regarding the Minnesota injuries, the Saints will prevail by 24-20.
Lions at Bears: Detroit made some very good picks in the draft,with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska, and running back Jahvid Best from California. They will give Chicago their money’s worth, but not enough for an upset. Chicago wins 30-27.
Raiders at Titans: Oakland is getting better, but not at a level with the Titans just yet. Tennessee tops Oakland 20-17.
Dolphins at Bills: Buffalo had the second best pass defense in the NFL last season. They’re just not good enough elsewhere to get to the playoffs. Miami 24-Buffalo 17.
Falcons at Steelers: Pittsburgh is pretty tough at home most of the time, but they are vulnerable at quarterback for now. Atlanta 23- Pittsburgh 21.
Broncos at Jaguars: Denver should be able to win this one, and by a score of 31- 20.
Colts at Texans: Houston will probably have a lead in the 4th quarter and blow it in the last 5 minutes. Indy 38 Houston 30
Panthers at Giants: The other Manning will also win on Sunday by 34-24.
Bengals at Patriots: A very entertaining match. The Brady bunch wins this one 23-20.
Browns at Buccaneers: Tampa Bay’s rookie wide receiver, Mike Williams, out of Syracuse,will start to show why he will win offensive rookie of the year honors. Tampa 27 Cleveland 17
Arizona at St.Louis: Sam Bradford looks like he’s going to be a pretty good quarterback one day. His team still needs to get better. Arizona will be a shadow of the squad they were the last few years. Rams 24 Cardinals 20.
49rs at Seahawks: San Francisco 21- Seattle 20
Packers at Eagles: Green Bay 38- Philadelphia 17
Dallas at Washington: Cowboys 28 Redskins 16
Ravens at Jets: New York 21 Baltimore 20
Chargers at Chiefs: San Diego 31 Kansas City 14.