In baseball, if a hitter hits over .300 then he is considered a phenomenal success. Think about it, baseball is the only sport where being successful 3 out of 10 times is a great thing. As a pitcher if you amass 300 wins, you are considered to be an all-time great, with longevity and willpower being main reasons for your success.
Here at ETSF, I realize that my articles are great about 3 of every 10 times and that my 300th post doesn't reflect any longevity and willpower that I have. My 300th post just means that, like the movie, I'm a savage with my appreciation for sports and competition. How else do you think that I'm able to write 3-5 posts a week? LOL...that's why 3 out of 10 are only good.
With that being said, September is coming right around the corner and that means football is literally right around the corner. Call me nuts, but I have a 5 bold predictions for this pro football season...most of these will be wrong, but maybe it'll make you think...and no it won't be 300 of 'em lol...
1. The Seattle Seahawks will win 10+ games in 2009 and win the NFC West. From 2003-07, the Seahawks went 51-29, made 5 straight playoff appearances, 4 straight NFC West titles, and a super bowl appearance. Historically, Seattle was one of the most ravaged teams by injury in football history. The Seahawks got one of the top WR free-agents in '09 (Houshmandzadeh) and the top defensive player in the draft (Aaron Curry). Plus, Matt Hasselbeck is back, and when you can get a 3-time pro-bowler healthy and back in your lineup, your team is vastly improved. Seattle goes 11-5 in '09...
2. Maurice Jones-Drew will gain 1000+ yards rushing and 1000+ yards receiving this season. After looking at their schedule (paired with the NFC West), the loss of Fred Taylor to the Patriots, and the lack of big-time playmakers on the Jaguars offense, MJD is about to be running wild in '09. The 1,000 yards rushing will come easy, the 1,000 receiving? Well, he averages about 500/season...but again with being the only real featureback in Jax, that number should go up in '09...
3. The New England Patriots will go 15-1 in '09...and I'm probably being lenient with the Patriots. They have pretty much the same team that they had in '07, and they've added Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway, and Fred Taylor? WTF...their defense has gotten faster, and Brady comes back healthy from his knee injury in early '08. 16-0 could be a reality, but I have a feeling Belichek pulls off the dogs in week 17 and lets the loss sting a bit.
4. This season will be the end of Jake Delhomme. I'm not saying that the Panthers will fall in the tank, because they won't. They have a great rushing attack, decent playmakers on the outside, and a stout defense. However, in witnessing Carolina's self-destruction against Arizona was the writing on the wall that I personally have seen coming for a couple of years. Jake Delhomme is done. He threw like 37 interceptions in that playoff game and he looked horrible. How long has Steve Smith and that running game bailed him out? I can guarantee that in the 2010 draft, the Panthers will be looking closely at Sam Bradford, Jevan Sneed, or Colt McCoy.
5. The Washington Redskins will go 5-11 in 2009. Yeah I said it, The $100 million dollar investment known as Albert Haynesworth will not make a difference in this football team. Jason Campbell is an average QB at best. Clinton Portis still has about 2 years left but that o-line hasn't improved, and God bless Santana Moss but he needs some help, can Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas step up to the plate? Can Campbell even get it to 'em? Also, who do you fear on that defense? RIP to Sean Taylor but I'm not afraid of anyone on that team. I have no faith in Washington's coach Jim Zorn, I mean he was a SPECIAL TEAMS coach! 5-11 might be a nice suggestion, since they gotta go thru Dallas, Philadelphia, and New York this season.
BONUS - T.O. will have another great season in Buffalo. He's done it in Dallas and Philadelphia in his first year and he'll do it again in Buffalo. Sign him up for 80 catches, 1100 yards, and 8 TDs. Put it on the boooooooooooooooooard, YES!
Question: Got any NFL 2009 predictions of your own?
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