America's Game

With all due respect to baseball fans out there, America's real pass time is the National Football League. Weekends in the fall are booked for many guys with high school games Friday nights, college games on Saturdays and pro games on Sundays. There can really be no doubt that America is a football nation.

I am one of the proud football fans out there. I love football. I have no trouble getting lost in games on Sunday afternoons and evenings, and I find myself excited as it gets closer to opening day. It's fair to say that Sunday — the first week of the NFL season — will be practically an unofficial holiday. And tomorrow night, when the NFL season begins with Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings battling Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints, it will be nuts.

In fact, when I saw an ad today for a Templeton Chamber of Commerce mixer scheduled for tomorrow night, I predicted a total attendance of three. And I was only kind of joking. In America, football is king.

And as the the season begins, there are probably 25 out of 32 teams that believe they have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. That's what makes the NFL so rare. Consider, for a moment, that the Saints failed to make the playoffs in 2008 and ended up winning the Super Bowl the following season. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who won the Super Bowl after the 2008 season, failed to make the playoffs last season. That's how crazy the NFL is — it's a wide open league.

But as we sit on the cusp of the happiest sporting season of the year, I figured I'd offer a few fearless predictions about this season.

AFC
East — The Jets are a trendy pick, the Patriots have historically been strong, the Miami Dolphins are coming on, and the Buffalo Bills are an after thought. I think the Jets will win the East, but the Pats and Dolphins will be strong.

South — The Colts are the perennial favorites, but the Titans and Texans should be competitive as well. Not so much for the Jaguars.

North — Pittsburgh will suffer without Ben Roethlisberger, who is suspended for four games. The Baltimore Ravens should be the division's best, but the Cincinnati Bengals will compete. The Cleveland Browns will be a tough out, but their still not there.

West — The Chargers slipped a bit, but no one else in the division is too great. And I say that as a die-hard Denver Broncos fan. The Raiders could compete down the stretch, but the Chiefs and Broncos are in for long years.

Playoff teams:
East Champ — Jets
South Champ — Titans
North Champ — Ravens
West Champ — Chargers
Wild Card — Colts and Texans

NFC
East — The toughest division to call. All four teams — Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, and Giants — could be playoff teams. The Cowboys have some extra motivation to make it deep into the playoffs with the Super Bowl set for Dallas this season.

South — The Saints are still the division's best, but the Falcons should be better and the Carolina Panthers are always a wild card. Tampa Bay is not really a legitimate contender.

North — The Packers and the Vikings have gotten all the press. It's hard to tell how good the Bears really are and, even though the Lions will be better, they are still not playoff ready.

West — None of these four teams is impressive. The Cardinals took huge steps backward, the 49ers improved, but the question is how much, while the Rams and Seahawks are long shots to reach .500.

Playoff Teams:
East Champ: Cowboys
South Champ: Saints
North Champ: Packers
West Champ: 49ers
Wild Cards: Vikings, Redskins

Super Bowl: Packers and Ravens.

We'll see how it plays out, beginning Thursday night.

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