Nick's 2011 NFL Predictions

Here are my annual NFL predictions. Please try to contain your laughter.

AFC

East

1. New York

2. New England

3. Buffalo

4. Miami

I like the Jets to finally unseat New England in the East. Sanchez is entering year three and hopefully for his sake takes a step forward. This team wins with defense and running the ball and they should be good in both areas again. The Patriots are aging. I know everyone likes the Ochocinco and Haynesworth signings but, I am not 100% sold on either guy. The running game is also a question mark. I may be high, but I like a lot of what the Bills are doing. Watch for Thigpen take over at QB at some point. I think they are heading in the right direction. This very well could be a re-building year for the Dolphins. Reggie Bush is not an every down back. I see them taking a step back.

North

1. Baltimore

2. Pittsburgh

3. Cleveland

4. Cincinnati

I really like what the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh are building. The D is always good and they at long last look like they have some weapons on offense. I think they take over the North this year. The Steelers will as always be right in the thick of everything. They run the ball well and play good defense which is always a winning combination. The Browns are starting to show some promise. I like what Mike Holmgren is doing there. They still have a ways to go but in a year or two this team may start winning on a consistent basis. The Bengals are a mess. Palmer “retiring” kills any slim chance they had at competing. A look at the roster and you wonder how they will win any games.

South

1. Indianapolis

2. Houston

3. Tennessee

4. Jacksonville

It may be a rough year for the Colts if Manning is not 100%. But, this guy is a gamer and always seems to answer the bell. I am not enamored enough with anyone else to pick against them. The Texans have for the last couple of seasons looked like they were on the brink of making the playoffs. But that defense is so bad that it has killed any chances they might have had. This year they again look like an eight win team. They seem to be running in place. A lot of people are going to pick against the Titans and I understand why. If CJ holds out they are toast. But, I think eventually he plays and I like the Hasselback pick up as a stop gap. They may surprise some people this year. The Jaguars seem to be like a yo-yo one year good, the next bad. Last year they made a surprising run at the division but flamed out the last couple of weeks. I could be wrong but, I just don’t see this team competing week in week out with the better teams in the league.

West

1. San Diego

2. Oakland

3. Kansas City

4. Denver

How the Chargers did not win this division last year is beyond me. Top ranked offense and defense and only a 9-7 record to show for it. I see a bounce back year. The Raiders have talent but the QB position as always is a question. Why they got rid of their most effective passer in Gradkowski is beyond me. The Chiefs played over their heads last year and took advantage of an easy schedule. I can’t see them getting all those breaks once again. The Broncos are rid of Josh McDaniels that is a good thing. But they still have a ways to go to get back to respectability. Also, Tebow will never be an effective NFL QB.

NFC

East

1. Philadelphia

2. Dallas

3. New York

4. Washington

It is all on Mike Vick’s shoulders for the Eagles. If he plays like he did last year, they cruise to the division crown. But, if he takes a step back they could be in for a surprise. I still think they win out. Everyone is sleeping on the normally loud Cowboys. Once Romo went down they were toast and even when he was there they were not playing that great. I think they may be laying in the weeds a bit. They could challenge the Eagles for the crown. The Giants are a good team but, seem to always shoot themselves in the foot. They could make the playoffs if all the chips fall right, but somehow I doubt it. The Redskins are considering starting Rex Grossman. That is all I need to say about them.

North

1. Green Bay

2. Detroit

3. Chicago

4. Minnesota

The Packers are still sad to say the class of the North. They had a ton of injuries last year and still won the super bowl. That is scary. The Lions are a trendy playoff pick this year, but I still tend to think they are a year away. But, there is light at long last at the end of the tunnel. The Bears had every possible break go their way last season. That won’t happen again. That O-line is going to get Cutler killed. The Vikings are paying now for putting all their eggs in Favre’s basket. McNabb has little left in the tank. This could be a long year for them.

South

1. New Orleans

2. Atlanta

3. Tampa Bay

4. Carolina

Everyone forgets that the Saints are still a pretty good football team. I think Ingram will help the offense and they get back to their winning ways. Everyone is picking the Falcons and that team is still very good. But, I wonder sometimes about the makeup. They laid an egg in the playoffs last year. The Buccaneers made a run last year and I really like a lot of the parts of this team. They play in a tough division but I think they might sneak in to the playoffs. The Panthers are re-building. They can run the ball but Cam Newton to me has Jamarcus Russell written all over him.

West

1. Arizona

2. St. Louis

3. San Francisco

4. Seattle

I love the Kolb pickup for the Cardinals. With him leading the offense, I think they win a very weak division. A lot of the experts are picking the Rams. They snuck up on a lot of people last year and I wonder what will happen now that they have the expectations. They are still a young team. The 49’ers got rid of Singletary and brought in Harbaugh that was a good move. However, still pinning your hopes that Alex Smith will lead you is foolish. How many lives has this guy got? The Seahawks were the worst team to ever make the playoffs in my opinion. Tavaris Jackson is not the answer and they will take a huge step back this year.

Playoffs

AFC

Pittsburgh over Indianapolis

San Diego over New England

Baltimore over Pittsburgh

New York over San Diego

Baltimore over New York

NFC

Green Bay over Tampa Bay

Atlanta over Arizona

New Orleans over Atlanta

Green Bay over Philadelphia

New Orleans over Green Bay

Super Bowl

Baltimore over New Orleans

The Letter I Sent to Tom Ricketts

Dear Mr. Ricketts,

I have been a Cubs fan all of my life. I am now 41 and have lived and died with this team on a day in day out basis. I am on the season ticket waiting list and have for the past number of years bought into some sort of ticket package be it the 13 game or 7 game plans. On top of that I usually go to about 5 – 10 more games throughout the year. I would say I average about 20 home dates a year.

I love going to Wrigley Field and I love watching the Cubs. However, I cannot with a clear conscience see a way to go back to Wrigley next year if you bring Jim Hendry back. This is not a personal attack as I don’t know the man personally. I am sure he is a nice guy and good person. But sports are a results driven business, and when you look at the results it is clear that Mr. Hendry, in his nine years at the helm has not been able to produce a consistent winner.

I know all about 07 and 08. What should be clear is that those seasons were nice flare ups. For the money the team puts into its payroll the Cubs should have by now built a consistent winner. That means we are in contention year in year out. All you need to look at is what the Cardinals do. Maybe they don’t make the playoffs every year but you don’t see them lose 90 in a season either.

The talent is not there and when the talent is not there you have to look at the person who is responsible for assembling that talent and then look at the people whose job it is to harness that talent. I could list numerous reasons for why Mr. Hendry should no longer be GM. But, all one needs to look at is the state of the organization. This isn’t about one bad signing or one bad trade. No GM has a golden touch, I understand that. But, when you look at the body of work Mr. Hendry has failed more then he has succeeded.

So, I can’t like I said justify spending the money that I spend on this team next year if Mr. Hendry comes back. To me that would be the ultimate betrayal of all loyal Cub fans out there. I will not go to any games until he is gone. I know my couple of grand that I spend on food, beer and tickets is nothing in the overall scheme of things, but at some point the fans have to take a stand.

I was very happy the day your family bought the team. I still am and I know you want to put a winner on the field. I know Rome was not built in a day. However, you have had two years now to look at this ballclub and I would think it is abundantly clear that this team has no direction and lacks the prospects to re-build any time soon. No one person can be blamed for the mess the team is now but, it all starts at the top and he needs to take responsibility for the mess that was made while he was in charge. Actions have consequences and by letting Jim Hendry continue to run this ballclub beyond this season would defy basic logic.

Sincerely,

Nick Francone