NFL Picks Here is a bold one: The combatants within the Super Bowl would be the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys, and the Patriots will win.
Why? The Patriots will be there because they are probably the most prepared in a season where most teams will require an extra 2 or 3 games to catch up. Also, using the loss to the Ny Jets hanging over them from last year's playoffs, they will be anxious for payback.
2012 Super Bowl PicksAnd speaking of the Jets, the Patriots will beat them in the AFC Conference Championship game. This is the way life works. Win a large game unexpectedly twelve months - lose a similar game the next year.
And who will the Cowboys beat in the NFC Conference Championship game? The underdog of underdogs - the Detroit Lions. Yes, I'm predicting the Lions will catch a few breaks and win a few games.
It would be no fun to choose a rematch from the Gambling and the Packers, although entering the season, they both look like they could repeat.
Divisional winners within the AFC is going to be Tom Brady and his New England Patriots within the East, with Mark Sanchez and also the Jets being a wild card team from the division. The Cleveland Browns, under the leadership of Colt McCoy, will win the brutal AFC Central division. Of course, Payton Manning and the Gambling will win the South, and maybe surprisingly, the Gambling will win the AFC West. Who will the 2nd wild card team be? The Baltimore Ravens, of course.
2012 Super Bowl OddsDivisional winners in the NFC East would be the resurgent Cowboys, with Tony Romo back in place. The Packers will win the Central, but the Lions will get in via the wild card. Sam Bradford will lead the St. Louis Rams to some West Division title, and also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will fill up the South. The 2nd wild card team will be the boring old Gambling.
NFL picksThe Cowboys will be undervalued this season simply because they were overvalued last year. Super Bowl winners from the previous year are always overvalued, much like the losers. Conventional wisdom on up and coming supports teams such as the Jets, but CW usually is a big miss. This leaves people like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to guide steady but very slow charges with the season and also the playoffs.
Trends lead to upsets, and I usually attempt to follow these trends. The Browns might have been 12-4 this past year, and while they've new coaches, a new offense along with a new defense, it looks pretty clear the new regime is seriously interested in winning sooner then later, and since the Steelers and also the Ravens are due for a fall, picking the Browns is not a stretch.
Finally, the Detroit Lions need to bring it all together. The talent is young. It's there. Why not this year rather than next?
So there you have it for this year's predictions. Let's talk next February and we'll find out if I can do it two years in a row.