A Few Random Thoughts During My Day Of Leisure

The day's work is done, the feet are up and my cup is filled with a nice cold beverage. Life is good---but could be better if the Bruins could find some offense 'cuz I don't like what I'm seeing on the tube right now. (More on that later).

A few days ago, I expertly predicted the running attack and top notch defense of the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! would carry Coach Ryan's to their first Super Bowl bid since 1969. Uh, I'm waffling on that now with kickoff a mere 25 hours away.

As hot as the Jets have been, I can't pick a rookie QB over Peyton Manning. Colts 24-19 in a thriller.

Down in 'Nawlins...........this should be a great game as the good folks get an early start to the Mardi Gras celebration.

The Minny D-line is the best in football and they'll have to be as the secondary could be in for a long day against Drew Brees.
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The crowd will be off-the-charts insane as the 'Aints clinch a Super Bowl berth, 38-27.

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Early candidate for D-Bag of the Year: see Arenas, Gilbert.

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Reason #8,678 that I haven't followed the NBA in a decade.
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To quote George Costanza........Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorence on this thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon... you know, cause I've worked in a lot of offices, and I tell you, people do that all the time."

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Back to the Bruins......yes, Phil Kessel wasn't big on playing defense and his dedication to the team game sucked, but he could light the lamp. The B's got two top draft choices for him from Toronto and I am patiently waiting for the Bruin brass to deal those picks for a sniper (Ilya Kovalchuck???) or the postseason run will be brief, if they qualify.
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Almost time for pitchers and catchers.....NASCAR is getting ready to rev up the engines for another 82-week season. I like the NBA more than NASCAR, soccer too....I know, I've written that in the past. I thought I'd do it again in case anyone forgot (Mike P., Jim).

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Tom Cable is still the coach of the Raiders, for now. I'm checking the internet thrice hourly to see if the madman-who-used-to-be-a-genius has made a move. When you are on the receiving end of a joke by the Buffalo Bills GM Buddy Nix, you know you are in trouble....I'm loyal to a fault, but the last 7 years have been hell as a Raider fan. ...Any chances JaMarcus Russell and Darius Heyward-Bey are practicing their overthrows and drops right now? Hmmm............

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I say we keep the Cable guy but hire an offensive coordinator. Let someone else call the plays. Sad thing is, I don't get a vote, although I deserve one.....Ray Guy got snubbed in the Hall of Famve vote showing the complete stupidity of those involved in the selection process.
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Guy was the best punter in the history of the league. For the naysayers, ever heard of the importance of field position? This guy wasn't an afterthought on the roster, he was a weapon.
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Runner Up for Early Candidate for D-Bag of the Year: see Kiffin, Lane.
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Yeah, that tool will help SC ward off the NCAA vultures with his understanding of rules compliance. Hey, Rocky Top......TOLD YA SO!!!!!!!!!!!

AFC Preview

AFC Preview
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Disclaimer – I promise to be unbiased when making these selections, especially in the AFC West….yeah, right.
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AFC East
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1-New England Patriots – Yeah, this pains me but the Pats are the class of the division, even if Tom Brady is, and always will be, a fumbler.
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2-New York Jets – Mark Sanchez will certainly struggle, but the Jets are the best of the rest in the division after the Pats. Besides, my collegiate humor level allows me to laugh every time I write the Jets will be quarterbacked by The Dirty Sanchez.
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3-Miami Dolphins – Heard this tidbit…when Chad Pennington makes 10 or more starts in a season, his team goes to the playoffs. . That tells me that Chadwick has a tough time staying healthy on a consistent basis. Also, the Fish way, way over-achieved last year.
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4- Buffalo Bills – T.O.’s first year in western NY. By the end of it, he’ll be wishing he was back in Philly with his buddy Donovan and the dog killer.
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AFC North
1-Baltimore Ravens – Great defense and a decent young QB good enough not to screw things up.
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2-Pittsburgh Steelers – The defending champs are the most talented team in the division but my 6th sense tells me Big Ben and the Steelers are going to struggle this year. Call it a hunch.
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3-Cincinnati Bengals – Carson Palmer is healthy and Chad Johnson seems to be playing with a purpose. His new moniker is stupid so it won’t be acknowledged in this spot. The best news for the Bengals is that Cleveland is still in the division.
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4-Cleveland Browns – Ugly, ugly, ugly. At least we get to find out if Brady Quinn can play, if Eric Mangini gives him the reigns to the team.

AFC South
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1-Indianapolis Colts – The chic pick in the division is Houston. Not here. Even without Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, the Colts are the team to beat until someone beats them.
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2-Houston Texans – While I won’t chug the kool-aid as it pertains to Houston, I’ll take a sip. If QB Matt Schaub stays healthy, DE Mario Williams and the defense will lead the Texans to the playoffs.
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3-Tennessee Titans- How this team won 13 games last year with Kerry Collins at QB is beyond me. Albert Haynesworth has moved on to Washington so the defense is significantly weakened. Collins can’t possibly have another year like 2008 and Vince Young still sucks.
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4-Jacksonville Jaguars- The Jags have fallen like a rock since an impressive playoff run in 2007 and the rip cord on the parachute isn’t working. This is a team headed toward a top-five pick in the 2010 draft.
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AFC West
1-San Di..... – Oakland Raiders – Ha! Didn’t think I was really going to do that, did you? JaMarcus Russell will come of age and Darren McFadden will have a monster year. If Richard Seymour reports, the Raider defense will be significantly improved. Nnamdi Asomugha is a stud in the secondary and Tom Cable will kick any naysayer’s ass. The Raiders head back to the playoffs.
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2-San Diego Chargers – Kudos to Shawne Merriman for keeping his focus on the field and keeping his name out of the news off the field. Ooooops. Sounds like a bit too much Tequila over the weekend, if you know what I mean...allegedly, of course. I know, the Bolts went to the AFC title game, big deal. They didn’t win and that is as far as a Norv Turner coached club can go. LT’s gas tank is running low and the Charger window of opportunity will close this year.
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4a-Denver Broncos – No third place team in this division, both the Broncos and Chiefs are a total disaster and neither is worth the third spot in the division. The Broncos are on the path to their worst season in a long time and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
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4b- Kansas City Chiefs – See Denver.
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Coming later this week: Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions