Thursday, September 01, 2016

2016 NFL Predictions: Whatever

Well, we've reached that annual point where I return to trying to post a blog entry here after several months off and it's, of course, another series of pre-season predictions about what I expect to occur in the forthcoming NFL season. Just last year I debated ceasing these predictions (NBA and NHL seasons will begin shortly hereafter as well), and I guess I've finally arrived at the point at which I will do just that.

We're leaving for Disney World tomorrow night (*groan* Orlando *groan*) and will be gone for an entire week, meaning I likely will not be in front of a computer again before the football season kicks off next Thursday. Rest assured that I will not have enough time to fully, um, "research" and lay out another year of predicted football finishes.

While I'm convinced that I've only continued to post sports predictions every year as part of some grand plan to one day reflect on my overall record when I'm old, gray, and retired with nothing to do other than compile meaningless statistics for my own amusement, I'm going to take my chances of ruining that all and not laying out all the little helmets and predicted finishes this year. I will say that my predicted division winners will be, oh, the Patriots (of course), Steelers, Jaguars (!!!), Chiefs, Cowboys, Packers, Panthers, and Cardinals. I suppose the Wild Card teams will be ... the Jets, Bengals, Giants, and Seahawks. I will go with New England beating Pittsburgh and Green Bay beating Arizona in the two championship games before we get the Patriots (I think Martellus Bennett and Rob Gronkowski are going to be a lethal combo) topping the Packers in Super Bowl LI. The nation then mourns another year of annoying Boston fans being annoying Boston fans. 

I reserve the right to revise and add the helmets and full set of predictions later on, but I wouldn't count on it. For the most part, I really do need a vacation—even though my "blogging" here would lead the average reader to believe I've been on vacation.