NFC East
1) Dallas (11-5)
2) Washington (10-6)
3) New York Giants (8-8)
4) Philadelphia (7-9)
-I really thought Dallas was going to be a solid team again, but obviously I didn't foresee them quitting on Wade Phillips and Tony Romo getting hurt.
-I wrestled with what to do with the Giants all summer. I had them in and out of the playoffs like 500 times. Finally, I settled on them missing the playoffs, which I was right about.
-I gave the Redskins too much credit. I felt that with Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb they were really going to turn it around and make the playoffs. I was wrong. Shanny looks overrated right now, and McNabb is on his way out of Washington.
-I had no faith in Kevin Kolb and the Eagles, and the truth is that is Kolb doesn't get hurt and Mike Vick nevers sees the field that early, then the Eagles probably end up at 7-9. No one saw Vick's reemergence coming in Philly.
NFC NORTH
1-Green Bay (11-5)
2-Minnesota (10-6)
3- Chicago (9-7)
4-Detroit (6-10)
Footnotes: One of the better division predicitions I had in 2010. The final standings in the NFC North were: 1-Chicago (11-5) 2-Green Bay (10-6) 3-Detroit (6-10) and 4-Minnesota (6-10).
-I, like pretty much everyone else, loved and believed in Green Bay this season. I loved the play of Aaron Rodgers, and it was pretty hard not to think that the Packers would win the division or at least make the playoffs in 2010.
-I also wrestled with Minnesota all summer. I had them out of the playoffs for a long time, then I changed my mind and put them in. I figured there was so much talent on that team that they would find a way to make the playoffs. I felt that Brett Favre wasn't going to lead them to a Super Bowl, but they would at least make it back to the playoffs. Wow, I was dead wrong and Favre finished the season injured.
-I was right about Chicago having a winning season, but I didn't have the guts to put them in the playoffs. Next time, I will just put a team like the Bears in the playoffs when making predictions. I felt all summer that the Bears were going to be better than everyone expected. I thought the Jay Cutler-Mike Martz marriage was going to work and it did. I also felt that Lovie Smith would be back after this year, and he got an extension. I should have put them in the playoffs.
-I nailed Detroit perfectly. At 2-10, it looked bleak, but they won their last four and finished 6-10-just as I predicted. I knew the Lions would win at least 6 games, you could just tell before the season started they were going to be a lot better.
NFC SOUTH
1-Atlanta (11-5)
2-New Orleans (9-7)
3-Carolina (8-8)
4- Tampa Bay (3-13)
Footnotes: I nailed the Falcons winning the division. Here is the final order in the NFC South: 1-Atlanta (13-3) 2-New Orleans (11-5) 3-Tampa Bay (10-6) 4-Carolina (2-14).
-I loved Atlanta all summer, and I nailed this pick. You knew the Falcons, coming off a 9-7 season, were due for a big bounce back year. This is one of my best picks all year.
-I had the Saints missing the playoffs due to the Super Bowl hangover theory. A lot of people liked the Saints this year, but I didn't. I had them going 9-7, but I was wrong. They struggled for a little while, but they turned it on and finished 11-5 and a wild card team.
-I figured John Fox and the Panthers would figure out a way to get 8 wins. Usually, Fox gets the most out of his teams in Carolina, but I didn't expect the Panthers to be that bad.
-No one thought Tampa was going to be any good this year. I figured they would be so bad that they might get rid of Raheem Morris by midseason. Wow, was I wrong. The Bucs shocked me and everyone else.
NFC WEST
1) San Francisco (9-7)
2) Seattle (8-8)
3) Arizona (6-10)
4) St. Louis (3-13)
Footnotes: I basically picked San Francisco out of default. I felt that they were due to win this crappy division, but obviously that was a bad pick. The NFC West finished up like this: 1-Seattle (7-9) 2-St. Louis (7-9) 3-SF (6-10) 4-Arizona (5-11)
-As I said before, I was skeptical about San Francisco, but I just figured that they were due to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. It wasn't hard to buy into them in this awful division. They started 0-5 and never recovered. A lot of my inspiration for making this pick was because I would like to see the Niners get good again. I think it is good for the league to see SF make it back to playoffs.
-I have to say the Seattle pick killed me. They were my sleeper team all year after they hired Pete Carrol. I had them winning the West all summer long, and then I switched out at the last minute. Why did I do that? All I kept reading and hearing during the preseason was that they are a year away and really have no talent. Well, there talent showed but it was enough to win 7 games and the West. From now on, I have to stick with my first instinct when doing these picks.
-The Arizona pick was so easy because of the Kurt Warner retirement. As soon as Warner retired, there went any chance the Cards had of being good in 2010.
-I didn't give the Rams, Sam Bradford, and Steve Spagnuolo enough credit before the year. I was high on Bradford in the draft, and I like Spags as a head coach, but I just figured they would go through some major growing pains in their first year together-mainly because of the lack of talent. Well, I was wrong and they really exceeded my expectations. They could have won this division, but just couldn't beat Seattle on the road in Week 17. I wasn't alone on my pick for the Rams because no one saw a 7 win season for them.
*My 2010 NFC Playoff Predictions:
1) Green Bay
2)Atlanta
3) Dallas
4) San Francisco
5) Minnesota-WC
6) Washington-WC
Wildcard Weekend:
5-Minnesota over 4-SF
3-Dallas over 6-Washington
Divisional Round:
1-Green Bay over 5-Minnesota
2-Atlanta over 3-Dallas
NFC Championship:
2-Atlanta over 1-Green Bay
Footnotes:
-I correctly picked 2 out of 6 NFC playoff teams correct (Atlanta and Green Bay).
-I only correctly picked 1 out of 4 division winners (Atlanta).
-None of my four wildcard weekend teams even made the playoffs.
-I did have GB and Atl meeting in the NFC Championship, and they really met in the NFC Divisional round. Green Bay won that game 48-21.
-My NFC Champion Atlanta did not make it past the Divisional round.
*Next column: Reviewing my 2010 AFC predictions!!!!
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