If the National Football League has taught us anything in recent years, it is that we don’t know a Marshall Faulk from a pop-Warner football player as far as Super Bowl predictions go.
Trying to predict who will hoist the coveted trophy come Jan. 26 is like guessing which all-star free agent the Yankees will sign next year; you’re better off just picking out of a hat.
Each of the last three Super Bowl champions has emerged after failing to notch a winning record in their previous season.
Three years ago, the Rams bounced back from a 4-12 record to capture the title while Baltimore improved from an 8-8 mark to win it the following year.
And just last season, only one year removed from a 5-11 record, former backup quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots shocked the world by defeating a heavily favored St. Louis on Super Bowl Sunday.
Anyone notice a pattern here?
If the trend of sub .500 teams with 35-1 odds of winning the big game continues, expect Detroit to be the dark horse this year and throw some money down for the Texans in 2005.
What we’ve witnessed the last few years is the beauty of the NFL and the product of a salary cap. Every four or five years, with the exception of the Cincinnati Bengals, a new crop of teams rises to the penthouse of the league and contends for the title. Championships cannot be bought in football, and dynasties cannot be created.
Hey, Selig, you taking notes? Funny how there is actually competition in this sport.
With football’s mere 16-week regular-season schedule and the most physically intensive action in professional sports, a dropped pass can cost a season, and a missed blocking assignment can cost someone a career.
It is because of this intense atmosphere generated every Sunday by these gridiron gladiators that people are so jacked about this weekend’s opening kickoff.
Now, I would be hypocritical trying to predict a Super Bowl champion, but a little speculation doesn’t break any rules.
Never has a defending Super Bowl champion who returns just about everyone has been given less respect than the New England Patriots. And I don’t have any sympathy for them. Mark Rypien and the Redskins had a great year in 1991, and they turned out to be a complete flash in the pan. Tom Brady needs another solid season, and New England needs another playoff run for them to earn the respect they feel they deserve.
Speaking of flashes in the pan, two words: Chicago Bears. Unless God Himself is going to come down and suit up to outdo the miracles he gave them last season, the Bears are right back where they spent the rest of the late ’90s. I don’t care if they have a good defense; any team that has a quarterback controversy between Jim Miller and Chris Chandler is pathetic. The two combined are about as durable as a Las Vegas showgirl. It’s too bad they didn’t have a chance to pick up Drew Bledsoe in the off-season.
Speaking of off-season, all I’ve heard the last nine months has centered on Steve Spurrier and how his offense is going to go for 600 yards a game. His pre-season wasn’t too impressive, seeing that he played each game like it was the damn Super Bowl. He practically left his starters in until the opponents’ scout team was coming on the field. And Danny Wuerfal? This isn’t the SEC, it’s the NFL.
Ricky is in Miami while Gruden is in Tampa. The Cowboys lost Leaf, and the Packers lost their receivers. Vick and Brees embark on their careers, and the Texans embark on their franchise. McNabb looks to the Super Bowl while Gonzalez looks for an NBA contract.
Who knows what’s going to happen? The cards are shuffled, and we’re ready to be dealt another crazy season of football.
I just hope this Super Bowl trend continues. Last year the Vikings were 5-11.
