2003 NFL Predictions:

AFC East:

1 Miami - Brian Griese will wind up taking over the starting QB job by
midseason and will have the best season of his career. The Dolphins will
become Super Bowl contenders.
2 New England - With Pennington out for the year and Buffalo rebuilding, the
Pats should contend for a wild card.
3. New York Jets - I think they'll do better than most people expect; they have
a pretty good shot at winning 7 or 8 games.
4. Buffalo - Still on the rebuiding trail; it will be difficult getting out of
the basement.

North:

1 Pittsburgh - An easy pick to win this division; the biggest question mark
seems to be whether Tommy Maddox was a flash in the pan. Probably the most
likely team to get Home Field Advantage in the AFC playoffs
2 Cleveland - Should be in the running for a wild card again this season.
3 Baltimore - Gradually slipping from contention since winning the Super Bowl.
4 Cincinnati - Figures to improve as Marvin Lewis will probably be the best
Bengals coach since Sam Wyche.

South:

1 Tennessee - With the Raiders likely to be challenged more within their
division and unlikely to tie up HFA in the playoffs, and Pittsburgh's recent
history of losing the AFC title game, the Titans may find themselves in the big
game.
2 Indianapolis - With their offensive superstars and a defensive minded coach
like Tony Dungy, they are close to becoming legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
A team to watch.
3 Jacksonville - Will have trouble holding off the Texans in a year or two.
4 Houston - The Panthers and Jags made their respective Championship games in
their second seasons; the Texans will not be so lucky.

West:

1 Oakland - The AFC west figures to be the tightest division in the NFL, and I
think all four teams could finish at or above .500. Ten victories should be
enough to win this division.
2 Denver - Jake Plummer's career takes off under Shanahan; the Broncos are
going to the playoffs.
3 Kansas City - If Vermeil can put a good defensive scheme together, and if
Holmes stays healthy, the Chiefs could be the best team in the NFL this year.
Too many ifs, but should get at least a wild card.
4 San Diego - If they were in the NFC North, they would probably give the
Packers a run for the division. Easily the best fourth place team in the NFL.

NFC East:

1 Philadelphia - Losing in the NFC title game the last two seasons, the Eagles
figure once again to be among the two or three best teams in the NFL, with
perhaps the best blend of Offense and Defense.
2 New York Giants - Not in the Eagles' class but should be in the running for a
wild card.
3 Dallas - Parcells will have this team in the playoffs next season, and in the
Super Bowl within three years if his ego can co-exist with Jerry Jones. Will
pull a few upsets this season.
4 Washington - Steve Spurrier deserves better than this.

North:

1 Green Bay - The easiest division pick in the NFC. The only thing that can
stop them from being in the playoffs is an injury to Favre.
2 Minnesota - They have too much talent not to rebound. Should compete for a
wild card spot this year.
3 Chicago - They are hoping to rebound from to the playoffs after a disasterous
2002 season. It's not going to happen; they will be lucky to win 5 or 6 games.
4 Detroit - Will never be Super Bowl contenders with the current ownership; not
even Mariucci can turn this team around very much. Even when they had Barry
Sanders they were lucky to go 9-7.

South:

1 Tampa Bay - With Michael Vick out for a chunk of the 2003 season, and the
Saints not in their class, the Bucs should have no problems winning this
division.
2 New Orleans - Once again they'll fight the Falcons for the number 6 seed, and
this year I think they'll be in the postseason.
3 Atlanta - With Vick out for at least 4-6 weeks, plus a couple weeks to get
back to form, it may be a case of too little too late.
4 Carolina - This organization seems to have no direction since losing the NFC
title game in 1996. Another last place finish seems assured.

West:

1 St. Louis - Should be in a battle to the wire with the Niners.
2 San Francisco - The QB spot in San Fran has been in good hands for over 20
years now as Garcia is holding up the legacy established by Montana and Young.
Hopefully, the new coaching staff will realize that if it isn't broke, don't
fix it.
3 Seattle - Could suprise for a spot in the playoffs. A sleeper team.
4 Arizona - It's kind of sad to see such a class act as Emmitt Smith finishing
out his career for such a poorly run organization.

AFC Playoff Seeds:
1 Pittsburgh
2 Tennessee
3 Miami
4 Oakland
5 Denver
6 Kansas City

NFC Playoff Seeds:
1 Philadelphia
2 Tampa Bay
3 Green Bay
4 St. Louis
5 San Francisco
6 New Orleans

AFC Wild Card Games:

Miami over Kansas City
Denver over Oakland

NFC Wild Card Games:

Green Bay over New Orleans
San Francisco over St. Louis

AFC Divisional Playoffs:
Pittsburgh over Denver
Tennessee over Miami

NFC Divisional Playoffs:
Philadelphia over San Francisco
Tampa Bay over Green Bay

AFC Championship:
Pittsburgh over Tennessee

NFC Championship:
Philadelphia over Tampa Bay

Super Bowl 38:
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh

Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man

"The likelihood of one individual being correct increases in a direct
proportion to the intensity with which others try to prove him wrong"
James Mason from the movie "Heaven Can Wait".

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