Are You Ready For Some Football...or The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Greetings and salutations, Beatdowners!

Well, it’s FINALLY here – tomorrow night, Thursday, September 9, 2010, the National Football League kicks off its regular season as the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New Orleans Saints and the Who Dat?! Nation host Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of last year’s EPIC NFC Championship Game…

The most wonderful time of year is upon us!

Everyone starts the year undefeated…hopes of trips to the playoffs abound (especially here in Ravenstown, USA, where a trip to Dallas in February is being widely touted as a possibility!), jerseys become a normal garment, bars and pubs thrive on Sundays (especially those with the NFL Ticket!), and everyone becomes a fan!!!! WOOOHAAAA!!!!!

It’s going to be a fun season. And it should be with the potential (sorry for the downer) 2011 lockout if the players union and owners don’t get their stuff straight ASAP.

I digress…

So here are the official Beatdown Blog predictions for the upcoming season…

1. Brett Favre will have another strong season; however, he will not have the career year he did last year. And it won’t be a fairy tale ending for him either…the Vikes will NOT be playing for the Lombardi Trophy this February.

2. The 49ers and Titans will be punching tickets to the post season.

3. The Redskins will improve to a .500 or better team…IF the “O” Line can keep McNabb off of his back.

4. The Patriots will struggle this season…the dynasty is crumbling.

5. CJ2.5K…a real possibility. He’s a BEAST.

6. Aaron Rogers will live up to the hype. Definite MVP candidate.

7. The Houston Texans will knock off the Indianapolis Colts in week 1.

8. The Monday night game between the Jets and the Ravens will be (sorry, J.R.) “a good ol’ fashioned slobberknocker”. Old school football slug fest that will test 2 AFC contenders straight out of the shoot. The proverbial “Irresistible Force meeting the Immovable Object”. Tune in, folks, it’s gonna be a good one.

9. T.O. will have a CAREER year.

10. Okay, this one is more like a wishful thought…but I’m throwing it out there…in their week 6 match-up, the Ravens’ Ngata and Cody will squash Tom Brady and make him sh*t his pants – LITERALLY – on the field…and in week 13, the same duo, along with T-Sizzle, will smash Big Ben, making him soil himself – again, LITERALLY, barf, and stagger to the wrong bench after peeling himself off the turf. It will be EPIC.

Here’s my shakedown of the division winners and playoffs…

NFC East – Dallas Cowboys. This will again be a brutal division…it’s almost a toss-up between any of the 4 teams…but the ‘Boys “D” will be the difference.

NFC North – Green Bay Packers. No contest. They sweep the Vikes this year.

NFC South – New Orleans Saints. They are primed for a repeat run to the playoffs.

NFC West – San Francisco 49ers. Overall, this division sucks. But the Rams and 49ers are poised to make some significant advances over the next few seasons.

Wild Card Teams – Washington Redskins (depending 100% on McNabb remaining healthy) and the Vikings. If McNabb gets hurt, replace the Skins with the New York Football Giants.

NFC Championship – The Packers over the Saints…played on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

AFC East – The New York Jets, carried by their outstanding and hard-hitting “D”.

AFC North – The Cincinnati Bengals. They have upgraded their “D”, and the Batman and Robin show will open up the running game…Benson will have another monster year.

AFC South – The Tennessee Titans. That’s right. See ya, Payton. CJ2K will run the Colts off the top of the hill this year.

AFC West – The San Diego Chargers. Not a whole lot more to say, except Oakland is going to be MUCH improved from last year – I see them a .500 team this season.

Wild Card Teams – The Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts.

AFC Championship – The Indianapolis Colts over the Baltimore Ravens…breaks my heart to type that, but the Colts have had our number for 10 years, and I don’t see it changing this season…the Ravens secondary is suspect…and Manning will pick it apart.

Super Bowl XLV, 2/6/11, Dallas, Texas – The Green Bay Packers over the Indianapolis Colts.

Take it for what it’s worth…coming from me, not a lot. One thing is for sure though – I’m pulling for the Purple and Black to go all the way, and will be screaming my head off for them each and every week for the next 5 months!

Welcome back NFL…oh, have I’ve missed you…and GO RAVENS!

Until next time…ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL, BEATDOWNERS?!?!?!?