My 2010 NFL Predictions

Here it is. Something that I always wanted to do. Put out NFL predictions for an upcoming season. Write them out and post them for all to see. Then wait for the season to arrive to see how accurate or inaccurate I turn out to be. Every year they are surprises. How many predicted before the 2001 season that a backup quarterback named Tom Brady would lead the Patriots to win the Super Bowl? Last year we saw Peyton Manning lose to the team that his father played for. What’s in store this season? Only time will tell. So here it is. The 1st Annual Brian Grant’s NFL Predictions. Enjoy. Feel free to post your opinions.

AFC East
1. New England Patriots
2. Miami Dolphins
3. New York Jets
4. Buffalo Bills
Despite losing much of their core to free agency and retirement, The Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East. They still have Tom Brady and Randy Moss and they have Vince Willfork anchoring a defense with a few new faces. The Dolphins are your typical Bill Parcells team. Loaded with solid players who rarely make mistakes. Heavy on running the ball and hard core defense. If Chad Henne develops, they’ll make a run for a wild card spot. I’m not as sold on the Jets. If being a blowhard won football games, Rex Ryan would be the new Vince Lombardi and the Jets would be the next NFL dynasty. Not going to happen. Don’t forget, they backed into the playoffs last year. They’ll do little more than provide bulletin board material for the league. It’s a shame how far a once proud franchise like the Bills have fallen. One of the worst teams in the leagues and losing a few home games the new few years to Toronto. Even some talk about the Bills eventually moving over there. Anyone who tries to move the Bills to Toronto should be tarred and feathered.

AFC North
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Cincinnati Bengals
4. Cleveland Browns
The Ravens, a playoff team last year, addressed their biggest weakness last year by trading for WR Anquan Boldin. By far the best pick up by a NFL team this off season. They should win the division. Many people are writing off the Steelers because of the six game suspension of Ben Roethlisberger. Don’t forget, this is a talented team that is very well coached and has among the best brain trust in the league. Don’t write them off. Roethlisberger, while he may be a sociopath, know how to win football games. Could be a dangerous #6 seed in the playoffs. The Bengals are a combination of the Jets and the 70’s Oakland Raiders. Loaded with blowhards and thugs. They already had Chad OchoCinco, one of the top drama queens in the league. Then they added Terrell Owens to the mix. Add in a few players who names appeared on the police blotter (Matt Jones, Pac-man Jones) and you got the most dysfunction roster in the NFL. Pretty much, the 70’s Raiders but without the rings. It sucks these days to be a Cleveland sports fan and the Browns are not going to make them any better. They are many reasons the Browns have been terrible since returning to the league. Jake Delhomme, last year played like someone who played in the league a year too long. One of the worst quarterbacks in the league. What do the Browns do? Sign him and anoint him the starting QB. LeBron James is not walking through that door. Neither is a Cleveland Browns playoff appearance.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Houston Texans
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Colts deserve to go 0-16 after deciding last year to opt not to go for the perfect record. How can you not go for history? But as we all know, they chose to pull their starters against the Jets and in the meantime game a lot of fantasy football owners headaches. But the Colts are way too talented to go winless. Another Super Bowl run is in the mist. This is the year the Texans finally make the playoffs. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson make one of the best QB/WR duos in the league and the defense is improving. A roster loaded with talent. Will the real Vince Young please stand up? One week, the Titans QB is playing like a future Hall of Famer. The next week he plays like someone who should be in the Arena League. If the Titans ever get consistently good QB play from Young, they could get a wild card spot. Who other than Maurice Jones-Drew plays for the Jaguars? Is he the only guy on the roster? Sometimes it seems that way. While Jones-Drew is among the best plays in the league, he can’t do it alone. A last place finish.

AFC West
1. San Diego Chargers
2. Oakland Raiders
3. Denver Broncos
4. Kansas City Chiefs
While the Vincent Jackson situation is a total mess, the Chargers are still the team to beat in the NFC West. A talented roster. While LaDainian Tomlinson may be gone, they won’t miss a beat with the addition of Ryan Matthews. The Oakland Raiders have become the LA Clippers of the NFL. Quite a fall for a once proud franchise. But on occasion the Clippers will have a season in which they’ll won’t be pathetic. Same here with this seasons Raiders. Jason Campbell is a upgrade on offense and Richard Seymore leads an underrated defense. They won’t make the playoffs, but a .500 season could be on the horizon. So Broncos coach/guru dumped Josh McDaniel dumped Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and got Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and a six pack of PBR. He traded up for Tebow in the 1st round when he could have been picked one round later. The Tebow pick will make him look like a genius or a idiot. Still, doesn’t matter who’s the Broncos QB this year. He’ll be hurting with the departure of Marshall. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel is finding out that life in the NFL is tougher when you don’t have Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to. He does have a somewhat promising supporting cast. Just not the proven teammates he played with when he was in Foxboro.

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Washington Redskins
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New York Giants
Tough division to call since I consider all four teams to be talent laden. The toughest division in the NFL. I put the Cowboys in first place and the Redskins in second. But I can’t argue with anyone who would put the Eagles or the Giants in second. The Cowboys are among the best teams in the league. The face a very difficult schedule, but have enough firepower to overcome it and have a deep playoff run. The Redskins got major upgrades in their head coach and quarterback. Mike Shanahan is a proven head coach and a leader of quarterbacks. Donovan McNabb is an established and criminally underrated quarterback. He a proven winner and is tough as they get. The Redskins return to the playoffs. Eagles QB Kevin Kolb looked good filling in for an injured quarterback. So did Scott Mitchell. Not that he’s the next Scott Mitchell, because he is not. He’s better than that. He also has a good supporting cast and coaching staff. But it doesn’t mean he’ll have a few growing pains along the way playing in a tough division. The Giants are a good football team. Trip aces is a good poker hand. But trip aces won’t win you money if your opponent is holding a full house. The Giants is the guy holding trip aces. Holding something good, but just not good enough. If they played in the NFC West, they’d win the division. In the NFC East, they are the fourth best team.

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Chicago Bears
4. Detroit Lions
The top two teams in this division, the Packers and the Vikings rank as among two of the best teams in the league. Two teams capable of winning the Super Bowl. Solid everywhere, top to bottom. For first place I’ll pick the team with the younger and less mistake prone quarterback in Aaron Rogers. The Packers have their best team since the heyday of Brett Who? Brett Favre? Yes, that Brett, who used to play of the Packers and now plays for the Vikings. I can’t argue with those who pick the Vikings to win the division. Favre is a future Hall of Famer and the Vikings is stocked with talent. It’ll will also be fun to see Favre play in the Super Bowl one more time. If Jay Cutler stops throwing so many interceptions and if Matt Forte returns to the form of his rookie year, the Bears might contend for a playoff spot. They are definitely capable of doing better than what they did last year. The Lions are a team on a rise. Not I’m not drunk, I’m being serious. The Lions are a team on a rise. Matt Stafford is looking like a future franchise quarterback and the team suddenly has a few good young players. They won’t make the playoffs this year. But hope for a better future is on the horizon.

NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drew Brees still leads a Saints offense that is arguably the most dangerous in the league. The defense is capable of creating a turnover at any given time. This team has what it take to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Matt Ryan leads a Falcons offense that has one more year experience under its belt. But is their defense good enough to secure a playoff spot? That’s the question that surrounds that team. The Panthers has some talent, but a squad loaded with unproven quarterbacks means this team will be on a golf course in January. The Buccaneers are quickly returning to form to what they were like in the pre Tony Dungy/orange uniform days: last place.

NFC West
1. San Francisco 49’ers
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. St. Louis Rams
Do I have to pick a winner here? This is by far the weakest division in the NFL. Might as well pick the team on the upswing: the 49’ers. The team has some good young talent on offense and the defense is a unit on the rise. The only blemish here is that I’m still not sold on quarterback Alex Smith. Could win nine games, which could very well be good enough to win the division. Losing Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin means that a playoff appearance is not win the works for the Cardinals. The Seahawks are in for a major rebuilding project. A lot of holes in this roster. Pete Carroll will soon be wishing he was back at USC. Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford has looked good in the preseason and Steven Jackson is one of the true elite running backs. But this team is still a long way from being a contender. Six wins and possibly passing the Seahaws for third place would be a major accomplishment.

Playoffs
AFC Playoff Teams: Patriots, Ravens, Colts, Chargers, Steelers, Texans
NFC Playoff Teams: Cowboys, Packers, Saints, 49’ers, Redskins, Vikings
AFC Championship Game: Colts over Ravens. The Ravens give the Colts a good run and show that they will be a force to reckon with. But they don’t have quite enough firepower to beat the Colts. The Colts return to the Super Bowl.
NFC Championship Game: Packers over Saints. The Saints have what it takes to repeat as champs. But they’ll be going up against a team a little bit stronger than last year’s Vikings. A team with a quarterback less likely to cause a fourth quarter turnover. Packers win in a shootout.

Super Bowl: Packers over Colts. As usual, the Colts come ready to play. But they'll be going against the most solid team top to bottom in the NFL. Colts lose again. The Lombardi Trophy returns to Green Bay.

Sportsmanship Trumps Anger

Earlier this week, it looked like Major League Baseball history was going to be made in Detroit. The Detroit Tigers were playing the Cleveland Indians and young Tigers pitcher Armando Galaraga looked to be on a verge of pitching a perfect game. The perfect game is one of the rarest feats in all of sports. In the 100+ year history of Major League Baseball, only 20 men have achieved that feat. Galaraga recorded 26 outs and looked to be on the verge of joining that elite club.

Of course fate, and a costly umpiring error had other plans. The Cleveland batter hit what looked to be a routine ground ball. The ball was picked up by Miguel Cabrera and threw the ball to Galaraga, who was covering first base, in what looked to be the final out of the game. But the runner was ruled safe by first base umpire Jim Joyce. Replays of the play showed that Galaraga got the out. Boos rained from the stands as Tigers manager Jim Leyland bolted from the dug out to argue to call. Yes, Major League Baseball history was made. But not in the way the Tigers, Joyce and Major League Baseball Commissioner wanted it to be made.

After the game Joyce decided to view the replay himself and realized his mistake. He instantly apologized to Galaraga and Leyland. Joyce was also bravely took to the airwaves. A visibly upset Joyce publicly admitted to his mistake and admitted it cost Galaraga a perfect game. Galaraga also showed class in the event, saying that Joyce made an innocent mistake and showed no anger over the incident (but I'm sure he's hurting a bit inside over losing the perfect game to a blown call). Some also brought up Joyce's umpiring record, in which various polls rank him as one of the best umpires in the game.

It was not over, as the Tigers and Indians were scheduled to play each other again the following day. Joyce was scheduled to be the home plate umpire and Joyce was given the option not to work the game. He turned it down and chose to work the game. In another touch of class, Galaraga walked out and gave Joyce the Detroit Tigers line up card. They shook hands and the umpire patted the pitcher on the shoulder.

So hopefully a few things will come out of the incident. Major League Baseball will look into ways to expanding instant replay in the game (as they should). It looks like the call will not be reversed (as it shouldn't. As much as you hate seeing Galaraga getting denied the perfect game, overturning the call would open a Pandora's Box). But most of all a few individuals showed sportsmanship and class in what was a most unfortunate situation.

Remember the True Meaning of Memorial Day

To say the obvious, we are in Memorial Day Weekend. This weekend, many people will be attending parties and cook outs as Memorial Day has become an unofficial kick off to summer. Like in many other holidays, the holiday is differed differently from where it was originally intended. Don't get me wrong. I'll be attending my fair share of parties and cook outs this weekend myself. I'm always in favor of good times. Eat, drink and be merry. At the same time I just want you to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day: how this holiday came to be.

The holiday first came to be after the American Civil War in tribute to the Union soldiers. It was expanded shortly after World War I to become the holiday that we know today. A holiday that memorializes those who died in military combat. A holiday that memorializes those who died for the freedoms that we enjoy today.

The number one thing that separates the United States from nations like Iran, Cuba and China is freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion. The right to protest against your government. Imagine an Iranian becoming a Catholic or an atheist. Imagine a Cuban protesting against Fidel Castro. Here, you can criticize Barack Obam'sa health plans or George W. Bush's policy on the Iraq War. Unlike Iran, Cuba or China, you don't have to worry about government thugs visiting you and throwing you in prison.

Like writing letters to the editor? Enjoy voting in elections? Like me, do you enjoy online blogging? If you do, you should be thankful to our veterans, past and present.. That's one of the reasons why I say this blog is "made possible by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Poets and Madmen would not be possible in many parts of the world.

Our forefathers fought against an oppressive British government who used police state like tactics to enforce their policies. They risked all was they fought for the freedoms that we enjoy today. In World War II, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis was storming across Europe as fear that a wave of oppression would engulf the world. Once again, our veterans responded and defeated the forces of evil. Even as recently as 9-11, you had a lot of people joining the military (including football star Pat Tillman) to fight terrorism.

So enjoy this Memorial Day weekend. I'll be joining you in some of the festivities this weekend. Just don't forget those who made the freedoms we enjoy possible. Poets and Madmen wishes everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

The Place on Ocean Boulevard

To him, love is like a two edge sword. To him, love, and the potential for new love gave him two different emotions. The excitement of someone possibly new in his life. Someone who might not be like the others. Someone who could be everything that he asked for, or close to it. Those feelings are tempered with other feelings, fear of getting hurt again. Fear the the next relationship will end with bitter taste if disappointment that he is so familiar with.

That Thursday, he wasn't looking for love. It wasn't on his mind. He was at his favorite place on Ocean Boulevard: the beach side lounge that he likes going to. He was sitting at the bar, when one of the most beautiful women that he's ever seen walked into the room. Their eyes met and it seems as if time stopped for a few moments. Her long brown hair blew in the ocean side wind. She sat next to him and they began a conversation that would end up lasting for months.

It was there and along the nearby ocean side where they would be spending much time. Talking for hours, walking along the beach, sips or beer and tequila at the bar, surfing the waves, making love in the dunes under the moonlight. It seemed as if everything was as close to perfect as it could get.

But like with the others before, things had to change. Like the summer season, she left. Out of his life. Now he is left with the same feeling if hurt and disappointment that he knows so well. Every time that he drives by that place he feels a pain. A pain and a hurt and memories of what used to be. The place on Ocean Boulevard.

Peter Steele R.I.P.

I guess it seems that part of being a fan of rock and metal music is dealing with the early deaths of some of your icons. Whether it's Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, etc., there's way too many names on the list. A new name was added to the list this week, one of my all time favorite musical icons: Peter Steele, lead singer and bass player of the band Type O Negative. While neither may be household names, both are well known names among fans of hard rock and metal music, especially in the 1990's.

The band first caught my attention in the early 1990's when a local college station started playing one of their songs (and in doing so probably broke a few FCC regulations). The song was called "Unsuccessfully Coping With the Natural Beauty of Fidelity" and was about finding out that your girlfriend was cheating on you. The song is most known for it's chorus (and I'll type the edited more family friendly version of the lyrics) "I know you're f-bombing someone else"

But Peter Steele and Type O Negative was more than pushing the envelope and occasional politically incorrect lyrics. In the mid 1990's, they released (in my opinion) two all time heavy metal masterpieces: Bloody Kisses and October Rust. They had a rather unique sound in a way, usually described as gothic-metal. Picture a hybrid of Black Sabbath, Danzig, Sisters of Mercy and the Beatles and you get the sound of Type O Negative. Lyrically they sang about heartbreak, loneliness, death and drug addiction. But despite their dark topic matter, they were also known for their tongue in cheek humor. They weren't afraid to do something totally unusual. One of them was a remake of the Seals and Croft hit "Summer Breeze". That song and songs like "Black No1", "Blood & Fire", "Green Man" and "Wolf Moon" stand out as classics.

After October Rust they put out a few more albums and was able to maintain a sizable fan base. Sadly, it all came to and end when Peter Steele died this week of heart failure. While he may have entered the afterlife, the music that he put out will never be forgotten.

Freddie Mercury

The other day during a conversation with my haircutter, he mentioned Freddie Mercury and that he's been dead for nearly 20 years now. A conversation about Freddie Mercury and Queen soon came about. Queen was indeed an excellent band. Queen, along with Police were the first two bands to capture my attention. I remember, as a elementary school kid singing the words to "Another One Bites the Dust". In front of Queen was Freddie Mercury himself. He was and still is one of a kind. One of the all time great vocalists, frontmen and entertainers. If there is someone who's virtually irreplaceable, it's him. No one that I know of has the vocal range that he did. While I'm sure that Queen put on a good show a few years back when they toured with Paul Rogers, I'm sure it wasn't the same either. The only guy in all of rock who comes close to Freddie Mercury is Geoff Tate from Queensryche. If anyone can come close to being a replacement for Freddie Mercury in Queen it's him. Even he is not Freddie Mercury. While he is no longer with us, Freddie Mercury leaves an undeniable legacy in music.

Phoebe Prince Update

A quick update on the Phoebe Price/South Hadley case. Phoebe Prince was a teenage girl who immigrated here from Ireland with her family, but took her life after constant bullying from her classmates. For more detail read my blog "How the System Failed Phoebe Prince".





Three of the alleged bullies were arraigned on various charges, but did not show up to court. What else would you expect from a bunch of cowards? If bullies are cowards, why should be expect them to be willing to face the firestorm that they had a role in creating? Meanwhile, as of now, nothing has happened to the administrators that allowed this to happen. Till now. The Prince family has apparently hired a Springfield area attorney.



In the meantime, a few websites came out with the alleged bullies as it's subject matter. On those websites, the bullies themselves are the subject to threats and ridicule. While I don't have any pity for the bullies, there is no reason to stoop to their levels. to get your point across.

Mr. McNabb Goes to Washington

There's not as much of a hot stove off season in football as they are in baseball. Yes there's your normal free agent signings, but not much in the way of trades. So when one happens, you can't help but notice. That was the case with the recent Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins. The trade is even more interesting considering that the Eagles and Redskins are in the same division.



McNabb probably deserves a medal for years of putting up with Philadelphia fans. They make the liquored up Red Sox fans in the Fenway Park bleachers look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. Philadelphia fans of course are the same group of people who booed Santa Clause. They booed Mike Schmidt who probably was the best third baseman ever to play baseball. Eagles fan were cheering as Michael Irvin was laying on the turf with what looked like (at the time) a serious neck injury. McNabb found out quickly about the nature of Philadelphia fans during the 1999 NFL Draft. Imagine being a football star coming out of college and getting booed by the fans of the team that selected you. That is what literally what happened to McNabb when he was selected by the Eagles. Eagles fans preferred Ricky Williams, who would soon be known for as off the field love for marijuana as his on the field activities.



McNabb was part of a turn of fortunes of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. One of the worst teams in the league when he arrived, the Eagles soon became perennial contenders. They even played in the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots, who were in the peak of their dynasty run. While the game was not one of McNabb's best (he was seen throwing up on the sidelines in the waning minutes) the mere appearance in the title games symbolized the turn around the Eagles have made.



McNabb and the Eagles failed to return to the Super Bowl and despite their consistent success, McNabb got the brunt of the blame from Philadelphia fans. In the meantime the team drafted Kevin Kolb and signed Micheal Vick. The demands for the Eagles to draft McNabb grew louder. At first the team resisted such offers. Till this week. The Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins for draft picks.



What this all mean? The Redskins get a signifigant upgrade at quarterback. Kolb is the likely new starter for the Eagles. The networks will most likely schedule a Eagles-Redskins game for prime time. Philadelphia fans finally get what they wanted: McNabb no longer playing for the Eagles. The NFL is suddenly more interesting now than

A Great Opening Night

It was a nice New England night for early April. Nothing like the coldness that we feared when the date was announced: opening night for the Boston Red Sox. All the players came out on the field. Mike Lowell getting the biggest cheers from the crowd. At various points of the game, people like Steven Tyler, Neil Diamond made appearences. Of all the people who showed, it was really nice to see Ryan Westmoreland. Mr. Westmoreland is a top prospect in the Red Sox minor league system who recently had brain surgery. One can only hope for Godspeed and a quick recovery. Our arch rivals, the New York Yankees were also coming to down. It had everything it could possibly have for a potential classic.

Play ball! At first, things didn't look good for the Red Sox as the Yankees went out to a quick 5-1 lead. But thanks to Kevin Youkalis and Dustin Pedroia double teaming a vulnerable Yankees bullpen, the Red Sox came back and was able to pull out a victory.

It's only game one. Some on the concerns we had pre-season showed during the game (Big Papi, Josh Beckett). But a win is a win and it was a great opening night.

How the System Failed Phoebe Prince

Welcome to my little space on the web. I used to write blogs often on myspace and I did one on facebook not too long ago. Now I bring my stuff to the world wide web. I'll be writing mostly about whatever is on my mind at a particular time. Plus an occassional poem or shot story thrown in. Now off to my first topic.

The story of Phoebe Prince is one of the most saddest stories I have ever heard. Worst of all, it was one that should not ever had happened. This link from Irish Central detailed some of what happened to her. http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/phoebe-prince-bullied-by-two-separate-gangs-new-evidence-shows-89863757.html

To those who are not local to New England, Phoebe Prince was a 14 year old girl who immigrated to the United States from Ireland. Her family settled in the Western Massachusetts town of South Hadley. It was there, for various reasons that she fell out of favor with a couple of cliques at South Hadley High School. What followed was a barrage of bullying and insults that no one deserves to go through. Among the popular insults thrown her way was "Irish slut" and "Irish whore". Most disturbing off all was that members of the South Hadly High School administration know about what Phoebe went through, but little was done to stop it till it was too late. Phoebe eventually committed suicide.

Now one can't help but ask "Why was this allowed to happen?". Conduct that is not acceptable among adult coworkers seems to be tolerated if it's done by children. If members of the South Hadly High School science department treated someone in the math department in the same way and matter that Phoebe was treated by her classmates, they would all be fired and a series of lawsuits would pop up. But you hear many stories similar to Phoebe, but few with the tragic consequences of her story. Did they think it'll go away by ignoring it. Did they buy in to some BS notion that bullying is a teenage rite of passion. Fighting among teenage cliques has always been around. But what happened to Phoebe crosses the lines of decency.

Imagine being this young girl. It's Sunday night and your weekend of peace is over. The alarm clock on Monday morning gives you another rude awakening. What follows is five straight days of hell. Five straight days of bullying, insults and dealing with a clique of students intent on making your life as miserable as possible. Friday gives you a two day furlough from hell, but you leave school knowing that hell will resume on Monday morning. This is too much for ANYONE to take, never mind a 14 year old girl.

It was too much for her to take. On her last day on earth, she was attacked in the library, allegedly in front of a member of a staff. Later on, during her walk home, of group of her bullies drove by. One of them threw a can of Red Bull at her, hitting her. Later on that day, Phoebe Prince hung herself. Ending an all to brief life.

The local District Attorney recently files charges against a group of her alleged tormentors, charging them with various charges including stalking and statutory rape. The Prince family has hired a lawyer and hopefully he's a good one. If this is not a wrongful death lawsuit, then I don't know what one is. Worst of all, a young girl is dead. A young life is taken before it has a chance to realize it's full potential. Does it bother you? It should.