My other big obsession.

Since my last post, my daughter has officially turned one and had an amazing visit with family back in Ohio. Today, we got in 18 holes at Lincoln Disc Golf Park and I had a good round while working on some new techniques. However, today's post is about something completely different. I said these posts would be somewhat random, so here it is...my other obsession. Football!!

Football season is quickly approaching. My brother and I are working on building a fantasy league and I am finding myself reading more articles each day as the season inches closer and closer. Now, I never really played much football outside of pick-up games in college, which I played a lot, but I have always watched football and enjoyed studying the game. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a true fan of the sport. I would have to be to suffer through so many losing seasons with my beloved Cincinnati Bengals. It's a make-it or break-it type of season for them and I am excited to see who steps up.

Like I said, I'm not an expert, but I decided this blog would be about some predictions for each division, the major awards and how I think the season will play out. Take these for what they are, opinions, but I really just want to have them written down so I can see how I did.

AFC East

The AFC East isn't even fun. We all know big bad Brady will win the division for a couple more years at least and things don't look great for the rest of the division. My prediction for the AFC East is that it will produce the worst team in football, the NY Jets. I'm fairly certain that I've played with better quarterbacks than the Jets have. McCown? Old backup. Hackenberg? Overrated college "star" who has no one to help him. Petty? See the previous about Hackenberg. I could see the Jets maybe winning against the Browns and at best splitting the series with the Bills and Dolphins. That would put them at a sad 3-13. They might grab a W against jacksonville, but not likely. They play the tough AFC West, the Pats twice, the stacked NFC South and a lot of those games are on the road. I don't see this going well. And to make matters worse, Sam Darnold said he's likely staying at USC. 

AFC West

This is where it gets tough. The Chargers could be a surprise team this year, the Broncos have that defense and KC and Oakland are legit contenders. I expect at least two playoff teams emerging from the AFC West, with the Raiders winning the division behind another solid season from Carr.

AFC North

My sweet, sweet AFC North. The hardest hitting and most brutal division in football. AFC North football is smashmouth football, except for those worthless Steelers who close their eyes and chuck the ball 100 times a game. As much as I despise the Steelers more than anything in this world, they have the talent to take the division and I believe they will edge the Bengals by a game or two to win it. My prediction though is about the bottom of the division. I think the Browns will just barely beat out Baltimore for the worst team in the division. Flacco is old and inconsistent, they have a bad o-line, bad defense and their best WR will be lucky to stay on the field in the AFC North. I expect them to get 4 or 5 wins, while the Browns pull out 5 or 6 wins thanks to a favorable schedule.

AFC South

The worst division in football. Period. Luck has nothing around him, Bortles will blow all the opportunities his defense gives him, the Texans will wait too long to give Watson a shot, but at least the Titans are on the rise. I think the Titans will take the division, but the last few weeks of the season will mark the beginning of a future star in Watson.

NFC South

Crab legs for everyone! I think this will be the not so surprising surprise of the season. I expect the Falcons to take a step back, the Panthers and Saints will be tough, but Famous Jameis will have his official coming out party and take down one of the toughest divisions in football. He has so much talent on offense. Jackson, Evans, Godwin, OJ Howard, and the muscle hamster give him an endless supply of help. They will be a great offense and won't need much from their defense to have a great season.

NFC North

Packers take it. Easy. I think the Bears give the Jets a run for their money, but the NFC North is all but wrapped up. The Lions will flash, but the power of the discount double check will be too much and the Packers will make another run in the NFC.

NFC West

Rams suck, 9ers are rebuilding and sadly I fear the end has come for Palmer, who would have been one of the greats if it weren't for the dirty cheap shot artist Steelers. The Seahawks will have a good year helped by at least 5 freebies in the division.

NFC East

The AFC West is tough, the NFC South is tougher, but the NFC East is the best division in football. If it was aloud, all four teams would likely make the playoffs. The Eagles have a budding star in Wentz, the Redskins have Cousins who will go all out and get paid by someone else after next season, the Cowboys have a strong young offensive core and the Giants might have the best WRs in football. I think the Giants win the division, but here is my big prediction: the Cowboys finish in the bottom half of the division. I love Dak and I love Zeke even more, but they lost some o-line that really led to their start last year. The biggest issue is defense. They had a rough season last year and lost several key players. I'm not saying they have a horrible season. I am actually expecting them to finish around 10-6, but the Giants and Skins will both be 11-5 or better. Sorry Sully.

Awards

MVP: Winston

OPOY: Winston

DPOY: Bosa

OROY: McCaffrey

DROY: Taco Charlton

NFC Championship

Bucs beat the Skins

AFC Championship

Pats beat the Raiders

Super Bowl

We all are made to suffer through the joyful face of Tom Brady yet again.

Come see me in February to laugh at how wrong I am.