NFL: 32 Bold Predictions for the 2008 Season Final Results

After wiping the tears from my eyes after realizing that the 2008 NFL season is officially over, I had to sit down and go over my bold predictions for this season, wrote on Aug. 8, 2008.

Some things I was right on point about, and others not so much.

The great thing about today's NFL is the tremendous parity among teams. Predicting the season's events is nearly impossible, and usually needs a lot of luck to be remotely right.

I feel dumb for playing into the NBC soap opera named the Dallas Cowboys and their producer Wade Phillips. How could I've been so naive?

I feel good for predicting Favre and the Brett's missing the playoffs, but not so good about thinking his streak would come to an end.

All in all, the 2008 season was amazing and captivating, and was capped by a scintillating Super Bowl matchup, which saw Ben Roethlisberger holding the Lombardi hardware above his head again.

The ageless wonder Kurt Warner fell short, but his performance and season didn't, and is Arizona big enough to house Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Warner another year?

I hope so.

In the meantime, here is the results of all my predictions.

32. The New England Patriots Will Win the AFC East

-Wrong. The Miami Dolphins won the AFC East.

After a 1-15 season, the Dolphins became one of the year's biggest stories winning 11 games with Chad Pennington under center.

31. The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Win the AFC North

-Right.

I was right on about this one, as the eventual Super Bowl champs won the North with 12 victories.

30. The Jacksonville Jaguars Will Win the AFC South.

-Wrong. The Tennessee Titans won the AFC South.

Was I ever wrong about this pick, as the Jags finished last in the division with a terrible 5-11 record. Where were David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew? With the season they had in 2007, who could fault me for this one?

29. The San Diego Chargers Will Win the AFC West

-Right.

I got lucky with this pick as the Chargers emerged from a 4-8 record to win 4 in a row and defeat the Broncos in the last game of the season to win the division. The Broncos fell apart while the Chargers would oust Manning and the Colts in the Wild Card.

28. The Dallas Cowboys Will Win the NFC East

-Wrong. The New York Giants won the NFC East.

As I discussed earlier, the Cowboys fooled me. They were terrible and a bunch of divas. Period. Biggest disappointment of the 08 season.

27. The Minnesota Vikings Will Win the NFC North

-Right.

I believed in A.P and he delivered, as his play and the emergence of the defense in the 2nd half of the season helped offset an unstable QB situation. Unfortunately, it all fell apart against Philly.

26. The New Orleans Saints Will Win the NFC South

Wrong. The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South.

I believed in Reggie Bush and Drew Brees, and thought the additions of Jeremy Shockey and Jonathan Vilma would pay dividends. Pierre Thomas was the team's best back and besides Brees, this team terribly underachieved again finishing last.

25. The Arizona Cardinals Will Win the NFC West

Right.

Boy was I ever on-point here! The Cardinals rode an offensive wave straight to the Super Bowl, and as we all know was minutes from winning it all.

24. The AFC East Will Finish Like This

1. New England Patriots- 14-2 (-3)

2. Buffalo Bills- 9-7 (-2)

3. New York Jets- 8-8 (+1)

4. Miami Dolphins- 4-12 (+7)

Actual Finish

1. Miami Dolphins (11-5), New England Patriots (11-5), New York Jets (9-7), Buffalo Bills (7-9)

23. The AFC North Will Finish Like This

1. Pittsburgh Steelers- 11-5 (+1)

2. Cleveland Browns- 10-6 (-6)

3. Cincinnati Bengals- 9-7 (-5)

4. Baltimore Ravens- 5-11 (+6)

Actual Finish

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), Baltimore Ravens (11-5), Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1), Cleveland Browns (4-12)

22. The AFC South Will Finish Like This

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- 12-4 (-7)

2. Indianapolis Colts- 10-6 (+2)

3. Tennessee Titans- 9-7 (+4)

4. Houston Texans- 8-8 (E)

Actual Finish

1. Tennessee Titans (13-3), Indianapolis Colts (12-4), Houston Texans (8-8), Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

21. The AFC West Will Finish Like This

1. San Diego Chargers- 12-4 (-4)

2. Denver Broncos- 9-7 (-1)

3. Oakland Raiders- 9-7 (-4)

4. Kansas City Chiefs- 5-11 (-3)

Actual Finish

1. San Diego Chargers (8-8), Denver Broncos (8-8), Oakland Raiders (5-11), Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)

20. The NFC East Will Finish Like This

1. Dallas Cowboys- 14-2 (-5)

2. New York Giants- 10-6 (+2)

3. Philadelphia Eagles- 9-7 (E)

4. Washington Redskins- 7-9 (-1)

Actual Finish

1. New York Giants (12-4), Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1), Dallas Cowboys (9-7), Washington Redskins (8-8)

19. The NFC North Will Finish Like This

1. Minnesota Vikings- 11-5 (-1)

2. Detroit Lions- 9-7 (-9)

3. Green Bay Packers- 7-9 (-1)

4. Chicago Bears- 4-12 (+5)

Actual Finish

1. Minnesota Vikings (10-6), Chicago Bears (9-7), Green Bay Packers (6-10), Detroit Lions (0-16)

18. The NFC South Will Finish Like This

1. New Orleans Saints- 11-5 (-3)

2. Carolina Panthers- 10-6 (+2)

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 6-10 (+3)

4. Atlanta Falcons- 3-13 (+8)

Actual Finish

1. Carolina Panthers (12-4), Atlanta Falcons (11-5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7), New Orleans Saints (8-8)

17. The NFC West Will Finish Like This

1. Arizona Cardinals- 10-6 (-1)

2. Seattle Seahawks- 9-7 (-5)

3. St. Louis Rams- 8-8 (-6)

4. San Francisco 49ers- 6-10 (+1)

Actual Finish

1. Arizona Cardinals (9-7), San Francisco 49ers (7-9), Seattle Seahawks (4-12), St. Louis Rams (2-14)

16. The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Defeat the Indianapolis Colts 38-24 in WC 1.

-Wrong. The Baltimore Ravens Defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-9.

15. The Jacksonville Jaguars Will Defeat the Cleveland Browns 24-10 in WC 2.

-Wrong. The San Diego Chargers Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 23-17.

14. The Arizona Cardinals Will Defeat the New York Giants 20-7 in WC 3.

-Partially Right. The Arizona Cardinals Defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 30-24.

13. The New Orleans Saints Will Defeat the Carolina Panthers 23-14 in WC 4.

-Wrong. The Philadelphia Eagles Defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 26-14.

12. The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Defeat the New England Patriots 28-17 in the Divisional Round.

-Partially Right. The Pittsburgh Steelers Defeated the San Diego Chargers, 35-24.

11. The San Diego Chargers Will Defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-14 in the Divisional Round.

-Wrong, but the San Diego Chargers did make it to the Divisional Round.

10. The Dallas Cowboys Will Defeat the Arizona Cardinals 31-10 in the Divisional Round.

-Partially Right. The Arizona Cardinals would defeat the Carolina Panthers, 33-13.

9. The New Orleans Saints Will Defeat the Minnesota Vikings 17-14 in Overtime in the Divisional Round.

-Wrong, but the Minnesota Vikings did make the playoffs.

8. The San Diego Chargers Will Defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-21 in the AFC Championship Game.

-Partially Right. The Pittsburgh Steelers Defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14.

7. The Dallas Cowboys Will Defeat the New Orleans Saints 24-20 in the NFC Championship Game.

-Wrong. The Arizona Cardinals Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25.

6. The Dallas Cowboys Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers 31-21 in Super Bowl 43.

-Wrong. The Pittsburgh Steelers Defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23.

5. Tony Romo Will Be Super Bowl MVP.

-Wrong. Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes.

4. Adrian Peterson Will Be NFL MVP.

-Wrong. NFL MVP Peyton Manning, but Peterson finished in Top-3 of voting.

3. Ken Whisenhunt Will Be NFL Coach of the Year.

-Wrong. COY Mike Tomlin, but Whisenhunt battled him in an epic Super Bowl match-up.

2. Brett Favre Will Not Make It to the Playoffs This Season and His Consecutive Starts Streak Will Be Broken.

-Partially Right. Favre did miss the playoffs with a 9-7 record, but he started all 16 games of the season.

1. Atlanta Will Be Wishing for QB Michael Vick After the Season.

-Terribly Wrong. The Falcons laughed in the face of adversity left in Vick's wake, as they finished 11-5 and made the playoffs lead by rookie QB Matt Ryan.

*Watch These Three First-Round Rookies:

1. Kansas City DT Glenn Dorsey- Didn't make much of an impact, totaling 46 tackles, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble. Could benefit from another coach and more experience next season.

2. Pittsburgh RB Rashard Mendenhall- Played in just four games before sustaining a season-ending injury against the Ravens. Had 19 carries for 58 yards in limited action.

3. Arizona CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie- Clearly the best of these picks and a stud, D.R Cromartie appeared in all 16 games and had 42 tackles, 19 passes defensed and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

These predictions were a blast, and although I had more wrong than right, it shows the unpredictability of today's NFL and how exciting each game is.

They don't play games on paper, and we don't watch for nothin'.

See you next year.