I know this is a little late as the NFL season is just about to wrap up Week 11 after tonight but I still wanted to check-in and give some take on the season so far. All I can say is what a CRAZY season up until now. Just shows how unpredictable the NFL is becoming season after season. The easiest way for me to do this is to look over my pre-season predictions, go division by division, and then see how well I've done so far (probably not even close, haha). If you want to take a look at them first go ahead and check them out.
NFC East
Well so far, overall the NFC East is going to plan the only difference that after Sunday night's game the Eagles have taken sole possession of first place in the division. Giants and Skins are not far behind and all those Dallas fans who scoffed at me for slating them in last place at the end of the year...who's laughing now???? NFC East is clearly the toughest division in football when it comes to those division games. They are always the best games to watch. My mid-season predictions for the East have not changed. I still think the Giants can bounce back and take the division over by the end of the year. It's just a matter of whether the Skins can make it interesting and I don't have any doubt they can't accomplish that.
NFC North
Once again, my pre-season predictions here are very close as the only difference is the destruction of the Vikings this year. I thought this division was going to at least be competitive and the Lions would have some crazy wins in order to make it interesting. Although the Bears are making it interesting as they are continuing to find ways to win. My division winner, the Packers, are looking unstoppable now and even as banged up as they are they continue to surprise people and Aaron Rodgers is looking like an MVP out there. As of now I don't see the Vikings being able to rebound so it looks like it will be a battle between the Pack and Bears and I predict the Pack still come out on top.
NFC South
This is one of the divisions that I have been the least accurate on so far. The South has probably been the most competitive division so far with Atlanta 8-2 and both the Saints and Bucs at 7-3. This division is wide open as the home stretch of the season comes upon us here soon. I regrettably had the Bucs in last place at the end of the year and unless they have a complete breakdown and the Panthers do a 180 it looks like the Bucs are in the hunt for a division title at the midway point. I still think the Falcons will stay in 1st in the South but the Bucs will finish in 2nd and the Saints will be a Wild Card team in the Playoffs.
NFC West
You want to talk about a pathetic division then take a look at the NFC West this year. The division leading Seahawks are a mere 5-5 and it is possible that the division out of the West could have a losing record and still make the playoffs and host a wild card team in the first round. The two teams that I had atop the division (49ers and Cards) are at the bottom as of now and it looks like it might stay that way. My predictions for the final standings will be the Seahawks taking the division with either a .500 or losing record.
AFC East
Apparently my assumption that the Jets were a little too over-hyped this year was incorrect as they are being placed into the mix of best team in the NFL at this point in the season. However, the Pats were and still are owning that division and I think they will come out on top when it comes to the end of the season. However, my predictions about the Jets have definitley proven to be untrue and be prepared to watch out for them in the Playoffs.
AFC North
This is probably the division that I screwed up the most. I picked the Bengals to finally get it together and take first place in the North. That was a BIG mistake. I ultimately think the Steelers, especially with Big Ben being back, will be too much for the rest of the North although the Ravens are making a strong case this year as well. I will have to change my picks to the Steelers and Ravens being atop that division by the end of the year.
AFC South
My picks for the South aren't holding up as of right now either with the Jags officially in first place. I still think the Colts own that division and the Titans, with all the drama, will rebound to take 2nd place. That being said I think my pre-season predictions will hold come the end of the year.
AFC West
Well my faith in the Oakland Raiders for this season has not been diminished yet, however I had the Chargers making it to the Super Bowl this year and they have been nothing but disappointing so far. Cheifs have surprised everyone so I think when it comes to the end of the year the Chargers will retain first place and the Chiefs will be in 2nd. However, only being slightly better than even the NFC West the division winner might come out with a losing record.
Playoffs
The way things are looking right now I think it's hard to make an argument about the Falcons, Packers, or Eagles making a long run in the playoffs. My original team to come out to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl was the Packers and I will continue to hold to that. On the other side I regrettably had the Chargers winning it all. Now when they are hot, they can't be stopped but for some reason they have lost some very winnable games this year and you just can't have that in the playoffs. I think out of the AFC it's either gonna be the Steelers or the Patriots (even though it kills me to suggest those two teams). I hate to say it but it looks like another win for the AFC in the Super Bowl this year but I would love to see Aaron Rodgers get one and finally move out of the shadow of Favre.
This season has become one of the most unpredictable ones in a long time so we'll see how the rest goes.
-R.N.N.
rnelson0187@gmail.com
@ryannnelson87
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
I'm From......So I Must be a Fan of.....Does it Really Matter?
Just from the sheer fact that I was born and raised in Virginia I am expected to be a Washington Redskins fan, a UVA fan, a Nats fan, and a Caps fan according to many individuals out there in the local sports world today. Let me counter that by saying I am a Giants fan in football, a Virginia Tech Hokie, George Mason, and UNC fan for all college sports, an Atlanta Braves fan, and don't really care for the NHL (but if I had to choose a team I guess I would say the Caps). Family has a lot to do with these decisions that I made to become fans of these teams. I didn't say "Oh, well I was born in VA so I have to root for the Redskins and all other DC teams." NO! I was raised in the Virginia Beach area of the state so there was a big fan base down there of Panther and Falcons fans as well for the NFL. I also did not decide to choose to root for those teams because they were "geographically" closer than any other teams.
These assertions that where you were raised is directly related to what teams you should and should not root for is utterly ridiculous. I was raised a Giants fan because my family raised me that way. It also helps that my grandfather and family before me were raised in New Jersey. I have been to the NY/NJ area a couple times in my life-time but just because I was not born there does not mean I am not allowed to root for them. My whole dad's side of the family has always rooted for them and that's the way I was raised. When I started understanding sports I made the decision to continue to be a Giants fan and always have been since that day and always will be.
I am a Virginia Tech fan simply because my entire dad's side of the family went to school there and I pretty much grew up on that campus for a lot of the first part of my life. I was raised to be a fan. Enough said. I will always be a Hokie fan no matter how much crap they get from the critics about being over-rated and whatever.
I became a Braves fan for a number of reasons. To keep it short, one of my best-friends as a kid was a huge Braves fans and their minor-league team was stationed out of Richmond and a family member of mine had always been a Braves fan. Now, I'm not a huge fan of baseball but as a casual fan I decided that I wanted to start following the Braves (This was WAY before the Nats were even a idea). It's always stuck with me even when the Nats came to DC. First of all the Nats have always been a crappy team. They just now might start a very slow rise to a mediocre team. The Braves will always be my team when it comes to the MLB.
I really could honestly care less about Hockey. But when i do catch the occasional game or what not I must say because I do live in the DC area now the Caps are the only team that I am rooting for in the "area." With the NBA I have weirdly enough always been an Orlando Magic fan. This one is simply because I acquired it from a childhood friend and it has just always stuck with me ever since. Plus the Wizards are horrible why would I ever want to be associated with them.
Look, here's the deal. I respect people who have been born and raised in VA or the DC area and have always been a Skins fan, etc. That's awesome. My girlfriend's entire family pretty much as always been Skins fans because they had been born and raised one as well. But just like her being a Giants fan has been passed down from previous generations as well. I could have decided that I wanted to be a Skins fan because I was born in VA but I stuck with family and will continue to root for the Giants as long as I live. I respect the people who root for the Nats and other VA related teams. What I don't respect is "DC-ers" who ridicule people for not being Skins fans, etc. because they live in the DMV. Listen, the DMV is one of the most DIVERSE areas of the nation. People come from all over the world and set up residence here. Their "fandom" may lie somewhere else like Pittsburgh, Philly, New York, just to name a few. So CHILL OUT! People move around all the time and are raised different ways. Not every single person in the DMV is gonna be a Skins fan, etc. So let it go and live with that fact.
Now there is a difference between being a "true fan" and a "bandwagoner" and believe me there are some bandwagoners around the DMV who just like to root for the team that's the most popular or winning. Or there are fans who just want to root against DC teams just because they can. So those people can just suck it. I'm gonna wrap this up.
Bottom line is, people are all raised differently. People move around constantly. People have the ability to make their own decisions about who they are a fan of (wow, crazy concepts, I know). I have a right as a human being to root for whoever the hell I want to whether it's a team from the area that I live in or not. If tomorrow I decided I wanted to be a Seattle Seahawks fan (even though who would want to be, haha) I could make that decision. Even though they may be on the other side of the country, if I wanted to root for them and become a fan I could do that. So get of your high horse DC fans and realize that you aren't the only people that live in the DMV and their are gonna be people around that aren't fans of your sports. SO WHAT! DEAL WITH IT! That is all.
-R.N.N.
@ryannnelson87
rnelson0187@gmail.com
These assertions that where you were raised is directly related to what teams you should and should not root for is utterly ridiculous. I was raised a Giants fan because my family raised me that way. It also helps that my grandfather and family before me were raised in New Jersey. I have been to the NY/NJ area a couple times in my life-time but just because I was not born there does not mean I am not allowed to root for them. My whole dad's side of the family has always rooted for them and that's the way I was raised. When I started understanding sports I made the decision to continue to be a Giants fan and always have been since that day and always will be.
I am a Virginia Tech fan simply because my entire dad's side of the family went to school there and I pretty much grew up on that campus for a lot of the first part of my life. I was raised to be a fan. Enough said. I will always be a Hokie fan no matter how much crap they get from the critics about being over-rated and whatever.
I became a Braves fan for a number of reasons. To keep it short, one of my best-friends as a kid was a huge Braves fans and their minor-league team was stationed out of Richmond and a family member of mine had always been a Braves fan. Now, I'm not a huge fan of baseball but as a casual fan I decided that I wanted to start following the Braves (This was WAY before the Nats were even a idea). It's always stuck with me even when the Nats came to DC. First of all the Nats have always been a crappy team. They just now might start a very slow rise to a mediocre team. The Braves will always be my team when it comes to the MLB.
I really could honestly care less about Hockey. But when i do catch the occasional game or what not I must say because I do live in the DC area now the Caps are the only team that I am rooting for in the "area." With the NBA I have weirdly enough always been an Orlando Magic fan. This one is simply because I acquired it from a childhood friend and it has just always stuck with me ever since. Plus the Wizards are horrible why would I ever want to be associated with them.
Look, here's the deal. I respect people who have been born and raised in VA or the DC area and have always been a Skins fan, etc. That's awesome. My girlfriend's entire family pretty much as always been Skins fans because they had been born and raised one as well. But just like her being a Giants fan has been passed down from previous generations as well. I could have decided that I wanted to be a Skins fan because I was born in VA but I stuck with family and will continue to root for the Giants as long as I live. I respect the people who root for the Nats and other VA related teams. What I don't respect is "DC-ers" who ridicule people for not being Skins fans, etc. because they live in the DMV. Listen, the DMV is one of the most DIVERSE areas of the nation. People come from all over the world and set up residence here. Their "fandom" may lie somewhere else like Pittsburgh, Philly, New York, just to name a few. So CHILL OUT! People move around all the time and are raised different ways. Not every single person in the DMV is gonna be a Skins fan, etc. So let it go and live with that fact.
Now there is a difference between being a "true fan" and a "bandwagoner" and believe me there are some bandwagoners around the DMV who just like to root for the team that's the most popular or winning. Or there are fans who just want to root against DC teams just because they can. So those people can just suck it. I'm gonna wrap this up.
Bottom line is, people are all raised differently. People move around constantly. People have the ability to make their own decisions about who they are a fan of (wow, crazy concepts, I know). I have a right as a human being to root for whoever the hell I want to whether it's a team from the area that I live in or not. If tomorrow I decided I wanted to be a Seattle Seahawks fan (even though who would want to be, haha) I could make that decision. Even though they may be on the other side of the country, if I wanted to root for them and become a fan I could do that. So get of your high horse DC fans and realize that you aren't the only people that live in the DMV and their are gonna be people around that aren't fans of your sports. SO WHAT! DEAL WITH IT! That is all.
-R.N.N.
@ryannnelson87
rnelson0187@gmail.com
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