FanHouse Predictions

Before the NHL season begins every year, everyone and their cat throws out their Stanley Cup predictions. Most end up horribly wrong. Heck, I made my predictions only after the regular season concluded and was still wrong. OK, I got Detroit right but Montreal has been gone for a little while now. The point is, it's all really a crap shoot. It's hard to predict what's going to happen prior to the playoffs, let alone before the entire regular season. You might as well just throw darts at a list of NHL teams. But, as it turns out, if enough of us make picks someone has got to be right.

Today, I congratulate The Sporting News on being those people. As Pensblog pointed out earlier today, the Sporting News' prediction of the Red Wings and Penguins squaring off in the Finals was, as we know now, 100% correct. So mad props to them, as the kids would say. Now let's see if they predicted the whole thing in it's entirety. They picked the Penguins to win the Cup over the Wings. Will Sid the Kid deliver?

Jimmy Rollins is feeling frisky this spring. First, it was his proclamation that the Phillies, finally, are the team to beat on paper in the N.L. East. Now, he is resuming his role as Carnac and predicting a lofty personal goal:

A career .274 hitter, Rollins wants more.

"Two hundred hits," Rollins said.

In a typical Rollins season, that would translate into his first season hitting .300. How to get there?

Right now, it looks like he's flailing.

On Sunday, Rollins went 0-for-2 with a walk, and dropped to 4-for-20 for the spring. He worked a two-out walk and stole second to set up No. 2 hitter Shane Victorino's RBI. Rollins is currently sitting at 5-for-21; Victorino, a popular choice to replace Rollins atop the lineup, is 14-for-33. That's .238 vs. .424.

It isn't going to help his fearless forecast to lose his spot in the lineup. But a man with such lofty goals as Rollins needn't be bothered with a silly exercise such as spring training. Why waste those precious hits?

But why stop there? Rollins could also plan to predict that he will win the MVP of the World Series, challenge Pete Rose's hit record, and that he will stop the effects of global warming with one swing of his mighty bat because he's just that good.

On paper, of course.

Ten wins and a wild card berth. Heck, sign me up! Like AJ Smith says, just get in the tournament.

2. * San Diego, 10-6. I really loved the defense -- until Steve Foley got shot three times after being chased by a cop Saturday night. Foley's a physical, 265-pound pass- and run-stopping fiend who was perfect in Marty Schottenheimer's heavy defense, and now we don't know if he'll play this year. Until Foley's incident, the biggest worry was whether Philip Rivers could reprise Brees' last two seasons. I'm bullish on Rivers, but he hasn't done it yet.

As Jon stated in the season preview, I believe the Chiefs will finish 10-6. Trent Green (right) agrees, which is why he is wearing #10. Here is a game-by-game justification for my prediction:

1. Bengals (Home) [W] - A really tough one. Six months ago, I chalked this up as an easy win, because I figured there was no way Carson Palmer would be ready for this game. Palmer actually looks even better now. The benefit is that the Chiefs are at home. Chalk this up as a very, very close win.
2. Broncos (Away) [L] - The Chiefs can't win in Denver. End of story.
3. Bye - Someone will have to explain this to me. Is a third-week Bye not the most useless thing in the planet?
4. 49ers (Home) [W] - Simply put, if they lose to the 49ers at home, the season's over.
5. Cardinals (Away) [L] - Another really tough decision. I'm not convinced that the Cardinals have come anywhere close to solving their offensive line issues, and the defense still has to prove itself also. But I do think that Warner, Boldin and Fitzgerald could put up major points. Close loss (but this could easily flip-flop to be Loss to Bengals and Win to Cardinals).
6. Steelers (Away) [L] - The Chiefs have not been a good road team recently. Now they need to beat the Super Bowl champs on the road? And yes, this would mean the Chiefs would have a losing record after Week 6.
7. Chargers (Home) [W] - Will Philip Rivers be the QB San Diego's expecting him to be? I don't think it will matter in Arrowhead.
8. Seahawks (Home) [L] - I don't think Seattle is going to be as good as they were last year, but they are still the defending NFC champs. This is the only home loss I'm predicting.
9. Rams (Away) [W] - The Chiefs always get pumped up for their matchups with their cross-state rivals. The Rams don't seem like they have everything figured out yet, and it certainly isn't the same scary offense we are used to seeing.
10. Dolphins (Away) [L] - Count me in as being on the Miami bandwagon. Culpepper looks pretty good, so they have the offensive talent. Defense might still be a question, but in Miami, the 'Fins have the edge.

Looks like everyone is starting to come out of hibernation and prepare for the games that count. And the 800-pound gorilla of sports has spoken: Sports Illustrated has released its annual NFL predictions.

In what is probably the NFL's toughest division, SI took the easy road as far as the four teams' records. Somehow, some way, SI says they're all going to finish at 9-7. Even the Eagles! But only one team can finish in first place, and SI got it right. With the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys earning wildcard berths, SI says the Washington Redskins will win the division.

But to make sure they weren't viewed as finally giving th Redskins some respect, SI compromised their intelligence by predicting the Giants will beat the Redskins in the first round of the playoffs. They even have the Giants beating the Seattle Seahawks next to go on to the NFC Championship game when they'll finally lose to the Carolina Panthers, who will beat the Miami Dolphins (in Miami) for the Super Bowl title.

Whatever.

They also listed Chris Cooley as a future breakout player. With Al Saunders running the show, Cooley is looking to improve on last year's numbers, in which he grabbed 71 passes for 700+ yards and 7 TDs. Saunders says when Cooley's career is over, he will be recognized as one of the premier TEs in the league. Strong words considering Saunders also made Tony Gonzales who he is.

By the way, who does SI think will have the first overall draft pick next year? The Houston Texans who they predict will finish 3-11.