How are my pre-season picks doing? | redskinskillcowboys's Blog

And the funniest part of the week leading to yesterday's destruction of the hopes and (at least for the males) testicles of Redskins' fans everywhere?

How many people were picking the 'Skins to pull out the upset.

Yes, it's true. No matter how badly Cowboys fans try to convince us that the C-Boys are America's darling, don't we have to declare a de facto title to the 'Skins? Name one team that is consistently as overhyped, every d*mn year, as my beloved Redskins. When I say overhyped, by the way, I do not mean by your typical homer/delusional Skins fan in DC, or wherever you may be (I know there are a lot of us.) I mean by people who a)aren't Redskins fans and/or b)are paid by a major media outlet to talk about sports.

Every freakin' year, it seems, I have to hear from ESPN and SI and the Sporting News and Vince Vaughn (okay, maybe I've never heard Vince Vaughn hype the Skins, but seeing as how I hate him, let's just pretend) are talking about how the Skins 1)"Just might creep up on'ya this year" or 2)"The Redskins are looking at a deep play-off run this year!"

Those were some quotes that I have heard repeated for that last, oh let's see, it's 2007, we won the Super Bowl when I was 8 in the 1991-1992 season, so I've been hearing this garbage for 15 years. This year, we actually have a winning record at the halfway mark of the season, and this is what we hear:

"The Redskins are playing lights out football right now! Look out Dallas!" - said by Kevin Blackistone on Around the Horn (this was said after the win against Detroit).

"The Redskins have the fifth-ranked defense in the league, they're good at creating pressure, and have a great pass D...they have a very good chance against the Pats this week." - said by Mark Schlereth, a former Redskin.

"Brandon Lloyd has one catch now...Brandon Lloyd is just gettin' warmed up. LOOK OUT FOR B-LLOYD!" - said by Brandon Lloyd, probably.

Now, I'm all for optimism, and lord knows the Redskins could use a little bit of it these days, but c'mon: the COLTS ARE UNDERDOGS AGAINST THESE PATRIOTS. The Skins? The team that couldn't beat the Packers on a day when Sean Taylor was making Favre his sissy and the Pack managed one measly touchdown? No way.

As for me? Well, I am the guy who pre-season predicted that the Pats may not win the AFC East because the Jets and the Dolphins would compete with them. I'm the guy who told you that Brady and Moss would explode in Belichick's face. Obviously, my predictive powers in football aren't as keen as they are in baseball.

I also said that the Bengals would be good. They are a bunch of cowards. Chad Johnson is working very hard to squander all the good will he built up the NFL fans for the past few years. Not only that, but how many of you, o bloggers, truly believe that Chad is the BEST receiver in the NFL? Think anyone would say that if he was sentenced to two years hard time in the Oakland Raider Penitentiary, run by sadistic warden Al Davis? No. Not a chance. Just remember: Moss was better than Johnson with Culpepper throwing him the ball. Ocho-cinco has Palmer, who is considered one of the best in the game.

Oh yeah, I'm also the guy who said the Raiders would be good this year, and that JaMarcus Russell would be named the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Unless he can attain that award without taking the field once, it looks like that will be a bust, too.

I don't remember what I said about the Falcons, but I said, and I quote, "Screw the Bucs. I hate them." Well, you know what? I still hate them. Screw the Bucs.

As for that last prediction of mine....I still stick by the Bolts taking down the Super Bowl. I don't care what anybody says, if there is a fantasy draft tomorrow in the NFL a la Madden stylie, LT is the number one pick. No question; he's the best player in football, bar none. Antonio Gates is the best tight end in football. Philip Rivers is an excellent quarterback, who before the aquisition of Chris Chambers, had three speedy wideouts all measured at 6 foot 5. Gates is 6'4", and he's one of those tight ends who can double as a receiver that is so prized in today's game...couple him with San Diego's wide receivers, and that's a big, fast receiving core. Now that they have Chambers, and Chambers has a real quarterback again, both the Chargers offense and Chris Chambers are playing well again. The Chargers are the most talented team in football. The Patriots wide receivers don't outweigh the overall quality of the Chargers team. The question is, obviously, can the Pats be beaten?

I think so. But, I want them to go undefeated. I want them to so I never have to hear or god forbid see the insufferable image of the No-Name Defense popping the bubbly again.

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