Just like at the beginning of every season, we all make predictions.  A-Rod will hit such-and-such amount of homers, Johan Santana will get __ wins in his new Flushing digs, Team X will finish with 80+ wins, etc.  There is one thing that I know for sure, though.  This year, the American League East will be a dogfight.
]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2007/11/6/01952/6590 OK, so we've completed 9 weeks of the 2007 NFL season.  After the dust settled following the big New England/Indy game, we have the Patriots remaining undefeated and looking as calm as can be in the clutch.  The Colts shouldn't feel bad; 7-1 is nothing to cry about.  Then...we have the rest.  I'm not going to sit here and hand the Lombardi Trophy over to the Pats just yet.  The Colts still have a legitimate shot, too.

But, who are we kidding?  There's no team in the NFC that holds a candle to either of the AFC powerhouses.  That New England/Dallas game a few weeks back was supposed to be close.  Too bad nobody told the Patriots.  The Cowboys, Giants, Packers, Saints, and the rest of the NFC elite can't beat the Patriots or Colts.
]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2007/5/2/114412/9313 They defeated the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl two years later, and they followed that with another win over the Philadelphia Eagles the following year.  Four years.  Three championships.  One coach.  One quarterback.  Oh, and a kicker that was really good in the clutch.

They almost did it again last season.  They were four points away from beating the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, a game which almost all of America figured would be won by the Patriots because Tom Brady never, ever screws up with the game on the line.  Well, we all make mistakes.

The Patriots dynasty has lost a little of its luster, since the Pats haven't won the Super Bowl (let alone made it there) in the past two seasons.  However, if you're waiting for the New England Patriots dynasty to fizzle out, you may be waiting for a few years.]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2007/4/11/143018/893 Well, baseball is finally here.  In fact, it has been here for a week and a half already.  Spring Training is over, the home fields of all the baseball teams have been opened for the new season (or they are close to being opened).  The World Champion Cardinals are attempting to repeat, the Tigers are looking to repeat last year's success, the Red Sox are trying to dethrone the Yankees in the AL East, and a slew of teams that missed last year's playoffs are looking to improve on last year's performances (Indians, Braves, Cubs, etc).

So, one week has been completed.  Players have begun to produce, while some haven't.  Teams have won games early, while some haven't.  So, what have I learned from the first week and a half of the regular season?  Well...]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2007/1/3/05844/24499 Dennis Green, not surprisingly, has been axed by the once again woeful Arizona Cardinals.  Jim Mora Jr. has been canned by the disappointing Atlanta Falcons.  The Dolphins and Steelers need to discuss the futures of Nick Saban and Bill Cowher, respectively.

Perhaps lost among those names are the coaches who have surpassed expectations this past season in the NFL.  Whether these coaches unexpectedly led their teams to playoff berths or whether they were simply able to dominate the rest of the league, these coaches will no doubt find their names on the list for NFL Coach of the Year.]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2006/12/12/14655/519 http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2006/12/6/22954/6576 Every day in the sports world, we are presented with fascinating stories about who got traded, who called out their coach, who is in the running for an award, and why two players don't get along.  This NFL season, we have been faced with Terrell Owens sagas, Giants players ripping on each other and their coach, and the Raider and Cardinals, once again, stinking up the league.

Sure, T.O. and LaDanian Tomlinson have made the headlines, despite their seemingly less dramatic positions.  But, the 2006 season has been the year of the quarterback.  Most of the teams have had their quarterbacks make the headlines.]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2006/11/3/201927/734 There might not be another rivalry in sports outside of the Red Sox-Yankees that is as intense as the Colts-Patriots rivalry.  Every year, the Colts and Patriots play each other in either the regular season or the playoffs, and every year the game is hard fought.

The Colts head to New England a perfect 7-0; the Patriots are 6-1 with their lone loss coming to the Broncos in Week 3.  The game will feature two excellent quarterback in Indy's Peyton Manning and New England's Tom Brady.  Both teams have their strong points.

So, who do I think will win this game?  The Indianapolis Colts.]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/story/2006/10/2/223057/144 The Indianapolis Colts.  The Cincinnati Bengals.  The Pittsburgh Steelers.  These were just some of the teams picked to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.  All three picks make sense; every one of those teams went to the playoffs last year, with the Steelers winning it all.

Another team added in the mix of Super Bowl contenders prior to this season were the Miami Dolphins.  This was the trendy pick.  Many people chose the Dolphins to go all the way and Daunte Culpepper's name was thrown out there as a potential MVP candidate.  The pieces were in place: Culpepper was the new QB, Ronnie Brown was still carrying the load out of the backfield, and Chris Chambers was still the top receiver on the team.  Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor still anchor the defense.]]> string http://www.sportscolumn.com/search/