Outside of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, there is no better span on the sporting calendar than the opening weekend of the NFL season. No more guessing how preseason performance really translates into regular season play, no more thinking about who will make the 53 man roster, no more praying that a key player on your team doesn’t get hurt in a meaningless game. It’s just you, your remote, perhaps a cold brew, and the joy of Christmas in September. And while I appreciate the Thursday night teaser, I’d almost rather the NFL not have gone to that. It’s like getting an appetizer and then having to wait 3 hours for the main course to arrive. Just fast forward me to Sunday already!
But before we can start week 1, we need the obligatory 2006 NFL predictions. Here it is folks, what you’ve been waiting for… the official Sportscolumn 2006 NFL Predictions. I have spent all weekend digesting stats, schedules, rosters… and lots of alcohol. Depending on how much you agree with these predictions, is how much of the relative mix of those things went into the picks. I predicted game by game for each of the 17 weeks and came up with the final standings and records of every team in the NFL. We’ll kick it off with the NFC.