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Four sports magazines pick Patriots to win the 2008 Super Bowl

MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942 ✭
in Sports Talk
Today's quiz comes courtesy of the National Football League and publishing houses responsible for five of the more venerable preseason pro football magazines.
The question: Which proved more disappointing last season, the Carolina Panthers or the preseason predictions?

Based on the evidence, it's a tough call.

The Panthers, of course, finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

Yet they also were the pick of three magazines to win the Super Bowl while two others had them reaching the game but not winning — only Athlon correctly predicting that the Indianapolis Colts would achieve Roman numeral satisfaction.

Last summer's Super Bowl predictions had Athlon picking the Colts over the Panthers, Lindy's picking the Panthers over the Denver Broncos, Pro Football Weekly picking the Panthers over the Colts, Sporting News picking the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Panthers, and Street & Smith's picking the Panthers over the Broncos.

Carolina is hoping to rebound nicely this season, and so are the aforementioned five preseason magazines.

Even so, the New England Patriots should be afraid. Only Lindy's doesn't pick them to win Super XLII in Glendale, Ariz.

Athlon: Patriots over Cowboys. Lindy's: Ravens over Saints. Pro Football Weekly: Patriots over Saints. Sporting News: Patriots over Cowboys. Street & Smith's: Patriots over Saints.

Division winners:

•Athlon— NFC East (Cowboys), NFC North (Bears), NFC South (Saints), NFC West (Seahawks). AFC East (Patriots), AFC North (Ravens), AFC South (Colts), AFC West (Chargers).

•Lindy's— NFC East (Eagles), NFC North (Bears), NFC South (Saints), NFC West (Seahawks). AFC East (Patriots), AFC North (Ravens), AFC South (Colts), AFC West (Chargers).

•Pro Football Weekly— NFC East (Eagles), NFC North (Bears), NFC South (Saints), NFC West (Seahawks). AFC East (Patriots), AFC North (Ravens), AFC South (Colts), AFC West (Chargers).

•Sporting News— NFC East (Cowboys), NFC North (Bears), NFC South (Saints), NFC West (49ers). AFC East (Patriots), AFC North (Bengals), AFC South (Colts), AFC West (Chargers).

•Street & Smith's— NFC East (Eagles), NFC North (Bears), NFC South (Saints), NFC West (Seahawks). AFC East (Patriots), AFC North (Ravens), AFC South (Colts), AFC West (Chargers).

Comments

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Patriots are locked and loaded on paper but the history with our free agent WR's worries me a bit, Kelly Washington, Donte Stallworth can be good IF they actually play a full season wich will be a stretch due to their history. If Moss gets through training camp and becomes a team player which again due to his history will be a stretch I like our chances, I hope Maroney can shoulder a full load this season as well. It will be interesting for sure..
  • BobaFett72BobaFett72 Posts: 7,304
    On paper they have an outstanding team.
  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 12,863 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great. All we need is Tom Brady on the cover of Madden '08 to seal the Pat's doom. image
    *For Sale on BST* *For Sale on Ebay*
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Great. All we need is Tom Brady on the cover of Madden '08 to seal the Pat's doom. image >>




    No worries I think Vince Young is taking that honor. image
  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 12,863 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Great. All we need is Tom Brady on the cover of Madden '08 to seal the Pat's doom. image >>




    No worries I think Vince Young is taking that honor. image >>



    Thank Goodness!! image

    Actually, I heard Tom Brady never wants to be on Madden or any pre-season SI cover due to the "cover jinx".
    *For Sale on BST* *For Sale on Ebay*
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Great. All we need is Tom Brady on the cover of Madden '08 to seal the Pat's doom. image >>




    No worries I think Vince Young is taking that honor. image >>



    Thank Goodness!! image

    Actually, I heard Tom Brady never wants to be on Madden or any pre-season SI cover due to the "cover jinx". >>




    Offcourse. Brady is too smart for that!
  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,119 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Anyone who does not pick my favorite team to win it all is nutsimage

    I mean they have won 2 out of 40 Super Bowls and have played in 6 out of 40. With a record like that, how could you bet against them?image
  • EstilEstil Posts: 7,058 ✭✭✭✭
    And of course, all four magazines will be wrong image Seriously, when was the last time a major sports publication made a pre-season prediction (who will win championship, divisions, etc) in ANY major sport and actually got a good portion of it right?
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  • stitzenstitzen Posts: 1,771
    Estil, exactly. How many people were picking the Panthers to either get to the super bowl or win it all? I think they were the consensus pick last year.

    Let's face it...the 'experts' are rarely right in picking champions in the preseason. There are far too many variables that get in the way. The Patriots may look great on paper, but what happens if Moss becomes a huge distraction? What if the team faces a serious injury? What if Brady has a mediocre or subpar year?

  • MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942 ✭
    Because of the poor track record I would guess that some of these magazines would just as soon not make any super bowl picks but the readers expect them after reading all of the analysis of the teams so they sort of have to do it.
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Regardless of what a magazine writes and barring any major injury its not too far of a stretch to pick the Patriots as a preseason favorite to win the superbowl
  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,119 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I always get a chuckle out the the label "expert". If someone is called an "expert", we common folk are supposed to ooh and aah over it. As if the "expert" is somehow able to predict the future. How many times since the Super Bowl started have the 10 longest tenured football "experts" who give preseason predictions about who will win the Super Bowl actually choosen the winner of the game?

    That would be an interesting piece of information.

    It would not surprise me to see these 10 "experts" having a success rate of less than 20%.

    On by the way, the Broncos will win it all this next season. I have been predicting a Broncos Super Bowl Victory since the first season that ended with Greenbay winning Super Bowl #1. So far I am 2 out of 40 in my predictions, or .5% correct in my predictionsimage
  • JeffJ99JeffJ99 Posts: 91
    What I find really surprising here is that Lindy's is picking the Ravens to win it all. The Ravens?! I don't want to offend any Ravens fans here, but that seems like an odd pick. I know they were 13-3 last year, but isn't the core of that team getting old? And they had NO offense in the Colts game last year. NONE.

    I'm also surprised that nobody is picking the Chargers to make the Super Bowl. I guess they're all just very impressed with the PAT's offseason pick-ups. But don't say the Chargers a great regular season team that can't win a playoff game. They used to say that about the Colts.

    Jeff
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Regardless of what a magazine writes and barring any major injury its not too far of a stretch to pick the Texans as a preseason favorite to win the superbowl >>



    Fixed.

    image
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Regardless of what a magazine writes and barring any major injury its not too far of a stretch to pick the Texans as a preseason favorite to win the superbowl >>



    Fixed.

    image >>





    It took me a second but I got it! image
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    As far as Bronco's fans chiming in I will no doubt admit you guys are the last team I want to face in the playoffs, you seem to have our number. The Chargers should be very good this year as well as the Colts, but the Ravens? Mcgahee will bring more of a multi threat to the team but they still need alot of help on Offense.


    Stowns Texans should be UNSTOPPABLE!!!
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Stowns Texans should be UNSTOPPABLE!!! >>



    image

    image
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • AhmanfanAhmanfan Posts: 4,389 ✭✭✭✭
    To be honest, the Pats look great, but so does every 'hot' offseason team, such as the Panthers last year, etc.

    Who would have though the Saints would come from nowhere to make the bowl?
    and who thought the Colts, mired in that long offseason slump, would do it all?

    I think there is equal chance a team gets to the bowl like the Niners, Jaguars, Giants, Cardinals, Lions (Ok maybe not the Lions) as a perennial playoff team.

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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I think there is equal chance a team gets to the bowl like the Niners, Jaguars, Giants, Cardinals, Lions (Ok maybe not the Lions) as a perennial playoff team. >>




    I dont know about that, those teams still need a lot of work to even make the playoffs IMO
  • AhmanfanAhmanfan Posts: 4,389 ✭✭✭✭
    I mean we thought the same thing about the Saints last year didnt we? and look at em now.
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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,658 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I mean we thought the same thing about the Saints last year didnt we? and look at em now. >>




    Good point. image
  • jradke4jradke4 Posts: 3,573 ✭✭✭
    so, they still have to play the games. what it brady is lost for the year in the last preseason game??

    i think i remember a lot of mags saying something about this stud left tackle coming out of MSU in 1989. something along the lines of that is is the best to come out of college? hmmm what ever happened to the incredible bulk??
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  • MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942 ✭


    << <i>so, they still have to play the games. what it brady is lost for the year in the last preseason game??

    i think i remember a lot of mags saying something about this stud left tackle coming out of MSU in 1989. something along the lines of that is is the best to come out of college? hmmm what ever happened to the incredible bulk?? >>




    Predictions are just that - they are not guarantees. Unfortunate things can happen in the course of a season, just ask Donovan McNabb.
    It is a (hopefully) educated guess based on how things look at the moment, nothing more than that.

    I remember the guy from MSU #2 in the draft to Green Bay. (can't remember his name at the moment), later profiled in Sports
    Illustrated as "The NFL's increbible bust".
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