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Midseason Forecast for 2001: Go PATS!!

Hard to believe it, but the Boys of Fall season is more then half over, and as you can see some of my predictions went well and some . . . well let's say I had a bad year with the events of 9/11 and all. Hey, there is always an excuse. As we push past the Thanksgiving weekend we can count the days till the playoffs. With that in mind let's get to it.

The AFC
In the AFC East the Fish are contenders and not pretenders. As much as I hate that team and its fans, they're playing well enough to win that division. As long as they don't play the Jets in the first round they could be on their way to a conference title game. My boys from New England dropped a tough one to the Rams but still have an outside shot at the playoffs. I see the fading Jolts (Colts) not worthy without James at running back, and the Bills finishing in the basement.

In the wacky AFC Central I had the Ravens as a lock but that lock went awry when the Browns knocked them off. Still up for the division title is the biggest surprise of the year: The Steelers. With the Bus and some big play guys on D, the Curtain is back. The Bengals and Titans are worthy of mention and will fight down to the last week for wildcard spots.

In the AFC West I like the Raiders. The silver and black are a good balance of speed and smarts, and with John Gruden at the helm there I can't see anyone touching them till the championship game. The Broncos better get Davis better soon or the Seahawks (who everyone predicted to be out of it by now) are going to catch them. Final predictions: Fish, Jets, Steelers, and Raiders are locks for the playoffs, with the Pats, Ravens, Browns (yes the Browns!) and Broncos fighting for the last two spots.

The NFC
In the NFC Least I meant East I like the Birds to sing their way to the division title. The rest look like has-beens. Only a great finish by the Gints or the Skins will have them playing in January.

In the NFC Norris another wack job Pack looked unbeatable until Favre threw a Hail Mary with the team not even in field goal range. The scrappy Hotlanta team took advantage and Favre went off like a rookie. Wake up Brett, it's the NFL and you know better. I like the Bears to finish first even with Josh Miller leading the team. They have the home field and it's getting cold already in Chi town. The rest look weak even the Bucs can't buy a thrill on offense with Brad Johnson at the QB slot. Hey Keyshawn, where's the ball??? Not in your hands!!!

In the NFC West I like the Rams and the Saints to finish 1 and 2. I'm not a 49er believer yet, although three teams could make the playoffs here with the shabby East and Norris divisions.

Hey, if you read the preseason skinny, I didn't do too badly after all. Only the Colts and the Ravens let me down so far. Well, see you at playoff time. I'll be at the Jets vs. Pats game in the Meadowlands on 12/02. Look for photos after 12/03.

Till then, this is

— Johnny "Prime Time" Maz

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