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"Winning isn't everything it's the only thing."
— Vince Lombardi, from NJ

How true it is in the real American blood sport. No other place in the world even comes close to American football. Where there are no guaranteed contracts, no strikes (for now), and no whining (except for the Raiders). The gridiron is about to kick off season number 83.

With no further ado let's start the picks. As most fans know, there are now 4 divisions in each conference, with the Seahawks moving to the NFC and the Houston Texans joining the AFC.

The NFC
In the NFC East I have to go with the Eagles. They're the Beagles no more with some key additions in the backfield and another year under MVP McNabb's belt. Look for them to finish first in the "NFC least", the Redskins / Deadskins a close second and maybe a playoff run for Steve's boys in DC, and the Gints with a sturdy "D" could make some noise. Dallas might be a spoiler here with a healthy Joey Gallaway.

In the new NFC Norris/North the Bucs are gone forever and the door is open for a rough and tumble division. This could be interesting, but again I look for Favre and the Cheeseheads / Pack to be on top. If Favre is healthy there is nobody better. And nobody is better in December. The Vikes / Spikes had tragedy again in their camp and that's too bad. Again let's see how it affects them. Too bad, because Daunte and Randy could have given Bret a run for the title. Like most experts, I think the Bears / Spares were a one hit wonder last season and are doomed to finish with 4-6 wins, along with the Lions.

In the NFC South, well how easy is this for Gruden's Bucs? Come on, Panthers / Pandas, Falcons / Dirty Birds. The Saints / Aints may give the Bucs a struggle with a contending defense, and remember the old adage, defense wins championships, offense wins fans. And D is what the Saints have.

In the NFC Wild West, new team Seattle gets some welcome with the two most potent offenses in the game: Rams / Slams and the Minor 49ers. Look for Pop Warner and Cherry Garcia to battle it out for the top spot, with the Hawks and the "not Raising Arizona" Cards to finish ho hum with 8 wins between them.

The AFC
Over to the best conference, and that's the home of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. My Pats got no respect last year till the pro bowl, and it looks the same for this year.

In the league's toughest division, the AFC East, the Pats' rookies Branch and Graham and a re-signed Brady will win this in the end, though it will probably come down to two road games we have vs. the Jets / Not Yets and the Fish. Coach Belichick will be ready for another run in January while the Not Yets and the Fish swim into a wildcard berth. Oh yeah, the Bills / Spills won't last past the first half and maybe 6 wins for a banged up Bledsoe. (Hope the Spills beefed up the line for him.)

In the AFC North, it's a runaway with the Steelers / Dealers in a rout. The Slavins might put up a slight battle for a wildcard but they're only a shadow of their Superbowl win two years ago. This is far and away the weakest division, with the Bungles and Brownies coming up the rear.

What could be interesting is the AFC South. Tony Dungy's Colts will have a defense on the field this year and the Fightin' Titans are sure to give anybody a run. The Slags / Jags are one bad season away from firing Coughlin and the Texans — well, expansion is good for teams that want to tune up for a more formidable foe.

In the AFC Wild West I see . . . I see . . . I see . . . well, a bunch of bad teams. The Raiders / Traders should have it easy, but with a new coach at the helm and constant nag Al Davis it may not be a runaway. Vermeil is in KC and looking for revenge along with the Chiefs, the Broncs may make some noise, and with a revamped Charger team, it could be wild.

Well there you have it. The land of contenders and pretenders starts on a Thursday, September 5, this year. Good luck PATS. Pictures of Patriots camp in RI on Marty's website soon.

— Johnny "Prime Time" Maz

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