So, football season is here.

Unfortunately I just can’t see being able to put in the time to do all of my weekly football posts that I did in previous seasons (power rankings, picks, NCAA top 25, etc).

I’ll still be keeping up on football of course, and I’ll blog about it when I can, but my school workload just won’t allow me to put multiple hours every week into blogging about it on a consistent basis. Sorry to Gabe and whoever else that likes coming here for my football stuff. Again, I’ll blog when I find the time to.

Favre.

I don’t think it’s worth devoting a long post to him again, but I’ll acknowledge it.

I was fooled. I thought he was really done this time. I also thought that Rafael Palmeiro was on the level when he adamantly denied ever using steroids. I also thought that Sammy Sosa was a decent guy during his home run chase. Sometimes I get the wool pulled over my eyes. This one makes me feel dumber because of the whole “fool me once, shame on you…fool me twice, shame on me” thing. I knew that Favre was a phony long ago. It’s become silly to believe anything he says. But I believed him.

So, bring on another season of oversaturated coverage of Favre, I guess. I hope he makes a fool of himself. To be honest though, I think he can’t help but be an upgrade for a team with no quarterback, and it seems like it’s going to be an NFC North battle for the division title between by far the two least likable teams in the division, the Bears and Vikings. I hope the Packers can rally the troops and prove me wrong, but they look like a third place team to me right now. The Lions? I don’t even know why I felt the need to mention their name.

Leroy Hill signs; I want football season to start today.

Link

Hill is in the fold. We officially have a linebacker trio that can make a bid to be the best in the league. This team isn’t without its weaknesses, but I’m excited. I honestly think the NFC West title is coming back to Seattle this season after an awful 2008.

A couple of Seahawk tidbits.

The only damper of a really good draft weekend was Tim Ruskell’s decision to remove the franchise tag from Leroy Hill. I figured that this was the end of Hill in Seattle, and while I tried to make peace with it, I couldn’t dismiss it as a blow to our 2009 hopes. Granted, I think we can do okay by plugging in DD Lewis or Lance Laury on the weakside at linebacker, but obviously we’ll experience a dropoff.

Here’s an encouraging bit of news…

Great trade, Ruskell.

Trading our 2nd round pick for Denver’s 1st round pick next year is absolutely brilliant. Sure, it’s too bad to get one less player this year, but we’re going to be loving life next year when we get to pick twice in the first round (and hopefully Denver’s will put us back in the top 10).

As if we needed more incentive to root against Denver week after week…we definitely have one now. Heck, I’ll even root for the Raiders at least two times next year.

Today sure feels better than a couple of years ago, when we had all but wasted a first round pick on Deion Branch and didn’t pick until late in the second (where we picked up Josh Wilson, who is…okay).

Welcome to Seattle, Aaron Curry.

It surprised me that when the Seahawks were making their pick, I found myself pulling for us to pick Mark Sanchez. I had warmed up to having a franchise quarterback waiting in the wings when Hasselbeck hits the end of the line. Hopefully going in another direction is a vote of confidence for Hasselbeck’s health though, because I love the guy and am in no hurry to see the end of the Hasselbeck era.

In general though, I think we were in a good position where we really couldn’t screw up this pick. Curry, Crabtree, Monroe, trade down…I would’ve been fine with any of it. I didn’t jump out of my seat when we picked Curry, but I’m happy with it. Like when we picked Steve Hutchinson some years ago, Curry appears to be one of those can’t-miss safe picks that should be a great linebacker for years to come. Great play, great character…I think we’re going to really like having him in Seattle.

I look forward to seeing who we take in the second round; Ruskell has shown that he knows how to strike gold in the second (and considering how aggressively he’s willing to trade up, we could easily see the Seahawks pick in the late first round too). In the meantime, I’ll just hope that the 49ers and Cardinals screw their picks up, and that Arizona gives Anquan Boldin away for nothing in the meantime.

NFL Draft is on Saturday

I’m always excited to sit and watch the Draft. It’ll be especially fun to see the Seahawks sitting in the top 5 for the first time in ages…though obviously we had to pay our dues by watching that awful 2008 season to get there.

I don’t have a horse that I particularly want in this draft. It would seem that Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith, Mark Sanchez, Aaron Curry and Michael Crabtree is the group we can expect the Hawks to pick from, and I’m fine with any of them. My slight inclination is toward one of the tackles (J. Smith, Monroe, A. Smith), but I’m more than happy to pick up the linebacker Curry or the WR Crabtree.

I won’t be mad if we take Sanchez, but it’ll be a bit of a warning sign that our team doctors aren’t expecting much more from Hasselbeck, and as such I don’t know if we’ll have a lot to look forward to this coming season. I’m fine for drafting for the future, but I don’t see why the Seahawks can’t be right back on top of the West in 2009. It’d be nice if we could take an impact player now and get back to winning games, but of course Matt’s back is going to have to cooperate for that to happen.

I don’t think any need is entirely glaring, so I don’t think we’ll go wrong by taking the best player available. If Crabtree is really all he’s cracked up to be (and I think he is), he’s worth being taken despite our WR corps looking pretty good. You don’t pass on Michael Jordan just because you’ve got Manu Ginobli…

During the course of the draft, I want to see us get help on the offensive line, the interior defensive line, running back, safety and a quarterback. I don’t think linebacker is necessary to address, but if Curry is perennial pro bowl material, then by all means take him. Same as the Crabtree situation.

I’ll blog about the draft as it happens this weekend.

2009 Schedule Released

Yes, I readily admit that I waited all day for the NFL to release their 2009 schedule, so I could start preparing myself for when the Seahawks would be playing. Here’s Seattle’s slate…

1	Sun, Sept. 13	vs. St. Louis Rams	FOX	4:15 p.m.
2	Sun, Sept. 20	at San Francisco 49ers	FOX	4:05 p.m.
3	Sun, Sept. 27	vs. Chicago Bears	FOX	4:05 p.m.
4	Sun, Oct. 4	at Indianapolis Colts	FOX	1 p.m.
5	Sun, Oct. 11	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	CBS	4:15 p.m.
6	Sun, Oct. 18	vs. Arizona Cardinals	FOX	4:05 p.m.
7	Bye
8	Sun, Nov. 1	at Dallas Cowboys	FOX	1 p.m.
9	Sun, Nov. 8	vs. Detroit Lions	FOX	4:05 p.m.
10	Sun, Nov. 15	at Arizona Cardinals	FOX	4:15 p.m.
11	Sun, Nov. 22	at Minnesota Vikings	FOX	1 p.m.
12	Sun, Nov. 29	at St. Louis Rams	FOX	1 p.m.
13	Sun, Dec. 6	vs. San Francisco 49ers	FOX	4:15 p.m.
14	Sun, Dec. 13	at Houston Texans	FOX	1 p.m.
15	Sun, Dec. 20	vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	FOX	4:15 p.m.
16	Sun, Dec. 27	at Green Bay Packers	FOX	1 p.m.
17	Sun, Jan. 3	vs. Tennessee Titans	CBS	4:15 p.m.

I like it.

Very nice. T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks.

5 years, $40 mil, $15 mil of it is guaranteed.

Let's hope he can keep the 49ers at an arm's length for a few more years.

T.J. is sure-handed, has an attitude I like, and immediately becomes our surest threat at receiver. He and Deion Branch make for a very solid duo, and if Burleson heals up we’re in fine shape at WR. I seriously doubt Bobby Engram comes back. As much as I like Michael Crabtree, this solidifies my opinion that the Seahawks should use their #4 overall pick in the trenches, on either an offensive tackle or defensive tackle.

Cheer up, Arizona…anyone with a brain knew that the division was just on loan to you for a year.

Great Super Bowl.

I wish I had a team in this game that I liked even a little bit, but the game was a great one regardless. To my surprise, I wasn’t conflicted at all, I was behind Pittsburgh from start to finish, and was pleased with the result. Sure is 20 billion times better to see them beat our division rival entirely deservedly than it was to watch them beat us without deserving it even a little bit a few years ago. Now thankfully we can put the worst NFL season ever behind us and move onto a better 2009…

Super Bowl pick

Steelers 28, Cardinals 17.

I don’t want to give any further analysis, because that would require me to think about the Steelers and Cardinals further. I can’t stand these teams, and when the final second ticks off the clock, I sure won’t stick with it to watch one of them celebrate. What a hideous Super Bowl.

Alright, well the Super Bowl is ruined.

Although I’m cheering for the Ravens by default in this next game, I’m mentally preparing myself to root for the frigging Steelers in the Super Bowl.

That alone says all you need to know about how horrific this football season has been.

NFL Championship Weekend Picks

Philadelphia 31, Arizona 27
It won’t be like the drubbing Philly handed out on Thanksgiving night, but I still think that Westbrook will have another big game and that the Eagles will continue their wildcard run to the Super Bowl. Of course, I don’t seem to have an accurate read on the Cardinals at all, so I can’t make this pick with as much confidence as the last couple of weeks.

Baltimore 17, Pittsburgh 14
This one is awfully tough to call. Pittsburgh has home field and swept the regular season games against the Ravens, but as I watch the two teams I still get the feeling that Baltimore is the better squad. They’re hitting stride at just the right time, and to my surprise they really are looking like the 2000 Ravens on defense. I’m less confident in this pick than in the NFC Championship game, but I lean toward the Ravens to pull another upset this week.

Well, I was rooting for the Giants, but…

…mostly just to keep the NFC Championship game out of the desert. I do like the Eagles just a bit more than the Giants in general, and was going to root for them until Carolina screwed up last night.

Give me an Eagles vs. Ravens Super Bowl at this point and I’ll be relatively happy. Heck, just give me one of those teams, I can get myself to root for either one (Philadelphia moreso). If I have to sit through some nonsense like a Steelers vs. Cardinals Super Bowl…well, let’s not deal with that awful thought yet.

What, Seahawk fans haven’t suffered enough?

The Cardinals in the NFC Championship game? Are you freaking kidding me?

I really didn’t think they had any kind of chance against Carolina, either. The Super Bowl falls on my birthday this year. It’ll be the worst birthday ever if I have to tune in to see the Cardinals playing in the big game. Please, Giants or Eagles…maintain my sanity for me.

I’ll be rooting like heck for the Steelers tomorrow.

Now that the Ravens have beaten the Titans, my rooting interest for tomorrow is easy to choose. The thought of the Chargers finishing 8-8 and getting to host the AFC Championship game is enough to make me puke. I can’t stand Pittsburgh…but for this one game, go Steelers.

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Picks

Almost forgot to do these this week. After getting both Saturday picks wrong last week, I at least came back to pull the 2-2 split on Sunday. Let’s get at least 3 out of 4 right this week.

Tennessee 20, Baltimore 17
All week, I was planning to pick Baltimore, although I think this game is a bit of a toss-up…but look, this Titans squad is #1 in the conference for a reason and seems to be getting zero respect. They’ve got one of the best coaches in the game, who is going to have an edge over Harbaugh in playoff experience if nothing else. I’ve gotta think they’ll have a gameplan in place to give Joe Flacco fits. While a lot of me still wants to go with Baltimore here, give me home field and superior coaching for the win.

Carolina 31, Arizona 10

NFL Wildcard Weekend Playoff Picks

Atlanta at Arizona
I simply don’t see Arizona being able to stop Michael Turner without stacking the box, and if they do that then Matt Ryan will make them pay. The Cards might be able to explode through the air and win in a shootout under optimal conditions, but the smart money is on Atlanta.
Pick: Atlanta 31, Arizona 21

Indianapolis at San Diego

The 11-5 team gets kept out, the 8-8 team makes it in.

Any football fan could see the inherent unfairness of the Patriots missing the playoffs while the Chargers are going to be in the hunt next weekend. New England is the far superior team, and is three games better than San Diego in the standings. Of course, these types of things happen every year, but this discrepancy is more pronounced than usual.

I don’t think it would take drastic measures to prevent situations like this in the future, honestly. I wouldn’t do something silly like abolishing divisions or conferences, I think rivalries that come about from teams playing each other twice a year are great for football, and that structure gives some semblance of sense to the realities of a 16 game season that can’t be extended into many more due to the physical rigors of the game.

Reviewing My 2008 Season Predictions.

As posted on 9/1, right before opening day…

AFC West:
x – 1. (10-6) San Diego
2. (7-9) Denver
3. (6-10) Oakland
4. (3-13) Kansas City

I did pretty well here. Got the order right, and if Ed Hochuli hadn’t made the fumble gaffe early in the season, I’d be almost right on with records. I did overrate San Diego a bit, but I’m happy with my accuracy here.

AFC North:
x – 1. (11-5) Pittsburgh
y – 2. (9-7) Cleveland
3. (6-10) Baltimore
4. (4-12) Cincinnati

Mixed bag here. Got the top and bottom right, but severely overrated Cleveland and Baltimore caught me way off guard.