Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith is currently an analyst on the NFL Network, and before the season, he made a very bold prediction. I don't think a single planet predicted the Broncos to go 5-0 to start the season, but that's exactly what Rod did.

Now I know that was the homer pick of all homer picks, but still you have to give him some credit. In fact with Denver winning, Invesco is one of the loudest stadiums in the league. Too bad they have to play San Diego, Baltimore, Indy and Philly on the road.

The Mariners were actually in the Wild Card race at one point this season, but faded like a falling rock in the fourth quarter of the season. Which is why, Seattle's announcers Dave Niehaus and Mike Blowers decided to have some fun on Sunday. Not only did Blowers pick of Matt Tuiasosopo as player of the game pan out, but he even predicted the at-bat, count, pitch, and location of his first major league homer....

Now that is just unbelievable. The way they're giggling makes you think could be fake, but I think the reaction as the ball goes out gives it credibility. Too funny.

Call Of The Year (My Northwest)

I never really pay attention to the prediction aspect of the Super Bowl, but rather the random collection of people that are asked their opinion on the game. ESPN apparently tried to come up with the most comprehensive/random list possible, and here's some of their "celebrity" picks....

Picking the Steelers: Arnold Palmer, Bill O'Reilly, Yogi Berra, Jimmie Johnson, Penn and Teller, Wolf Blitzer, Placido Domingo, Matthew Modine, Don Rickles, Howie Mandel, Joan Jett, Mark Cuban, Tracey Morgan, Haley Joel Osment, Kurt Angle, Ted McGinley

Picking the Cardinals: Maya Angelou, Jenna Fischer (The Office), Serena Williams, Condoleezza Rice, Phyllis Diller, Wayne Newton, Mickey Rooney, Dick Clark, Jennie Finch, Stacey Keibler, Danica Patrick, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Florence Henderson, Adam West, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Vanilla Ice

Picking Barack Obama: Dennis Miller (seriously)

Good to know that Dennis Miller is still as lame as ever. As far as the people that are actually paid to cover the game? Here they are....

Picking the Steelers: Chris Berman, Merril Hoge, Mike Ditka, Ron Jaworski, Chris Mortensen, Skip Bayless, Scott Van Pelt, Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic, Tom Jackson, Trey Wingo, Trent Dilfer, Jay Glazer, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson

Picking the Cardinals: Keyshawn Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Steve Young, Stuart Scott, Mark Schlereth, Cris Carter

Obviously the majority of talking heads are on the Steelers, but a lot of celebs are backing the Cardinals. I guess everyone loves an underdog!

Celeb picks (ESPN)

Who: Giants at Browns
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium
Why: ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ELI, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO, BRETT FAVRE, ROMO, ROMO, ROMO
Spreads: Giant -9, O/U 44
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Tony Kornheiser

MNF Links:

Before we get to the links there are a couple of MNF items of note. First is one I mentioned the last week, and that's the item of the pregame and game itself featuring a new Kenny Chesney song called, "I'm Alive." Also, injured Giants DE, Osi Umenyiora will be sitting in with the Countdown crew tonight. Onto the links....

Browns hope to turn around season by beating the champs (NFL)
Browns Can't Forget Exhibition Loss To Giants (Hartford Courant)
A look ahead to New York Giants at Cleveland Browns (NJ.com)
10 Reasons the Browns Will Beat the Giants in MNF Game (Cleveland Leader)
Giants in Trade Talks with Chiefs for TE Tony Gonzalez? (Big Blue Interactive)
Winslow Has Swollen, Um, Parts (PFT)

Monday Night Countdown Segments:

ESPN the Magazine's “For Love or The Game:” Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin
To find out who knows the coach better, the series quizzed Coughlin’s daughter, Kate, and her husband, Chris Snee, a Giants starting guard.

EA Sports Virtual Playbook:
Countdown’s Cris Carter takes viewers on the field to show how Eli Manning has become one of the best play-action passers in the NFL.

Weekly Monday Night Countdown Segments: Field Pass, Quarterback Conundrum (Steve Young and Trent Dilfer offer their views on topical issues), Teams at 20

AA's Prediction:

Pretty sure we're going to get a blowout in this one, but with the way the NFC East teams looked this week, anything is possible. The Browns just don't have it this year and I don't see them challenging that Giant D at all....

Giants 31 - Browns 13

I mentioned before the draft how pointless Mock Drafts are and I think this bit of info from JSF proves that. The heir apparent to ESPN's Draft coverage Todd McShay did worse this year than he did last year. He went from 9.1% correct to 6.7%....seriously.

Out of the first 135 picks, Todd McShay picked nine for an accuracy percentage of 6.67%. In the biggest surprise of the day, McShay actually nailed one in the fourth round - Cody Wallace to the 49ers at pick #107 - no doubt by complete stroke of luck.

Defending champ Mel Kiper picked a whopping eight correct, leaving him at a sterling 5.93% accuracy rate. For all the research Kiper does throughout the year, the last pick he got correct was #22, Felix Jones to the Cowboys. That made him zero for his last 113.

Impressive.

It's even more impressive if you add that draftee Matt Ryan correctly picked the first six picks of the draft. Something that neither Mel or Todd could do. I'm not ragging on them for their horrible mock drafts (it's f'ing hard to predict over 200 picks), but pointing out the stupidity of doing so. Sure Mock Drafts are fun, but there's not a chance in hell you're going to be right.

With that said, let's enjoy Todd's 2009 Mock Draft which came out a day after the 2008 Draft!!!

Update: McShay is already contradicting himself....

An Open Letter To Todd McShay (The Arena)

Mock Draft Results (Joe Sports Fan)
Matt Ryan Correctly Predicts The Top Six (One Droo Hill)
Photo: Via The Sports Hernia

Predictions are always fun right? You say something ridiculous and no one ever calls you out on it. Like when I said the 9ers were going to make the playoffs. Well ESPN has gathered some of it's finest for their Super Bowl predictions and there are some hilarious ones in there.

Let's take a look shall we?

Jeffri Chadiha: Giants, 24-23
John Clayton: Patriots, 38-24
Matt Mosley: Patriots, 31-17
Len Pasquarelli: Patriots, 31-20
Mike Sando: Patriots, 30-20
Greg Garber: Patriots 38-21
Gregg Easterbrook: Giants 20-19
Jemele Hill: Patriots, 38-31
Bill Simmons: Patriots: 42-17

....and my personal favorite....

Wright Thompson: Giants 35-3 (Note to all those who think I've lost my mind: This.Is.A.Joke.)

Ah good times. There's a bunch of editors and other folks I've never heard of, but there's nothing like Bill Simmons giving the other team a chance.

What's my prediction you ask? Umm....34-14 Pats....Sorry but I'm with Bill on this one. Anyone think differently???

(P.S.- It's nice to see Planters' sponsorship dollars going to the most worthwhile reports on ESPN.com)

I think this is unprecedented at the WW"L", but a writer actually listed 5 things he was wrong about during the NFL Season. Amazing right? Well even more amazing was that it was actually posted on ESPN.com. Of course the person isn't Sean Salisbury or Scoop Jackson but it's refreshing none-the-less. Jeffri Chadiha ladies and gentlemen....

That's why I've learned that it's wise to come clean in print on my most off-base opinions. Humility can be a good thing, even if it means taking a couple body blows in the process. After all, anybody can make a prediction. But it takes a truly desperate writer who can't find a better topic to write about to admit his errors in print.

So before I start focusing on the postseason, I want to honor the five dumbest things I've said over the last few months. Here is the complete collection of what I'll call my mistakes, misreads and moments I'd like to have back from this regular season:

1. Randy Moss will flop in New England
2. Chicago's Devin Hester won't have the same kind of success he had as a rookie
3. The San Francisco 49ers will win the NFC West
4. Norv Turner will ruin the San Diego Chargers
5. The Redskins can't rebound from the death of Sean Taylor and make the playoffs

Wow that's a pretty brave thing to do I think I shall do the same. Here were my predictions at the beginning of the year and apparently I drank some 9er kool aid as well......

NFC East- Dallas Cowboys (Redskins, Eagles, Giants)
NFC North- Chicago Bears (Lions, Packers, Vikings)
NFC South- New Orleans Saints (Panthers, Bucs, Falcons)
NFC West- Seattle Seahawks (49ers, Cardinals, Rams)
Wild Card- Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers
NFC Champion- Chicago Bears

AFC East- New England Patriots (Jets, Bills, Dolphins)
AFC North- Baltimore Ravens (Steelers, Bengals, Browns)
AFC South- Indianapolis Colts (Texans, Titans, Jaguars)
AFC West- San Diego Chargers (Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs)
Wild Card- Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos
AFC Champion- San Diego Chargers

Super Bowl XLII- San Diego over Chicago

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Adrian Peterson
Defensive Rookie of the Year: LaRon Landry
MVP: LT
Offensive Player of the Year: LT
Defensive Player of the Year: Shawne Merriman
Coach of the Year: Mike Nolan

Alright baby.....Let's go Chargers and Adrian Peterson shiiiiiz no one picked him for OROY!!!! Just a lesson in how dumb predictions are.

Time to come clean on five poor predictions (ESPN.com)

I was actually blown away by this call from Lou Holtz during last night's Akron-Ohio game on ESPN 2, and I think Rece Davis was too. The game was crazy throughout, but Ohio had just recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, and converted it into a FG.

The Bobcats were kicking off and all of a sudden Lou turns into Kreskin....

Where was the "Pep Talk" for the Bobcats last night Lou? You could have helped them out!

What's the NBA Season kicking off without the Knicks telling you their favorite Halloween costumes? Nothing I tell you! NOTHING!!!

My personal favorite is David Lee at about the 17 second mark

AA's Predictions:

East- 1) Det, 2) Bos, 3)Wash, 4) Mia, 5) Chi, 6)Cle, 7) NJ, 8) Tor
West- 1) Phx, 2) SA, 3) Dal, 4) Hou, 5) Den, 6) Utah, 7) LAC, 8) NOK

Eastern Conference Championship- Detroit over Washington
Western Conference Championship- San Antonio over Phoenix
NBA Finals- Detroit over San Antonio

ROY- Kevin Durant
MVP- Kevin Garnett
Coach- Byron Scott (NOK)

That's right. MC from Chicago Bull shows us that the genius behind the Manning injury report has another report for you. Neither the New York Jets or the Cincinnati Bengals will win when they play this weekend. And it won't even be a tie! Your winner?

The San Diego (Super!) Chargers!


(Click photo for larger version) Forget that SD is on a bye week. LT is going to run over both the Jets and Bengals defenses on the way to a Chargers victory! Oh Chris....you make us smile.

Homerun Derby just happenened to be paying attention when Dick Vitale made some Baseball Playoff Predictions on Mike and Mike. How'd that work out for you Dick?


Ouch.

Dick Vitale should stick to college hoops (Homerun Derby)

So the results are in, and in case you care there were a grand total of 3 National Writers/Talking Heads that chose the Bears to make it to the Super Bowl. Those writers were Tom Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News, Katherine Smith of the Tampa Tribune, and FOX Sports' Brian Balldinger.

Here are the results from the rest of the major publications and other notables (ESPN idiots).....

Athlon Colts-Panthers
ESPN The Mag Dolphins-Bears
Pro Football Weekly Panthers- Colts
Sporting News Steelers-Panthers (Umm, how did that work out for you?)
Street & Smiths Panthers-Broncos
John Clayton Colts-Seahawks
Len Pasquarelli Colts-Seahawks
Michael Smith Colts-Panthers
Sal Paolantonio Colts-Panthers
Scouts Inc. Broncos-Seahawks
Merril Hoge Bengals-Cowboys (Good call there Young Hater)
Tom Jackson Colts-Panthers
Joe Theismann Colts-Panthers
Mike Golic Colts-Panthers
Sean Salisbury Colts-Panthers
Mark Schlereth Patriots-Panthers
Awful Announcing Redskins-Redskins (Actually I picked the Colts and Seahawks....had the Bears losing to the 'Hawks in the Conference Championship)

Seriously ESPN.....could we get some variety here. Do you all just copy each others work? Don't answer that. Bill Simmons could not be reached for comment after a RedSox'esqe comeback to knock the Pats out of the playoffs. He will however be calling the Saint Marys-San Diego game on ESPNU tonight. If anyone gets ESPNU please email me if he cries.

(Seriously though....a free t-shirt and/or post to anyone who can send me a tape of his performance. I'll pay all shipping and for the tape.)