The New England Patriots aka "Hulk Hogan"

This was a pretty easy one to call unless you're a fan of Samoa Joe. The New England Patriots are the Hulk Hogan of the NFL in every way. From the “Patriotic” theme to the lengthy title runs. The Patriots even win the way Hogan won. Hogan came within seconds of losing before “Hulking” up and applying the “boot to the face” followed by the “atomic leg drop.” The Patriots always pull out the close ones. They barely beat Oakland in the blizzard in 2001. They squeaked by Carolina in the Super Bowl. Last season, they dominated Philly early before the Eagles made it close at the end. It’s almost like Patriot games are scripted.

The Patriots experienced their typical off-season. People left and people came but it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the head coach is Bill Belichik and the quarterback is Tom Brady. They said “good-bye” to Ty Law much like they did with Lawyer Milloy last year. Law’s a very good defender but he didn’t play in the playoffs last year yet the Patriots thwarted Manning and the Colts. Teddy Bruschi finally came to his senses and decided to skip the season after having a stroke. That would’ve been a disaster waiting to happen. Ted Johnson retired. David Patten signed with Washington. Both the offensive and defensive coordinators left for more lucrative positions. Some people think that this all adds up to a disappointing season for the Patriots. Here are some names that might make those people change their mind; Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, Deion Branch, David Givens, Daniel Graham, Richard Seymour, Dana Stubblefield, Vince Wilfork, Chad Brown, Roosevelt Colvin, Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel, Duane Starks, Eugene Wilson, Asante Samuel and Rodney Harrison. This team is loaded. If you want to know what separates the Patriots from the average team, just compare the rosters. Nobody has as complete of a team as New England.

It’s hard to pick against New England since they’ve won three of the last four Super Bowls. However, it’s not like they haven’t had close calls. I don’t think they’ll win another Super Bowl this year but that’s only because they have to lose one of these close games at some point. The odds aren’t in their favor to win every close game. The key to the Super Bowl this year is who gets home field advantage in the playoffs between New England and Indianapolis. The Colts have a much easier regular season schedule so I think they’ll have the inside track. Nothing would surprise me with this team. They are so good in every facet of the game that it’s a joy to watch them play. I suspect that a lot of people are sick of the Patriots since they always win but, to be honest, I enjoy watching them play.


Predicted record: 11-5