A quick note before we dive into the meat and potatoes of this week’s column. While poking around the interwebs and doing my research, I ran face first into the Baltimore Sun’s ridiculous paywall restriction and was kindly instructed via popup window to sign up for digital access to continue reading through our local newspaper’s slideshow.
As a person who is firmly against newspapers that jam ads down your throat then force you to pay for a subscription, I copied the URL of the article and pasted it into an incognito window in Google Chrome.
Just like that, The Sun got their greedy little hands off my wallet and I was able to read away.
There’s your free tip of the day. I didn’t even charge you 99 cents, like they would have.
Now without further ado, the aforementioned meat and potatoes.
And so we’ve reached the week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. Some football fans call it “Pro Bowl Week,” but I choose to refer to it as “a week to ignore the garbage all-star game that the NFL continues to run out there year after year.” (Seriously, even the draft element found a way to be boring.)
I figured this week would be the perfect time to do some reflecting and what better way to reflect than to hold some of our local journalists’ feet to the fire?
Way back in mid-August of 2013, our lone Baltimore newspaper published some NFL season predictions for the 2013 season and now that we’re down to two remaining teams, it’s time to look back and laugh.
Mike Preston
Most humorous prediction: Falcons win NFC South
Most spot-on prediction: Broncos in the Super Bowl (Presto has them as the XLVIII champs)
Ravens prediction: Win AFC North, advance to AFC Championship game
Columnist/Brian Billick intimidator, Mike Preston, accurately predicted just three division winners (Patriots, Broncos and Packers) and seemed far too optimistic about the 4-12 Atlanta Falcons. The critical columnist also had high hopes for the defending Super Champs.
Peter Schmuck
Most humorous prediction: Redskins win NFC East
Most spot-on prediction: Chiefs grab AFC Wild Card spot
Ravens prediction: Win AFC North, advance to Super Bowl, but lose to 49ers
A repeat of last year’s Harbowl? That’s what Schmuck foresaw, only with a different outcome. Not only did Pete think the Ravens would be back in the ‘big game’, but he thought they would beat the Patriots again in the AFC Championship. I’m a Ravens fan and even I think that’s a boring postseason.
Matt Vensel
Most humorous prediction: Falcons win NFC South
Most spot-on prediction: Seahawks win NFC West
Ravens prediction: Win AFC North
Vensel’s predictions actually weren’t bad. Sure, he thought the Ravens would win the North, but who didn’t back in August? He accurately picked five division winners and the AFC champion, but thought Green Bay would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl
Aaron Wilson
Most humorous prediction: Houston grabs an AFC Wild Card spot
Most spot-on prediction: Broncos win AFC
Ravens prediction: Win AFC North, advance to AFC Championship, but lose to Broncos
Not a bad job by Wilson either. Had the 9ers held on last week, his Super Bowl prediction would have been intact. He did fall victim to the “believing in Matt Ryan” trend that a lot of The Sun writers seemed to follow, but we’ll forgive him for that.
Jeff Zrebiec
Most humorous prediction: Falcons win the Super Bowl
Most spot-on prediction: Broncos win AFC
Ravens Prediction: Win AFC North
The Falcons. The 4-12 Falcons were Zre’s Super Bowl Champion. Oof. I wanted to make his prediction of the Redskins making the postseason the most humorous one, but he forced me not to.
Monique Jones
Most humorous prediction: Redskins win NFC East
Most spot-on prediction: Bengals win AFC North
Ravens prediction: AFC Wild Card
Finally someone who didn’t think the Ravens would win the North. Jones still put Baltimore in the postseason, but didn’t have them advancing past the Wild Card round. Also, Falcons. AGAIN.
Stan Charles
Most humorous prediction(s): Bengals win AFC, Texans win AFC South, Falcons win NFC South, Redskins grab NFC Wild Card, Andy Dalton wins MVP
Most spot-on prediction: Seahawks win NFC West
Ravens prediction: AFC Wild Card
Oh Stan. It’s usually the guy that goes out on a limb the most that looks the most foolish. That guy was The Sun’s guest prognosticator. Andy Dalton for MVP? You serious dude?
All joking aside, making predictions is super tough especially when jerks like me go back and laugh at you for them. Isn’t the internet just wonderful?
Kudos to the Sun’s staff of experts for their coverage of the Ravens this season. Their analysis helps to keep fans in the loop on what’s going on behind the closed doors at The Castle, even if stink at preseason predictions.
