{"id":427186,"date":"2008-07-20T15:31:29","date_gmt":"2008-07-20T15:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vip.local\/2008\/07\/20\/its_gonna_happen_18_bold_visions_of_2007\/"},"modified":"2008-07-20T15:31:29","modified_gmt":"2008-07-20T15:31:29","slug":"its_gonna_happen_18_bold_visions_of_2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsdaily.com\/news\/its_gonna_happen_18_bold_visions_of_2007\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Gonna Happen: 18 Bold Visions of 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"
We have made some bold claims \n<\/p>\n 1) Tom Brady will have Result: WRONG. No, <\/p>\n 2) A<\/font>nonymous Result: WRONG. Try <\/p>\n 3) Randy Moss will not Result: WRONG. No, <\/p>\n 4) <\/font> Desperate Result: CORRECT. \n<\/p>\n 5) Jason David and Nick Result: WRONG. We <\/p>\n 6) The Colts will not miss Result: CORRECT. <\/p>\n 7) Miami’s First round draft Result: CORRECT. \n<\/p>\n 8) The Colts will win the Result: CORRECT. <\/p>\n 9) David Garrard will be an Result: WRONG. <\/p>\n 10) <\/p>\n
\nbefore the season began. Let’s take a look back and see how we did
\nat predicting the future. <\/font><\/p>\n
\nroughly the same year in 2007 that he has had in every other season.
\nHis numbers will be roughly 4000 yards, 28 TDs, 15 INTs, and a passer
\nrating of 89. <\/font><\/p>\n
\nyou see it turns out Randy Moss is still really good. <\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nRams quarterback Marc Bulger will again throw 25 touchdowns. This will
\nprompt Stephen Jackson to offer his congratulations to “our fearless
\nleader, Mack Folgers.”<\/font><\/p>\n
\n11 touchdowns and 15 picks on the way to a 3-13 season.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\ndouble the production of Anthony Gonzalez. He will fail to double the
\nyards, catches or TDs of a rookie, number 3 receiver. <\/font><\/p>\n
\nyou see it turns out Randy Moss is still really good. <\/i><\/font><\/p>\n
\nfor a change of pace, Detroit Lions fans will trade their grocery bags
\nin favor of handy, dandy, identity-concealing Duct Tape. (below)<\/font><\/p>\n
\nThe Lions teased us with competence and thus made their inevitable
\nreturn to crappiness all the more painful for their fans.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nHarper will surrender at least 5 combined TDs to Peyton Manning and the
\nIndianapolis Colts.<\/font><\/p>\n
\nthought this was a gimmee after David was burned for 3 scores in the
\nopener. Manning exploited Harper in Week 2, but not for a score.
\nHe rested in the final game. <\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nCato June. The run defense will be ranked at least 10 spots higher in
\n2007 and will stiffen by at least 1 yard per carry.<\/font><\/p>\n
\nThe Colts gave up an impossibly bad 173 rushing yards per game in 2006,
\ndead last in the NFL. They allowed 5.3 yards per carry. This
\nseason they ranked 15th against the run allowing 106 yards per game.
\nThey allowed only 3.8 yards per carry, good enough for sixth in the NFL.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\npick Ted Ginn Jr. will throw for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns. No,
\nscratch that. He’s a punt returner. <\/font><\/p>\n
\nThis was one of the big mistakes of the NFL draft. Maybe the
\nbiggest. Ginn Jr. caught 34 balls and 2 touchdowns on a 1-15 team.
\nHe did return a punt for a touchdown.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nAFC South.<\/font><\/p>\n
\nNearly swept the division.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nunmitigated disaster: Garrard was border-line horrible last
\nseason, getting yanked in the middle of the last game of the season; a
\ngame the Jags had to win. In his favor, is his 60% completion
\npercentage, and acceptable passer rating of 80. On the other hand, he
\nalso threw 9 Interceptions in just 10 games in which he threw a pass.
\nHe also fumbled twice. He was the quarterback as the Jags lost their
\nlast three games and four of their last six. One of the games the Jags
\nwon in that stretch was the beat down of the Colts, a game in which he
\nonly had to throw 14 passes because Gilbert Gardner and Cato June
\ncouldn’t figure out how to tackle. When last we saw him, he was melting
\ndown under the pressure of playing a virtual playoff game. He is not
\nthe answer in Jacksonville, and will sabotage their season. <\/font><\/p>\n
\nGarrard couldn’t have been better, throwing 18 touchdowns against only 3
\npicks.<\/font><\/i><\/p>\n
\nThe Titans won’t win 6 games unless Vince Young shows dramatic
\nimprovement as a passer (i.e. greater than 55% completion percentage).
\nThe Titans won’t have the same luck they benefited from in 2006. <\/span>
\n<\/font><\/p>\n
\nResult:
\nRIGHT AND WRONG. Vince Young regressed from marginal to awful (9
\ntouchdowns and 17 picks in 2007). At the EXACT SAME TIME, he
\nincreased his completion % from 51.5% to 62.3%, a remarkable
\nimprovement. His YPA also improved. He also missed a game and
\nparts of two others<\/span><\/font>,
\nyet the Titans managed to win 10 games and make the playoffs.
\nWeird team led by a great coach. In the end, Young’s play seems
\nto have nothing to do with the Titans winning or losing.<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n