Jim Trotter’s back with more predictions and they’re just as awesome and filled with silliness as last time! Remember when he predicted the Steelers would go undefeated in the 2nd half of the season? Remember when he predicted…wait, that was his only prediction from a list of 10 besides saying that the Saints would not go undefeated. Oh well, strap on your mocking shoes, ladies and gents, because we’re going out on the town for some good old fashioned journalist mocking.
For the first time in NFL history two teams are undefeated after 11 games. If the Colts and Saints run the table and reach Super Bowl XLIV, they would face off in Land Shark Stadium, home of the Dolphins. How appropriate considering Miami is the only team in league history to go undefeated in a season, finishing 17-0 in 1972.
Now back to reality.
Wait, how is that not reality? Let’s do a reality checklist real quick:
- Are both teams undefeated right now? Check.
- Is it the first time there have been two undefeated teams after 11 games in NFL history? Check.
- Do both teams have relatively easy schedules remaining? Check.
- Is the SuperBowl being held in Miami this year? Check.
- Is it possible that both teams go undefeated and meet in the Super Bowl? Check.
How is that not reality? Are you saying it’s unrealistic to suggest that this scenario plays out? Well sure. That is sorta unlikely since it’s never happened before. But if it were going to happen, this year seems like a pretty good year, all things considered.
New Orleans and Indianapolis have as much chance of reaching the Super Bowl unbeaten as Eric Mangini does of being voted Coach of the Year by his players. In fact, it’s not absurd to say that one or both teams will fail to get there.
First of all, Eric Mangini jokes are hilarious. Always. Especially from a Steelers homer (still standing by my claim). Secondly, Trotter’s ability to frame his article in a way that is so blatantly obvious should be studied by future Editors as part of their training for dealing with simple minded columnists. To wit:
Teams with best record in 2008: Tennessee, Carolina/NY Giants
Teams with best record in 2007: New England*, Dallas/Green Bay
Teams with best record in 2006: Chicago*, San Diego
Teams with best record in 2005: Seattle*, Indianapolis
Teams with best record in 2004: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia*
*Made it to the Super Bowl
In the last five years, the team with the best record in each league made the Super Bowl 4 out of 10 times. And none of those teams won the Super Bowl. So yes, Mr. Trotter, Captain of the Understated Prediction, “it’s not absurd to say that one or both teams will fail to get there” because getting to the Super Bowl is fucking hard. Remember when New England went undefeated in the regular season and made the Super Bowl but lost on that one flukey catch by that guy who isn’t even in the league anymore? Shit like that happens in football. It happens all the time. Maybe not as flukey as that, but still, it is rare when the best team in the league is that much better than the next best team.
The playoffs are all about matchups, and Indianapolis could find itself facing a San Diego team that has knocked it out of the postseason each of the past two years…
Okay, but what does past success have to do with future action? The Colts have been remarkable all year and Peyton Manning has been unstoppable. The Chargers, after a slow start, have looked good but they have no running game. Is it wise to rely on Phillip Rivers in a potential cold weather game* when his team can’t move the ball on the ground? And why mention San Diego? The standings are so tight that Indy could literally face 7 different teams in their first game of the playoffs.
And then what does Mr. Trotter do? He picks New Orleans to go 16-0 (after predicting they wouldn’t go undefeated just 3 weeks ago), and the Colts to go 15-1 with their one loss coming against the worst team to still be considered a contender, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to the Titans who have played inspired ball lately or the Broncos who actually have a defense and need to win to stay in the playoff hunt, the shitty ass Jaguars who are only even in the race because they have the easiest schedule of any other team this year. Yes, he does this because the Colts might rest players after they cinch home field advantage which is his boldest prediction yet.
This is the same Jim Trotter who on Twitter last Sunday said that Anquan Boldin was more of a deep threat than Larry Fitzgerald even while acknowledging that Q has almost double the Yards After Reception. Never fear, a brilliant mind refuted his errors.
So thank you, Mr. Trotter. You have filled the void left by Joe Morgan and Dan Shaughnessy during the baseball offseason. You truly are my new favorite awful writer.
*I’m aware Indy plays in a dome, but they have to get past another team to get to Indy who has a first round bye
UPDATE: It appears I am now blocked from reading Mr. Trotter’s tweets.
i absolutely love this feature.
and you getting banned from following trotter is even better.
bravo.
The first time I read the headline, I thought it said:
That Jim Trotter Guy Sure Is Bald. Maybe you should consider changing the headline to that.
Good job, Hef. Now you’ve gone and hurt his feelings.
Is Jim Trotter going to have to choke a Bitch?
I had never even heard of this guy until 2 weeks ago and now he”s my new nemesis. It’s a crazy world we live in.
He banned you from his twitter? Blog Wars!!!
inspiring work hef. fer serial. good post.
when i first saw that picture, i thought it was former Arkansas b-ball coach stan heath.
/shudders
//he’s probably better than what we have now.
you may have stolen him, but he’ll always be kent state’s former coach to me.