HOW DID I DO?

Today is a day of picks. Later on, I'll print my predictions for this weekend's NFL playoff matchups. Right now, I'll recap my picks from the beginning of the year...which weren't spot-on, but they weren't terrible, either.

I made a few predictions in September - let's start by checking those:

1) The Giants would not repeat as Super Bowl champions. The jury's still out on this one, though the Plaxico Burress thing is going to kill them in the playoffs, I suspect.
2) The Patriots would not win the Super Bowl. Well, I was right, but I didn't predict how - I actually had New England making it to the playoffs.
3) I said the Vikings would not make the playoffs. Whoops.
4) I didn't buy into all that Saints hype, and I said the Saints would not make the playoffs. Point, me.

On that posting I also broke down the Jets' schedule game-by-game, and remember, I thought they'd go 12-4 (with a plus/minus 2 factored in). When you look at their schedule, and think about the games they should have had this year (Raiders, 49ers, Seahawks), 12-4 was a distinct possibility.
Then I made these picks for the NFL season. I'm proud to say I came close on a number of things.
-I knew a team with a good record in the AFC was not going to make the playoffs (I had the 12-4 Jaguars, not the 11-5 Patriots).
-I was 50% on the playoff teams.
-I had the tight race between the Broncos and Chargers.
-I knew the NFC West would be terrible (though I had the Seahawks, not the Cardinals, winning).
-I was way off on the Vikings, Cowboys, Ravens and Dolphins, and sort of on the Titans (had a good record, but I underestimated them).

So I didn't do terribly. And I compared my picks against what Sports Illustrated had predicted in their season preview. I was no better, no worse. And I'm pretty proud of that.

Later on today I'll have my playoff picks...and don't think I won't be comparing my thoughts to the "experts".