Where I was wrong ... and right ... in preseason picks

Last year I instituted a new gimmick designated to save me work, uh, I mean designed to bring some added insight into our area of expertise. And that was to print, in my end of season rankings, the record I had predicted for each team in August for the preseason Football Edition of Sports Illustrated. This is also a device designed to provide serious rippers more accurate ammunition.

So call this self-flagellation, Volume II, a practice that will continue until the Humane Society calls a halt:

NFL Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 1 San Diego Chargers (14-2) I had them 7-9 and third in the division. One of my brighter picks. Where did I go wrong? I had no faith in Philip Rivers. 2 2 Chicago Bears (13-3) My pick was 11-5 and the division title and tied for best record in the NFC. An easy one. You start off with 6-0 in the NFC North and go from there. 3 3 Baltimore Ravens (13-3) I put them in the postseason as a 9-7 wild card team because I figured Steve McNair would keep going long enough to get them into the playoffs but wouldn't hold up for the entire campaign. 4 4 New England Patriots (12-4) Whew, they made the playoffs, thank God, on my sheet but lost the division title to ... well, you'll find out later, if you don't know already. 5 5 Indianapolis Colts (12-4) Bingo! Had 'em right on the beezer at 12-4, which is not exactly a bold pick when Peyton is still functional. 6 6 New Orleans Saints (10-6) Their loss to the Panthers didn't affect their ranking, which was the way I treated all these meaningless end-of-season contests. Do you really want to know where they figured in August? OK, 6-10 and last in the division, strictly from habit, but I want to hear the name of one person who foresaw the glories that arrived. 7 7 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) I picked every NFC East team to go 9-7. This was the way I honestly worked it out ... I wasn't trying to be cute, really. And what this got me was one noser (Dallas) and two teams off by only one game, Eagles and Giants, plus a total misfire on the Redskins, who went kerplop! The good part is that three teams from the division were selected by me to reach the playoffs. The bad part was that Philly was not one of them. 8 8 New York Jets (10-6) Kindness and faith in Eric Mangini's ability kept me from placing them lower than the 5-11 record I had assigned them. The consensus among New York writers was something between 4-12 and 3-13. 9 14 Seattle Seahawks (9-7) An 11-5 no-brainer. They'd whip through the NFC West without raising a sweat and then, surprise, lose to the Giants in the divisional playoffs. 10 10 Dallas Cowboys (9-7) A 9-7 noser, wow! A playoff wildcard, just the way it happened. Am I on a roll or what?