by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
A football fan's paradise started Thursday with the kickoff of the 2006 football season, and with all the personnel changes, this season looks like it will be a surprising one.
Many top players are finding themselves playing for other teams this year.
Daunte Culpepper went from the numbing cold and blinding snow of Minnesota to the red-hot bikini-filled confines of Miami.
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Drew Brees left sunny San Diego for post-Katrina New Orleans, and the indestructible Steve McNair moved from Tennessee to Baltimore.
With time, the league will become more predictable, and even the fraudulent psychic, Miss Cleo, will be able to tell the future of the Super Bowl.
But for now, it's still not easy to see into the future. After a lot of research, here's my educated guess:
In the AFC, the Bengals and Jaguars were on cruise control last year, but in 2006, the conference is loaded. The Dolphins, Ravens and Chargers have all made some moves that put them in position for a playoff run.
In the NFC, the Falcons, Bucs, Cowboys and Eagles are primed for a playoff appearance.
The NFC East is by far the best division in the league, with many experienced coaches at the helm of those teams. Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin may soon need a nurse to monitor their vital signs on the field, but they still know how to win.
The AFC is, of course, deeper, without any wimpy divisions, but the NFC is right on its tail. Two years ago, the AFC was 44-20 against the NFC, but that won't be the case this year.
The NFC North and West are frailer than Gibbs would be after a recovery from hitting the wall in a NASCAR race.
The Seahawks are still on top of their game in the West, and the Bears, accompanied by Brian Urlacher, are the best in the North.
It would be absurd to think that Arizona, Green Bay, San Francisco or Detroit can actually give the top teams in their divisions a beat down.
A Super Bowl prediction this early in the season is like trying to pick the winning Powerball numbers.
They say defense wins championships, but it is the year of the quarterback, and Peyton Manning is way past due.
This year's Super Bowl will be the Colts and the Panthers, with the Colts winning the battle of the gridiron.
