It’s that time of the year again!! The Super Bowl has been played and another team has claimed the Lombardi Trophy. For us football fans it’s a time for mourning. Unless you’re a Green Bay fan!! Now comes the long wait till the NFL Draft in April, and in our hopes our favorite team makes the best picks in the Draft. But I won’t expound on the Draft till April. Let me take a look at this season in retrospect.

Teams that impressed me the most:

2010-2011 Super Bowl Champs, the Green Bay Packers: Here’s a team that overcame so much adversity with injuries and still managed to win the Super Bowl. Aaron Rogers proved that he was the right choice as the starting QB back in 2008.
The Pittsburgh Steelers: Despite Big Ben being suspended and Santonio Holmes being traded to the Jets they still managed to frustrate opposing offenses and defenses. Except for the Green Bay Packers!!!
The New England Patriots: 2010-2011 MVP QB Tom Brady with another stellar season. It’s too bad Belichick gambled on benching WR Wes Welker during the playoff matchup with the Jets.
The St. Louis Rams: Despite a rookie QB, they came so close to going to the playoffs, but I have my eye on this team for next season.
The Seattle Seahawks: For having the worst regular season record for a division champion they still managed to beat the New Orleans Saints. Again, I have my eye on this team next season.
The Atlanta Falcons: With an impressive 13-3 record in the regular season, this team has what it takes to be a threat next season.
The Kansas City Chiefs: From being a joke last season to AFC West Champs is all I can say about this team.
The Jacksonville Jaguars: Despite losing the last few games during the regular season, they came close to winning the division.
The New York Jets: If you read my 2010-2011 Predictions I predicted that the Jets would’ve won the Super Bowl. However, don‚Äôt hold your breath for next season as 17 of their starters are up for free agency in this coming off-season.
The Philadelphia Eagles: MICHAEL VICK!!!!! Enough said.
Finally the Chicago Bears: I thought these guys were bottom of the barrel but somehow they managed first place. Peppers was a beast, but I still wasn’t impressed with Jay Cutler.

Teams that just sucked:

The San Francisco 49ers: I thought these guys were the NFC West division winners at the beginning of the season. Boy was I wrong!! Singletary was short-changed as head coach.
The Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson had a disappointing season, Vince Young was terrible and Jeff Fisher is about to collect unemployment. In other words, a big fail for my hometown team.
The Cincinnati Bengals: I don‚Äôt know what was up with these guys? They had the best team in my opinion. Two of the best deep threats in the game, a killer rookie Tight End, and a Wes Welker type slot receiver. This team’s future looks bleak for next season since Carlson Palmer wants out. Sorry Tim and Terry.
The Indianapolis Colts: I bet you’re wondering why they are on this list, but with costly injuries and one of the worst seasons from Peyton Manning, I decided to add them.
The Minneapolis Vikings: In simple words “PLEASE FAVRE RETIRE ALREADY!!!”
The Arizona Cardinals: Like I predicted Matt Leinart was a bust after Warner retired and they had to rely on Derek Anderson. I just hope he takes next season more seriously if he is still up for the job.
And finally the Dallas Cowboys: Of all the teams that imploded this season, the Cowboys win it by a landslide. Sure Tony Romo was injured for half the season, but it still doesn’t hide the fact that they played like a bunch of individuals and not as a team.

I know I didn’t mention every team, but I knew that some of those teams I failed to mention played to my expectation. If you read this and are offended please don’t be, this is just my opinion. I would like to say pleasing things about every team but that would take the fun out of it. But if there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s the long wait till August when preseason starts and we begin that time to pick our winning or losing fantasy football teams. (Sorry, Terry, better luck next year.) But hey, the Daytona 500 is a few weeks away and March Madness is around the corner.

“So what should I do Nate?” I ask myself. I try to get my Bengals football fix by paying attention to the Scouting Combine, reading mock drafts, reviewing story lines and various team needs, anticipating free agency, and then enjoying the NFL Draft come late April.

Maybe each NFL franchise could actually have 2 teams, maybe an A-Team and a B-Team, this way the B-Team could play while the A-Team (this is not a group of special forces featuring Mr. T) is having their off-season. Whichever team would win the “Offseason Super Bowl” would get to wear t-shirts sort of like this one:

Would this solve my problem or would I risk burn out? Hmm, this is probably a bad idea.

Or maybe I should start recording all of the games from the previous season and then somehow burn them to DVD if I am not able to save them on DVR, that way I can re-watch all of the best Bengals games from the previous season! Yeah, that’s what I’ll do! But what if the Bengals only win 3 games that season? That would kinda suck, then I wouldn’t be motivated to re-watch those games. Grrrr, yeah bad idea.

What to do, what to do…I mean the juices are flowing but how about some help people?!?!

At least baseball season starts in April and that will help lessen my football cravings for at least a month.

These are all great ideas unless you happen to be the league commissioner each year, as I am. Too many first place finishes will lead to skepticism and suspicion that the league might be rigged. So if you happen to find yourself in my position, here are a few suggestions:

1) The 5 Year Plan. Only really try to win every 5th year, this will keep the other league players still interested and excited about being in your fantasy league each year and will lessen the thought that it might be rigged. Which it isn’t anyways.

2) Personal Economic Assessment. In our fantasy league the league champ gets dinner paid for by the other players at the restaurant of his choice along with other goodies such as beer and cigars, etc. About halfway into each fantasy football season you could do a personal economic assessment and only win if you really can’t afford to lose. What I mean is, if you are in a period of financial prosperity and are thriving economically then let someone else win. However, if you are pinching pennies and considering selling your body for extra cash on the weekends then this would be a good year to go all out and win. Of course this method will not work if you are extremely wealthy. The fact that I suggested this method should give you some info about me.

3) Make Losing Fun. If you win, and your opponents are supposed to buy you dinner, do not pick the most expensive restaurant around and do not order the most expensive item(s) on the menu. Pick a restaurant that the majority of others in the group will also enjoy. Share with others, whether it’s your appetizer, dessert, beer, or you have an extra stogie. Others won’t mind losing to you as often if you make the experience more enjoyable. If your friends don’t mind losing to you then they probably won’t suspect the league to be rigged by you. Which it isn’t by the way. Celebrate with class. Make losing fun gosh darn it!

I know there are a lot of guys, and even a few gals, out there that suffer persecution at the hands of their “friends” for winning their fantasy football leagues multiple times. I know it’s hard at times being the most intelligent sports fan around, that’s why I’m glad to be part of the writing team here at WTDA where we freely provide valuable solutions to life’s tough questions.

I’m out losers.

The first would be eat a good lunch before hand so that you can focus on the game. This will make you less moody while watching the game(s), and if your team is getting killed AND you are hungry that will ruin the experience. If your team is getting killed and you have just had an amazing lunch you will at least feel some contentment.

Second, do not watch games with screaming youngsters in the vicinity if possible, I understand that sometimes this is unavoidable, but if you have little kids maybe arrange for nap time to coincide with the opening kickoff. I do not like major distractions when I am watching my team play, when I am watching other teams I am less strict about potential distractions.

Thirdly, celebrate and cheer your team on. It’s ok to yell things such as “Yeah!” Go go go go!” and “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”, bump chests (if its two dudes), give high fives, and sing your teams fight song or chant (especially if it’s the “Who Dey!” chant), this makes watching the game and the whole experience much more exciting. I even think smack talk is cool when you have friends watching together that may be cheering for different teams as long as there is not someone who is overly competitive doing it, sometimes it can get annoying if overdone.

So next Sunday, get your friends together, have a cookout, grill some weanies, put the kids to bed and cheer your team on!

There are some teams that have changed the look of their helmet over the years and teams change the look of their uniforms more frequently it seems, but below I’ve listed some teams that I think currently have cool helmets and some that I think need to come up with something better.

Helmets I dig (in no particular order):

Chicago Bears – I love the solid navy helmet and orange C logo, great colors.

Cincinnati Bengals – As I mentioned above, I really like the orange and black tiger stripes.

San Diego Chargers – I like the lightening bolt, it looks tough.

Denver Broncos – There current helmets are much better then their old helmets with the big D on them.

Helmets that need to go (in no particular order):

Arizona Cardinals – They have a white helmet with the head of a cardinal on it, lame.

Pittsburgh Steelers РMaybe it’s because I dislike the team so much, but the helmet also annoys me. Maybe it’s because their logo is on one side of the helmet only and not both sides.

Tennessee Titans РI like their team colors I just think the logo on the helmet isn’t that cool.

What are your thoughts?

“A lot of people hate this hat. It angers a lot of people, just the sight of it.” РUncle Buck

Coming into the season everyone thought the offense was going to be the strength of the team (as it usually is) and as usual the defense would be ranked in the bottom tier of the league. So far, the defense has show some signs of improvement and the offense has looked horrendous.

So what does a die-hard fan like myself do given the circumstances? I’ll tell you what I do, I support my team. I admit to the public that they suck right now and they look awful, but I do NOT stop supporting my team. I still watch all their games, I still hope they turn things around, I still dislike the Browns & Steelers, I still yell “Who-Day!” when they score, I still bash the players who do a terrible job or the coach who makes a bad decision or play call, I still get pumped when Carson hits Ocho Cinco for a score. I do not become a fan who only supports his team when they are winning. I do not blame it on free agency and the fact that players switch teams more often than they used to. I stick by my team and realize that if the bad times last a long time that the good times will be so much sweeter.

Sure there is a lawn to mow or hedges that need trimmed… but it’s football season… everything else can wait till spring. This is the time of year that the women all sigh as they are reduced to watching re-runs of “what not to wear” on their 19” black and white t.v. in the kitchen… all while there are seven dudes covered in cheetos, hooping and hollerin’, and spilling beer on themselves, watching overpaid dudes beat the living crap out of each other.

Us men (and some women) now have a pass to talk smack, bump guts, and smack some asses for a good cause: FOOTBALL. There is really only one thing left to do… stock up on your favorite things. Beer, chips, adult diapers, and chocolate (for the wife). Sit back, relax, and yell at the TV screen till our team makes it to the super bowl, which if we had a supper bowl would be filled with ice cream topped with barbecue potato chips, chocolate sauce, and a crazy straw for our beer.

I have one thing left to say GO BENGALS!!

Prior to the 2003 season it didn’t matter that they had just finished the prior season with a 2-14 (that’s 2 wins and 14 losses) record and that they had not had a winning season since 1990, I still believed that they could win the Super Bowl that season. Why do I feel so confident in my team year in and year out? What keeps me believing and hoping that things will be different? Below are a few factors that make me confident in my team each year:

1) In 1987 the Bengals finished with a 4-11 record and last place in their divison, in 1988 they went 12-4, won their division and went on to the Super Bowl (in which they were only 23 seconds away from winning against the 49ers). So things can drastically change in only 1 year.

2) I am a firm believer that 1 player can not win games by himself, but I do believe that 1 player can make a huge difference and cause the rest of the team to play better. With the turnover that occurs with each NFL team each season there is hope! There are 7 rounds in the NFL Draft where each team drafts new players from college and also with new players coming and going in free agency each team will most likely have a different type of chemistry each year and a different talent level.

3) Injuries. Teams that you think are going to be awesome prior to the season often experience injuries during a season which can drastically affect their performance. This can often help teams that are projected to have less talent and not win many games over-achieve and win. This can also have the reverse affect and bad teams can perform much worse.

Basically, it is easier for fans of a team to find whatever reasons they can to have more hope and confidence in their team, I know I do. I think one of the great things about having a favorite sports team is that you never know what is going to happen, if you knew, you may not be a fan.

1) Reggie Wayne (IND)

2) Randy Moss (NE)

3) Chad Johnson (CIN)

4) Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)

5) Terrell Owens (DAL)

6) Brandon Marshall (DEN)

7) Braylon Edwards (CLE)

Marques Colston (NO)

9) Roddy White (ATL)

10) Torry Holt (STL)

Last year Randy Moss caught 23 touchdowns and broke Jerry Rice’s NFL record of 22 which was unbelievable. Moss’ quarterback threw 50 touchdown passes as well; my guess would be that Randy Moss will put up huge numbers once again in 2008.

My favorite team, the Cincinnati Bengals have 2 top receivers on their team, you can see the number Ocho Cinco (Chad Johnson) put up last year but the teams second wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh also caught 112 balls (tied for the most in the NFL) for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns. If Chad is starting for the Bengals all year then look for both receivers to put up big numbers once again.

Terrell Owens is 34 years old but had a big year in 2007, his quarterback Tony Romo threw 36 touchdowns last year and is probably heading into his prime so look for T.O. to have another big year.

Some other receivers not listed above to watch out for in 08’ include Wes Welker (NE), Steve Smith (CAR), Andrew Johnson (HOU), and Plaxico Burress (NYG) will have big years if healthy all season. I am also curious to see how Calvin Johnson does in his second season in Detroit, he had 48 receptions, 756 yards, and 4 TDs in 07’. Some other second year players to keep an eye on would be Dwayne Bowe (KC) and Ted Ginn Jr. (MIA). A few rookies to look out for would be Limas Sweed (PIT), Jordy Nelson (GB), and Jerome Simpson (CIN).

Well that’s my quick rundown of some of the NFLs top receivers heading into the 08’ season. I’m anxious to see how these guys do!

1) Kimo Von Oelhoffen. 2005 AFC Wild Card Playoffs. Bengals vs Steelers. On the first offensive play of the Bengals 1st playoff game since 1990, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Kimo Von Oelhoffen accidentally rolled over Bengals quarterback Carson Palmers leg which tore his ACL and MCL ending his season immediately. My heart dropped when this happened. There is no doubt in my mind that if Carson would not have been hurt that the Bengals would have won that game. On the play on which Carson was hurt he completed a 66 yard pass to receiver Chris Henry (which was the longest completion in Bengals post-season history). After the injury the Bengals seemed to lose most of the momentum they had coming in to the game and they lost 31-17. The Steelers chanted in their locker room after the game shouting “Who Dey? We Dey!” Not cool, not cool.

2) Division Rivals. The Steelers are the Bengals division rivals along with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. It is a rule, if you are a die-hard Bengals fan, then you are not a Steelers, Browns, or Ravens fan.

3) Joey Porter. Ex-Steeler’s linebacker Joey Porter and six of his friends basically jumped Bengals offensive tackle Levi Jones in 2007 at a Las Vegas club. A Steeler messing with a Bengal = another reason not to like the Steelers. He could have at least went one-on-one with him.

4) The teams colors are black and yellow. Maybe it is because I already dislike this team, but black and yellow, come on, black and orange are way better.

5) The Steelers are usually good, so that makes me like them less. There is a cocky arrogance to any team when they are successful, so at the moment I dislike the Steelers even more because of this arrogance. When the Bengals are winning and acting this way, I am okay with it.

I could keep going and going with more reasons why the Steelers are my least favorite team, but you get the point. If you happen to have more reasons by why I should hate this team, please do leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading.