THE SEASON THAT WAS 2005

Monday, January 23, 2006 | Jeff

After yesterday...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing about as good as I've ever seen a team play going into a Super Bowl.

The Seattle Seahawks are a meaningless Week 17 loss away from not having lost in three and a half months.

You'd think it's going to be terrific game. It's not. Steelers by two touchdowns.

Thanks Jake Delhomme for saving your shit performance for the week after you play the Bears.

Hey Lovie - double-teaming Steve Smith works better than using Chris Thompson, doesn't it?

I'll be watching the Super Bowl at Josie Woods Pub and wondering what might have happened had Lovie and "Captain" Ron Rivera not decided that the Bears cornerbacks were invincible.

Here's my wrap-up of the season that has come and gone...

For three consecutive years I have picked the Colts to go to the Super Bowl and they won't even be on my shortlist next season. No more.

I'll say it again: there has never been a dropoff for a professional sports organization as drastic as the 2005 Indianapolis Colts from Week 12 to the Divisional Round. In that span of time they went from undefeated and unbeatable to beaten, detroyed by tragedy and embarassed in the playoffs. It's hard to win a championship with Peyton Manning at quarterback. It's hard to win a championship with Tony Dungy at coach. It's going to be impossible to do it with both.

I was as wrong as wrong could be when I called for Mike Shanahan to be fired after a Week One loss to the Miami Dolphins for two reasons: (1) Shanahan should probably have won coach of the year for getting Jake Plummer to hide his Jakeness for so long and (2) Because the Miami Dolphins are going to make the playoffs next year.

If the Carolina Panthers are serious about winning the Super Bowl next year, I think they'll make a play for Ricky Williams.

The Dallas Cowboys are something of a contradiction. Their defense is built for the future. The offense is built for 1998.

The Washington Redskins are stockpiling good football coaches. Joe Gibbs is relinquishing all play-calling and simply becoming the head coach / CEO while Al Saunders and Gregg Williams run both sides of the ball. Danny bought a lot of players and that didn't work so now he's buying coaches. Okay, that could work.

There's not a single reason in the universe that Mike Vick should have made the Pro Bowl over Mark Brunell.

I think the window for the Philadelphia Eagles is closed. They've got no running game, no good receivers and a quarterback with accuracy issues. The rest of that division is clearly better than them now.

I think the window is nowhere near closed in New England. And right now they're tops on my list to make the Super Bowl from the AFC next season.

I really like the Houston Texans drafting Reggie Bush with the first pick.

I think Sean Payton is drafting a quarterback in the first round but if I were the Saints I'm taking A.J. Hawk. Not only do I think he's the best player in college football not named Bush, I think he's a key to the Saints being able to control Mike Vick - a must in the NFC South.

I would really like to see Eric Mangini do well with the Jets but I just don't see how they make the playoffs in the next three years.

Same goes for the San Francisco 49ers.

The Mike McCarthy hiring in Green Bay doesn't make any sense to me unless it's a ploy to make Favre come back. On that note, I have never seen a team clamor to keep a player with such diminishing returns in my life. It'd be like the Yankees hiring a manager now in order to keep Bernie Williams.

I don't think Dick Vermeil should have retired.

I think the Raiders should hire Russ Grimm to be their next head coach. He's a tough guy and he reminds me of John Madden.

Larry Johnson will easily win the rushing title if he stays healthy next year.

Priest Holmes may become the most dynamic third down back in the history of football.

Curtis Martin should retire. It don't get better - ask Eddie George.

The T.O. question will be fun to follow but I think the team that should make it priority numero uno is the San Diego Chargers. If he comes and plays, they'll become the best offense in the game.

My favorite hire of the offseason was Rod Marinelli in Detroit. It is a bit puzzling, however, when you a hire a guy who's been the best defensive line coach in the game when the strength of your team is the defensive line.

Dick Jauron is a bad hire in Buffalo. He's too passive. He's too conservative. And that defense will not get better.

Would it surprise anyone if Jacksonville passed Indy in the AFC South next year?

The Tony Dungy Award for Biggest Disappointment of 2005
5. Julius Jones
4. New York Jets
3. Kerry Collins
2. Buffalo Bills defense
1. (tie) Tony Dungy & Peyton Manning

The Neil Rackers Award for Biggest Surprise of 2005
5. Chicago Bears
4. Joe Jurevicius
3. Eli Manning made the playoffs
2. T.O. made it half the season
1. Ben Rothlisberger is a great quarterback already

Put Bob Costas in the booth with Madden, Dick Ebersol.

Use the Mike Tirico and Sterling Sharpe team instead, ESPN.

Can you imagine what Boldin and Fitzgerald's numbers would look like with Carson Palmer throwing them the football?

Are the Lions going to take another wide receiver in the first round? I hope so.

And in a final point, I'll say this: you'll know what you're getting from the Chicago Bears next season by the end of Week 3. If they start the way they started this year, it's going to be a horror show. If they come out and win three or go 2-1, they'll be in the playoffs and learn from this year's debacle.

Stay tuned to dabearsblog...there's always news to report.