The NFL's coming, I can Bear-ly wait

Warning: The following may cause some football fans to become irritable and angry with a certain sophomore sports columnist.\nWhile many college students prefer watching their fellow peers play football rather than professionals, I for one still enjoy what the NFL has to offer. Contract disputes, lucrative deals and blockbuster trades are just a few of the things that make the league so very interesting. \nOne of the most intriguing aspects of the NFL is that for the past five years or so, there has been a Cinderella team making it to the Super Bowl. Last year, the Carolina Panthers did just that, though they fell short in the end, losing to the Patriots. What does bother me about the NFL, though, is that these so-called "experts," such as ESPN's Joe Theismann, John Clayton and Sean Salisbury, nearly always make the easiest predictions possible. They pick their Super Bowl teams based on past Super Bowl champions (both Salisbury and Theismann are predicting a Patriots' championship repeat) and only choose the Madden 2004 cover boys (this year it's Ravens' linebacker Ray Lewis) as their MVPs.\nNow I realize these may be the most educated picks and pretty safe bets in the end, but since when were predictions supposed to be safe? Why can't these guys just go out on a limb for once and still back up their picks? \nTherefore, on that note, here are five bold predictions for the 2004-2005 NFL season:\n5. Lions' quarterback Joey Harrington will pass for at least 3,500 yards this upcoming season, with a healthy Charles Rogers and rookie Roy Williams as receivers. By increasing his number of passing attempts, however, Harrington will still throw plenty of interceptions.\n4. The Houston Texans will finish about .500 this season. With quarterback David Carr, running back Domanick Davis and Andre Johnson at receiver, the Texans should be able to put a decent number of points on the board each game. The Texans' defense is their Achilles heel, but they should be able to compensate for it.\n3. Tampa Bay will win the NFC South. Though the Panthers are coming off a Super Bowl appearance, the Buccaneers dropped 300 pounds of dead weight from their defensive line (Warren Sapp) and added receivers Joey Galloway and future Hall of Famer Tim Brown.\n2. The Indianapolis Colts will not only fail to be the Super Bowl champs, but they will also fail to advance past the first round of the playoffs, if they even make it there. As good as Peyton Manning is, he has yet to lead his team far enough into the playoffs to make much of an impact. Let's face it, he's a choke artist.\n1. Brace yourselves ... The No. 1 boldest prediction for this season: The Chicago Bears will make the playoffs. Now before you crumple up your copy of the newspaper and dispose of it, please hear me out. By revamping the coaching staff and adding running back Thomas Jones, defensive end (and IU alum) Adewale Ogunleye and offensive linemen Ruben Brown and John Tait, the Bears have solidified their entire squad. Brian Urlacher will now have room to roam the field and Thomas Jones can prove to everybody he is a primetime back. The Monsters of the Midway should make an impact this year.\nWhile these predictions may have been a little too bold, at least they aren't the usual boring ones fans are subjected to seeing all over ESPN. And hey, at least I didn't say the Bears would win the Super Bowl ... yet. \nWe'll save that one for another day.