Arizona Republic NFL writer Bob McManaman wears silly-coloured sunglasses

You have to love the locals, and their undying support and jingoism for a football team that does not deserve it.

In this article, Arizona Republic NFL writer Bob McManaman takes a look at the 2008 Arizona Cardinals schedule, and predicts the results, game-by-game. He predicts a 10-win season for the Cardinals, which is funny on many levels. First, the locals do this every year. Second, the Cardinals have not won 10 regular season games since 1976. Third, they are the Cardinals.

Now, I go FJM style. Naturally, my attention was drawn to what McManaman says about the Cards' week 4 visit to the Meadowlands...

"The Cardinals get their running game untracked behind Edgerrin James and they surprise the Jets with some solid special teams play, namely that of return man Steve Breaston. The quarterback position seems a little fuzzy, though. Is that Matt Leinart calling the signals or is it veteran Kurt Warner? We can't tell. Meanwhile, the Jets are having their own issues at quarterback. But the Cardinals improve to 3-1 and people are starting to take notice.

Prediction: Cardinals 31, Jets 17"

I'm not going to tell you this guy is flat out wrong...but for the record, I had marked this game down as an easy win for the Jets when I took my own look at the schedule. Just saying. But let's take a closer look at McManaman's analysis...

The Cardinals get their running game untracked behind Edgerrin James and they surprise the Jets with some solid special teams play.

So prior to week 3, the Cardinals' running game will not be untracked. Until then, clearly, it will be tracked. Also, he scouted the Jets very well, as I happen to know that the Jets never expect solid special teams play from their opponents. I can hear Jets' coach Eric Mangini now..."Solid special teams play? What in the world is going on? I am soooooo totally surprised right now!"

Is that Matt Leinart calling the signals or is it veteran Kurt Warner? We can't tell.

Well, I can't really help you there Bob, but the photo next to your blurb features Jets' punter Ben Graham and Jets' kicker Mike Nugent. Maybe it will be a surprising, solid special team player calling the signals?

But the Cardinals improve to 3-1 and people are starting to take notice.

Is it possible to take notice to a hypothetical situation predicted by a local homer? If so, consider me on notice!

NL West...Uggghhhhh

I already am annoyed at the thought of who will win the National League West division this season. The winner will almost certainly have a below .500 record, because all the teams suck...and it will likely be Arizona or Los Angeles.

If it's Arizona, since I live in Phoenix I'll get to hear from the locals about how great their division-winning, playoff-bound, 78 win team is.

And if it's Los Angeles, I am sure I'll get to hear how great Joe Torre is, and therefore hear another round of "The Yankees made a mistake getting rid of Joe Torre." This is because ESPN hates the Yankees.

I believe a division should be stripped of its playoff berth if no one within that division finishes with a .500 record or better. This isn't just a pipe dream - it could easily be done, in a practical manner. All you do is take away the west's division winning spot, and give a 2nd wild card spot to the East/Central. There would be more incentive for the West teams to get good...and more incentive for the approximately 90-win team in the East or Central who would have missed out on the wild card.

The NL West would lose their playoff spot like every year, but baseball would be better for it.

On racial matters

I noticed something troubling about myself today - a lot of my evalution of NFL players is based on race, and I didn't even know it until I saw a photo of New York Jets' rookie Tight End Dustin Keller.

You see, I never saw Keller play in college. All I saw of him was a highlight package on ESPN the day he was drafted. I couldn't see his face in the highlights. All I saw was a Purdue uniform, and skin a bit on the lighter side. I thought Keller was white. I instantly became critical of this pick. "Great," I thought. "Another stiff at Tight End." Doug Jolley and Kyle Brady came to mind - both are white. Sure, I saw Keller making some nice plays...but you can make any collegiate player look good in a highlight package, especially given a lot of mediocre competition. In the Big Ten's case, you have Indiana and Northwestern. ESPN's hosts tell us how athletic and talented he is. Whatever.

Fast forward to this morning. I saw an article on NJ.com about how Keller has signed his contract, and is ready for camp. The page contains a photo of Keller stretching. What's this I see? He's black. Suddenly I shifted my evaluation of him to a more positive one. I automatically thought of him as more athletic, having more upside, and as simply a better football player than when I thought he was white. Only then did I realize I was guilty of this preconceived notion that white players are not as good. Is there something wrong with me? Or is this simply a product of seeing too many Doug Jolleys and Kyle Bradys come around?

...Or should I just call Jimmy the Greek or Al Campanis and ask them what they think?