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Health & Fitness

Lemont's Newest Blogger Kicks Off Football Season with NFC Predictions

Patch welcomes its newest sports blogger, Lemont High School sophomore Peter Marzano. In his debut blog, Peter gives us his NFC predictions.

Hello, all. I'm Peter Marzano, a sophomore at , and my first post will cover the basics of my knowledge, as well as my predictions for this year's NFC division winners. 

I would like to say that I've been raised in a household of die-hard sports fans, and ever since 2001 I've been hooked to sports — specifically baseball. Since then my knowledge has grown significantly, as I watch SportsCenter every night and closely follow the four major sports leagues, as well as college football and basketball. In that case, most, if not, all of my blog posts will be devoted to sports.

Enough about me, let's get to what matters to everybody at this time of year: football!

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While the MLB is wrapping up its regular season with several intriguing races, I'm going to predict the winners of the NFC divisions.

NFC East

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1. Philadelphia: 12-4

2. NY Giants: 10-6

3. Washington: 8-8

4. Dallas: 7-9

While these may seem a lot different than other predictions in magazines and on other websites, I believe that the NFC East will give us surprises. Dallas will experience several problems as Tony Romo has now become a moving target, especially for the division rivals. Washington will be able to pull out an average season, but with a lack of overall team balance and a solidified starting quarterback, the team will fall apart in the end. New York has a strong team this year, possibly their best since they won their division in 2008.

In the end, however, I still believe Philadelphia is the team to beat. With a balanced starting quarterback, who has a great wide receiver to throw to, as well as a solid defense, Philly won't be stopped.

NFC North

1. Green Bay: 13-3

2. Detroit: 9-7

3. Chicago: 8-8

4. Minnesota: 5-11

The NFC North shouldn't be too competitive this season. The Packers bring back a team trying to avoid Super Bowl hangover, which I think they'll do well in. The Lions have a rejuvenated team. Even with an injury-prone Stafford, they will pull out a decent season.

The Bears are going to be set back, as they have yet to find a strong offensive line, which leaves the problem of a great quarterback not having any time. Minnesota will have to go through a rebuilding process before they are truly competitive again, as a solidified starting quarterback is not present on this Minnesota team.

NFC South

1. New Orleans: 12-4

2. Atlanta: 11-5

3. Tampa Bay: 9-7

4. Carolina: 3-13

This division will go down to the end. Atlanta is the clear favorite now, but New Orleans has dusted off the Super Bowl hangover, and have returned with desire to take the throne in the division. Atlanta will have the division lead for quite a while, and New Orleans will storm back and take the NFC South. Atlanta has a regenerated team — even after a great year last year — but the power in the division might get to their heads, and the biggest damage in any sport is the mindset in which you play.

Tampa Bay will have an average year, and will most likely put up some pretty good games against big opponents. But the team is just not there yet. Carolina has been able to find a solid quarterback but they lack any overall team balance, which is what will hurt them most this season.

NFC West

1. San Francisco: 10-6

2. St. Louis: 9-7

3. Arizona: 7-9

4. Seattle: 7-9

Seattle won the division last season at 7-9, but that won't quite do it. There aren't enough key additions for the Seahawks, and Matt Hasselbeck isn't adequately replaced by Tavares Jackson. Arizona will hang out with Seattle in the division, but will show signs of rebirth, as we're starting to see the end of the rebuilding process in Arizona. The Rams have put up two good games to this point, and eventually they will get what they need — a division championship. While it most likely won't happen this year, they will come back next year and put up a great fight.

San Francisco is overall the team to beat in the NFC West when it comes down to it. The 49ers have a more organized and balanced offensive effort to put on the field, which may make the difference in the NFC West.

Thank you for reading, I'll be back next time predicting your AFC division champions.

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