RUMINATIONS AND RUMBLINGS 2005

My opinions (for what they're worth) on various subjects



January 2006, Happy New Year

Another year has come and gone. 2005 wasn't so great for me. I lost my younger brother, still haven't gotten a programming job, started back to school again, and still weigh too much. I did close on my house in October, so I'm finally a home owner. The death of my brother Dwain on November 1st was a shock to me and the rest of my family. He was much too young to die at 36, and I'll miss him for the rest of my life. I hoped his death would scare me into losing weight and getting in better shape, but so far I haven't been able to lose any real weight. I hope that I'll finally get it in gear and lose a lot of weight just like the cardiologist told me. The year also could have been better for the country in 2005. The devestation of Hurricane Katrina and Hurrican Rita will be with us for quite a while. At least I'm fortunate to live in an area that has few natural disasters. The War in Iraq continues to take American lives (as well as Iraqi lives), but we certainly cannot just pull out our troops before the Iraqis are ready to take control of their own country. To "cut and run" would do irreparable harm to our standing in the world, and would be just what the terrorists want. The War on Terror will unfortunately be a very long term fight, and we can't afford to give the terrorists any quarter.We don't realize how fortunate we are to live in a country where we can even have the debate we have on the War. I hope 2006 will be a great year for me, you, and the USA.

NFL Playoffs

The NFL regular season is in the books. I didn't do nearly as well on m predicitons this year as I did last year. There were several teams that disappointed this year. For me the Falcons second half collapse was the biggest letdown. They lost too many close games, and losing as many games at home is unexcusable. The Packers game was the loss that really can't be explained. A one win team shouldn't come into your stadium and whip you with a third string running back. Now the predictions for those teams who did make the playoffs and some awards.

I like the Colts and Seahawks to compete in the Super Bowl, since they are certainly the two best teams. The Colts should beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, and the Seahawks should get by the Bears in the NFC. The spoiler could be either the Patriots or the Panthers.

Awards

MVP -- Manning over Brady and Alexander. Offensive Player -- Alexander. Defensive Player -- Brian Urhlacher. Rookies -- Cadillac Williams and Shawn Merriman. Coach -- Tony Dungy. 2005 Opinions

The Super Bowl

Well, My Playoff predictions were pretty bad. Although I correctly predicted the Seahawks to get here, that was about all I got right. I think the Seahawks should prevail, but the Steelers have begun to make believers of them. My Prediction: Seahawks 24, Steelers 17.

Dennis Rhea
2006