The 4th or 5th Annual #$*&^ you were wrong about thread

[njx9]

AKA, the I Really Ought to Eat Some Crow thread.

Rules are simple: what did you get wrong. No one cares what you got right; there are ten million threads in which everyone can pat themselves on the back. No one cares. This thread is all about letting go of a little hubris and remembering that, as brilliant as we all think we are, we're often pretty completely wrong about something.

So:

1) I was wrong about Cam Newton's ego getting in the way of him being a good quarterback, and I was way wrong about his physical ability and whether or not it would be effective. I think I was also wrong about his ability to pass effectively in the NFL, but I can't remember if I posted about that, or if that came up after the Gabbert rise.

2) I was wrong about Von Miller. I thought he would be yet another Gholston type of bust, who relied solely on speed and would offer no impact whatsoever to Denver. I also disliked Dareus and wanted Peterson, but that's neither here nor there.

3) I thought McGahee was one of the Broncos' worst signings ever, up there with Dan Graham.

4) I thought this was the Jets year and that the Patriots were due for a severe drop-off, given their near complete lack of critical talent (prior to Gronk/Hernandez changing their offense).

5) I thought Julio Jones was drastically overrated, without even considering the trade.

6) I thought Jimmy Smith was utter and complete garbage and would be out of the league in a year.

(sorry for the caps, this is what happens when I write a bunch of customer documentation before posting on here)

[Complex]

You really thought Jimmy Smith was that bad?

[njx9]

Originally Posted by Complex

You really thought Jimmy Smith was that bad?

i watched every single cu game. i saw absolutely nothing that suggested to me he'd be any more competent in an nfl secondary than terrence wheatley was.

[jrdrylie]

1). I was also wrong about Cam Newton and Andy Dalton. However, I'm not ready to admit I was completely wrong about them. Either or both of them could definitely have a sophomore slump.

2). I bought into the Tampa Bay hype. I thought they would win the South.

3). I was wrong about the NFC West. I said that Arizona would win the division and St. Louis would push for, and possibly earn, a playoff berth.

4). I predicted Rex Grossman would have a career year. Specifically, I said 3500 yards, 25 TD, 12 INTs, and 8 wins.

[Caddy]

I thought Gabbert would be a serviceable quarterback.

:(

[DraftSavant]

Love these.

1) Julio Jones' timed speed didn't translate on the field. I don't think I even need to say anything about this one - it was bad and I'm still embarrassed by it.

2) Houston winning the AFCS. Even with Manning's injury, I predicted Tennessee to win the division because Matt Schaub somehow seems to **** up every important game he plays in (hmmmmmm).

3) Andy Dalton being no better than a 4th round talent. Was really, really down on his arm strength and ability to drive the ball. I thought him throwing to AJ Green and Jerome Simpson would be an absolute disaster. In fact, I was just wrong about the Bengals period - had them as a darkhorse for #1 overall this year.

4) I thought Aldon Smith was really, really stiff and his pass rush ability didn't really translate to the NFL.

5) I thought the Dolphins would have a top 3 defense this year.

6) I always think Seattle is going to be way worse than they end up being. Talented team that really just needs a QB. Also for not liking Earl Thomas coming out (compared him to Reggie Nelson), because that's arguably the best safety in the NFL right now.

7) JoshFreeman4MVP ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[MichaelJordanEberle (sabf)]

I thought that Tim Tebow wouldn't be good this year. I figured he'd be average at best, never predicted he would be the legitimate MVP candidate that he was.

I also echo those sentiments on Miller, njx. I wanted Peterson more than words can say. But we got a hell of a player in Miller.

[Mr. Goosemahn]

From what I said in the predictions thread:

Originally Posted by Mr. Goosemahn

My predictions.

NFC

1. Packers struggle mightily in comparison to how they played in the postseason last year and barely make it to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round as a wild card. Superbowl hangover, basically.

Wrong, except for losiing their first playoff game. Rodgers shut me up.

2. Eagles don't meet the hype and suffer, as Vick will suffer an injury and Vince Young will blow everyones mind away with how bad he really is (I'm not a big VY fan, lol). They have a good defense, sure, but without a QB DeSean and Celek are useless and I don't trust LeSean McCoy (yet) to lead that offense. Make the playoffs but get defeated early on.

Wrong on LeSean and making the playoffs, right on the rest.

3. Falcons will disappoint after a stellar 2010 season. Will make it to the playoffs, but won't be nearly as dominant as they were last year.

Yay!

4. The Bears will surprise by winning the NFC North and a first round BYE. Matt Forte will be an elite fantasy back again and Roy Williams will revert to his former Lions self (where he also played under Mike Martz).

Fail on Roy Williams, but I got the Forte part right.

5. Rams will win their division with 10+ wins, and McDaniels' offensive schemes with Bradford at the helm will give fans a glimpse of the new version of "The Greatest Show on Turf" that will re-surge in the upcoming seasons.

Yeah...

6. Saints win 13+ games and make it to the Superbowl.

Not a big fail, but still wrong.

AFC

1. Cincinnati finishes with 3- wins and has the first overall pick next year, only to not be able to use it on a QB unless they decide to pull a Jimmy Clausen on Andy Dalton.

Yeah...

2. Bills surprise and make the playoffs as a wild card, with the AFC East having three teams in the playoffs, both NYJ and BUF as wild cards.

Started out right, but then Fitzy sucked, and Sanchez sucks.

3. Andre gets double digit TD's for the first time in his career, but the Texans still don't make the playoffs (that's a bold Texans prediction! ;) )

Wrong on both!

4. Rob Gronkowski becomes the best red zone target in the league and a top 3 fantasy TE. Hernandez takes a back seat to him, and he becomes Brady's new go-to guy, over Wes Welker.

Aww yeah!

Homer

5. Rashard Mendenhall leads the league in rushing TD's and has 1300+ yards, and Mike Wallace has 1200+ yards plus 10+ TD's, becoming an elite fantasy WR in the process, haha.

Complete fail on Mendenhall, 7 yards and 2 TDs away forWallace.

6. Steelers take advantage of a relatively easy schedule (Bengals and Browns, plus NFC West and AFC South) and get a top 2 seed in the playoffs, with the defense being elite again and still being the top run-stuffing unit in the league.

:S

So there it is.

[BigBlueNorwegian]

1: I was dead wrong on Cam Newton. Thought he would already be considered a bust and create lots of negative stories in the media with his character. Ooops. Granted, he could still eventually turn out to be a bust, but I was already proven wrong on him, because he did things on the field I didn't think he could.

2: Was entirely wrong on the entire Bengals team. Thought they would pick no.1 overall this upcoming draft.

3: Thought the Colts would manage at least 5-7 wins this year even without Peyton. I was pretty far off there.

4:

Originally Posted by BigBlueNorwegian

This team is soft as hell, from top to bottom. We got swept by the Redskins. we are 0-2 against Rex Grossman. I'm done hoping this season can be good. I hope we don't have to see some team whooping our asses in the playoffs, because that means Coughlin and Fewell keeps their jobs. If that happens we have to endure another year with this misery. No way. No ******* way.

This is the worst for me personally. I went out and quit on my team after the second Redskins game, when we dropped to 7-7. Granted, very few fans saw any reason not to throw them under the bus, but I am ashamed of this. And
it just shows that you should never give up hope if there is still a possibility for things to work out in this league. I know I will be more wary of this in the future with the giants at least.

[M.O.T.H.]

Romo was exceptional...yall were wrong. :P

[Sloopy]

1) I also thought Cam would fail and that none of the QB's in this draft were franchise guys but Ponder has looked good and obviously Cam

2) I thought the Colts would win more games without Manning.

3) I thought this might be the Ravens year, not really a preseason one but after the Steelers game.

4) I thought Tebow would be off the roster this coming offseason (hasn't officially been proven wrong yet, but I think we all know what would happen)

5) I bought into the Air-Falcons hype

[A Perfect Score]

1) Cam Newton - I suppose it's come time to eat the crow on this one. I was a strong anti-Cam force around these boards, but man did he ever prove me wrong. My concerns over his footwork, accuracy and off field issues were (apparently) not as significant as I thought, since he was very, every effective this season. If he keeps his head on straight, the sky is the limit and I'll gladly admit I was wrong. Let's just see if he takes a VY-like turn now that he's had some success.

2) Aldon Smith/Julio Jones - Like others, I was wrong on these two as well. I thought Smith was far too stiff to play in a 3-4, and while I loved his inside rip on tape, I certainly didn't think he was going to be able to use it so effectively from a wide position. As for Julio, I just thought (And still do, actually) that the Falcons overpaid for a player who will be good but never great. Time will tell on that one.

3) I picked the Ravens to win the SB. God damned Billy Cundiff.

4) I predicted a massive breakout season for Sam Bradford and I really thought the Rams were going to take that division.

[Complex]

I was wrong about Andy Dalton for now.

I was wrong about Mark Sanchez going to the probowl.

I was wrong about Rams and Bradford.

I was wrong about Tebow. I use to hate him in college but now I <3 him.

I was so wrong about Shady McCoy thought he never amount to anything but a average back.

[fenikz]

I was wrong on Von Miller, every single play at A&M he would run himself out of, idk if tackles in the NFL don't know this or if he changed his game but he doesnt look like the same player

By I was entirely right on Cam Cam so suck it

[brat316]

Sam Bradford break out year with McD,

Aldon Smith to raw to make an impact, other than inside move.

Von Miller 1 trick pony that over ran plays

Jones(to many big WR in college that dominate easily)

[CJSchneider]

I was wrong about Cam Newton. I still don't like him though.

[J-Mike88]

Originally Posted by CJSchneider

I was wrong about Cam Newton. I still don't like him though.

Haha, exactly me too. I admit it.

I was wrong about Arizona and Philly, thought they'd both win their divisions.

I also proclaimed Brady would never win a Super Bowl again, but I didn't think they'd come as close as they did this year.
So even though I was not wrong, I feel wrong because they surpassed my expectations for them (although, as usual, it took a lot of luck as Lee Evans and the kicker choked for them).

I also was hoodwinked into the Tampa Bay hype, and lost money because of it.

The Bengals also made me eat crow as I thought they'd be closer to a top 10 pick than make the playoffs.

[DeepThreat]

1. Cam Newton - Thought his character would kill him.
2. Andy Dalton - Saw a mid-round talent.
3. Sam Bradford dominating.
4. Cameron Jordan - I liked him.

[Brown Leader]

I thought Knowshon Moreno was going to be like Ahmad Bradshaw or Leshon McCoy, instead, well....

[TACKLE]

Aldon Smith and Ryan Kerrigan. Aldon was so unimpressive to me in his workouts and in his last season but in hindsight, his injury probably really affected his movement. As for Kerrigan, I didn't think he'd blow but I thought he was JAG.

[wogitalia]

1. I thought Gabbert landed in the perfect situation where he could sit for a couple of years and become a good quarterback... then they cut Garrard.

2. I didn't think Newton would be that good or adapt well to the NFL, my biggest concern is ongoing with his attitude, but so far so good for him.

3. I didn't think McNabb would be that bad!

4. I thought Rivers was going to have a great year and at worst a very good year, instead he was average to poor.

5. I thought the Packers would win the SuperBowl(from the preseason).

6. I thought Matt Ryan was going to improve this year and take the step up.

[K Train]

i was wrong about jonathan scott i thought he would be pretty bad as a starting LT bad but i had no idea he was going to be an abortion of the position and an embarrassment to the sport

i was wrong about brett favre coming back :-(

i was so wrong about von miller and aldon smith

[ChiFan24]

I picked the Panthers to be the surprise team that goes 10-6. Bad luck in close games did them in.

I thought Detroit and Atlanta were 8-8 teams, not 10-6 playoff teams.

I thought Philly would be good.

Removed the Giants from my preseason Super Bowl prediction once injuries started to strike. Put Dallas into the playoffs in their place, and bumped New Orleans into the Super Bowl against Baltimore.

I thought Cleveland would be the team fighting for the 6 seed; thought Cincinnati would suck.

Picked the 49ers to win the division, but at 9-7. Thought the Rams would hang around in the division.

Picked Mike Wallace as OPOY for some reason.

Uhhhhh....I was pretty much right about everything else. Seriously, my picks were awesome this year, especially the AFC. Kind of proud of them.

[DraftSavant]

Originally Posted by TACKLE

Aldon Smith and Ryan Kerrigan. Aldon was so unimpressive to me in his workouts and in his last season but in hindsight, his injury probably really affected his movement. As for Kerrigan, I didn't think he'd blow but I thought he was JAG.

REVERSE RACISM

[TACKLE]

Originally Posted by DraftSavant

REVERSE RACISM

quite possibly.