CAN MADDEN OFFER ANY INSIGHTS INTO THE 2005 SEASON?
It doesn’t hurt to ask, and so I simulated the entire 2005 season, letting the computer do the work, all the way through the Super Bowl, which had the defending-champion Patriots over the Buccaneers, 24-13. Some notables from the simulated season: • New Redskins RB Clinton Portis was the NFL MVP, with 1,598 yards rushing and 12 TDs for Washington, which went 12-4 in the regular season. • The Eagles missed the playoffs, but the Giants — they of the 70 overall rating — went 10-6, earning a wild-card berth before getting slaughtered, 56-14, by the Bucs. Kurt Warner threw 16 TDs, while Eli Manning threw for just five. So you see where the computer stands on the debate. • The Raiders — another of the worst-rated teams in the game — advanced to the AFC championship game behind Kerry Collins’ NFL-leading 34 regular-season touchdown passes. That has as much chance of happening as finding $1 million in cash in your refrigerator. Paul Katcher is a freelance writer based in New York City. He
