The Tribune

IT IS necessary for us to offer the disclaimer prior to week one. Our column will throw a twist into the traditional pick ‘em. A lifelong football fan against someone that knows absolutely nothing about football but somehow manages to get these games right.

I consider it a social experiment. That’s also what I tell myself to justify losing week after week. Let’s face it, there are about four or five teams in the power circle that have a pretty good shot at winning Super Bowl 50, and about two or three teams on the tier just below with the legit opportunity to overachieve and hoist the Lombardi trophy.

In short, I have no idea what’s going to happen.

We’ll all prognosticate, but there’s a 50-50 shot at getting this right from week to week.

It’s such a tossup, even someone who spends 20 hours a week watching VH1’s fine reality TV can do it.

WEEK 1

Thursday, 10 September

Pittsburgh Steelers

at New England Patriots

SANNIE: Wait. Troy Polamalu doesn’t play anymore? I’m going to miss my hair crush! Well now I have to choose the Patriots.

PATS over Steelers

RENALDO: I was socially conditioned to hate the Patriots. This is isn’t new, I’m talking a deep rooted hatred since “Pat Patriot” was the decal on the white helmets. I got older and started to become a bigger fan of the narratives. More importantly, I realised that villains are ok. So the Pats organisation cheats, Bellichick is a little evil, Bob Kraft is an enabler and Tom Brady runs through life like Super Mario when he has the star of invincibility. I’m ok with that. The last time public sentiment was so strongly anti-Pats, Belichick and Brady led New England on a league wide rampage and a nearly perfect 18-1 season. I’m interested to see how this plays out.

PATS over Steelers

Sunday, 13 September

Indianapolis Colts

at Buffalo Bills

SANNIE:  LeSean is dating Portia Williams, one of my favourite  reality stars from the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Nothing else needs to be said.

BILLS over Colts

RENALDO: No, a lot more needs to be said. In fact, I’m not so sure who was more responsible for Shady McCoy’s plummet, Chip Kelly or this woman who thought the Underground Railroad was an actual series of locomotives. There’s a lot to like about the Colts this year, most notably that the front office went out and got their franchise player more weapons. It seems so simply yet few teams actually do this. The Colts added Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Trent Cole and Sannie’s soon to be distant cousin Phillip Dorsett. I’m getting the same feeling about them that I had with the Warriors, it just seems like the right time.

COLTS over Bills

Cleveland Browns

at New York Jets

SANNIE: For the first week I’m going to go with my namesake. Let’s go Browns. I only have a few more months left as a Brown so I have to ride this as long as I can.

BROWNS over Jets

RENALDO: It’s virtually impossible for me to explain to you just how happy Sannie was to type that previous sentence. The Jets haven’t had the best offseason: Their starting quarterback got a broken jaw and sprained pride over a $600 bet, Brandon Marshall came back and played the race card in an unsolicited shot at Brady, their best defensive player is suspended and the best news has been that Ryan Fitzpatrick decided to keep his beard. The fact that Browns fans have already established the “Fail for Cardale” campaign speaks volumes on their lack of optimism about this season.

JETS over Browns

Carolina Panthers

at Jacksonville Jaguars

SANNIE: Hey, Cam Newton! This choice is dedicated to my morning co-host Eddie Carter. Who has a serious man crush on Cam. It’s totally not gay though.

PANTHERS over Jags

RENALDO:  It was a relatively uneventful offseason for the Panthers after winning back to back division titles. They added solid group of players through the draft who can contribute from day one ,on both sides of the ball. There were reasons to look up…until Kelvin Benjamin was carted off the practice field with a torn ACL. Despite losing their top skill position player, who was ready to explode following his rookie season, the front office is optimistic about their depth at the position. Which means we should be optimistic about the odds Cam Newton loses as everyone struggles to get open week after week. The Jags are coming along, but slowly. So slowly that if it wasn’t for most of us keeping an eye on Blake Bortles they might be an afterthought.

PANTHERS over Jags

Green Bay Packers

at Chicago Bears

SANNIE: Kristin Cavallari is pregnant (again!). Her and Jay Cutler make the cutest children. Good luck to them both.

BEARS over Packers

RENALDO: I have a disproportionate level of confidence in Aaron Rodgers. I just think nothing stops him other than his own bum ankle. Sure he lost Jordy Nelson, but Rodgers always manages to have the same output and propel someone else to that number one option. Randall Cobb you’re up next. Davante Adams is up next after him.  That being said, A-Rod still has Olivia Munn. There’s always a reason to play inspired when you have Olivia Munn.

PACKERS over Bears

Kansas City Chiefs

at Houston Texans

SANNIE: I have to pick the Texans, the place of King Bey’s birth. Happy Belated Birthday Beyonce! Love you girl, because you’re 1/18 Bahamian.

TEXANS over Chiefs

RENALDO: Did anyone tell Jeremy Maclin that he went to a team with a quarterback that never throws touchdowns to wide receivers? This is like Kim Davis going to a LBGT pride parade, makes no sense. Everyone mentions how he should thrive because he’s accustomed to Andy Reid’s system, but here’s what he’s not accustomed to - the underwhelming playmaking ability of Alex Smith. In Houston Ryan Mallet will eventually win that starting job, DeAndre Hopkins is great and Vince Wilfork wore overalls without a shirt. This team only goes up from there

TEXANS over Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

at Washington

No Nicknames

SANNIE: I have to pick the Dolphins at least once for Renaldo. So this one is for you. Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary, all that good stuff!

DOLPHINS over

No Nicknames

RENALDO: Full disclosure, I have no idea when our anniversary is. Do you even have one before the wedding. Also, if this counts as a gift we have some things to discuss. As I discussed earlier, I’ve completely tempered my expectations on this Dolphins season and it will only get worse if we don’t crush this awful Redskins team. I need Ryan Tannehill to get out there and demand respect. I need Jarvis Landry to remind everyone that he’s on par with Odell Beckham Jr. I need Ndamukong Suh to dominate the line of scrimmage and not step on anybody. Most importantly I need us to leave this game healthy because I hate my team playing on top of the Indian burial ground that FedEx Field has to be built on. My God….why won’t Daniel Snyder just change the mascot? They’re literally destroying lives by the knee ligament.

DOLPHINS over No Nicknames

Seattle Seahawks

at St Louis Rams

SANNIE: Russell Wilson and Ciara are just too cute together! I Love them! She definitely upgraded from Future.

SEAHAWKS over Rams

RENALDO: Is he really an upgrade from Future? Did you watch the last play of the Super Bowl? Did you listen to Dirty Sprite 2? Did you see Future’s performance with Drake at OVO Fest? Again…did you listen to Dirty Sprite 2? My only regret of his last album is that Future didn’t have a song called “Malcolm Butler.” I can’t focus on any football related analysis, that Future slander just threw me off.

SEAHAWKS over Rams

Detroit Lions at San Diego Chargers

SANNIE: This choice is dedicated to my boy, Cecil the Lion. RIP.

LIONS over Chargers

RENALDO: Interesting choice seeing as Sannie was a suspect in a vehicular manslaughter against a feline just a few months ago. Seems as if she would have more in common with Walter Palmer. Detroit lost its best defensive player at the height of his prime. Losing Suh is not something this team can scoff at but their strength as one of the league’s defence was the support behind Suh. Signing Ngata and Tyrunn Walker is a step in the right direction. The biggest change on offence will be Ameer Abdullah if he can provide some stability to the running game. Unlike what the Chargers are doing with top draft pick Melvin Gordon, the Lions won’t rely on back-by-committee. Abdullah was given the veteran’s treatment in the preseason, suggesting the job is his to lose. The Chargers may be a better team but they usually like to lose about six games first before they really start playing up to potential.

LIONS over Chargers

New Orleans Saints

at Arizona Cardinals

SANNIE: Drew Brees tackles crocodiles when he isn’t playing football? What kind of weird, hybrid man is he? It seems to work though.

SAINTS over Cards

RENALDO: I still think Drew Brees cries himself to sleep at night over the loss of Jimmy Graham, and over his agent convincing him to sign that endorsement deal with Wrangler. The Cardinals became an afterthought with many people late in the year, but this team was 9-1 with a three game division lead by November. Carson Palmer got hurt and the wheels fell off in the Drew Stanton/Ryan Lindley debacle. Just find a way to keep Palmer upright and this thing works.

CARDS over Saints

Baltimore Ravens

at Denver Broncos

SANNIE: Peyton Manning is a name I keep hearing with football so I guess that means he is good. So, I will ride with him.

BRONCOS over Ravens

RENALDO: You keep hearing the name Roger Goodell too, but he’s bad…very bad. Peyton will be Peyton, the Broncos will win the division and be in the conversation at the end of the year as expected, the question as always will be whether they can finish. I will be turned into this game, like all Ravens games this season, because Steve Smith announced this is is his final season. I just

BRONCOS over Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

at Oakland Raiders

SANNIE: Not only does Eddie have a crush on Cam Newton, but he’s also the only Raider fan I know. Why? I have no clue, but because he loves them so much, I hope they lose.

BENGALS over Raiders

RENALDO: I’m going to hear about this later, but I like what the Raiders have done. Derek Carr showed flashes of what he can become, so the front office grabbed the best receiver in the 2015 Draft, signed the much maligned but talented Michael Crabtree and re-signed Charles Woodson who for some reason (deer-antler spray) continues to defy father time.

RAIDERS over Bengals

Tennessee Titans

at Tampa Bay

Buccaneers

SANNIE: Well who is this Marcus Mariotta guy? Is he new? I don’t remember him and I would have remembered that cute face!

TITANS over Buccs

RENALDO: He actually is new, so is head coach Ken Wisenhunt (sort of). But this Titans team still has many gaping holes Mariota can’t fill like an unimpressive O-line, receivers that nobody can name or remember and the free agent class that was highlighted by Brian Orakpo. As for Jameis Winston, I’m rooting harder for him than I’ve ever rooted for any non-Dolphins player. My God…imagine the interviews.

BUCCS over Titans

New York Giants

at Dallas Cowboys

SANNIE: I’m going to New York soon and I am super excited. I can’t wait to shop and explore.

GIANTS over Cowboys

RENALDO: It looks bad on paper when you lose a guy that rushed for 1845 yards last season, but it would have looked a lot worse to lose Dez Bryant. The Cowboys have the best offensive line in the league and after Darren McFadden goes down in the first half with a hangnail, those holes will still be open for Joseph Randle. Randle averaged 6.7 yards per carry last season in limited touches and took a parting shot at Murray when he said the former Cowboy “left a lot of meat on the bone.”  Randle doesn’t leave anything…just ask Dillard’s.

COWBOYS over Giants

Monday, 14 September

Philadelphia Eagles

at Atlanta Falcons

SANNIE: I LOVE everything Atlanta! The city, the people, the fashion, EVERYTHING.

FALCONS over Eagles

RENALDO: Fun fact - Sannie’s never been to Atlanta. Weird. Another fun fact - neither has Riley Cooper. Well…not the real hip-hop side of Atlanta anyway.

FALCONS over Eagles

Minnesota Vikings

at San Francisco 49ers

SANNIE: I love Adrian Peterson and anyone who believes sometimes you’ve got to beat these bad kids.

VIKINGS over Niners

RENALDO: When I think of Adrian Peterson returning to the NFL the only thing I can think of is Russell Crowe’s famous speech in Gladiator. I’ll go ahead and say this days before seeing his first carry - yes, we’re entertained. By the time this is published, I’m pretty sure about three or four more 49ers players will have announced their retirement.

VIKINGS over Niners