NFL predictions: Orton will rock, Romo... not so much.

I have been quietly making a prediction to my friends about a handful of quarterbacks around the league this year. The more I see, the more I am convinced my predictions will come true, and I want to voice them a little more publicly.

At the end of the season, Kyle Orton will look like a super-star, and Tony Romo, while quarterback for America's Team will no longer be hailed as the Second Coming in Dallas, behind Troy Aikmen, but will be prepared to be relegated to the annuls of Cowboys history along with Drew Brees; a good quarterback, but not "it" for Dallas.

Let's start with Kyle Orton. The trade for Kyle Orton seemed an odd one at the time. Josh McDaniels, former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, became the head coach of the Denver Broncos at the beginning of the season. When Jay Cutler, quarterback of the Broncos, heard that McDaniels was considering trading him, he was allegedly hurt and furious. The Broncos knew they had a huge resource in Cutler, and cashed in with the Bears on that resource. I still haven't decided how much of all the trade was show, and how much was legitimate drama, but the facts remain; the Broncos received a Kings' ransom for Cutler, to include Kyle Orton. I DO firmly believe that McDaniels did not think he could effectively coach and mold Cutler, who had been reasonably vocal about how wonderful he already was. McDaniels has made big names for Quarterbacks like Brady and Matt Cassell. Admittedly, Cassell hasn't done all that much with his career, but any coach would take a 10-6 season from a backup QB, after having the starter taken out in the first game. McDaniels was looking for a solid quarterback to work with and move into his system. Kyle Orton fit the bill, AND McDaniels was able to get him at a significant discount over other big-name quarterbacks. Today, at 5-0, McDaniels in his first year of head coaching, is showing the league that the system works, and that a well-coached quarterback can be every bit as effective as a talented quarterback. I think the Broncos are going to have a great season, win the AFC West, and probably win their first playoff game. I'm not crowning McDaniels the next Vince Lombardi. I'm not announcing Kyle Orton as the next Joe Montana. I'm saying that at the end of this year, we're going to be asking ourselves IF Kyle Orton is the next Joe Montana, and I'll be answering "No, McDaniels is on his way to being the next Joe Gibbs; bright coaching future ahead of him, regardless of the quarterback."

Which brings me to my second prediction. Tony Romo will never be successful in Dallas, and at the end of this season, fans will begin to see that. Tony Romo is currently hailed as the next big thing in Dallas, after Troy Aikman. As a simple point of fact, Troy Aikman has 3 Super Bowl Championship rings, and Tony Romo has won as many NFL playoff games as I have. Interestingly, Troy Aikman himself feeds into this farcical legend. As the NFL analyst on most Dallas Cowboy games for FOX, he consistently slurps Romo as his crowned successor that always puts the Cowboys in a position to win. He is remarkably athletic, but athletics don't substitute for solid quarterback skills when it comes to long-term skill-position careers; athletics fade with age, but talent may remain. I predict that by the end of the season, Dallas fans will be questioning Tony Romo, but will REALLY be looking at Wade Phillips' coaching as the culprit. Once Phillips is gone at the end of the season, Romo will continue to produce solid results, without playoff payoffs, which simply aren't enough for the fans in Dallas. Romo will eventually be replaced and move on to a new team, which is the only place he will actually have any real hope of winning a Championship.

A Nobel Peace Prize? For what?!?

Today, President Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

I don't mean to take away from the President's plans, initiatives, or policies.

BUT... Never has a Nobel Peace Prize been awarded for doing so little...

There is no doubt that the President ran a masterful campaign, focusing on hope and change. These ideas have global implications, and resound with the best parts of humanity. However, to date, it is still just talk. The President has accomplished VERY LITTLE in his 9 months in office, much like most new Presidents during their first year in office.

On the peace front, specifically, let's look at all the promises that are still unfulfilled; we're still in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay is still open. Outside of campaign promises, Iran has flaunted the fact that they a.) are building a nuclear refinery, and b.) have been doing it for years in secret, the President is considering increasing troops deployed to Afghanistan, and Navy SEALs were deployed to hunt and kill pirates off the coast of Somalia. Truly, this President has demonstrated a commitment to diplomacy.

I'm not saying that the President won't be deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize; certainly the previous Bush administration has set the stage for a dramatic change of international policy which could lead to a Nobel Peace Prize, and certainly President Obama has spectacular visions and goals for peace and diplomacy during his administration, but let's face it, most of his campaign "visions" will end up being like most campaign promises - unfulfilled. Let's not forget we are still IN an economic hole, and healthcare is clearly right at the top of the President's agenda.

The President did, however, appear to recognize that while his "to do" list was long, his "done" list was nearly absent; accepting the award as a "call to action," and not a "mission accomplished." I applaud him for being fair with himself, and the World.

So congratulations to the President, but shame on the Norwegian Nobel Committee. If former President Clinton, who put tremendous effort into the Middle East Peace process, focusing on Israel and Palestinians (and to a large extent, Egypt), in conjunction with peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans and Somalia, don't earn him a Nobel Peace Prize, I don't see how a President that hasn't DONE ANYTHING yet can be awarded one.