Big Ben, lousy predictions, emails and more emails.

Today it is Predictions time along with more of the mailbag.  Keep sending the emails to jimmy.garoufalis@team990.com  I'll answer as many as possible on the blog.

Vincent Ng writes "Hi Jimmy, I am a huge Steelers fan and I cannot count how many times Big Ben has brought the Steelers to victory late in the game during his career. Since you like to talk about 4th quarter blown leads, etc, can you share that info with me and the readers? I assume that Ben ranks right up there with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady."

Vincent, your question jumps right to the heart of some of my favourite research material: quarterbacks and their 4th quarter performance. I’ll be writing extensively about this subject in future editions of Touchdowns and Kicks. It will be blockbuster material, I can assure all readers.

Back to Ben and his amazing ability to bring his Steelers to victory in the 4th quarter when they are trailing. Let’s use all the data since his rookie year of 2004 to ask the following question:

Which quarterbacks have led their team to the most 4th quarter comebacks since Big Ben made his debut as a starter (week 3, 2004)?

Well, well, Vincent, you were absolutely right, more correct than perhaps even you imagined.

Ben Roethlisberger 9

Tom Brady 8

Eli Manning 8

Carson Palmer 8

Jake Delhomme 7

Brett Favre 7

Peyton Manning 7

There you go. Big Ben is the best in the business when it comes to bringing his team back in clutch situations, at least quantitatively.

Remember Vincent, as well as readers, I’ll be exposing the facts and myths regarding fourth quarter comebacks very soon. The results may surprise you. Blockbuster stuff.

Rizwan Intwala has a negative (I think) comment: "Jimmy, what’s up with your picks? Last week you were below .500, which you should avoid mentioning this weekend. Seriously, don’t let that happen again or I’ll stop reading."

Thank you Rizwan for that email. Thanks go out as well to Tony Basak and Hitu Patel who brought up the same subject, i.e. my lousy prognosticating. For the first time ever, I would have preferred people not pay close attention to my selections.

But actually, folks, I was 7-6, which is not below .500, but close enough to be criticized. However, I get the idea: pick more winners. Hey, it’s not as if I’m not trying my best.

For the season (including last weeks ‘non .500) I am 36-23, which is good for a 61.1% winning percentage. Last season I was 110-65, the equivalent of 62.9%. So I have some work to do catching up.

Now for a truly fantastic email (sorry Rizwan, Tony and Hitu but this message is nice to me)

Sylvain Tremblay writes "Jimmy, aren’t you proud of yourself? Picking the Raiders and the Rams to lose and then fire their coaches the next day. Good work."

Technically true but not quite. I made a pair of bold predictions: Raiders and Rams lose, Lane Kiffin and Scott Linehan both get fired, James Lofton and Al Saunders get elevated.

Well, 4 out of 6 ain’t bad. I simply got the replacements wrong: Tom Cable and Jim Haslett were the replacements instead of Saunders and Lofton. Best of luck to both men in attempting to turn their struggling franchises around.

And to clarify a point. I am not proud that I was correct in predicting that two men would lose their jobs. I would much rather be wrong than seeing hard working people suddenly unemployed.

An email from the USA, Chris Manesiotis of Stamford, Connecticut: "Jimmy, do you think anyone will finish 1-15 this season the way Miami did last year?"

Aside from the Rams, no.

The Bengals, despite their disfunctionality, should win a few games simply because they have Carson Palmer under center.

The Texans may be 0-3 but they almost, perhaps should have beaten the Jags. No chance that Houston will be worse than five of six games.

The Chiefs will be bad, but not 1-15 bad. They have high impact players in Tony Gonzalez and a supposedly healthy Larry Johnson, all they need now is Damon Huard starting a majority of the games.

Look, Damon Huard is a serviceable QB at best, but he is a veteran who makes very few mistakes, which is the best combination for the Chiefs to go 5-11.

The Lions may be a mess, but they play in a mediocre division and they have a veteran QB in Jon Kitna. Like Huard, Kitna’s best asset is his experience, which will preclude the Lions from falling into the cesspool the way the Dolphins did last year. Dolphins, pool, get it, never mind.

Which brings us to the Rams. The Rams very likely will win three games or less based on their thin roster and aging or injured veterans.

Marc Bulger has lost all confidence in his throwing ability, Steven Jackson can’t get involved in the offense because his team is trailing big early, and Tory Holt and Orlando Pace seem to be going through the motions.

There you have it, Chris, my opinion: No one will finish 1-15 in 2008. The only team that might come close is the Rams.On to my predictions for Week 5

Titans over Ravens

Panthers over Chiefs

Bears over Lions

Packers over Falcons

Colts over Texans

Chargers over Dolphins

Giants over Seahawks

Eagles over Redskins

Bucs over Broncos

Bills over Cardinals

Cowboys over Bengals

Patriots over 49ers

Jaguars over Steelers

That's it for me.  Keep the emails coming and enjoy a full day of Sunday football.

 I'll be back Tuesday with a sensational analysis of Sunday's games, as well as more of the mailbag.  Keep sending, and I'll keep answering.