LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Smith Sr. and More Share MVP & Super Bowl Predictions

The NFL season is in full swing, with week 1 behind us and everyone looking forward to week 2. There were some surprises, like the Browns getting blown out at home by 30 points. Then there was more of the same, with the Patriots looking as dangerous as ever in a rout of the the Steelers. Oh yeah, they're also adding Antonio Brown to the team. From the sudden movement of star players to the product on the field, the NFL seems to be trending in the right direction. Oh yeah, and the ratings are up again this year. It's good to be king, I suppose.

As the season gets underway, I thought it would be a good idea to find out from some legends about how they see this historic 100th season of the NFL unfolds. Of course, opinions varied from one guy to another, but that's to be expected. It's the NFL, you honestly never know who might be good. There's surprises every single year, and that's what makes the league so much fun. The unpredictability is unmatched.

While in Chicago last week for the opener, I tried to find some unbiased opinions from fans in the city about how might reach the Super Bowl. It was tough seeing that it was mostly Bears fans, but many picked the Chiefs to represent the AFC. Of course, they also picked the Bears, and few picked the Patriots, but this was before the addition of Antonio Brown. The overall consensus for MVP was also Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. After his week 1 performance, I don't think anyone is feeling bad about that pick.

While fan predictions are fun, I always enjoy talking to former players about the league and how they feel about the start of a new year. Everyone has a different outlook on things based on their past experiences in the league and how they process the game after they've retired. Andrew Hawkins for instance, picked the Eagles and Chiefs to make the Super Bowl this season, with Cam Newton taking home MVP. I think we're all rooting for a comeback year from Cam.

Interestingly enough, three-time Super Bowl champion and former Patriots legend Richard Seymour picked the Chiefs to beat the Rams in the Super Bowl, with Patrick Mahomes winning MVP. In fairness to Seymour, he was asked before the Pats picked up AB, but what's interesting to me is the real belief in the Kansas City Chiefs out there. We all saw how close they came last season and with another year under his belt, Mahomes looks really ready to take the leap.

I was able to speak with LaDainian Tomlinson during an NFL event a few weeks back, and he shared a very interesting pick for MVP. "It has to be someone who is going to win, how about Baker Mayfield. I think they're going to have enough success where Baker is going to get a lot of love and a lot of hype," he said. "That team has been turned around and they're going to make the playoffs, so if you make the playoffs, you have a chance." While week 1 didn't go Baker's way, the Browns will surely be in the hunt come playoff time.

As for his Super Bowl pick, LT went with a redemption story and also kept things close to home. "I'm going with Saints vs. Chargers," he said. "I just think the Saints, for one, they've been knocking on the door for the last two to three years and have had some bad luck, and you go to think that's going to run out. And then I got to say the same thing for the Chargers, last year was a taste."

While a Saints and Chargers Super Bowl wouldn't shock anyone, it would be two teams that have come so close in recent years but haven't been able to get over the hump. As far as week 1 goes, both the Saints and Chargers looked impressive, putting past woes behind them to start the season.

At the same NFL event, I was able to snag some time with the legendary Steve Smith Sr., who is never one to shy away from his opinions, but he was not one to offer up any predictions for the season. For MVP, all Smith Sr. would share is that he wants a non-QB to win the award. In fairness to him, a non-QB hasn't won the award since 2012 when Adrian Peterson took it home, so maybe we're due. I will say, after watching Christian McCaffrey in week 1 against the Rams, that guy might legit be the best RB in the NFL. Truly explosive.

Smith Sr. didn't share any Super Bowl prediction because things are too unpredictible at this point, which is totally fair. It's still very early. Despite not giving an actual prediction, Smith Sr. did share some thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers and the question marks surrounding their team without Antonio Brown.

"I'm not really sure how Pittsburgh is going to be," he said. "Later in the season last year they struggled defensivly, you look at their offense with James Connor who is a fantastic player, but him staying healthy is a vital part for them. JuJu had all those catches but at the expense of having double teams on AB, so it's intruiging the transformation of this team and which Pittsburgh Steelers player will show up."

There are certainly a lot of questions surrounding the Steelers and many teams right now. With limited preseason reps, teams have to get into their grooves early in the season. It's not going to look pretty for some early, but it's a long season. Well, unless you're the Dolphins. It's probably going to look like week 1 all year long.