It is hard to believe, but my time at Pitt is winding down, and this is the final installment… It is hard to believe, but my time at Pitt is winding down, and this is the final installment of Nash’s Nocks.

I know — all of you are heartbroken, but I will leave you with some thoughts.

Before I leave, I want to get one thing straight. During the NFL season, I was accused several times of being — gasp — a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Well let’s set the record straight; I AM NOT, NOR WILL I EVER BE, A STEELERS FAN!

This will not occur for obvious reasons — I was born and raised in Baltimore, and I think it is a sin to be a Steelers fan. And traitors from Baltimore who are Steelers fans anger me.

Now that we’ve straightened that out, let’s continue with the NFL. Some fans are under the misguided notion that wide receiver Terrell Owens will give the Philadelphia Eagles that Super Bowl title that they have been waiting for. Well, Owens guarantees nothing. He and quarterback Donovan McNabb will enjoy many touchdowns over the years, but the Eagles are not ready for a Super Bowl ring just yet.

Running back Bryant Westbrook may be another Amos Zereoue, and crumble once it is his time to shine. Furthermore, the trend of the last four Super Bowl Champions has been dominant defenses. Think about it — the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl back in 2001 with arguably one of the best defenses ever. The New England Patriots have won it twice with a strong defense, and don’t forget the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

So it is not offense that wins championships; it is defense. This is something that Philadelphia will lack again after the departure of linebacker Carlos Emmons and cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, who teamed with safeties Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis to form arguably the best secondary in the NFL.

Therefore, teams will not only run all over the Eagles next season, but will be able to pass more effectively, too. So, T.O., enjoy that money, but don’t expect to be a champion in Philly anytime soon. Yeah, I said it!

Instead, I pick both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys to finish ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East next season. If that doesn’t happen, one of these teams will win that division.

As far as baseball goes, things are just so unpredictable right now. I still will stay with my pick of the New York Yankees being the best team in the American League East. Even though the Yankees have stumbled out of the gate, they have the most promise. As long as pitchers Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez stay healthy, and Mike Mussina pitches to his potential, the Yankees should finish on top.

The Anaheim Angels are the other extremely talented team in the American League. Anaheim swooped in and stole outfielder Vladimir Guerrero from my Orioles, but I like its chances with the additions of outfielder Jose Guillen, along with pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar.

I expect the Angels and Yankees to face off in the American League Championship Series, with Anaheim continuing on to the World Series. The Angels will imitate the Patriots by taking a year off from winning the championship only to return and win their second title in three seasons. Who will they face? Get back to me in September.

Well, that’s all I have to say. Even though I know a lot of you have not agreed with what I’ve written over the past three years, I would like to thank you for reading my columns anyway.

Holla!

Kevin Nash is the assistant sports editor for The Pitt News.