It has been a tough week.  I like both of these matchups.  The history between the Patriots and the Colts goes without saying. The #1 NFC Defense vs. the #1 NFC Offense will be a tough fight.  It should be a good day for football fans.  After lots of back and forth, I have finally made my picks.

NFC Championship:
Saints vs. Bears (Sunday Jan. 21th, 3pm):

Not too long ago I predicted this playoff matchup, but I confidently said that the Saints will not be able to win in Soldier Field.  Hmmm. Watch the back pedal.  I’m not saying that the Saints will win, but I believe that the Saints can win this game.  As I have stated before, this is not the same Chicago Bears that we saw during the first half of the season.  If it was, I would pick the Bears hands down.  BUT, this Bears team has a slightly above average Defense and a mediocre Offense. I don’t think they can lead this team to the Super Bowl without the help of the Offense.  They could have easily lost last weeks game against the Seahawks.  We know there Special Teams are stellar, but the running game and Rex will have to step up.

Now look at the Saints.  They have far exceeded all expectations so everything from here on is gravy for one of the best seasons in franchise history.  No pressure for them.  There running game is clicking and they continue to be a threat in the passing game.  What concerns me about the Saints game is that it is outside with the possiblity of snow. Not to mention they are a dome team and for some reason have yet to practice outside.  I think Sean Payton should get them prepared for the noise and weather.

Bad weather games usually mean a low scoring affair with lots of defense, heavy running and momentum changing plays from the special teams.  I believe that the Bears are too banged up on Defense to completely slowdown the Saints.  And the Saints defense is solid enough to “contain” Rex and company.  If the Bears win the game I think it will be because of Hester.  That’s too much for a rookie to bare.  Take the Saints in a close one.

AFC Championship:
Patriots vs. Colts (Sunday Jan. 21th, 6:30pm):

Last week I picked the Patriots over the high powered offense of the Chargers because I favored their veteran leadership over a young team.  This week we have a matchup of two veteran teams.  I give the Patriots an edge because of Brady and Belichick, but I don’t think the edge is a major edge.  Manning and Dungy have plenty of playoff games under their belts.  I’ll go ahead and say that I pick the Colts.  I really think this is their year.  There defense is playing a lot better.  They’re healthier than any other point in the season.  They have been battled tested for two weeks, taking on solid teams.  Plus Manning has looked more like Eli than Peyton and yet they are still finding a way to win.  Don’t championship teams find a way to win the big games?  Yeah, I know the Patriots have been doing that as well, but they seemed to have stumbled to victory in their two games.  Discount the 4th quarter of the Jets game.  If you look at the scores of the Colts games, you would think the games were close, but actually they were not.  The defense dominated both games.  It is hard for me to believe that even against the Patriots, Peyton will manage to have a third straight subpar game.  I think this win could propel the Colts into their dynasty phase.  They have been the winningst non-championship teams for the past 5 years.  Good Luck Manning. I want to see Dungy win his Super Bowl that Tampa striped away from him.

I went 3-1 in my playoff picks. Baltimore’s inept offense was very surprising. McNair waited until the first round of the playoffs to have his worse game of the year. Oh, well can’t win them all. Here are some thoughts about each of the games:

1) Colts vs. Ravens

Dungy called it a coincidence, but I was very impressed with his Defense during the first two rounds of the playoffs. They look very fast and have not allowed the big play. KC has a one dimensional offense, but the Ravens are more well rounded and that didn’t phase the colts. Can’t believe Manning has had two very bad games and they have still won.

2) Saints vs. Philly

I expected the Saints to have an easier game. Surprisingly, they had a tough time passing on philly’s banged up secondary. But with the running game working so well, they didn’t need much. And the Saints defense is pretty solid. They gave up a couple of big plays, but they are better than I expected.

Garcia was a gamer. He kept philly in the game all the way to the end. As well as he has played, someone asked me if philly would play him over McNabb. My response, “Assuming McNabb is healthy, there’s not a snowballs chance in hell that he plays.” McNabb is a Top 5 QB.

3) Seahawks vs. Bears

Just like I expected, the Bears Defense played like crap and Rex played well enough to win. Their defense has gone from being discussed amongst one the all-time best to potentially costing them a Super Bowl.

4) Patriots vs. Chargers

People around here thought I was crazy for picking the Pats. Its pretty simple to me. The Chargers have a first year starter at QB and most of their key leadership on the offense and defense are from young players. When the heat is turned up, I like the veteran leadership of the Patriots against the Chargers. The Chargers shot themselves in the foot several times and the Patriots took advantage of these chances.

Marty, Marty, Marty. In my opinion, he made a few poor coaching decisions. First, by not taking the field goal early in the game. You are playing against the Patriots not the Colts where you expect to be in a shootout. Take every point you can get. Don’t let me get started on the poor timeout management. In his post game news conference he stated, “We ran out of time.” No shit. If you wouldn’t have wasted a timeout on a bogus review, you probably could have ran the ball for a few more yards to position Kaeding for a better shot at a field goal. LT ran all over the Patriots, I am sure he could have gotton another 5 yards, easy.

I will make my conference championship predictions later this week.

OK. I am set. I just got off the phone with Mrs. Cleo. She is still serving time from her fortune telling days. I don’t know why they locked her up, she told me that Destiny’s Child would break up and look what happened. LOL. Now on to this weekends games:

NFC Divisional Round:
Philly vs. New Orleans (Saturday Jan. 13th, 8pm):

I am not sold on the Garcia hype. I like the spark that he provided to get the Eagles into the playoffs and ultimately one victory. If the Giants didn’t have Gomer Pyle at QB, they would probably be in the second round of the tourney. Philly’s secondary does not match up well with big receivers. Look how they struggled all season against Plaxico. The Saints have Horn, Henderson and Coleston. If the line can keep Trent Cole and company out of Brees’ face and the backs pickup the blitz, this game could be a Breeze for the Saints. Take the Saints.

Seattle vs. Chicago (Sunday Jan. 14th, 1pm):

As dominant as the Bears have been most of the year, I am very worried about this team. Not necessarily this game but the next. My worry is not due to the erratic play of Rex Grossman, but how bad the defense has looked the past month. I mean they were exposed by some of the worst teams in the NFC. Tommy Harris and Mike Brown are even more important to this D then the Bears could have imagined. With that said, this is probably the best matchup they could want to get prepared for the Conference final. They need a confidence boost and the Seahawks may provide that. The Hawks are banged up in the secondary which will make life easier for Rex and Shaun Alexander is no where near the player he was last year. The only way I can see the Seahawks winning this game is if Jackson has a monster game. I still think they defending NFC champs go down swinging. Take the Bears in a game that will probably be closer than most expect.

AFC Divisional Round:
Indy vs. Baltimore (Saturday Jan. 13th, 4:30pm):

This game is scary. Something has got to give. The top D vs. The top O. I believe the winner of this game will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Once again Peyton proved that he doesn’t bring IT in the big games. Yes, they won last week, but that was more a result of the Cheif poor game plan than anything Peyton did. I have been a fan of the Ravens all year. No one has given them the credit they deserve. The acquistions of Trevor Pryce and Steve McNair could prove to be the best off season in Ravens/Browns history. McNair has brought stability to the offense and Pryce helps give Lewis the freedom to terrorize all offenses. The one thing that has puzzled me about this Defense is that given all the big names in the secondary (Reed, McCalister, Rolle) teams have been able to move the ball in the air against them. If Peyton can manage to have some success in the air, they can keep the game close with a shot to win in the 4th quarter. The main problem that I see for the Colts is that I strongly doubt they will be able to run the ball. I can see Peyton throwing the ball 40-50 times. Assuming the Ravens allow him on the field when they are controling the game with their power running game. Take the Ravens in another close one.

New England vs. San Diego (Sunday Jan. 14th, 4:30pm):

Alright, they saved the best for last. You think the NFL intentionally scheduled the best playoff team to meet the best team of the regular season on the last game of the weekend? Rivers is from NC State, so I am pulling for him, BUT Big Ben Watson went to my high school, GO TROJANS, so I side with him. I am anxious to see what plans the defensive genius known is Bill Belichick has in store for the young Rivers. Don’t you just get the feeling that we wanted this matchup to prove that he can even slowdown the great LT? For San Diego’s sake, I hope it doesn’t come down to Rivers making a play. I will take Bill in that battle. So, my pick. I can see this either being a close Patriots victory or a San Diego blowout. The weakest link on the Patriots team is their secondary, but unfortunately for the Chargers, they don’t have enough explosiveness at the WR position to exploit this. Asante is more than enough to handle the Charger WR corp. So, I am going to go with …… The Patriots. Doesn’t this game have the same feel as two years ago with the Pats went into the home of the Blazing Pittsburgh Steelers and manage to kill the young QB stud.
Next Week I will make my Conference Championship and Super Bowl Predictions.

Back to the Pro Bowl voting. Do you really believe that Boldin and Driver both are more deserving of a trip to Hawaii than T.O? Not me. As strange as it sounds to hear his name, I may be able to buy into Driver, but Anquan Boldin will be more of a stretch. A lot more. His numbers are barely better than Fitzgerald’s stats. Remember, Fitz missed 3 games and was slow when he returned from injury.

Let’s compare the stats:

Boldin (4-10)
SPLIT REC YDS AVG LNG TD ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FUM
2006 75 1027 13.7 49 4 3 10 3.3 5 0 0

T.O. (7-7)
SPLIT REC YDS AVG LNG TD ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FUM
2006 77 1040 13.5 51 11 0 0 0.0 0 0 0

Owens only had more catches, yards, and almost three times as many touchdowns. Terrell is a perennial Pro Bowler. So how can you just give his spot to a player with inferior stats? Do you think his off the field issues are starting to sway voters? I had hoped that it wouldn’t come to this, but apparently it has. People, we are not voting the guy into Heaven! It’s the frickin Pro Bowl. You put up the stats, you get in. It’s just that simple. Now I am not saying that Boldin and Driver are not good receivers. Driver is definitely the Packs MVP this year. I am just saying that they didn’t have the kind of year that warrants T.O. to miss his “fun in the sun” when his numbers compare favorably to the players that will replace him. Oh well, T.O. ask Romo for his ticket. I am sure he would be willing to give up his spot to someone that actually deserves to go. I wonder if the Romo voters want a mulligan after watching that playoff game against the Seahawks. LOL.

Boise St’s upset win over Oklahoma, 43-42, in the Fiesta Bowl was probably the best college football game I have seen in 10+ years. It had all the makings of an Instant Classic. The big comeback, the second comeback, overtime and a cinderella victory. All fans in favor of a College Football playoff, have to love this win. This is a HUGE bullet to add to the list of arguments for a playoff. Finally, there is a game that can be used when discussing some parity in what is assumed to be a “parity-less” sport. I can see a bead of sweat on the forehead of the BCS committee members. That sweat is due to the possibilty of Ohio St. losing to Florida and Boise St, 13-0 with a win over powerhouse Oklahoma, not being crowned the National Champions. Go Gators!!!