Playoffs? Playoffs? Let’s talk about the playoffs!

It’s wild-card weekend in the NFL and there are interesting matchups are plentiful. Division rivals the Jets and Patriots square off as do the Giants and the Eagles. One of the best running backs in the league goes up against one of the worst run defenses in the league. And a beleaguered secondary has to try and stop a solid receiving tandem.

Kansas City vs. Indianapolis – Larry Johnson will rush for 150 yards and two touchdowns in this game. But it won’t be enough. Indy’s passing attack will be too much for the mediocre Chiefs secondary. Peyton Manning might struggle in AFC Championship games, but this early in the playoffs against a team that barely managed to make it into the playoffs; he should be just fine. Manning will eclipse 300 yards and throw for at least three touchdowns. Trent Green is not fully healthy, yet the Chiefs will start him anyway. We’ll see how his ankle handles the turf in Indy.

Another factor that will hurt the Chiefs is the man patrolling the sidelines. Herm Edwards is not known for his in-game strategy and adjustments and he is known even less for his clock management. If this game is close down the stretch that could play a vital role. It should be a decent game with plenty of offense, but the Colts will take this one 31-24.

Dallas vs. Seattle – I think this is the most difficult game to project this week. Dallas has been shaky in recent weeks, but Seattle has not been much better. The Seahawks' secondary is absolutely decimated by injuries. Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon and Jimmy Williams are all out. That means rookie Kelly Jennings and safety Jordan Babineaux will be starting at cornerback. If Tony Romo can handle playing in one of the loudest stadiums in the league, the Cowboys could throw for a ton of yards this week. Terrell Owens has dropped more passes than any receiver this year, but he still had 85 receptions and 13 touchdowns. Oh, and Terry Glenn caught 70 passes and six touchdowns. That’s one of the best receiving tandems in the league.

Seattle will have to establish Shaun Alexander early and run a ton this week to win. They need to control the clock to keep their injured defense off the field. If the offensive line can establish itself against a solid defensive front four from Dallas, Seattle has a chance. Alexander needs at least 25 carries for the Seahawks to win. In the end, I have to give this one to Dallas in a nail-biter, 24-21.

New England vs. New York Jets – There is a lot of bad blood brewing between these two teams right now. Bill Belichick is not very well liked by the Jets and their fans (that’s a bit of an understatement). Eric Mangini did a great job with the Jets and the twice-repaired shoulder of Chad Pennington held up all year. Each team won one game against the other this year, with the road team winning both. Can the road team make it three in a row? I really want to say yes, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. The Patriots are playing extremely well and at home. The home-field advantage comes into play for this game. The Jets offense just won’t be able to muster enough against the Pats in this one. Tom Brady, despite not having great receivers, should throw for about 250-300 yards and a touchdown. Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney provide too much in the running game for the Jets to handle, allowing the Pats to control time of possession. Patriots win 21-17.

Philadelphia vs. New York Giants – The Giants did everything they could to miss the playoffs, yet still made it (thanks to some suspect officiating last week against the Redskins along with two very untimely turnovers by the 'Skins). Eli Manning has shown just about no poise in pressure situations. Jeremy Shockey isn’t fully healthy and Plaxico Burress may or may not care about playing this week. Tiki Barber is the only strength of this Giants team right now.

And, well the Eagles are playing just about the best football in the league (certainly in the NFC) right now. Five straight wins to end the season, including three consecutive weeks on the road within the division shows the Eagles are ready for the playoffs. Jeff Garcia is playing like it’s the late 90s and he is still in San Francisco. After having no help in Cleveland (or at the end of his 49ers tenure for that matter), Garcia has some weapons to work with and he is proving he is still a winner. Brian Westbrook has been explosive out of the backfield in recent weeks for the Eagles as well. He rushed for 1,217 yards this season and caught 77 passes. If the Eagles can establish him early (by run or pass) – and they will – the Eagles should be moving on in the playoffs. The Eagles win this one 31-17.

Now, if I were filling out a hypothetical office pool and had to pick right through the rest of the playoffs, here are the picks I’d make. I’ll be back to preview games next week though, regardless of if my picks from this week are all correct (seriously doubtful).

Divisional Round
Indianapolis vs. Baltimore – I’ll take the Ravens
New England vs. San Diego – Give me the Chargers
Philadelphia vs. New Orleans (the de facto NFC Championship game) – I really have no idea at this time, so I’ll take a gamble on the home team Saints
Dallas vs. Chicago – Give me the Bears only because of their defense

Championship Week (notice how we have two games that pit great defense against great offenses? And, as the saying goes, defense wins championships…well not this year!)
Baltimore vs. San Diego – Chargers win
New Orleans vs. Chicago – I’ll take the Saints (though I very easily could be changing this to take the Eagles)

Super Bowl
San Diego vs. New Orleans – The Chargers are going to win the Super Bowl. Making trades that ended up giving the Chargers Phillip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson instead of Eli Manning and Michael Vick look pretty damn good right now.

What do you think? Post your comments and make your predictions below!

Photo Sources: kcchiefs.com, nfl.com

Pitchers Still Available

With spring training less than two months away, there are still a few good free agent pitchers available --- actually serviceable is probably a more accurate description, maybe adequate at best. "Good" is probably not the right word for any of them except Roger Clemens. Here are some that are left and where they might end up. Now, as I’ve demonstrated in the past, I’m not the most accurate person in making these predictions, but the so-called experts aren’t always right either.


Roger Clemens – Clemens is still unsure if he will play again next year, but I have a feeling he will and it will be with the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers just cleared a whole bunch of salary today by sending Randy Johnson to the Diamondbacks. That gives them the cash to go after Clemens to round out the rotation. Assuming they allow him to stay home in Texas for at least a portion of his off days, the Yankees will make a serious run at him. I don’t think the Astros are true World Series contenders, and Clemens (assuming the cash is equal) will probably move back to the Yankees.

Jeff Weaver – Weaver is probably going to parlay a solid playoff performance into an overpriced contract. That and other pitchers signing big deals recently probably means between $6 million and $8 million a year for Weaver. That’s a ton of money for a guy who was 8-14 in 2006 with a 5.76 ERA. Who is willing to pay that? Probably the Cardinals because they already lost Jeff Suppan and just resigned Chris Carpenter to a reasonable contract.

Tomo Ohka – Ohka missed part of last season with an injury, but should be good to go in 2007. In 2005, his last full season he was a respectable 11-9 with a 4.04 ERA. That is probably good enough for about $5 million a year for a couple of years, and the Mets seem like a possibility. Omar Minaya had Ohka in Montreal and liked him, so assume they’ll be in on any discussions. Having lost out on Barry Zito, Ohka certainly isn’t a replacement, but could vie for a spot in the back end of the rotation. He becomes even more of an option if the Mets can’t swing a trade for a starter anytime soon.

David Wells – Look for Wells to head back to San Diego next season. He can slot in as the fifth starter behind Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux and Clay Hensley. Not sure how much he will make, but probably no more than the $4 million he made a year ago.

Tony Armas – He could end up being cheaper than Jeff Weaver and better. Armas was 9-12 with a 5.03 ERA last season. For his career, his ERA is 4.45. I have to believe if they can sign him for $4 million to $5 million a year for a few years, the Nationals will try to get him to come back to the nation's capital. I mean, they need someone in their rotation. And, if they decide they no longer want him, I’m sure they’ll be able to get something for him at the trade deadline, assuming he is healthy during the first half of the season.



Just a couple of notes – I plan on posting an NFL playoff preview Saturday and NCAA football national championship preview sometime Sunday. Be sure to check back for both of those.

And, in a few weeks, I will start with the insanity and unreliability that is trying to predict the 65 teams for the NCAA basketball tournament.

Carpe Diem!

Carpe Diem. In one of the most gutsy calls made by a coach in a major game, Boise State's Chris Peterson decided to go for a two-point conversion in the first overtime of the Fiesta Bowl.

Trailing by one point to Oklahoma after Derek Schouman scored a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Vinny Perretta, Ian Johnson took a wrap-around handoff and strolled into the end zone untouched to give the Broncos an amazing 43-42 victory over the Sooners.

In one memorable moment, Boise State shot back at all of the critics (including myself), who said that they couldn't play with college football's elite teams. The Broncos more than acquitted themselves in a Bowl Championship Series game — thriving in crunch time. The hook-and-lateral play that resulted in Boise State's Jerard Rabb scoring the game-tying touchdown with seven seconds remaining in regulation was thrilling. So was Perretta's throw to Schumann.

After nearly blowing an 18-point third-quarter lead against the Sooners, Boise State boldly ripped off the "underdog" label that had been attached to the program ever since it began commanding attention earlier this decade as that team that scored a lot of points and played on a blue field.

Now Boise State will be known as that team that decided to seize the moment on the biggest of stages and claim a place among the nation's best programs. The Broncos are no longer up-and-comers. They have arrived.

Photo Source: http://www.covers.com/images/2006/180x180/johnson_ian061229b.jpg