We are two rounds and eight games down in the NFL playoffs. Once again the NFL saved a weekend of lackluster games with a fantastic Sunday finale. Who would have thought that the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets would provide the most intrigue on a weekend that featured the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Indianapolis Colts?

Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints - As an NFL fan, this game was a bit of a disappointment. Like many, I was fooled last week into believing that the Cardinals may be a team of destiny. After shredding arguably the best defense in the NFC, the Cardinals marched into New Orleans and were less competitive with the Saints than either the Detroit Lions or the Washington Redskins during the regular season.

The headline of this game was the coming out party for Reggie Bush. After a disappointing NFL career, Reggie Bush finally did what anyone that watched him at USC expected him to do in the NFL. Bush was a game-changer this weekend and became the nuclear weapon on a team full of weapons. Bush made life a lot easier for the Saints by returning an 83-yard punt for a touchdown as the Cardinals just watched him flash by them en route to the end zone.

Many skeptics were concerned about the way the Saints finished the season. After winning 13 games in a row, the Saints were losers of their last three. Taking a page out of the New England Patriots book, the Saints couldn’t have opened the game any worse. Tim Hightower broke off a 70-yard touchdown run on the Cardinals first offensive play. Unlike the Patriots, the Saints were able to rebound and counter the touchdown with 21 points of their own in the first quarter.

The game just kept getting uglier for the Cardinals. Kurt Warner was nailed and was taken out for a few series. Cardinals’ defensive players Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Antrel Rolle each left the game due to injuries. The Cardinals were inept on both sides of the ball. It was pure and total domination by the New Orleans Saints.

Drew Brees said something interesting after the game. When asked about coming into the game with three losses, he said it was part of their plan that nobody would understand who didn’t play on the team. That was a very interesting statement to me, which has been surprisingly ignored by most of the media. If that was truly the plan, that may be one of the biggest high risk-high reward plans in NFL history. Regardless, the Saints will host the Vikings next week and look better than ever returning to the NFC title game for the first time in several years.

Ironically most of the talk following this game centered on Kurt Warner. Warner will play the role of Brett Favre this season as the quarterback who may or may not retire. Warner has said that it will be a fast decision. Warner has one year left on his contract. I think this guy is the ultimate competitor. Remember, unlike a lot of NFL star quarterbacks Warner started his career late. So as wealthy as Warner is, one more year would mean a lot more to him financially than most quarterbacks. Warner also had years where he made backup QB money. I think between the finances and the way he went out in New Orleans, he comes back to finish out his contract with less drama than Favre.

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts - Very rarely do all number one NFL seeds make it out of the divisional round with wins. I picked the Baltimore Ravens to be that team to pull off the upset. Boy was I wrong!

There isn’t a whole lot to say about this game. The Colts looked better than they have in months. The Colts were on fire and unstoppable on both sides of the ball. It is funny to me that every year around this time that the critics always say how terrible the Colts rushing defense is coming into the playoffs, yet most of the time they do just fine. The Colts held a team to three points that just scored 33 the week before. The Colts held one of the best rushing teams in the league to 87 rushing yards total. This is not the same turnstile rushing defense that Indy has taken with them into the postseason in past years.

The Ravens just had nothing on offense. I like the Ravens a lot. However, this is a team that is old on all sides of the ball. Some of these guys may play great during the regular season, but I don’t think they can sustain that level of play in weeks 18 and 19 in January. I hate to say it but I see a couple of transition years for the Ravens before they get back here. As great as Ray Rice is and will be, he can’t do it alone. Even the great Barry Sanders couldn’t do it himself.

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings - If there was a main-event going into this weekend’s games, this was it. The Dallas Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFC and looked unstoppable. The Vikings have struggled off and on in recent weeks and looked like a team that would be taken apart by Romo and the Dallas offense. I wrote in my blog last week that as great as the Cowboys looked recently, most of their wins came against teams that were nowhere near as good as the Vikings. Well, I was right about something this week.

As much as I hate blowouts, I love seeing the Cowboys get blown out. If there is anything better than seeing the Cowboys get blown out, it is hearing them whine about it like a bunch of babies. Keith Brookings and Wade Phillips look like the biggest babies in football today after complaining about the Vikings running up the score. I guess they had no problems with the Cowboys scoring a touchdown last week in the third quarter when they were up 27-7 on the Philadelphia Eagles right?

All of the talk when Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings was whether he could last a full season. Not only has he lasted, he has gotten better as the season progressed. Favre threw four touchdowns yesterday. How big is that? Brett Favre had never thrown four touchdowns in a playoff game in his entire career. Favre is also the oldest NFL quarterback to win a playoff game. Keep in mind that unlike Drew Brees or Peyton Manning, Favre never sat in his final regular season game. Like him or not, what the guy has done this season is just simply remarkable.

Lost in all of the Favre talk was the terrible job by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys actually had some shots in the first half of the game. However, the Vikings rushed and confused Tony Romo throughout the game thus containing the offense. Romo was never able to get comfortable and looked skiddish as the game moved on. The old postseason mistake-prone Tony Romo came to Minnesota as Romo coughed up the ball several times for a total for four turnovers between fumbles and an interception. I don’t think I have ever seen a defense get into the head of a quarterback like what the Vikings did to Romo.

Like the other NFC game, the story here is more about the losers than the winners. Once again head coach Wade Phillips will find himself on the hot seat. Better coaches have gotten fired for worse in the NFL. Phillips has a team option for next year that is in limbo right now. Jerry Jones has said all season that he would wait until the season was over to evaluate the coach. It will be very interesting to see if their rout at home last week will save his job.

Tony Romo will also enter the 2010-2011 NFL season with more criticism than ever. As much as people like to say he has gotten rid of the December-January jinx, he really hasn’t. Winning one post season game in five years against the Philadelphia Eagles at home while nice, is nothing that will get him into the Hall of Fame. I don’t think that the Cowboys make any kind of change next year. However, I think anything less than an appearance in the NFC title game next season will be enough to get Jerry thinking about the following season. Now that is a lot of pressure for a quarterback!

New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers – I apologize to New York Jets fans. I called the Jets a fraudulent team a few weeks ago. In looking back, if it wasn’t for the Colts sitting their starters, the Jets would not have made the playoffs. At the same time, it doesn’t matter how you get there, it matters what you do when you get there. In retrospect, a team like that can sometimes be the most dangerous team in the playoffs.

I like Marvin Lewis a lot, but how do you not give Rex Ryan Coach of the Year? The guy has turned this team into a defensive juggernaut andshut down some of the most explosive offenses in the NFL this season. On top of that, as a rookie head coach he took a team with a rookie quarterback to the playoffs. This isn’t a team that had Bubby Brister quarterbacking last season. He took a team that had Brett Favre at quarterback further with a suspect rookie quarterback. On top of even that, he lost his x-factor Leon Washington and didn’t miss a beat. I loved his father and I have become a huge fan of Rex Ryan.

Oh to be a San Diego Chargers fan today. If the Cowboys were the hottest team in the NFC, the Chargers were the hottest team in all of football. The Chargers rolled into the playoffs winning eleven straight. Not only that, but the Chargers beat some good teams and came back from losing situations to do so. Philip Rivers looked to be playing the best ball of his career. Even the coaching brilliance of Norv Turner couldn’t stop this team…until yesterday.

It was as if I closed my eyes and woke up to see Andy Reid coaching the Chargers. The overall ranked fifth best offense in the NFL was shut down for most of the game yesterday. The Chargers had no answer for Darrelle Revis or the crazy blitzing scheme of the Jets. At one point Philip Rivers threw back to back interceptions in the game. The Jets kept it close all game long and wound up sealing the deal with a Shonn Greene 53-yard touchdown run.

I can’t talk about this game without mentioning the kicker. In one of the biggest shockers of the weekend, Mr. Automatic Nate Kaeding missed three field goals yesterday. While I wouldn’t get too crazy about missing a 57-yard attempt , he missed two easy chip shots. Obviously by looking at the final score, even just making one of those field goals would have made this a different game. However, in the end it is up to the team and the coach to pick things back up and compensate for his inability to make these shots. A team as explosive as the Chargers who were shut down to just 14 points can only put so much blame on their kicker.

There hasn’t been a team as hot for three straight weeks as the New York Jets. The book on beating the Jets is simple. Teams need to score and score big all game long. Rex Ryan loves to keep games close and wear teams down with the rushing attack. That is exactly what happened here. The Chargers had a hot second-quarter but only managed to put seven points on the board. That isn’t enough separation when you are playing the Jets. Blame the missed field goals all day long, but the running back and quarterback were just awful yesterday for the Chargers.

Like the Cowboys, Norv Turner entered the season on the hot seat. Reportedly, Turner had been assured a few weeks ago that he would get an extension. If you are a Chargers fan, you have to put this loss on the coach. Turner had no answers for Ryan’s defense and looked more confused as the game played out. Marty Schottenheimer was fired by the Chargers for losing to the Jets in almost the same scenario a few years back. Even more like Turner, Schottenheimer was first told he’d be back but wound up leaving the organization. San Diego has a very good team here, but their coach just hasn’t gotten it done.

There will also be talk about the future of LaDainian Tomlinson. L.T. is due a healthy roster bonus coming up. L.T. was held to just 24 yards on the ground yesterday. L.T. has gotten his touchdowns this season, but most of them have been short runs. L.T. is not going to be breaking off big runs anymore. I do think he will get a shot with another team, but I would be very surprised to see him back with the Chargers.

I couldn’t think of a worst scenario for the Colts. I will talk more about this game later in the week, but this is the kind of a game that can beat a team mentally. It is real simple. If the Colts wouldn’t have sat their starters, they would be playing someone else next week. Hey, if they beat the Jets than none of that matters. If they don’t, they will be second-guessing themselves for their rest of their lives. The NFL Gods will be rooting for the Jets next Sunday.

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After a thoroughly embarrassing Wild Card Weekend, its time for some redemption. (Or a chance at epic futility…either way you have to be on the edge of your seat, right?)

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

I picked the Saints at the beginning of the season and I’m sticking with them. Yes, they played like crap the last 3 games of the season. Yes, the Cowboys whooped them in their own house on a national stage while they were going for perfection. But this team is too talented, has too many playmakers, and played too well the whole year to fall apart now. This game is much more about how the Saints play than the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. Sit back, get a frosty beverage and watch the points pile up. Pick: Saints

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

Doesn’t it just feel like the Colts season ended with Curtis Painter fumbling versus the Jets? The look on Peyton Manning’s face, the overall mood of the team, and the total outrage and disappointment by the entire fan base really makes it seem like the Colts season was over. They’re the number one seed, have the current no-doubt MVP, and have several playmakers. So why am I picking the Ravens? Because I watched what they did to the Patriots last week. And I don’t think the Colts can simply turn it back on again. Could I be sitting in this seat on Sunday night saying, “Oh yeah. I picked against Peyton on a Saturday night game and that made me 0-6 for the playoffs?” Sure I could. The Ravens won’t surprise the Colts with their physical play, and if they do, then that’s the first sign that Jim Caldwell is Barry Switzer to Tony Dungy’s Jimmy Johnson. Manning will spend a lot of time on his back and Colts fans will have to hope their season doesn’t really end with another Curtis Painter fumble. Pick: Ravens

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings

When an embattled head coach gets a gift season from an aging veteran, its usually a movie. When that veteran thinks the head coach is an idiot and openly squabbles with him in the press, its Brett Farve. Who believes everything is hunky-dorie in the Land of 1,000 Lakes? Based on the way this team played down the stretch, they are relying on the 40-year-old Farve to keep the magic happening. Isn’t that a bit much to ask? (Apparently not for the Cardinals, but I digress…)Especially when the Vikings have one of the top 3 running backs in football. The Cowboys are playing their best football all year and have loads of talent everywhere on the field. (But I can’t help shake the thought of a gut-wrenching, epic failure play being the story of the weekend for Tony Romo…again.) This is a close one that will go back and forth and be decided on the final possession. Pick: Cowboys

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

The Chargers have radios. They have the internet. (At least Shawne Merriman has Twitter. I know that.) They know that people are talking about the Jets coming in there and beating them. That the J-E-T-S have this lauded defense. That head coach Rex Ryan said they should be the favorites not to just win last week, but for the entire tournament. The Jets got a nice win over the weakest of the 12 teams in the playoffs. Congrats! But the Chargers are quite different. The Chargers are on a 11-game winning streak. The Chargers scored the most points in the AFC this year. And the Chargers play in one of he most beautiful places on Earth! How could they not be confident? Answer: they are coached by Norv Turner. But other than that, the Chargers are the better team. And the better team wins here. By a lot. Pick: Chargers

- “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause

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The NFL playoffs move on to the divisional round this weekend. After a weekend of upsets and heartbreak, the pretenders move over for the contenders. The number one seeds return from a week off with renewed energy, maximum intensity, and a ton of pressure. How much of an advantage does the number one seed have in the NFL playoffs? Only one top seed has won the Super Bowl in the last ten years.

The number two seed in the AFC, the San Diego Chargers kick off the weekend hosting the New York Jets. The Jets will get a break from two weeks of chilly conditions by heading to the beautiful sun of San Diego. The Chargers come off of a week of rest and hope to have their future Hall of Fame running back start and finish a playoff game for the first time since the 2007 Wild Card round.

The Jets have proven me and just about everyone else wrong with their win last week. The Jets would not have made the playoffs if not for that charade in Indianapolis by the Colts. Yet the Jets came up huge two weeks straight against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are no pushovers. The Jets were able to hold off the relentless rushing attack of the Bengals last week and shutdown any hopes that the Bengals had at getting it done in the air. The New York Jets haven’t looked this great since they rolled off three wins in a row to start the season.

The San Diego Chargers are the hands down hottest team entering the playoffs. The Chargers have rolled off 11 straight wins against some of the best teams in the NFL. The Chargers have been the upset kings of past playoff rounds, but this year come in as perennial favorites to play in the AFC title game. There is probably more pressure on Philip Rivers, Norv Turner, and L.T. than any other year in this particular unit’s history. A one and out loss would be absolutely devastating to this team.

The Jets are playing with house money. The Jets weren’t supposed to be here. Nobody expected the Jets to make the playoffs this year without Leon Washington, Laverneus Coles, and Brett Favre to get to the divisional round with Shonn Greene, Braylon Edwards, and Mark Sanchez. As great as Rex Ryan’s defenses have been in Baltimore, even the biggest Jet fans expected a transition period. By all accounts, this is a team that should have been an 8-8 team in transition. Heck, the coach didn’t even know the team was still eligible for the playoffs three weeks ago and was begging Peyton Manning to sit! This is a pretty special team playing way over their heads at the right time of the year.

This is a fairly simple game to break down. Can the Jets rushing attack hang with the aerial attack of the Chargers? The last two weeks of Jets football have been practically flawless, so I say yes. As a matter of a fact, this is probably the worst matchup that the Chargers can get through the AFC playoffs. The only glaring weakness that I believe the Chargers have is against a power running team. A power running team like the Jets is exactly the kind of team that can beat the Chargers.

Darrelle Revis has also become an X, Y, and Z factor all season. At this point, you may as well count on nothing from Vincent Jackson. The Jets will also blitz Philip Rivers all day and he hasn’t seen anything like the Jets defense this season. The gamble here for the Jets is that they get to Rivers. If they don’t, he will make them pay dearly with short passes to L.T. and Darren Sproles who will turn those short catches into big gains. In my mind, that is the best game plan the Chargers have going into Saturday afternoon’s game.

I am going to lean towards San Diego here. For one thing, number two seeds have had great success in the NFL playoffs. Another thing here that makes me lean towards the Chargers is their quarterback. As unlikeable as Rivers can be at times, he has looked brilliant this year. Not only has he played well, has taken the Chargers back from deficits, and stayed cool under pressure. Eventually the Jets are going to have to cover the flats, leaving someone open wide for Rivers. I like the Chargers to win here and move on to the AFC title game.

The New Orleans Saints host the Arizona Cardinals this weekend in what looks to be the most entertaining game of the post season. These are two teams that can put up 21 points each without even blinking. Kurt Warner and the Cardinals’ offense looked unbeatable last week. As great as his performance was last week, Warner has been money in the playoffs for most of his career. Kurt Warner is 9-3 in the post season with three Super Bowl appearances. The pressure of going into a hostile situation is nothing new for this future Hall of Fame quarterback.

For thirteen weeks it looked as if the Super Bowl was all but a formality for the New Orleans Saints. Whether it was the first quarter or down by 21 to the Dolphins, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints offense looked unstoppable. The breaks always seemed to go the Saints way such as the win in Washington with the kicker missing a field goal that would have ended the Saints undefeated season. As impressive as their offense was, their defense came up huge several times throughout the season. Overall, this team looked like the total package until the Dallas Cowboys came in and rocked their world.

The Saints have not been the same football team since losing to the Cowboys. The Saints finished the season 0-3 losing to the Cowboys, Bucs and Panthers. Even though many starters sat for the Panthers game, there were no excuses for the Bucs and Cowboys games. Tony Romo and the Cowboys seemed to expose some glaring holes in both the New Orleans Saints offense and defense. This is a team that hasn’t won a football game in over a month!

The Cardinals are just an unbelievable offensive team to watch. They are a very similar team to last year’s team. Remember the NFC title game when they just went back and forth with the Eagles? The Cards may get Anquan Boldin back this week which would only improve their passing attack. On defense, they are very suspect and could be in for a long day against the Saints. The Cards finished the season overall 23rd against the pass on defense. That is not going to get it done against the Saints who had the best passing attack in the NFL.

The biggest problem the Saints may have on Saturday is named Darnell Dockett. Dockett is a heck of an athlete and has wrecked havoc on offenses all season. The problem the Saints had with the Cowboys was pressure. Dockett presents a similar problem and could make it a very long day for Drew Brees. The Arizona linebackers can also turn Drew Brees into an average quarterback with the way they swarm around. With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie expected to play, Brees may have a lot of trouble finding open receivers against the Cards.

In the end, I tend to lean a little more towards the Saints. I almost think that Arizona blew their load last week. Yes, the Cardinals pulled out one of the great overtime wins in NFL postseason history. However, the Cards also let up on a healthy lead and couldn’t stop Aaron Rodgers once he got into his zone. Drew Brees will make them pay dearly for sleeping on him for five minutes, more or less a whole second-half of a game. I look for the Saints to win this one, and win it by a healthy margin.

The most intriguing game takes place on Sunday afternoon when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Like the Saints, the Colts will be stumbling into the playoffs after losing a couple of games. It will be exactly one month since the last time the Colts won, when they host the Ravens on Sunday. On the flip side, the Ravens are red hot coming off of a lopsided smack down of the New England Patriots on the road.

Like the Saints, a few weeks ago the Super Bowl seemed like just a formality for the Colts. The Colts were rolling along on their way to making NFL history by potentially finishing an entire season undefeated. Instead, head coach Jim Caldwell pulled his starters in the second half, the team collapsed, lost the game, and will be the topic of one of the biggest controversies in NFL history. The Colts continued to play this game for the finale and come into the playoffs losers of their last two games.

Like the Jets, the Ravens have the edge in this game due to their rushing attack. The three-headed monster presents runners of different shapes, sizes, and attributes which makes them an almost impossible team to game plan against. If there is any weakness on the Colts, it is their rushing defense. Ray Rice is arguably the most dangerous running back in the NFL with the way he can turn a 0-yard screen into a 60-yard touchdown. This is a team that is not to be taken lightly and a team that I feel is not a one-week fluke.

Obviously the Indianapolis Colts are all about Peyton Manning. As Peyton goes, the Colts go. The Ravens are a lot like the Dolphins. A team built around a great rushing attack with a weak secondary. Peyton Manning dismantled the Dolphins earlier this season. The best way to beat the Ravens is to get up on them early. An early lead takes away the Ravens’ running game and makes them rely on Joe Flacco. This is something that the Colts were able to do to run-heavy teams all season.

There is a better chance than not, that there will be a huge upset this weekend. Number one seeds have been jinxed over the last decade in the playoffs. This reminds me a lot of the story from two years ago. The Colts roll through the regular season, rest players towards the end of the season, have a week off, and get shocked by the San Diego Chargers at home. The Ravens are also a lot like that 2006-07 Chargers team as well and the matchup is very similar. I am picking the Ravens in an upset special this week to shock the world, the Colts, and make San Diego Chargers fans very happy.

Finally, the most competitive game is saved for last. The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Minnesota to take on the second seeded Minnesota Vikings. Tony Romo vs. Brett Favre will be the storyline of the day. This was a matchup that most of us expected in the NFC title game two years ago. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans’, the New York Giants had other plans in mind and wound up upsetting the Cowboys that year and taking the trip to Lambeau Field, thus stealing hopes of a marquee Romo vs. Favre postseason showdown. Two years later, we finally get the matchup and it couldn’t be better.

As hot as the Chargers are in the AFC, the Dallas Cowboys enter this game as the hottest team in the NFC. No longer can Cowboy haters like me call Tony Romo a choke artist in December and January. The Cowboys did something last week that they haven’t been able to do in over ten years, which is win a playoff game. All of the stats about Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys futility in the playoffs are moot at this stage of the game.

The Vikings looked like the most complete team in the NFC for most of the season. Their defense was vicious, their offense looked unstoppable, and even their special teams play was second to none in the NFC. Then came the Sunday night game and the loss in Arizona. The Vikings were dominated for the first time all season. Brett Favre seemed to revert back to Brett Favre-New York Jet. Brad Childress forgot how to coach, and the offensive line looked like they were on bye week. Finally, the Vikings looked human.

If there is one thing consistent about the Vikings this season it was home play. The Vikings are undefeated at home this season. That fact and the fact that they play in a dome gives them a huge advantage over the Cowboys. I don’t think you win eight games by accident by home. All of the critics who said Brett Favre would not be able to make it through a full season were proven wrong. Favre has a week off and looked reborn in the second half of the Monday Night Football season finale against Chicago. Favre closed out the season looking better than ever against the Giants. This is a very dangerous team.

The Cowboys are coming off two back-to-back romps over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys defense has been simply lights out over the last two weeks. The Cowboys have only allowed 14 points in twelve quarters of play against two division rivals. It doesn’t get much better than that in the NFL. On offense, Romo has looked just as sharp as the elite crowd of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. The Cowboys rushing attack has seen new life with Marion Barber running over Eagles’ linebackers the last two weeks like they were made of cardboard. As complete as the Vikings were all season, the Cowboys have been the most complete team over the last several weeks.

There is one thing different about the Vikings as opposed to anyone else they have played in eight weeks. The Vikings can and will stop the run. The Vikings boast the number two defense in the entire NFL against the run. The Cowboys haven’t played a team this good against the run since Week 10 when they played the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys were held to just 61 yards on the ground. Romo was held to just one touchdown, and made one turnover. The lack of a run game frustrated the Cowboys all game and they wound up losing in a miserable 7-17 effort.

The Vikings are also the most two-dimensional offense that the Cowboys will have seen arguably all season. Personally, I think one of the reasons that the Cowboys dominated the birds so easily was the one-dimensional attack of the Eagles offense. The Cowboys concentrated on a heavy pass rush which frustrated Donovan McNabb all day. The Eagles barely have a rushing attack, so the threat just wasn’t there. Brett Favre and the Vikings will make the Cowboys pay all night long if they play that same kind of a game. Adrian Peterson is no joke and the Cowboys linebackers may be too undersized to stop him.

I think this will be a tight game and maybe the most exciting of the weekend in terms of close finishes. I just love the Vikings in this spot. I won’t say the Cowboys are all smoke and mirrors, but other than the New Orleans win, their wins come against the Giants, Raiders, Eagles, and Redskins. These aren’t exactly impressive wins. Looking at the Dallas Cowboys schedule, their toughest opponents all season were the Packers, Saints, and Chargers and they managed to go 1-2 against those teams. The Vikings have played and beaten better teams than the Cowboys. Jared Allen has the potential to turn Flozell Adams’ postseason dreams into a long nightmare. I love the Vikings and Brett Favre to move on to New Orleans in the championship round.

NFL Divisional Playoff Round Picks!

I had my worst week of the season going 0-4 with my NFL playoff picks. I am turning into the Tony Romo of NFL playoff picks. Let’s see if I can turn this around and play more like Tony Romo 2010 than Romo 2006-2009. Now for the NFL Divisional Playoff Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

New York at San Diego

Arizona at New Orleans

Dallas at Minnesota

Baltimore at Indianapolis

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Here we go again. It looks like it is time for the annual Philadelphia Eagles postmortem blog. For the fourth straight year I sit here in disgust and disappointment as a birds fan. The obvious two names up for discussion here are the head coach and the quarterback. Are we better off without one, the other or both? Unfortunately while a valid question it is one without much merit after the coach’s latest contract extension.

The last two weeks have been embarrassing and downright depressing for Eagles fans. Not only did the Eagles come up short in the two biggest games of the season, they were blown out, and even worse by the stinking Dallas Cowboys. Now I will give credit where credit is due. The Cowboys are hottest team in the postseason and by all rights, should be playing in the Super Bowl if they keep it up. Yet the loss is no easier to swallow if you are bleeding green.

Let’s start with the annual Donovan McNabb debate. I have always been a #5 supporter. Out of 32 NFL quarterbacks, he is a top ten QB and arguably even a top five. He has nine playoff wins under his belt which is no easy feat. He captained the most prolific offense in Eagles history this year. There probably aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL that could have done better with this team than Donovan McNabb did this season.

However, racking up points against a decimated New York Giants defense and a rookie coached Tampa Bay Buccaneers means nothing to me after last night. In eight quarters of play in back-to-back weeks, against his rival, in the two most important games of the season, he managed one touchdown. Blame it on whoever you want, but his accuracy was abysmal for both games. In the first game specifically, he had plenty of chances to hit open receivers in stride and missed every time. This has become a common theme for McNabb in the big game over the last few years. Yes he will get you wins over a Tarvaris Jackson led Minnesota Vikings, but he won’t get you wins over a hot team and blitzing defense like the Arizona Cardinals last season or the Cowboys this season. We can argue all day long, not only has he not gotten it done, he was a big part of all of the losses.

As a person I don’t know Donovan McNabb but I hear mixed reviews on him from people who do know him and know people around him. A common criticism here in Philadelphia is that he just doesn’t have the passion or leadership needed by a veteran QB like him. It would be unfair for me to accuse him of this as I cannot get into his head. Yet there was a scene before the Cowboys game that really got me thinking. NBC showed McNabb leading the team through the tunnel with only Plexiglass separating him from the fans and playing air guitar. You know I thought to myself for a second and wondered if Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, or even Philip Rivers (today) would lead his team like this? The answer is a resounding no. Whenever I see these guys some like Brees and Rivers are very emotional but not in such a comical way, while Manning and Brady are all business. The question I have is where the heck is this guy’s head before such a big game? I understand the idea of being loose, but there is loose and then there is the guy that is just being a goofball. To me, it didn’t look like a guy who was that focused on beating the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs nor did it look like a guy that will be losing any sleep on Sunday after the loss. Maybe I am just being nitpicky, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

On top of all of this, he has proven to be a pretty lousy leader over the last few years. Just last week he made a comment about the youth of the team being a problem in Dallas. While he may think that, what kind of leader goes out on national television and blasts his teammates? It would be no different than if T.O. was here blaming the quarterback, etc. I think it is funny that that an 11-year veteran who hasn’t done anything to put the team on his back over the last two weeks is blaming others for not stepping up and making a play. Last season following the Arizona Cardinals loss, he made a snide remark about the defense giving up the final game-winning drive to the Cards offense. Personally, the guy has worn out his welcome here and has turned into one of the most annoying athletes ever to come through Philadelphia.

Donovan McNabb has one more year left on his current contract. The big debate from McNabb supporters this season has been whether we are better with the devil you know or the devil you don’t? It is an interesting argument because you would think you were living in Cleveland listening to this. Since when did McNabb become so irreplaceable? Not only did Kevin Kolb do okay when McNabb didn’t play, Jeff Garcia led us into the playoffs a few years back. Additionally, as a franchise the Eagles have had a pretty good run on quarterbacks over my lifetime as a fan. Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, and McNabb aren’t that bad. Yes, we had some clunkers but it isn’t like McNabb is the only quarterback to come into Philadelphia and win games for the franchise. It just boggles my mind how a guy that hasn’t beat a good team in the playoffs for several years has become so untouchable?

By saying that the Eagles need to keep McNabb, you are also putting no faith into the God of football, Andrew Reid. Andy Reid picked McNabb eleven years ago and traded with the Cowboys (brilliant!) to move up to draft Kevin Kolb a few years back. The next draft is not going to be a good draft for quarterbacks in my opinion, so the draft is out. I hate Notre Dame but Jimmy Clausen is the best prospect, yet I don’t think any of those guys are ready to step into a win-now situation here in Philadelphia. Keeping McNabb because the Eagles are afraid to move on just shows what little faith they have in Andy Reid making the correct personnel move. Rightfully so, but a poor excuse to keep a guy who has come up small in big games over the last several years with the Eagles.

The birds do have options here. For one, they could trade McNabb and if they aren’t going to re-sign him, they need to trade him and get something for him in the off season. I would love to see them work out a deal with the St. Louis Rams. Their head coach is a former coordinator here so there is a chance that he would give up more for McNabb than someone else. Why not trade McNabb for Steven Jackson and draft picks? Give Kevin Kolb a shot in his final contract year with this offense and Jackson. If not St. Louis, maybe Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert work out a deal with Reid that sends the birds Josh Cribbs and some of his eleven draft picks? Could there be value to Arizona with the talk of Kurt Warner retiring? Who knows whether or not Brett Favre will be back, because I am fairly certain Brad Childress would take McNabb in a heartbeat. There are options out there that could give them the chance to make the Eagles a better team without McNabb.

Now normally I would write about replacing the head coach, because well I do that every year. However, Reid signed a contract extension in the offseason that will keep him here until 2013. Personally, I think the fish stinks at the top and Reid is the biggest problem here. He wins games, but he also loses games, and has only won one NFC title game. There are Super Bowl winners that have been either been fired or resigned and with the right new hire, their teams haven’t missed a step. See the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts as prime example of teams who lost their Super Bowl winning coaches and remained strong and in the case of the Giants, won another Super Bowl. Reid and McNabb have a lot of defenders in the national media which astonishes me. Quite frankly, if these same people feel that both Reid and McNabb are as good as they say they are, than one of them has to go because there is a definite problem here. As much as I would love to see Reid replaced, it isn’t going to happen so I’ll save my space.

I know there are a lot of other problems in addition to Donovan McNabb. However, when the Eagles can only muster up 14 points with such a talented offense in two weeks, you need to look right at the quarterback. We had a good run here in Philadelphia, but to think that no other NFL quarterback can ever come to the Eagles and win as much as McNabb has is ridiculous. There are a lot of other quarterbacks that can come here, score seven points in two weeks, and never win a Super Bowl. So let’s start looking.

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NY Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

A match up of the 2 AFC teams I didn’t pick for the playoffs in my preview. (And no, you didn’t pick the Bengals to beat the Steelers and Ravens all 4 times and win the AFC North…) Everything is telling you that the Jets are the better team right now. Almost every league rank on defense. More weapons on offense. Momentum after destroying the Bengals in the last game of the regular season. But you can’t avoid history. Rookie QB on the road in the playoffs? Can’t do it. Pick: BENGALS

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Another rematch from the last week, but a totally different case than the Jets/Bengals. One team had everything to play for and one team literally had nothing to play for. But the Eagles had a 1st round bye in their hands. And could the Eagles have been more disappointing? So instead the Cowboys get the 3rd seed and the home game AND all the confidence in the world. While an explicit rope-a-dope strategy is unlikely by Philly, there’s no way they play that bad 2 weeks in a row. Again, I’ll go with history and go against the post-season winless Tony Romo. And make no mistake, Wade Phillips is coaching for his job this week. He either wins or gets fired. So don’t squelch those Bill Cower-isn’t-coaching-this-year reports just yet. And Marty Schottenheimer, hold off on a final word on that Buffalo job… Pick: EAGLES

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots

The Ravens are about 10 points away from 3 more wins, winning their division, and being the most feared team in these playoffs. And the Pats are playing without their MVP for the year because Reliant Stadium has crappy grass. Awesome. I feel great. At least the tape Baltimore has from their match up earlier this year is useless, because NE had Wes Welker then and it will be a totally redesigned offense on Sunday. That said, this is not the same Raven D that simply doesn’t let you run the ball or score points. Joe Flacco has somehow regressed from last season and even in the 1st 3 games of this year. He’s all about confidence and if he’s knocked around and picked off in the 1st half, he’ll get flustered. And since none of those weaknesses play into a strength of the Patriots, I’m thrilled! I’ll still take the Pats at home, where they haven’t lost this year and where Brady has won over 25 straight, in a squeaker. Pick: PATRIOTS

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals

The toss-up-iest of the Wild Card match ups. The Packers are playing their best football right now. The Cardinals are at home and have so many offensive talents. The Packers rolled the Cards in Week 17. The Cardinals knew they would likely play the Packers in the playoffs and could not have played more vanilla on both offense and defense. I will take the Packers on the road, but I will be more shocked by Casey Johnson’s drug overdose than I will be if the Cardinals win at home. Pick: PACKERS

- “The Sweet Nasty” Chris Cause

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Well football fans after 17 weeks of action it all comes down to the next few weeks. That’s right, quicker then Chris Johnson can run, the season has come and gone and now we are on to the playoffs. This week we have four big match-ups, three of which are rematches of games played just last week. I would not put too much faith into those games however as it seems that some of the teams held back the “A” game plans so they did not show their best stuff, or at least that is what the fans of those respective teams hope?

So I’m here this week to bring you my breakdown and predicitions for a wild weekend of playoff action. It sure will be tough to predict with head over heart, but hey that’s why we do this stuff. Okay, so here are the break downs:

AFC Games

4. Cincinnati Bengals vs 5. New York Jets

The Jets got into the playoffs on the last day of the season after blowing out the Bengals on Sunday night. The Bengals sat several of their usual starters, but also face some injury issues as well as the mental ramifications of the loss of teammate Chris Henry heading into this game.

Offense: Seems like a very long time ago that Carson Palmer was considered an elite QB in this league. Ever since the knee injury he suffered a few years back in the playoffs against the Steelers, he has never really been the same. That being said, the Bengals rely heavily on a running attack that was ranked ninth in the league. Chad Ochocinco still gets his catches and Cedric Benson leads the way on the ground. Given how well the Jets play defense on the ground, Palmer will need to step up from his performance of the 26st ranked passing offense to have a chance here.

The Jets are led by rookie QB Mark Sanchez, who learned after his first few weeks that the NFL is no joke. The Jets rely heavily on their running attack and finished ranked first in the entire NFL this season in rushing yardage. Thomas Jones seems tougher then ever, and if he can carry it effectivly, it will reduce the chance of Sanchez turning it over and making the Jets rely on a 31st ranked passing offense.

Advantage: Bengals

Defense: The Bengals had a very good year on defense. That’s right, they were more reliant on their defense then their offense for a change. This team that finished sixth in total defense, seventh against the rush, and sixth against the pass. The team is also one of the tops in the league in getting turnovers and has ballhawks all over the secondary. The key is to not be outthought, otherwise this is a team that can wreck havoc in the playoffs.

The Jets followed the lead of their first year head coach Rex Ryan and finished with the overall number 1 defense in the league. Eighth against the rush, first against the pass, and also first in points allowed. They are led by Darelle Revis who many consider to be the best cover corner in the game, and Ryan has brought his all-out blitzing style from Baltimore.

Advantage: Jets

Overall Outlook: Let’s face it, no one on the planet expected the Bengals to be a playoff team this year. Yes, they won their division but to look back at the Steelers, Ravens, and Browns, those games were against average to below average teams. Yes they played some big games and are 6-2 at home, but they face a hard nosed, smash-mouth football team here, and may look over-matched. The Jets do not weaken on the road as they finished 5-3 away from home. I see the Jets defense handling the business here and doing enough ground work on offense to take the upset, and a rematch of the win a few weeks back against the Colts.

Prediction: Jets 24 Bengals 17

3. New England Patriots vs 6. Baltimore Ravens

The Patriots got banged up in the season finale, but do you ever look past Tom Brady? The Ravens with coach John Harbaugh make the post-season for the secnd straight year.

Offense: If anything, the Pats have found some kind of running game this year. Granted it is the usual group effort, but with Maroney, Taylor, Morris, Faulk and well anyone else to wear a Pats’ helmet, they managed to finish ranked 12th. The passing game was as good as ever, finishing third overall. However, the offense has lost star Wes Welker for the season who hauled in 123 catches this season. The guy dubbed a “Welker Clone,” Justin Edelman will have to step it up big time to take pressure off of Randy Moss and the line will have to buy Brady time.

The Ravens run, run, and run and do it well with the likes of Ray Rice and a revamped Willis McGahee, finishing 5th overall in rush yards. Second year QB Joe Flacco looked at times seems to have regressed, had a hard time finding receivers with a passing attack that finished 18th overall. His main weapon is the aging and often banged up Derrick Mason, and one wonders if he has enough weapons at receiver.

Advantage: Patriots

Defense: The Patriots are not the squad from the Super Bowl years, but still managed to finish seventh overall. They were 13th against the rush and appear to be slipping, and 12th against the pass. Belichick is still a clever defensive mind and can shake it up and mix it up with the best of them, yet it remains to be seen if he has enough talent on the field to get the job done.

The Ravens are also a small step behind on defense, but finished third overall in total defense in the NFL. They are ranked fifth against the run and eighth against the pass, and we have to believe that All-Pro safety Ed Reed will find a way back. The Ravens still know how to get to the QB and still know how to get turnovers. If they can find a way to get to Brady and shake him up along with the Pats injuries, they can make a game of it.

Advantage: Ravens

Overall Outlook: The Patriots were 10-6 last year and did not make the playoffs, which proves they still can win games. They were 8-0 at home this year and that’s where this game takes place. The Ravens struggle on the road and were 3-5 overall away from home this season. The offense still does not seem ready for prime-time and this is not the match-up for mistakes. Tom Brady will live to play another day, but as much as everyone wants to see an Indy rematch, we’ll have to wait. The Pats will still have to beat San Diego and well, that’s another story for another week.

Prediction: Patriots 31 Ravens 17

NFC Games

4. Arizona Cardinals vs 5. Green Bay Packers

In the season finale the Packers crushed the Cardinals who played without QB Kurt Warner. The Cardinals are the defending NFC Champions, while the Packers return to the playoffs without Brett Favre for the first time in three decades.

Offense: The ageless wonder Kurt Warner continues to push forward and lead this offense. The Cardinals finished 11th overall in total offense this past season. They also have one of the very best receiving groups in the NFL, but may have to do it without Anquan Boldin who suffered an ankle injury last week. None of that seems to matter to Larry Fitzgerald, who always looks like a man amongst boys on the field. As usual, the Cards rush attack was below average at best finishing 28th overall, but rookie Beanie Wells showed some life late in the season.

If there is a team out there that can run with the Cards on offense, it’s the Packers. They finished third overall this season and have weapons all over the field. WRs Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and James Jones can play a possessions game or can burn you deep. Ryan Grant leads a solid rush attack as well. QB Aaron Rodgers knows full well that a victory here can give him one more shot at beating Brett Favre and officially cement him as THE man in Green Bay. He may have lost twice this season, but a post-season win over his rival is what will be remembered when this season is over.

Advantage: EVEN

Defense: The Cardinals have never been known much for defense but did manage to finish 15th this season, yet they dont stop either form of offense very well as they are ranked 17th against the run and 23rd against the pass. Add to it that their top corner Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is likely to miss the game with injury, and the Cards can be in for a long day stopping the high powered Packers offense.

The Packers step on to the field with the third best defense in the league and are first against the run, which is not what the Cards weak rushing attack wants to see. They also managed to finish fifth against the pass, and have a defensive MVP candidate in Charles Woodson. The Packers seem to have found the secrets of the 3-4 defense, and the linebackers have been playing great football. Now its up to the secondary to take down the Cards big three receivers.

Advantage: Packers

Overall Outlook: To me this year’s Packers look like last years Cardinals. They got red hot at the right time, and may be looked upon as underdogs. Last year Mike McCarthy’s team started stong and finished weak. This season it seems like they worked the kinks out early and are ready for a big run. The Cardinals are very enigmatic this year, and you don’t really know what team is showing up. Only 4-4 at home this year, they actually see an opponent come to town with a more favorable record as the Pack was 5-3 on the road. Bring on Favre and the Vikes, one more time.

Prediction: Packers 34 Cardinals 27

3. Dallas Cowboys vs 6. Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas man-handled the Eagles in the season finale to take the NFC East division title. Dallas looks to buck history and beat the Eagles three times this year.

Offense: At times this season, Tony Romo and the ‘Boys looked lost. Terrible performances against Washington, Green Bay, etc. led many to believe that T.O. was a bigger loss then Dallas led on. Then there were games like last week when a true balanced attack made the Eagles look meek. Romo has never faired well in playoff games so this one looms large for him. The Cowboys offense was 14th overall this year, so it is right in the middle of the pack. The Cowboys running game will have to create space, finishing seventh overall on the season.

Someone forgot to wake up Donovan McNabb last week and tell him there was a game on. McNabb in the past has had good success against the Cowboys, and he certainly has weapons to work with. He still leads the fifth ranked offense and does it mostly through the air, where the Birds finished ranked 10th. The birds need a running game to show up, whether it will be the power of Leonard Weaver or the speed of McCoy and Westbrook. They also need a whole lot more out of All-Pro “Mr Everything” DeSean Jackson.

Advantage: Eagles

Defense: The Cowboys looked like the team of the 90’s again, as they finished number two in the league in overall defense this year. Despite the great numbers, they were 20th against the pass, so the Eagles can spread them out and make things tough for them. They have a true superstar in DeMarcus Ware on that defense and he always makes it tough and looks like a modern day Lawrence Taylor.

Blitz? Where was the Eagles bread and butter last week? Maybe they didn’t want to show too much, but Tony Romo had all day to throw last week. The Eagles finished a very unusual 19th in defense this year, but still finished amongst the top teams in turnovers and sacks, they will need lots more of that to stand a chance here.

Advantage: Cowboys

Overall Outlook: It is always so tough to beat a team 3 times in the same year. Dallas played the Eagles tough in Philly earlier this year and took them apart in Dallas last week. However come playoff time the Eagles seem to find a way to come together and play tough as a team. They have played from the 6 spot before, they have been to the NFC Champ game 5 times under Reid and somehow, some way will find their way past this one in what will be the best of the games on opening weekend.

Prediction: Eagles 28 Cowboys 27

Come back next week and see my previews of the Divisonal Playoff games.

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If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

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