American Football: NFL playoffs are here!

Hey Gibbs, who's your daddy?

I couldn't find the thread but a couple of months ago I said that 2 teams should come out of the NFC East, Giants and Skins. Damn I'm good. Congrats at least they'll get 1 playoff game.

That's the only easy one to call.

Cats/Pats. A good game. Belicheck and home field advantage should be the difference.

Other Cats/Giants. Another good game. Giants, maybe.

Steelers/Yet another Cat team(week of the cat I guess). These teams split this year but Steelers finished strong. Cowher won't let his team take a day off. Steelers win.

What say you, my pigskin buddies?

I agree most definatly.

OK, so you want my opinion here, heh? After you dis my team like that???

IMHFO, and I just may be slightly biased here, the Redskins are the one team that no team wants to meet in the playoffs, since they have been the hottest team in the NFLheading into the playoffs. They have the potential to go all the way.

That being said, here's what I think will actually happen -

AFC -

Wild Card Weekend

New England over Jacksonville

Cincinnati over Pittsburgh

Divisional Playoffs

Indianapolis over New England

Cincinnati over Denver

Conference Championship

Indianapolis over Cincinnati

NFC -

Wild Card Weekend

Washington over Tampa Bay

Carolina over New York

Divisional Playoffs

Seattle over Washington

Chicago over Carolina

Conference Championship

Chicago over Seattle

Super Bowl

Indianapolis over Chicago

Gibbs, I didn't diss the Skins, I wouldn't, I enjoy watching them play. Hell, I said they'd make the playoffs when few would. Playing in TB is a tough go, I just don't see it happening. That being said, take next weekend off. I think it may be the best ball of the year.

I just dont' see them losing to Tampa twice this year. I don't honestly expect the skins to go far into the playoffs, but they totally outplayed the Bucs the first time they met, and then made a few mistakes. Now they have taken thier head out of thier collective behinds, and won't let them win again.

I'll look at this week by week but I don't see anyone beating the Seahawks this year. They are a complete team. Damn, I never thought I'd be saying that about the Seahawks.

Originally posted by truenorth
I'll look at this week by week but I don't see anyone beating the Seahawks this year. They are a complete team. Damn, I never thought I'd be saying that about the Seahawks.

But, what about the Colts, man? I don't really seeing it playing out any other way, than the Colts meeting the Seahawks in the Big One.

Well, I was 3 out of four on my picks this weekend, if I would have known about Palmer's injury ahead of time, I would have called that one, too.

Boy did I stink it up, only 500. Congrat's Gibbs, your boys did it, can they again? Just leaves me confused this week.

OK, Wash/Seattle. Seeing as I picked the Hawks to go all the way, I guess I have to take Seattle.

NE/Denver. Should be a good game, flips mental coin, NE, I think Brady can do it. This week.

Pitt/Indy. Indy.

Cats/Bears. Man, did the Panthers look good dismembering the Giants. 1st year playoff team for the Bears? Gotta take the Cats.

Picks for this weekend's playoff action.

Denver over New England
Colts over my Steelers
Bears over the Panthers
Redskins, yes you heard me right, Redsins over the Seahawks.

That scoresandodds.com gambling computer has been so damn accurate, I'm going with what it says. It says:

1. Carolina will beat the Bears by NINE, the most amazing pick I've seen by far, so I'll simply pick Carolina to win.

2. Denver will win by FIVE (the spread is three), so I'll go against my heart and pick Denver to win.

3. Seattle will win by FOUR (the spread is 9.5), so I'll pick Seattle to win a much closer, more exciting game than people expect; and

4. Pitt and Indi is rated a "Pick Em" (!), which is of course ludicrous, but I'm certain that's a product of the relaxed way Indi played the last two games, and the scores of their last three games. Do I think the Colts will be mindf'ed and blow their season because of young Dungy's death? NO.

Now, the death of one's own child is, according to every psychologist I've asked about it, by far the worst thing a person can endure. The second-worst depends on the person: death of your mom, your dad, your spouse, a sibling, etc. But the death of one's biological child is the #1 worst, by far. And you don't need to ask a shrink; ask parents and they'll all agree. Ask someone who's actually been through it, and 25 minutes later, after he/she stops crying, he/she will either agree vehemently or comment on your insensitivity.

So, it's unreasonable to expect TONY DUNGY to be his normal self. HOWEVER, I am fairly certain one of the other coaches has been doing most of the coaching--or at least, most of the drill-sergeant type of coaching. If not, the G.M. should be called on the mat.

And the players--who are surely sad for Coach Dungy, but who did NOT lose their biological offspring--have certainly been getting coached, worked out, screamed at, etc., just as hard as ever. They are pros, they get paid a ton, and while they feel for Dungy, it's not like each of them lost they're a brother, mom or wife, much less a child.

I just don't see them giving any less than 100% for this game, nor do I see them being unfocused. In fact, the whoever's done the hard-nosed part of the coaching all week will probably have them on a crusade to "win for Coach and his son."

The only real disaster would be if they left Dungy, an easy-going and soft-spoken man by nature, to do all of his coaching tasks in his current state of overwhelming grief. Even Ditka or Rockne or Woody Hayes would be distracted and overwhelmed by grief under these circumstances, and there n.f.w. Dungy isn't. The owner and G.M. surely have to realize this, and must have someone else riding the players @sses and chewing on them when they need it.

If not, the G.M. and the owner deserve to lose.

And remember, though we all naturally focus on that team's Foutsian/Coryellesque offense, THIS year's Colts team has a pretty damn good defense. For Pitt to win, they must slow down the Indi offensive display AND move their none-too-impressive offense thru Indi's defense several times.

I may be wrong. After all, I'm the one who asked earlier this season how the experts had said the Colts defense could be lit up. But I just can't see Pitt beating this team, except with a lot of help from turnover points and/or special team points. I learned, at a very high cost, not to lay big points in the NFL unless you're against a team that has pretty much quit (e.g., Arizona every year, by mid-October).

But if I were not retired from the insanely stressful activity of football betting, and if I HAD to bet this game, I would lay all those points. I would also lay the points with Denver, probably for serious money if I got the game at 3. But I would take the points with Washington, and I'd take them big if it got to 10. I also would take them in a big way--clenching my jaw the whole time--with Carolina, in a game where I believe the wrong team is favored.

But that's just me. It's easy to pop off when I've decided to stay in retirement--even though all my major picks have turned out to be winners so far THIS year. (Would that it had always been such.) Y'all can laugh at me tomorrow night, when I give you more picks to laugh at for Sunday.

B.H.N.

Well, after a good first weekend of picks, I really stank it up this past weekend. Words of advice - if you're a betting man, stop reading right here! Or, just bet against my calls. I'm going with homefield advantage in both games, the Seahawks and the Broncos. Former AFC divisional foes meeting in the Big Game.

BTW, I do want to say congrats to the Steeler and Panther fans out there, both of those teams were real impressive yesterday.

Seahawks with home field advantage....Alexander should be back....Seattle wins a trip to ......Detroit........

i think that the panthers will be the victim in the super bowl...but should be a classic matchup with the steelers

Originally posted by toejam
Seahawks with home field advantage....Alexander should be back....Seattle wins a trip to ......Detroit........

i think that the panthers will be the victim in the super bowl...but should be a classic matchup with the steelers

Are you saying the Panthers will win

or the Steelers?

Man, I'm stinking it up this year, barely .500. OK, if not for one play that was a 14 point swing, NE beats the Bronco's, I'm taking the Steelers. Hawks/Cats? Flips coin, Panthers.

I'm picking the Broncos and Panthers today, just a shot in the dark as I think both games will be very close.

Steelers v Panthers is my final pick...

I thought the games started at 6pm GMT, so i settled down to watch the live soccer game. I must have fell asleep with 10 mins left and i missed the goal, just woke up and see that Man United had won 1-0 and it was 7.20pm, i was like damm missed the start of the NFL games. But when i looked they start at 8pm....... whew!

Steelers out to an early 10-0 lead, Plummer coughed up a costly fumble and Big Ben is firing on all cylinders right now.

Long way to go, the Broncos need to put a little drive together and get the crowd back in the game.

24-3 now, holy crap, Pittsburgh looks good...

I got $50 saying that they'll lose, I hope the Broncs pick it up!