NFL

Week 4 marks the first week of byes. The first week of fans screaming for their coach’s head. The first week of fantasy owners scrambling to pick up the likes of Tony Scheffler and Deion Branch. The first week of less football. With Tampa, KC, Dallas, and Minny taking the week off, its time to dive into my Week 4 NFL Picks, which I guarantee to do better then last week. Home teams in CAPS.

FALCONS (-6.5) over Niners
Could this Falcons team really be a Super Bowl contender? They have a great young quarterback, a workhorse runningback, and two exceptional receivers. Add in an underrated manager and over-performing defense, and this team looks great. Curtis Lofton has stepped up into a Pro-Bowl quality linebacker and the key piece to Atlanta’s defense. I think they’re definitely in the conversation with New Orleans and Green Bay for tops in the NFC.

Jets (-5.5) over BILLS
As terrible as Shonn Greene has looked this year, doesn’t this just smell like a 120 yard game for the second year back? The Bills are garbage in Buffalo, Toronto, or anywhere else they play and with any runningback they start. I don’t love the Jets this year, but this line is just to sweet to pass up. Sweet, that is, like a Bojangles’ Sweet Tea Lock 0f the Week!

Bengals (-3.5) over BROWNS
Carson Palmer is not a good quarterback. He is really just bad. His stats may not say so, especially in his game versus New England, but he is BAD. He has all the weapons anyone could ever ask for, but that can’t hide the fact that he is not a good quarterback. That being said, Cincy is playing Cleveland. I’ll take the Bengals and dumb Carson Palmer.

Lions (+14.5) over PACKERS
When is the last time a division game was decided by 15 points? Week 1….oh. Well, I can’t give the Lions more than 2 touchdowns when they’ve clearly demonstrated that they can and will pile up the junk time points.

TITANS (-6.5) over Broncos
The Broncos are impossible to guess. Do they have a good offense? Their top three receivers include a 22-year old and two journeyman veterans. Is the defense even okay? The answers to both questions are irrelevant because they don’t have Chris Johnson and they don’t even have Vince Young.

Seahawks (-0.5) over RAMS
Seattle has one of the few true home field advantages left in the league. At the same time, they are one of the worst road teams of the past decade. But there road troubles weren’t against a team featuring the immortal Kenneth Darby, Billy Bajema, and Danny Amendola.

Panthers (+13.5) over SAINTS
Carolina has won seven of their last games in New Orleans. Carolina needs this game. Carolina needs its rookie quarterback to step up. Carolina needs Double Trouble to show up. Carolina will lose. Carolina, however, will cover in a surprisingly close divisional fight.

Ravens (+1.5) over STEELERS
This is the hardest game of the week to pick by far, and its gonna be intense. They both have ferocious players who will fight until the end to scrap out a victory. But in the end, two factors make me lean to Baltimore: Charlie Batch and the spread. Batch is essentially a coach with a helmet. The 35-year old hasn’t started more then a handful meaningful game since he got to Pittsburgh. Also, I see this game being won by three or less, so I’ll take the Ravens and the points.

Colts (-8.5) over JAGUARS
The Jaguars are the very definition of an average team. David Garrard is is the epitome of an average quarterback, Mike Sims-Walker is incredibly inconsistent, and the defense is filled with no-names, has-beens, and never-wills. Unfortunately for them, you can’t win in this league being average, especially against the Colts.

Texans (-3.5) over RAIDERS
So what, the Texans lost a game to the Cowboys when Dallas and Wade Phillips desperately needed a win. That doesn’t lower them them to the same level as the Raiders. I can’t put any faith in Tom the Cable guy or Bruce the Plumber even if Andre Johnson does’t play. This one is too easy.

Cardinals (+8.5) over CHARGERS
Haven’t we already figured out that the Chargers don’t show up until around Week 4 or 5 every year? Norv Turner’s teams are historically slow starters, but somehow flip the switch around December. I think they take this game, but it’ll be close. Larry Fitzgerald and Beanie Wells will have field days against San Diego’s unspectacular D, but Arizona can’t overcome the fact that they have Derek Anderson at the helm.

Nothing quite gets me excited like Jay Cutler in primetime.

EAGLES (-6.5) over Redskins
Donovan McNabb’s return to Philly won’t be a smooth one. He thinks he’ll receive a standing ovation, but Eagles fans aren’t really known for their generous hospitality (see Claus, Santa). Philadelphia’s secondary knows every one of McNabb’s tricks, and Michael Vick has all the weapons at his disposal he could ever ask for. Eagles by a touchdown sounds just about right to me.

Bears (+3.5) over GIANTS
Who chose this game to be in prime time? I’d love to see Ravens/Steelers on Sunday night.

Patriots (-0.5) over DOLPHINS
What is scarier then a motivated Randy Moss? Normally the answer to this question is nobody, but here it is Tom Brady in prime time. Tom Brady doesn’t lose in prime time. He just doesn’t do that.

Last Week: 5-11

Season: 20-28

Bojangles’ Lock o’ the Week: 2-1

There’s nothing that can quite spark a conversation around this time of year like fantasy football. People yell and complain about how their bench outscored their starters, how Arian Foster went off for 41 points against them, and how they dropped Austin Collie on Friday, only for their opponent to pick him up and ultimately beat their team.

But all complaining and terrible storytelling will get you is zero sympathy in many people’s hearts (oftentimes including myself). We’ve all had that happen to us, and changing the names doesn’t make for a more interesting story. So how do you avoid stories involving Mr. Foster and Collie? Know your stuff! This week’s fantasy insight on handcuffs will get you back on the winning track.

The secret to finding sleeper runningbacks is handcuffs. Basically, the backup to a star runningback can go from unplayable to must-plays. We saw that this week when Ryan Grant went on IR and Brandon Jackson went from being owned in one in every thousand leagues to being owned in nearly 90% of leagues. Typically, the best runningbacks have great offensive lines, so they can be somewhere from 70-80% as productive as their teammate. Here are my four favorite handcuffs, their percent owned in ESPN leagues, and brief descriptions:

Bernard Scott – 44.9% – The most talented of the group, currently getting the most carries.
Rashad Jennings – 26.5% – MJD nearly had knee surgery, could be getting major carries with one hit.
Toby Gerhart – 6.4% – Heisman contender last year at Stanford, backs up perennially injured Adrian Peterson
Javon Ringer – 4.9% – Dominant at MSU, looked great last week vs. Oakland. CJ2K could be worn down with so many carries soon.

If you own Cedric Benson, MJD, AD, or CJ2K (Benson needs a cool initials nickname now), you need to pick up your handcuff since they’ll be far more valuable if your player goes down then the average backup, say, Chester Taylor. Handcuffs can also be valuable to teams who don’t have one of those runningbacks, since they can be double-digit per week scorers at best, while the Chester Taylors of the world will max out around 8 points per week.

Not all elite runningbacks have clear-cut-handcuffs. For instance, Rashard Mendenhall has three potential backups (vet Mewelde Moore, rookie Jonathan Dwyer, and goal line back Isaac Redmond), Atlanta’s backup isn’t certain between Jerious Noorwood and Jason Snelling, and Steven Jackson’s backup Kenneth Darby is not good; neither is St. Louis’ line.

Grab these guys soon, before they become hot commodities like Brandon Jackson. Scott, Jennings, Gerhart, and Ringer could combine for just 40 points combined the rest of the season, but they also could erupt into triple digit points. I’ll guarantee you this: you’ll have a not more potential on your bench with those four handcuffs then Chester Taylor and Leon Washington.

Now its time for my Week 2 picks, of course, with home teams in CAPS.

FALCONS (-6.5) over Cardinals
As bad as the Falcons did last week, the Cardinals looked worse. Derek Anderson could not connect with Larry Fitzgerald and completed barely over half of his passes. Beanie Wells isn’t healthy and Early Doucet is out. The Falcons came off a tough overtime loss in Pittsburgh, so they will dig a humongous hole for themselves if they lose their home opener and fall to 0-2. Giving up a touchdown is hard to do, but I’ll take a highly motivated Falcons team at home.

Ravens (-1.5) over BENGALS
Baltimore is fresh off of an emotional victory at New York on Monday night, but the Bengals lost to the Patriots, including falling behind by 28 at one point. The Ravens, however, have a much better defense then Cincy. If they can take Cedric Benson out of the game, Ray Lewis and Crew will force Carson Palmer to make the big play. Personally, I don’t think Palmer can step up it, so I’ll take the suddenly pass-competent birds.

Chiefs (+1.5) over BROWNS
The Browns are so bad that we’re questioning whether or not they’ll be worse with their starting quarterback out. Jake Delhomme is doubtful, so it looks like Seneca Wallace will be stepping in. Believe it or not, the Browns lost their game versus the Bucs because Delhomme threw 2 picks. The Chiefs do have a short week, but they have competent runningbacks and experienced receivers. Especially since I’m getting points, its Chiefs all the way.

COWBOYS (-8.5) over Bears
Dominant teams need to blow out at least three to four games per year. This has to be one of those games for the Cowboys. Tony Romo has just too many weapons at his disposal to not pick apart a well-below average Bears pass defense. As a side note, its terrible that Calvin Johnson’ touchdown catch wasn’t actually a catch. A rule is a rule, but a dumb one needs to be changed.

How can you not be excited to see Michael Vick's first start since '06? Any way you slice it, he's 10-15 times better then Shaun Hill.

Eagles (-3.5) over LIONS
What a ridiculous line. Kevin Kolb played terribly until his concussion, and Michael Vick filled in exceptionally. Although the Lions played like they deserved to win, but they were playing the Bears. The Eagles clearly have one of the most explosive offenses in the league with Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek. Put that up against a slightly poor defense and an offense without their franchise QB, and I’ll take the Eagles by a lot. Is this the Bojangles Lock of the Wee? You bet your biscuits!

PACKERS (-13.5) over Bills
Let’s be honest here, this just feels like a 35-10 blowout. The Packers have an elite offense and the Bills — well — have a defense (that’s about the nicest way I can describe their defense). The good news for Buffalo fans is that C.J. Spiller looked good last week…..wait a minute…

Steelers (+5.5) over TITANS
Tennessee won impressively last week, but they did play the Raiders. Against a quality opponent, the Steelers shut down Atlanta in overtime to claim a 15-9 victory. This game comes down to which young quarterback can step up the most: Vince Young or Dennis Dixon. VY has looked better over the last year, but Pittsburgh ultimately has one thing Tennessee doesn’t: Troy Polamalu and his $1 million hair. This game will be decided by a field goal, so I’ll take Pittsburgh and the points.

VIKINGS (-3.5) over Dolphins
The Vikings had very little shot last week against the defending champs (Super Bowl champs have won the last 10 season openers), but will stand a much better shot at victory in their home opener. Miami squeaked out a victory against hapless Buffalo, and heading to the Metrodome is no small order. Since Green Bay looks even better then advertised, Minnesota can’t afford to fall 2 games behind them.

PANTHERS (-2.5) over Bucs
These two stats will tell you all you need to know about the Panthers versus the Bucs: the last time the two division rivals faced off, Josh Freeman had five interceptions, and the Panthers averaged 212 yards on the ground in the two matchups last season.

Seahawks (+3.5) over BRONCOS
Seattle and Denver are two of the most average teams in the NFL. They both have uninspiring quarterbacks, exciting young runningbacks, and very new coaches. I don’t take anything out of the 25 point pounding the ‘Hawks laid on San Fran, since the Niners clearly weren’t ready to play against a hyped up Seahawks team. In the end, both teams are excessively average, so I’ll take the hotter team with the points.

Rams (+4.5) over RAIDERS
How can there possibly be two worse matchups in any week then Chiefs/Browns and Rams/Raiders? The fact that someone is going to have to watch both games for a newspaper or TV station is horrifying. Anyways, I’m never giving points with the Raiders, who only have 4 wins in their last 18 home games.

PATRIOTS (+1.5) over Jets
I’d have to guess that Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and the Patriots would love nothing more then to put the Jets in an 0-2 hole to start the season. The offense is finally clicking like it is 2007, and this team is out to prove the world it is the best of the best. Mark Sanchez looks nervous for New York, and Shonn Greene and Braylon Edwards have not shown up at all. I think Moss has a big day, especially since Darrelle Revis called his a “slouch”, and Brady loves to show up people who talk smack about his teammates.

CHARGERS (-7.5) over Jaguars
Is there a worse stadium to go into the Arrowhead Stadium on a Monday night? San Diego historically starts slower then Albert Haynesworth in a conditioning test, so an early season loss in an emotional game for the other team is acceptable. Now that they’re home against the perpetually average Jags, they’ll open their season with a bang.

Texans (-2.5) over REDSKINS
The Redskins got their big win of the year out of the way, now it’s time for them to go back to being 6-10.

COLTS (-5.5) over Giants
Do you really think Peyton is going to be shown up by his little brother at home on Sunday Night Football? Really?

Saints (-4.5) over NINERS
This game is tough to pick. Usually, home teams play much better on primetime, and San Fran can’t play much worse then they did last week. However, they’re playing against the Saints, so I’d have to imagine they’ll be in a shootout, and I can’t see Alex Smith out-scoring Drew Brees. The silver lining for the 49ers? They can still win the division going 7-9.

Last Week: 8-8

Season: 8-8

Bojangles’ Lock o’ the Week: 1-0

Yes, it’s that glorious time of year. Summer is over and the leaves are browning. Well, maybe not yet for those suffering in the near triple degree weather in Houston, New Orleans, and Tampa. Either way, its time to set our fantasy lineups, grab our favorite bag of chips and sit back to watch the great game of football. The distractions of Brett Favre, Darrelle Revis, and Terrell Owens are over and the real games are about to begin.

This year, I’m sticking with picking against the spread and plan on finishing the season better then 131-111. The Lock of the Week will also stay, and I’m excited to announce its unofficial official sponsorship of Bojangles! I’m aiming to end the year with a record good enough to make the NFL playoffs and my Bojangles’ Its Bo Time! Lock of the Weeks to have a better record then the San Diego Chargers. Without further ado, my Week 1 NFL picks. Home teams in CAPS.

SAINTS (-6.5) over Vikings
This game has Saints written all over it. The Super Bowl Champs opening the season at home. Minnesota’s top receiver out. Percy Harvin has migraines. The Saints will be hyped up to prove to the world that they are over their Super Bowl hangover, and they will ride their crowd to a fairly easy victory.

Dolphins (-3.5) over BILLS
The Bills aren’t just bad; they’re dreadful. We’re passed the stage where we can keep saying, “Oh, well if only Trent Edwards had more time to throw!” or “You’d all see how good Trent Edwards is if he had some real weapons!” He doesn’t have any protections, Lee Evans is his only semi-capable receiver, and he is not a good NFL quarterback. The Dolphins have the three best skill position players on the field, and should cruise for their first division win of the year. This is your first ever …. Bojangles Lock of the Week!

BEARS (-6.5) over Lions
This is an inciting game to take the points and go with the Lions; Ndamukong Suh is making his debut and Jeff Schwartz is becoming one of the premier young coaches in the league. However, the Bears won’t be losing their home opener to a team who has won a grand total of 2 games over the last two years. Expect bounce-back years from Matt Forte and Jay Cutler along with a 50% effort from Julius Peppers.

TITANS (-6.5) over Raiders
An 0-6 start crippled the Titans’ season, Tennessee came back after their bye to win 8 of their last 10 games. Vince Young and rookie Kenny Britt helped to balance a rush-first offense, including leading Tennessee to five wins in November with a 96.9 QB rating. The Raiders, on the other hand, are just dysfunctional. They will be better with a gigantic upgrade at quarterback with Jason Campbell (who can actually complete a pass for over 8 yards and doesn’t down cough syrup in Sprite by the bottle). But, then again, Tom the Cable Guy coaches the Raiders. Give me the Titans by over a touchdown.

PATRIOTS (-5.5) over Bengals
Think about this: the last time Randy Moss was in a contract year, he racked up 1493 yards and an NFL record 23 touch down receptions. Ponder this: Tom Brady’s knee injury takes around a year to recover from and an extra year to get back to full speed. Mull this over: the Patriots haven’t lost an opening day game since 2003 and a home opener since 2001. Consider this: Cincinnati has lost their last opening day games. Yeah, I’ll take the Pats and the Hoodie.

Panthers (+7.5) over GIANTS
I don’t get what all the buzz around the Giants is. If not for the luckiest catch in NFL history and a few uncalled holding penalties, Eli Manning would be known as one of the bigger busts of the past decade, a largely inconsistent leader who largely depended on 6’5″ Plaxico Burress. Their defense went from tops in the league two years ago to middle of the pack. Brandon Jacobs started to run standing up. As for the Panthers, they have the best running tandem not just in the league, but in NFL history. Carolina closed Meadowlands Stadium with a 41-9 thrashing of the Giants. I’m putting my money on Carolina christening New Meadowlands Stadium with a big win.

Falcons (-2.5) over STEELERS
Atlanta and Pittsburgh are two of my favorite sleepers this year, but it all comes down to the quarterbacks this year. I really like Dennis Dixon, but his realistic ceiling is rookie season-Vince Young. Matt Ryan has the potential to be a top-5 NFL QB, and I think he’ll take a big step up this year. Coach Mike Tomlin said Big Ben won’t have his job handed to him in Week 6, but after this wake-up call, it shouldn’t be too hard of a decision.

BUCS (-2.5) over Browns
Who cares? Period.

Broncos (+2.5) over JAGUARS

Josh McDaniels picked Demaryius Thomas for a reason. Then again, he traded a future 1st for Alphonso Smith, only to ship him to Detroit for a 6th rounder one year later.

Which rookie is going the farthest under the radar? You think I’m talking about Tim Tebow since its the Broncos and Jags (and I’m certainly not going to lecture you about Tyson Alualu’s value), but no, its Demaryius Thomas. The first receiver off the board in this April’s draft, Thomas has size (6’3″, 224) and speed (4.39 40-yard dash time) and great hands. Offensive genius Josh McDaniels picked him over highly hyped Dez Bryant for a reason. Demaryius will become a big-time threat soon and a fantasy stud in the next 2 years.

Colts (-3.5) over TEXANS
How many times have we seen this before? Every year for the last four or so seasons, we think THIS is the Texans year. They have promising you talent and as good of a passing attack as anyone. They feed off the bottom feeders, but when they face the big dogs, they crumble. In fact, they’ve lost their last six matchups against Indy, and 15 of their 16 matchups in franchise history. You can take the points; I’ll take the Colts.

SEAHAWKS (+2.5) over Niners
This is a tough game to pick because the Niners are clearly better, but Seattle has all of the intangible advantages. Qwest Field, already the loudest stadium in the NFL, will be extra rowdy for Pete Carroll’s first game, plus they’ll be hyped to start the season against a division rival. In a much weaker NFC West, I think Coach Carroll can and will finally find success, starting in Week 1.

EAGLES (+1.5) over Packers
This is another really hard game to pick, and could end up being the best game of the week. The Packers certainly have one of the top offenses in the league led by Aaron Rodgers, but their defense is looking more and more suspect. They lost their top pass rusher Aaron Kampman to the Jags and their secondary is depleted with Al Harris and Atari Bigby on the PUP list. Andy Reid and the Eagles are out to prove that they made the right decision by trading Donovan McNabb within the division and giving the keys to Kevin Kolb, so losing their season opener at home is not on the agenda. Jeremy Maclin should be in for a big game in a tight victory.

Cardinals (-3.5) over RAMS
Yes, the Cardinals lost Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Antrel Rolle, and Karlos Dansby, but have you seen these Rams? They’ve won 6 games in the last 3 seasons and drafted just as bad. They’ve punted their last 4 first rounders including two number two picks (Jason Smith, Chris Long, Adam Carriker, and Tye Hill). Also, may have just passed up the best pass rushing lineman since Reggie White. At least Matt Millen hit a homer on Calvin Johnson and a solid double on Roy Williams.

Cowboys (-3.5) over REDSKINS
Usually, I lean towards the home team in a prime time matchup, but I can’t do that here. Dallas is more talented, has better chemistry, and has less Albert Haynesworth-sized locker room problems. Romo is better then McNabb at this point, and he has about twice as many weapons. Between Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Roy Williams, and Jason Witten along with the combination of Felix Jones, Marion Barber, and Tashard Choice, Romo will have plenty of weapons to choose between to pick apart the average-at-best ‘Skins secondary.

Ravens (+3.5) over JETS
Again, it’s tough to pick against the home team in prime time, but I’m taking Baltimore here. Darrelle Revis probably isn’t in great shape and we don’t know how he’ll fit into the new locker room after sitting out all off-season. The Ravens have the same bloodthirsty defense they’ve always had, just with a very competent offense this time. They go three deep at receiver (Boldin, Mason, and now Houshmandzadeh) with a great runningback tandem in Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. The Jets can definitely talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? Ray Lewis doesn’t think so, and when Ray Lewis speaks, I listen.

CHIEFS (+5.5) over Chargers
Last season, the Chargers went to Oakland for what was supposed to be an easy Monday night win to open the season, but they barely escaped with a 24-20 win. This year, San Diego will be going to Kansas City, but they have a very different team. All-Pros Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill are holding out and Antonio Cromartie is a Jet. Kansas City looks like a team on the verge of success with a great run game, solid young quarterback and plenty of young talent on the other side of the ball. So do I think San Diego can march into Arrowhead Stadium and quiet a raucous crowd on national television by beating them by six points? No.

Whenever someone talks about collegiate sports, they almost always use the term “student-athletes” for the players. However, most of us know that the better phrase to use would be “athlete-students,” if not just “athlete.” Kentucky’s basketball team had an average GPA of 2.025, and most one-and-done basketball players don’t attend classes after their season ends. But not everyone is collegiate sports is a class-skipping, frat-partying, scholastic underachiever; one true scholar-athlete sticks out from the rest, Myron Rolle.

You won't find a better Rolle Model then Myron

If you’re looking for a player who symbolizes “student-athlete”, you’ll be hard pressed to find one better the Myron Rolle. Rolle graduated Florida State after two and a half years with every pre-med requirement and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a 3.75 GPA. In his junior year, he applied for the Rhodes Scholarship, as he wants to be a neurosurgeon after his NFL career, but his interview was scheduled on a key ACC matchup between his Seminoles and the Maryland Terrapins. He chose to go Birmingham, Alabama for his interview and fly back to the game and play mid-way through.  Florida State crushed Maryland 37-3 and he won one of the 32 Rhodes Scholarships.

Going into the draft last year, he was projected to be a late first- or early second-round draft pick. Valuing his education and looking past his athletic career, Rolle attended Oxford. Ultimately, this hurt his draft stock because teams question his commitment to the game and how long he will be able to play. So in the end, he fell to the sixth-round and into the laps of the Tennessee Titans.

Myron Rolle belongs to a prestigious football family, one that has produced many NFL players, including Pro Bowl corner back Samari Rolle and Pro Bowl safety Antrel Rolle. Myron has the potential to be the same caliber of player. He started as a freshman at FSU, where he earned All-American honors. At 6″2″ 215, Rolle certainly has the size to be a great NFL Safety, and his 4.59 40 time only helps.

So here we have a Rhodes Scholar All-American student-athlete entering the NFL Draft. He is mature, smart, and athletic. Somehow he falls to the 207th pick in the draft, the 15th safety drafted. Football IQ is always stressed by coaches because nothing gets on their nerves like someone forgetting a play or where they are supposed to go. Smart players make smart plays and almost always know exactly where to be. One stray defender could be the difference a win and a crushing loss.

He is a team leader. Again, a valuable trait, leadership can be hard to find, especially on defense. Most of the fire and motivation comes from the middle linebacker, but oftentimes you’ll need more then just that. Smart players and tough players make their teammates better, they work together and make the team stronger.

Clearly one of the biggest stories of the draft, Myron Rolle can only be disappointed that he fell this far in the draft. He was the top recruit in his class and showcased his talent throughout his three years as a Seminole. But instead, he keeps his head high. He knows that teams want a committed player over a character player, but all it takes to become a Pro Bowler or even more is determination and hard work. Myron Rolle now has a chip on his shoulder and a reason to prove his doubters wrong.

When the Titans took a “chance” on a talented safety in the sixth round of the draft, they inherited a great man, a great teammate, and a great player. Even if Myron Rolle only plays for three, four, five years, that is still longer the any other draft pick they took this season, and he will already have made a mark on their community.

Each team needs a Myron Rolle. Not necessarily a Rhodes Scholar, but a great person, and smart person, someone who can lift up the football community and work for a greater cause. Myron and his family are opening a free health services clinic in his family’s home nation of the Bahamas, and he does much more for the community.

We’ve all seen the NCAA commercials, “Most of us go pro in something other than sports.” Sure, most of those are curling players from University of Wyoming and archers from Southwest Missouri State, but you know what, it’s still true. And Myron Rolle will be lucky enough to go pro in both.

Myron Rolle is the perfect — well — Rolle Model for every young athlete out there. You need to work hard on and off the field, and make sure you stay out of trouble. You can be the valedictorian of your class while winning a Heisman or other prestigious awards. You can be the star athlete and star student you want to be. It’s all a matter of will.

What if I told you the you could have a quarterback who was a model citizen and a true winner? In the age of high profile players getting into big problems (Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick), role models are essential, but hard to find. But not only does this man steer safe of trouble, he gives back to the community. He is the definition of a winner and has the competitive drive of no play in college football in a long time. He has size (6’3″ 245) and he has a strong arm. He can even run when the pocket starts to collapse. Shouldn’t every team want this player? And shouldn’t everyone love him?

As you have probably figured out, this man is Timothy Richard Tebow. But for some strange reason, Tebow is the most hated college player since J.J. Redick. When Denver traded up to the 25th pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the crowd erupted in boos. Mel Kiper’s face turned visibly red. Steve Young looked ready to punch someone. But Jon Gruden was ecstatic. That sums up the feelings for Florida’s star quarterback. Most people either loved it or absolutely hated it. As for me, I like to say, “Why not?”

One of the biggest concerns for Tebow going into the draft was his release point. Throughout his college career he had a near sidearm motion, something scout absolutely hate. But if you remember, Philip Rivers had the same “problem” when he was drafted #3 overall out of N.C. State. Now, Rivers is a Pro Bowl quarterback with a $40 million contract and an even bigger pay day coming up.

As for another quarterback with poor mechanics, look no further then Tony Romo. Often criticized for a terrible release point and strange throwing motion, Romo has still found great success in the NFL. Making three Pro-Bowls with an average QB rating of 95.6 and over 3,700 yards per season. Even though Romo has only one playoff win in four games, he has gone from an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois to an NFL superstar. Tebow will never go from nothing to something, but he could prove his doubters wrong in the same way Romo had to.

At Florida, Tebow was under the greatest scenario possible in college. He had a great college coach who can turn anyone into a star (Chris Leak and Alex Smith). He was surrounded by great players at receiver (Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy, Aaron Hernandez, and Riley Cooper). Although he had plenty of weapons in his arsenal, Tebow was able to take plenty of matters into his own hands. No one in college was more competitive; no one wanted to win more the Mr. Tebow.

Now, Tebow is on a team in the Broncos that wants him to be the man. Instead of him having to completely re-do his throwing motions, the Broncos can change their offense to suit him. With speedy receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eddie Royal along with second year running back Knowshon Moreno, a spread offense wouldn’t be out of the question, especially with an innovative coach like Josh McDaniels.

Unarguably, drafting Tebow with the 25th overall was the most risky pick in the draft, especially at the price they have to pay for him. While Tebow has the upside to be an elite quarterback in this league, he could just as likely have to become a running back, full back, or tight end in the future. This was a risk, however, that McDaniels needed to take considering the short life of an average NFL coach and how important it is to have a great quarter back. If Tebow is great, McDaniels is a genius and he has job security for the next five to ten years. If Tebow is a flop, the Broncos still have another high-upside young QB on the roster, Brady Quinn. If either of them pan out to their expectations, the Broncos have struck gold in star-power from the most important position in football.

Already, Tim Tebow has broken records without taking a snap. Tebow has the highest selling jersey in the league, more then Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady. While Tebow is a new commodity, and the latter three quarter backs are still on the same team, its shocking that someone would buy a jersey of someone who may not touch the field this season, nor stay a quarterback for his entire career.

In the end, it comes down to character. He is a great guy who does everything right. He commands respect without asking for it, and there is no reason for anyone to hate him. People are searching for great character guys while they fume about what Ben Roethisberger did to a college student, yet overlook this great young man.

"You will never see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season."

More then anything, Tebow doesn’t want his team to lose. In the 2008-09 season, Florida lost to Mississippi 31-30 in the fourth week of the season. He didn’t take this loss lightly. After the game, he made a speech that has since been immortalized on the Gators’ campus. He said “I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season.” And his promise came to fruition as Florida reached the pinnacle of the BCS, beating Oklahoma in the championship game 24-14.

During Spring Break in 2008, Tebow had a choice to make: go to the beach with his friends or do something bigger. Deciding that going to the beach would not benefit himself more then helping the community would to others, Tebow decided to return to his home country of the Philippines to do community service. This man is more then just a star quarterback; he cares for others and is one of the least selfish players in the game. Players these days are all about the paycheck, volunteering for publicity and improving their image. Tebow is different. Tebow is special.

People shouldn’t overlook great character players because of good off-the-field interests, whereas they should be concerned about people with off-the-field issues like Pacman Jones. Because a player loves his religion or has smarts shouldn’t prevent teams from giving them a chance, especially when they showed that they are as good as anyone in college. So, teams, who do you want: a questionable character with potential or a great guy with proven talent?

The Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year, the best of the best. For the first time since 1993, the top two seeds of the playoffs have made it all the way to the Super Bowl, but the game will most certainly be closer then the 51-24 shellacking the Cowboys put on the Bills. We have two of the most prolific passing offenses in the league and two of the worst defenses, too. Brees and Manning, Colston and (maybe) Reggie Wayne, and many many more weapons. One team is eventually going to come out on top, and don’t kid yourself into thinking one of the quarterbacks won’t be the MVP. So who’s it gonna be?

Saints (+5.5) over Colts

The line for this game started at 3.5 the day after the NFC and AFC Championship game and rose the next day to 5.5 points. So in terms of Vegas spreads moving, that’s just about as much as any game has moved in one day. So does that mean that the Colts are going to win easily, or does that mean that all of the ignorant betters jumped on a close line early? That’s why I’m here, to supply the reasons why the Saints (or Colts) will win.

Without question, the two biggest stars by far will be the Peyton and Brees, the All-Pro quarterbacks for the Colts and Saints. Peyton has been gaining speed in the press on the topic that if he does win this Super Bowl, he could be the top quarterback, or even player, of all time. That in itself is ridiculous because he will still have won as many Super Bowls as John Elway, one less then Tom Brady, and two less then Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. But that’s not important at the moment. What’s important now is the play of both field generals.

Peyton Manning and Drew Brees have both had fantastic regular season, no one can doubt that. As I’ve said before, Peyton Manning is the best regular season quarterback in recent memory, but he hasn’t been one to step up in the playoffs. After the first round of the playoffs (when you play the worst playoff teams), Peyton is 6-5 with 15 touchdowns to 12 interceptions while Brees is 3-1 with 9 touchdowns to only one interception. Brees can make all the plays Peyton can without turning the ball over. In fact, Brees hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 15 versus Dallas. Manning is not as accurate as advertised; he certainly hasn’t been as accurate as Brees has been.

As for the running backs, neither team has an overly competent running game. Both have running backs by committee; the Saints have Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell, while the Colts split their few runs between Joseph Addai and rookie Donald Brown. The Colts and Saints have the 24th and 21st run defenses respectively, but it is yet to be seen what the poor run defenses and offenses will yield. My guess is that Reggie Bush will take advantage of the Colts’ poor defense and break out a few long runs and swing passes. Thomas and Addai will also have serviceable games, but no more then sixty yards appiece.

The most recent twist to the Super Bowl is Reggie Wayne aggravating his knee. If he can’t play on Sunday, or he can’t go at full speed, the Colts are in trouble. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are nice, but without Wayne to distract a very underrated Saints’ secondary, so Dallas Clark will really have to step his game up. While the Colts have a better quality of receivers, the Saints have a great quantity of receivers. They have Coltson, Robert Meachem, Jeremy Shockey, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Bush, Thomas, and David Thomas. Brees’ favorite receiver is the open receiver, so don’t look for an overload to one player.

Dwight Freeney's ligament in his ankle is torn off. Completely off

So from my 17 hours of stat crunching and film watching (sarcasm) I have concluded that this game will be a shootout. One interesting note is that unlike the Saints, who have faced two straight juggernaut offenses, the Colts haven’t faced a strong offense since Week 12 versus Houston. The Saints have held the Cards and Vikes mostly in check, while the already hurt Colts’ defense has only had to face Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez. To make matters worse, the Colts are already missing Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney won’t be close to his regular self. Without those two superstars, the Colts will be depending on aging Gary Brackett and Robert Mathis.

Mardis Gras wil be rumbling through New Orleans starting on February 16th, but it certainly possible for the party to start nine days Earlier. Bourbon Street is crazy already, but imagine how crazy it will get if the Saints win? The city of New Orleans needs this more then Indianapolis, and they will use that and their underdog mentality to propel them to the top. In the end, all I have to say is…who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?

Prediction: Saints 38 – Colts 35

Championship Sunday always has that special vibe about it, and this time is no different. Maybe not in San Diego, Dallas, and Baltimore, but certainly in Indianapolis, New York, Minneapolis, and New Orleans. It all comes down to this to see who will get the right to rest their Pro Bowlers as they get ready for the big game. So who will it be? Peyton, Favre, Brees, or the rookies Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan? Home teams in CAPS.

COLTS (-8.5) over Jets

How many Colts, do you think, had in their mind that they may end up playing the Jets that they laid down in front of in Week 16? I can tell you that its probably less then one. So wouldn’t that make for poetic justice if the Jets won this game because the Colts opted not to go for history? Sure, but that’s not going to happen.

The Jets were incredibly lucky to make the playoffs, but the more they won, the more respect they are getting. They have the best running game, the best defense, and a true shut-down corner. They have a swagger about them stemming from Rex Ryan who doesn’t think they are going to win, he tells you he knows they will win. They are aggressive and make the opposing quarterback make quick, rash decisions. If you look even further, Sanchez has been minimizing his errors, and his receivers, although they drop way to many passes (cough cough Braylon Edwards), have some serious talent. You win in the playoffs with running and defense, so why won’t this team win?

The Answer is the team they are playing the Colts. Let’s not forget that the Colts have not lost a game they have tried to win this year. Furthermore, Peyton Manning owns a 4-1 career record in games with nine touchdowns, two interceptions, and three sacks versus Rex Ryan’s defenses, and his only loss coming in a game where Curtis Painter finished it out, and we can safely assume that won’t be the case in the AFC Championship game. If you look at their regular season matchup, the Jets didn’t score but three points in the third quarter with Robert Mathis only playing on passing situations. The Jets’ defense in centered around many different blitzes, but Peyton has the quickest trigger in the league. If the Jets don’t get pressure on the Colts, this game will be over fast.

They key for the Jets will be getting off to an early lead. If the Colts score quickly, the Jets will have to leave their game plan and pass. As long as they can keep feeding Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene the ball and mostly eliminate Mark Sanchez’s mistakes, they will be able to stay in the game. The only problem is I don’t see that happening. The Colts have the best pass rush left in the league with Dwight Freeney and Mathis along with the bets receiver duo left in Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. The Colts are too good to lose to the Jets, and the game will get out of hand by the fourth quarter.

Vikings (+3.5) over SAINTS

The NFC has been full of shootouts, high-scoring games, and blowouts. This game won’t be too different. The Vikings and Saints have an inordinate amount of quick striking weapons from Reggie Bush to Percy Harvin. The winner will definately have a great story going to the Super Bowl whether it is Brett Favre going back to the big game or how much this would mean to the city of New Orleans. This is a must watch game for every single sports fan.

I don't expect another huge game from Reggie Bush, but I expect a very servicable one

The Saints have the best offense of the year and they had one guy come out from under his rock that was a huge help last week. That man would be Reggie Bush, former number two overall pick. While you can’t bank on another game of 144 total yards and two touchdowns, but we can expect the running trio of Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Mike Bell or Lionell Hamilton will show up and provide some relief to the top pass attack in the league. Their biggest problem is their defense, which hasn’t been great, except their pass defense which features Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer.

The Vikings’ offense is centered around Brett Favre and their sudden pass-happy offense. The main recepient of Favre’s fastballs is Sidney Rice, who has suddenly likined himself to a young Randy Moss. They also have the aformentioned Harvin, Bernard Berrian, and Visanthe Shiancoe provide even more options for Favre. The biggest X-Factor for this game is Adrian Peterson. If he can be 2008 Adrian, this game won’t be close. If he is 2009 two yards per carry Adrian, Minnesota will have to depend of the Ol’ Gunslinger, which as we know, doesn’t always lead to success. The one other key will be the linebackers because between the Williams Wall, Jared Allen, and Ray Edwards, the Vikings have the best D-Line in the league. If Jasper Brinkley can fill in to be three quarters of E.J. Henderson, the Vikings will have great success.

In the end, these teams are just about completely evenly matched. The linesmakers even know that because the home team generally gets a three point advantage, so they don’t really like either team more than the other. I believe that this game will come down to a field goal or less, so I’ll take Favre and the Vikings, but the Saints in a very, very close game.

Playoffs: 2-6

Last Week: 1-3

On to the second round of the playoffs, and we finally get to see how much of a mistake, if a mistake at all, it was for New Orleans and Indianapolis to slow down at the end of the season. We will also see if Rex Ryan’s Super Bowl hopes will continue, or be dashed in sunny San Diego. We have Brees/Warner, Peyton/Flacco, Romo/Favre and Rivers/Sanchize. Let the football begin. Home teams in CAPS.

NEW ORLEANS (-7) over Cardinals

I’ll give the Cardinals this: they put up a great fight versus the Packers last Sunday, but they will have to play a much better New Orleans team less then six days later. New Orleans has been resting their starters and hasn’t played a meaningful game in three weeks. Drew Brees has been studying Cards and licking his lips just thinking about how he will take advantage of their 23rd ranked pass defense. Arizona will just be hoping that Kurt Warner will have all of his weapons available, including Anquan Boldin, who may miss a second straight game.

If you like defensive football games where a couple field goals will make the difference, this is not the game for you. It won’t be as high scoring of a game as the Packers/Cardinals 96 point blowout, but there will be next to no defense. In the end, the Saints have more big play ability and more weapons. Their ground game is much better then Arizona, and the Cardianls’ defense leaves much to be desired. The Superdome crowd won’t disappoint, and the Saints will come away with a solid victory. But to be clear, I won’t like them next week versus either Dallas or Minnesota.

Ravens (+6.5) over COLTS

Last weeks’ game between the Ravens and Patriots was pretty telling. The Ravens showed that if a couple of big plays and penalties went their way, they could have gone 15-1. If you don’t believe me, look at the schedule. They have a fantastic running back duo in Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, and although he didn’t show up in Foxboro, Joe Flacco has proven he can carry his team if they need him to. Their defense is definately missing Bart Scott and competent cornerbacks, but they can blitz like crazy, and that’s what teams need to do to beat Peyton Manning. Their return game is second in the league, thanks for the most part to Chris Carr. The Ravens are an underhyped team that is very dangerous, especially if underestimated.

The Colts, like the Saints, were incredible for most of the season until they completely stepped off the gas, except to keep Peyton Manning’s consecutive start streak alive and let Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark catch their 100th pass. Some say that resting players early has no correlation to losing early, but the last two times the Colts rested their players early, they were given early exits. Like I’ve said earlier, if you step of the gas, you are going to slow down, and if you take your foot of their throat, they will get back up. The Ravens picked off Tom Brady four times, so who’s to say they can’t do the same or something similar to Peyton Manning? We all know the football cliché, if you win two of the three parts of the game, you win the game. They have a better special teams and defense, but will be hard pressed to beat the Colts. I don’t think the Ravens will beat Indy, but the will definitely keep it within a touchdown.

The most important player for the Cowboys is the one not on the field

Cowboys (+2.5) over VIKINGS

The Cowboys are the hottest team in the league not named the Chargers. Tony Romo has shed his late season shell and all of the receivers are showing up and not complaining (cough cough Terrell Owens). They are a new team, a team who is much more willing to run, and a team who has faith in the quarterback and head coach for the first time in a long time. Their defense is now the best in the NFC and their isn’t really any chinks in their armor. Dallas is just a fanantstic, well rounded.

As for Minnesota, they aren’t to bad either. They are probably being overlooked as teams like the Cowboys are getting more and more hyped. The Vikings forte is running the ball, except against good run defenses, which Dallas is. With the exception of the Baltimore game, Adrian Peterson has been a feast or famine running back that has beat up on the Browns and Lions, while struggling against the Cardinals and Packers. I would rather have the Cowboy’s three running backs (Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice) the Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Vikings have suddenly become under Favre’s control, which is not what you need when to win in the playoffs, you run the ball and don’t turn it over. Favre is also 2-6 career versus the Cowboys. The Metrodome crowd is always loud, but they don’t always fill up their seats with Vikings fans, so expect a ton of Dallas (bandwagon) fans to show up. All signs are pointing Dallas, and they are my pick to represent the NFC in Miami.

CHARGERS (-7) over Jets

This is by far the easiest game to pick, since it features the best and worst teams in the playoffs (yes, I said that Colts and Saints fans). The Chargers have an incredible pass attack, but the Jets have the top pass attack. Nearly all of the credit for their NFL-best pass defense can be attributed to Darrelle Revis, who has shut down nearly all the top receivers in the league. The bad new for him is that he can’t guard Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, and Malcom Floyd at the same time. Philip Rivers has been as clutch as anyone from December on, as he owns a 23-4 record during that time. LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles are going to be the X-Factors, if they can beat out the blitzing Jets and take advantage of their hole at nose tackle, the game won’t even be close.

The Jets don’t have much to be proud of. Their “star” quarterback throws balls to the opposing team at just under the rate that he does to his own, and his top receiver can’t catch a ball that hits him in the hands. Literally. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene do form a great tandem at running back, but when the San Diego defense brings the blitz, they won’t be able to get that far. Taking rookie QBs on the road is never a smart thing to do, and Mark Sanchez, you’re not in Cincinnati anymore.

Super Bowl Pick: I am sticking with the Chargers in the AFC, as they have done nothing to change my mind, and the Ravens and Jets don’t pose much of a threat to stop their hot streak. I did pick the Eagles in the NFC, but I said if they lose, I’ll take the Cowboys. I’ll gladly take Dallas, as they have been dominant to close the year and their team with Roy Williams is better then it was last year with TO. The Cardinals are too inconsistent, the Saints and Colts are too cold, the Jets are just bad, and I can’t pick the Ravens to win it all.

Playoff Record: 1-3

Last Week: 1-3

Brady and Manning. Manning and Brady. These two superstar quarterbacks are at the top of everyone’s list of top quarterbacks playing and top players of the decade. As for the Player of the Decade, the choice is simple, and I am here to finally settle the debate.

Point 1: Winning

When it comes to the best player, you can go several ways with that. You can look at who racks up the most yards or points, or you can look at who makes your team the best. A prime example of this is a similar discussion to Brady/Manning, Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. Chamberlain racked up the monster stats while Russell put up very good numbers. Wilt also never fouled out. But in the end, those two ended up hurting Wilt because he was more concerned about stats then points and let up on defense so he would continue his streak of not fouling out. Russell won only eleven titles in thirteen years and held a  career record against Wilt. So who do you want on your team, the prima donna who is obsessed with statistics, or the great teammate obsessed with winning at all costs, even if it means cutting into his own playing time? If you need more convincing, buy The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons.

While neither Brady nor Manning falls into the Wilt Chamberlain category, one of the two does follow more into the win-at-all-costs category. In the 2000s, Brady has a  97-29 record while Manning is 131-60. Brady’s winning percentage is a full 8.2 percentage points higher then Manning. Even in head-to-head, Brady has come on top more often then not, with a 7-5 record versus Peyton. Brady led his team to an undefeated regular season and finished the season 18-1 while Peyton laid down after starting the season 14-0, finishing out 14-2. You need a Super Bowl winning drive, Brady has two of those while Peyton only has one, which I will address next.

Tom Brady is a winner, especially in the playoffs

Point 2: Playoffs

If you want to measure a winner, the best way to measure one is by the number of trophies and rings they have. Brady has the edge again, with three rings to Manning’s one. Brady did his part to win a fourth ring until Asante Samuel dropped an interception before Eli Manning escaped pressure while his linemen were blatantly holding several Patriots, leading to the catch by David Tyree that every Patriot and Giant fan has engraved in their head. Tom Brady’s playoff dominance and Peyton’s playoff deficiencies goes beyond rings. Let’s take a look at the stats.

To start off, we need to look at their records to see who is the better winner. Brady is 14-4, winning his first 10, while Peyton is a shockingly poor 7-8. That is inexcusable for a Player of the Decade if you lose more then you win in the playoffs. In fact, if you take out Peyton’s 2006 Super Bowl run, he is 3-8 career in the playoffs. During that run to the title, Manning was threw seven interceptions to only three touch downs, which included a Super Bowl victory against Rex Grossman’s Bears. As for Brady in the playoffs, he has thrown six more touch downs and two less interceptions and, again, has a  postseason record of 14-4 this past decade.

I’m not trying to say that Peyton Manning is a terrible quarterback. In fact, I don’t think you can have a better postseason quarterback then Peyton Manning. If I want to win one regular season game, there is a great chance I’m going to call on number 18. But when it really counts, and the game is on the line, I want Tom Brady. So what puts these two Pro-Bowlers apart? The simple answer is Brady is playoff clutch and Peyton is just regular season clutch.

Point 3: Talent of their Teams

Tom Brady has been getting a ton of heat as of late for having a better team then Peyton, but is that really true? Brady won all of his rings with a not-so-stellar core of Deion Branch, David Givens, Troy Brown, and David Patten. Even his runningbacks have been below average with Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney, and Corey Dillon. Only recently, he was given the true weapons that he has now. 

Peyton Manning has always been blessed with a plethora of talent at the skill positions. When he entered the league in 2001, he already had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Edgerrin James, and Dominic Rhodes. He added Dallas Clark in 2003 and Joseph Addai in 2006. The level of talent for the two QBs to work with on offense incredibly favors Peyton.

The Patriots have had a better defense historically then the Colts, but both teams have plenty of All-Pro defenders. The Pats had Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, and Rodney Harrison, but let’s not forget about Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, and Gary Brackett for Indy.

So in the end, what do you want in a quarterback? A funny guy who is great in commercials or a guy who continually comes through in the clutch. Brady has done more with less over the first decade of this millennium. You can’t name the best player of the decade someone who has a losing record in the playoffs with seven picks in his Super Bowl run; Tom Brady has shown me more then Peyton Manning in the 2000s.

We’ve finally arrived at the first weekend of the playoffs (why they gave such a great thing in the NFL Playoffs such bad names like Wild Card Round and Division Round I’ll never know) and the NFL couldn’t have found a worse way to start it off. Three of the four games are rematches from last week. Roger Goodell should have just said there was a mistake with the seeding and the matchups will be switched. Anyways, here are my picks. Home teams in CAPS.

BENGALS (-2.5) over Jets
This matchup features two of the most two inconsistent teams in the NFL. After losing to the Falcons, Rex Ryan said his team had no shot at the playoffs, and a few weeks later with thanks to the Colts and Bengals laying down, look where he is. Now he says they should be the favorites to win the Super Bowl. That coming from a coach who’s team has Mark Sanchez as their quarterback. So maybe the Jets did beat the Bengals last week 37-0, but I’m fairly certain the Bengals didn’t bring their A, B, or C game. And I don’t think I’m taking a rookie quarterback on the road.

The Jets are still missing Kris Jenkins and Leon Washington, and if I may remind you again, have Mark Sanchez. The Sanchize is the second least competent quarterback in the league (better then JaMarcus Russell, but worse then Jake Delhomme) and the Jets are extremely lucky to even be in the playoffs, the Texans really deserved it more. The Bengals are getting no respect, and they will use that, like they have all year to motivate them to get the victory. One last note is that the Vegas sharks usually lean to the team the average fan is betting against, and the Jets are getting a lot of movement now.

Eagles (+3.5) over COWBOYS
I’ll give you another football cliche here, but it’s nearly impossible to beat a quality team three times in one year. It’s also nearly impossible for Donovan McNabb, who has been an absolutely clutch playoff quarterback up until the NFC Championship Game, to have another game as bad as he had last week when he had two fumbles and just wasn’t on target. It’s a shame that these two teams are playing now because they are my two favorite teams to go to the Super Bowl. The Vikings and Saints are down and no other team wants to be that team, so the NFC will be a crapshoot. The Eagles can guard the pass and have so many weapon to kill you with on offense.

As for the Cowboys, fans and the media kept saying that Dallas would fold again in December and the team is the same. Whatever it is, maybe Tony Romo growing up or Terrell Owens leaving, this team is different. They have three quality rushers and a ton of talent on defense. At the moment, all the sign are pointing to the Cowboys (especially with the game being in Jerry World), but I can’t pick the Cowboys to win three times this year versus the Eagles. Remember the 2007 Giants and Cowboys?

Get to know Julian Edelman, who has been dubbed Wes Welker's Mini-Me

PATRIOTS (-3.5) over Ravens
Colts’ head coach Jim Caldwell was much maligned for benching Peyton Manning and his other starters early in Weeks 16 and 17, but his point may have been proven correct when Bill Belichick played his starters in a meaningless game and Wes Welker blew out his knee. But I can defend The Hoodie. At least he always goes for the kill. If you take you foot off the gas, you’ll slow down, and if you take your foot off their throat, they’ll get back up. Bill Belichick is the best coach in the playoffs and Tom Brady is the best playoff quarterback. The Patriots don’t lose at home, and Brady doesn’t lose in the first round.

As for the Ravens, they have the upside of a team who could go all the way. They have a ferocious, albeit aging defense and a fantastic running game with Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. They have great leadership from Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Joe Flacco, and Derrick Mason. Their only problem is that they are playing the Patriots in the first round. As for replacing Welker, the Pats will put Julian Edelman is the slot/security blanket role. He is bigger then Welker, and has filled in fantastic with 18 catches and 201 yards combined in his two starts filling in for Welker. I’m taking the Pats big here.

CARDINALS (+1) over Packers
Like the Bengals/Jets game, the Packers and Cardinals will rematch and the home team is coming off a huge loss to the team they just played. The Cardinals lost 33-7, and similar to Cincy, didn’t bring their bets game, at all. The Cardinals are also another one of those strange teams, similar to, again, the Bengals. They have a much higher upside, but a much lower down-side, too. Assuming the Cards will have Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and Anquan Boldin, we should be in for a great game because we have no idea which Arizona team we will see.

Since their ten point loss to the Bucs, the Packers have been the second hottest team in the league, second to the Chargers. They have won seven of eight games and Aaron Rogers is becoming a top-tier NFL QB. They have been great on defense, but they are missing two key players: Aaron Kampman and Al Harris. They are tops in the league in pass defense, but much of that came with Harris in the lineup. I think both players will be sorely missed, especially with the Cardinals’ depth at receiver.

Super Bow Pick

I am going with the Chargers over the Eagles in the Super Bowl. The Chargers have been the best team in the league since Week 7 and there is no team ready to stop them. The Colts and Saints will regret stepping off the gas at the end of the season and the Vikings have to many problems between Favre and Childress and missing E.J. Henderson. The Cowboys are a dark horse in the playoffs, and they will be my new NFC favorite if they beat Philly.

Season: 131-111

Last Week: 9-7

Lock of the Week: 8-8