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

We are finally at the last week of the NFL Season. On Monday, there will be no more Lions and Rams losing, and the debates will start up over who will win which games in the first round of the playoffs. But that is Monday, and each team will get to say that they got to play in December so lets finish the season strong. Home teams in CAPS.

Colts (-2.5) over BILLS
The Colts will likely be resting most of their starters, but no matter how bad of players you have, it’s still really hard to lose to the Bills.

Jaguars (+1.5) over BROWNS
Okay, so the Browns may have won three straight games, Jerome Harrison is running like a young Jamal Lewis, and Eric Mangini is fighting to save his job, but what does that really mean if you beat a reeling Steelers team, the Chiefs, and Raiders? Not much. Add on to that the fact that the Jags need to win to make the playoffs and potentially not move to LA (against Mo-Jo Drew’s hopes), I’ll take the Jags here. You know that Vegas is giving you points against the Browns, right?

Bears (-3.5) over LIONS
Did the linesmakers not watch the Bears show up the Vikings last Monday night? Do they not know that Lovie Smith needs a win here to save his job? Do they know that Jay Cutler needs to finish the year strong to appease the ferocious Bears fans? With those motivations, I’ll take the Bears over the Lions.

49ers (-7.5) over RAMS
In big games, teams need to come up clutch. This is the most important game of the year for the Rams…lose and they clinch the right to draft Ndamukong Suh. Win and the Lions will likely draft the behemoth Defensive Tackle. I think the Rams will come through in this clutch situation.

Steelers (-2.5) over DOLPHINS
Both teams need to win to get in to the playoffs. Both teams are in an off year. But one team is the defending champs. I’ll take them and Big Ben, who is becoming as clutch as any quarterback in the NFL.

VIKINGS (-8.5) over Giants
If there is one thing a playoff-bound team cannot do, it is go into the playoffs on a prolonged cold streak. The Vikings have lost 3 of the last 4 and have a Head Coach who has lost his power to hit quarterback. Not the recipe for success. How do they fix it? Win big at home to keep alive a chance to get a first-round bye. The Vikings need this game big time, and the Giants are in no position to stop them.

Falcons (-2.5) over BUCCANEERS
The Falcons have the biggest game of the week for any team who doesn’t have a chance to go to the playoffs. They are currently 8-7 and have never had back-to-back winning seasons in their 43 years of existence. With a chance to break that terrible streak, there is no way I see them letting this chance slip away, especially against the Bucs.

PANTHERS (-2.5) over Saints
The Saints are going to rest Drew Brees, Darren Sharper, and Pierre Thomas, so it’s pretty obvious that they are not going all in to finish the year. The Panthers are yet another team with a disappointing year hoping to save face and save their head coach’s job. I’ll take the Panthers at home.

Patriots (+7.5) over TEXANS
How often this decade, or rather last decade, do you have the chance to pick the Patriots and get more then a touchdown, too? Not too often, and I’m going to jump at that opportunity no matter how short (or long) Brady, Moss, and Welker stay in.

Eagles (+2.5) over COWBOYS

CARDINALS (-3.5) over Packers
The entire nation seems to be sweeped up in the Packers’ great record, but I still think they are a fraud. They feast off bad teams and can’t beat the good ones. The Cardinals are a fairly good team, and a great team at home.

CHARGERS (-4.5) over Redskins
The Chargers are far and away better then the Redskins, but they have nothing to play for. But in the end they are playing the ‘Skins, so this shouldn’t be to hard of a game to win. This is the Lock of the Week.

SEAHAWKS (+4.5) over Titans
Last week, the Seahawks were demolished by the Packers last week, and couldn’t do anything to prove they could put up a fight. I started off wanting to pick them since I was getting that many points, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Seattle is really just a bad, bad team. The Titans are just okay, and we all know that okay trumps bad.

Ravens (-10.5) over RAIDERS
The Raiders have been a fantastic giant killer this year, but that has been because teams just don’t take them seriously. The Ravens won’t be taking any team lightly when they can clinch a Wild Card spot with a win. Joe Flacco needs to prove he won’t fall back into (or stay in) his Sophomore Slump, and the defense need to prove they still have their same speed and power.

Chiefs (+12.5) over BRONCOS
The Broncos have been one of the Top-5 strangest teams of the year. They started off the year 6-0 and everyone doubted them. Then people joined their bandwagon and they lost four straight. Then they won two. Now, they’ve lost three. What does this mean? This means that Josh McDaniels need to prove he knows what he’s doing by benching Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler with everything on the line and win the game, which they will, just by less then two touchdowns.

BENGALS (+9.5) over Jets
If the Jets win, they’re in the playoffs. The ironic part is that they will likely be playing the Bengals in Cincinnati, again. The Jets are a far easier team to beat then the Steelers and even the Dolphins and Texans, so why not lose this game and beat them when all your stars are trying their hardest and you have more tape? The only reason I’m going with the Bengals is because Chad Ochocinco said that he will not be shut down Darrelle Revis, who has shut down star wideouts Randy Moss, Andre Johnson, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Steve Smith, and Marques Colston, just to name seven.

Season: 122-104

Last Week: 11-5

Lock of the Week: 8-7

The Season is winding down, and the Wild Card slots are slowly but surely being decided. Powerhouses like the Giants and Steelers are on the outside of the playoffs looking in while the Ravens, Broncos, Cowboys, and Packers are playing the best they can to hold on to their playoff spot. Home teams in CAPS.

Chargers (+2.5) over TITANS

Philip Rivers is 17-0 career in December. I wonder who I'm picking to win?

Whoever made up this line is crazy. Aside from the Colts, the Bolts are the hottest team in the NFL and many have argued that they could beat Indy. The Titans are a team who capitalized on poor teams underestimating Vince Young and Chris Johnson. Give me the team with the taller receivers, better leader, and more ferocious defense. This is the Lock of the Week.

FALCONS (-8.5) over Bills
With Matt Ryan and possibly Michael Turner back, the Bills will stand no chance in the ATL. With Briam Brohm at the helm, who was recently cut by Green Bay, you can’t expect much out of former play-makers Lee Evans and Terrell Owens.

BENGALS (-13.5) over Chiefs
The Chiefs proved again last week how bad of a team they are when they lost to the lowly Browns and gave up 286 rushing yards to little known running back Jerome Harrison and two long return touchdowns to Joshua Cribbs. The Bengals, although they didn’t win, put up a great fight in San Diego after mourning the loss of fallen teammate Chris Henry. Gimme the boys with the stripes.

BROWNS (-3.5) over Raiders
Like I just said, the Browns actually showed up to play, perhaps to show off for new president Mike Holmgren. The Raiders showed us that they are the best of the fail-tastic NFL teams. They can beat the good teams (Denver, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh), but not the bad ones (Redskins, Chiefs, and now the Browns.)

Seahawks (+13.5) over PACKERS
Sure, the Packers are in line to make the playoffs, but that doesn’t make this team good, at all. They own a 9-5 record that includes wins over only the Bears, Rams, Lions, Browns, Cowboys, Niners, and the Bears and Lions again. Not so good now, eh? The Seahawks are too proud of a team to lose by two touchdowns.

Ravens (+2.5) over STEELERS
A 3-4 Defense needs two key components to succeed: A good pass rush and strong safety. Without Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, the Steelers don’t have that, and their defense has become incredibly porous. The Ravens have a great run game centered around Ray Rice who will slice through the aging Steelers’ D.

Texans (+3.5) over DOLPHINS
The Dolphins are a nice sleeper pick, but the Texans have the most up-side along, yes higher then the Steelers, with their high flying offense, not that potential Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing hasn’t been great. As long as they keep feeding the ball to freakishly athletic Andre Johnson, they will be fine.

PATRIOTS (-7.5) over Jaguars
The Pats are the least talented on defense then they’ve had over the past decade with no more Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Roosevelt Colvin, Richard Seymour, or Rodney Harrison. The veteran free agents they’ve brought in, such as Adalius Thomas,  Derrick Burgess, and Shawn Springs, haven’t been so goo either. That being said, the are far more talented on offense, whether or not Randy Moss is giving it his all. I’ll take New England here big.

SAINTS (-14.5) over Buccaneers
Just like the ’07 Pats, the Saints started out the year winning big and slowly but surely, the margin of victory dropped and dropped. The Patriots never got to play the Bucs at the the end of the season, though, so I’ll take  an exception to the rule here.

PANTHERS (+6.5) over Giants
The Giants are an over-hyped okay team. The Panthers are an under-hyped not-so-good team. The Panthers are playing to save their coach’s job, to their fans’ dismay. The Giants are playing to salvage any shot at making the playoffs. Sounds to me like a dogfight. One that won’t be decided by more then a field goal.

CARDINALS (-13.5) over Rams
As if it wasn’t bad enough already for the Rams, but a case of Swine Flu, or rather H1N1 virus has hit their team. Steven Jackson may miss the game. The Cardinals will have to try hard not to win by more then two touchdowns.

49ERS (-11.5) over Lions
I think that the Lions are trying to prove to the world that they are not that much better then last year. Two wins, maybe, but they are still dysfunctional with or without Matt Millen.

Broncos (+7.5) over EAGLES
I am probably one of the few people who still believes in the Broncos, and they really need a win here. There are six teams one game in the standings behind them, so a road win over a quality team would be huge. I expect this to be another dog fight and like the Giants/Panthers game, but with much larger implications, the game to stay very close.

Jets (+5.5) over COLTS
Jim Caldwell hasn’t been clear about how long he is going to play his starters, but it is pretty clear that going 16-0 doesn’t mean much to his team. Assuming Peyton won’t play the whole game, Rex Ryan will blitz the living daylight out of the Colts to get any shot he can on Peyton.

Cowboys (-6.5) over REDSKINS
The Cowboys can still win the division, and the Redskins can still rid themselves of Jim Zorn, so I’ll take the Cowboys here.

Vikings (-7.5) over BEARS
Even after a prime time collapse and an angry conversation between Head Coach and Quarterback, the Vikings are still clearly better then the Bears by more then a touch down. Expect Adrian Peterson to rush for over 100 yards, for only the fourth time this year.

Season: 111-99

Last Week: 7-9

Lock of the Week: 7-7

As the season raps up, there is an ongoing debate in the football community of whether or not the Saints and Colts should go for it all. Michael Irvin said he would trade his three Super Bowl rings and his Hall-of-fame bust for an undefeated season, while former ’72 Dolphins say they should rest. What do you think? Anyways, here are my Week 15 picks. Home teams in CAPS.

Colts (-6.5) over JAGUARS
The Jags are always great against bad teams, and the Colts certainly don’t count as one of those. The Colts will find a way to pull this one out, no matter how long Peyton Manning plays.

SAINTS (-7.5) over Cowboys
Just so you know, this is December, therefore the Cowboys will be playing poorly. New Orleans will be fired up, especially their defense, and they will win big.

Patriots (-7.5) over BILLS
The Buffalo winds are always strong, but they won’t be strong enough to stop a fired up Randy Moss. This will be a good wake-up call for the Pats’ defense, and I don’t mean a hard test, I mean to cushion their stats.

Cardinals (-10.5) over LIONS
The Cards just lost a big game Monday Night, and they’ll want to wrap up the division quickly before the Niners close out the year with the Rams and Lions. With Culpepper in,  this game should be a cinch for Warner and Gang.

Dolphins (+3.5) over TITANS
Chris Johnson is in the debate for MVP this year, but I don’t get it? CJ has everything a great player needs, and he can do anything accept for win games. His team is 6-7.

It's like this, just for hours and hours and hours on end

CHIEFS (-2.5) over Browns
The Browns have been in talks with Mike Holmgren about running the Browns. What is so wrong with Mike’s life that he has stooped this low? Does his wife really nag that much? This game is so bad, I’m going to make a list of things I’d rather do then watch this game:
1. Take a three hour AP Calculus exam
2. Get beat up by Elin Nordegren
3. Have to listen to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver for 24 straight hours
This game is that bad.

Texans (-9.5) over RAMS
I’m gonna be honest here, Keith Noll isn’t very inspiring. His scouting report around the league is ‘He is the backup to Kyle Boller. That should be enough to tell you how this game will end.

Falcons (+6.5) over JETS
I still believe in these Falcons after they put a great fight up against the Saints. I still don’t believe in the pass dropping, smack talking J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets! Kellen Clemens? He makes Chris Redman look good.

EAGLES (-7.5) over 49ers
The third best team in the NFC has yet to be decided between the disappearing and reappearing Cardinals and the winner of the not-so-tough NFC East. But the Niners are on a short week and the Eagles are on top of their game.

RAVENS (-10.5) over Bears
These aren’t your daddy’s Ravens, these guys can score. They also can’t defend. But they can defend Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

Bengals (+6.5) over CHARGERS
Philip Rivers is 16-0 in his career in December, but this is a bigger game for the Bengals. Not just so that they can get more deserved respect, but because the loss of fallen teammate Chris Henry. The last time the Bengals had a loss this big, Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer lost his wife and the team responded with a big win over Baltimore. Big game step up by the Bengals.

BRONCOS (-13.5) over Raiders
You know your team is bad when your group of quarterbacks are JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, and J.P. Losman. The Broncos will get their playoff bye a few weeks early.

STEELERS (-.5) over Packers
The Packers have lost too much on defense to stop the Steelers who are in dire need of wins. Aaron Rodgers will be tought a lesson here as Big Ben and James Harrison defend Heinz Field.

SEAHAWKS (-7.5) over Buccaneers
Anyone who has to watch this game obviously has nothing going on in their life or like torture. Justin Forsett, Samie Stroughter, and Stylez G. White aren’t the most inspiring players. At least we get to see Josh Freeman show off his Jay Cutler-esque arm. That is in strength and pick-ability.

Vikings (-7.5) over PANTHERS
The Panthers are missing both of their starting offensive tackles, so judging by the Vikings’ pass rush, I’m going to have to take the Vikes here. Brett Favre could even turn in a Delhomme-esque game, and the Vikings would run right over the Panthers.

Giants (-3.5) over REDSKINS
This line is a joke. The Giants need a win and the Redskins are the Redskins. Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley are out for the year, and starting in place for them are Quinton Ganther, Rock Cartwright, and Fred Davis. I’ll take the Giants, as they are…the Lock of the Week.

Season: 104-90

Last Week: 9-7

Lock of the Week: 6-7

The Mercury Morris Watch is on, as there are two undefeated teams left with four games to go. Will the Saints and/or the Colts pull it off, or will there be a collapse this week at the hands of the Broncos or Falcons? Well see on Sunday. As for my picks this year, last week killed me and my Locks of the Week haven’t been so solid either. As the Cubs fans say, wait ’til next year. Home teams in CAPS.

Steelers (-9.5) over BROWNS
Sure, the Steelers have not been playing too well lately, but that doesn’t make them this close to the Browns. Polamalu is out for the Steelers, but Brady Quinn is in for the Browns. It’s that simple.

FALCONS (+9.5) over Saints (with Turner or Ryan healthy)
The Falcons may be out of the playoffs for the most part, but this is their season. Can they stop the undefeated Saints, or at least, keep it in single digits? The Saints just came off a near loss, if not for a missed 23 yard field goal by the now cut Shaun Suisham. I can’t give a team with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner this many points and still expect to win. My one stipulation for this pick is that if Ryan and Turner are both out, I’m going with the Saints.

Packers (-3.5) over BEARS
I absolutely hate the Packers as a team this year, especially with Aaron Kampman and Al Harris out for the year, but I have to pick them if I only have to give just over a field goal. The Bears are horrid, even at home. Without Brian Urlacher, the Bear’s defense won’t be able to stop Aaron Rodgers and his long release time.

If New Englanders see this in February, expect the suicide rate to skyrocket

Broncos (+7.5) over COLTS
On a side note, if the Colts win the Super Bowl this year, it will officially be the worst year in Boston sports history, ever. The biggest three rivals in the three biggest Bostonian sports (Lakers, Yankees, and Colts) will have won a championship. So, after coming off five straight tough games, the Colts may be relieved to see a falling Broncos on their schedule. Most people would call this a trap game.

CHIEFS (-.5) over Bills
The Who Cares game of the week. Only difference between them is one team has a semi-competent quarterback (the Chiefs) while one has a QB from Harvard (Bills). Case closed.

Jets (-3.5) over BUCCANEERS
Rex Ryan brought in Yankees skipper Joe Girardi to teach Mark Sanchez how to slide last week. When Sanchez arrived to a sliding situation last week against the Bills, he dove and tore a ligament in his knee. That makes two below-average coaches in the greater New York area. I hate picking Kellen Clemens to win a game, but after Josh Freeman’s performance last week, I have to pick him to win here. To be clear, I would rather have Freeman than Sanchez, but the Jets are far more talented than the Bucs.

Dolphins (+2.5) over JAGUARS
The Dolphins are a hard team to figure out. They’ve beat the Pats but lost to the Bills. They have the Wildcat, but no Ronnie Brown. The Jaguars, on the other hand have been consistently mediocre. Home Field Advantage shouldn’t play a major role in the game, as 15,000 fans usually don’t. I think the Dolphins can contain Maurice Jones-Drew for the most part, and keep rolling on.

RAVENS (-13.5) over Lions
Historically, the Ravens have been an up-and-down team. Over the last 5 years, they have finished the season with 11, 5, 13, 6, and 9 wins. That would mean that this would be a down year. I loved them at the start of the year, and they continued the trend. I certainly love them against the Lions, though.

TEXANS (-6.5) over Seahawks
If the Texans want to make the playoffs or get above .500 for the first time in franchise history, they’re going to have to beat teams like the Seahawks. They need this, and they will get it.

Bengals (+6.5) over VIKINGS
This is just the game that the Bengals show up to win, on the road when everyone doubts them. Brett Favre will be hitting his annual winter wall as he stops the touchdown throwing and starts up the interceptions. If you’re going to give me nearly a TD, I’ll take it.

Panthers (+13.5) over PATRIOTS
Oh, Geez. I can’t pick against the Patriots normally and especially after a loss, let along two, but this is way too many points to give up. The Dolphins just broke the Pats streak of wins after a loss that lasted since 2002. Matt Moore is giving the Panthers somewhat of a spark on offense, so I’ll take the Cats with the nearly two touchdown.

Rams (+12.5) over TITANS
Who ever made the Titans good? They were dreadful for the first six games, then Vince Young decided to play, which wasn’t too hard against pretty bad teams. Now they’ve been exposed by the Colts. I am NOT giving them 12. points here…. this is the Lock of the Week.

Redskins (-2.5) over RAIDERS
Neither team is even decent, although both showed up last week. The ‘Skins were in it the entire game against the undefeated Saints and the Raiders came up with yet another win over a much better team. I still think the Redskins have more talent, especially in the defense, so I’ll take them.

Chargers (+3.5) over COWBOYS
The Cowboys are getting way too much love here, especially in December. Every NFL fan, especially Cowboys fans, knows that Dallas does NOT play well in December. San Diego fans know that the Chargers are fantastic in December. They also have way more talent. This is a really easy game to pick.

Eagles (+.5) over GIANTS
The winner of this game will likely win the NFC East, so this is a very, very important game. The Giants are hurting on defense, and the Eagles are on the top of their game. I’ll take the Iggles with the useless half point.

CARDINALS (-3.5) over 49ers
Like the Packers game, I don’t like the team I’m picking, but I dislike the team they’re playing even more. I like the Niners a bit more than the Bears, but a field goal in near to nothing to give up.

Season: 95-83

Last Week: 5-11

Lock of the Week: 6-6