First post of 2011. Alright. Quick note on what coming down the pike from the LRW. NFL playoffs: picks and thoughts, top ten movies of 2011, the slow decline of the Jazz, continuation of the Curse project and, of course, spring baseball. All exciting stuff...for me. OK.
There are always upsets in the first round. Interestingly enough though, I would say two to three of the home teams this year are probably the underdog this week. Hopefully they are good games. Here are the picks. Hopefully, next week I’ll have a little more time to work on these. Kids, stay in school. Get 2 degrees. Work will still be there when you get done.
Seahawks v. Saints (-10.5)
The lack of a Saints running game and the Seattle home crowd makes this a little more intriguing than it should be. The Seahawks are the worst playoff team ever but they should play better than that mostly warranted moniker. (I love seeing headlines that say "'Hawks say 'We have nothing to apologize for.'" Hilarious) Old Matt Hasselback is not all dead yet. Just mostly dead so he should be able to make this game a little frisky. I’m still taking Breesus and the Saints to win but I’ll take the ‘hawks on points.
Prediction that has no shot of being close: Saints: 31 – Hawks: 24
Jets v. Colts (-2.5)
As a recent resident of the Tri-state area with a daily 30 minute morning commute down the NJ Parkway that is ideal for listening to local sports radio (WFAN), it is very difficult not to drink the Jets Kool-aid. After Hard Knocks and Rex Ryan foot fetish videos, it is easy to root for the J-E-T-S. Nothing wrong with a team that has a little personality. On the flip side, Peyton Manning is still always a gamer and he is tough at home but his team is injury ravaged and, generally, not as good this year. Also in a theme of the losers this weekend, Colts can’t run the ball.
Prediction: Jets 24 – Colts 21
Packers (+2.5) v. Iggles
I am kind of surprised by all the pro-Pack talk in the last week. i.e Peter King still taking them to the Super Bowl. They really seem to me to be a story of what could have been rather than what will be. They have also been hit hard by injuries and even more so than the Colts and Saints have no running game to speak of. Yes, they’ve got a solid defense but I am not sure it is enough against the one-two-three punch of Vick, Shady McCoy and DeSean Jackson. Also, as always, the Philly crowd will be hostile. (Is a Philly crowd ever not hostile?) Pack was very average against the Bears last week in a game they had to win and I think some of that carries over.
Prediction: Iggles: 34 – Pack: 17
Ravens (-3) v. Chiefs
So this is where I am going out on a limb. I kind of like the Chiefs in this game. Yes, the same Chiefs that were destroyed at home by the Raiders. Yes, the same Chiefs whose Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator hate each. Yes, the same Chiefs that beat only 1(!) playoff team this year (The Pack week 4). So why could I possibly like this team? Two reasons: (1) Jamaal Charles and (2) Joe Flaaco. If the Chiefs can establish the ground game early, Charles is a beast and they can definitely steal this game. Side note: Who would have thought that five years later the best pro from the epic 2006 Rose Bowl would be Texas backup running back Jamaal Charles. What would have the odds been for that at the time in a game that featured VY, Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and many other pros? 1,000 to 1? 10,000 to 1? Crazy.
Second, I have no idea if old Joe Flaaco is any good. As he was the QB of my UI-Law Fantasy team this year, I have been heavily invested in him since week one. Over the season, he seemed vacillate from pretty good to awful, just awful. Never great. Not a guy that can put the team on his back and will them to a victory on his own. That responsibility seems to fall to Ed Reed and the D. Also Flaaco, while being a pretty amazing name to say in the lovely Ballmer accent, is pretty much dead to me as a player after the absolute turd he laid in week 17 against the Bengals. Say what you will about Fantasy Championships that take place in Week 17 but Mr. Unibrow’s 3 point stinker utterly destroyed any chances I had at the championship. 3 points?!? Ed Reed had 10? More frustrating is that I had Virgin Air Tim Tebow on the bench. But that is another rant for another day. Because I don’t trust Flaaco and I think KC will get up for its first home playoff game since 2003, I am going to take the Chefs.
Prediction will make me look like a fool: Chiefs 23 – Ravens- 21
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