Surprised and Disappointed

Okay, so now that I got my concern for Tom Coughlin out of the way, I guess I can move on to actually talking about the games yesterday.

Honestly, I don't really have that much to say about the AFC Championship game. The game played out exactly how I thought it would play out, with the only surprise being LaDainian Tomlinson only getting two carries. Obviously, the lack of Tomlinson didn't help San Diego's cause, but I doubt he would have made much of a difference had he played.

The Patriots have been the best team in football all season, and they weren't going to lose yesterday. I mean, Tom Brady played more like Rex Grossman yesterday, and the Patriots still won. It's not fair.

And now, the only team standing in the way of the Patriots pursuit of an undefeated season is the same team that tried to stop them from having an undefeated regular season: the New York Giants.

I was shocked that the Giants beat the Packers. Shocked. I really didn't feel as though the Giants would keep it close. I know they'd won their last nine road games, and I know that they were playing better the last three weeks than they had been all year, but I still didn't think they had a shot.

There was just no way that Eli Manning, who has been horrible in cold weather throughout his career, was going to be able to out duel the great Brett Favre. Not in his storybook comeback season!

But instead the great Favre morphed back into the Favre we saw the last few seasons, making bad decisions and worse throws. Favre had no excuse either.

Sure, his offensive line did a horrible job of giving Ryan Grant and the Packers run game any room to operate, which forced Green Bay to completely ditch it's running game (one of many mistakes Green Bay made yesterday), but they did a fantastic job in pass protection. The Giants lead the entire free world in sacks, yet they never got to Favre once yesterday.

Eli Manning, on the other hand, looked like a quarterback that had been there a hundred times before. Moving his team down the field time after time for scores during the second half. If Lawrence Tynes was as good at kicking 37-yard field goals as he is kicking 47-yard field goals, this game never would have even gone into overtime.

I don't want to take away from what Eli has done this postseason, because he really has played great, but I can't help but be disappointed by the Giants victory. I wasn't really rooting for the Packers yesterday, and if you're a real Bears fan you weren't either, but I preferred that they won. I wanted the Super Bowl to feature Tom Brady and Brett Favre. The two quarterbacks who sucked yesterday.

Not to mention that I caught a lot of crap from Packers fans after the Bears lost in the Super Bowl last season, so I wouldn't have minded returning the favor this season after Green Bay lost to New England.

Instead we're stuck with the same old story we're always stuck with. New York vs. Boston.


Fantastic.

I'm surprised the collective boner of everybody at ESPN didn't block the sunrise this morning.

Foul Balls

Trade Ben Gordon - This is just something I've been thinking the last few days while watching the Bulls. Trade Ben Gordon, and do it soon. I have nothing against Ben, and in fact I'm very grateful for all those points he's scored these last few years, but I think it's time for him to move on.

I mean, I'd rather trade Kirk Hinrich, but I don't think he'll be anywhere near as easy to trade, nor will he bring back as much in return. I just think that the Bulls will be better off with Thabo Sefolosha playing the 2-guard right now. Thabo has played terrific basketball the last few weeks, and I'd like to see him as much on the court as possible.

So the Bulls should trade Gordon now because he can be used in a package to get somebody like Pau Gasol (there's that name again) and Ben won't be back next season anyway. So you may as well get something for him now, instead of nothing for him later.

What's the worst that can happen? We miss the playoffs?

Lou Piniella Doesn't Want Brian Roberts - I've understood why the Cubs are interested in Brian Roberts this winter, they would like a real lead-off hitter, and moving Alfonso Soriano down to the three-spot would be beneficial to the offense, but I've been against the trade all along. Mostly because I'm just a real big Mark DeRosa fan.

Thankfully, Lou Piniella feels the same way as I do. At the Cubs convention over the weekend, Piniella said he doesn't expect the team to complete the deal for Roberts, and that would be fine with him.

"I don't think we're going to do anything, to be honest with you," Piniella said before Friday's opening ceremonies. "And I think if we do [acquire someone] it'll be in the outfield. I'm very comfortable with our club the way it is."

"[A trade for a right-handed centerfielder to platoon with Felix Pie] probably a possibility, as opposed to the other things that you all have been hearing about," he said, adding again he's "perfectly content with [Mark] DeRosa at second base."

Hopefully Jim Hendry got the message.

Tom Coughlin Is Insane

I can't feel my face, can I feel yours?

Today is day one of that annual fourteen-day period where life doesn't seem to have much of a point. It's horrible for us fans, but it's a good thing for Tom Coughlin because it will probably be fourteen days before the poor bastard can feel his face again.

Seriously, we had two conference championship games yesterday, and the only thing I can think about is Tom Coughlin's face. Everytime Fox showed him on the sidelines yesterday in Green Bay, I expected his nose to be missing. Broken off like an icicle hanging from your gutters. I have never cared enough about Coughlin to like or dislike him, but while watching the NFC Championship game last night, I had genuine concern for the man.

Why didn't he cover himself up? Was he trying to show his team how tough he can be? Is he just that stupid?

When Movies See Into The Future

I was going to write a Basketball Diaries this morning, but there was only one basketball game scheduled yesterday. It seems the NBA is smart enough to know when it can't compete.

The Suns beat the Nets 116-92 in that game, and they did it by scoring more points.

Still, I don't have my post on yesterday's football games finished up yet, and something needs to be here to help fill your time, so here's Prince Akeem to give you a quick recap.

Am I the only one thinking ESPN should replace Emmitt Smith with Akeem?

Spread Em: Conference Championships

The regular season is over, and we now enter the dangerous waters of the playoffs. I'm not sure what happened this season, but somehow, someway, I managed to get more games right than I did wrong. Consider it another sign that the world will be coming to an end soon, right there with global warming. The playoffs, though, they're a different story. Will I wilt under the pressure, or rise above the rest of my non-existent competition like the virile beast I am? I don't know, I'm just hoping this paragraph is long enough at this point to "cover" the photo to it's right. So let's just get on with the picks.


AFC Championship

Patriots vs. Chargers (+14) - No, I'm not about to tell you that I think San Diego is going to win this game. I don't. I just don't think that the Patriots are going to run away with this one. After all, the Chargers have won their last eight games, and are a completely different team than the one that got its ass handed to it back in Week 2 by a score of 38-14. It's not official or anything, but I'm sure both LaDainian Tomlinson and Philip Rivers will be playing in this game, which is a shame because I think we can all use a little more Volektricity in our lives. The key in this game, as in any game against the Patriots, will be whether or not San Diego is going to be able to get to Brady. I think they can. They won't make his day a living hell, but I think they're going to get to him enough that he's not going to be able to sit back there and pick their secondary apart all day. I am a bit scared by the weather conditions, as it's supposed to be about 21 degrees at gametime and windy. That works against San Diego, but at the same time, I think the conditions will keep the Patriots from blowing this one wide open. Having said all that, I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots won this game 63-3 either, they're just that damn good.

NFC Championship

Packers (-7.5) vs. Giants - This feels extremely weird to say, but I want the Packers to win this game. Not because I'm picking them, but because it will be the only way to save the Super Bowl. Do you want a Super Bowl featuring Tom Brady and Eli Manning? No, that game would be over by the end of the first quarter. What you want is Brady vs. Favre. The greatest going right now against the one of the greatest ever. Now that the Colts have been eliminated, the Packers are the only team left standing that I think even has a remote chance to knock off the Patriots. Of course, they'll have to get by the Giants first. I don't think it'll be much of a problem, especially now that Ryan Grant has emerged as the new Dorsey Levens. Also, I keep hearing that the weather in Green Bay on Sunday (High of 5 degrees with flurries) won't have any effect on the Giants because the Giants play in cold weather all the time. That's true, but have you noticed how Eli Manning plays in the cold? The colder it gets, the worse he plays. He's even admitted, after the Bears game, that he doesn't like playing in cold weather. That means the Giants will have to do it all on the ground, and though I like the combination of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, I don't think they'll be able to dominate against a tough Packers run defense. I think the Packers get by the Giants rather easily and move on to try and stop the juggernaut that is the New England Patriots.

Last Week: 2-2

Playoffs: 5-3

Overall: 132-108-9

All spreads courtesy of Bodog

Spread Em: NFL Divisional Round

The regular season is over, and we now enter the dangerous waters of the playoffs. I'm not sure what happened this season, but somehow, someway, I managed to get more games right than I did wrong. Consider it another sign that the world will be coming to an end soon, right there with global warming. The playoffs, though, they're a different story. Will I wilt under the pressure, or rise above the rest of my non-existent competition like the virile beast I am? I don't know, I'm just hoping this paragraph is long enough at this point to "cover" the photo to it's right. So let's just get on with the picks.

Saturday Games

Packers (-8) vs. Seahawks - I know Josh Brown is going to be wearing hot pants, but not even his sweaty thighs will be good enough for the Seahawks to knock off the Packers this weekend. The Seahawks were basically a missed field goal away from being eliminated last weekend by the Redskins, and there's a large difference between last week's game and this week's. This week, the Seahawks are on the road. They're a very good home team, but get them outside of Seattle, and they become mediocre at best. The Packers meanwhile will be coming off of two weeks rest, and Brett Favre would like to get back to the Super Bowl one more time. There's a chance Mike Holmgren will walk back into Lambeau Field this weekend, and deny the quarterback he helped get the first ring a chance at his second, but I doubt it.

Patriots (-13) vs. Jaguars - Do I think the Jaguars can beat the Patriots? Sure. Do I want the Jaguars to beat the Patriots? No doubt. Will the Jaguars beat the Patriots? No. No they won't. The Jaguars are the type of team that can beat the Patriots thanks to their run game and defense, but they'll probably be without John Henderson this weekend and along with the injury to Marcus Stroud, that means Jacksonville won't have their two starting defensive tackles. Which is the strength of Jacksonville's defense. Also, when given a full week to prepare for a team, Bill Belichick is damn near unbeatable. I'm sure he's already figured out a way to stop Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, and force David Garrard to beat New England. He can't do it.

Sunday Games

Colts (-9) vs. Chargers - Normally I would take the Chargers in this game with the nine points, especially after seeing San Diego already beat Indianapolis earlier this season, but there have been some things that have happened since then that are causing me to take Indy. First of all, the Colts are still the defending champions, and nobody's talking about them at all lately. How the defending champs can fly under the radar, I don't know. Second of all, Marvin Harrison is back. So now Peyton has his security blanket back, and thanks to all Marvin's time on the sidelines, Manning was able to develop a relationship with Anthony Gonzalez. So he has more weapons at his disposal. Finally, did you see San Diego after they beat the Titans last week? Norv Turner was dancing on the sidelines, and the players were acting like they'd already won the Super Bowl. In other words, San Diego's season has already been a success in the mind's of the players, whether they're aware of it or not. That means I expect a big letdown performance this week in Indianapolis. I wouldn't be surprised if the Colts win by over 20 points.

Cowboys vs. Giants (+7.5) - I don't care that the Cowboys have already beaten the Giants twice this season by the combined score of 76-55. I don't care that Eli Manning is still the Giants quarterback. I'm taking the Giants this weekend for a few reasons, including one huge NFL conspiracy. One being that I don't care that the Cowboys are rested. They peaked in November and have been on a steady down trend since. The Giants meanwhile have played their best football of the season the last few weeks. Finally, the NFL wants the Giants to get to the Super Bowl so that Eli can face off against the Colts. That's right, I think the Colts are going to beat New England next week as well. Hate to spoil the surprise for you, but give me a few weeks. You'll see.

Last Week: 3-1

Overall: 130-106-9

All spreads courtesy of Bodog

Spread Em: Wild Card Weekend

The regular season is over, and we now enter the dangerous waters of the playoffs. I'm not sure what happened this season, but somehow, someway, I managed to get more games right than I did wrong. Consider it another sign that the world will be coming to an end soon, right there with global warming. The playoffs, though, they're a different story. Will I wilt under the pressure, or rise above the rest of my non-existent competition like the virile beast I am? I don't know, I'm just hoping this paragraph is long enough at this point to "cover" the photo to it's right. So let's just get on with the picks.

Saturday Games

Seahawks vs. Redskins (+3.5) - One thing I didn't mention in the intro paragraph? Despite the record I had this regular season picking games, I still didn't beat Panger in our own personal pool on Yahoo. So not only did I lose to a girl, but now that girl's team is in the playoffs while my Bears sit at home on their asses. Then to make matters worse, I'm actually picking the damn Redskins to go into Seattle and walk out of there with a victory. (Seriously, Panger, can you send me my balls back? They're in that jar above your mantle.) I'm knee deep in the Todd Collins Kool-Aid, as he's played exceptionally well in the place of Jason Campbell these last few weeks. Of course, the play of Clinton Portis hasn't hurt either, as he's been phenomenal over the last month. Another factor in my picking Washington? The weather in Seattle on Saturday is going to be rainy and very windy, which is going to hurt Seattle's passing attack. That means they're going to have to rely on Shaun Alexander a lot more than they have been, and if you haven't seen Alexander this season, well, there's a reason the Seahawks have been a passing team this season. He won't have much more success against Washington's defense either.

Steelers (+3) vs. Jaguars - I should probably tell you that I'm rooting for the Jaguars in this game. Since the Bears aren't in the playoffs, I've adopted Jacksonville as my pet team, which is actually the trendy pick this postseason. I'm not doing it to be cool though, I'm doing it because the Jags play the style of football I enjoy the most. They're a tough running team, with a very tough defense. Kinda like what the Steelers used to be. So why am I taking Pittsburgh and the points? Well, it sure as hell isn't because the Steelers have impressed me lately. No, it's because Jacksonville already won in Pittsburgh earlier this season, and in the NFL it's very tough to beat the same team twice in one season. Let alone doing it both times on the road. So with that in mind, I have to take Pittsburgh, but I hope I'm wrong.

Sunday Games

Buccaneers vs. Giants (+3) - God help me, I'm taking Eli Manning in a playoff game. See, this right here is why I hate the NFC so much. Neither of these teams has a chance to get to the NFC Championship, as the winner will get beat by whomever they face next week. I know Jeff Garcia beat the Giants with Philadelphia in the playoffs last season, but Tampa won it's division with a 9-7 record. Oh wow, you're a divison champ, but you still suck. Also, whether you like him or not, Eli hasn't played too bad lately and now that Plaxico Burress is finally getting healthy it's only going to help him out.

Chargers (-10) vs. Titans - The only reason the Titans are in the playoffs is because they got to play a Colts team that was resting it's starters, and they still barely won that game. Vince Young left the game with an injury, but Kerry Collins came in and the Titans actually looked better of without Young under center. I've no idea what's happened to Vince this season, but it's incredibly disappointing. The Chargers meanwhile have been rolling the last few weeks, and it's all because they remembered that handing the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson equals success. Also the addition of Chris Chambers has proven to be a big help to Philip Rivers as he now has another option aside from Antonio Gates to throw too. In the end, San Diego will just prove to be too powerful for the Titans, and then Rivers will talk a ton of shit despite the fact he'll have gone 14/27 for 189 yards, a touchdown, and an interception on the day.

Last Week: 7-8

Overall: 127-105-9

All spreads courtesy of Bodog