Scum Rise to NFC Playoff Berths
Good God. The smoke has cleared, and we have our Wild Card matchups for the NFL playoffs. What a bunch of stinkers. I don't think I can take any of the bottom 4 NFC seeds seriously. What gives the eventual winners of these 1st round games hope is that the Bears and Saints may not deserve to be taken too seriously either. Still, I think home field advantage will prove to be decisive in the end, at least until the NFC title game. By that time we should be able to see if anybody is up for pulling off a victory at Soldier Field, assuming that it hasn't already happened (see: Carolina Panthers '05-'06). Lets start at the bottom.
The Giants finished the season 8-8, losing 6 of 7 games before beating a Redskin team with nothing to play for last week, which is more than the Cowboys can say. They managed to lose to the Lions, who actually had incentive to lose. Dallas' dismal performance may have cost the Lions a franchise quarterback. In any case they no longer have the first pick in the draft.
Dallas gets to play at Seattle, who managed to lose 3 straight before winning their final game at Tampa Bay. A few weeks ago I definitely would have taken Dallas in this game, but at this point I cant see taking them against a confirmed home-field advantage like Seattle's, especially with a rookie quarterback who appears to be floundering. A few weeks ago Romo didn't bother me either, but that was pre-flounder, so to speak. So, SEATTLE(-3)overdallas.
I don't think anybody saw the Philadelphia Eagles winning the NFC East without Donovan McNabb. In fact, I'm not sure that they're chances were so hot with him either, what with their relative lack of a running game and what not, but now that coach Andy Reid figured out that you have to be able to run effectively to win, backup quarterback Jeff Garcia has filled in admirably well. Meanwhile, the Giants have been imploding for weeks, and their lack of discpline and team chemistry has been the story of the season here. Don't let Tiki Barber's imminent retirement fool you. The Giants aren't going to win one for Tiki, or for themselves. I'm hoping in the off-season they get desperate enough to go get Terrell Owens from the Cowboys, then go 4-12 next year. T.O. would be the perfect addition to this tumultuous team.
That having been said, do I really want to give seven points? Not really, but I have to count on the Giants to self destruct. What else are they good for? PHILLY(-7)overnygiants.
Do the Jets really deserve to be 8.5 point dogs at New England? They covered for me twice in the playoffs two years ago. I'll probably end up taking them again, but I'm still considering. I don't like going against the Pat's much either. (Nobody does; that's why they're favored by 8.5.)
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are a 7 point dog at Indy. Right now I'm trying to decide if I'll feel dumber taking a team as bad on the road as Kansas City has been, or giving 7 with the worst team in the league against the run when they are playing against Larry Johnson. I'm not sure how the seedings work out, but I'm hoping that if the Colts win they go to San Diego, so they can face LaDanian Tomlinson. They might be able to give up 500 on the ground in two games, with 6 touchdowns. Anybody ever win two games doing that? The Colts are another darling of the bettors, but they don't blow teams out like they used to....
My Cotton Bowl pick of Auburn(-2.5)overNebraska came true...barely 17-14. Meanwhile, I have good news and bad news from the Rose Bowl. The bad news? Michigan failed to cover, losing outright, 32-18. The good news? I forgot to place my bet, leaving me 1-0 so far this year in Bowl game bets if not in picks.
It seems like something generally goes wrong if I bet on Michigan. In the Notre Dame game I intended to try for a middle, but couldn't, due to the line moving, so I only bet on Michigan, and in this case I intended to bet on Michigan, but didn't. Betting on Michigan as a Michigan State alum is kind of like shooting junk when you are on methadone. You can do it, but you are probably going to end of vomiting all over yourself. (It is methadone I'm referring to, right? I really need to keep up on this stuff--maybe Ewan McGregor covers this in the Extras of my Trainspotting Collecters Edition. Or I could Wikipedia it....
Meanwhile, my trigger finger is itching to go against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, (especially now that the line is back down to 9.5) but whenever I try to do researh on LSU I find little tidbits like they beat Ole Miss by 4 this year at home. Oh, wait--no, they only won by 3. Somehow when everybody raves about how ultra-competative the SEC is, they aren't about to go wheeling out their 3 point victories against Ole Miss as evidence. How about a 4 point victory at Tennessee? That's better. Better than losing to them by three last year, while N.D. beat them by 20 anyway. Of course, Notre Dame could whip out the doll against the Vol's, but against the Tigers? New Orleans is voodoo country, and the Tigers are on their home turf. Even if the Irish could use the voodoo option against LSU, you have to let those dark Gods sleep when you're playing against their hometown boys. Unless you're willing to bamboozle them with an orgy of blood sacrifice more obscene than, say, the Orange Bowl halftime show that is. Not that Notre Dame is above that sort of thing, mind you. But with Brady Quinn considering tanking one so as not to get drafted by the Raiders (or Lions, hopefully) and with Samardja resting his arm for the Cubs minor league circuit, the Irish might be better off saving their karma to fight another day. Too bad, because LSU just might be the most overrated, overhyped team since...Notre Dame.
The Giants finished the season 8-8, losing 6 of 7 games before beating a Redskin team with nothing to play for last week, which is more than the Cowboys can say. They managed to lose to the Lions, who actually had incentive to lose. Dallas' dismal performance may have cost the Lions a franchise quarterback. In any case they no longer have the first pick in the draft.
Dallas gets to play at Seattle, who managed to lose 3 straight before winning their final game at Tampa Bay. A few weeks ago I definitely would have taken Dallas in this game, but at this point I cant see taking them against a confirmed home-field advantage like Seattle's, especially with a rookie quarterback who appears to be floundering. A few weeks ago Romo didn't bother me either, but that was pre-flounder, so to speak. So, SEATTLE(-3)overdallas.
I don't think anybody saw the Philadelphia Eagles winning the NFC East without Donovan McNabb. In fact, I'm not sure that they're chances were so hot with him either, what with their relative lack of a running game and what not, but now that coach Andy Reid figured out that you have to be able to run effectively to win, backup quarterback Jeff Garcia has filled in admirably well. Meanwhile, the Giants have been imploding for weeks, and their lack of discpline and team chemistry has been the story of the season here. Don't let Tiki Barber's imminent retirement fool you. The Giants aren't going to win one for Tiki, or for themselves. I'm hoping in the off-season they get desperate enough to go get Terrell Owens from the Cowboys, then go 4-12 next year. T.O. would be the perfect addition to this tumultuous team.
That having been said, do I really want to give seven points? Not really, but I have to count on the Giants to self destruct. What else are they good for? PHILLY(-7)overnygiants.
Do the Jets really deserve to be 8.5 point dogs at New England? They covered for me twice in the playoffs two years ago. I'll probably end up taking them again, but I'm still considering. I don't like going against the Pat's much either. (Nobody does; that's why they're favored by 8.5.)
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are a 7 point dog at Indy. Right now I'm trying to decide if I'll feel dumber taking a team as bad on the road as Kansas City has been, or giving 7 with the worst team in the league against the run when they are playing against Larry Johnson. I'm not sure how the seedings work out, but I'm hoping that if the Colts win they go to San Diego, so they can face LaDanian Tomlinson. They might be able to give up 500 on the ground in two games, with 6 touchdowns. Anybody ever win two games doing that? The Colts are another darling of the bettors, but they don't blow teams out like they used to....
My Cotton Bowl pick of Auburn(-2.5)overNebraska came true...barely 17-14. Meanwhile, I have good news and bad news from the Rose Bowl. The bad news? Michigan failed to cover, losing outright, 32-18. The good news? I forgot to place my bet, leaving me 1-0 so far this year in Bowl game bets if not in picks.
It seems like something generally goes wrong if I bet on Michigan. In the Notre Dame game I intended to try for a middle, but couldn't, due to the line moving, so I only bet on Michigan, and in this case I intended to bet on Michigan, but didn't. Betting on Michigan as a Michigan State alum is kind of like shooting junk when you are on methadone. You can do it, but you are probably going to end of vomiting all over yourself. (It is methadone I'm referring to, right? I really need to keep up on this stuff--maybe Ewan McGregor covers this in the Extras of my Trainspotting Collecters Edition. Or I could Wikipedia it....
Meanwhile, my trigger finger is itching to go against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, (especially now that the line is back down to 9.5) but whenever I try to do researh on LSU I find little tidbits like they beat Ole Miss by 4 this year at home. Oh, wait--no, they only won by 3. Somehow when everybody raves about how ultra-competative the SEC is, they aren't about to go wheeling out their 3 point victories against Ole Miss as evidence. How about a 4 point victory at Tennessee? That's better. Better than losing to them by three last year, while N.D. beat them by 20 anyway. Of course, Notre Dame could whip out the doll against the Vol's, but against the Tigers? New Orleans is voodoo country, and the Tigers are on their home turf. Even if the Irish could use the voodoo option against LSU, you have to let those dark Gods sleep when you're playing against their hometown boys. Unless you're willing to bamboozle them with an orgy of blood sacrifice more obscene than, say, the Orange Bowl halftime show that is. Not that Notre Dame is above that sort of thing, mind you. But with Brady Quinn considering tanking one so as not to get drafted by the Raiders (or Lions, hopefully) and with Samardja resting his arm for the Cubs minor league circuit, the Irish might be better off saving their karma to fight another day. Too bad, because LSU just might be the most overrated, overhyped team since...Notre Dame.
posted by roQQ | 5:11 AM
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