Champinoship round

Sorry Cards and Ravens, but I will give you the Sunday curse and pick you both to win.

On a side note, if what I predict is true, the Cardinals will have the oppurtunity to win against every bird team in a span of 5 games (Seahawks, Falcons, Panthers, Eagles, Ravens). Of course this is solely dependent on me being right, which I usually am not.

Championship Picks

Cardinals over Eagles and Steelers over Ravens.

Divisional Round

Not much time for this, here we go:

RAVENS over Titans; STEELERS over Chargers; GIANTS over Eagles; PANTHERS over Cardinals.

My picks

I am picking the Giants, Cardinals, Chargers, and Ravens.

Sunday Playoff Picks

Here's what I wrote yesterday: "How does Indianapolis over San Diego and Atlanta over Arizona sound?  Sounds about right to me."

You know that expression, 'Truer words have never been spoken'?  What's the opposite of that?

I'm off to an 0-2 start to the 2009 playoffs while Don is 2-0.  Thank goodness for my strong regular season.

Anyways, on to today's picks.

Over their first seven games, I could not get a handle on the Dolphins.  They were 3-4, and I was 2-5 in picking those games.  I only picked them to win two of those first seven and, of course, Miami lost.  After I inexplicably picked them to lose to the Bills - the Bills! - in week 8, I must have reminded myself of my huge mancrush on MVPennington and began picking them to win.  I chose the Dolphins in all 9 of their final games (granted, it was a soft schedule) and I was rewarded with an 8-1 record in those games.

The moral of this story?  Part way through the season, there are certain teams you just decide to ride the rest of the way and accept that you'll live and die with the results.  I rode the Giants all year, and save for the crummy finish, that worked out well.  Teams like the Giants were my pick 'em horses.  Choosing a few horses - as well as reverse horses you always pick against (let's call them lions) - makes picking games a bit easier.

The Dolphins were one of my horses for the last 9 weeks of the regular season, so I'm sticking with them.  The Dolphins will beat the Ravens, let's say 20-17.

(Quick note about this strategy: The Colts were another huge horse of mine this year, I think I picked them in 14 out of 16 games, and, well, we can see how that strategy translated to the postseason).

As for the second game of the day, just let me say that I don't like either of these teams, I don't trust either of them, and although I think that either of them could pull off a surprise or two, I don't see either the Vikings or Eagles winning 3 in a row to win the NFC; it's just not happening.

How did the Eagles become the trendy pick to win the NFC?  I've heard them referred to as this year's version of the 2007 Giants.  Look, from the bottom of my True Blue heart, let me say this: the 2007 Giants were a fluke.  I love them, of course, but they should not have won the Super Bowl last season.  That's not to say they don't deserve it; on the contrary, they deserve the title because they won a bunch of games in a row that they shouldn't have won.  But doesn't the sheer improbability of what they did last year make it even more improbable that a similar feat will be accomplished again this year?  The Eagles are definitely not winning the NFC this year.

Let's end this Philly nonsense now.  Minnesota over Philadelphia, 24-10.

Saturday Playoff Picks

How does Indianapolis over San Diego and Atlanta over Arizona sound?  Sounds about right to me.