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I don't know why they've been
screwing around for the last 16 weeks, but the Baltimore
Ravens are back. Their offensive line has dominated the
last two games as Terry Allen put up consecutive
100-yard rushing games; Elvis Grbac is playing smart
football; their defense looks almost as good as it was last
year; and, maybe most importantly, they will be going to
Pittsburgh next week with the same swagger and attitude that
took them to the Super Bowl last year. The Steelers-Ravens
game should be awesome next week.
 The
only sad thing about the Miami Dolphins losing: we won't be
seeing punt returner Jeff Ogden anymore. When I
saw a profile shot of him in their loss to the Ravens, I
literally jumped out of my seat.
On wideright.com,
Jim and I each picked the spread and straight up winners for
each game this weekend. Dave, the straight guy who runs the
site, did also. The outcome: Gay guys 12-4; Straight
guy: 3-5. There goes that myth.
The Eagles slaughtered
the Bucs this week, knocking them out of the playoffs for a
second consecutive year. Look for them to fall flat on the
road, despite their proficiency on the road this season,
against the Bears.
If we were handing out a
bonehead coach award this week, it would have to go to
Packers coach Mike Sherman. His team was up, 15-7, in
the third quarter and he decided to go for two. Instead of
being up two scores, 16-7, his team left the door open for
the Niners to tie the game at 15, which they did minutes
later. Packer receiver Antonio Freeman said: ``I looked at the scoreboard
and saw it would give us a nine-point lead rather than an
eight-point lead. But the coaches make the decisions. All I can do is
play football.'' I like Jon Gruden's philosophy
about two-point conversions: don't even think about it until
the fourth quarter.
The good thing about a Rams-Packers
match-up: one of them is going to lose. The bad thing about
a Rams-Packers match-up: One of them will be in the NFC
Championship. I have no idea for whom to cheer. Ugh.
Still my Super Bowl pick:
New England 27, Chicago 17.
While many can't stand Shannon
Sharpe's mouth, I love it, and loved what he said about
his teams double identity: "These are the January
Ravens. The September, October, November and December Ravens
-- we got rid of those guys."
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The wild card games went
according to form, with the only road winner being Baltimore
(not a surprise by any stretch). It's always tempting to
just have seen a team win and think it's on a roll. All four
winners this week are justified underdogs next, and I'm
picking all four to lose next round. From closest game to
least closest, it will be: Chicago over Philly; Pittsburgh
over Baltimore; New England over Oakland and St. Louis over
Green Bay.
In the divisional playoffs
(the round coming up), the home teams have won the last 11
in the NFC, but are only 6-5 in the AFC.
The Ravens' Shannon Sharpe
is a loudmouth but he's no dummy. The Ravens were put up at
a luxury hotel in South Florida days before playing the
Dolphins and Sharpe described the atmosphere:
‘‘We got massages, body-scrubs, pedicures, manicures. We
stayed at a great resort, we got to go to South Beach. It
was great to come down here a day early... . We won’t be
going to Pittsburgh early, I’ll tell you that.’’
 My
seven friends and I watching the game all roared and cringed
when we saw Miami tight end Jed Weaver. Hands-down
ugliest facial hair in the history of professional sports
(maybe the world). One friend said he looked like some U.S.
president from the 1880s. I think it's more like Fu Manchu's
illegitimate great-great-great-grandson.
How boring was the
Baltimore-Miami game? President
Bush fainted while watching it.
Play of the weekend: Green
Bay's Mike McKenzie knocking away a sure touchdown
pass to San Francisco's Terrell Owens, tipping the ball to
teammate Tyrone Williams for an interception. The play came
with the Pack holding a three-point lead and less than five
minutes to go.
Philadelphia won big, but how
much of that was that their opponents were the woeful Bucs?
I think the Eagles have a great shot of knocking off Chicago
this week. Donovan McNabb can give the Bears fits
with his mobility.
Don't look for Baltimore
to run for more than 200 yards against Pittsburgh like
they did against Miami. The Steelers don't give that up in
three games. The Ravens will struggle to win this one,
having been physically whipped in both games this season
(despite winning one when Pittsburgh's special teams
collapsed).
The Packers can beat
the Rams under one scenario: they force some
turnovers and Brett Favre plays like Superman. Both
are possible but not likely and Favre is only 12-17 playing
in domes.
I love the Patriots
over the Raiders. Pats coach Bill Belichick
will come up with some defensive schemes to stop Rich
Gannon and the Raiders.
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Green
Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was magnificent
in the second half of his team's 25-15 win over San
Francisco. Favre went 16 for 21 for 226 yards and a
touchdown and took over a game like only he can. Favre is
now 31-0 in games where the game-time temperature was 34
or below (it was 25 on Sunday). As former San Francisco
coach Bill Walsh said about Favre: ``The