Outsports
Ring Of Honor

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First, my picks for this coming weekend:

New York Jets 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17 – I think this game will be won at the quarterback position – and I’ll take Pennington’s experience over Roethlisberger’s any day.

Atlanta Falcons 31, St. Louis Rams 17 – I don’t see why this game wouldn’t be the same result as their first meeting. Falcon’s coach Jim Mora will coach circles around Mike Martz.

Minnesota Vikings 27, Philadelphia Eagles 16 – The loss of Terrell Owens to the Eagles is like the loss of Randy Moss to the Vikings; and the former didn’t fare well when that happened in November.

New England Patriots 30, Indianapolis Colts 24 – This game is a mystery to me. Until the Colts actually win a match-up against the Pats, I gotta pick the better defense at home.

Almost nobody gave the Minnesota Vikings a real chance to beat the Green Bay Packers. They’d lost to the Packers twice. Randy Moss had given up on the team. They were only 8-8 and shouldn’t have even been in the playoffs.

Those reasons are exactly why they WON. When you call out a good athlete, you can bring out the best in him. When you call out a great athlete, you are awakening a giant. When you call out an entire team – God help you. Mike Sherman said that all of the “Vikings don’t deserve to be in the playoffs” talk scared him. As well it should have. It’s exactly why I though the Vikes would beat the Pack. Now, look out – the Vikings have another regular-season loss to atone for this weekend . . . .

Fox NFL commentator Joe Buck obviously has it in for Randy Moss. When Moss mock-mooned the nasty Packers fans after a touchdown, Buck reprimanded Moss over and over again. Then, as the Vikings were winding down their huge win, Buck said the Vikes won despite Moss. “Despite him, the rest of this group got together and put together a tremendous effort here in Green Bay.”

Moss caught two touchdowns and inspired the team. Buck is obviously off his rocker.

Minnesota Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper has thrown 16 TDs and no INTs in last five games against the Packers. Who’s their daddy?

What a difference a game can make. Instead of people talking about how Vikings head coach Mike Tice should be fired, the target should now be Packers coach Mike Sherman. Green Bay has only lost two home games in the playoffs in franchise history – both of them under Sherman and both of them in the cold.

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt looked more like an elementary school principal in his rectangular glasses and suit and tie in the interview snippets ABC showed during their playoff game.

The Jets are the kings of the four-yard pass on third and seven. I don’t know why he calls it, but offensive coordinator Paul Hackett loves to leave his team with 4^th-and-2s.

To Marty Schottenheimer and the San Diego coaching staff: no guts, no glory. You’ve got the ball at the 25 yard line and a 1^st and 10. Instead of rushing three times for two yards, go for the glory. You weren’t supposed to be in the playoffs anyway.

I do understand why they wouldn’t do a heave-ho into the end zone there, though. Can you imagine if they had thrown on first down with the ball at the 25 and it had been intercepted? Many would be calling for Schottenheimer’s head for not just kicking the field goal. 

Either way, the last thing they should have done was run three times into the middle of the line. Playing to not lose too often results in . . . losing.

Some people dream about flying through the Grand Canyon. Some people dream about sexcapades. Some people dream about monsters chasing after them. I dream about NFL games. Sound asleep early Sunday morning, I was walking down a hill toward a field in my dream. I came to the field – and the football game taking place there. The scoreboard read: Colts 45, Broncos 7. I have dreamt about football scores about a dozen times. I don’t believe I have ever dreamt an incorrect outcome – by winner or spread.

It’s so strange to hear commentators stumble over the names of players in the games they’re calling. On Sunday, it was Phil Simms screwing up Jeb Putzier’s last name. These guys have a week to prepare for the games they’ll be calling – they really ought to have the names of the players down pat.

Manning’s interception – he was changing the play at the line – time got away from him – he rushed. That that is still in him is what tells me the Patriots will win. His rushed audible was caused by a late shift by the Broncos’ defense – just the kind of thing the Patriots do all the time.

They’re talking about how this is a better Colts offense than in the last few times they’ve met. But, this is also a MUCH better Patriots offense. The Patriots were the fourth-highest scoring team this past season, averaging over 27 points per game.

Has there ever been a playoff when the first eight games were all rematches from the regular season? The four in the wild card saw two teams win again (Jets and Rams) and two get vengeance (Colts and Vikes).

I actually think the worst thing that could have happened to the Colts is winning a blow-out at home. They went on the road last season after a blow-out win and took it to the Chiefs; but, the Pats’ defense isn’t a sieve. The best thing that could have happened to the Colts: Ty Law being on the IR.

Jim Buzinski

--Three road teams won in the wild card round. It is the first time this has happened, and the second time overall (in happened in the 1971 division playoff round). In addition, two 8-8 teams won, the first time a team with a non-winning record has won a playoff game. 

--An early look at next week’s games: 

AFC: New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s a weird stat: In seven games against the Steelers since 1988, the Jets have not scored more than 10 in any one of them, and the Jets have never won in Pittsburgh (0-6). More relevant, the Steelers won in Week 14, 17-6, intercepting Chad Pennington three times. Look for more of the same this weekend. The Steelers have a tremendous defense and an efficient offense. Steelers 19, Jets 7. 

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots. The rematch everyone wanted to see. In their last three games against the Colts, the Patriots are 3-0, but two of the three have come down to the final play and the third to the final two minutes. The Colts catch a break with Ty Law out for the Patriots. The defensive back picked off Peyton Manning three times in last year’s AFC title game. The Colts will play well, but their lack of defensive consistency will catch up with them. Patriots 31, Colts 24. 

NFC: I know Cyd is jazzed by these matchups, but I am not. I don’t like any of the four teams, so have no rooting interest.  

St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons. In Week 2 at Atlanta, the Falcons blew a 17-0 lead, then scored 17 in the final period for a 34-17 win. The Rams are playing well right now, especially on offense, while the Falcons have been inconsistent. Oh, heck, let's go for the upset. Rams 27, Falcons 24.

Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles. Ugh! This is like watching, in the old days of the Olympics, the Soviet Union play North Korea. You know one of them has to win, so which team do you hate least? Guess I have to go with Philadelphia here. It’s hard to root for any team with the selfish Randy Moss on it (though for some bizarre reason he’s Cyd favorite player). Philadelphia can tackle, a skill the Packers seemed to have forgotten, and don’t look for Donovan McNabb to throw four picks. Eagles 30, Vikings 20. 

Weekend review:

--Pot, Meet Kettle: After scoring a key fourth-quarter touchdown at Lambeau Field, Vikings receiver Randy Moss bent down and simulated mooning the crowd. This prompted Fox’s Joe Buck to say: “That was a disgusting act” and lament that Fox showed it. Oh, please. Fox is the network that always plays to the lowest-common denominator, from “Married With Children,” to “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?” to the upcoming “Who’s Your Daddy?” Randy simply thought he was auditioning for “Who’s Your Booty?” 

--Expect the fake moon to be the story of the week, with everyone huffing and puffing as they express outrage and demand Moss be fined or suspended or drawn and quartered. We need something to get upset about. 

Let me be clear: I can't stand Moss. He's a total ass--immature and selfish. He doesn't care what anyone says, even those on his team with have his best interests at heart. I would hate having him on my side. But, I think the fake mooning will be just another reason for the cultural prudes to come out in force, just as they did after Janet Jackson's nipple and Nicolette Sheridan's suggestive towel drop.

None of these "incidents" are as offensive as the way violence is promoted, both in football and in ads. There was a disgusting series of ads during the games for a new video game based on mercenaries. When we have U.S. troops and Iraqis being blown up, and people beheaded, the last thing we should be selling people are cheap thrills in which they kill or main others. No one says a word or blinks an eye. I'll take a mooning any day.

--Worst hair: Jake Plummer’s Grizzly Adams beard. Runnerup: Moss’ disco do.

---M-M-M Bad: Three Mikes (Holmgren, Sherman and Shanahan) lost this weekend, along with a Marty (Schottenheimer). Two Mikes won (Tice and Martz), but they played other Mikes. The two other winners were a Tony (Dungy) and Herman (Edwards). 

--Nice choke job by the Packers in their 31-17 loss to the Vikings, who spent all week having to answer about backing into the playoffs. But it was Green Bay that looked like it didn’t belong. The defense was shoddy and Brett Favre was lousy (four interceptions). Favre’s worst play came at the end of the first half, when he threw a pass into the end zone, even though he was clearly past the line of scrimmage. Had Favre kept the ball, he might have made a first down or given the Pack 4^th-and-inches. Instead, the Packers lost five yards, the down and wound up missing a field goal. 

--Favre has had some awful playoff games of late. In 2001, he tossed six picks against the Rams; in 2003 his jump ball interception in overtime helped the Eagles win; and in 2004, his four picks helped doomed the Packers. He’s a Hall-of-Famer, but clearly on the downside of his career. 

--Favre sounded like someone who was seriously thinking about hanging it up. "It'd be easy to walk off the field and say, 'I've had enough,' " Favre said. "But I can't base my decision on this game. I know I can still play, though I question that right now. I love to play the game. I don't think it's passed me by yet. The Packers would love to have me back, or at least I think they do. Some things I probably can't do like I used to. I can still win games for this team. Unfortunately, I'll probably think about this game until whenever."

--In his last five games against Green Bay, Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper has thrown 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He’s the Vikes’ MVP this year, and would have been the league MVP had it not been for Manning. 

--Nice to see the Colts crush the Broncos, 49-24. Denver spent the whole week calling the Colts receivers “soft.” The Colts receivers were so soft that Denver avoided tackling them, probably fearing they would hurt them. Sarcasm aside, the Colts put on a clinic. Manning threw for 457 yards and Reggie Wayne had 221 yards receiving and two touchdowns. It was over early. 

''We jumped on them so fast they didn't have any time to say anything,'' Wayne said. I always wonder why athletes woof before a game; their opponents will always look for some source of faux inspiration. 

--Denver coach Mike Shanahan still has not won a playoff game since John Elway retired after the 1998 season. In the three wild card games post-Elway, Denver has lost 21-3, 41-10 and 49-24. 

--Ed “Guns” Hochuli was the referee in the classic Jets’ overtime win at San Diego, and, of course, wore the tightest shirt possible. This prompted the obligatory remark from an announcer, this time from ABC’s Al Michaels: “He looks like he can bench 400 pounds.” 

--ABC also showed a group of shirtless fans at the end of regulation. This prompted John Madden to suggest that all fans (assume he meant the male ones) should take off their shirts in overtime. We couldn’t agree more. 

--Still can’t believe the end of the Jets-Chargers game. The Jets' Eric Barton kept the Chargers alive with a stupid personal foul. Then Schottenheimer got conservative, running three plays up the middle and giving rookie kicker Nate Kaeding anything but a 40-yard chip-shot in overtime. Of course, Kaeding missed and the Jets pulled it out. As ESPN’s Steve Young said, Schottenheimer was the first coach to ever ice his own kicker. 

--Schottenheimer is 5-12 in the playoffs. Of his 12 losses, eight have been by five or fewer points. Four games have gone to overtime (he’s 2-2); bottom line—Schottenheimer may be a playoff loser, but he certainly makes it interesting. 

--On two consecutive plays, the Jets had only 10 men on defense, yet San Diego still failed to gain a yard. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers had 12 men on a punt and the penalty gave the Jets a first down.

--Mike Holmgren may have worn out his welcome in Seattle. The Seahawks looked mediocre after starting the season 3-0 and were outplayed by the Rams on Saturday. He’s made the playoffs three times, and has lost all three in the wild-card round. I still think he can coach, but maybe needs a change of scenery. 

--The Rams, at least on offense, look pretty solid, and have now won three in a row. They remind me a bit of the Vikings, having developed an “us-against-the-world” mentality. I would like to see Mike Martz coach Randy Moss. It would be the first team needing a sideline therapist.