Championship Sunday Picks with Special Guest!

Once again 2-2 last week, putting me at a mediocre 4-4 for the playoffs. That's a little upsetting but at least the Jets are alive and kicking!

This week we bring in Sean Perry to tell me why I'm wrong about this and I'm sure he's got some good reasons. So without further ado, here are the Championship Sunday Picks for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

Sunday, Jan. 24: Jets (+ 8) @ Colts:

Sean's Pick: A rematch of the week 16 game that saved the Jets season and the ’72 Dolphins special place in NFL history. The Jets are an eight point underdog, and seem to have more confidence in their chances than the Vegas odds makers (ask Rex Ryan). The Colts have won all 15 games in which their starters have played four quarters this season, and are led by legendary pitchman Peyton Manning. The Jets are faced with a tall order going into the Colts building, Manning and the Colts are precise and well timed on offense and minimize the weaknesses of their undersized but speedy defense at home, thanks in large part to a friendly crowd and dry turf. The Jets best bet is to confuse and pressure Manning, forcing him to turn the ball over and provide their run-heavy offense with beneficial field position, allowing them to shelter rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. I think a few quick strikes by the Colts offense (minus Reggie Wayne who will be stranded on Revis Isle) will force the Jets away from their run-first offense and force turnovers from the inexperienced Sanchez. The Jets are still a year away from where they need to be, and Manning has been here too many times in the past to let this one slip away.

My Pick: Colts 23, Jets 13

Alex's Pick: I'm no different than any Jet fan and I won't pretend to be. I really want this game, perhaps worse than I've ever wanted this team to win, but I need to be objective. The Colts are a different animal than the Chargers, but not that different. The Chargers are a Donkey, the Colts are a Mule, a little extra pizzaz, but same general idea. Big TE that can catch, star QB, star WR, only difference is that the Colts aren’t so likely to choke as the Donkey’s did last week. The key for Gang Green is to play their game. Run the football, play the defense and score enough points to win. Everyone wants to look at the first matchup earlier in the year and talk about the Colts pulling their starters, but the Jets were winning at halftime in Indianapolis. Poise and field position will be huge for both teams. The Jets had five turnovers for 37 yards compared to the Chargers 10 for 87, last week and it mattered. The Colts will be better prepared, but as much as it seems like nothing has changed, Tony Dungy isn’t the coach anymore. Peyton is great and I thought in week 16 he moved the ball as well as anyone has against the Jets highly touted secondary all year. Kerry Rhodes against Dallas Clark is the matchup to look for. Also, how does Peyton handle the blitzes? Whichever team does better on 3^rd down when the Colts have the ball will win. OK, I’ve done my diligence, looked at this from an objective view. Don’t roll out of bed and reach for a beer on Monday, all the green won’t be for St. Patrick’s Day.

My Pick: Jets 16, Colts 7 (same as Super Bowl III)

Sunday Jan. 24: Vikings (+4) @ Saints: America’s sweetheart Brett Favre ventures down to Bourbon Street in a game that is sure to provide plenty of offensive fireworks. Each team looked impressive last week, dismantling their opponents with relative ease, and I expect a close one to decide this year’s NFC champions. It will be a fast-paced and entertaining game that will come down to playmakers and turnovers. The Saints have a stable of running backs including Reggie Bush, who returned from Witness Protection last weekend, as well as a capable and deep receiving corps. The Vikings have emerging stars Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe who have developed a great rapport with their elderly quarterback. The problem with the Vikings coming into this game is the disappearance of golden boy Adrian Peterson, who has struggled to produce as the Vikings have shifted toward a more pass-oriented attack. The difference in this game will be crucial turnovers by Favre, who seems to have wrestled control of the Viking’s offensive playbook away from head coach Brad Childress, a man who is perhaps better suited for the job of night shift manager at Arby’s. Each team will make big plays, but the Saints will make more.

My Pick: Saints 37, Vikings 31

Alex’s Pick: Hey, just because the Jets are playing earlier in the day doesn’t mean you should sleep on this one! Come one, come all to see the Saints and Vikings star in the hit NFL Film “The Greatest Show on Turf….X2!) High flying offense, shots down field and best of all, no defense allowed! OK maybe I’m pumping up the offense too much, but there will be touchdowns in this game and lots of them. I think the fact that the Saints are favored is because they’re at home, as well they should be, but if I’m handicapping this one, it’s a pick ‘em game if there ever was one. The focus will be on Favre as far as ESPN and the rest of the world is concerned, but Adrian Peterson is well over due for one of his dominant insane performances. He breaks a run early, the Saints battle valiantly, but the teams trade scores, Vikings hold on and then maybe, just maybe we’re all truly two weeks away from seeing America’s Hero, Brett Favre retire (for good?).

My Pick: Vikings 41, Saints 34

Be sure to comment and check Back for a wrap up with Sean on Monday!

NFL Divisional Round Picks

An unimpressive 2-2 for me last weekend, but I got the Jets game right and as a fan, isn't that all that really matters? I'm shocked by the Eagles not showing up, and the officials combined with the Green Bay defense blew my show at a 3-1 week. That being said last week's game ball goes to Ray Rice, who stomped on the Patriots from the get-go and set the tone for an impressive Ravens win. Here we go for this week, the Divisional round of the the playoffs.

Saturday Jan. 16: Cardinals (+7) @ Saints: All season long I heard about this new and improved Cardinal defense, I just don't see it and neither did the Packers last weekend. The Saints struggled down the stretch, but you have to figure they're healthy, hungry and the team is outstanding in that building. Whatever the over is in this game, pick it, it will be a shootout to end all shootouts, especially with Boldin back in there for Arizona. Still, it took an equally bad job by the Green Bay defense and then a bad call on the fumble that should have been a face mask penalty for the Cardinals to win last week. The Saints will get it done this week and Drew Brees goes to his second NFC Title Game next week. Is this the end for Kurt Warner?

My pick: Saints 45, Cardinals 37

Saturday Jan. 16: Ravens (+7) @ Colts: The New Baltimore travels to face the Old Baltimore in what figures to be one of the best games of the weekend. The Ravens are fresh off trouncing Tom Brady and the Patriots and the Colts are looking to prove that resting their players down the stretch was the right thing to do. The Ravens will get some pressure on Peyton manning, but the question is will that be enough to force some turnovers. I'm not a believer that this Colts team is as good as some of the ones they've had in the past, and I think the Ravens are running the ball as well as any team not wearing green jerseys. If Joe Flacco controls the ball, the Ravens come away with the upset. It might not be because the Colts stopped playing down the stretch, but the Patriots didn't rest guys, Wes Welker got hurt and the team lost, if the Colts lose, the debate will rage on.

My pick: Ravens 24, Colts 21

Sunday Jan. 17: Jets (+8) @ Chargers: The Chargers could be the best team in the AFC. They could have the most talent. They could be the hottest and they've got 11 straight wins. Unfortunately for them, the Jets are the worst possible matchup for them. The Jets will be able to move the ball on the ground and Sanchez will play well if they do so. The matchup to watch for is Kerry Rhodes against Antonio Gates. If Gates runs wild, the Chargers will score in a hurry. The Jets don't give up a lot of big plays, which is the Chargers forte. All the talk is about Darrelle Revis and the Jets defense, and rightfully so, but I think the Jets put up some points this Sunday and yes, the underdog story of the year, Giants Stadium's final game is an AFC Title Game, can you believe it?

My pick: Jets 34, Chargers 24

Sunday Jan. 17: Cowboys (+3) @ Vikings: Minnesota loves playing in their building and they are built for it. The by week probably helps them more than any other team, and they could be the most balanced team in football. That being said, Dallas is red hot right now and this is a team that's playing well on both sides of the ball. Getting pressure on Favre is key for Dallas and we know Favre can be a little wild in these playoff games. This is going to be a close one, and may come down to the last possession. I hate to say this to the Giant fans in my life, but so long as Tony Romo doesn't drop the snap on the last possession field goal, the Cowboys win.

My pick: Cowboys 27, Vikings 24

Comment with thoughts!

Some Monday Notes

1) Nice job by Mark McGwire coming clean. Yeah it was way late, but he had legal ramifications and lets face it, he's done a better job than most regarding his steroid use. Bonds may be heading to jail, same with Clemens and Marian Jones. McGwire at this point has nothing to lose and with his new position of hitting coach with the Cardinals and the lack of a sizable bump in his HOF voting, he has everything to gain by coming clean.

2) This has nothing to do with sports and I might be crossing that turbulent border into politics of which I have no affinity to write about, but nothing sickens me more than Sarah Palin joining Fox News.

3) Clutch kicking or lack-there-of seems to be an early theme in this year's NFL playoffs. So does poor play by proven quarterbacks (Brady and Palmer) and great play by unprovens (Sanchez and Romo).

4) I understand that NBC only gets to cover one game a week in the regular season, meaning they only have one broadcast team that has covered the league for the entire marathon, but for anyone who watched the broadcast of the Jets and Bengals Saturday, it's obvious that the team of Hammond, 'Clueless' Joe Gibbs and Theisman needs to be dumped.

Wild Card Weekend Picks

Here we go, I'm back from the dead and below you'll find my picks for Wild Card Weekend, the first round of the NFL playoffs.

Saturday Jan. 9: Jets (+2.5) @ Bengals: Call me a homer if you want, but I think the Jets win this game. They blew out the Bengals at home last week to get into the playoffs and I know Cincinnati will play better with Cedric Benson back and they are at home, but the Jets are confident and playing some of their best football right now. Confidence is probably the best word to describe Rex Ryan's rookie season as coach, but he's done a really good job keeping his team confident and with very few exceptions he's stopped them from becoming overconfident. The quarterback situation is an issue for New York, and people are quick to point out that the Bengals will be better prepared for the Jets rushing attack, and they will, but the Jets have played fairly well on the road this season. To me it boils down to this: the Bengals offense is not that good, the Jets D is that good and it won't take much scoring for the Jets to win this game.

My pick: Jets 20, Bengals 10

Saturday Jan. 9: Eagles (+4) @ Cowboys: In another week 17 rematch the Eagles have an awful lot to prove against Dallas, but that only stems from the 24-0 drubbing the Cowboys handed down to their division rival last week. Dallas on the other hand has nearly a decade's worth of bitter playoff failures under their belt and the fact that the combo of Wade Phillips and Tony Romo have yet to win a playoff game is tremendously relevant. It sure looked like the Cowboys were a better team last week, but I know this, when Donovan McNabb plays bad one week, you can expect a complete reversal the week after. This team knows how to handle adversity and the Cowboys know how to bring it on themselves. This game marks the end of the Wade Phillips regime in Dallas, and look out NFC, the crafty McNabb might have one last playoff run in him

My pick: Eagles 31, Cowboys 28

Sunday Jan. 10: Ravens (+3) @ Patriots: This game could go either way. No team wants to play New England at home in the playoffs, ever, but Baltimore won two playoff games last year and that experience may prove crucial. You better believe the Ravens are going to use Ray Rice and Willis McGahee an awful lot against what I think is a soft New England defense. We all know about Tom Brady, and we know the Patriots reputation for scoring, but Wes Welker's injury is going to throw a major kink in the plans of the Pats who still struggle to run the ball. I think this one comes down to the wire, and the Ravens ultimately send New England away.

My pick: Ravens 27, Patriots 24

Sunday Jan. 10: Packers (PK) @ Cardinals: Another repeat of a blowout from week 17. This time the Packers laid it on the Cardinals and I understand that Arizona had played a "vanilla" game plan against the Packers, but I think history is destined to repeat itself. Aaron Rodgers is not good, he's great and the Packers offense has come into its own. On the other side the Cardinals made a Superbowl run last year with Kurt Warner hitting Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, but Boldin might not play and even if he does he won't be at full strength. This team is really at its best when both those guys are going because you can't double them both and neither one can be stopped with single coverage. Arizona shocked the world last year so it's tough for me to rule them out now, but I just don't see how they get past Green Bay.

My pick: Packers 35, Cardinals 17

Comment with thoughts!