PLAYOFFS?!

...don't talk about playoffs!

But, I'm going to. Fact.

So who honestly thought that the current playoff picture would include both six-seeds and both number one-seeds getting knocked out? I sure as hell did not. Many of us are still confused, as to why an eight win, eight loss team is kicking ass all over the place. It's just plain silly.

There are a lot of disappointed people out there, none more than the New York Giants and Carolina Panther fans. Seriously if you saw any of Saturday night's game against Arizona, when Larry Fitzgerald ripped their defense in half, you would have seen the look of a depressed man otherwise known as Jake Delhomme. It was his birthday that night, and having a five-interception game surely made him think about his career...oh, and it made him question his faith as well.



How can you not feel sad for the man? All was well in the season, but now...the pride of Charlotte was dealing with disaster. Arizona deserves all the credit, however. Edgerrin James, former Indianapolis Colt running back and current backfield runner for the Cardinals, has threatened to leave the team because he was not designed to block defensive lineman. Many of us saw what he was capable of doing with the Colts, and now that the Arizona coaches heard his battle cry, James hasn't looked as manly or run like a beast in three years. The stats say differently, but he runs like he is pissed off at the world. He wants it bad.

The man who remains clueless about the NFL rulebook is still in the hunt for a title, as the Philadelphia Eagles manhandled the New York Giants in fashion with a final score of 23-11. Now, many of you are scratching your heads thinking, "11? Seriously?" Both Philly's and New York's defenses showed up for the first half, but things are no longer the same as Usi Umenyiora is out with an injury and Michael Strahan retired. They no longer have that speed. They don't have that fight in them like they did in their Super Bowl season last year.

What's sad is that these Philadelphia folk, who are still rioting after the Phillies' World Series victory, feel as though they are the best. I believe my Cincinnati Bengals would like to have a word and ask how is it that the Eagles are only equally as good as them. We tied with you clowns. Not only that, but your offensive leader did not know that ties could exist. Is the 'tie rule' still dumb? Yes, but understand that you should not have to fear about it happening in the playoffs. The game keeps going until someone scores, therefore advancing into the next round.

Idiot.

The other sixth-seed, Baltimore, has a bit of a different story. Who knew anything about this Joe Flacco kid, other than that he played at Delaware and can throw a ball 74 yards in the air? They might have gotten smoked in the first half of the season, but when the team chemistry on offense started to click, there was little to no stopping them, unless you were the Pittsburgh Steelers. Running backs Le'Ron McClain and Willis McGahee had begun to run wild. Derrick Mason, star wide receiver for the Ravens, is playing with an injured shoulder and is still making one-handed grabs. When did Baltimore decide to have talent? I didn't see it coming. Oh, and this Ed Reed guy in Baltimore's secondary...he's good.

However, if there is one team who has Baltimore's number, it's Pittsburgh. The Steelers are looking like the team who went mad and destroyed everything in their paths--including Carson Palmer's knee, the Colts' dream season, Denver's home record, and the Seattle Seahawks' spirits. Willie Parker was just beginning to evolve, and one of my childhood heroes, Jerome Bettis (The Bus) finally got his ring. A bitter division rival they are, but after everything that happened, I just wanted the Bus to finally win a championship. With the help of Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller, and Nate Washington, Pittsburgh's offense is stacked under the leadership of Ben Roethlisberger. Their defense is just as strong as Baltimore's, with the Flying Samoan and the Steel Curtain on the line. This AFC Championship matchup could make for yet another wild night of football.

Later this week, I will give predictions to both conference championship games. In the meantime, I am going to see if Satan (North Carolina) will lose to Wake Forest.