- Drew Brees won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. I can’t argue with that pick. Anytime you come within a deep out route of Dan Marino’s single season passing record, you can be the Offensive POY.
- Mike Smith was Coach of the Year. I can’t argue there either. Any of the successful rookie head coaches, Smith, Sparano, and Harbaugh, could have won this award. Smith had the toughest situation before the season started and led the Falcons to the playoffs.
- The Patriots franchised Matt Cassell. That was a no-brainer. Sure, on the surface, $29 million next year for two quarterbacks seems steep. But the salary cap is going up about $28 million next year. Take away the $14 million they are giving Cassell and this still have about $14 million more to spend next year than they did this year. They sure up the most important position on the offense. Plus, if they trade him they get a 1st and 3rd round pick. Who knows, there may be a team out there that is only a good QB away from going to the next level. Hello Buffalo? (And if you think the Pats won’t let Cassell go to Buffalo talk to Lawyer Milloy or Drew Bledsoe.)
- Did you see Lil’ Wayne on 1st and 10 on ESPN2? When I heard he was going to be on I set-up the DVR because I had to watch. Get this….he was really good. He knows his sports. His points were lucid and made lots of sense. He made some statements that were bold and polarizing, which is what you want out of a talking-head. I must say this though. Skip Bayless said he loves Lil’ Wayne’s music and thinks Tha Carter III is Weezy’s Purple Rain. Am I to believe Bayless really listens to hip-hop? No offense Skip, but you are probably most buttoned up lily white person on ESPN’s roster. If you’re not, you are in the team photo with Woody Paige and Marty Smith.
Now for this weekend’s picks, in confidence order:
Baltimore @ Tennessee: The Ravens look good, very good. Truthfully, I wouldn’t care who they are playing this weekend. I would take the Ravens. They are peaking right now. Their defense is playing just as well as in 2000 when they won it all. Ed Reed is the most consistent and best ball-hawking safety I have ever seen. And don’t forget about those monsters they have on the front seven. Tennessee’s strength is their running game and the Ravens will shut them down. The only way LenDale White will be in the endzone is if someone sets up a Chinese buffet between the pylons. Kerry Collins will not be able to throw the ball. (Wait, wait…the Ravens D against a Kerry Collins led offense with a decent running game and average receivers at best? We’ve seen this before.) And we know how it ends. The Ravens defense will dominate and their offense will do just enough to win.
San Diego @ Pittsburgh: This one is easy. No LT. San Diego is traveling from the West Coast. The game time temperature is going to be somewhere in the high teens, perfect for Pittsburgh’s smash-mouth style. Pittsburgh has one of the stoutest defenses in the league. San Diego has the worst defense, statistically, of any team left in the playoffs. All of this adds up to an easy Pittsburgh win.
Arizona @ Carolina: The Cardinals offense is one-dimensional and it looks like they might be without Anquan Boldin this week. Carolina has a stout defense and should be able to key on Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Like I said last week, the easiest way to make sure Arizona doesn’t kill you on offense is to keep Warner and company on the bench. The Panthers have the running game to be able to do that. Also, the new found pass rush the Cardinals used to get to Matt Ryan won’t work on Jake Delhomme. Delhomme is no rookie, he’s been here before. I’ll take Carolina in a fairly high scoring affair.
Philadelphia @ New York: This game is shaping up to be a classic. This is the third time this season these teams have met, with the road team winning each of the previous match-ups. The Eagles are playing very well. Their defense flies around the field and blitzes all day. The Giants are rested and healthy after last week’s bye. The Eagles one defensive weakness is that they can be run on. A rested Brandon Jacobs should wear them down and create opportunities for Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants will need to be careful every time Brian Westbrook has the ball. The Eagles offense can put points up in a hurry. I think the key to the game will be the rotund mustachioed man calling the plays on Philly’s sideline. If he tries to his typical 70/30 pass/run ratio, they won’t win. He needs to even that out for Philly to have chance. I’ll take the Giants in a close, hard fought, classic NFC East match-up.
