2006 NFL Playoff Picks - Conference Championships
OK, after my epic first crack at the live blog format from this past Sunday (Part 1 Part 2 Part 3), I've learned a few things...First, don't try to type, watch a crucial football game, and eat/drink all at the same time. Especially not if you are typing on a laptop that is plugged into a wall to charge. Twice I had to catch may laptop out of mid-air to save near disaster. Life lessons people.
Second - do not watch football (really, sports in general) with people who do not understand the game. Family is an exception, but not entirely. There is nothing more annoying to me than having to explain what is happening after every play, what a "pick-6" is, why a play won't be overturned, etc. My mother gets almost a free pass from me, since she did teach me to love sports and all. By everybody else - if you're going to watch a football game on the couch next to me, don't say things like "Now, which team is the Patriots again?" Seriously. You might lose some teeth.
Third - I'm not quite as bad at picking playoff games as I thought. I'm 5-3 for this postseason, which is vastly superior to my usual playoff record after two rounds, which tends to lean to the wrong side of .500.
And fourth, I'm beginning to think a lot more people read what I write than I originally assumed. During my live blog day, I had over 400 hits to this site (which is, by far, a personal best for me. The previous high was just over a hundred during the Red Sox' 2004 World Series run...) But one hit in particular impressed me. It came from within the nfl.com domain, and it remainded here for a couple hours. It also browsed around the archives a little. So, if any ideas of mine have inspired you guys (like my stance - it's on Shanoff's page at about 12:21 in the comments section - that anyone suspended for using PEDs should forfeit any chance to earn individual honors for the rest of that season... hmm seems that one got noticed) I'm happy to help.
Also, before I put in my short two cents on this week's games, allow me to pass along a few notes from the Orlando Area. I'm sitting in the airport as I type this awaiting my flight to Vegas (via Denver, naturally), and I've got an hour to kill. So here goes:
Charleston, SC, is the absolute middle of nowhere. I thought the Philadelphia Airport was the worst possible place to be delayed during a long flight - I was horribly misinformed. The Charleston Municipal Airport is basically three airstrips in the middle of a couple thousand mobile homes. But hey - now I know what a "double-wide" looks like. And where else in America can you watch a 787 (44 windows on the plane... ridiculous), four Naval Fighter Jets, and a freaking bi-plane take off, all from the same runway, within the span of two hours???
Something I've always wandered about, and now I have an answer to. In Buffalo, New York, "Buffalo" Wings are just called "Wings", or maybe "Hot Wings" (I have confirmation on this from a college friend born and raised in Buffalo.) So I've always wondered if "Florida Oranges" would just be called "Oranges" down here in Florida. Nope. Apparantely, they're a little more proud of their geographical affiliations with food down here. Florida Oranges are still Florida Oranges, even in Florida. Little things like this amuse me...
Onto this week's picks:
Saints (+3) over BEARS: Nothing about this Bears team inspires me anymore. Even the defense has shown major flaws in the past month and a half. I cannot support a team that is going into the Conference Championship Game, as the top seed and home team, and still has the threat of a full scal quarterback controversy looming as a potential disaster. Sorry, can't be done. Besides, if you don't think the NFL is "doing everything in their power" to get the Saints into the Super Bowl this year, you're fooling yourself.
The Pick: Saints 27, Bears 17
Patriots (+3) over COLTS: Look, if you think I'm picking against the Pats after what they pulled off this past Sunday, you're nuts. They shut down the best team in the NFL. And yes, the Colts did a pretty nice job against the Ravens - I'm not taking anything away from that. What made this pick for me - aside from common sense - is that Tony Dungy is giving his players most of this week off. That is a tactic that NEVER works. Plus, I really hate Peyton Manning. By the way - I'll be watching this game in The Mirage sportsbook, which is just freaking awesome.
The Pick: Pats 24, Colts 16
And with that, my plane is about to board, so I'm out of here.
Lata.
posted by Big D @ 9:05 AM
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