2006 NFL Playoff Ranks - Divisional Round
Holy Crap! It’s Tuesday already? Damn, the past few days have flown past.
Of course, the next few will drag on interminably, as I wait for Saturday to get here so I can head to the airport for my 10 days away from the world at a conference and then a much needed vacation.
So, fair warning – I’ll post today, and again Thursday night/Friday morning with my picks for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. Then, just like last year, I’ll be spending the next four days at a work conference, and the following five days enjoying general debauchery in Vegas.
Today’s post is going to be relatively short, just a quick ranking of the teams still left in the playoffs, as well as those eliminated last week.
And, as much as I’d like to make some type of crack here about the Giants, Jets, or Tony Romo in general, I’ll refrain. For now…
2006 Divisional Round Rants & Ranks
1. Baltimore (2): I know – theory of inertia and all, they shouldn’t move up based on a bye, nor should the Chargers move down. But I’m not 100% sold on Philip Rivers’ ankle being healthy, am I am 100% convinced that the Ravens’ defense is the best in the AFC, if not the NFL. They allowed the fewest points (201) and the fewest total yards (4225). Steve McNair has provided them with a competent quarterback to lead the offense… they just seem scary right now.
2. San Diego (1): Duh. This is going to be a hell of a good weekend of football…
3. New England (3): I honestly can’t wait to be sitting in Orlando, drinking a beer, watching the Patriots/San Diego game on Sunday. Funny thing – last year, I missed the Patriots’ second round game because I was flying to San Diego for this conference. This year, the conference is in Orlando – the Patriots are in San Diego. Next year, take a wild guess which SoCal city will be hosting the conference? Yup – San Diego it is. The Pats will probably end up in Jacksonville – a drivable distance from Orlando.
4. New Orleans (4): They probably match up a lot better with the Seahawks than they do with the Eagles. In fact, it’s a shame that this game is being played in the second round – I’m fairly certain that the winner of this game, if they don’t lose any key cogs to injury, will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
5. Indianapolis (6): Dominant win in a game that most people thought would be a lot closer. The defense looks like it could have enough to stop the Ravens – the question is, will the offense have enough in their bag to get past the Baltimore D. And even more – when was the last time Indy’s offense was the part of the team that worried you heading into a game?
6. Chicago (7): They’re going to destroy Seattle. They might not score an offensive point – they’ll still win by three scores. Two weeks for that defense to scheme a way to slow down Matt Hasslebeck and what appears to be a hobbled Shaun Alexander is almost unfair. Of course, we said the same things before last seasons Divisional Round game against the Panthers…
7. New York Jets (8): Helluva game Sunday. I had the pleasure of attending my first game in Gillette Stadium. Picked a good day. Now I am giddy with the thought of a Belichick-run defense getting the first crack at Philip Rivers in the playoffs…
8. Philadelphia (5): They needed a kick at the end of regulation, at home, to defeat the worst of the twelve playoffs teams. That does not inspire confidence in my proclamation that the Eagles were the second best team in the NFC.
9. Seattle (10): I can’t imagine they have any more luck left in their bag-‘o-tricks. By the way; believe me if you will, but I absolutely predicted the blow up by the Cowboys at the end of the game. Sitting on my buddy’s couch, the instant the Jason Witten first-down conversion was overturned, I turned to a group of people nearby and shouted “There is no way they make this kick – something freakish is about to happen. Parcells has too much of a history with kicks – there is no way this kick goes through the uprights…”
10. Dallas (9): Wow. The only way I can sum up the end of that game is with this photo, apparently snapped by an intrepid sideline photographer with a very good lens...
11. New York Giants (15): Well, at least they put up a fight. That’s about the best thing I can say about how the Giants’ season ended. Even a friend of mine, a lifelong Giants fan, sent me an e-mail today saying “well, with a new coach, new QB, and new RB we should be pretty awesome…” Not exactly a ringing endorsement for his team’s chances. (By the way, I took the opportunity to remind him that the Giants also need a new GM, defensive secondary, and a multitude of other things. Good thing they traded away all those picks – Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman, and Nate Kaeding – for Eli Manning.)
12. Kansas City (12): There’s no one left to rank, that’s the only reason I didn’t drop them. But going an entire half without recording a first down is the definition of offensive futility. How Herm Edwards didn’t make any type of personnel adjustment – i.e. sit Trent Green’s useless ass on the bench – is completely beyond me.
I’ll be back Thursday with the Picks. 2-2 last week (though I actually had money on the Cowboys +2.5, even though I picked the Seahawks to cover on here…).
Lata.
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