I’m a little disappointed that the Baseball Savant hasn’t posted his NFL playoff picks yet, since I won’t be able to mock them in the process of making my own. Ah well, no doubt he will soon give us the opportunity to abuse him by calling for his beloved Peyton Manning to knock off Detroit in the Super Bowl or something like that.
Hey, it’s why they call him the BASEBALL Savant.
In short, I expect Baltimore to win the Super Bowl. In the absence of a dominant team, go with the defense with the competent quarterback and the proven playoff coach. The Chargers are certainly impressive, but I don’t see them as being particularly dominant, nor do I see Marty Schottenheimer guiding a first-time playoff quarterback to a championship.
I’m less enthusiastic about even picking an NFC champion, but I simply can’t go with the Bears given how bad Grossman has played. The Saints strike me as being too happy to be there and while Brees is even better than the quarterback I wanted the Vikings to pursue in free agency last year, he hasn’t been a big playoff performer. Since I have to pick someone, I’ll go with the Eagles. I’ve always liked Jeff Garcia, Andy Reid is a proven playoff coach and their defensive weakness is against the pass, which Grossman is unlikely to exploit.
Also, it’s the veteran white quarterbacks who tend to overperform in the playoffs. I still can’t get over Rich Gannon’s swan song with the Raiders… who was that guy and why didn’t he play that way in his prime for the Vikings?
As for this week, here’s my thoughts:
Colts over Chiefs – Dungy is a good man and a bad game-day coach. Herm Edwards is a shifty man and an even worse game-day coach. Sure, the Colts can’t stop Johnson, but the Chiefs won’t stop Manning in a Dome either.
Cowboys over Seahawks – A rookie quarterback can get you past the first round. Seattle has not impressed me in any way, shape or form this year. Maybe I’m underestimating them, but I don’t think so.
Patriots over Jets – I’m with the Sports Guy on this one. I think Brady and Belicek have been laying low for the last month. Mangini has done an excellent job this season, but he just doesn’t have enough horses.
Eagles over Giants – Maybe the chaos will magically come together again, as it did last week, but I seriously doubt it.
Wouldn’t it be ironic, though, if this is the year that Dungy and company are finally able to get it done, when nearly everyone has jumped off the bandwagon. (Note: I was NEVER on it, having been a Tony Dungy fan since his Gopher days. That Chuckie thing wasn’t a coincidence.)
UPDATE: Despite ripping off all of my first-round picks, the BASEBALL Savant does not disappoint:
SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: Indianapolis Colts over Philadelphia Eagles
At the end of the day, PEYTON MANNING WILL BE CROWNED SIMULTANEOUSLY SUPER BOWL CHAMPION AND GREATEST QB TO EVER PLAY THE GAME! Of course, we already know he’s the greatest QB to ever play the game. Now all the haters will have to admit it!
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION BABY!
Well, at least he realized that the Lions didn’t make the playoffs. Nevertheless, psychiatric therapy is clearly indicated.