Wild Card Weekend

Well, 2006 certainly ended on a high note.

Let me rewind to Saturday, December 30th. I was enjoying a nice steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Cary, NC with a couple of friends when I glanced to my right and saw Derian Hatcher, Peter Forsberg, Robert Esche, Antero Niittymaki, Mike Knuble, and Alexei Zhitnik sitting at the table next to ours. The Flyers were in town to play the Hurricanes. We ordered a round of beers for their table, and after dinner Esche came over and shook all of our hands. He went out and had 40 saves in a 5-2 victory Sunday night. Must have been the extra Bud Light he threw down.

Speaking of that game, I was tipped off to the fact that the Flyers morning skate would be open to the public, so I took my 4 ½ year-old son to the arena to watch, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to take him to an 8:00 PM face off on New Year’s Eve. Anyway, the doors closest to where we parked were locked, but a door on the other side of the building was propped open. We entered and were greeted by a security guard, leading to the following exchange:

Me: “We’re here for the Flyers skate.”
Security Guard: “Are you with the Flyers Fan Club?”
Me: “Um…yes.” (I’m not, but whatever).
Security Guard: “OK, the rest of your party is right down here.”

We were escorted to a section of seats about five rows back of the glass as the Hurricanes were finishing their practice. Once they were finished, all of the Caniacs in attendance were told to leave and the Flyers Fan Club, myself included, moved down into the front rows. The Zamboni cleaned the rink (clearly the highlight of Ryan’s day), and then the Flyers took the ice. Following practice, as the players were filtering off, a few waved and smiled, and we received a couple of practice pucks as souvenirs. A good time had by all.

I made it home just in time to tune into Week 17 of the NFL, which had lost some luster thanks to the fact that the Giants defeat of Washington on Saturday night mathematically eliminated many of the NFC teams. But I did get to watch a lot of the Kansas City-Jacksonville game and followed other scores on the computer. One game in particular I was paying close attention to went exactly the way I hoped it would…

Detroit 39, Dallas 31.

I said the 2-13 Detroit Lions, jockeying for the first overall pick in April’s draft, hung 39 points on a Dallas team playing at home in the Toilet still with a chance to win the NFC East. The Lions win clinched the fifth NFC East division title for the Eagles in the last six years. It also rendered the Eagles-Falcons game merely an exhibition, meaning Jeff Garcia, Brian Westbrook, and most of the other key starters got to rest after the first series. Philadelphia will host the Giants on Sunday (more on this and the other playoff games in a minute).

So to sum up New Year’s Eve, the Eagles won, the Flyers won, and the Cowboys choked on one. That’s a pretty good New Year’s as far as I’m concerned.

2007 did not start out as well. My daughter was sick and proceeded to barf all over me at about 7:30 in the morning on the 1st. I’ve yet to decide if getting yanked on is a good or bad omen for ’07. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Here are a few other random thoughts before I get to this weekend’s playoff games.

* Condolences to the family and friends of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who was shot and killed early Monday morning outside a night club in Denver. The 24 year-old left behind two young children, and it sounds as though Williams was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is a real shame.

* Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young and Houston Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans were named offensive and defensive rookies of the year, and I completely agree with both choices. Can you believe the Texans could have had both?

* Is anybody really surprised that Nick Saban left the Dolphins to take the Alabama job? For starters, they waved a boatload of cash at him ($32 million guaranteed over eight years). Plus, he’s more suited to the college game as his records at Michigan State and LSU would indicate. Dolphins fans shouldn’t be too upset about losing Saban, as he only compiled a 15-17 record and no playoff appearances during his two-year tenure. There are plenty of guys that can do that.

* I had Tom Coughlin as the first coach to get the axe, but the Giants at least made it to the playoffs. I still think he’s dead man walking, but he’s not the first to be let go. That honor was shared between Jim Mora and Dennis Green, dismissed by Atlanta and Arizona, respectively. With Saban gone and Coughlin soon to follow (like, on Monday) there are already four head coaching vacancies in the NFL, and the season has only been officially over for three days.

* Interesting Stat #1 – In his last five starts, Cowboys QB Tony Romo has thrown eight interceptions and fumbled the ball seven times. By my count, that’s 15 turnovers, or three per start. Welcome to the Turnover Factory, Mr. Romo! Mr. Warner will now show you to your office, then Mr. Grossman will be taking you out to lunch.

* Interesting Stat #2 – The Philadelphia Eagles enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak for the second time in franchise history. The last time they did so was 1949, when the Eagles went on to win the NFL Championship. Talk about a good omen.

In what must be termed a down year in terms of the picks, I finished 2006 with records of 157-99 straight up and 129-120-7 against the spread. Despite the fact that both marks declined from 2005, I still picked more winners than all but one of ESPN’s so-called “Experts,” and the one was Mike Golic, a Notre Dame guy, so I’m cool with that.

One final piece of business. Last year, when I made my playoff picks, I did so for the entire post-season in one fell swoop. Courtesy of the coin toss system, I predicted the NFC without flaw, which was pretty funny. I have opted to go week by week this year, starting with this weekend’s wild card games. I’ll even give you scores.

Saturday, January 6th, 2007

The Match-up: Kansas City (+6.5) @ Indianapolis
The Skinny: Herm Edwards has been adamant that the Chiefs did not back into the playoffs, and on some level I agree with him. Kansas City did win their final two games to get to 9-7, but they only got in because some other teams (notably, Denver) threw it in the tank. KC didn’t back in, the Broncos backed out. Now some people are thinking the Chiefs can upset the Colts, and with the combination of Larry Johnson and Indy’s run defense, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. However, I could see Peyton Manning running a perfect two-minute drill to put Indianapolis ahead for good late in the game.
Straight Up: Indianapolis
Against the Spread: Kansas City
The Score: Colts 24, Chiefs 20

The Match-up: Dallas (+3.0) @ Seattle
The Skinny: Neither team is exactly on a roll right now. Both the Seahawks and Cowboys have lost three of their last four, the difference being Seattle hung on to win their mediocre division. That’s why this game is being played in the Pacific Northwest. Dallas’ defense has been an abomination, surrendering 131 points in their last four games. No reason to think that Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander can’t run roughshod over the Cowboys.
Straight Up: Seattle
Against the Spread: Seattle
The Score: Seahawks 34, Cowboys 23

Sunday, January 7th, 2007

The Match-up: New York Jets (+9.0) @ New England
The Skinny: The two played tight games both times they faced each other this year, with the Patriots winning 24-17 in Foxboro and the Jets 17-14 in the swamps of Jersey. Much has been made of the contentious relationship between Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini, but hopefully that doesn’t overshadow what might be the most entertaining game of the weekend. It’s January, it’s Foxboro, it’s Brady and Belichick, therefore it’s the Pats in a close one.
Straight Up: New England
Against the Spread: New York Jets
The Score: Patriots 24, Jets 23

The Match-up: New York Giants (+6.5) @ Philadelphia
The Skinny: I’ll admit I was a little nervous when I saw the kind of numbers Tiki Barber put up against the Redskins on Saturday – 23 carries, 234 yards, 3 scores. Tiki, like his brother, has been a thorn in the Eagles side before. But the more I thought about it, I began to realize that the Birds dominated the Giants for seven of the nine quarters they played this year, the two exceptions being the fourth quarter and overtime of their Week 2 match up when Andy Reid went Marty Schottenheimer and took the air our of the ball. With Jeff Garcia at quarterback, the Eagles offense is perhaps the most balanced of the playoff teams. The offensive line has played very well of late, and the defense seems to have turned a corner during this five-game winning streak. The Eagles will take Tiki out of play and make She-li Manning win the game for New York, and I don’t think he’s capable of doing that.
Straight Up: Philadelphia
Against the Spread: Philadelphia
The Score: Eagles 31, Giants 17