How did we get here?

All bets are off

When it comes to the NFL, simply throw logic out the window because anything is possible once the game starts.
Take all talk and pre-game hype that ESPN, NFL Network and any other venues offer up and trash them because they don't know squat once the game begins.
None of us does.
The New York Jets are latest example of this as they try to emulate their big brothers of two years ago in their quest to win the Super Bowl title.
The 2007 New York Giants came from nowhere to stun the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42 by a 17-14 count.
The New York Jets, fresh off their stunning 17-14 "upset" of the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs now face the mighty Indianapolis Colts, led by league MVP Peyton Manning, who already has a Super Bowl title to his credit.
The Colts, just like in Super Bowl III, are heavy favorites to whoop up on the Jets and "logic" says they will do just that.
C'mon man!
Don't fall for that crap because history proves the underdogs win in the post-season and the last four years proves just that when it comes to the NFL.
The 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers were the frickin' sixth seed (for crying out loud) and then stunned everybody by winning three road games en route to their eventual Super Bowl title.
The 2006 Indy Colts came from nowhere after limping into the playoffs and, just like this season, received a huge favor as their nemesis (San Diego Chargers) was eliminated prior to them having to face them in the post-season, paving the way for them to capture the Super Bowl title by beating the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 41.
The New York Giants followed that act in 2007 with three road wins (like the Steelers of '05) and won the Super Bowl.
Last season, the '08 Arizona Cardinals, with their gaudy 9-7 record (just like the 2009 Jets), made it to the NFC title game and then beat the favored Philadelphia Eagles to advance to the Super Bowl. But the magic ended as the Pittsburgh Steelers took it away from them in the final minute of play to capture the title of Super Bowl 43 champions with a thrilling 27-23 comeback win.
The point of all this is that ANYTHING is possible and people cannot just pencil in the Colts as AFC champions to face either the Minnesota Vikings or New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl 44 this year.
The Colts should beat the Jets, and put to rest that they were fools to trash a perfect season after pulling their starters that gave the game to the Jets in Week 16, allowing the Jets to sneak into the playoffs, where they now face the mighty Colts.
Karma!
Wouldn't it be sweet justice if the Jets knocked the Colts off and advanced to the Super Bowl?
Fact is if the Colts didn't pull the starters in that game,when they were well on their way to victory that would have eliminated the New York Jets from playoff contention, then "Gang Green" would be sitting at home watching another team face the Colts.
Oh for a Jets victory to teach the Indy Colts a valuable lesson... when you have them down, keep them down and don't give them any chance to haunt you.
The Jets, with rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (pictured above left), are riding high and feel they can take on the world right now.
Maybe they will win... but don't count on it happening for them this time.
In the NFC, ho hum, it's the Vikings and Saints going at it with Brett Favre vs. Drew Brees and all that good stuff.
Two powerful offenses facing off for teams that also feature opportunistic defenses to keep their opponents honest.
Something has to give and the game is in New Orleans right?
All bets are off because this is the NFL and the visitors have the old man in purple who wears number four.
Favre just may cook up some more of that "Cajun' Magic" and shock the Saints to lead the Vikings to their first Super Bowl appearance since Fran Tarkenton was calling the plays in the great white north of Minnesota.
Yes, it has been that long Vikings fans.
Both games should be exciting... but remember, all bets are off when it comes to the NFL in the post-season.
History proves that... I guarantee it.
Isn't that right, Joe "Willie" Namath?

Here are heftyinfo's picks for this Sunday's games...


AFC Championship Game

Indianapolis over NY Jets

NFC Championship Game

Minnesota over New Orleans

Last week's playoff record: 3-1

Total post-season record: 6-2

Home cookin' for three teams and the Chargers choke again

Maybe it pays to run one's mouth and not be humble when it comes to sportsmanship because New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan (just like his father Buddy Ryan) insisted his team should be the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
The New York Jets are one step closer to the big game after shocking the San Diego Chargers, 17-14 in the final game of the Divisional Round playoffs.
The other three games this past weekend were all won by the host teams in blowout fashion as the Vikings, Colts and Saints advanced to their respective conference championship games.
The Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens, 20-3 on Saturday night in a yawner game that saw Peyton Manning hit Austin Collie and Reggie Wayne with touchdown passes to seal the win before halftime.
The Saints completely destroyed the Arizona Cardinals, 45-14 as Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns and Reggie Bush accounted for two more scores with a 83-yard punt return and a 46-yard touchdown run for New Orleans.
The Minnesota Vikings blew away the Dallas Cowboys, 34-3 to advance to play the Saints in the NFC Championship Game in the Big Easy. Vikings QB Brett Favre was brilliant with four touchdown passes and Sidney Rice (six catches for 141 yards) scored three touchdowns.
The Vikings defense dominated as Dallas QB Tony Romo was sacked six times and the Cowboys could not get anything going offensively in the game.
The only exciting game the entire weekend was the Jets' upset of the Chargers.
New York hung around and hung around trailing just 7-0 at halftime and then opened the running game up in the second half as the Chargers turned the ball over twice with interceptions (one a total fluke play) that gave the Jets life in the game.
Rookie QB Mark Sanchez hit tight end Dustin Keller for a three-yard scoring pass early in the fourth quarter to put the Jets ahead 10-7 and when Shonn Greene scored on a 53-yard run with seven minutes left, the underdogs from the Big Apple were ahead for good at 17-7.
Chargers' QB Philip Rivers was able to drive the team for a score with just over two minutes remaining to make it 17-14. The Jets recovered the onside kickoff and got a first down to put the game away.
The difference in the football game turned out to be the kicking game as San Diego's 2009 All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding MISSED three field goals in the game, two of them very makable kicks from 36 and 40 yards out.
On the other side, the Jets' Jay Feely made his 46-yard attempt to provide the final difference.
This game was eerily similar to the Chargers' playoff game loss to the New England Patriots following the 2006 season as they made too many mistakes and the small brakes (that make differences in football games) ALL went the way of the New York Jets in their nail biting win.
Now it's on to the next round with the Jets facing the Indianapolis Colts, who have got to be breathing a HUGE sigh of relief facing New York rather than San Diego which is the team that eliminated the Colts each of the last two playoffs, next Sunday in Indy while Minnesota is at New Orleans.

NFL FOOTBALL- Divisonal Round Previews

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

The J-E-T-S Jets are flying to San Diego to face the best team in the NFL this weekend.
The Chargers have won 11 games in a row and are expected to advance to their second AFC Championship Game in three years.
The Jets Head Coach, Rex Ryan, is doing his best impersonation of his dad, Buddy Ryan, with the brash predictions for his team.
The Chargers have an explosive offense and the highest scoring team in the AFC while the Jets boast the stingiest defense in the entire NFL and can stop opponents' passing games in a heart beat.
Something has to give, right?
The last time these two teams played each other, Brett Favre was the quarterback in New York and the Chargers smashed the Jets 49-29 on a Monday Night Football game.
San Diego's defense is getting NO respect at all and all they have done is steadily improve against the run and pass all season long and they are facing a ROOKIE QB this weekend.
Lights Out!
The Chargers can get after it defensively as well and with their offense, led by QB Philip Rivers and bolstered by wide receivers Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Legedu Naanee and All-Pro Tight End Antonio Gates, is simply awesome. It doesn't hurt to have LaDainian Tomilnson and Darren Sproles in the backfield either.
The Jets simply do not match up offensively with the Chargers, even with Thomas Jones running the football.
Mark Sanchez is the quarterback and threw 20 interceptions in the regular season. His receivers include Braylon Edwards, Tight End Dustin Kellar and Jerhico Cotchery. The backup running back is Shonn Jones, another rookie who had a big day in the wild card game win over Cincinnati last week.
The Jets defense will look to pressure Philip Rivers into mistakes, much like Pittsburgh and Denver did early in the season, when the Chargers got off to their usual slow start at 2-3.
These two teams have been hot, evidenced by San Diego's 11-game winning streak and the Jets three-game streak and six wins in their last seven games.
If the Jets can hang tough with San Diego into the late stages of the game, they will definitely have a shot at winning this game. If this one turns into a shoot out, the Jets will get clobbered in much the same manner the Tennessee Titans did three weeks ago against the Chargers in a 42-17 loss.
The Chargers should win this game, barring a major letdown on BOTH sides of the football.

Here are heftyinfo's playoff picks for this weekend's games...

Saturday's Games

New Orleans over Arizona
Indianapolis over Baltimore

Sunday's Games

Minnesota over Dallas
San Diego over NY Jets

Last Week's playoff picks record: 3-1

NFL PLAYOFFS- Divisional Round Previews

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings

The Dallas defense will be blitzing as they come off the team bus when they face the Vikings on Sunday afternoon in the Metrodome.
Getting to Vikings' quarterback Brett Favre will be the key to the game as the Dallas Cowboys look to continue the roll they have been on since surprising the New Orleans Saints a month ago.
If the Dallas defense cannot apply steady pressure on the 40-year old signal caller, it could be a long day for the 'Pokes.
Favre and his favorite target Sidney Rice have been riding high all season long. It doesn't stop there either as Favre can choose from Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, Vinsanthe Shiancoe, and either Adrian Peterson or Chester Taylor out of the backfield.
The fact the Dallas "Doomsday" defense has held opponents to 17 points or less in four straight games is impressive. The Saints scored just 17 against the Cowboys' defense, then the Redskins and Eagles were shut out before the defense limited Philly to just 14 points in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs last week.
The Vikings stumbled down the stretch, even though they rebounded to pound the Giants in the season finale to lock up a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Minnesota defense was strong for most of the season, but when Jared Allen and the rest of the defense can't get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the secondary has been getting lit up as evidenced by Arizona's Kurt Warner and Carolina's Matt Moore in blowout wins by their teams over Minnesota in December.
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has a clear head this post-season and has put the ghosts of failures past behind him for the time being in leading the Cowboys' resurgent offense.
Felix Jones had a huge game last week running the football against the Eagles and Tashard Choice and (if healthy) Marion Barber III will contribute against the Vikings defense.
Romo has several targets in Roy Williams, Jason Witten, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and the backs
previously mentioned.
If the game turns into a shoot out, look for Minnesota to pull away and win easily, but if Dallas can maintain it's game plan of late to control the football and game clock and play solid defense, they will likely find themselves in the NFC Championship Game next week.

READ MY LIPS- NO NEW TAXES!

Truer words were never so aptly spoken when George Bush, Sr. said this over 20 years ago in his campaign for President of the United States.
The problem was, he had to raise taxes and it cost him as Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States four short years later.
Will Barack Obama meet the same fate if he reneges on his promises of no higher taxes on the middle class while at the same time raising taxes on the wealthiest 2% of the nation as the George Bush, Jr. tax cuts expire?
We shall see because Obama is all for a tax on medical coverage benefits, something which then Republican candidate John McCain was all for in 2008 and which was part of the reason he lost the election in a landslide to Obama.
That's the problem with these politicians, right or left, Democratic or Republican, liberal, conservative ... it just doesn't matter because they eventually become boot lickers (I will keep the language clean this time around) of the corporations and their lobbyists and the hell with the rest of us.
MSNBC's Ed Schultz hit the nail right on the head earlier this evening on "The Ed Show" when he stated that President Obama must not listen to the advisers giving him this bad direction and he must not abandon his base.
Whether or not Obama heeds this straight talking advice from "big Ed" remains to be seen, but one thing for sure... Obama should do his history research and learn a lesson from the elder Bush when he was in the oval office.
Read My Lips...

FORMER SLUGGER MARK McGWIRE COMES CLEAN- FINALLY!