Okay, this is where the fun begins. I've did my own rendition of picking the AFC and the NFC for the upcoming season.. and of course, folks want to know who my Super Bowl picks will be. Although I'm not the best at picking divisions, I've been pretty decent in picking my potential SB picks (I chose San Diego and New Orleans last year, so I was half right LOL).

So without further ado... DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN!!! Here are my 2010 Playoff Scenario picks:

AFC Wild Card Weekend


Texans @ Jets- The Texans are my dark horse pick this year, beating out New England for a playoff spot by strength of schedule. They finally get in the dance! But I don't forsee them advancing. This Jets D is ferocious and the Texans are more of a pass happy team, not as balanced. Sexy Rexy gets the win this time.

Winner:

Baltimore @ San Diego- The Chargers will get in, but they will really miss Vincent Jackson come playoff time. The Chargers D won't be enough to stop all of the weapons the Ravens have on offense. The Ravens win easy, simply because their D won't be able to handle it.

Winner:

(sorry boo boo, I love you but my squad will prevail)


Divisional Playoffs
Baltimore @ Indianapolis - The Colts are Ravens Killers. They know how to beat them better than any other team in the league. This is the year the Ravens get the monkey off their back.

Winner:

Jets @ Bengals- In a rematch of the 2009 Wild Card game, I don't forsee the same result. This is where the buck stops for Rex and company. It all comes down to the QB play. If Palmer stays healthy, the sky is the limit for this team. I still don't trust Sanchez enough, despite the weapons he has. The think Cincy pulls it out

Winner:


AFC Championship

Baltimore @ Cincinnati- Yes, I'm picking an AFC North AFC Championship. And I am far from biased. But the NFL is like a crap shoot, and to a lot of you, this is not something you would see happening. But it's extremely realistic. These two teams know each other.. and well! Carson Palmer is second behind Peyton Manning in making the Ravens eat their own crow. But in the end, the Ravens will prevail. Ed Reed will be back and Carson Palmer wants no parts of that, trust me.

Winner:




NFC Wild Card Weekend
Washington @ Dallas- These two bitter rivals will meet for Wild Card weekend. By then, I expect McNabb to either be hurt, or out of gas. Sorry Skins fans, I think Dallas has what it takes to go further. Sucks that it's to your arch nemesis though
Winner:
Minnesota @ San Francisco- This is my upset pick. While the Vikings are a good overall team, I think this is when we really see how good the 49ers are on defense. Adrien Peterson fumbles away another game. The End

Winner:


NFC Divisional Weekend

Dallas @ Green Bay- Sorry Dallas, Aaron Rodgers is on a mission. And you're in the way. Cowboys fans are gonna throw tomatoes at me, but if you're playing GB in the Divisionals, it looks like another 1 win playoff year for you.

Winner:

San Francisco @ New Orleans- San Francisco may not be able to handle all that New Orleans can throw at them. The Saints have way too many weapons and the 49ers can't outscore the Saints.
Winner:

NFC Championship

Green Bay @ New Orleans- This is going to be epic. Better than the Vikings- Saints NFC Championship game. Aaron Rodgers, the NEW face of the Packers, against Drew Brees, the NFL darling. High powered offenses, good defense, and plenty of points. But in the end, I think Green Bay prevails.

Winner:




Super Bowl XLV

Baltimore @ Green Bay- Looks like this is the sexy pick amongst other bloggers and sports writer. When I first predicted this earlier in the year, I thought I was doing something. I guess I really wasn't doing that much, because a lot of other people have this same prediction. I refuse to change my pick, because I'm going with my gut. However, everyone is picking Green Bay to be the winner. And while I picked them to win as well, someone has to pick the underdog. And since my squad is the underdog...... allow me to be the one to do it!


Ravens 27, Packers 24 With a last second FG from Billy Cundiff!!!!!




The NFL Season is here!!!!!!!!! LEGOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Unless you were under a rock yesterday, then you know by now that football on Sundays have officially made its return. Granted, it's only in preseason form, but it's still football, nonetheless.

Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals played in the yearly Hall-Of-Fame game in Canton, OH. And even though the starters played no more than 2 series, it was still good to see some type of football on my TV screen. I learned a few things about both teams during that game

People Missed Football... A LOT!
I was sitting at the bar in the Outback restaurant last night, watching the game and eating.... and it was extra crowded in there, more than usual. Tons of folks crowded the area to watch a preseason football game. At one point, the bartender changed the channel to the Red Sox-Yankees game and the bar erupted! As he turned the channel back to football (preseason football, by-the-way), a lady who wanted to watch the baseball game had a BIG tantrum and stormed out of the restaurant. All of the football fans (myself included) clapped and cheered as she made her way to the exit.... did I say all of this was over a PRESEASON football game??? Yeah.. I think people are happy football is back.


The Cowboys Have Depth
The Cowboys backups looked good during yesterday's game, especially on defense. They have some hungry, fast linebackers who are young and could provide depth at a position that has aged a little with the starters. John Kitna is a good backup for Tony Romo, and the RBs looked great. The WRs did a great job with separation. Hell, even Roy Williams decided to catch a ball or two. And let's not forget that Dez Bryant is still on the bench, resting from an ankle sprain. Overall, the Boys have some talent.


The Bengals Backup QB's SUCK!
If I had to choose who would be the butt of all of my awful QB jokes today, between JT O'Sullivan and Jordan Palmer, I'd have to flip a coin. If Carson Palmer goes down, the Bengals season is over!



There is a reason why O'Sullivan is on his 8th team in his 8th season. It's because he's just not that good.... He buckles under any kind of pressure and he throws INTs. To make matters worse, Jordan Palmer (Carson's younger brother) is right behind him. While Jordan throws the ball the same way as his big brother Carson, he definitely doesn't get the same results. Palmer threw 2 bad INTs directly to Cowboys defenders. If I'm Cincy, I'm looking to make a deal for a backup somewhere else. Carson hasn't been the healthiest in the past few years, so this is a major concern.

Carson Palmer May Need Prayer And Aspirin........
if what I saw last night is a staple of what's to come. And no, this isn't about Batman and Robin, AKA T.O. and Ocho Cinco. Palmer's starting offensive line struggled during their 2 series against the Cowboys. ESPN's AFC North blogger James Walker mentioned last week that the Bengals defense was getting a lot of pressure on Palmer in camp, but it continued last night. Palmer was sacked once, and was hurried at LOT.

Memo to the Bengals O-Line: Do you know who your backup QBs are? If you want any kind of special season this year, then I suggest you take care of your bread and butter, which is Carson Palmer. Or else this could be 2008 all over again for you.

In any event, whether it be a scrimmage, preseason game or whatever... I'm just glad football is back on my TV again! The football gods are shining down, and it feels good!

I'm sure most of you were like me and were plastered to the TV the entire weekend, with your full attention on the NFL Playoffs. Whether it was a blowout, total domination or an OT game, all of the games were good to me. It's the playoffs, so anything that can happen, did happen. Here are my thoughts over the weekend's games:

Ocho Cinco celebrated his birthday on Sat, the same day as his playoff game against the New York Jets. That was pretty much all there was to celebrate though. The Bengals looked dazed and confused, and Palmer looked like a deer in headlights. The Jets beat the Bengals the week before to secure their playoff spot, so they had all the confidence in the world coming into Cincy's house. While Bengals RB Cedric Benson did run wild on a league-leading Jets defense with 169 yards, Gang Green simply made more plays and beat the Bengals convincingly, 24-14. There may have even been an Ocho Cinco tears sighting. But it was hard to tell.

*extra point* How does Mark Sanchez play more like a veteran than Carson Palmer on such a large stage???

Sanchez has said numerous times that Palmer was someone he looked up to, back from their days in Southern Cali when Sanchez attended Palmer's high school games. But it was Sanchez who was schooling Palmer on Saturday, passing 12/15 for 182 yards and a TD. It was kind of sad to see, the Bengals just can't get right in the playoffs.


The Cowboys.... wow!!! First off, let me congratulate you on your playoff win. It was long overdue. But good lord, who knew you were gonna come out swinging like that?! You made the Eagles look like some regular team that didn't belong in the dance. Even Roy Williams came out to play and caught some good passes, which means he was in RARE form. I'm finally a believer that the Cowboys have a serious chance of representing the NFC come February. They earned it, and Tony Romo had a very good day.

*extra point* I must say, the highlight of the night was McNabb "taunting" the Cowboys fans. I didn't find it taunting at all, I thought it was kinda funny.... But I'm not a Cowboys fan so...........


*2 pt conversion* Okay I'm officially scared............


There is nothing I love more than what I saw yesterday. The Ravens treated the Patriots like they stole something, and I was like a proud mama, cheesing the entire time. They came to play and they did just that, which was one of the best games the Ravens played the entire season. Of course I wrote a column about it on Gridiron Gals, but I had to show my boys some love over here too. They beat the Darlings of the NFL, there is nothing cooler than that.

*extra point* Shout out to the Ravens fans that went to Boston. Baltimore may not be recognized as a well traveled team, but we do more than alright. Just ask Vince Wilfork.


By far the best game was the Packers-Cardinals game. It had the most offense out of all the games this weekend. The Pack were down 17 points in the 1st qtr, but found their way fighting back and staying alive in the game, eventually tying up the score 45 all and taking the game to OT. Over 1,000 yards of total offense and 96 totals points from both sides combined. The biggest thing that has me scratching my head, is the Packers were ranked #2 overall in defense prior to yesterday's game, but still managed to give up over 500 yards of offense.

So with such a high scoring, offensive game, imagine every one's surprise when the play ended because of defense. If I didn't see if for myself I, wouldn't have believed it.


Congrats to the Cardinals. That was the most exciting game of the weekend. You earned that win.

*extra point* I kinda feel bad for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers was clearly hit in the face mask which startled him and the fumble then came. I hate ticky tacky calls and giving the QBs extra leniency, but that was a blatant call that was missed. I'd bet money that if Brady or Manning were the guy behind center, three flags would have come out. The officiating this season has been horrific, and it showed again in the OT game.



*2 pt conversion* That being said.... the Packers shouldn't have let them get up 17-0 in the 1st qtr. I'm just saying........


This weekend's matchups are set and ready. The Cardinals travel to the Crescent City to play the Saints while the Ravens go to Indy to play the Colts on Saturday. On Sunday, The Cowboys head to Minnesota and the Jets will be in San Diego to face my boo Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers. I doubt that any of these games will disappoint, unless your team is on the losing end when the game is over. Each team earned the right to be there, so I expect big things for the Divisional Weekend.

*extra point* I found this on Blitz Nation and I couldn't resist.... What in the world is LT doing???? And Why??????

Model/Actress Liris Crosse celebrated her birthday with celebs and NFL friends. So who came through to celebrate with her?? Pigskin Loving Lady has all of the details on her event.



After Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Mind Pinball thinks the Washington Redskins went from bad to worse. Read here and see if you can agree or disagree with his point

MK Rob tells us Titans RB LenDale White has a new representative. Who can it be??? Find out here. I sure hope that person can help the Titans win games, SMH



Ed The Sports Fan thinks the Dallas Cowboys need Crazy Joe Clark. Click here to find out why. I thought they got rid of T.O. already????

Passing On The Game says that unless the Bucs do right by Matt Bryant, then field goals are going to continue to be shaky. Find out why he thinks there's Karma on the horizon.

Week Two is in the bag. And as the weeks go on, it tends to get better and better. There is never a dull moment in the NFL, so let's recap what happened yesterday:

- Another Sunday, another reason why I'm gonna have hypertension in a few years. The Ravens are gonna be the death of me. Two close games back-to-back and it was killing me to watch. My boo, Philip Rivers, made the Ravens D earn their paycheck yesterday. Rivers had a career high 436 yards passing against the Ravens' defense, but it was the lack of TD's in the redzone that allowed Baltimore to hang around and win the game. Shout out to Ray Lewis for finding the Fountain of Youth and not sharing. Dude is hella old in football years, but still got it!


*bonus* Philip Rivers, I still love you, boo!

-The Browns are sad... really sad.. I kinda feel bad for everyone involved. You know it's bad when the head coach fines a player $1700 for a bottle of water. Every body's fed up.

-If you're a Redskins fan, you CANNOT be happy that you squeaked out a win against the Rams. And don't give me that, "A win is a win" mess.. it was the RAMS!!!! That was a painful game to watch. I just thank the football gods for allowing me to see the Pats-Jets game during the same time.

*bonus* Twitter will be the death of Redskins LB Robert Henson in DC. What a dummy!

-If you are a Rams fan, you have to be even more mad that you coughed up the ball inside the Redskins' 5 yard line for the possible go ahead score and the win. If it wasn't for bad luck, you guys wouldn't have any.

- I'm so glad Sexy Rexy and the Jets walked the walk. The old adage is, don't have your mouth write checks that your azz can't cash. Well, the Jets cashed in their checks, stocks, bonds, everything with that win. Congrats to Sanchez and Co. for the big win against the Pats. We know what team came to play yesterday, and it wasn't the team Brady was on.



*bonus* Bill Belichick has to be the sorest loser in the NFL. They guy has had 3 Super Bowls and a perfect regular season. But when he loses, he has the phoniest handshake ever. I'm convinced he woulda pulled a "LeBron" had Sanchez not ran him down to be a good sport.

- If you are a Packers fan, you're mad about how the game ended. But you can't be mad at Chad Ochocinco. The guy is hard to dislike, and he said that he was gonna do the Lambeau Leap in the crowd. I'm real mad that he chose a "soft" spot and found 3 Bengals fans to jump into (I'm convinced that Bengals fans don't travel, so I think those were actors that were paid to sit there in case he scored). The craziest part of the leap, is the guy in the white shirt that seems to be punching him on the back. Dude... simma down, Chad means no harm





- Can we just give Drew Brees the NFL MVP Award now??? Dude is a beast.

- Jeff Reed, there is no crying in football.

- I wrote that the Jags should move to LA during the summer, and more and more this suggestion seems to be coming true. They don't have the support from the fans and don't have a need to show up on Sundays to give them a reason to come. It's sad, really, because Maurice Jones-Drew is a great player and his talent is going to waist right now

- Michael Vick can play next week, YEAY!!!!!

- Raiders/Chiefs game.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

- HELLOOOOOOOOOOO Houston, and thank you for coming out to play with us this week. Great game from the Texans.

- I think I'm gonna pick the Lions to win next Sunday... I wonder who they play??? *looks at schedule* Washington Redskins... Yup.... I think I will.


- Is it me, or are the Cowboys always "Tardy For The Party"? You know.. their own... Jerry Jones handpicked the Ravens to close out Texas Stadium, had this great post game ceremony lined up, but then allowed two of the longest run plays in stadium history, along with a loss. Then they open up that empire of a stadium with all of the trimmings (cage dancers included), and lose to the Giants in the final seconds of the game. When will America's Team keep up with JJ's extravagant activities in his stadiums??? I'm just saying...........


*bonus* If I see Jordin Sparks performs one more National Anthem at a football game, I'm gonna pull my hair out. I know work is hard to find these days, but damn... isn't there an Idol Reunion Tour you you need to be on?? Jordin Sparks, sitcho irrelevant azz down!

Okay, so Brown and Carr were #5 and #4 on my list. But they could go either way with some, because of injuries and a poor offensive line. Let's see who else is mentioned. Back to the list, shall we????


#3 Adam "Pacman" Jones- CB, West Virginia
#6 Overall Pick by Tennessee Titans, 2005



Wow... so many reasons why Pacman makes this list. Had Public Enemy made "Don't Believe The Hype" in the late after 2005 I would be convinced that it was made especially for Jones. To be quite frank if I may, Jones is a word that I don't like to use.. but let's just say it rhymes with mouchebag. Anyone remember the Real Sports interview with Bryant Gumbel????

From the very beginning trouble brewed with this guy. Not long after the 2005 draft, Jones was linked to a few incidents, including a fight which led to probation. Then there was the taunting of fellow teammate Keith Bullock. Bullock spoke out about Jones skipping camp because of a contract dispute and Pacman responded by reminding Bullock that he wasn't even a 1st round pick himself. So he had no right to respond to his situation. Oh...okay

Before I get into his long off-the-field record, let's look at his football career. He's had 4 INTs TOTAL, in his NFL career. Four..... Cuatro... He also has one sack in his pro career as well. Impressive, right?! WRONG! He did excel as a punt and kick returner, averaging 12.9 yds in 2006 (he led the league that year). He also had 3 punt returns for TDs, which tied an NFL record at the time. His sophomore season was pretty good for him.

But it all went downhill from there. Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 for numerous off-the-field issues. The most memorable was the Las Vegas strip club shooting, in which a man became paralyzed from the incident. When he vowed to stay away from strip clubs and trouble, he was spotted at an NYC strip club the night before he was to meet with Commissioner Goodell the following morning, regarding reinstatement. The strip club was a few block down from the NFL's headquarters, go figure.

When he was finally reinstated, he was traded to the Cowboys, where he basically did nothing and earned a paycheck in the process. He was released following the 2008 season. As of right now he's jobless. With all of the potential Jones had, he couldn't stay out of trouble. Not everyone can adapt to the responsibilities of being in the NFL... Jones was one of them.



#2 Kyle Boller- QB, California
#19 Overall Pick by Baltimore Ravens


Everyone knows that Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome is one of the best GMs in the business. He's drafted Ray Lewis, Jonathon Ogden, and Ed Reed. He's a great evaluator at talent. But drafting Kyle Boller was one pick I'm sure he'd like to have back.

The big hype about Boller coming out of college was, he could throw a football 60 yards while kneelingon one knee. Former HC Brian Billick was enamored by this info and wanted Boller to be the QB of the Ravens' future. Never mind the fact that he only had one good year at Cal during his tenure. Noo... Billick wanted this guy... and had Newsome trade back in the 1st round to get him.

Boller never really got comfortable in the Ravens offense. He always looked like a deer in headlights when he stepped out of the huddle. His number aren't very impressive either, with a 56.9% career completion pct, 45 TDs and 44 INTs. The most memorable game I have of him is against the Colts on a Sunday Night game. Boller went down with a toe injury and some of the fans in the stadium start cheering. The most classless thing I had ever seen, but it just showed the frustrations fans had with waiting for Boller to become a real QB.

Boller was the great enigma. He would have a week where he would show up and do great. Folks would start thinking, he's turning the corner, he's getting it now. This is it, finally, what we've waited for. And then the following week would come and he would bomb... HARD!. It was almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and you wondered which one was going to come out and play.

No matter what happened, Boller was always a class act. He never took the blame off of him, he never pointed fingers and always knew what to say. He was known for being a stand up guy when it came to criticism from the media and fans. Too bad it didn't continue on the football field.



#1 will be revealed tomorrow! See ya then......

The big NFL news over the weekend was none other than- Terrell Owens AKA T.O......AGAIN! On Saturday, Owens signed a 1 year contract with the Buffalo Bills, for $6.5 million.

Buffalo? Really?! Bills fans better get their popcorn ready, add salt and butter to taste.


This signing was one that I did not see coming, and I'm sure most would agree. Not that Owens was signed so fast, but the Bills was probably one of the last teams I expected him to sign to. That being said, based on the fact that it's a one year deal, this may not be a bad fit for either team.

I said "oh no" in my title of the blog, but that doesn't have to mean a bad thing. T.O. has a tendency to bring out the good, the bad and the ugly of each team. It all depends how much of the bad and ugly a team wants to deal with, in order to get the good.

So does this relationship work??? Let's review the good, the bad and the ugly of this recent signing.

The Good- T.O. is an extremely hard worker when it comes to football. His presence automatically makes his team better, because defenders have to game plan for him. In Buffalo, they also have a pretty good WR in Lee Evans. This makes Buffalo already a better team than last year, because they have a massive weapon of destruction....on the field that is.

The Bills are in a division that is up-and-coming to be a competitive one for some time. The Jets just hired for Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan as head coach and in the process, by stacking up their defense. The Dolphins did a complete 180, going from a 1-15 team in 2007 to a playoff contender in 2008. And the Pats..... are the Pats. They will be in the hunt every year, as long as Belichick is the coach. So where did that leave the Bills??? They started off HOT last year, going 5-1 before collapsing and finishing 7-9 and last in the AFC East.

The signing also would bring in more money by adding more fans in the stands, especially when the team plays in Toronto this upcoming season. Fans want to see the controversial player, whether they love him or hate him

I can see how this works out for all parties involved. The one year deal means T.O. will be on his best behavior.





The Bad- The last time I checked, the Bills had Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB. Neither are top tier at their position. Edwards wasn't the same once he suffered a concussion during last season. And Fitzpatrick did an okay job replacing Carson Palmer in Cincy, but he's a QB that runs under pressure. (sidenote: JP Losman is no longer with the Bills. He was on Kyle Boller status to me anyway. Waste of a 1st round pick). That brews trouble in T.O.'s World.

You see, T.O. loves the ball, like most WRs do. If Edwards and Fitzpatrick continue to struggle, expect T.O. to have B.O.


Excuse me, wrong saying... I mean, expect T.O. to be PO'd... as in, pissed off. We all have seen this before. Edwards is still a young QB, and having someone constantly in your ear asking for the ball could lead to bad things. Throwing balls in double and triple coverage, making poor decisions on the field, just to name a couple. This could possibly have a negative affect on the 3rd year QB's growth. Hopefully, Edwards won't have this issue. But if he does..... it'll be a long season

The Ugly- Man, where do I begin???? In San Francisco, he basically called QB Jeff Garcia gay.


In Philly, he turned on QB Donovan McNabb and got into a physical altercation with former Eagle Hugh Douglas.


In Dallas he disregarded Jason Garrett's game plan, accused Tony Romo of scheming plays behind his back, and almost got into a fight with TE Jason Witten, which eventually led to his departure



T.O. is clearly not a legal liability. But in the past, he has become a team liability. There are a good amount of folks that defend him. But his track record speaks for itself. Buffalo is his 4th team. His numbers say future hall-of-famer, but his team hopping says trouble maker. Most teams believes he cares about no one but himself and his numbers. Add that with the fact that, given his great ability to play WR he still hasn't won a Super Bowl, GMs tend to pass him over.


T.O. is 35 years old, he can still play at a high level. Although he was ranked in the Top 5 for dropped passes, he also averaged 10 TD's in each of his 3 seasons with Dallas. He has least 2 to 3 years left in the tank to play. It's quite possible that T.O. plays on yet another team next year, since he only received a 1 year deal with the Bills. So I expect him to get one more contract, possibly a 2 year deal, before he hangs up his cleats for good.

This may work out for everyone involved. T.O. gets to audition for real playoff contenders with this upcoming season, while the Bills could drastically get better on offense (they ranked 25th in overall offense last season). And in the meantime, they can make sweet, beautiful TD's together.

T.O. is a Bill, but he's still T.O.


Only time will tell............