These Playoffs Are For the Birds

Friends,

I have found some humor in the fact that there are a lot of bird-brained :-) fans out there this year who have reason to be excited about their NFL team. The Eagles, Ravens, Cardinals and Falcons all made the post season party...with the exception being the Seahawks who did not make it this season for the first time in many years. The Falcons made a quick one and done exit, but just the fact that they were even in the playoffs was a minor miracle, considering how terrible they were last year. The Cardinals won at home, but now have to go on the road to play the Panthers. Unfortunately, we know how most cat/bird exchanges go -- this one will likely not be much different. The Eagles and Ravens both have legitimate shots at going a long way in the playoffs. Now while I could never root for the despised Eagles...I do have some affection for the Ravens. They have a great defense and a solid rookie QB in Joe Flacco. While Matt Ryan of one of the other bird teams (Falcons) won NFL rookie of the year, a case could certainly be made for Flacco. After all, he is one more week into the post season. But the Ravens play the dreaded Tennessee Titans next. This will be a defense lover's dream...as both "Ds" are in the top five of the NFL. And this is also why there are so many "D" teams in this second round of the playoffs...what is the saying? Defense wins championships? This seems to be proven true more often than not. An intriguing team to watch is the Chargers...who were 4-8 five weeks ago, but won four in a row to finish the regular season, and then beat the Colts (whom I had picked to get to the Super Bowl) this past weekend. (How can you not root for Tony Dungy's team?) So, the Giants, Steelers are all that is left of teams I have not mentioned...and they will probably be the teams that end up in the big game. Although, I have to make my pick the cats (Panthers) for now...at least when they are playing a bird team. But, if I did have a dark horse (bird), it would be the birds from Baltimore. Blessings,

Don