The playoffs begin and the Wildcard round is usually one of the most interesting, this season should be no exception as there are four very strong wild card teams and a couple of very suspect division champions. Indeed it is well within the possibilities that all of the wildcard teams will win into the divisional rounds. Each of these games has potential to be very closely contested, it should be a great weekend to watch football. (For those keeping track at home the regular season results were 169 – 86 – 1 straight up and 137 – 112 – 7 against the spread.)

Please note that these picks are not to be confused with the real business of Football Forecasters and are not the recommended picks. Personally I do not bet football and anyone who has followed this little feature for any length of time will understand why. I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect those picks though my league choices are subject to last minute changes based on the latest injury and practice reports. Generally, these picks will appear on Wednesday evenings and for their limited amusement value.

AFC

Baltimore at Miami – The Dolphins have one of the great turnaround stories of the game as they have won ten games more than last season. This has been the result of good fortune to some extent; they were the real winners of the Brett Favre sweepstakes. They have played well also as reflected by the fact that they have the fewest turnovers in the NFL. A lot has been made out of their use of the Wildcat formations and trick plays but really, they play fundamentally sound football on both sides of the ball.

The Ravens defense seems to have found the fountain of youth and is playing as good as they ever had which is a very high standard. They may not be the best statistical defense but they are certainly as difficult to play against as anyone is and capable of turning around a game on almost any play. The greater surprise is the offense, which has big play potential for the first time in recent memory.

These teams met in week seven with the Ravens winning. This looks like a close game but the nod here goes to Baltimore again. The Miami offense relies on speed and the Baltimore defense has the players to neutralize their speed. In the other direction, the Baltimore running game can wear down the Miami defense and open up big play opportunities in the passing game, Ravens win 24 – 20.

Indianapolis at San Diego – The Chargers essentially returned from the dead after starting the season 4 – 8 and making the playoffs. They recovered by refocusing the defense and getting the offense healthy down the stretch. They did not play as badly as their early record might indicate.

Indianapolis also started the season with an uncharacteristic losing stretch. They have the longest winning streak going into the playoffs, they perhaps have not played as well as their record might indicate but they have proven the ability to win from behind with strong efforts late in games.

This game is a rematch of week twelve when the Colts won on a field goal as time expired. Both defenses are suspect and both offenses have advantages against the defensive weaknesses of the other side. The season play suggests that the Colts have found ways to win late and the Chargers have found ways to lose late, hard to pick against that trend, Colts win 24 – 21.

NFC

Philadelphia at Minnesota – The Vikings have struggled their way to a division title. They have a good running offense and a quality rush defense with everyone expected to be available on the defensive line. Their pass offense has been hit or miss and this is not a good team to come from behind in a game.

The Eagles are a frightening team, both good and bad. They have the capability to play at the highest levels on both offense and defense but they can be horribly inconsistent as well. They lack a power running game, which has cost them in the red zone; the offense depends largely on how McNabb plays.

Based solely on talent the pick for this one has to be Philadelphia. They have more ways to win and more weapons but they also have the ability to implode. Whatever the result there is a likelihood that this game may not be all that close, Eagles win 24 – 14.

Atlanta at Arizona – Arizona has been a team on the brink for some time trying to win their division and make their way into the playoffs. They managed to win the West this season though it is not clear that anyone else was really trying to win it. Their offense can be prolific but has been inconsistent at times. The problem for the Cardinals is on defense where they give up too many big plays, they have by far the worst scoring defense of any team in the playoffs.

Atlanta has been one of the big surprises of the season as they finished seven games better than last season and made wholesale changes to their roster, most of which seemed to have worked very well. The offensive line has played well protecting rookie, Matt Ryan who has played better than any quarterback has since Marino. Michael Turner has excelled as an every down back and is a break away threat. The defense is not great but it is effective.

Atlanta is the choice for the win based on their defensive advantage, which is not decisive but may be enough. If Arizona can jump out to an early lead and get Atlanta out of their running game they have good chances. If Atlanta gets rolling with the running game, they can pretty much dictate the tempo, Falcons win 28 – 24.

When people look back upon Eric Mangini’s time in the NFL, he might best be remembered for (presumably) blowing the whistle on Spygate and serving as the fall guy for the Brett Favre fiasco in New York. But Mangini’s contribution to the American landscape was far greater:

If the clip looks strange out of context, don’t worry, it was strange in context as well. In the middle of the penultimate episode of "The Sopranos", Tony is dining with Carmela at Nuovo Vesuvio when owner, and Tony’s childhood friend, Artie Bucco alerts the Sopranos to another famous guest at the restaurant. Bucco then refers to Mangini as "Man-genius", a nickname that was ridiculous when Mangini was coming off a wild card loss and is about 60 times more ridiculous now.

I’m not quite sure what the most awesome moment of this 12 second clip is: Artie’s hand gesture toward the Man-genius, Carmela’s face or the way Tony excuses himself to "go say hello."

Mangini landed the cameo after the show’s casting group e-mailed him to see if he would be interested in doing a brief guest spot. The schedule worked out and Mangini and his wife, Julie, were on-set for one day last winter. We’re sure that Mangini’s mentor, Bill Belichick, videotaped the episode.

Jets
head coach Eric
Mangini will cease to be the Jets head coach sometime this morning,
according to Andrew Marshan of ESPN 1050 Radio. The Jets missed the playoffs at
9-7 after losing four of their last five games.

Mangini just finished up his third year as Jets head coach. In 2006, he took
over a Jets team that was largely regarded as being very short on talent, and
went 10-6 and made the playoffs with pretty much the same team that had gone
4-12 the last year. At that point, he was dubbed "Mangenius."

In 2007, Mangini’s Jets sputtered to a 4-12 record.

This year, though, they rebounded once again, starting the season 8-3 and
stomping the guts out of the then-undefeated Titans in Week 12. Somewhere around
there, though … things took a turn.

I think we can say with a great deal of certainty that had the Jets not
collapsed and gone on to make the playoffs, Mangini would not have been fired
today. So if we look at the collapse as the determining factor in his firing, we
have to look at the causes of the collapse. and here’s a hint: It’s not Mangini.

Is it Mangini’s fault that Brett Favre suddenly turned into Bubby Brister
circa 1995? Give Mangini a decent quarterback, and he’ll go 8-3 and beat the
Titans. Give him a guy who throws 2 TDs and 9 INTs over a five-week period, and
he’ll go 1-4 … as would every other coach in the world.

I’m going to be saying this a lot today and tomorrow, but the blame here is
being placed at the wrong man’s feet. Eric Mangini is just as good a coach today
as he was in 2006 when the whole world loved him. Firing him is the easy move,
but that doesn’t make it the smart one.

Because the Cowboys are the Cowboys, the media will claim that their implosion was the biggest choke job of the NFL season. And, to be fair, the collapse of Romo and company was Hindenburg-esque. But was it the worst?

The Broncos, Bucs, Jets and Redskins can lay claim to the title as well, each team providing their own take on a late-season collapse. Let’s break down the candidates, in alphabetical order.

Dallas Cowboys — At 3-0, the Cowboys were the toast of the NFL (even if some prescient souls warned of an impending collapse). A mid-season malaise coincided with an injury to Tony Romo’s pinkie, but Dallas righted the ship and entered December at 8-4. With a huge road win against the Steelers seemingly in the bag, it looked like the Cowboys would coast into the playoffs as a favorite. But after a thrilling fourth quarter drive by Pittsburgh tied the score, Romo threw a crippling interception that was returned for a touchdown and the Cowboys collapse had begun. They lost three of four to finish the year, a stretch that includes yesterday’s stinker in Philly.

Denver Broncos — Denver held a seemingly-insurmountable four-game lead over the Chargers on December 3. The only way the Broncos could lose the division is if the team lost four straight while San Diego won four straight. We all know what happened. To be fair, Denver was never all that good in the first place. Or good at all.

New York Jets — Earlier today, MJD referred to Brett Favre’s recent play as reminiscent of Bubby Brister in 1995. That’s pretty insulting … for Brister. Bretty and the Jets were 8-3 and finished the season with five winnable games, three of which should have been gimmies: vs. Denver, at San Francisco, at Seattle. The Jets lost all three, only sneaking in a win against Buffalo. By the time they took the field yesterday, they were eliminated from playoff competition.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs get my vote, and it’s not even close. They make Tony Romo look like Joe Montana. Jon Gruden’s squad was 9-3 before losing three games to drop to 9-6 headed into yesterday. That wasn’t too appalling; the Bucs were never as good as their 9-3 mark would suggest, so that 9-6 record seemed to even things out. Plus, those three games were all tough. But all Tampa had to do in the final weekend was beat the Oakland Raiders … at home. Again, all they had to do was beat the Oakland Raiders … at home. Instead, they lost - to the Oakland Raiders - capping the year with four consecutive defeats.

Washington Redskins — Washington’s choke isn’t in the forefront of most people’s minds, as the Redskins were essentially eliminated from playoff competition back in week 15. But don’t underestimate the collapse that took place in the Nation’s Capital though. The only way it could have been worse is if Jim Zorn had hired Sarah Palin as offensive coordinator. At 6-2 the ‘Skins looked primed to make a playoff run. They were in the top-five on many power rankings and Jim Zorn was a candidate for Coach of the Year. During the season’s second half, though, Washington reversed that record, finishing 2-6 to cap an 8-8 record after two egregiously bad losses to Cincinnati and San Francisco.

So what do you think? Which team had the biggest collapse this year?

Rajon Rondo is an excellent player, a possible All-Star, and some might say, the future of the Celtics. But he’s always had an unorthodox game, and is only recently combining that with more traditional point guard play.

One possible explanation? His hero is Brett Favre, not only a football player, but one known for his idiosyncratic play. From the Boston Herald:

However distasteful the task may be, Celtics fans have to give props to the aging quarterback. It apparently was Favre, more than any point guard over the last 15 years, who had an impact on the rugged way Rondo plays his position.

"I grew up watching football and baseball," said Rondo, a former high school quarterback. "I didn’t know I had hoop dreams. I watched Brett Favre."

When asked to break down his young point guard, Doc Rivers praises Rondo as a throwback, a guy who "when he runs the pick and roll, he’s not thinking of how he can score. He’s looking for the way to run the team in the best way possible." But as the Herald notes, "Rivers gave his answer without comparing Rondo to anyone from back in the coach’s era." Which is to say, even if everyone from Gary Payton to Tony Parker gets thrown around in an attempt to pin down Rondo’s game, maybe the missing link is none other than Favre.

Allen Iverson was a star option QB in college, but has never appeared to have a football-influenced game. You’ll see no hint of Nate Robinson’s defensive back days at UW on the court, unless he’s taking down J.R. Smith in a brawl. With Rondo, we might finally have the NBA’s answer to Antonio Gates — a player who owes some of his success to his football background.