You asked, Jack Answers.

1) No.
2) Yes.
3) No.
4) Yes, but injured.
5) Yes
6) Yes, because of home field advantage.
7) Probably not. Carolina is en fuego.

But why ask us? You have noted sports prognosticator Johnny Coldcuts (of Red Sox in 4 fame) at your disposal. Surely he has some thoughts...

) Can the Giants just win their game against Carolina? I know they're really not that good, but can I get just one playoff win?

You CAN get a playoff win if you abandon the Giants and Join forces with the Panther fans. I love Tiki, but Peppers, Smith, Draft, Rucker, Foster and Delhomme
are going to bring it home. GO CAROLINA!
GO CAROLINA!

No, no, no, no, no, maybe, and I sure hope so.

But facing a John Fox team is scaring the !$#% out of me.

Who do you think will take the various divisions?

I don't understand how the Giants manage to make the playoffs every year. All it means to me is that the NFC East is perenially one pathetic ass division, and the NFC one pathetic ass conference, and they simply fall ass-backwards into the Eastern championship or one of the NFC wildcard slots every year. Annoying as hell. I guess I have an irrational hatred of New York teams in general.

But the Seahawks look damn good this year. They could actually have done it this year, were it not for this being Peyton's year to break the curse of Bill Belichek.

I think the Giants will get past Carolina. I have no idea if they'll win any more than that, but I'm fairly confident they'll win that first game.

But take heart: Eli will take New York to the Super Bowl before he's through, and he'll win it. I followed his college career very closely (I'm an Ole Miss alum), and trust me when I say he's every bit as good as advertised.

If Eli and Deuce McAllister played on the same squad for three years (and they didn't--Deuce left after Eli's redshirt freshman year), they'd have won the SEC together. You'll never convince me otherwise.

Assuming Tiki's got at least two or three years like this one left in him, he and Eli will get there.

Answers:
1) With Grossman maybe; without no. They are the best of a bad division. No winner of that division has come close to the Super Bowl in years. They have had the best linebacker in the NFL for a few years but the rest of the team is mediocre or bad.
2) Good but not great.
3) Palmer makes them good. Without him they stink.
4) Everyone except the Raiders looks good against the Eagles this year. NO
5) Yes
6) Yes. But not great as the “experts” were saying a month ago.

1) They're better than what they showed in week 17. Their seeding is about right. Not good enough to compete with the AFC, however.

2) Number one team in the NFC, still not good enough to compete with most of AFC.

3) Bengals are better than the last two weeks, but the Steelers have been the better team all season. Thank Tommy Maddox.

4) No, they aren't. If they get Chicago or Seattle again, they're not going anywhere. Seeing as one of these two outcomes MUST occur, they aren't going anywhere.

5) The Patriots have never been 'good', just 'lucky', 'in a horrendously bad division' and 'beneficiaries of god-awful calls' since 2000. I expect them to get by Jacksonville, who aren't really a 12-4 team, and then get blown out in the second round by Denver.

6) Indianapolis is still the team to beat at this point. Chicago and Cincinnati just got smoked, and Seattle just lost to Green Bay. No matter if you're resting your starters or not, losing to Green Bay this season automatically makes me question you.

7) Giants 27, Carolina 14. It's not that the Giants are that good, it's just that Carolina REALLY isn't that good. Atlanta losing 44-11 at home is still something I don't understand. The Giants would probably lose to Chicago in Chicago, but they're hungry for another chance at Seattle, who got VERY lucky the first time they played.

So we'll have the Pats over Jacksonville, The Steelers over Cincy, Washington over Tampa, and New York over Carolina in the first round. Then we get Indy over the Steelers and Denver over the Patriots, as well as Seattle over Washington and Chicago over NY (this will be the best game of the playoffs, btw).

Finally, Indy will take out Denver and Chicago will beat Seattle in Seattle before Indianapolis beats them by about 30 points in Detroit. The AFC wins the pro bowl 62-7 after Brian Urlacher pulls out due to the herpes he got from Paris Hilton.

1. Define any good - Losing your starting QB for most of the season and posting 10 wins with a rookie? Da Bears go old school - Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson - smashmouth football baby. In case no one else noticed, Lance Briggs is playing his ASS off next to Urlacher. Nathen Vasher is a sick ballhawk. No, they won't razzle dazzle you, but yes Virginia, they are a good team.

2. Seattle will go only as far as Hassleback's arm will take them. Alexander is a phenom. The best pure runner in the league. Not a great all around back like Tomlinson or James, but for pure running, he whips the llama's ass. Very good receivers in Engram and Jackson, but their D makes Hassleback the key player.

3. If Cincy were in the NFC in any division excluding the west, they'd have a first round bye for the next 3-5 years. I personally, do not like this team, but damn they are fun to watch. It's not really a swagger per se, but an aggressive chip. They know they've been bad for a REALLY long time. They ain't so bad anymore.

4. Who shows up, is a big key for the 'Skins. Is it a Joe Gibbs inspired team, or Daniel Snyder's pet project?

5. Mr. Belichik - Salary Cap. Salary Cap - Mr. Belichik. Now that formal introductions have been made, this team is still good, but that new mystique smell is gone.

6. Mr. T said it best - "I pity the fool who bets against the Colts." They didn't run the table, but they suffered no injures in the final month. This is Dungy's year. It. has. to. be. I'm not big on coaches, never have been, but by God I'd run through a brick wall for this guy. Watch their D play, and seriously, Bob Sanders is a fecking ANIMAL at safety.

7. Yes, Tiki needs to get off. Eli needs to complete some passes early and get in sync. Shockey needs to shut his mouth, and Plexico needs to not turn into Plexiglass. Stop the Panthers from running = W.

You want the truth, Ace? You can't handle the truth!

1) Yes on defense, not so much on offense. But they're my pick out of the NFC.

2) Yes, but they had nothing to play for this week. But they won't make the Super Bowl.

3) Not yet.

4) The 'skins are good, but not great. Take the Bears - for the defense.

5) The Patiots will get out of the AFC if Bruschi can play at 90% by week 2 of the playoffs. Very good D, and Tom Brady.

6) Not as good as they think.

7) Yes. (there's your bit of truth you can handle)

I'm going to cut to the chase; As a long time admirer of the Dolphins and Packer, it hurts me to say it but New England is going all the way. They are peaking at just the right time. And I do think the Giants can beat Carolina.

I got a good feelig about the Giants. They gave a very good Seahawk team all they could handle and more in Seattle. Would have won if they had a kicker, which will be their undoing at some point in the playoffs.

I think they beat the Panthers next week.

I don't understand how the Giants manage to make the playoffs every year.

They haven't made the playoffs since 2002. But you're larger point is right - the NFC stinks - though the East is the one bright spot in an otherwise horrific conference.

On to Ace's questions.
1) Yes. They did luck out by playing in a bad division, but that defense is as good as any in recent times.
2) Yes, but not good enough to win the Super Bowl.
3) Eh.
4) No. They're a decent team, but they didn't exactly have a rigorous schedule down the stretch. But if they do manage to win a playoff game, I might have to consider shooting myself after listening to the sycophants on talk radio here simultaneously orgasm on the air.
5) They aleady are good, and will win it all again.
6) Yes. But not Super Bowl champion good.
7) (Crosses fingers) Yes. Definitely the toughest opening round game the Giants could have had. But I think they win one before getting shelled on the road in round two..

Patriots have never been 'good', just 'lucky', 'in a horrendously bad division' and 'beneficiaries of god-awful calls' since 2000

Ok, Babagaretard. The Pats obviously have no talent...just karma on their side for the past 4 years.

Luck and happenstance can explain away a fluke season of game...but 4 fucking years of success?

please...you should have your computer taken away for typing such an ignorant comment.

Speaking of ignorant: a couple of Jets fans were taunting me at a game when they learned I was a Pats fan by needling "...the Patriots only win Championships by kicking field goals"

Ummm. Ok.

As if any long-suffering, championship-starving fan wouldn't gladly accept a SuperBowl win if it was delivered off the foot of the kicker...as opposed to a run up the score blowout. Would that make it "cooler"?

Wouldn't any Eagles/Colts/Fill-in-the-blank-fan trade their left nut for just ONE of those "lucky" wins?

of course. you're a bitter loser, Baba. Have the stones to admit it.

Hate to tell ya, but everyone in the NFC is 'fugazi'.

The Giants are an average team, Eli is in a sophmore slump, and Seattle can't play defense.

Super Bowl: Indy 44, Seattle 17.

1) maybe. see also 2000 Ravens. A good D, a good running attack, winning the turnover battle, and you can win a S.B.

2) Not sure, but I doubt it.

3) Not yet. Maybe in a year or two.

4) Not yet. Maybe in year three of the 'Second Coming'.

5) Yes, but not this year. Too many injuries.

6) Better than people think. When the game matters, they are very, very good. When it doesn't, not so much. Remember the pre-season? 0-5. And the last three games were pre-season important, plus minor injuries, plus a major emothional jolt to the coach. I'll bet they refocus the next few weeks, and embarass their next three opponents. They started yesterday (2-3rd stringers still won).

7) Can they win? Sure. Will they? Hmm...maybe. If Steve Smith loses his cool again, I don't think Carolina will score more than 17pts. The Giants might score more, but they cannot give up too many turnovers to the panthers.

Just a note on the Redskins - they've already beaten three of the five other NFC playoff teams this season (Chicago, Seattle, and the Giants) and played a close and very winnable game against one other (Tampa Bay). They're also playing the best football in the past three games they've played all season. Right now, there's no team in the NFC they haven't beaten or couldn't beat this year.

It's true that the Skins beat the Giants. But they also lost to them. 36-0. The Skins are a decent team, and they might beat TB. But that's as far as they're going.

"They're a decent team, but they didn't exactly have a rigorous schedule down the stretch."

Excuse me? Their whole schedule has been "rigorous". Ten of their sixteen game were against opponents with a better than .500 record. Of their seven losses, only one was lost by more than a touchdown (including a 2-point loss to playoff-bound Denver, a 7-point loss to 10-6 Kansas City, a 6-point loss to 9-7 San Diego, and a 1-point loss to next week's opponent, Tampa Bay, in Tampa Bay). Two of their last three games were decisive wins against teams vying for a playoff spot or a divisional championship. I imagine that it's de rigeur to discount the Redskins because of the mid-season slump, but it's worth remembering that the 'Skins were 10-2 against the NFC this year - the same record in the conference as Chicago and Seattle.

And they beat both of those teams.

I'm not saying the Redskins are going to win the whole thing, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see them in the NFC Championship game.

7) Can the Giants just win their game against Carolina? I know they're really not that good, but can I get just one playoff win?

Ace: No, a thousand times no. God gave you a Bush win in 2000, another Bush win in 2004 and after weeks and weeks of your whining about Harriet, Alioto. And now God has given your Giants a playoff berth. For a fallen away Episcopalian, you're asking a whole lot. Ya get the cake, the pie and the ice cream and then ask "yeh, but where's the whip cream"?

It's the team with the best defense that wins championship and Denver has the best defense.

Giants play not good like a liberal want to be given something for nothing.

BREAKING PACKER NEWS!

Despite the views of certain cynical skeptics *coughbartcough*, the legendary Green Bay Packers have taken another step on the road to glory by firing Mike Sherman (bad coach, worse GM).

We want Mooch!

Yes, I suppose I was being too hard on the Skins. They played some most impressive games, and they could have won the division. Had they beat the mighty Oakland Raiders at home.

Really, the Skins and Giants had a similar season. Neither team lost a game by more than a touchdown except for the games they beat each other in.

One more point about the Skins. They lost the Tampa game on a phantom two-point conversion with no time left. He did not get in.

1. yes on defense, which makes them dangerous.
2. Despite their record that's still unclear. But with a weapon like Alexander, who has been virtually unstoppable this year, they are a serious threat to beat anyone.
3. Yes on offense. Their porous defense needs to force turnovers.
4. Despite winning, the Redskins looked like crap against the Eagles yesterday. A horribly depleted Eagles team with an offense full of backups and no QB dominated them for most of the game. So I'd say no.
5. I hope not, but I wouldn't bet against them.
6. Yes, but it wouldn't suprise me if they choke.
7. Yes the Giants can beat the Panthers. Will they? I'd call it a toss-up.

Mike Tice will go to the Packers.
Dick Vermeil goes to Buffalo.
Mariucci goes back to San Francisco.
Dom Capers goes to Disney World.

Washington over the Bucs.
NE beats Jax.
Carolina loses in the Meadowlands.
Cincinatti barley wins a shoot-out, 36-34.

Okay, Dick Vermeil will retire for real this time. Gunther Cunningham will (again) be the head coach of KC if he agrees to take his medication. Cunningham will be fired or dead from a heart attack by week 4 next season.

Speaking of ignorant: a couple of Jets fans were taunting me at a game when they learned I was a Pats fan by needling "...the Patriots only win Championships by kicking field goals"

Almost as dumb as the constant whine from Red Sox nation that the Yankees buy championships. Boo hoo, one and done.

Ok, and hell yes I'm bitter. Frigging Jets.

1) Yes. Their defense is geat and the O gives them just enough to win. This combo is even more important in the playoffs.

2) Yes. Good, not great. But since they are in the NFC and have home field advantage in the far away west they have a good shot at getting to Detroit.

3) Yes, but again not great. Very young and pumped to be coming out of the dark after so long. They score a lot, but they also give up a lot. Not a winnng combo in the playoffs.

4) No. Take a good look at who they beat over the last 5 weeks. And they are only average on the road where they will be as the wild card.

5) Yes. Dammit. But not good enough this year to go all the way.

6) Yes. Regular season good. For all his goodness, Peyton has yet to prove he can win in the playoffs. This year its all dome including the SB so they have as good a chance as anyone.

7) Yes. The best thing the Giants have going for them is that Carolina isn't all that good either. Yea they can whip up on the Atlantas and NO of the league but not so much on the talented teams. Plus, and this is really the key to the game, the Panthers are without their lesbian cheerleaders. People misunderestimate this lose at their own peril.

Indy 32 - Seattle 17

Mike Tice will go to the Packers

Not. A. Chance. In. Hell.

1.) Yes. It's sad to say, but they are a better team with Rex Grossman. With a mediocre defense they'd struggle to get six wins. But that defense is good enough to get them into the NFC championship.

2.) Yes. Seattle is the only NFC team that would have a chance to win the Super Bowl. They have an opportunistic defense. While it does give up yards, it also gets a good amount of turnovers. With their offense, they can afford to give up some yards in exchange for the occasional int/fumble recovery.

3.) Yes. A similar team to Seattle, with a more potent offense, but a weaker defense. They can put a scare into any team, but are vulnerable to a tough, hard-hitting one like the Steelers.

4.) No. They're going to get beaten by Tampa in the first round. Being O.K., but not consistently good, on both sides of the ball doesn't count for much in the playoffs.

5.) Yes. I'm biased, but they are good. No team wants to play them in the playoffs. The defense is greatly improved, but still vulnerable against the pass. In case no one remembers, Bellichick has a history of covering up a vulnerability and turning it into something good enough to win.

6.) Yes. They deserve to be the favorites with outstanding play on both sides of the ball. They're no longer playing to get the monkey off their back, they're playing for their coach after his son's death. They're on a mission, I can't pick against them.

7.) The Giants are good, but drew a tough first round foe in Carolina. That's still a game they can win though, depending on which Panthers team shows up. With a solid running game, some good possesion receivers, and a defense that can pressure the QB and create turnovers they can win any given day. That being said, they can get beat if the other team gets to Eli.

Ace has questions, Sandy has answers:

1. Who knows?
2. Who cares?
3. Who gives a damn?
4. Who gives a crap?
5. Who gives a shit?
6. Who gives a fuck?
7. I hope not.

Bart, I hope you're kidding about Gunther Cunningham getting another shot at the head coaching job in KC: he (and the Chiefs) are better off right where he is as defensive coordinator. He's just about fixed the problems with KC's defense; just give him a studly defensive tackle or two to plug the center of the defensive line and put pressure on the quarterback up the middle, and KC easily has a playoff-caliber defense.

The thing that scares me is - since Al Saunders is probably leaving for a head coaching job elsewhere - that Chiefs GM Carl Peterson will probably look for someone else familar with the 49ers/Rams fast-break offense so as to keep continuity with Vermeil's system. Like, say, Mike Martz...who just got fired by the Rams. And - with all due respect to Dick Vermeil - this time around KC needs a head coach who wants to do something other than throw the ball all the time, and remembers that the tight end is there to do more than just block. Sometimes you got the idea that Vermeil and Saunders forgot that they had one of the league's best tight ends, Tony Gonzalez, on the roster. And sometimes they gave up too quickly on the running game in favor of passing...which came back to haunt KC a couple of times, like in the Buffalo game this season. Yeah, Larry Johnson had a 100-yard day...but most of it was in the first half; all KC wanted to do after the break was throw the ball.

God, Carl, don't even think about Mike Martz. Here's hoping you'll land somebody like Herman Edwards (if the Jets will let him out of his contract) to handle KC's head coaching job, maybe promote KC line coach Mike Solari to offensive coordinator to replace Saunders, and keep Gun right where he is, doing what he does best: making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and, occasionally, saluting obnoxious referees and their bad calls with a defiantly upraised middle finger.

1-3. Only Cincy is any good. But who cares, because its all about:

4. The Redskins are really good. Their offense has just enough weapons to supplement their overachieving defense. Its been a weird season, but Oakland aside, they've only lost to good teams. And only one loss was really a convincing loss. The last 5 weeks provided a serious look at how they can play if they mean it. Its not hard to say they are the cream of the NFC only because the NFC is so weak. They can make it to the NFC championship game.

5. The Patriots will be good again, but I don't know if they will be able to play in the domes. The bad weather helped them in the past.

6. Indianapolis luckily pulled it out in week 16. Otherwise, they would have negative momentum as they moldered in their bye week. But maybe the NFL figured out how to handle them?

7. Giants went from scary to lifesize. They can beat almost any team in the NFC if they can get their confidence back. They should beat Carolina.

The NFL needs to announce a timetable for withdrawal. Yes, the inevitable withdrawal all NFL junkies will experience in February.
How many more young lives (and marriages) will be sacrificed in the name of supremacy?

Let us save our national treasures of blood, sweat, time and beer. The people of Seattle are not ready for a championship. Their's is a cut and run culture, led by el-Shaun Alexander, unlike the philosophy of "the bomb" promoted by Payton.

Give the Lombardi trophy to Indie.

It's time to move on.

1) Are the Bears really any good? (As long as the other team never scores.)

2) Is Seattle really any good? (Only in Seattle.)

3) Is Cincinnati really any good? (NO.)

4) Are the Redskins really as good as they've looked recently? (Only against teams that AREN'T good.)

5) Are the Patriots going to be good again? (They were never bad...only injured.)

6) Is Indianapolis still any good? (When were they NOT GOOD???)

and most importantly:

7) Can the Giants just win their game against Carolina? I know they're really not that good, but can I get just one playoff win? (Yes, but I suggest you savor the victory...because, as Bugs says: "Tha, Tha, Tha, That's ALL folks!!")

And as far as the playoffs go, Indy looks to me to be clearly the best of the bunch. After years of trying, they finally gave Peyton Manning a championship-caliber defense to back up his offense. The only thing that might knock the Colts off their stride is Tony Dungy's personal tragedy...which, OTOH, might also help inspire the team to play their best. And, as mentioned above, they're playing in a dome throughout the playoffs.

Chicago? They don't have an offense. Cincinnati has the offense, but they don't have much of a defense to match it, especially against the run (just ask the Chiefs' Larry Johnson; Cincy's first-team defense still has LJ's cleat marks all over their backs). They might be able to stop Pittsburgh; they don't have a chance against Indy.

The only team that might challenge Indy for the championship is *spit* Denver *spit*...and given a choice between Peyton Manning and Jake Plummer, I'll put my money on Peyton. I don't think there's anybody on the NFC side that could seriously challenge Indy.

8) Why does anybody give a shit?

As long as Jake Plummer loses, I will be happy with any result.

F-you, Broncos and Mike Shananigans.

As long as Jake Plummer loses, I will be happy with any result.

Pauvre bebe. Git 'em, Broncos!!

The only thing worse than your taste in woman is your devotion to the Broncos.

The French really breaks me heart, geofff.

(the third "f" is for fellatio)

Denver and Pittsburgh are both clearly good and could knock off Indy.

The French really breaks me heart

That was a bit of nastiness for emphasis, I'll admit. And at least with skinny women they don't block the game as much, though you probably have a wideload, uh, I mean widescreen TV.

The only thing worse than your taste in woman is your devotion to the Broncos.

Yeah, I could taste a bit of Geoff in a woman once, and it really spoiled the mood for me.

Yeah, I could taste a bit of Geoff in a woman once

The odds do favor such an encounter - good news for an essence-seeker like sandy.

Whichever team Mike Sherman goes to should be one every team in that division looks out for next season. Unless it's the Jets, in which case there's no chance (sorry guys). Mike Tice? Not so much... Jim Haslett shouldn't have been canned.

Gunther Cunningham? He's still ALIVE? O_O

Here's hoping you'll land somebody like Herman Edwards (if the Jets will let him out of his contract)

Edwards is a great person and a great motivator, but tactically? Not that bright.

Pats beat Indy AGAIN....then the Broncos win the AFC at home over NE.

1) Are the Bears really any good? Their defense is, at least. Of course, the trouble with relying on just one side of the ball or the other to carry you to a championship is that you're toast the day that side finally, inevitably has a bad day at the office.

2) Is Seattle really any good? They're the best in the NFC right now, even if only by default. Every team has enough weaknesses to make them beatable, but Seattle's biggest one is simply their dreadful postseason track record, which historically is right down there with the Saints.

3) Is Cincinnati really any good? Sure they are. The bad news is they've drawn the worst possible team (the Steelers with their red-hot RB tandem of Bettis and Parker) at the worst possible time (just as the Bengals' own run defense has proven to be a liability).

4) Are the Redskins really as good as they've looked recently? Let's just say I have my doubts. On the other hand, I also have my doubts about Bucs QB Chris Simms being able to get the job done against their defense either.

5) Are the Patriots going to be good again? If they do win another Super Bowl, after losing both their coordinators in the offseason and with their many injuries, you could make the case for this year's team being the most impressive of the four. I for one am hard-pressed to count them out.

6) Is Indianapolis still any good? To paraphrase Yoda: "No, not yet. One thing remains - the Patriots. They must confront the Patriots. And confront them they will."

7) Can the Giants just win their game against Carolina? I know they're really not that good, but can I get just one playoff win? If it were Washington (whom they've already spanked at home) they were facing, I'd say yes. But Carolina? Fuhgeddaboutit!

A poll at ESPN.com asking which AFC team playing this weekend has has the best chance to go to the Super Bowl places Patriots on top with 47%.
The rest are:
Steelers - 27%
Bengals - 18%
Jaguars - 6%

By the way, did you guys hear the story about Maurice Clarett? He was arrested the other day for armed robbery. He's out on bail.

Clarett is a shining example of someone who has taken the wrong advice 100% of the time. Whoever was influencing and advising that young man for the last 4 years should be brought up on charges for ruining Clarett's life.