The Diary of a Fantasy Virgin - Week 18 Jan 6, 2009 | More

Playoff time and Wild Card Weekend came and went. I was 2-2 and it could have been much better. Arizona found a running game and San Diego won a coin toss. I mean come on! But in the end, this Wild Card class did not impress me as much as the New York Football Giants did last year. That team was tight. So, at first blush, it looks like the Carolina Panthers against the Tennessee Titans for the whole guacamole. This year I am more uncertain than any about who will battle for the National Football League Championship on the first weekend of February.

But before we get to the games, I have a small shout out to the better halves of the football men out there.

Love The Wives

I have a lovely wife named Jill. She sees the importance of watching the games and she allows me to indulge in all of this football action. In return, we get to watch mostly whatever she wants to the rest of the time. Yes men, that means when You’ve Got Mail is on, it goes to there. When Hercule Poirot is solving one of a myriad of 1930’s crimes with Captain Hastings, it goes there. And also during the week it means Rachel Rae, Gordon Ramsey, Seinfeld re-runs and anything else she wants to watch.

There is a price. The price is time. The ratio is roughly 2-to-1. That is the price I must pay for 12 hours of straight football on the weekend. That would be 24 or more hours of Gordon Ramsey, Rachel Rae, and hey lookee here, Scrubs starts up on ABC this week. It is not all that bad. So this shout out and thank you goes to Jill for allowing me unfettered access to football on the weekends. This is replete with controller access for ultra-slow motion plays in HD. Please reward your significant other in your own special way as well.

Now we have to revisit the Wild Card Weekend.

Wild Card = Wild Home Teams

Usually one home team blows out the Wild Card round in a really large home victory. But none of that was to be had this year, my friends. The home wins were close and the home losses really weren’t. The Cardinals played a little home cooking and found a running game with Edgerrin James. If the Cardinals did find a way to win coming back east, they could win this week, but I just don’t get that feeling this year. The Ravens proved that defense does win. And the Eagles stayed in the game long enough to make it a blowout at the end. That is what it takes sometimes. The home teams did not play all that well and now the challenge only gets tougher. So how does that lead us to the games this weekend? Very carefully, my friends.

Saturday’s Games

First up on Saturday is the Baltimore Ravens at the Tennessee Titans. I would say that these two teams are evenly matched as was proven in the regular season. Therefore, the only thing that could help out the Titans is home-field advantage and a QB that has been there and done that. The only thing that can help out the Ravens is that wonderful defense. Two beats one so I am taking Tennessee.

The second game is the Arizona Cardinals visiting the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are the best team no one seems to care about. In this game they will both run and pass well, and Arizona will realize that the reason you win the last five games of the season is to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Look for a Panther win.

Sunday’s Games

In the first game on Sunday, Philadelphia visits the World Champion New York Giants. I think the toughest thing to do in the NFL is to repeat as champions. In a strange game where Mr. McNabb does not blow up, the Eagles deliver a victory and send the Burress-less Giants home early.

The second game pits the San Diego Chargers at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The question is whether the Steelers offense will score enough to win, or will this be a 6-3 affair? Either way, I think Pittsburgh comes out on top as long as Big Ben Roethlisberger goes the whole game.

Master D.

Tim can now be reached at tdavoll@fantasysharks.com and welcomes your opinions on the Diary of a Fantasy Virgin Articles.