The Diary of a Fantasy Virgin - Week 17 Timothy Davoll, Fantasy Football Staff Writer Jan 2, 2004 | More

Happy New Year! The season is over so the articles take a turn down football lane and do some prognostication and then strive for some football insight.  As a football fan it can be sometimes fun writing about the same thing everyone is watching.   And the playoffs lead to the big game the last weekend in January.  I am sure there will be tons of stuff to write about that week.

One And You Are Done

The loser goes home so it gets to be an exciting game.  Every error is magnified and fans see the errors as the opportunity to yell at the television screen.  So with one loss, you are out and everyone plays all out.  Look for some defensive teams to step up like the Ravens and the Patriots.  This time of year usually means that you can follow the dancing quarterback saga.

Doing The QB Two-Step

Teams like the Ravens and the Patriots have defensive schemes designed to keep the offense off-balance.  What I have noticed in these playoff games is that the quarterback is constantly put under increasing duress.  The stress manifests itself in the dancing quarterback.  Look at the feet of the quarterbacks this weekend.  If the team can establish the run, the quarterback may settle in and not get all-fancy with dancing feet.  The problem is that everyone knows that teams establish some type of run and build up the throwing game.  So if the playbook is known where does it all turn?  It can turn on special teams and trick plays and miracles.  Kind of like the miracle it took to get Green Bay into the playoffs.  So, I will be looking for dances and tricks this weekend and yes I am talking about football.  So why don't we try some predictions.

Wild Card Weekend

As you can already tell, I have a penchant for defenses.  Look for Baltimore to make air McNair's ankle sore from all that two-stepping.  Carolina will prove to Dallas that their year may be next year.  Green Bay wants to show that they are better than that shocking loss from a year ago.   And last but not least Indianapolis to get that first playoff victory.  The only problem with my predictions are that I have the home teams winning in all four games and the likelihood of that happening is slim.  Home field only seems important for teams like St. Louis and New England. An example of this premise can be found by just looking at how Atlanta did in Green Bay last year.

Master D.