The Diary of a Fantasy Virgin Week 17 Jan 6, 2006

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.  It may be perceived as a stretch but the last two years I did predict correctly which two teams will be dancin’ in the big game and the outcome.  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 first weekend in February.  Why does it get later and later every year?  I am sure there will be tons of stuff to write about that week.

Home Sweet Home

The loser goes home so it gets to be an exciting atmosphere.  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.  The home team wins and traditionally out of the four games, we will either have a home sweep or a 3 – 1 outcome.  The idea is to figure out that one loss because home cooking isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be in this first round known as Wild Card Weekend.

Look For Comfort And Solace For Most

This wild weekend sees four very tight games. All teams and all opponents can get through this weekend and it wouldn’t be a big surprise.  So we have to look for the home field upset.  First up this week is Washington heading into Tampa.  And Washington’s banged up defense against the Chris Sims led Offense of Tampa Bay.  Tampa is overwhelmingly favored but look for Washington to give a really positive effort.  Tampa Bay wins.  Then comes Jacksonville at New England.  New England proves that they are the Champs and win hands down.  Next is Carolina at the NY Giants.  And as evenly matched up on paper these teams appear to be, it is the home cooking that will make the difference.  Look for NY for Home-Prepared meal-aroo.  And then lastly comes Pittsburgh at Cincinnati.  Here is where the home cooking could go south.  Everyone sees the Steelers making the most of getting into the playoffs and coming away with a victory.  It would be the Steeler defense that makes the difference in this game this week.

Things To Look For

Watch the REAL NFL story start to form this weekend.  These ending chapters of the NFL season become that memorabilia everyone purchases the second weekend of February.  Defensive Schemes like the one in store for Tampa come from veteran coaches with a belief in a winning formula. Look for rattled quarterbacks.  Look for the pageantry of hosting a playoff game for the first time in 15 years is what is in store for Cincinnati fans.  That place will be hopping!  Look for unlikely heroes.  Sometimes it all comes together for one player or coach and they become the symbol or rallying point.

Master D.