Trav's Thoughts

The only thing I like about New England going 16-0 in the regular season is that it will become meaningless when they get picked off by Jacksonville or Indianapolis in the playoffs. Here's the conversation I want to have.

"Dude, remember the 2007 Patriots?"

"You mean the team that everyone said was the best ever and then couldn't get to the Super Bowl?"

Sorry...I just dislike that team.

Anyway, here we are at the end of another football season. Let's see what's in store for my teams today.

My Raiders have a chance to punk up San Diego and maybe deny them the 3 spot in the playoffs. With a win and a Kansas City loss, Oakland can also avoid finishing dead last in the division again. It looks like QB JeMarcus Russell will get his first NFL start. He struggled last week with turnovers, but those are the mistakes a rookie needs to make. The Raiders are on a 3 game losing streak and it would be nice to break that going into the off season. There's still so much work to do to get this team back on top. A win in the final game - playing spoiler to a division rival - would be sweet.

The 49ers have won 2 in a row behind QB Shaun Hill. SF can't really play the role of spoiler because Cleveland doesn't have to win to get into the playoffs. The Browns just need Tennessee to lose. But, as with the Raiders, starting the off season with a win - or 3 wins in a row - lets everyone head to the golf course with a smile and positive thoughts about next season. This actually works out pretty well because I can root for SF and Indy to win, and if they do I can still be happy for my friends in Ohio when the Browns make the playoffs. It's a win-win!

I just found a flaw in my win-win scenario. For my pals in Ohio to be happy with the Browns making the playoffs, my Sugarbaby Dixie in Tennessee won't be happy if the Titans get eliminated. Sigh. Word is that Indy will play starters for the first half to stay sharp for the post season. So that could help Tennessee, although Indy's back up players have gotten plenty of experience with all the injuries the Colts have had this season. The good news for Indy is that Marvin Harrison is once again healthy enough to play. That's big for Indy's chances to get back to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks don't have playoff position at stake, but it would be nice to get a win for momentum heading into the post season. It is critical for Seattle to stay healthy, so I wouldn't expect the starters to play for more than a half. I'd like to see them run the ball better, but they haven't done it well all season and it's too late in the game to fix it. The defense has been particularly strong the last couple of weeks, most specifically in the pass rush. I still don't think this is a very good team, but Pam is happy to be back in the playoffs...and anything can happen.

After back to back 11-5 results, I'm at 159-81 for the season, or 66%.

Week 1 = 12-4
Week 2 = 11-5
Week 3 = 10-6
Week 4 = 8-6
Week 5 = 9-5
Week 6 = 7-6
Week 7 = 10-4
Week 8 = 10-3
Week 9 = 9-5
Week 10 = 7-7
Week 11 = 10-6
Week 12 = 12-4
Week 13 = 8-8
Week 14 = 14-2
Week 15 = 11-5
Week 16 = 11-5

Typically, the final week has been one of my worst. It's as tough as the first week because you just don't know what teams are likely to do. Last night's game was a good one, with starters playing the entire game. Both teams got away with no major injuries, and I think the tough game will serve to keep them sharp for the playoffs.

And I don't care what the NE organization has said over the course of the season, it was big for them to finish the regular season unbeaten. They wanted it. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have played Tom Brady and the rest of the offensive starters the whole game and risk injuries. And the Giants wanted to spoil it, otherwise there was no reason for them to play starters for the whole game either.

But, not every team will have that kind of attitude. For some, the key is to get out of the last game without sustaining serious injuries so they will be at full strength for the playoffs. For a very few, winning is important to get into the post season. For the rest, there are 3-4 hours to play until the off season.

So here we go with my final regular season picks for 2007.

Patriots over Giants - I would have been fine getting this one wrong.
Seahawks over Falcons
Bears over Saints
Dolphins over Bengals
Packers over Lions
Jaguars over Texans
Bucs over Panthers
Eagles over Bills
Browns over 49ers
Steelers over Ravens
Chargers over Raiders
Cowboys over Redskins
Cardinals over Rams
Vikings over Broncos
Jets over Chiefs
Colts over Titans

Don't forget to check out Turnbaby Talks later at 8pm on Blog Talk Radio. Bond from The Couch will be live and in person...hilarity may ensue.



Later babies!