Now there are exactly 12 teams left in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.  The Redskins and Titans clinched the final 2 playoff spots.  Miami is officially on the clock.  If I didn't mention your favorite player or team, it isn't because I didn't watch the game or research the game.  It's because it would be impossible to mention every player or game in one newsletter.  Please don't get upset if I don't list something about your favorite player or team.  Simply mention it in the comments section, and I will try to address it.  I hereby present to you a recap of the final week in the National Football League season.  

Standings
 
AFC East                                      NFC East
1.New England (16-0)****        1.Dallas (13-3)****
2.Buffalo (7-9)                             2.NY Giants (10-6)*
3.NY Jets (4-12)                         3.Washington (9-7)*
4. Miami (1-15)                          4.Philadelphia (8-8)  

 AFC South                                  NFC South
1.Indianapolis (13-3)***            1. Tampa Bay (9-7)**
2. Jacksonville (11-5)*              2. Carolina (7-9)
3. Tennessee (10-6)*                3. New Orleans (7-9)
4. Houston (8-8)                         4. Atlanta (4-12)
 
AFC North                                     NFC North
1.Pittsburgh (11-5)**                  1.Green Bay (13-3)***
2.Cleveland (10-6)                      2. Minnesota (8-8)
3.Cincinnati (7-9)                        3. Detroit (7-9)
4.Baltimore (5-11)                      4.Chicago (7-9)

 AFC West                                   NFC West
1. San Diego (11-5)**               1. Seattle (10-6)**
2. Denver (7-9)                           2.Arizona (8-8)
3. Kansas City (4-12)               3. San Francisco (5-11)
4. Oakland (4-12)                      4. St Louis (3-13)
 
**** Clinched Homefield Advantage
*** Clinched First Round Bye
**Clinched Division
* Clinched Playoff Spot


MVP of the Week:  As is usually the case, it is hard to not go with Tom Brady and Randy Moss.  Brady had 2 touchdown passes to give him an NFL record 50 on the season.  Moss had 2 touchdowns to give him an NFL record 23.  Those throws helped give New England the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history.

Game of the Week:  Also pretty hard not to go with the Patriots at the Giants.  The Giants had a 28-16 lead in that game before losing 38-35.  The game was in doubt until the final minutes, both teams played exceptionally hard, and the result was the perfect regular season for the New England Patriots.

Loser of the Weak:  I would have to start with the Vikings and the Saints.  While a win would have been meaningless, they didn’t know it when they were playing.  The Saints gave up 2 touchdowns to Devon Hester and proved to be their same inconsistent selves until the very end.  While Adrian Peterson had an incredible rookie campaign, he had a December to forget.  It was his 3rd game in his final 4 where he was held under 40 yards and 0 touchdowns.  With another year to grow and some improvement in the passing game he should be a player to reckon with for years to come.  He just wasn’t at the end of this year and it hurt the Vikings chances to make the playoffs. 

The Bay of Pigs:  Herm Edwards wouldn’t have it any other way.  In a week where 16 teams scored 25 points or more the Jets and Chiefs combined for 23 points in the Herm Edwards Bowl.  It was later announced that he will be brought back for a 3rd season.  Why not?  With an offensive plan like that the Chiefs will be living the dream in no time.  Have fun Chief’s fans.

The Cam Cameron Award (Excellence in Coaching):  This one goes to Wade Phillips.  You do one of two things.  You either play your guys the entire game like Darth Hood and Coughlin did to build momentum for the playoffs or you sit everyone like Dungy and Gruden.  You don’t play 9 defensive starters and your 1st string QB going into the 3rd quarter so that your starters can be run over heading into the playoffs.  The Cowboys starters were on the field in name only.  They did not get the benefits of an extra week of game time nor did they get the benefits of playing well headed into the playoffs.  Knowing what the Redskins had to play for I would have probably sat my guys to avoid something like that happening. 

Hospital Visit:  With most of the big players sitting there were no major injuries headed into the playoffs.  Jeff Fisher maintains that Vince Young could have reentered the game if needed???  We’ll have to keep our eyes on that development.  The other big questions entering the playoffs is how the Steelers will play without Fast Willie Parker and whether TO will be 100% for the playoffs. 

Front Office and Coaching Fallouts - There are already some openings in the front offices and coaching departments.  The Ravens fired Brian Billick.  This was a good move that I was lobbying for a few weeks ago.  Both needed a change of scenery.  The Tuna wasted little time in firing Randy Mueller as the GM.  Coach Cameron cannot be very comfortable right now.  Finally, Marv Levy stepped down as the GM of the Buffalo Bills.      

Overall Impressions of the Season that Was:

1) Congratulations to the 16-0 New England Patriots – What they did this season was simply amazing.  They completed the first perfect regular season since the 1972 Dolphins.  They set an NFL record for points with 589.  Given that the 2004 Colts and 2006 Chargers did not challenge that record with the record seasons of Manning and LT, I thought that record would not be seriously challenged even when the Patriots started so hot.  I was completely wrong about that.  Brady set a record with 50 touchdown passes.  That was not surprising to me given the offensive success.  I was surprised that Brady did that this year after never having a 30-touchdown season in his career.  Finally Randy Moss sort of broke Jerry Rice’s record with 23 touchdowns in a season.  People must remember that Jerry Rice did that in a strike shortened season in which he only played 12 games.  It was still an amazing accomplishment seeing no one had more than 18 touchdowns in a season coming into 2007.  Great job New England on a record-breaking season.

2) What was up with the final standings – This is one thing that surprised me.  Since 2002 when the league went to the current 4 teams and 4divisions format only in 2002 did all 4 teams in a division finish with less than 10 defeats.   It happened in two divisions that year.  Furthermore both divisions were in the AFC and it happened in a year when Oakland was the number one seed with an 11-5 record.  This year we had three divisions accomplish the feat, including the AFC South, which had 3 teams win 10 games or more.  However we had 4 teams finish at 13-3 or better with two being in each conference.  The reason is two fold.  For starters, we had 8 teams with 10 losses or more.  In 2006 we also had 8 but it was one in every division.  This year we had 3 divisions that had 2 such teams.  That was in large part due to the inter conference schedule.  While the Conferences were 32-32 against each other it was not evenly distributed.  The result was an 11-5 record for the NFC East against the AFC East with 4 of the losses coming to the New England Patriots and a 13-3 record for the AFC South.  The AFC North dominated the NFC West at 10-6 while the NFC North dominated the AFC West at 12-4.  The result was the NFC East, NFC North, and AFC South having last place teams with 7-9 or 8-8 records that were 3-1 against the other conference but dismal against their own conference.  With the conferences rotating the division they play in the other conference every season I would not expect this trend to continue.

3) Who took a step forward and who took a step back – Obviously the 12 teams that qualified for the playoffs had successful seasons.  I would also say the Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Texans, and Vikings had successful seasons.  All with the exception of the Bills had 8-8 records or better.  All were not expected to have very good seasons.  All had young or first year starting quarterbacks entering the season.  These are the teams that hope they can be like the Green Bay Packers and take the next step in 2008.  Teams that had disappointing seasons were Carolina, Cincinnati, Detroit, Denver, and Philadelphia.  While they were all 7-9 or 8-8, all four were better situated at QB entering the season and expected to compete for the division or a wild card.  That leaves the 49ers, Bears, Chiefs, Dolphins, Falcons, Jets, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, and Saints as the failures of 2007.  The Bears, Chiefs, Jets, Ravens, and Saints all made the playoffs in 2006.  All but the Saints were eliminated before the final week of the season.  All of them underachieved.  The Dolphins won one game and the Rams won 3 games.  The Falcons had a circus for an offseason and regular season.  The Raiders were not Committed to Excellence, although they did play better.  Finally the 49ers went on a free agency and draft-spending spree only to net 5 wins. 

4) Preseason doesn’t matter – It is always fun to go back and look at preseason and see if we could see this crazy season unfolding in August.  Couple of interesting trends.  Of the 6 AFC playoff teams, 5 of them won at least half of their preseason games.  Only the Colts had a losing record at 1-3.  The same can be said in the NFC with only the Giants making the playoffs at 1-3.  The Ravens who were 13-3 in the 2006 season and used their 1-3 season to propel them to 5-11.  The Chiefs were awful without Larry Johnson in the preseason scoring only 32 points in 4 games.  They were awful without him in the regular season losing their last 9 games.  On the other side of the coin there were some teams that teased us in the preseason.  The Jets went 3-1 in the preseason and 4-12 in the regular season.  The Dolphins went 2-2 in preseason and 1-15 in the regular season.  Never a good sign when you have more preseason victories than regular season victories.  In the NFC the Saints and Bears went 3-2 and 3-1 in the preseason, but never got going once the games actually mattered. 

5) Looking back at my predictions – While my preseason picks were far from perfect, I actually didn’t do too bad.  In the AFC West I bombed on my 12-4 Denver pick.  I looked for Cutler and the defense to play much better than they did.  I had San Diego at 11-5.  I had Oakland and KC with double-digit losses.  AFC North was a disaster.  I didn’t get one team in its correct spot.  However, I did have the divisional winner getting only 10 games (Cincinnati) and only one team making the playoffs from that division.  In the AFC South I correctly picked Indy.  Jacksonville was my last team out of the playoffs and in 2nd.  Houston and Tennessee I had flipped with both having double digit losses.  The AFC East I had New England getting first.  I was way too high on the Jets as I had them as the #6 seed.  Buffalo and Miami were flipped with Buffalo only getting 5 wins and Miami 7 wins.  I had New England beating San Diego in the AFC Championship, which is not likely, but alive and well.  In the NFC East I correctly picked Dallas and had Philly at 8-8 outside of the playoffs.  Washington I had a little low at 7 wins and I missed on the NY Giants.  In the AFC South I had New Orleans as my NFC Super Bowl representative.  That one was a big bust.  I had Tampa Bay at 7-9 and Carolina at 9-7.   Atlanta I nailed with a 5-11 pick.  In the NFC North I had Chicago winning the division and Green Bay making the playoffs as the #6 seed at 9-7.   Detroit I had at 6-10 and Minnesota at 4-12.  Never saw Peterson having quite that impact given the QB and WR situation.  Finally in the NFC West I had Seattle making the playoffs at 9-7 but losing out to the 10-6 Rams.  I correctly picked San Fran to not make the playoffs at 7-9.  I did have Dallas beating Green Bay but in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to New Orleans in the NFC Championship.  I got 6 of the 12 teams in the playoffs with Jacksonville as my last team out.  Seeing 3 of my 4-conference finalist qualified for the playoffs as 1 seeds and a 3 seed, I think I did all right. 

A Look Ahead:  During the regular season I predicted the 5 most important games of the week.  They are now all important.  Here is how I see the first round of the playoffs going:   

1) Washington (9-7) at Seattle (10-6) – Seattle is a very tough place to play.  Since the beginning of the 2005 season the Seahawks are 23-4 at home, including 3-0 in the playoffs.  That stadium is always sold out and it is extremely loud.  Washington is 4-4 on the road this season.  However, I like Seattle’s ability to pass the football and to play defense.  I think they have better balance.  I think Collins has been a great story, but I think that Washington’s season ends in Seattle.  I look for Seattle to win by about 10 points.  Winner:  Seattle 27 – Washington 17

2) Jacksonville (11-5) at Pittsburgh (10-6) – This is the hardest game to pick for the weekend.  Pittsburgh is 7-1 at home this season.  However, that loss was to Jacksonville just a few weeks ago.  Jacksonville has road wins over Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee, all of which are in the playoffs.  Jacksonville is a dark horse to upset New England in the playoffs and they need to play well in this game to build confidence and momentum.  I just don’t like where Pittsburgh has gone in recent weeks.  The Jaguars, Rams, and Ravens were all able to run the ball effectively on the suddenly weak Pittsburgh defensive line.  Pittsburgh has key injuries to Aaron Smith and Willie Parker.  After week 9 Pittsburgh was a lock as the team with the best chance to beat the Colts or Patriots.  They aren’t clicking right now and they are not healthy.  I look for Jacksonville to win a close game on the road and advance to the second round.  Winner: Jacksonville 23 – Pittsburgh 17

3) NY Giants (10-6) at Tampa Bay (9-7) – I don’t know who to pick.  NY Giants would have been a one and done team until I saw them play their best football of the season.  Can a loss build momentum?  Tampa Bay I haven’t seen play in almost 3 weeks.  They should at least be healthy and rested for that game.  Tampa is 6-2 at home, but NY Giants are 7-1 on the road.  No real help there.  In the end this game comes down to what you think of Eli Manning.  Anyone that has read my material knows that I don’t think very much of him.  The Giants are an average scoring team and an average scoring defense.  The Bucs aren’t quite as good on offense, but dominate on the defensive side of the ball.  The key for the Bucs is to contain Burress.  If they can do that, Eli should throw them some gifts and they should score enough to advance to the next round.  Winner: Tampa Bay 16 - NY Giants 13

4) Tennessee (10-6) at San Diego (11-5) – Tennessee is a very confusing team to me.  They play excellent defense and stop the run, which is a must when going up against LT.  However, Vince Young gives them so little in the passing game and is prone to throwing interceptions.  Yet this team went 10-6 in large part because of their ability to win 14-10 ball games.  Venue isn’t very important to them.  They are 5-3 both at home on the road.  Meanwhile, San Diego is a great home team at 7-1.  The problem is that this team has underachieved at home in the playoffs.  In the end, this game is going to come down to which quarterback makes fewer mistakes.  San Diego leads the league in interceptions with 30.  The second best team has 22.  Other than the Minnesota Game, San Diego does well stopping the run.  They are 16th in that department with that 296-yard game.  If you take that game out they would rank #3 in the NFL based on their other 15 game average.  I think San Diego can stop the Tennessee running game, which will make Vince Young have to throw the ball.  That should lead to a few picks and San Diego should be able to turn those into points.  The Chargers should win this game easily.  Winner: San Diego 27 – Tennessee 9

That’s all for this week.  I have lots of other articles going forward.  On Wednesday I will publish my playoff preview.  It gives a detailed look of all 12 teams and what I look for them to do in the playoffs.  These picks should give you a hint of what I think about the teams toward the bottom of the bracket.  Next week I will do a Newsletter detailing the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs.  I will also handicap New England’s chances of going 19-0 by looking at what it takes to be an NFL Champion.   I hope everyone enjoys the playoffs and I look forward to hearing your comments.