Well, it has taken me three days to recover from Miami's loss to the Baltimore Ravens...sorry folks, but that has perhaps had some of you think that:

Snorky had a heart attack around the 4th quarter  or
Snorky collapsed when she realized her Fins would lose the game  or
Snorky didn't get to watch the game but when she saw the final score, she got into her car and wrapped it around a tree!

None of these are true, except I didn't watch the game (I never get to watch 1 pm games on Sundays, because after Church we go visiting relatives...like they did in the old days before televised NFL football! My husband is not a football fan anyway, and neither is my daughter, much. When our college Aggie son was here over the holidays he watched enough Bowl Games to make her never want to watch football again! And anyway, the team she likes didn't make the playoffs this year. Would you believe she likes (dum dum dum) the PATRIOTS?!?

So, I am fine, and said after I found out they lost, "Oh well, better luck next year. Lets the Ravens get creamed by the Steelers!"

Only, of course, they are playing the Titans. So I say, "Let the stupid Ravens get creamed by the Titans!"

But just in case you think Snorky is completely out of it now that the Fins are out, forget it, because now I get to commune football spirituality with Bolt Backer 21 and channel all sorts of tough love onto the Chargers, who will have to play the Steelers instead!

Soooooo....

Chargers over Steelers. No I'm not kidding! You all do realize that the Steelers only beat the San Diegans by 1 point last time, 11-10. So don't tell me or Bolt that the Chargers can't win.

Titans over Ravens. Because just as they said the Ravens are a better team over Fins, the Titans are a better team, period. Besides, I am in no mood to root for Poe's pusillanimous poppycocks.Quoth the Titan, "Nevermore!"

Panthers over Cardinals: Because there is no way the Cards are going to get lucky again, beating a rookie QB. Delhomme has all kinds of weapons, and it's at home in Charlotte.

Giants over Eagles: Because I just can't see the Eagles beating the Giants again this football season-post season. And Brandon Jacobs should be well this time.

And, BTW, I was 3-1 with my wildcard picks...unfortunately, that one loss was my Fins! (on the other hand, my BTD picks are all wins!)

I picked the Cardinals and Chargers to beat the Falcons and Colts, respectively, and I was right for a change! I knew the Cards had it in them despite the lack of respect over their rather poor showing three of the last four weeks...I also knew that Warner could outplay a rookie. I told you doubters that it is very hard for a rookie, historically, to win his first playoff game, and I still believe that the same fate will befall Flacco tomorrow, especially against a cool, collected, and icy-veined QB in Pennington.

Further, I also knew that the Phillip Rivers Band had Peyton Manning's number. Kuddos to the inspired performance by the Bolts Defense, Antonio Gates who played injured, LT, and especially Sprouls, who was amazing! I switched back and forth between the game and the Sci-Fi movie "Serenity", and when I saw the Colts offense there was nothing "awarding" so to speak about Manning's play.

And especially congratulations to Bolt Backer 21! Bolt, you may not remember that back after Miami beat 'em in week 5 that I thought the Chargers would make the playoffs even though they were 2-3 at the time (check back in the archives, but I did say this! Somewhere, maybe on a comment on your site, if not on mine). You did say once "Snorky knows best" and I was right again! You gotta have faith! Your Bolts will probably play the Titans, and the way they played tonight (except for Sproul's goal line fumble), they will beat the Titans. But the same goes if they play Steelers...

...Which I hope not because that will mean Ravens beat my Fins!

Bolt, I rooted for your Chargers, now you root for the Dolphins tomorrow! If they win, they play Steelers (and if they can beat Ravens they can beat Steelers, who are the same defense-oriented team, but without an offensive line to keep Big Ben out of trouble, and you know former Steeler Joey Porter will be trouble!)

Then, if your team beat Titans and mine beats Steelers, it means you and me get to have a keyboard "duel" so to speak!

But the best thing?

Those idiot "experts" who said all the visiting teams would win because they were "better" teams...Cards wouldn't win because they had become flat lately, and Bolts wouldn't win because they were only 8-8 from a weak division...WERE WRONG! AND THEY'LL BE WRONG TOMORROW TOO!

GO DOLPHINS!

BTD, besides the Dolphins, that is. Since I am a Fins fan do not expect me not to pick them to beat Ravens. I wouldn't pick against them if they were playing the Steelers. Or the Titans. Or anyone. But that's me, and, who knows, this might be the only wrong pick of the weekend. But I'm gonna back my team anyway! Checking the yearly stats, the Ravens are better in every category except turnover-takeaway, with Miami at + 17. The Ravens are no slouches either. And, wouldn't you know it, the primary reason Baltimore won the Oct. 17 game, 27-13, was because Chad Pennington did something he has rarely done this season: Chad threw an interception at the score of 3-3, and the Ravens didn't look back from that. And other miscues from the home team, especially on special teams. The Ravens also have more talent but I usually don't count what's "on paper." So that, all else being equal, provided Miami does not turn over the ball (they have had lots of practice at that) to a team that can easily capitalize on turnovers, and provided Chad is his usual calm, poised, leadership self...and Porter and Co. can say "hello" to rookie phenom Flacco a few times, and Bess and Ginn and Fasano can overcome the awesome Ed Reed just enough to score, then the Fins will win. And then there is the "Rodney Dangerfield" factor...the Ravens claim no one respects them, but they have nothing on the lack of respect the Fins have had to put up with all year. CB Andre Goodman, who was on that 2007 joke, has repeatedly said other teams' players have looked at this 2008 team with the same jaundiced eye as they looked at the 2007 team. Further, as the season was coming to a close, most everyone said that the Jets would win this past Sunday because the Patriots "deserved" the AFC East title over the Fins because the Pats "are better" and are "more respected, thus teams won't want to play them" (as to infer everyone wants to play "weakest link" Miami!!! I bet you the Chargers don't!!! Chargers haven't beaten Fins in Miami since the 1981 overtime thriller won by Bernichke FG in OT. Sorry Bolt but I had to say it). I've said it before and I'll say it again, loud and clear: THE DOLPHINS THRIVE ON LACK OF RESPECT!!! Keep disrespecting them! PLEASE!

That is why, in case you couldn't figure out my last post, I want every blogger who is not a Fins fan to pick the Ravens!!!

And another final thing: Revenge. Not necessarily on the Ravens because of that Oct. 17 game. No. The holdovers from that 2007 team want to beat Cam "1-15" Cameron in the worst way. Those holdovers include Porter, Holliday, Roth, Tim Allen, Jason Allen, Reinaldo Hill, Yeremiah Bell, Andre Goodman from the defense and Ronnie Brown, Ted Ginn, Dave Martin, Vernon Carey, Samson Satele, and others on offense. Nothing motivates like motivation, and if Miami wins you can chalk it up to a greater motivation.

On to the rest.

Cards over Falcons. No I'm not kidding. Again, the Falcons are a better and certainly more balanced offensively...basically, the Cards are the only playoff team with a paultry running game. One can assume that the Cards will have some difficulty stopping Michael Turner. But one can, if Atlanta's defense stats bear things out, expect Warner and the Boldin-Fitzgerald duo to do very well, well enough to overcome any kind of Atlanta lead should they not turn the ball over. Falcons are -3 in the giveaway department. But yes, it'll be close.

Eagles over Vikings. I was gonna pick the Vikes out of past love (I was a Vikes fan in the Joe Kapp era), but good golly miss molly, who in the blue blazes will their QB be? Neither Frerotte nor Jackson are likely to be effective playoff QBs, and the Adrian Peterson show is going to get old if the Vikes can't figure out another way to effectively move the ball. So based on the fact that McNabb has been effective in past palyoff games, I have to go with the Eagles...but the Vikes will win if either QB is effective and their outstanding defense makes Philly turn over the ball.

Chargers over Colts. By all rights, the Colts should win with Manning, but this is the Chargers we're talking about. I agree with Bolt Backer 21...the noise in SD will drive Manning crazy, the Chargers seem to have the Colts number, and the Philip Rivers Band appears to be peaking exactly as a playoff team should at the right time, 8-8 be damned.

And a final note to Pats and Jets fans:

Stop your whining!

So the almighty "dyansty" Patriots needed the Jets to win Sunday in order to back into the playoffs? YOU CALL YOURSELVES A DYNASTY??!!?? STOP YOUR STUPID WHINING and admit the Fins are a better TEAM (with the accent on TEAM. The "i' in the Patriots was more pronounced than the "i' in Dolphins).

So the Bretts...according to NFL GameDay..."expected" Pennington to go to the Packers in exchange for Favre and "did not want him going to Miami because Miami was so bad last year" and thus they "felt bad" for Chad after the Fins picked him up AFTER THE JETS THREW HIM AWAY...

You take the cake, Jettsies!! No wonder they call you "the Wets" in Miami! You people have excuses for everything, you CHOKERS! Imagine! Blaming Miami for their own success this year! Only from the Jets!!!

And don't get me started on the Pokes...I could write a week's worth of posts on this subject, but that would drive Hanahan crazy and we need him ready to root for the Dolphins Sunday, so I won't.

So far everyone, as of Monday, December 29 at 12:50 pm central time, who has picked for the wild card playoff round, in picking the winner of the Fins-Ravens game, has picked the Ravens.

Actually, I would not expect anyone to pick the Fins. If I wasn't a Fins fan, I wouldn't pick 'em! There is NO REASON, none whatsoever, to pick the Fins. The Ravens are a better team. Period. I know that. Awesome defense. Miami's is only good. Flacco is a wonder and has a "better arm" than Chad. (Now where have I heard THAT before! Like, ALL SEASON!) Cam Cameron, who coached the Fins into oblivion last year, has the Fins offernse number as shown by how his new team clobbered his old team this past October in week 7. In fact, the Ravens are so awesome that (given that Big Ben is at this point questionable for his Steelers division playoff game) I actually see them beating Pittsburgh for a change in two weeks. That is actually what I (if I wasn't a Fins fan) would say: the Ravens annihilate the Fins and do just enough to the Steelers to shut them down (because, hey, if Big Ben's not playing the defense can't do everything!). Then (assuming the Colts beat the Chargers...again, that is what everyone is saying...what say you, Bolt Backer 21?), then go on to clobber the overrated Titans again, it sets up the Colts-Ravens. Flacco against a defense that has come on very well in the last several weeks, and Manning against a defense that has not had to come on lately because they've been there all year. I would not hazard a pick for this at this time.

And just in case you think old lady snorky is using reverse psychology, fageddaboutit! I never use reverse psychology on something so important as the NFL playoffs!

So, go ahead, pick Baltimore. I guarantee you old lady snorky will not badger you with "idiot, the Fins will win" garbage, because like I said I have NO REASON to believe the Fins will win. Simply, they have not shown all year they can beat Ravens (or Colts or Steelers or Titans or any of the NFC playoff teams)...Chad's lack of arm, Ronnie and Ricky's lack of 100 yard games, inferior defense compared to the other AFC teams, "the worst receiver corp in the NFL" as Alex Marvez keeps saying, inferior offensive line compared to the others. NO REASON. And not only that, but isn't it true that Miami is just happy to be here in the playoffs after 1-15? Sure it is! Their Super bowl was against the Jets yesterday.

But here's the thing...neither Cammat (is he a Jets or Pats fan?), Pittsburgh Mike, Snorky, Bolt Backer or anyone else on these blogs, the pundits on the NFL Network or on FOXsports, ESPN or anywhere else, actually gets to decide if the Ravens win or not. God does, and HE has already decided.

So, go ahead and pick the Ravens, and let God sort them out.

Fate. The Will of God....I had said in my last post. The Will of God, indeed, for nothing happens without HIS intervention! (But you atheists can call it FATE if you want, and don't give me that "God doesn't exist" crap-ola...denounce us Christians if you want but DO NOT SCREW AROUND WITH GOD!)

And to God's pleasure and HIS glory,

The Dolphins Moved The Dash! 1 - 15 to 11- 5!

What else can you call it when right after Favre (after Jets recover Chad's sack-fumble and score the game's first TD--with X-tra point snap screwed up) throws his TD to Coles, and the Fins get it back, and, on a beautiful pass to Ginn in end zone after Chad got away from several potential sackers to throw to Fasano...and then 20 seconds or so later rookie DE Merling reads a "double screen" right for his interception TD. Fins 14, Jets 6, then 9 at the half. And, after the Jets go ahead in 3rd quarter (because Miami STILL has a couple fo speacial teams issues!), Pennington goes to Ginn again, who back tracks an underthrown pass for another beauty catch, which sets up Fasano's TD. Fins 21-17. Then it goes after a blocked punt (but not too many special teams issues!) that Carpenter FG. Fins 24-17, and just when Jets are taking it downfield for the tie, Goodman makes his 2nd interception.

In other words, the Jets played hard but the Fins played harder, with just enough flukey stuff to make the claim that God was on the side of the Dolphins this afternoon!

I'll get into comparing them with the 1970 team later this week.

And otherwise it was a great day! The Pats won but WON'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS ANYWAY! I call it KARMA (do unto others as you would have them do unto you...Matt Cassel is paying for some of the liberties the Pats took last year when they continued to run up scores on their AFC East opponents, and "spy gate"...Maybe from now on Bellichick will spend time building character, not lopsided scores. And from what I heard at the Bills game, the Pats were up to their old tricks of not getting penalites when they deserved them. As for Mangini and Favre, will they or won't they be back?

and speaking of the Jets...a great big

thank you for chad pennington! 

You could have traded him, but NOOOOOOO! You threw him overboard and Miami rescued him so that he could lead them to the playoffs for the first time since 2001, and the AFC EAST title!

In other games, I am also happy because the Pokes, who give a whole new meaning to OVER-RATED, got clobbered by the Eagles and will also MISS the playoffs! Good work, Tony Romo! when you turn into Troy Aikman, let me know!

and a great big CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHARGERS! 52-21! GOOD WORK PHIL, LT, and the rest of the team...

and you too, Bolt Bakcer 21! Happy New Year! And Happy New Year to all Dolphins fans everywhere!