Rex Ryan's comments during his first Press Conference as Head Coach of the New York Jets, pretty much saying he "guarantees" the Jets will make the playoffs or even the Super Bowl in 2009, sounds...well, his bragging reminds me of Joey Porter. Jets fans will certainly want his claim to compare with Joe Namath's Supe 3 guarantee. As for me, a Fins fan, I certainly hope his claim is "all hat, no cattle" or, simply, "prattle."

Read the article at Bleacher Report here

Truly, as I told Bolt in his picks post, as uninspired as he is, I am even more uninspired! In fact, I have never been MORE UNINSPIRED by NFC or AFC matchups, EVER!! And I will probably be EVEN LESS inspired as to who is playing in the Super Bowl!!!

In the late 80s and 90s we had no TV except what my husband's mother recorded off her Satellite feeds, and football was not on the menu. So I missed those awesone Niner teams, the Bills, the Cowboys turnaround, the Giants, Brett Favre in his glory, Elway, and the wonders of Dan Marino and the Marks Brothers. We finally got our own satellite dish in 1999, and, by then, football was pretty much out of my system until the 2002 Super Bowl won by the New England Patriots...which I thought was fitting, as the winning team was "the Patriots" and how that made sense what with 9-11.

I even forgot that year that as someone who had been a Dolphins fanatic (until I lost TV viewing), I was supposed to "hate" the Patriots!

Well, as Miami faltered and the Pats became the "dynasty" my "hatred" of the Pats resumed, and I have our son to thank for that because suddenly around 2004 or 2005 or so he started watching NFL games every fall Sunday. I had become interested enough in seeing just whom could foil the Brady bunch that I began this blog in late 2005 season. So that for me it became "I must pick the team that opposes the Patriots!" (Of course, in the 2006 Supe, it was I must pick the team that opposes the Steelers...my dislike of the Steelers goes back to the 70s when either Miami, Pittsburgh or Oakland ruled the NFL. And a year later it was Colts vs. Bears in the duel of black head coaches, and the better coach won. I had picked the Bears and their defense.)

And, despite my team going 1-15 last year, nothing could be finer than the hated undefeated Patriots LOSING the Super Bowl and NOT being called "the greatest team ever" (which my 1972 Fins still are), and losing to my dad's team, the Giants, at that!

So I could get on the anti-Steelers bandwagon this year, but what can I say. I no longer have this utter dislike for "the Curtain" and "Terrible Towel" and all that. I mean at some point you have to put the past behind you. I can still "hate" the Patriots but "hating" the Steelers is a bit much because while defense still rules this team liek it used to, let's face it their offense is not what it used to be with Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Blier, and the rest. Big Ben does what he has to do behind a just slightly better than mediocre offensive line, and that is admirable and good enough for me. In other words, this is not "my nurse boss" Steelers.

In other words, since I don't "hate" the Steelers anymore, there is no one to root against, and sicne I don't really like the Ravens, Cards, ior Eagles, there is no one to root for. In other words, I couldn't  care less who plays in the Super Bowl.

However,...

Steelers over Ravens. Could go either way, but if Reed and Lewis and company (who, IMHO, needed an official's lack of call to beat the Titans) let Big Ben get any headway at all, the Steelers D should be just effective enough to bottle up Flacco and company just enough to let them win...just like the other two times these teams played this year.

Eagles over Cards. Because in the real world, Eagles would have it over Cardinals! I have no other reason for this pick. I really couldn't care less who wins this game. But I really think the Eagles would do better against the Steelers than the Cards would. Or the Ravens for that matter.

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.