After that sneaky last minute trade of last year’s sack leader Jared Allen to Minnesota for a first round and two third round picks, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed into the weekend with 13 picks—more than any other team in the league. Still, the loss of Allen is a devastating blow to a Chiefs team that had little to brag about last season.

On the upside, Chiefs Coach Herm Edwards and GM Carl Peterson are in a position to frustrate a lot of people, but we wont know until Monday who those frustrated people are going to be; the rest of the league, or Kansas City’s own fans. It could go either way.

The Chiefs are in a rebuilding year, and they’re going to have to find three killer prospects to make up for the loss of Allen. Six of Kansas City’s picks come in 82 choices, and their picks outnumber Oakland and San Diego by three to one. Kansas City will have made six choices by the time the Raiders and Chargers make one.

But with all those picks in Kansas City’s back pocket, they have one of the worst first round positions imaginable—fifth. Sure, it looks high on paper, but being fifth on draft day is like being late off the starting block in the 400-meter relay—you’ve just got to close your eyes and hope the guy ahead of you trips.

Who Kansas City picks in the first round will hinge entirely on the St. Louis Rams. In a perfect world, the Chiefs want DE Chris Long out of Virginia. Long is ready to play right out of the gate and his dominance at DE will justify Kansas City’s loss of Jared Allen in one pick.

It’s doubtful the Rams would let Long pass. If they do, then the Chiefs’ hopes rest on how desperately the Atlanta Falcons want to patch up that messy QB rift. If Atlanta drafts Matt Ryan out of Boston College, then Kansas City could actually end up with Long—miracle of miracles for Kansas City fans.

In reality, the Chiefs will likely be forced into signing OT Ryan Clady from Boise State, and that’s still good. Not as good as Long, but it’s still good.

It won’t fill the hole left by Allen, though, and with their 17th pick the Chiefs will be on the hunt for a DE. Phillip Merling out of Clemson could be a good choice here. He’s no Allen and most likely wouldn’t hit his stride until 2009-10, but he’s still a great player.

Outside of that, the Chiefs should really look for a QB to give Brody Croyle some competition. Last season, Herm Edwards was convinced that Croyle was his golden child, but by the end of the season it was apparent to everyone how the QB position was in pretty bad shape. Look for Joe Flacco from Delaware to take this spot in the second round.

Flacco is 6’6”, 236 lbs. He’s had some trouble with his footwork and he takes too long to get set, so he’d be vulnerable when rushed, but he’s got good vision and a strong arm. Most importantly he’s more durable than the Croyle, who can look like a stick figure in the pocket at times.

Above all else, Kansas City needs to make sure of one thing: draft athletes that are ready to go from day one. Anything to the contrary is too risky, and even if Kansas City gets what it needs there’s still no way to be sure of success.

The draft holds no guarantees, no matter how many picks you’ve got.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

In the days leading up to Super Bowl XLII, we’ve all seen what happens to the media when they have too much time on their hands. Every single conceivable story angle has been covered, updated, and covered again—twice.

The sports media has interviewed every player and talked to every single coach that Eli Manning and Tom Brady have ever had. They’ve even interviewed Valdir Bündche, father of Gisele Bündche, Tom Brady’s Brazilian supermodel girlfriend.

ESPN has been airing an annoying comedy short about Tom Brady’s secret life as one of the long lost Brady Bunch siblings, and if Tom Brady’s dirty socks could talk, I’m sure they’d be interviewed as well.

The point is, aside from the from the insurmountable price of advertising and the appearance of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Super Bowl is going to be played just like any other football game. The glut of analysis is just a time killer.

By kickoff, all the time and energy spent writing articles about how people in Gisele’s hometown don’t understand what her boyfriend does for a living aren’t going to mean squat.

The only thing that matters is how Eli Manning handles the situation. I’m not trying to detract from everything the Patriots have accomplished this year, but we all know New England is expected to win.

If the Patriots blast the Giants out of the Arizona desert and go undefeated, they’re only doing what they’re supposed to do.

But if the Giants win, well, that’s not supposed to happen. They’re not even supposed to be in the Super Bowl. Right Tiki?

So analyze all you want to, but the majority of it isn’t going to matter. In Super Bowl XLII, the biggest factor, the one thing that’s going to have the most influence, is Eli Manning. Period.

The Giant’s came around at the same time Eli did, and that’s no coincidence. Everyone on that squad has talent, but it was Eli that got New York another shot at the Pats.

Sure, there are other variables, but all of them involve Eli at some point. Can the offensive line protect Eli, can Eli’s receivers have a break out game against players like Asante Samuel, can the Giants offense control the line of scrimmage and give Eli more options, etc.

And don’t think for one second that Belichick doesn’t know that. If he takes Eli out of the equation, the Pats are home free. That’s why Eli is the only thing that matters.

It’s an uphill battle for Eli, but he’s proved up for it in the last few weeks. If nothing else, I do expect this Sunday to be one of the better Super Bowls in awhile. Even if we all have a good idea how it’s going to end.

If you haven’t made up your mind about who to root for in the Super Bowl, here’s a little test to help you decide. Read the following sentence: The last time the Patriots played the Giants, New England rallied from 12 points down in the third quarter to win 38-35.

Now, what about that sentence excited you the most? Was it, A.) The Patriots were twelve points down, or B.) The Patriots win 38-35.

If you answered “A”, then you’re a Giants fan. It also means you’re an optimist. Good for you.

Keep hope alive.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

During its abysmal 1-15 season, the only thing Miami had to look forward to was the end of it all. But now it’s over, and for the first time in a while the Dolphins have something positive to look forward to. April 26th, draft day.

For all its troubles, the Dolphins are actually in a great spot. They’ve got a clean slate and new sense of direction with Bill Parcells stepping in as executive vice president of football operations, first pick in the draft, and most importantly, they aren’t the Atlanta Falcons.

Miami is willing to consider trade options for their first round pick, but I doubt they’ll be in a hurry to do it. Plus, when it comes to projecting where the first five picks end up this year, it’s a lot easier to assume Miami stays where it is.

If Parcells decides to spend first round money on a player, he might throw everyone a curveball and take BC quarterback Matt Ryan. Current QB John Beck hasn’t convinced anyone of anything so far. We can be pretty confident Ryan will draft in the top five, so with Ryan, it’s “now or never” for the Dolphins.

But I’ll be shocked if Miami takes him. Parcells has always made defense a priority throughout his career. The Tuna’s formula has worked in the past, so you can bet like Pete Rose that Parcells will draft a defensive player.

Both LSU’s Glenn Dorsey (DT) or Virginia’s Chris Long (DE) are great options. Chris Long might be a better a fit for Miami’s 3-4 defense, but they can’t go wrong either way.

The Rams have the second pick, and if Chris Long goes to the Dolphins, St. Louis will take Dorsey. The Rams finished 3-13 on the season and managed to lose Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Pace in the process. Some think drafting a new OT would be a good move, but the Rams have plenty to worry about.

By drafting Chris Long and pairing him up with last year’s first round pick, DT Adam Carriker, the defensive line wouldn’t be one of them (in theory).

The third, fourth, and fifth picks are between the Faclons, Raiders, and Chiefs, but not necessarily in that order. This whole affair is a mess. The NFL, for all its statistical mastery, can’t figure out which team stinks the most.

All three teams finished 4-12 and had the same strength of schedule, but against common opponents, the Chiefs had a better record than Oakland. So the only thing we know for sure is that Oakland will draft ahead of Kansas City. The rest is up to a coin toss between the Raiders and Falcons.

If the Falcons win the toss, the order will be Atlanta, Oakland, and Kansas City. But if Oakland wins the toss, Kansas City and Atlanta will flip for the fourth spot. Sheesh.

Funny thing is, the picking order isn’t going to matter. Atlanta will take QB Matt Ryan, and he’s still going to be around even if the Falcon’s pick fifth. It’s a shoe-in.

Oakland doesn’t need a QB, and Kansas City coach Herm Edwards’ heart is set on grooming QB Brody Croyle no matter what common sense has to say about it. Chiefs GM Carl Peterson wouldn’t ever spend top-five money for Ryan anyway.

Atlanta needs a strong QB to build a team around, and Matt Ryan is the obvious choice. I also hear he loves dogs. Case closed.

It would be a mistake for the Raiders to go after Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, so you can expect it to happen. ESPN personalities Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon have often mentioned that Oakland is the worst franchise in the league to manage, and if the Raiders pick McFadden, they’ll say it again.

It’s the age-old conundrum of what you want vs. what you need. What the Raiders need is a better offensive line to protect their precious JaMarcus Russell, or maybe even some receivers for JaMarcus to throw to. But McFadden is a rare talent, so that’s probably what they’ll want.

Kansas City should pick Michigan OT Jake Long—a very, very smart choice for them. Long is talented enough to be an instant starter. The Chiefs’ offensive line has been in disarray since the retirement of Willie Roaf and Will Shields. Rebuilding it should be a priority if Kansas City wants any hope of a running game.

And with the top five NFL prospects headed to the leagues worst five teams, hope is the key word here.

Right, Tuna?

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

Of the two playoff games this Sunday, it would be stupid of me to tell you which one you should watch and which one you shouldn’t. You’re a football fan; you’ll watch them both on principle. It’s the Conference Championships, so clear your schedule and hope you’ve got a tolerant spouse.

Last week, I mentioned that every single sportswriter in the nation is required to make a minimum number of upset predictions during the playoffs. I’m glad I managed to get mine in last week, because this Sunday the NFL will officially run out of surprises.

I’ll pass the analysis of the Chargers vs. Pats to the local optimists in San Diego and skip ahead to the Giants at Green Bay. It’s got all the makings of a perfect playoff game.

First of all, there’s the weather. This Sunday’s game marks the return of an NFC Championship to Lambeau Field for the first time 12 years, and at the beginning of the season, I doubt anyone would have seen this coming.

The entire experience is such a dream for Favre and company that, between the cold and the snow, Green Bay Wisconsin might end up looking more like Narnia by the time the Packers win that game—and win they will.

But it’s going to be close.

The NFC Championship is going to be a perfect game for more reasons than meteorology. The Packers are favored by a touchdown, and if Green Bay wins by more, I’ll be shocked. These two teams are pretty evenly matched. If the Giants have the upper hand in certain aspects of the game, or vice versa, it isn’t by much.

The biggest area where New York seems to have an edge involves some of the biggest men on the field. The Giants’ offensive line averages about 315 pounds per man, which is going to make any defensive line respect them even if they don’t want to.

If that line manages to stick together, and there’s no reason to assume they won’t, it’s going to give Eli Manning plenty of time to exploit the field or allow RB Brandon Jacobs to get past the line of scrimmage. That’s great for a short game, but once Jacobs gets past the line he’ll need to look out. More on that in a minute.

The Giants have plenty of talent and experience in their receiving corps as well. New York’s triple threat of Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, and Steve Smith give the Giants’ passing attack plenty of options, and Eli Manning finally realizing that is a plus.

The only problem is Plaxico isn’t in top form. The ankle injury that’s plagued him for so long hampered his effectiveness in Dallas, and it isn’t likely to go away in Lambeau’s frozen tundra. Amani Toomer is probably the most reliable of the three, but no matter how healthy or reliable any of them are, they’ll still have to contend with Green Bay’s secondary.

That’s the deal breaker.

For the Giants, Green Bay corner back Al Harris will be a problem, and Charles Woodson will be another. On top of that, Eli Manning will have to worry about Atari Bigby and Nick Collins—especially Atari Bigby.

During Green Bay’s rout of Seattle, Bigby put on a defensive clinic by coming out of nowhere from everywhere. If I were New York offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, I’d have a bottle of aspirin on my desk labeled, “In case of Bigby, swallow contents.”

Unfortunately for the Giants, there isn’t a whole lot of reciprocity when comes to their secondary. The Giants have some power, speed and talent in the likes of CB Corey Webster and James Butler, but it’s just not going to be enough to take away Favre’s options.

Green Bay WRs Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and James Jones are efficient, versatile, and they can line up in multiple slots to keep New York’s defense guessing. You can expect them to create yards after the catch, and establish just enough of a passing threat to allow late-blooming RB Ryan Grant another breakout game.

The good news for the fans in New York is that the Giants aren’t going to phone this one in. They’ll give Favre and company a definite run for their money in a game that’s certain to be close through three quarters.

But for as much momentum as the Giants have thus far, I just don’t think it’s going to be enough to push them through a frozen Lambeau.

Looks like the Brett Favre Farewell Tour will play a show in Glendale.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

Last time I checked, the Pats were 13½-point favorites going into Saturday’s game, but there’s still an army of stories out there about Jacksonville upsetting the Patriots this weekend. I’m not surprised. It’s gotten to the point where a Patriots victory is hardly news, but Jacksonville pulling off an upset—now that’s a story! Move over “Dewey Defeats Truman!”

But I’m not buying it. It’s required—etched in stone, really—that every singe sportswriter in the nation has to make a minimum number of upset predictions. I’m not going to stray too far from the flock here, but I just can’t muster the moxy to back Jacksonville. The Giants, though, that’s another story.

When it comes to predicting an upset, it’s important to pair up the number of question marks a team has to the amount of available answers for them. The Cowboy’s have more questions than answers, and there’s not a lot of room in the post season for unknowns.

The most obvious question in Dallas is Terrell Owens, or rather T.O’s high ankle sprain. There’s nothing wrong with the rest of him, especially his mouth. Owens tweaked his ankle on Dec. 22 against Carolina. 19 days have passed since then and his status is still listed as questionable.

If T.O. is out, the Cowboys have a serious problem. Despite his ego, T.O. is still a great player. He’s so good, in fact, that without him Dallas doesn’t have an offense. Normally the Giants would have to double up on Owens. He’s a constant worry for everyone even if he’s not the primary receiver in a play.

You can never entirely shut T.O. down, but if he’s eating his popcorn on the sidelines this Sunday, that puts an awful lot of weight on tight end Jason Witten. That’s a problem as well because with Owens out it frees up an extra man in the Giants’ secondary, and guess who that extra man is going to watch?

Witten will be seeing double all day, and that’s if he even gets the chance to run a route. If the Giants’ defensive ends manage to rough up Romo, Witten is going to have to spend his time blocking. It’s hard to find the end zone when you camp on the line of scrimmage.

That leaves Dallas’ passing attack in the hands of Patrick Crayton, but that’s not terrible. Crayton has 50 receptions and averages 13.9 yards per catch with 7 touchdowns this year, but he can’t do it alone. Otherwise, Romo’s options are down to Sam Hurd, who’s got 19 receptions and one TD, and Terry “Who the hell is Terry Glenn?” Glenn.

Glenn doesn’t have any stats this year because he hasn’t played a game yet. His status is listed as probable.

But I could be wrong about Dallas’ passing woes. I haven’t completely dismissed the possibility that T.O.’s ankle is just fine and this whole thing is just a show. You know how T.O. loves the theatre.

To make matters worse, if Dallas’ long game falls apart they won’t have a lot of options. Some of you might be thinking, “What about the running game?” Yes. What about the running game?

The Dallas Cowboys have a running back, but that’s really all there is to say about their running game. In their last three games of the season, the Cowboys ran for 53 yards against the Eagles, 148 yards against Carolina, and one yard against the Redskins. That’s three feet.

The Cowboys ran three feet.

Now, I know it sounds like I’m bashing the Cowboys here, and I’m a little disappointed in myself for doing it. Dallas has had—excuse me—Dallas is having a great season. They could very well beat the Giants on Sunday. After all, Dallas is the better team. On paper.

Any other day, if T.O. were healthy and if Romo’s thumb were thumbs-up, I’d go the other way. But the Giants are on a roll. Their loss against the Pats in week 17 gave that club a sense of cohesion they haven’t had in quite a while, they have a superior ground game, and it looks like Eli Manning has finally shown up this year.

But even if Romo and the Cowboys end their season this Sunday, there’s still one good thing about it.

At least Romo and Jessica will finally have some privacy.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

Wild Card Weekend starts this Saturday, which means the time for upsets is close at hand. It also might be the last chance any of us have to see a close football game until January 20th.

That’s because this year’s post season is one of the most unique ones I’ve seen in recent memory—for all the wrong reasons.  Especially in the NFC, otherwise known as the New England Fodder Conference.

The 2007 playoffs are more of a formality than anything else.  We can’t just hand over the Super Bowl XLII title to the Pats on principle.  NFL regulations won’t allow it, and besides, if we don’t have a Super Bowl, all those really cool commercials will go to waste.

As far as the Jacksonville vs. Pittsburgh game is concerned, well, it’ll be sad to see the Steelers go.  And go they will.  Despite the Steelers’ formidable presence only a month ago, that club is limping around like a bunch of peg-legged pirates.

Offensively, the Steelers are running on fumes.  Big Ben is a good QB.  There’s no doubt about that, but he had a tough run towards the end of the season.  Since RB Willie Parker broke his leg against St. Louis last month, Roethlisberger lost his play-action game, and that makes it hard to balance an offense.

But even more detrimental than the loss of Parker is the loss of key defensive end Aaron Smith.  He’ll be watching the playoffs from the sidelines with his arm in a sling and his season in the past.

Smith’s absence might not be a problem if the Steelers were playing someone other than Jacksonville.  The last time the Jags came to Heinz Field, they ran for 224 yards against a Steelers defense known for only giving up an average 165 yards on the ground.  That hurts, but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt as much as Aaron Smith’s arm.

The Tennessee vs. San Diego game favors the Chargers heavily, and most of that is thanks to LaDainian Tomlinson.  LT has four 100-yard rushing games in his last six.  This game is rematch of week 14, where Tennessee managed to handle most everything the Chargers had to give until the Titans fell apart.  They gave up 14 points to the Chargers in 7½ minutes before they lost in overtime.

So you can count on the Titans to play with chips on their shoulders and revenge in their hearts this weekend, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough.  This game is going to be fought on the ground, and on the ground, the Chargers are the better team.

The NFC playoffs are bittersweet this year.  It’s going to give us the most exciting wild card games and several talented teams, but inevitably it’s just going to be a playoff bracket to determine whom the Patriots will end up murdering in Phoenix.

The New York vs. Tampa Bay game is going to be an exciting one, especially since the Giants are still riding their high of almost beating New England.  But the Giants are paying physically for their brush with Belichick.

Tampa Bay has been resting their players down the stretch to ready themselves, and that’s probably a good move.  Tampa didn’t have a great finish to their regular season after dropping three of their last four, including a loss to San Francisco.

All in all, though, Tampa’s cover-two defense and their health advantage might not be enough to overcome the Giants’ confidence level right now.  I know that favoring a team based on emotion isn’t the most logical thing to do, but in New York’s case, it’s enough to push the Bucs into upset city.

The game that could cause the most collateral damage is Washington vs. Seattle.  If there is such a thing as a true underdog in this whole playoff mess, it’s the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have quietly been having an amazing year—especially QB Matt Hasselbeck—and it’s probably a good thing to be that far under the radar headed into the playoffs.  Seattle is even good enough to beat Green Bay.  The only problem is Washington.

The Redskins rolled into the playoffs on top of four straight wins and the experience of coach Joe Gibbs.  The Redskins will look to capitalize on that momentum to wash Seattle away.  They’ve got a chance.  It’s not a good chance, but it’s possible that Washington could pull off the upset.  If they do, that’s all the excitement we’re going to see for a while.

The rest of the postseason can pretty much be telegraphed all the way to the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.  But then again, I could be wrong about this year holding no surprises.

And boy, I really hope I am.

–Joey Alfino, Red Editorial Staff.

The New York Giants have made the playoffs, but they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.

So when the Patriots’ mother ship descends on the Meadowlands Saturday night to play what is largely considered a meaningless game, Giants coach Tom Coughlin is going to have to make a decision. Should he rest his starters for the playoffs, or play them against the Pats?

First of all, I’d like to object to everyone who calls this game meaningless. There aren’t any truly meaningless games in the NFL. Yes, some of them hold more weight than others, but all of them have something to play for–even if it’s just the game itself. If the game were truly meaningless they wouldn’t play it at all.

This game means a lot to the Pats. If (and when) the Pats blow the Giants out of the water, they’ll have their perfect regular season. This game also means a lot to the Giants, because this could be the game that guarantees their recent tradition of going “one and done” in the post season if any of their starters get hurt Saturday night.

And ultimately, that’s what coach Coughlin doesn’t want to happen.

The whole point of playing in the NFL is to win a Super Bowl. That’s it. I rarely agree with Terrell Owens, but when he rhetorically asked what the point of playing in the NFL is if you’re not playing to win a ring, he was dead on.

So, let me repeat: The point of playing in the NFL is to win a Super Bowl. The point is NOT to beat the Patriots in a “meaningless” week 17 game. The point is NOT to throw everything you have at Belichick so you can spoil his perfect regular season. Especially when it’s next to impossible for the Giants anyway. Even with all their starters active.

Some say the Giants aren’t good enough to take any time off. Sports writer Mike Sando believes Eli Manning needs the practice against a good team after he fumbled five times in Buffalo and has been fairly inconsistent with his play overall.

Sando also believes “The Giants won’t go far if they can’t trust their quarterback,” and he’s right, but they also won’t go very far if they lose him to injury. If I were coaching the Giants, I’d rather have a shaky Eli Manning on two working and well-rested legs than on a stretcher. Wouldn’t you?

Perhaps you’re thinking that the odds of Eli getting severely injured are slim, and even though you’d be right, you wouldn’t be certain. As this season has progressed, we’ve seen the Patriots’ servings of humble pie get smaller and smaller, and Tom Brady has already admitted the Pats are trying to “kill” their opponents.

The Pats won’t hold back. Do you think they’re going to phone it in for the last game of an unbeaten regular season? Plus, the element of unwelcome surprise is always there. If you don’t believe me about unwelcome surprises, I’ve got three words for you:

Willie Parker’s fibula.

The NFL’s leading rusher ended his season when he broke his leg against the Rams—just in time for the playoffs. It’s proof that accidents happen.

If the Giant’s aren’t good enough to take any time off before the playoffs, then they aren’t good enough to beat the Patriots either. And if they aren’t good enough to beat the Pats, why risk injury? But don’t worry, Giants fans, so far, no one is good enough to beat the Patriots.

This is not a defeatist attitude. This is preemptive thinking. And if the media in New York wants to spend all their time and ink blasting the Giants and saying how unreliable they are going into the playoffs, or calling coach Coughlin names for resting his starters in hope of winning a playoff game, so be it. That kind of press is nothing compared to what Coughlin will get if he loses Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress or Strahan right before the post season. The fans are fickle.

The Giants will just have to ignore it and focus on doing something they haven’t done in years under coach Coughlin’s leadership:

Win a playoff game.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

To use the NFL’s officially sanctioned cliché, the playoff picture is shaping up. Blech. I hate saying that. It’s so canned. Anyhoo, unlike the playoff picture of years past, this season it’s actually pretty simple.

Sports writers can say whatever they want. They can say things like, “The six seed is still wide open,” or that the playoff picture is “muddy,” but it really isn’t. The question of 2007 isn’t asking how many possible playoff scenarios there are, but rather how many probable scenarios there are. And the answer is . . . not many.

First of all, there is always the annually popular “What if season ended today?” scenario, which is silly because the season doesn’t end today. I never understood the point of saying that, but I’m pretty sure talking about it is required, and if you don’t, the Belichick monster will eat your soul while you sleep.

Nonetheless, it’s a good platform to base the big picture on, and this year it happens to be prophetic. So, here it goes. If the season ended today, the AFC seeds would be as follows from first to last: Patriots, Colts, Chargers, Steelers, Jags, and Browns.

The NFC would have the Cowboys, Packers, Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, and Vikings.

The NFC variables are the really easy ones to figure. The five and six spots are the only ones available, and if the Giants beat or tie Buffalo on Sunday, they’re in. The odds of the Giants picking up that win are pretty darn good, and frankly, they had better win because they play New England in the last game of the season and I think we all know how that’s going to end.

In order for the Vikings to have a postseason, they’ll have to beat Washington this week and hope New Orleans drops their game against Philly. Again, both of those outcomes have very high probabilities so it takes a lot of the guesswork out of week 17.

I’ll admit the AFC is a little more complicated, but not much. Officially, the four spot is still open but I’ll be shocked if the Steelers don’t end up with it. All they really have to do is keep winning, and since the only two games left on their schedule are against the Rams and then a reeling 4-10 Baltimore squad that just dropped a shocker to Miami and has to play Seattle this Sunday, the odds are with Pittsburgh.

So that leaves the five and six. Jacksonville can take the five seed this weekend with a win, and they play Oakland this Sunday, so . . . yep. You guessed it.

Now we’re down to the Browns, and this is the only real honest-to-God question mark. If the Browns win over the Bengals this Sunday, they’re the final piece of the puzzle. But this game is making my Spidey-Sense tingle mainly because of the Titans.

If the Bengals stun the Browns, which is possible, Cleveland could still make the playoffs if Tennessee loses.

But Tennessee is playing the Jets. I seriously doubt the Titans will flub that, so the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs could very well go down to week 17, but that’s the only one.

Everyone else in the league is either a spoiler or just going through the motions until draft day. This season has given us some amazing talent with not a lot of grey areas in between the good and the bad, which means when we get to the playoffs, it’s going to be a blast.

But getting there is kind of boring.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

Falcons coach Bobby Petrino found his 30 pieces of silver in Arkansas. Last Monday the Falcons were blown away by the Saints 34-14, and less than 24 hours later Petrino washed his hands of Atlanta without a second thought.

Now Falcons owner Arthur Blank has a QB in jail, a 3-10 franchise, and heel marks all over his forehead. I never thought I’d I say this, but by comparison, even the Dolphins are in better shape than Atlanta is this year.

I tried to watch video clips of Bobby Petrino’s late night acceptance speech for the Arkansas coaching position, but I just couldn’t bring myself to wade through the quagmire of his words.

In hindsight, though, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. For many it doesn’t. There was never a shared sense of belonging between Atlanta and Petrino. Maybe if he had a more reliable track record things would have been different, but Petrino’s coaching resume is proof that rolling stone gathers no moss—but it does seem to gather plenty of money.

Over the span of his 15-year career, Petrino held positions at 11 different places from college football to the NFL. Here it is in a nutshell, and I don’t blame you if you can’t keep up:

He started his career at Carroll University in 1983, went to Weber St. for a year, then back to Carroll, then back to Webbber, then to Idaho, then to Arizona State, Nevada, Utah State, Louisville, Jacksonville (NFL), Auburn, Louisville again, then Atlanta, and finally to Arkansas.

Petrino spent four years in Louisville. That’s the longest he’s ever hung his hat in one spot.

So it makes sense that Petrino bailed on the Falcons, what doesn’t make sense (or maybe it does) is the inexcusable way he did it. Petrino literally crept out of Atlanta like thief in the night, lacking even the decency to man up and tell even one of his players face to face.

Instead, Petrino opted to leave a “Dear John” letter in the team’s lockers:

Atlanta Falcons players:

Out of my respect for you, I am letting you know that, with a heavy heart, I resigned today as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This decision was not easy, but it was made in the best interests of me and my family. While my desire would have been to finish out what has been a difficult season for us all, circumstances did not allow me to do so. I appreciate your hard work and wish you the best.

Sincerely,

Bobby Petrino.

Wow. It takes a lot of moxy to be that rude.

Numerous people are smearing Petrino all over the place, and I can’t think of man who deserves it more. It’s rare that professional athletes are allowed to be this candid in public, but here’s what people are saying about him.

NFL analyst Sean Salisbury calls him “A quitter and a fraud,” Jaguars defensive end Grady Jackson said he’s “ . . . a coward with a yellow stripe down his back,” Falcons corner back DeAngelo Hall said, “I don’t have any respect for him.”

In fact, after a stunt like this, it’s hard to imagine how anyone ever would. That includes the Arkansas Razorbacks. I’m not sure what it is they think they have in Bobby Petrino. They certainly don’t have his loyalty, and if anybody in that athletic department believes otherwise, I’ve got a bridge to sell them.

Is a Petrino a good coach? Yes, actually, I think he is. But in college football, a person’s coaching ability is inexorably linked to his recruiting ability, and recruiting ability is inexorably linked to trust.

If Bobby Petrino showed up on your doorstep and tried to convince you that his athletic guidance is the best choice for your son’s future, would you believe him? If he came to your house and preached the benefits of belonging to a team, do you listen? How many moral strikes can you give a man before forgetting about him? How can anyone believe Bobby Petrino at all? Has anyone else ever noticed that you can’t spell “believe” without a “lie” in the middle?

Bobby has.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff

Now that Steelers defensive back Anthony Smith pulled a Joey Porter and guaranteed a win over the Pats this Sunday, does that mean Pittsburgh is going to pull a Miami and lose? “People keep asking me if we’re ready for the Patriots,” Smith said. “They should be asking if they’re ready for us.”

Maybe. Maybe not. The odds are certainly on New England’s side, and I’m not too sure that Anthony Smith’s boisterous attitude is the best thing to be flaunting when it comes to the Pats. Belichick is the king of mind games, and trying to intimidate the Pats is like getting a Gremlin wet and feeding it after midnight. There might be hell to pay.

All that aside, the bottom line is this: On Sunday, the best offense in the league collides with the real-deal Steal Curtain in Foxborough, and the Steelers are the last thing standing in the way of New England’s spotless regular season.

That’s it. There’s no one else. Not until the playoffs, anyway.

When dealing with a team that’s as epically scary as the Patriots are, to say any team defeated them is unthinkable. No, wait, it’s not unthinkable, it’s preposterous. At least it used to be.

Over the last two weeks, the Pats have actually looked human. In the first 10 weeks of the season, the Pats racked up 254 points for an average win margin of 25.4. But the last two weeks the Pats have only won by three each.

The Eagles gave them an unexpected hard time, and Baltimore nearly pulled it off. Of course, at the end of the day the Pats are still unbeaten, but comparatively this is the closest thing the Pats have had to a slump.

New England still manages to win even if they play poorly, but Philadelphia and Baltimore proved the Pats are not an immortal juggernaut—especially against the run. The Steelers are ranked third in the league on the ground.

Also, New England’s defense allowed 179 rushing yards against Miami of all people. Dallas averaged 6.0 yards per carry, and the Colts didn’t have much trouble controlling the ground game either.

So, if the Pats have an Achilles heel it’s defending the run—a worry that is even more pressing after LB Rosevelt Colvin suffered his season-ending foot injury a