Wow, what a weekend of playoff football. . .

[Fooleeze]

. . . let me just say that I typically don't feel like things 'go my way' much at all when it comes to football. I rarely get what I want. I feel like the foreman at the factory of sadness. I imagine a lot of you feel the same way.

This weekend may have been the changing of the guard. Let me explain:

Going into the NFL playoffs, I recognized that there are 5 teams that I do not want to do well in the playoffs. Most of you probably have similar lists. Here are the reasons (and these are kinda in the order of how much I would want them bumped EARLY in the playoffs):

1: Atlanta - Cleveland holds Atlanta's 1st round pick, so can't have them get too far in the playoffs.
2: Pittsburgh - Duh. AFC North Rivals, and surrounded by Steeler vermin. . . more on that below.
3: Baltimore - AFC North Rivals, and I don't have to explain the rest.
4: Cincinnati - AFC North Rivals, and I owe my friend more money the better they do.
5: Detroit - This one I feel bad about. I owe another friend more money the better they do, but in all honesty, I can't emotionally handle them going from 0-16 to playoff success that quickly while the Browns still flounder year in and year out. And I also can't handle the potential of another team dropping off of the "Haven't won a superbowl" list at this point. My wife is also from Michigan, so she wants to see them do well. . . I just can't handle it right now.

So to go into this weekend 'expecting' the four of these teams that were playing to win in spite of me. . . and to come out of it with all of them losing. . . wow. And the end of that Steelers game REALLY capped it off last night. Awesome.

Regarding Steeler vermin. . . my wife and I had a 'baby care' class yesterday for expecting new parents, and there was a DB Steeler fan in the class. He came in with his urine-yellow stocking cap, and promptly put it on one of the baby-dolls. Near the end of the class as the game was starting, he was checking his phone and telling the class the score, and clearly nobody else in the class cared. He was one of those guys who left his phone on the table on vibrate, and probably 5-6 times it went off while the instructor was talking (pet peeve of mine). He also felt necessary to put in a 'dip' and spit into his empty coke bottle during the class. Yes, spitting into a bottle AT A HOSPITAL during a 3 hour BABY CARE class. Classy. I was thinking of him on that first play of Overtime. (Sorry if you like tobacco. . . but it's disgusting spitting into a clear bottle, not a good time to do it).

Now the Browns are going to have a great draft and offseason and suddently become one of those young 'up and coming' teams! The tide has turned!!!

(Probably not. . . but it doesn't take much to get my optimism fired up)

Well, now I can at least root for Baltimore to lose, and my playoffs are a success!

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Originally Posted by Fooleeze

I can't emotionally handle them going from 0-16 to playoff success that quickly while the Browns still flounder year in and year out.

No worries, we are on the Mike Holmgren 7 year plan to success. Just be PATIENT!

[Enigmatic Evil]

This was a great weekend of football which is an excellent sign because I was worried the lockout shocked season would create a playoffs void of drama. Wildcard weekend proved that would be anything but!

I don't have the "teams I want to do badly" so much as I have the "teams I've got my eyes on... Here's how my weekend went in those terms

1. Steelers - The huge loss to TEBOWMANIA was just too classic for words. Two huge themes of the season colliding and Tebow pulling ANOTHER win out of his ass. Its almost like Karma after the Stoolers and their fans got to watch that team parade all the way through into the Super Bowl... Not this year!

2. Bengals - Other than rivalry hate, the Bengals/Texans match-up was one I had my eyes on. I wanted the Bengals to lose and in typical style they did

3. Texans - To elaborate on the previous point, the Texans were my AFC South pick from the onset and it was nice to see them advance to the Divisional round, I would love to see them make a push for the AFC Championship, after the dramatic year they have had, it would be a nice achievement for a expansion franchise who has shown OURS how it CAN be done right while we walk like maybe we're wearing shoes that don't fit.

4. Atlanta - win or lose, I always root for the Falcons ever since their SB run back in the Dirty Bird, Jamaal Anderson days. Also invested interest in their game due to our Draft Pick... their loss is better for us but the Falcons got to wonder when their patience will run up as that team has been poised to make a SB run for at least a few years but cant seem to break the first two rounds...

5. Lions - I wasn't expecting the score to be what it was but that game was still good. The Lions made it look like they could hang with the Saints (who I think are SB bound unless Green Bay can do what they did in Week One...) but it wasn't to be. The fact that that franchise made the playoffs after infinite years of waiting for the pieces to be HEALTHY... Both the Lions and Saints are perfect examples that it shows that you HAVE to take the time to BUILD a franchise... nothing happens over night.

Originally Posted by Fooleeze

. . . let me just say that I typically don't feel like things 'go my way' much at all when it comes to football. I rarely get what I want. I feel like the foreman at the factory of sadness. I imagine a lot of you feel the same way.

This weekend may have been the changing of the guard. Let me explain:

Going into the NFL playoffs, I recognized that there are 5 teams that I do not want to do well in the playoffs. Most of you probably have similar lists. Here are the reasons (and these are kinda in the order of how much I would want them bumped EARLY in the playoffs):

1: Atlanta - Cleveland holds Atlanta's 1st round pick, so can't have them get too far in the playoffs.
2: Pittsburgh - Duh. AFC North Rivals, and surrounded by Steeler vermin. . . more on that below.
3: Baltimore - AFC North Rivals, and I don't have to explain the rest.
4: Cincinnati - AFC North Rivals, and I owe my friend more money the better they do.
5: Detroit - This one I feel bad about. I owe another friend more money the better they do, but in all honesty, I can't emotionally handle them going from 0-16 to playoff success that quickly while the Browns still flounder year in and year out. And I also can't handle the potential of another team dropping off of the "Haven't won a superbowl" list at this point. My wife is also from Michigan, so she wants to see them do well. . . I just can't handle it right now.

So to go into this weekend 'expecting' the four of these teams that were playing to win in spite of me. . . and to come out of it with all of them losing. . . wow. And the end of that Steelers game REALLY capped it off last night. Awesome.

Regarding Steeler vermin. . . my wife and I had a 'baby care' class yesterday for expecting new parents, and there was a DB Steeler fan in the class. He came in with his urine-yellow stocking cap, and promptly put it on one of the baby-dolls. Near the end of the class as the game was starting, he was checking his phone and telling the class the score, and clearly nobody else in the class cared. He was one of those guys who left his phone on the table on vibrate, and probably 5-6 times it went off while the instructor was talking (pet peeve of mine). He also felt necessary to put in a 'dip' and spit into his empty coke bottle during the class. Yes, spitting into a bottle AT A HOSPITAL during a 3 hour BABY CARE class. Classy. I was thinking of him on that first play of Overtime. (Sorry if you like tobacco. . . but it's disgusting spitting into a clear bottle, not a good time to do it).

Now the Browns are going to have a great draft and offseason and suddently become one of those young 'up and coming' teams! The tide has turned!!!

(Probably not. . . but it doesn't take much to get my optimism fired up)

Well, now I can at least root for Baltimore to lose, and my playoffs are a success!

Not to crump your optimism Fooleeze (which IS nice to see!)...

No worries, we are on the Mike Holmgren 7 year plan to success. Just be PATIENT!

Which means if we can pull a season or two out of our ass we might be a contender by year eight unless Randy Lerner notices what's happening or is swayed by someone to sell the team...

[nickers]

I think this says it all lol

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Fooleeze

5: Detroit - This one I feel bad about. I owe another friend more money the better they do, but in all honesty, I can't emotionally handle them going from 0-16 to playoff success that quickly while the Browns still flounder year in and year out. And I also can't handle the potential of another team dropping off of the "Haven't won a superbowl" list at this point. My wife is also from Michigan, so she wants to see them do well. . . I just can't handle it right now.

The bolded part is mind blowing and sickening isn't it? That we can keep drafting Top 10 and continue to suck while Detroit has done the same thing and finally is making big strides as a franchise...

[Fooleeze]

I guess the root of my issue is. . . my "success" is defined by the failure of other teams. . . since I can't enjoy "success" in the traditional manner.

Sad and pathetic, but I still feel better today.

[Riffer X]

Originally Posted by Fooleeze

I guess the root of my issue is. . . my "success" is defined by the failure of other teams. . . since I can't enjoy "success" in the traditional manner.

Sad and pathetic, but I still feel better today.

I'm with you, it was a beautiful day of football.

[hiwaygal]

Would I be banned and excommunicated if I said I was actually rooting for pukesburgh last night?

I've come to hate Tebow and knowing they were in a shit-hole last year (sucking all get out) to get some lucky ass rookie QB come in there and all of a sudden they are playoff contenders?!?!?! Can someone say WTF???

I couldn't finish watching the game. I knew how it was going to end.

On a high note, it looks like Elway has more money than the Rooneys!

[Tobalaz]

Yesterday god showed the world he hates rapists and roidies at the hands of a bible thumper.
I'm never happier to be wrong about a qb than I was on Tebow. I thought he was going to be a te at 5 year project. Never expected him to come in and make an impact this fast.
I guess that's the difference between being a real football player and an athlete you hope develops into a real football player (12 years of drafting here on potential, potential, potential!).

[hiwaygal]

One game does not convince me that Tebow is a 'real football player'.

Lucky as hell? Yep.

An inside line to higher powers? Apparently.

Sorry, too much smoke and mirrors surrounded his wins this year for me to make that call.

Let's see where he is in 5 years.

[hiwaygal]

Not to put too fine a point on it:

[Neo]

Originally Posted by hiwaygal

Let's see where he is in 5 years.

Probably doing the same thing Elway did to us when we finally make our playoff run


P.S. Pig Jen got a taste of what Devner has done to us in the past.