Wildcard Weekend Re-cap

Well, if Wildcard Weekend taught me anything, it's this --- don't make picks immediately following steak and beers with Uncle Charlie. Thankfully, only two people read this blog, and one of them is my wife. Fortunately she's known for awhile that I don't know what I'm talking about, so the inaccuracy of these picks came as no surprise to her. Although I went 0 for the weekend, I take some solace in the fact that Jacksonville did not cover the spread. Not much solace, but a little. And yes, through the better of the Chargers game I was having a good time imagining what LDT (there was only ONE true LT, and he retired a long time ago) was going to cry about after the game. Oh well, there's always next week.

Speaking of next week, here's my list of 3 (semi) compelling storylines for next Saturday's Patriots/Jaguars game (in no particular order) ...

1. Bulletin board material. Jacksonville defensive lineman Paul Spicer feels that the Pats got off too easy for violating the league policy on sideline taping. Apparently, losing a first round draft pick, 250k for the team, and a half million dollars for the coach isn't enough. No, Mr. Spicer feels that the Pats should be excluded from the playoffs. I guess that's one way for Jacksonville to get past this round. Can't we just put this whole "spygate" thing to bed? They broke the rule, got caught, and paid the punishment. Where was all of this indignation last year when Shawn Merriman was suspended for steroid usage? Wasn't he still allowed to play against (or should I say "lose to") the Pats in the playoffs last year? Anyone who is still holding this grudge against the Pats needs to get over it.

2. Head-to head playoff results. Hopefully, the Pats can continue their dominance of the Jags. In Jacksonville's short history, they've played against the Pats 3 times, losing twice --- including an AFC Championship game.

• Jan. 12, 1997 - AFC Championship - New England 20, Jacksonville 6
• Jan. 3, 1999 - AFC Wild Card - Jacksonville 25, New England 10
• Jan. 7, 2006 - AFC Wild Card - New England 28, Jacksonville 3

3. David vs. Goliath. The Pats had 8 players selected for this year's Pro Bowl, the Jags had 0 --- though a strong case could be made for perennial Pro Bowl snub, Fred Taylor. Added to that is the fact that Belichick received "Coach of the Year" and Brady was named League MVP. I personally think that this storyline has a chance of being mentioned 753 times during the broadcast. I'll keep you posted.

Well, it's getting late, and I need to go start studying up on how I can screw up next week's picks.