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I love the playoffs. Anything can happen in the NFL postseason, but the start of the playoffs also signals that the end is near. Soon, there won't be any more football on Sundays. You'll have no excuse to block off half your weekend for beers, TV and couch time. You'll have to start taking out your lady, going to family events, all kinds of nonsense like that. Might as well enjoy football while you still can. Do yourself a favor enjoy a Saturday and Sunday full of quality Wildcard action. Now on to the picks.

<strong>New Orleans -10 At Seattle</strong>
Seattle messed up my miracle parlay last week. Everything fell into place with Pittsburgh, Houston, Atlanta and Tampa Bay all covering. Then, the Rams walked into a a fired up home crowd and a surprisingly efficient Charlie Whitehurst. So thanks Seattle for cheating me out of a $400-plus payout. The Saints are banged up, but they still have Brees at the helm. He should do more damage against Seattle than Bradford and a group of wide receivers that couldn't catch a damn thing. The spread's high and I'd like to give some respect to the Seahawks at home, but I can't do it. Hasselbeck's going to get pressured and Brees can create enough big passing plays to cover the wide margin.
Pick: Saints -10

<strong>At Indianapolis -2.5 NY Jets</strong>
The Jets are a decent team. They beat the Steelers on the road and they rebounded from their late season losses with a strong showing last week. Still, I'm not going to pick against Peyton Manning at home. Collie's gone, but the running game is coming up strong. The Jets will be able to move the ball on the Colts D, but as long as Manning doesn't have shifty-rattled playoff feet, he should be able to lead his team to victory.
Pick: Colts -2.5

<strong>Baltimore-3 At Kansas City</strong>
Playing at Arrowhead's no easy task, but the Ravens can win playoff games on the road. Cassel's mistake-free season has gotten messy over the least couple games, and the Ravens offense hasn't really been lighting up opponents as of late. This is going to be a low scoring grinder game with Charles and Rice battling for tough yards on the ground. One big turnover should tip the scales, and with an extra-emotional Ed Reed on the field, the edge goes to the visiting team.
Pick: Ravens -3

<strong>At Philadelphia -2.5 Green Bay</strong>
Vick will face the blitz and still make plays. But will he make mistakes as well? Vick needs to be smart with the ball and the Eagles need a heavy does of LeSean McCoy to keep Green Bay's defense honest. I think Aaron Rodgers is dialed in right now, and I like the Packers to edge out the Eagles in a high scoring game.
Pick: Packers +2.5

Last week: 8-8
Season: 127-120-7