NFL Picks, Championship Round: Talent to Burn

After the Jets beat the Chargers last Sunday night, a number of comments were affixed to my picks. "Nice pick Dave, could you be any less talented?'' one said.

Well, at least it addressed me politely -- others don't. And I'm not sure "talent'' is the word I'd use because I don't pretend to have "talent'' in picking games. The way they're played in the NFL, nobody really does. I asked myself if the guy was a Jets fan or someone who considered himself "talented'' for picking an upset. Heck, I've done that, too.

So the Jets are back this week to try it again and become the most unlikely team to make it to the Super Bowl since ...

I was going to say the Giants, but they had a much more experienced quarterback. No, I didn't pick them in that game, although I did pick them to cover. I don't know if that correspondent who talked about my "talent'' would count that. But if I were a wagerer (I'm not), I would have won some money.

Hey, the Giants quarterback's more "talented'' brother is playing this weekend, isn't he? Maybe I should parlay the Mannings two years apart.

So far Rex Ryan has been the postseason's best prognosticator. He said his Jets would get here (and farther) and they've done it so far.

Against the team that let them into the party ...

The Jets can keep it close. They will run, the Colts won't always stop it, and this should stay a competitive game. I don't think it will be as lopsided time-wise as the game that Indy won in Miami when they had less than 15 minutes of possession, but the Jets can control the ball at least part of the time.

Then I think about what happens in crunch time -- Peyton Manning vs. Mark Sanchez. I know, it was Sanchez against Philip Rivers last week and the Jets won. But the Chargers were never able to separate. In the end, what makes Peyton better than Philip is what wins this game.

Jets at Colts

Team	Point Spread	Projected Score
New York Jets		16
Indianapolis Colts	- 7 1/2	20

The din in the Metrodome that helped the Vikings beat the Cowboys last week is what is likely to do them in in the Superdome. Assuming the Saints play as they did against the Cardinals -- back to the way they played in the first half of the regular season.

At one level, that's why I don't like domes. They're artificial. Sometimes the noise is, too -- they used to add artificial stuff to the real people in Minnesota until the NFL told them to stop.

But this will simply be real people. They will allow the Saints' offensive line to hear the snap count. That will give them a better shot at blocking Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Ray Edwards (if he plays). It will help if Reggie Bush has another game of the kind that made people think he should have been the No. 1 overall pick in 2006.

Besides, it would make a lot of people happy if New Orleans won. The city deserves it. So maybe this is sentimental.

Vikings at Saints