NFL Football: Wild Card Weekend Previews

Now that the regular season of the 2008 NFL Season is over, the playoff scene is now set. These are the games going into Wild Card Weekend and my analysis of them:

5. Indianapolis Colts @ 4. San Diego Chargers
The Colts are manned by MVP QB Peyton Manning. Also, Manning and the Colts are on a hot streak. The Chargers, on the other hand, barely made it into the playoffs, as they have an 8-8 record. This team is led by QB Philip Rivers, who had the highest QB rating in the NFL, and RB LaDainian Tomlinson, who may have lost a step, but is still widely considered as on of the best RBs in the league. Both teams have great offenses, so the score for this game should be rather high. Winner: Colts

6. Baltimore Ravens @ 3. Miami Dolphins
The Ravens feature one of the best overall defenses in the NFL, which is studded with defensive playmakers, including FS Ed Reed, ILB Ray Lewis, just to name very few. The Ravens' experienced many changes, including the addition of rookie QB Joe Flacco, and other RBs. The Dolphins have had one of the greatest turnarounds ever so far this year, but have rather little playoff experience. They are led by Comeback Player of the Year QB Chad Pennington and RB Ronnie Brown. Also, their defense features OLB Joey Porter, who recorded 17.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles this year. Winner: Ravens

5. Atlanta Falcons @ 4. Arizona Cardinals
The Falcons have also experienced a good turnaround this year, and are led by Offensive ROTY QB Matt Ryan and dynamic RB Michael Turner, who came in second for the rushing title. Also, WR Roddy White plays a big role in the Falcons' offense. The Cardinals are distinguished with their passing game, which features QB Kurt Warner, and the prolific WR tandem of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. However, both teams' defenses are not as good as their offenses are, which should lead to a high-scoring game. Winner: Falcons

6. Philadelphia Eagles @ 3. Minnesota Vikings

The Eagles were vaulted into the playoffs with a romp of the Dallas Cowboys. They are led on offense by Brian Westbrook and Asante Samuel on defense. They have past playoff experience, but haven't been in the postseason for a while. On the other hand, the Vikings also have their stars on offense and defense. On offense, they have rushing-title-winner sophomore RB Adrian Peterson, and on defense, they feature DE Jared Allen. Both teams are pretty even, and since both teams have great running games, it will be up to Eagles' QB Donovan McNabb and Vikings' QB Tarvaris Jackson to make plays. Winner: Vikings
Winner:

And after those games are completed, the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers will be waiting the week after.

NFL Football: Rookie of the Year Awards

This year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award went to Falcons QB Matt Ryan in a landslide win, although the offensive rookie crop this year was very deep. On the other side of the ball, the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award was won by Patriots ILB Jerod Mayo in an almost unanimous decision. Both were great choices for the awards and let's find out why:

QB Matt Ryan: As the top QB in the 2008 draft, a lot was expected of Matt Ryan. He took over a franchise that had just suffered the loss of their starting QB Michael Vick. Picking Matt Ryan showed that the Falcons organization was intent on moving on. And so they added RB Michael Turner to aid the turnaround of their franchise. As the season began and continued, Matt Ryan showed why he was the #3 overall pick in the draft. Matt Ryan finished the season with 16 TDs, 11 INTs, 3,340 yards, a 87.7 rating, the Offensive ROTY Award, and also a playoff berth. With these achievements, Matt Ryan definitely stood out from his fellow offensive NFL rookies.

ILB Jerod Mayo: When Jerod Mayo was selected at #10 overall in the 2008 draft, most people thought that it was a reach. Most projected a mid-first-round selection for the Tenessee star, but over the course of the season, Jerod Mayo has shown that he is the real deal. After joining an ailing LB corps in New England, he anchored the corps and helped lead the team to an 11-5 record, although without a playoff berth. Jerod Mayo recorded 128 tackles, which was 10th most in the league. Jerod has also shown great versatility in being able to play all aspects of inside linebacker, and has also shown great maturity on and off the field. Therefore, it was almost a unanimous decision for him to be Defensive ROTY, as the defensive rookie crop was significantly less deep than the offensive side.

Good Luck to Jerod Mayo Next Season and Forever! Well, Matt Ryan, too, I guess.