After ending the NFL regular season on a tough stretch I turned my focus to the College Bowl Season and turned in a nice 19-12-2 record that included a 7-1 stretch to end the college football year. And if it wasn’t for Colt McCoy’s injury….. come on, you didn’t think I was one of those ‘what if’ pansies that cries when they lose and makes excuses for not coming through, did you? Injuries happen and sometimes they happen to the team you bet on. Deal with it! Going into the NFL playoffs, my record stands at 56-46-2 on the season. It could be better, it could be worse but there’s no way it could be worse than my main man Colin, who simply stunk it up this year. That said, I can almost guarantee you that the guy turns around and hits 65% next year. He’s got too much pride not to. But anyway, here’s the first round picks for this weekend. Take ‘em to the bank! Here we go…………-Fireman Mike

Bengals -1 vs. Jets

The Jets are riding high after receiving back-to-back byes from Indianapolis and Cincinnati and to make things worse their fans are trying to convince one another that a team led by the most turnover-prone quarterback in the league is a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Carson Palmer and the Bengals will end those dreams quickly.

What do the Jets do best? Run the ball.

Cincinnati’s front seven is one of the toughest units in football and had to travel through teams like Baltimore and Pittsburgh just to earn a spot in the playoffs. They rested their key players for most of the game last weekend while the Jets running backs piled up yards, which will only serve as motivation to stuff Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene.

Carson Palmer leads a veteran offense that hasn’t thrown the ball as much as you’d like to see but can come at you on the ground as hard as anybody. The difference in this game will be Palmer’s ability to convert on third down and find OchoCinco when necessary.

The Bengals win this game, 23-16, and find themselves in the second round of the AFC playoffs.

Eagles +5 @ Cowboys

I have a ton of stats and reasons behind this bet but I’m going to give you the two most convincing: Andy Reid is 7-0 in first round playoff games and the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game in 13 years. Give me those points!

The Eagles win this game straight up, 34-27, and make it another frustrating offseason in Jerrytown. But, as always, take the points because they are free!

In very fine print at the bottom of the newspaper Ray is holding it reads, "But take the points because they are free!"

Ravens+3.5 @ Patriots

Maybe I was hearing things or just inhaled too much smoke at a fire but on Monday the line for this game was Baltimore +6.5! Whether or not the wise guys bet this game down in order to get a deal or Vegas flat out came to their senses, I don’t really know.

Tom Brady is playing against a malicious Ravens defense with a pair of broken ribs and a banged up finger. Now, none of us have the skills or demeanor of Tom Terrific but could you imagine facing Ray Lewis and his prowling wolves when you’re already wounded. It’s like watching a bleeding baby seal trying to make his way back to land in shark infested waters. The ending is never pretty.

The Ravens offense isn’t a bunch of slouches either. If it wasn’t for a Derrick Mason dropped pass earlier this season the Ravens would have had a great shot at knocking the Pats off on their home turf. Well, this weekend they get another opportunity and they’ll take full advantage of it. You’re going to want to stop reading right here Pats fans because you’re not going to like this.

Definitely take the points, but Baltimore wins this game straight up, 24-23, on a last second field goal, covers the spread, gives Ray-Ray something to smile about and all of a sudden the Ravens are the favorite to win the AFC championship! Read that again, digest it and see how it comes out.

Cardinals PK vs. Packers

Green Bay took Matt Leinart and the rest of the Arizona ‘B’ team behind the wood shed last weekend and showed America what happens to a team that doesn’t give a damn about winning or losing. Unfortunately for the Packers, they aren’t going to see the same team again this week.

Kurt Warner and his seasoned group of receivers will raise hell with the Packers secondary that includes a banged up Charles Woodson. Side Note: Woodson should be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. Warner will be helped along by a running game that has improved as the season has gone along. Beanie wells is going to find himself in a big spot this weekend and I have a feeling that his fresh legs are going to come up huge for the home team.

Green Bay may have put up big numbers in the regular season but this Cardinals defense is fast, athletic and can get to the quarterback, ranking third among playoff teams in sacks. While Aaron Rodgers doesn’t throw many interceptions - 7 on the year - he gets sacked more than 3 times a game. When you’re a team relying on your quarterback to keep you in the hunt you can’t let him get sacked 50 times in the regular season. Arizona will be bringing it heavy.

Remember Nolan Richardson’s old Arkansas Razorbacks old ‘40 Minutes of Hell’ full court press back in the 90’s? Well, the Packers are going to be seeing 60 minutes of it on Sunday, except Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell will be playing the part of Andy Rooney and won’t get out of his face for the entire game.

Warner and the Cardinals win, 30-24, and the hype machine finds a friend in Arizona. But don’t get too excited because their bus will eventually have to go through Minnesota, a terrible matchup for the Cards. Still, relish Sunday and let them win you some dough before they end their season.

*******GOOD NEWS JUST CAME IN THE FORM OF A TEXT MESSAGE FROM OUR MAN COLIN. AS MOST OF YOU MAY KNOW, WE ARE IN A LEAGUE TOGETHER IN WHICH WE PICK EVERY GAME, EVERY WEEK, INCLUDING PLAYOFFS AGAINST THE SPREAD. COLIN PICKED THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ME ON EVERY ONE OF MY PICKS THIS WEEK!***************** -Fireman Mike