2008 NFL Playoffs: Final thoughts before today's games

The NFL playoffs start today! Hope you are excited. Remember, this team was 3-4 and left for dead back in October. Now, our guys are in the playoffs, and our QB just won his 3rd MVP. Life is good. Here are some bullets:

• Great write-up of the Chargers v. Colts game over at Behind The Steel Curtain by ncoolong. The Steelers sitting this weekend out because of a first round bye, and they are anxious to see who wins the AFC games this weekend.
• On NFL Network, Rod Woodson, Jamie Dukes, and Deion Sanders all thought Peyton Manning should give his MVP to DeMarcus Ware. Even if they were joking (and it sounds like they weren't), Rod, Jamie, and Deion are all f*cking idiots.
• Bob Sanders' impact on the Colts defense.
• The Colts are not about revenge.
• Bill Simmons is now firmly on the Colts bandwagon. I feel dirty.
• On ESPN, Rodney Harrison spoke about the upcoming game against the Chargers. He sounded very smart, and did a nice job breaking down the match-ups. Looks like he is auditioning for life after football. He also likes the Colts. I feel even dirtier.
• Willie McGinest offers tips on how to beat Peyton Manning. Since Willie hasn't beaten the Colts in over 3 years, I'm not quite sure his "tips" count as current news. Likely, one of those tips is "fake an injury."
• Bill Belichick thinks Indy is the best team in the playoffs. No really. I'm not kidding. Go here and listen at about the 19:30 mark. He also says Indy plays great defense! Now I feel really, really dirty.
• What is with all these Patriots liking us this year? Do they secretly root for us?
• DaBolts offers a great preview on the game, per usual. I'm so glad we have a Chargers blog this year, and to have DaBolts there running it makes it even better.

And finally, there is a reason why playoffs are great and the BCS Bowl system (and college football in general) sucks. The Utah Utes went down to New Orleans last night and surprisingly kicked the crap out of Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. Utah is the only undefeated team in the country, but for some dumb reason the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners are playing for the BCS Championship. If they had a playoff system, such embarrassments to their association like this one would be less frequent. But, that aside, congrats to the Utes! They seem like the real champions of college football, and this dumb Florida v. Oklahoma game is simply an after thought.

We'll post an open thread prior to the 4pm Eastern game between the Falcons and Cardinals. The playoffs are here folks! Take my advice and enjoy them.