With the San Diego Chargers beating the  Denver Broncos 52-21, we now have the complete picture for the NFL Playoffs.

In the AFC:

• 1. Tennessee Titans (13-3) – First Round Bye
• 2.  Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) – First Round Bye

Wildcard Round

Saturday, Jan. 3

5. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at 4.  San Diego Chargers (8-8) , 8 PM, NBC

Sunday, Jan. 4

6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 3. Miami Dolphins (11-5), 1 PM, CBS

Divisional Round

Saturday, Jan. 10

Colts or Ravens or Chargers at 1. Tennessee Titans (13-3), 4:30 PM, CBS

Sunday, Jan. 11

Dolphins or Chargers or Colts at 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4), 4:45 PM, CBS

In the NFC:

• 1. New York Giants (12-4) – First Round Bye
• 2. Carolina Panthers  (12-4) – First Round Bye

Wildcard Round

Saturday, Jan. 3

5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at 4. Arizona Cardinals (9-7), 4:30 PM, NBC

Sunday, Jan. 4

6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at 3. Minnesota Vikings (10-6), 4:30 PM, FOX

DIVISIONAL ROUND

Saturday, Jan. 10

Vikings or Cardinals or Falcons at Carolina Panthers (12-4), 8:15 PM, FOX

Sunday, Jan. 11

Cardinals or Falcons or Eagles at New York Giants (12-4), 1 PM, FOX

AFC & NFC Conference Championships

Will be held on January 18th at the site of the highest remaining team in each conference.

AFC is on CBS at 6:30 PM, NFC is on FOX at 3 PM.

Super Bowl XLIII:

February 1st at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla at 6:00 PM on NBC

NFL Playoffs: Is your favorite team still alive for the NFL Playoffs? Are you wondering if they control their own destiny or need help? I know the New England Patriots can win and still not make the playoffs? What about your team? [Awful Announcing]

Update: The playoff matchups are set.

FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR THE 2010 NFL PRO BOWL ROSTERS, CLICK HERE

The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced this afternoon and the New York Jets lead all teams with 7 selections. The New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings led the NFC with 6 selections each.

The Pro Bowl will be played on February 8, 2009 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, HI. This will be the last Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Next year’s will be played at Dolphin Stadium the week before the Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots had just two representatives this season after sending 8 last year. Wes Welker was named as a reserve wide receiver and Stephen Gostowski was named the kicker for the AFC team.

The teams were selected by the players, coaches and the fans. A look at the teams after the jump.

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Doesn’t it seem like for the most part some athletes are just dumber than the average human?  well folks you can New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress to the list as he shot himself, accidentally I might add, in the leg while in a club in New York on Friday night.

How does this happen?  Well first the shooter/victim must have a gun on his person.  I know NFL players are targets but why carry in a public place?  Why not just hire some body guards?  Maybe have a party at your pad?  Nope.  Not Plax. 

So now he’s packing heat in a public place, a place that probably isn’t anything like “Moe’s Tavern” that’s for sure, and ya know Plax needs to protect himself from all the hoochie in the club.  Maybe Plax was using the piece to impress the hoochie in the club?  Maybe Plax is using the piece to make up for his lack of things in other areas?  He obviously isn’t very bright. 

I see it this way some hoochie says “hey Plax what ya got in your slacks boy?” and Plax being playful starts to fondle the piece through his slacks like it’s his junk and says “you mean this? I’m just packing some …”  BANG!. 

Dumbass.  I just wish he had shot himself while he was in the Arizona desert last February.

I guess he’s officially listed as out for tomorrow’s game huh?

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady made a surprise appearance today at Goodwill headquarters in Roxbury to help serve Thanksgiving dinners along with his girlfriend Gisele Bundchen and many other local celebrities.

According to WCVB TV Brady walked with no noticable limp and told the TV Station:

“I am doing well. It’s good to be out here today and serve all these wonderful people and sign some autographs. I am thankful to be here in Boston. It’s my favorite holiday.”

While I admire what Matt Cassel has done in Brady’s absence, let’s face it the man is no Tom Brady and I can’t wait to see him on the field again next season.

This comes through our great friend, Ken at Fangs Bites, it is a piece submitted to several newspapers all over the country by NFL Network President Steve Bornstein.  Ken has offered to also run any responses from cable companies who wish to state their case.  The Bornstein piece now runs in it’s entirety:

Memo To Cable Companies: Heed the FCC and Offer NFL Network Now
By Steven M. Bornstein

The Jets-Patriots rivalry gets more intriguing each year. This week, the rivalry has taken a new twist with first-place in the AFC East at stake and Brett Favre leading the Jets while Matt Cassel has taken over for injured Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Favre has helped spark a Jets resurgence, and Cassel has led the Patriots into position for their sixth consecutive AFC East title. NFL Network is excited that our next game telecast this Thursday, November 13, features the Jets at the Patriots.

Unfortunately, some fans may be left on the sidelines for this game. For the second year in a row, Comcast has pushed NFL Network to a narrow sports tier where fans have to pay extra for games they want to see. Time Warner is denying its subscribers the game and other NFL Network programming by refusing to negotiate a deal to put NFL Network on its systems.

It is clear that several big cable companies continue to turn a deaf ear to football fans, blocking or charging extra for our most popular programming on TV. We in the NFL have been trying without success for months to negotiate with these companies for broader coverage.

The good news is that our nation’s regulators are paying attention and keeping the fans in mind. Just last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Media Bureau found that Comcast did discriminate against independent networks like NFL Network. The FCC Media Bureau found Time Warner guilty of the same type of anti-competitive behavior in a similar sports case. It is once again a reminder that these cable companies need to negotiate fairly, not discriminate.

Large cable companies discriminate against networks like NFL Network because we are independent. Have you ever wondered why you get the Golf Channel but not NFL Network? The Golf Channel is owned by Comcast, which makes the channel broadly available. Networks like NFL Network, Wealth TV, and a group of other sports and specialty programming options are not owned by the cable giants. Instead of negotiating with independent programmers, the cable giants discriminate against them in favor of their own.

Meanwhile, cable rates continue to go up. In the last decade, cable rates have increased significantly even though you are blocked from independent programming you really want.

The recent FCC Media Bureau rulings that Comcast and Time Warner Cable discriminated against NFL Network and other independent networks should be a big step forward for consumers and NFL fans. The FCC ordered the case for additional proceedings. But the cable companies continue to drag their feet and are now trying to delay the proceedings, virtually guaranteeing that yet another NFL season will pass before fans get TV they really want, like Thursday night’s Jets-Patriots battle for first place.
You can take a stand. Contact your elected officials today. Tell them cable should stop the discrimination and give you NFL Network.

The author is President & CEO of NFL Network.
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Do you have someone in your life that is accident prone? You know that when ever they are around you keep them away from all sharp objects, they only get paper cups and plates to use and plastic silverware. In my family “that guy” was my brother. Growing he earned the nickname “stitch” because everything he did ended in stitches. He fell over the handlebars of the trike and got stitches, he was running around the living room and slipped on the carpet and caught his lip on my moms piano bench and ended up with stitches. My dad and I are petting a dog who turned and attacked my brother biting him in the face. One harrowing ride the wrong way down a one street and one visit to the Yale-New Haven ER later and he had about 300 stitches in his face. I’m pretty sure there are others I just can’t remember them.

Well Clint Malarchuk, the former NHL goalie who 20 years had his jugular vein slashed by a skate blade during a game, accidentally shot himself in the chin with a .22 caliber rifle he was using to hunt rabbits with.

According to the police Malarchuk’s wife said he had placed the butt of the rifle on the ground between his feet when it discharged hitting him in the chin on Tuesday.

Malarchuck was flown to a Reno NV hospital and is expected to recover. He is currently the goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL.

So if Clint comes to your house make sure you lock up anything remotely dangerous.

You ever wonder if those guys in the Viagra commercials ever get weird extended stares when they get recognized in public? Do they get asked weird questions? Like you ever had a four hour boner? Do you really use the blue bomber? What happened after you closed the door in ad? Did you get to do the MILF in the ad with you?

How do you think the guys who are in the Viagra Band doing the rip off of Viva Las Vegas feel? Are they ridiculed for a lame knockoff that you’d expect out of Weird Al Yankovick? Do people request they sing their parts in public? Have they been asked if they actually knew Elvis? Do you think Elvis is spinning in his grave because you used his song to plug a boner pill? If Elvis were alive do you think he’d use Viagra?  And if he did would he chase it with a peanut butter and naner sandwich?

Last month I wondered what was up with Vince Young and I had this comment to close the article.

And now Miami Dolphin running back and fellow Texas alum Ricky Williams is empathizing with Young. My prediction is pretty soon you’ll see Ricky and Vince driving around the country in a beat up old van with smoke pouring out like Cheech and Chong.

Was that a case of foreshadowing or what after Ricky came out in the media earlier this week and said during the Dolphins bye last week he was tempted to smoke pot. If the dude can’t make it through a few off days on a bye week without wanting to spark up a bone, roll a doobie or play a game of puff, puff, pass what the hell does he do in the offseason when he isn’t involved in OTA’s?

This guy just isn’t going to make it. Either the NFL will ban him because he blew the drug policy for like the 1,000th time or he will retire to smoke pot…again.

I can see him now roaming through the Dolphins training facility with a big family sized bag of Dorito’s, a box of Ho-Ho’s, a gallon of milk and joint behind his ear and coming across Bill Parcells.

Williams said he will not smoke marijuana again while he’s in the NFL, but he’s uncertain whether he’ll abstain when his career ends.

“I’d be lying if I said I’m never going to do it again after I’m done,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t spend much time thinking about it.”

So Ricky didn’t actually get rid of the bong collection, he just packed it away for a smokey day.