Dave’s Football Blog

There you have it. The Wild Card spots are in play. Pittsburgh likely needs to win to get into the playoffs. I think it is likely, but stranger things have happened…

Meanwhile, I’m at a wedding reception/New Year’s Eve party. There’s a jazz band here, and I’ve got nobody to dance with me tonight. And so it goes. Happy new year, everyone. See you tomorrow from Naptown.

So I’m supposed to be getting ready for a wedding right now, but I just wanted to let you know that Drew Brees was injured in that Chargers-Broncos game, and Philip Rivers came in with his team trailing 14-0.

Mark my words — if Rivers leads San Diego to a win today, you will not see Drew Brees in a Chargers uniform again.

Oh, and Max & Erma’s restaurant in Columbus, Indiana, gave us service tonight like Tommy Maddox played quarterback this year.

All for now. Liveblogging for real happens tomorrow, by the way.

Just thought I’d give you a few updates while I’m bored out of my brains in southern Indiana…

Jeremy Shockey will not play tonight against the Raiders because of an ankle injury. I think the Giants could put Strahan at tight end and beat the Raiders.

Meanwhile, Carson Palmer, whom the Bengals have now signed through the 2037 season, has expressed that he wants to play on Sunday despite a groin injury suffered last week against Buffalo. If I were Chris Berman, I would say they haven’t had that spirit there since 1989. But I’m not, so I won’t.

Finally, Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan has been downgraded to doubtful with nagging injuries and may not play against the Falcons on Sunday. Jake Delhomme was on ESPN radio giving his “playoffs start now” spiel, which is a nice change of pace from what was coming out of Panthers’ camp a few days ago. Earlier on the radio, the conversation turned to what might happen to Matt Schaub and Philip Rivers in the offseason. The more I think about it, the more I think they both stay put, though I’m sure the Falcons will get some offers for Schaub.

Does anyone else find it a little odd that I’m stressing Sunday’s Panthers-Falcons game more than the Panthers are?

I mean, the playoffs pretty much start now for Carolina, and they have to go into the Georgia Dome, where they’re 1-9 lifetime, and beat a Falcons team who has no shot at the playoffs but wants revenge against the team that clobbered them a few weeks ago.

As if that weren’t enough, DeShaun Foster is having toe trouble. Despite his inconsistency, he’s still the closest thing to a second playmaker Carolina has. Steve Smith can’t do everything for this team. Granted, Smith has 15,000 reasons to keep his cool, but he has to get the ball to do something…

I don’t know. I like the fact that it’s not so tense in the locker room — confidence in the game plan and all that — but this team hasb’t clinched anything yet. A sense of urgency might help a little, don’t you think?