Modest Mango

It seems not that long ago Phil, Ports and myself watched the Chicago Bears play in San Diego and Dallas take on the Giants. However, it was a full sixteen weeks ago, and much has changed since then. The Bears have changed quarterback a few (hundred) times, the Giants have gone on a winning streak, nearly beating the Patriots, Philly have underachieved to new records lows and Minnesota have emerged as one of the most exciting rushing teams in the NFL. However, one thing hasn’t changed and that’s Detroit’s chances of making the playoffs. Sorry Phil, there’s always next year.

A couple of weeks ago we bid goodbye to the Bears, to Phil and to Burrows. This week Tom needed both his beloved Vikings to turn over the Denver Broncos and the Redskins to lose to Dallas, otherwise we would be bidding him farewell too.

As for Porter? The Giants took on New England on Saturday night, who were looking to become the second team ever to win every game in a regular season. New York even found themselves up by 11 points in the 3rd Quarter. But even that couldn’t stop Tom Brady!

Oh yeah, and if there’s anything you’ve learnt from this season it should be “Don’t kick it to Devin!”

New England Patriots 38
New York Giants 35

New Orleans Saints 25
Chicago Bears 33

Detroits Lions 13
Green Bay Packers 34

Buffalo Bills 9
Philadelphia Eagles 17

Dallas Cowboys 6
Washington Redskins 27

Minnesota Vikings 19
Denver Broncos 22

So whereas Tom, myself, Phil and Wobbly wait for September 2008 and Superburrl II, we have 3 champions elect for Superburrl I – Ports, Bannon, Graham. Good luck in the playoffs guys, I’m tipping Ports…

Preshow – Superburrl I Playoffs

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks (Saturday 6th January 2008)

NY Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday 7th January 2008)

Green Bay Packers (bye)
Dallas Cowboys (bye)

Saturday 6th January 2008

Jaxonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday 7th January 2008

Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Chargers

Indianapolis Colts (bye)
New England Patriots (bye) [16 - 0]

As we modestly approach a new year at www.modestmango.com I decided, on behalf of both myself and my Mango counterparts, to thank all those readers of ours. The people with little more to do with their time than provide us with “hit upon hit upon hit”…

Here are the people that really keep us blogging:

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My own dear friend from Anstruther, Alistair Bowie. Alistair has faced adversity from the get-go. Having been born a cretin, he still struggles with his dwarfish stature and facial disfigurement, yet he still provides us with that daily hit.

Rebecca Brown who never fails to inform me how “sad” the Mango is.

Billy Bee.

Team Chan.

Hannah Bournstein who, by the sounds of it, is our only normal reader.

Of course any list would be incomplete without the “Tank”, our very own “Guns Murphy”. Yep it’s James Graham.

LukeS5858. Honestly, whoever you are, keep winding up Porter. It’s hilarious.

All of Phil’s red army of readers, including I assume Gillian Cathro and a whole host of Glasgow Medics.

Archie Tang.

All Tom’s Genuine English readers in Oxford.

Lastly, our most regular reader. I think you know already who it’s going to be. He’s another of those readers that go unnoticed, with virtually no connection to the Mango, but yet they do read it every day and are avid fans. Maybe he’s too busy sculpting the Grahams, maybe he’s too busy digging, who knows. Anyway, despite that, we still love you Chris Porter.

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Oooft!

Now you may or may not have learnt that there are 2 conferences and that all the teams competing for Superburrl I are playing in the National Football Conference as opposed to the American Football Conference. I suppose if our conference is like the Mullet Football Conference, and their conference is the bizarro equivalent, that makes the AFC the…Bald Football Conference? It makes sense. After all, Tom is like the bizarro CD:

(1) Tom has excessive amounts of hair all over his body apart from his head, whilst Angles is relatively hairless apart from the mullet.
(2) Thomas is really quite charming and likeable.
(3) Thomas isn’t ever mistaken for a woman.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are the Blackmons of the AFC:

DIVISION WINNERS IN AFC (and seeding)

(1) New England Patriots (bye & homefield advantage) [15 - 0 for the season]
(2) Indianapolis Colts (bye)
(3) San Diego Chargers
(4) Pittsburgh Steelers

WILD CARDS (and seeding)
(5) Jaxonville Jaguars
(6) ?

The last spot in the playoffs is between:

Tennessee Titans 9 – 6 (as it stands Tennessee would go through)
Cleveland Browns 9 – 6

Today I realised that “The Mango” is lacking an account of Weeks 14 and 15 from the National Football League. Week 14 has a single blog for the Chicago Bears, but mentions no other teams. As for Week 15, the Vikings won and the Bears lost… and they were playing on the same field… and so the Vikings would most likely be going to the playoffs… and the Chicago Bears definitely wouldn’t… and so at the time I simply refused to blog Week 15.

Now I could talk about how the Bears dominated the Packers last night, the punts blocked, the snow, the interceptions, the Bear Downs and the No. 54s but I sense all of you already know about that. Also, there was a much more significant game, the Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons were playing at Minnesota. If Minnesota won they would get the last playoff spot. Simple as? Unfortunately the only two teams that could catch them included their opponents for the night, the Washington Redskins. (New Orleans could also catch them but they were down south taking on Buzzer.) Here’s what happened…

Green Bay Packers 7
Chicago Bears 35

NY Giants 38
Buffalo Bills 21

Philadelphia Eagles 38
New Orleans Saints 23

Dallas Cowboys 20
Carolina Panthers 13

Kansas City Chiefs 20
Detroit Lions 25

Washington Redskins 32
Minnesota Vikings 21

So what is the picture for the playoffs and what can happen next week?

DIVISION WINNERS IN NFC (and seeding)

(1) Dallas Cowboys (bye & homefield advantage)
(2) Green Bay Packers (bye)
(3) Seattle Seahawks
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

WILD CARDS (and seeding)

(5) New York Giants
(6) ?

The last spot in the playoffs is between:

Washington Redskins 8 – 7 (as it stands Washington would go through)
Minnesota Vikings 8 – 7
New Orleans Saints 7 – 8