Welcome to ‘Any Given Friday’, where we find it hard to believe Eric Mangini went from “Mangenius” to fired in the span of two years (especially since the last was a winning one), where we can’t remember any playoff week before where all the road teams were favored, and where the NFL postseason gives us tingly feelings in places we don't feel comfortable talking about in public.

If there was ever a week to show us the seedings in the NFL playoffs mean nothing, this is it. With smaller divisions, the odds go up that mediocre teams can win bad divisions (see: Arizona and San Diego), while better teams are wild cards because they happen to reside in the same division as a conference power (see: Indy, Baltimore, and Atlanta). That's how you get a week when three of the four road teams have better records than the teams hosting them (Baltimore and Miami have the same record). The lower eight seeds are as jumbled as ever.

In recent years, we’ve seen lesser seeds which played on wild card weekend go on runs to win the Super Bowl -- Pittsburgh, Indy, and the Giants. The question is, if one of the lower eight seeds goes on such a run, which is the most likely? To find out, I've re-seeded the teams -- not according to who has had the best year, or even who is the best team overall, but who has the best chance to advance in the specific conditions set forth in this year's playoffs. Here’s my list, please feel free to leave your own in the comments section:

1. Indy -- The funny thing is, I’m not even sure they’ll get through Saturday’s matchup -- the Chargers have played the Colts exceptionally tough over the past three seasons (more on this below). In fact, the Colts go against everything you usually look for this time of year -- the ability to run and stop the run. But nine wins in a row is still nine in a row. And they couldn't stop the run before the playoffs in 2006, but got healthy and rounded into shape at the right time of year. They may be doing it again, and just about every key player on the team already has a ring, so they know the way. If RB Joseph Addai and the O-line are back near 100%, and they manage to get through this week, they could be trouble.

2. Philly -- The Eagles are a team nobody wants to play. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s blitz pac kages give play callers nightmares, and when QB Donovan McNabb and RB Brian Westbrook are on their game, they can lay 35+ on somebody. Of course, they’re also capable of struggling to get double-digits. The Eagles are a gambler’s nightmare, mainly because you just don’t know which offense will show up. But their D has allowed a n average of just 10 points over the last quarter of the season. If they keep up their improved play, they’re a good bet to keep advancing.

3. Atlanta -- My pet second team has a lot of the elements which can carry teams in the playoffs -- a dominant running game, a good QB who doesn’t turn the ball over, and a great pass rusher. However, they're also a dome team, with a defense in the bottom third against both the run and pass -- that could bite them down the road. Also, there’s not much of track record of success among rookie QB’s (or rookie head coaches) in the NFL playoffs. Still, they're terrific front-runners with their ability to control the clock with RB Michael Turner, and rush the passer with DE John Abraham.

4. Baltimore -- Anytime you can play defense like the Ravens can, you have a chance. Because of a reliance on the running game with RB's Willis McGahee and LeRon McClain, Flacco hasn’t really been exposed yet, but falling behind on the road in the playoffs has a funny way of doing that. I think before it's all said and done, he'll need to show a little more than he already has. Two reasons they're not higher: 1) They are 0-3 vs. Pittsburgh and Tennessee, two teams between them and the Super Bowl, and 2) See: above note about rookie coaches and QB’s in the playoffs.

5. San Diego -- QB Philip Rivers led the NFL in passer rating (by a lot -- 105.5 to Chad Pennington’s 97.4), threw for over 4,000 yards and 34 TD’s, and carried the team for much of the season. If they continue to allow teams to throw on them at will, he'll need to stay every bit as hot in the playoffs (possibly without TE Antonio Gates). But if RB LaDainian Tomlinson can overcome his injuries and can run again like he ran last week vs. Denver, this team can go deep. Unfortunately, that’s no sure bet. 

6. Miami -- Not turning the ball over and playing good defense can go a long way in the playoffs. So can running the ball and stopping the run. Miami does both, so their game should be able to travel pretty well to the northeast. They are every bit the typical, old-school built-for-the-playoffs team the Colts aren't. So why are they #6 while the Colts are #1: They lack the offensive fire power to shoot it out with the big boys. However, as long as they can keep the scores down, they have a shot.

7. Minnesota -- With RB Adrian Peterson and an All-Star defensive line capable of both rushing the passer and stuffing the run, you’d think the Vikings might be a little higher on this list. With Tarvaris Jackson at QB and Brad Childress at head coach, you wouldn’t. It's a tough trade-off, because Peterson is always capable of carrying them on his back if the D does its job, but I just don't see it.

8. Arizona -- As long as Arizona is at home (6-2 record), or another dome (1-0), or on the west coast (2-0), their fine. But put them on the east coast, or in some weather, and they fall part quicker than Dick Vermeil watching 'Brian's Song'.

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Welcome to Any Given Friday, where we love watching any game where you can see the announcer’s breath in the booth while we’re warm and cozy at home in our Snuggie, where we can’t remember the last time all 32 teams played on one day, and where we think the best hit Brian Urlacher has made all year came on the coin tossed before OT Monday night. 

If you ask me, it’s the best term in sports. “Controlling your own destiny”. So grand. So powerful. On Sunday night, Bob Costas said it was one of his pet peeves. He explained that destiny, by definition, cannot be controlled. Well, I say Bob Costas is a dirty commie, and should be hung from the highest flagpole at the earliest opportunity. 

Controlling your own destiny is what America is all about. Hell, controlling your own destiny is how America came to be. The Brits had to make the road trip over here and win on our turf, and we said, “Not in our house!” And we’re still kickin’ ass and takin’ names 230+ years later. If Costas doesn’t like that, he can take his dictionary and go broadcast pro football in China or North Korea or someplace.

But honestly, isn’t that what we all want out of life -- a chance to prove ourselves worthy, a chance to succeed or fail on our own terms? Of course, it is. This is America, dammit! And I won't stand here while you bad-mouth the United States of America!

So, before we look at the games, let's review who is the master of their domain, and who is left scoreboard watching from the sidelines...

TEAMS WHO CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY:

Each of the following teams make the playoffs with a win. Some can make it with a loss if they get help, but some of those permutations are so complicated I got a headache just thinking about thinking about them.

Miami (10-5) -- A win at the Jets, and the Dolphins win the AFC East.

Baltimore (10-5) -- A win at home vs. Jacksonville, and the Ravens make the playoffs as the last wild card in the AFC.

Denver (8-7)* -- A win at San Diego, and the Broncos win the AFC West.

Minnesota (9-6)* -- A win at home against the Giants, and the Vikings win the NFC North.

Dallas (9-6)* -- A win at Philly, and the Cowboys are in as a wild card.

San Diego (7-8) -- A win at home vs. Denver, and the Chargers win the AFC West.

TEAMS WHO NEED HELP:

Okay, here’s where it gets complicated. In other words, this is where I cut and paste from ESPN.com.

New England (10-5) -- The Patriots clinch the AFC East title with a New England win and Miami loss or tie OR New England tie and Miami loss. The Patriots clinch a wild-card spot with a New England win and Baltimore loss or tie OR New England tie and Baltimore loss.

Chicago (9-6) -- The Bears clinch the NFC North with a Chicago win and Minnesota loss or tie OR Chicago tie and Minnesota loss. The Bears clinch a wild-card spot with a Chicago win and Dallas loss or tie and Tampa Bay loss or tie OR Chicago tie and Dallas loss and Tampa Bay loss.

Philadelphia (8-6-1)** -- The Eagles clinch a wild-card spot with a Philadelphia win and Tampa Bay loss and Minnesota loss OR Philadelphia win and Tampa Bay loss and Chicago loss.

Tampa Bay (9-6)** -- The Buccaneers clinch a wild-card spot with a Tampa Bay win and Dallas loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas loss and Minnesota loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas loss and Chicago loss or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas tie and Minnesota tie and Chicago win or tie OR Tampa Bay tie and Dallas tie and Chicago tie and Minnesota win or tie.

NY Jets (9-6)** -- The Jets clinch the AFC East title with a Jets win and New England loss. The Jets clinch a wild-card spot with a Jets win and Baltimore loss.

* “If at first you don't succeed...": Teams who still control their destiny despite losing last week.

** “Sheepishly hoping": Teams who had controlled their destiny until they lost last week.

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Welcome to ‘After Further Review...’, where we think this will be the greatest Christmas Week 17 ever, where we realized this weekend that the Titans and Giants were who we thought they were, and where we were ready to help Mike Singletary choke Shaun Hill at 12:30 Sunday, and an hour later we were online ordering him a Jane Seymour Open Heart Necklace for Christmas.

All season, it appeared the Tennessee Titans would be the top seed in the AFC, and the New York Giants would be the top seed in the NFC. Then, during the last couple of weeks, things started get a little squirrely for the Titans and Giants. But in the end, the NFL season gave us what the famous screenwriting guru Robert McKee (immortalized in 'Adaptation.') always advises for storytelling -- give the audience what they expect, but not in the same they expect it. On Sunday, both teams took their place atop their respective conferences -- one with a little more grace than the other.

Without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen, your #1 conference seeds, starting with the AFC...

THE SUBSTITUTE: Man, the Titans sure are gonna miss Albert Haynesworth, huh? Yeah, that’s what a lot of people said. Hell, that what I said. And I’m a freaking football genius and stuff. But maybe we all need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Rookie Jason Jones, Haynesworth’s replacement on the D-line, recorded three and a half sacks and three forced fumbles as the Titans shut down the Steelers, beating them 31-14 to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC.

The Titans defense will get much of the credit because of their injuries (Haynesworth and fellow DT Kyle Vanden Bosch), and because they were facing Ben Roethlisberger and the red-hot Steelers, but Tennessee came out strong on offense as well. The Titans took an early 10-0 lead on a Pittsburgh D which came into the game on a record streak: They had tied the 1973 Rams for most consecutive games allowing less than 300 total yards at 14. The Titans ended that streak, racking up 323 total, and keeping the ‘73 Rams in the record book. (Somewhere Deacon Jones just pumped his fist and made a disparaging remark about players “these days”.)

It wasn’t a cake-walk for Tennessee, who took Pittsburgh’s best shot in the middle part of the game. The Steelers held the Titans scoreless for almost 28 minutes from the end of the 1st quarter until late in the 3rd, and use d that defensive surge to score 14 straight to take the lead 14-10. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had two big fumbles early -- including one on the Tennessee goal line -- rebounded to throw for 331 yards and 2 TD’s (the first two 20+ yard TD passes the Titans had allowed all year. But the Titans used two Roethlisberger INT’s -- one a Pick-6 by CB Michael Griffin -- and a big game from Justin Gage (5 catches, 104 yards, TD) to ice the game. 

So the Titans clinch home field advantage through the playoffs, and won’t play another important game for three weeks. Sometimes, teams are afraid of having non-competitive games heading into the playoffs, but Tennessee has to be thrilled to know they’ll have time to get their big men healthy for the stretch drive.

One moment to bookmark: After the game on the sidelines, Titans RB LenDale White  was caught on camera throwing a Terrible Towel on the ground and stomping on it. Nice, LenDale! Way to flip the bird to that proud team you might still play in a few weeks with your entire season on the line! That openly disrespecting your future oppenent stuff always works!

GONE WITH THE WIND: For a minute there I doubted the Giants. I’d spent most of the season saying they were the best team in the league -- even when Tennessee was undefeated. I’m usually loathe to praise a New York team. I especially don’t like saying they are the best team in the sport. But it was so obvious, even I couldn’t deny it. But that all changed in the last couple of weeks.

I wasn’t overly concerned about Plaxico Burress being a distraction for the team, as I was about the Giants not having his services the rest of the season. With Brandon Jacobs also hurt, I started to wonder if they were as strong as that teamed that wowed me all season. Especially when they stumbled each of the last two weeks. 

I still picked them to win this week, but by the time they were down 21-10 in the 2nd quarter on Sunday night, their mojo seemed to be long gone. I was already thinking about the prospect of “Carolina Panthers, #1 seed”, and all the “Changing of the Guard”-type stories on ESPN this week. But no. The Giants still had one trick left up their sleeves, the same trick they’ve played every time things look bleak for them. They played The "Running Game” Card.

The Giants stormed back into the game behind two of their three-headed backfield, nicknamed “Earth, Wind and Fire”. Riding “Wind” down the field (Derrick Ward -- 15 rushes, 215 yards) and “Earth” into the end zone (Brandon Jacobs -- 24 carries, 87 yards, 3 TD’s), the Giants racked up their most rushing yards (301) in a game since 1959. New York used the first pass interference penalty against Carolina all season(!) to tie the game 28-28 with a TD and two-point conversion with just four minutes left.

Carolina drove down to the New York 33-yard line with just :09 remaining, and was able to attempt a 50-yard FG to win the game, and lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. John Kasay’s kick was headed straight down the middle, but the famously swirling Meadowlands winds (aptly gauged by sideline reporter Andrea Kremer just prior to the kick) swept the ball wide of the posts, and the game went to OT. There, they were swept away by another wind, Ward, who had two long runs to set up an easy plunge by Jacobs to ice the game and the #1 seed.

Now the Giants face that age-old dilemma: Whether or not to go all out in game you don’t need -- New York plays Minnesota next week in a game the Vikings need desperately to win their division. If last season -- when the Giants played their hearts out in the last week of the regular season against a New England team striving for perfection -- is any indication, Tom Coughlin won’t lie down for the Vikings.

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A lot of message boards (for any sports team really) can get extraordinarily negative at times.  I've noticed traffic often increases here when things are going poorly.  Of course, since Niners Nation started at the tail end of 2006, there's nothing to really compare it too.  The whole point is that I've occasionally seen people write that Frank Gore has only had one good year and thus shouldn't be ranked as high as he is any various projections.  I find that to be somewhere between laughable and total BS.  When you set the franchise rushing record, and follow it up with 1,100 yards on one of the worst offenses in NFL history, you're not a one-shot wonder.

We're all curious how Frank Gore and the 49ers rushing game will do in 2008 in the Mike Martz-led offense.  Many of us are also probably slowly getting in the mood for another season of fantasy football (more info to come on a Niners Nation league).  So I thought I'd check out what some fantasy football sites are projecting from Frank Gore.  I won't say they're wildly all over the place, but there are certainly some mixed projections.  One site even felt Frank Gore was due for up to a 10% drop in fantasy production, for reasons described below.

ESPN
Rank: 6
Stats: 1,068 rushing, 7 TDs/73 rec., 594 receiving, 3 TDs
I tend to use ESPN's draft kit.  I think I (and plenty of others) assume their fantasy writers know a lot, but in reality, we all know anybody can make projections and call themselves an expert.  In fact, before the season starts I'll throw out my random based on next to nothing projections, like these folks.

In these first edition 2008 rankings, Gore is ranked just behind Joseph Addai and Steven Jackson and just ahead of Clinton Portis and Marshawn Lynch.  ESPN clearly thinks Gore enters a Marshall Faulk type of role on the receiving end.  He's not a big play threat as a receiver so the low yardage total isn't surprising.  What I do like is the increase in touchdowns.

CBS.Sportsline
Rank: 5
Stats: 1,158 rushing, 6 TDs/57 rec., 486 receiving, 1 TDs
CBS's projections indicate very little change in Gore's production.  106 more total yards and 1 more touchdown.  Personally I see that as a little low considering the potential for a more high-powered offense.  I suppose this would be working under the impression that Martz will help, but the offense will still not be all that good.

In these rankings, Gore is ranked just behind Adrian Peterson and Steven Jackson and just ahead of Marshawn Lynch and Joseph Addai.  Lynch is definitely getting a lot of love.  If the receivers in Buffalo can step up he could certainly move up.  Of course, we'll see how this whole hit-and-run business plays out.

Fox Sports
Rank: 12
Fox Sports hasn't listed stat projections, but rather general rankings.  In these rankings, Jamal Lewis, Ryan Grant and Clinton Portis are just ahead, with Ronnie Brown, Brandon Jacobs and Willis McGahee right behind him.  While I think Frank Gore is a better running back, the funny thing with running backs this year is that I could certainly see plenty having better statistical years than Gore, simply because of the comparable situations.  Personally, I think Gore has a big year in large part because of receptions.  However, teams like the Packers and Browns could be good enough to lead to very solid years by Grant and Lewis.

Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy
Rank: 19
Stats: 1,000 rushing, 6 TDs/60 rec., 500 receiving, 1 TDs
I wanted to pick a random site I've never checked before and this one came up first when I googled 2008 running back projections fantasy football.  I think it's safe to say I won't be heading back there anytime soon.  They added in a projection of the offensive line for each running back.  For Gore, they projected the 49ers offensive line as "slightly worse."  Considering how bad it was at times last year, I'm not sure it could be slightly worse.  The only reason I can think that's the case is they assume Larry Allen didn't really lose a step last year.  Other than that I'm not sure what to say.  Part of their reasoning:

About Steven Jackson: Only 3 of the 10 RBs 27 yrs old or younger who had a dominant season followed by a disappointing one managed to improve in the next season and none returned to the level they were at previously...

About Gore: See Jackson...The difference for Gore is that his offensive line is worse than last year in run blocking but it is better in pass protection. The average decrease is about 10% in terms of fantasy points.

So there you have it.  I could throw out projections from every possible fantasy site but there would really be no rhyme or reason for the projections.  This is a small sample size, but there really isn't a whole lot to glean from this.  So do you think any of these four is possible?  Personally I think while any of them is possible, aside from ESPN's reception projection, I think they all are underestimating Frank Gore's potential production.

Just to throw numbers out there for the hell of it, I'll go with:

• 265 carries, 1,215 rushing yards, 4.5 avg, 8 rushing touchdowns
• 67 receptions, 582 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns

Feel free to project away.  We can always look back at this and laugh come November or December.