Keller @ Large: Ready For Patriots Playoff Run
BOSTON (CBS) - You have to be pretty anti-social or a real hardcore football hater to not be psyched up for the start of the annual Patriots playoff run, which has only failed to materialize once in the past dozen years.
As a veteran of this, I knew to buy my chicken wings early, and hold off until now before making any predictions.
But the time has come.
And while I claim no more football expertise than any other fan, I have seen a few of these in my time, and I know enough about the Pats to remember how great Ron Burton was, and that the greatest Jim Nance of all time was not the broadcaster but the Patriot fullback.
So here we go.
First of all, I am not phased by the rocky end to the regular season.
I have never seen a Patriots team more decimated by injuries than this one, and it seems clear to me that while Bill Belichick tried to win those last few games, he was equally focused on avoiding further damage and bringing along some of the backups, like James White and Stephen Jackson.
We don't know what's been going on in practice behind closed doors these past two weeks, but if they were playing patty-cake, I doubt Gronk – or, as the late, great Mayor Tom Menino loved to call him, Gonk – would have gotten banged up.
I am encouraged by the intense look in Julian Edelman's eyes during his TV interviews, and by Belichick's very own black eye, which I believe he got from falling asleep watching too much video and bouncing it off the desk.
Could they lose to a red-hot Kansas City team? Yes, they could.
But they won't.
24-17 Pats.
But please – no wagering.
Listen to Jon's commentary:
