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Now that teams are done handing out the franchise tag, free agency is just around the corner and this season should be another exciting season for free agency. There hasn’t been much to do in the last few weeks besides look at sportsbook reviews. Good thing free agency is ready to get started next week as free agency begins March 12.

The biggest prize in free agency will be Mario Williams. Williams was having another great season until his season came to an early end in week 5 due to a torn pectoral muscle. No worries though, Williams says the injury is completely heeled. The front-runner for Mario Williams is the New England Patriots followed by the Cowboys. Williams will fit perfectly in New England’ 3-4 scheme and how could Mario pass up on an opportunity of competing for  perennial Super Bowl contender? Mario stated that he loves how the Texans are coming together and may stay with the team, as long as the price is right.

For teams looking to boost their offensive line, New Orleans Saints OG Carl Nicks will hit the market now that the Saints decided to use the franchise tag on Drew Brees. As an Eagles fan, I’m certainly hoping the Eagles can make a run at Nicks since they’ll need to help Vick get protection. Last year the Eagles had to sign Evan Mathis who was cut by the Colts in order to fill him in as a starter on their line. Nicks would be a huge boost to the Eagles line.

For teams needing to boost their secondary, Titans CB Courtland Finnegan will be available. Finnegan will likely find a new team since he has publicly stated that he feels the …

If you could compare NFL running backs to WWE wrestlers, who would they compare to? We’ll break down NFL running backs and list their WWE counterparts in this series.

Adrian Peterson — Adrian Peterson is the cream of the crop of NFL running backs. Big, explosive, elusive, powerful — he has it all. In order to find his WWE counterpart, you have to look at the man who’s been at the top of the WWE for years. Although no longer an active WWE wrestler, other than his WrestleMania 28 match against John Cena, The Rock is to the WWE what Adrian Peterson is to NFL running backs — the prototype. He is the envy of fellow running backs and GMs around the league.

Chris Johnson — Although 2011 was a down year for Johnson after posting ridiculous numbers in his first three years, Chris Johnson is still the NFL’s fastest running back and the sole reason he was taken by the Titans in the first round of the NFL draft back in 2008. To find his WWE counterpart, you have to look for a WWE star with speed who is able to strike at any moment. That WWE star is none other than Randy Orton. Randy Orton is known for his quick and vicious attacks on WWE rivals. Orton is able to strike from anywhere, at any time, and often dominates unsuspecting opponents. Chris Johnson has the same ability. With a single snap, Johnson can strike opponents by taking the ball 80 yards for a touchdown and do it again on the very next drive.

LeSean McCoy — There is no doubt that LeSean McCoy was the breakout star of the 2011 NFL season. LeSean racked up 1,309 rushing …

We have a rematch of Super Bowl XLII where the Giants upset the Patriots as 7-point underdogs. The Giants ended the Patriots dreams of an undefeated season that game. The Giants also defeated the Patriots again this year in week 9. It’s safe to say that the Giants have the Patriots number.

This is a tough game for me to get excited about. It’s going to be a great game, no doubt, but I don’t have a team that I want to see win. As an Eagles fan, I certainly don’t want to see the Giants claim a second Super Bowl victory within the last four years. It’s also equally difficult to want to see the Patriots win even if it’s over a division rival. The Patriots Super Bowl XXIX win over the Eagles has me also hating on the Pats equally.

If I had to list my top five least favorite teams, the Patriots, Giants, Steelers, and Cowboys are all in the top five. I’m not going to go into any analysis here, but just going to throw out a hunch. I like the Giants chances in this one and would pick them if it wasn’t for one key factor. It’s tough to beat the same team twice in the same season and in back-to-back Super Bowl matchups (albeit that it was four years ago). I think you see the Pats top the Giants in a close one. I’m being bias here since I just want the Giants to lose.

Prediction: Patriots 27 – Giants 24

Pick Against the Spread: Patriots -3 (Confidence: 2.5/5)

Thanks to everyone participating in our pick ’em league. This season has come down to the wire. Yours truly ended up in 6th place out …

HOUSTON TEXANS (+7.5) @ BALTIMORE RAVENS

I think you go points here. The Texans defense should be able to keep the Texans in this game. Both defenses give up an average of 17 PPG. Both offenses score about 24 PPG. This is a very even matchup. I think this spread should be more like +4.5. Houston is giving up just 85.7 rushing yards per game in their last 3. I think you see the Texans hold the Ravens to a touchdown or less. But then again, you’re asking for a lot from T.J. Yates against the Ravens defense in the playoffs.

Prediction: Ravens 24 – Texans 17

Pick Against the Spread: Texans +7.5 (Confidence: 2/5)

NEW YORK GIANTS @ GREEN BAY PACKERS (-7.5)

I’m an Eagles fan, you think I’m going to take the Giants? Aaron Rodgers baby!

Prediction: Packers 38 – Giants 24

Pick Against the Spread: Packers -7.5 (Confidence: 3/5)…

It’s never easy picking playoff games, so I usually tread lightly throughout the playoffs. Most of the picks last week were low-confidence plays. In the last two years, the underdogs went 6-2 ATS in the Wild Card round, so I decided to play the trend and take the dogs this past week. Taking the dogs ended up 1-3 with Tim Tebow getting the sole cover.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-3.5) @ SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

The books are giving much love to the 49ers and their top-ranked defense that gives up just 14.3 PPG (10.9 PPG at home). I think you’ll actually see the Saints punt at least once this game (unlike last game). That’s right, not a single punt from the Saints last game. Despite how good the 49ers defense is, I don’t think you see the 49ers hold the Saints to less than 24 points. However, there is a dramatic drop in PPG for the Saints when they travel. The Saints average about 41 PPG at home, but just 24 PPG on the road. That’s something to be concerned about. I actually think the bye weeks hurts the 49ers hurts more than it helps them since the Saints are coming into this game with a ton of momentum following their dominating win over the Lions last week. I’m going with the Saints this week and think you see them win by 7.

Prediction: Saints 27 – 49ers 20

Pick Against the Spread: Saints -3.5 (Confidence: 3/5)

DENVER BRONCOS (+13.5) @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Granted, New England beat up on Denver just a few weeks ago 41-23, but it’s a whole new day for Tim Tebow and the Broncos. I will take the points mainly because I want to root for …

At the time of this post, it looks like the Lions pick is panning out according to plan. The Lions got the opportunity to set the tone by scoring the first touchdown of the day, which was the key to their gameplan, as they’ll be able to carry a 14-10 lead into halftime which gives those with the points a 14.5-point lead at halftime. Let’s take a look at Sunday’s action.

ATLANTA FALCONS (+3) @ NEW YORK GIANTS

First, full disclosure, I am an Eagles fan so I am never going to take the Giants in the playoffs, so this pick is totally bias. First, the Giants are inconsistent. They can either be on fire or they can absolutely suck. They can manage to beat the Cowboys twice and the Jets once, but they’ll lose to the Redskins and Seahawks. I guess you can call division games never easy and the Seahawks game a fluke. This is a pretty even match-up. Homefield advantage is key. If this is played in Atlanta, you take the Falcons — no doubt about it.  But with the game played in New York, it gives the Giants a legitimate shot. Both offenses are quite impressive. Even there. Both have good defenses. Even there. I just want to see the Giants lose so I’ll go Falcons here.

Prediction: Falcons 27 – Giants 24

Pick Against the Spread: Falcons +3 (Confidence: 3/5)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-9) @ DENVER BRONCOS

This is going to be an ugly game. The over/under 33.5 is telling of that. The Steelers D is going to absolutely stifle Tim Tebow and the Broncos. The Steelers have given up an average of 14 PPG during the season and 9.7 PPG in their last 3 games. …

It is good to be back. The holidays are always crazy. We finished the year strong going 2-0 in week 16 and hitting our top pick in the Falcons in week 17. We are ready to roll into the playoffs with more juice in our pockets. It is wild card weekend and four games are on tap. The playoffs are extremely tough to pick against the spread. In the last two years, the wild card dogs went 6-2 ATS. I may have to play the trend and pick every dog on this week’s card. If I’m not taking the points, I am staying away as I think you take the points in all four games this weekend.

CINCINATTI BENGALS (+4) @ HOUSTON TEXANS

The Texans have made the playoffs for the first time in their history and will have to rely on their rookie T.J. Yates who is 2-3 as a starter and has an average QB rating of 80.3. T.J. faced the Bengals on December 11th and pulled out the victory, winning a tight one 20-19. In that game, Yates threw for 300 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT. The player to watch in this one is obviously Arian Foster who will take on the 10th ranked run defense in the NFL. When Arian faced the Bengals just a few weeks ago, he was completely shut down. Foster was held to 41 rushing yards and posted his worst per-carry average of the season, racking up just 2.7 YPC.

This game should be another tight one. I’ll trust the Bengals D to contain Adrian Foster again and put the pressure on Yates to win this game with his arm. In their last game, the Texans won 20-19.  I expect a …