Howdy, Y'all

The next round of playoff games in professional football takes place Saturday and Sunday, January 14-15. One never knows about football games, whether they will live up to the publicity beforehand, but all four of the games this weekend promise to thrill the fans.

First, on Saturday, the New Orleans Saints will visit the San Francisco 49ers. I have not followed the 49ers much this year, but I've seen several of the Saints games, and all of them have been very exciting. Following that game, the New England Patriots will host the Denver Broncos. Tom Brady, the veteran smoothie, meets Tim Tebow, the rookie sensation. Last week's fabulous Bronco victory over the Pittsburg Steelers left us all breathless. Tebow did it again. Can he do it tomorrow? We'll see.

The following day will see our Houston Texans battling the Baltimore Ravens on the Baltimore turf. It has taken the Texans 9 years, since replacing the Oilers, to reach the playoffs. They won the first round against Cincinatti; now let's see what happens the second time around. The Ravens beat the Texans in an earlier game; can the Texans rise to the occasion this weekend? Following that game, the New York Giants take on the Packers at Green Bay's Lambaugh Field. Eli Manning will challenge Aaron Rogers as the two teams fight it out for a chance to battle for their conference championship the following week.

All four games promise to be "as good as it gets." Will the real games measure up to the virtual ones we envision?