NFL Playoffs: 10 Ways to Enjoy the Playoffs When Your Team's Knocked out

The playoffs can hurt sometimes.

Don't believe me? Ask any Packers, Saints, Steelers, Broncos, Falcons or Bengals fans.

Trust me, we're hurting.

Which is not ideal really, because despite of the hurt and frustation and downright anger, I still want to watch the playoffs. As furious as we may at Tim Tebow, Tom Brady or Eli Manning, we still want to watch the playoffs without thinking about that game that knocked our team out.

So we're stuck with this dilema of wanting to watch football and not wanting to watch football at the same time. Trust me, I understand.

Which is why I've come up with ten ways to enjoy the playoffs even though your team's knocked out. It's not going to get rid of the frustration and it's not going to make you like Tom Brady, but it will help you watch football, which, when it all comes down to it, is all we want to do.

1. Find Another Team to Follow

This is both the most obvious place to start, but for me, the hardest thing to do.

Once your team is knocked out, it's easy to jump on the bandwagon for another team. I'm not saying that you have to guy out and buy a jersey and change your favourite teams on Facebook, but you are allowed to develop a little soft spot for another side that's still in the hunt.

However, this is just too hard for me to do. I mean, what happens if you don't like any of the sides left in the playoffs? How then are you meant to support another team?

That's where number two comes in.

2. Start Supporting Individual Players

If you're like me, and simply just can't start following another team, start following individual players.

It's like following another team, except for the fact that you can follow multiple players at the same time across different teams. Other advatages include the fact that if there's something you don't like about a team, you don't have to like it, but still like players on the side.

Add in to that the fact that you can still 'win' when the team loses, you could be winning up to eight games a week, depending on how many players you decide to follow.

This is perfect for someone who loves Ray Lewis but hates Joe Flacco, or likes Frank Gore, but can't stand the San Francisco 49ers; by following individual players, you can always be a winner.

3. Do Some Draft Research for Your Team

If you're someone who can't let go of their team, and can't follow another team or even individual players, start doing some in-depth draft research for your team.

Sometimes the only light at the end of the tunnel can be looking forward to next year's season and by seeing the talent in the draft and in free-agency, this can sometimes lift the spirits.

And there's no point doing it half-heartedly; you might as well go full-on in your search for the perfect fit for your team's offense or defense.

Because as the old saying goes, there's always next year...

4. Start Liking Facebook Groups Against Other Teams

A perfect solution for both the creative mind as well as the person with too much time on their hands. This is also a great option for anybody who loves to think tough, but not actually say anything mean against other sides, out loud or even online.

Consider then the impact of your Facebook 'like' button and dwell on the plethora of amusing Facebook groups to choose from to make your frustration go away.

You might consider liking "Watching Tim Tebow Cry makes me happy" for Steelers fans, and Tebow haters in general. If that doesn't satisfy you, what about  "Joe Flacco - Amateur sports team" or "Joe Flacco = Caveman" for both Texans and Steelers fans.

And if that doesn't appeal, your like button may enjoy "Eli Manning sucks" which cleverly has no effort in the name, but also is very straight to the point.

Facebook liking. It's like bagging out teams without saying a single word in a very soft, gentle and uncreative way. Sounds perfect to me.

5. Become an Avid Basketball Watcher

Should none of the first four options be working, it may be a sign that you need to take some time off football, and basketball is a great place to go to.

Ice hockey would be fine if we could see the puck, and baseball hasn't started yet, so basketball it is. Find a team if you don't already have one, and follow them all the way.

Also, this works as an excellent strategy for the next two weeks, particularly if you follow a team that already has a football team in the playoffs. So you can answer a question about football, with basketball, and avoid looking like you're avoiding talking about football. Confused?

I imagine it would go something like this:

"Hey, who you supporting?" (they mean football). "New York" (you mean basketball). "Oh, cool" (they think you mean the Giants, not the Knicks)

Genius, I know.

6. Make Some Money on the Playoff Games

If option five doesn't work for you -- although I have no idea why it wouldn't -- and you feel compelled to watch the football for the remainder of the season, try making some money on the games.

I mean, if you're going to frustrate yourself watching Joe Flacco, you might as well make yourself a little extra dough on the side to make you feel better.

My tips would be taking the under total points in the Giants vs. 49ers game; New England to win against the Ravens, and Wes Welker to score the first touchdown for the Pats against Baltimore.

Because let's be honest, who doesn't love some extra money?

7. Relive Some of the Greatest Moments on YouTube: Option A

YouTube is a wonderful invention.

If you can't bring yourself to watch the football, and are still to devastated about your team's result this year, make yourself better by watching some highlights on YouTube about when your team did win.

Packers fans would watch last year's Super Bowl game to ease the pain of a Giants loss, and Denver fans could watch the last quarter of their last eight games to make them feel better.

Whatever the team is, they're bound to have at least one highlight -- yes, even Pittsburgh -- on YouTube for you to check out and make yourself feel better about football.

8. Relive Some of the Greatest Moments on YouTube: Option B

The second option is to watch your less-liked players get beat, and this is not to be underestimated. I get so much satisfaction out of watching Eli Manning get sacked, or Mark Sanchez throw an interception.

Every side has their down games, and every side has been on the wrong end of some serious beatings.

If you can't make yourself feel better yet, bring everybody else down to your level by laughing at their misery on YouTube.

Seriously. It's worth it.

9. Poke Fun at All the Other Teams in the NFL with Worse Seasons

At the end of the day, if your team lost in the playoffs, they are still a good football team, as they managed to beat so many other teams to get there.

And although you won't see it in your frustration, try poking fun at all the other teams in the NFL that had worse seasons than yours, starting with the teams you hate the most.

To start you off, here's Philip Rivers fumbling the snap that would have won them the game, and in the end, taken the Chargers to the playoffs. But it didn't.

If that isn't your style, why not try watching Tony Romo getting demolished?

And if that does still doesn't work, just think that it could be worse. I mean, you could have supported the Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Browns, Titans, Jaguars, Colts, Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Bears, Vikings, Panthers, Bucs, Cardinals, Seahawks or the Rams this season.

Then you wouldn't have made the playoffs at all.

See, feeling better already!

10. Write the Playoffs the Way They Should Have Gone Using Madden '12

And if somehow none of these options don't work, then there's only one thing left for you to do; buy Madden '12. Get it on your iPhone, or your iPad, or whatever gaming console you have, and get very, very good at it.

That way, you can make it so that you smack up whatever team you want, and win the Super Bowl as many times as you need.

Probably best to turn penalties off as well. Nothing like a good bit of cheating to make the soul feel better.

And if all that doesn't work, I'm not sure what to do.

Though that Philip Rivers video does usually do the trick for me...

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