NFL Playoff Predictions: 5 Crafty Vets Who Will Have Strong Postseason Showings

When you're looking at a veteran in pro football or any sport for that matter, what really defines their career is the postseason.

In pro football QBs such as Joe Montana and John Elway come first to mind amongst Hall of Famers, and then RBs like Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Larry Csonka are mentioned.

Well, the following veterans look to reach a higher pedestal in 2011 by a strong outing in January.

Tom Brady: QB, Patriots

With three Super Bowls to his name and two Super Bowl MVPs, Tom Brady has already established himself as a future Hall of Famer.

But with his competitive nature, you know he's going to use his previous playoff blunders as motivation.

The 2007 AFC Championship game win over the San Diego Chargers was his most recent postseason victory. New England lost Super Bowl XLII and then again in the 2009 wild card to Baltimore and the 2010 divisional to the Jets.

As for 2011, New England controls their own destiny en route to another No. 1 seed in the AFC. Right now Brady is 34 years old, so his time is certainly of the essence.

That being said, don't count on New England going one-and-done like recent years because Brady won't let it happen. Regardless of who they play, he will perform at the highest level.

Ed Reed: Safety, Ravens

Unfortunately for Ravens safety Ed Reed, he just missed Baltimore's Super Bowl season in 2000 as his rookie year wasn't until 2004.

And although Ray Lewis has been around since 1996, he can thank Reed for patrolling the secondary the past decade, otherwise the Ravens wouldn't be so stout defensively.

For his career Reed has 57 interceptions, 121 pass-deflects and 452 solo tackles.

Being that he's not a safety who plays near the box on a consistent basis as say, Brian Dawkins or LaRon Landry, Reed has been reliable every down of every game he's played in.

This season Baltimore has a Top 5 defense and a lot has to do with Reed being healthy. Missing six games in 2010, the Ravens pass defense significantly struggled until he took the field.

Perhaps his play-making ability is the most impressive aspect of his game. So when push comes to shove in January, bet on Reed doing work.

Aaron Rodgers: QB, Packers

It took Aaron Rodgers just one year under center to turn the Packers around.

After sitting behind Brett Favre for three years, taking over in 2008 was left with uncertain future. Well, Rodgers dissipated the cynics quickly and Green Bay was back to the playoffs in 2009.

There, the cheese may have lost the wild-card round to Arizona, but it increased expectations for 2010. As we all know, Green Bay snuck in and stole the Lombardi Trophy from everyone as they virtually caught fire NBA Jam style and haven't looked back.

2011 is shaping up to be one of the most impressive seasons any QB has accomplished in NFL history. That being said, all will obviously be for naught if Green Bay doesn't win it all.

But, as long as Rodgers remains under center, we have to expect that Green Bay will win it all. Other than the Packers hiccup game at Kansas City (who's better than given credit for), Rodgers has sliced every defense this season.

The Packers go as Rodgers goes, so until he and Green Bay are actually lose this January, don't expect anything less than sheer dominance from the NFL's best player.

Frank Gore: RB, 49ers

If there's a guy who can lead the San Francisco 49ers back to the promise land, it's RB Frank Gore.

Even in missing five games last season, Gore still rushed for almost 900 yards, and he's averaged 4.6 yards per carry for his career.

The scariest/most impressive part about that number though, is that he's literally been the 49ers offense since taking handoffs in 2005. Alex Smith has had a flaky career until 2011, but that wouldn't be possible without Gore to rely on.

Currently, San Francisco controls its own destiny en route to the NFC's No. 2 seed. And if they happen to meet up with Green Bay or New Orleans in January, Gore will be the difference-maker.

The Saints and Packers have vulnerable rush defenses and allow almost five yards per carry each.

Regardless, Frank is the main who needs to carry the 49ers in January. Of all the playoff teams, he's arguably the best back, and his team relies arguably more on him than anyone else does to their RB.

Based on how he'd produced without much talent around him in the past, 2011 is shaping up to be one special season for the seven-year vet.

Plaxico Burress: WR, Jets

He may not be the explosive WR he once was, but for the New York Jets to make a deep run this January, Plaixco Burress has no choice but to step up his game.

Now, Plaxico is not QB Mark Sanchez's first target, as that belongs to TE Dustin Keller and fellow WR Santonio Holmes.

But, as we saw when he played for the Steelers and Giants, Burress was arguably the most reliable receiving target every playoff game. With the Jets, he must repeat that presence.

New York may have an effective enough offense to move the ball and get into field-goal range on a consistent basis, but they're not scoring TDs when a defense tightens up against the run and moves up into press coverage.

Having the defense backed up, if you can't go through them then you go over them and let your play-makers do their job. Therefore, more fade routes need to be tossed up for Plax to go up and get.

No DB can jump with him as his 6'5" stature is a distinct advantage. He may not load up on yards like in the past, but he'll be the most dangerous player on the field near the goal-line.

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