The Official Guide to Picking a New Favorite Team for the 2008-09 NFL Playoffs

If you're like me and your favorite football team is home this year, you're probably looking for ways to combat post-traumatic NFL regular season stress disorder. Millions suffer from this enjoyment-threatening disease every January as the NFL Playoffs approach.

Lonely NFL fans begin to feel depressed, confused, and lost as they seek guidance for their next step in life. In the most grim of situations, fans spend hours staring at their collections of memorabilia, questioning their own intelligence as they wonder where the season went wrong.

As division rivals and sworn enemies prepare to take the field in pursuit of Super Bowl glory, the most die-hard of NFL fans don't realize that there's help for them.

For these dark times, I have sought out to provide a glimmer of hope for those in desperate need.

Don't let the fact that your favorite football team couldn't get the job done when it mattered most stop you from enjoying the greatest competitive team sport in the history of competitive team sports.

It's Not Betrayal

The sheer concept of supporting another team may feel like driving a knife into the backs of every single player on your team. Abandon those thoughts immediately.

It's no secret that the start of the postseason is widely regarded as a clean slate for players. The previous four months are inconsequential. All that matters is that they're in the playoffs, and the odds are always good enough.

As a fan, it's your duty to adopt that same mentality. It's a clean slate for you, too.

Don't let your emotional ties to your favorite organization hold you down during these trying times. Accept that you will return to them immediately after the Super Bowl, and you will immediately find that a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

Knowing Which Teams To Avoid

Once you've resigned yourself to taking part in my program, you'll probably feel inclined to check the standings and pick a favorite team from there. It is a reasonable strategy, but I typically advise against it.

If there's anything we've learned from Super Bowl winners over the years, it's that the favorites don't always win. Heck, they sometimes don't even make it.

The purpose of this program is to help you battle depression. Selecting a favorite team because of their regular season record when its likely they will be "One and Done!" will only make you feel inadequate as a football fan.

There's No Such Thing As Playing It Safe

It may seem cruel or unreasonable to eliminate the favorites right away. But, it's the only way to go about making the right choice.

You want to avoid another heartbreak. You don't want to look foolish for declaring your support for another team when they probably didn't belong in the playoffs anyway.

1. Tennessee Titans: Do not let their record fool you. The 13-3 Titans are most likely to be "one and done." Place Kerry Collins under pressure and limit the run, and the Titans are easily beatable by a ball-control offense. Their regular season win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was the exception, not the rule. 
2. Indianapolis Colts: They're riding a nine-game winning streak into the postseason, but it was against some of the weakest competition the NFL had to offer. All winning streaks come to an end, and with Peyton Manning being the historic postseason choke artist he is, the Colts are a team to avoid.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Making it to the playoffs was the Super Bowl for Arizona. They've played well on Kurt Warner's arm, but that defense isn't scaring anyone in the NFC. Expect the Cardinals to do nothing in January.
4. New York Giants: Yes, they are favorites to repeat, but you have to love the potential for an upset. At 12-4, the Giants are a phenomenal team that may have saved their best football for the postseason. But the possibility of them facing a team that has their number is strong. When the Giants lose, they look awful in the process. Think: Cleveland Browns.

Cinderella vs. Underdog

With four teams removed, it's crucial to find the right underdog. Differentiating between teams having a Cinderella season and squads who have legitimately turned the proverbial corner is of the essence.

When the Clock Strikes Midnight

1. Miami Dolphins: The 2008 Miami Dolphins are eerily similar to the 2006 New York Jets—by more than just the quarterback. A rookie head coach, solid defense, and some creativity on offense have led Miami to the postseason. But they're still not good enough to go all the way.
   
2. Baltimore Ravens: I know what you're thinking. How can two Wild Card match-ups be Cinderella? It's simple: The Baltimore Ravens should beat the Dolphins, but their dreams will come to a screeching halt right after that.
3. Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson may be good enough to win games for the Vikings, but not against the Philadelphia Eagles. There are too many experienced veterans on the Eagles, and Tarvaris Jackson may be in over his head.

Never Fear!

1. Atlanta Falcons: Normally I'd implore you to stay away from a rookie quarterback, but not today. If there's anything Matt Ryan does, it's play the game like a seasoned veteran. Michael Turner has been conspicuously absent from MVP conversations, but expect him to show up huge in the postseason.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: Forget the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles are the hottest team in the playoffs, and should strike the most fear in everyone's hearts. Donovan McNabb is playing as well as he has in the years where Philly was a staple in the NFC Championship game. Even if they don't go all the way, they will send someone home earlier than expected.
3. San Diego Chargers: A lot of words will be said about the worthiness of an 8-8 team in the playoffs. My response: They could easily be 10-6, or better. But that's not what matters. LaDainian Tomlinson looks like he was playing possum all year after the game he had against the Broncos. With Philip Rivers having a monster year, and LT getting his mojo back, expect the Chargers to make it tough for everyone they face in the postseason.

The important thing you have to take away from this is that you won't be wrong by picking any of these teams. The NFL loves a good story, and that's exactly what these six teams provide.

Real Contenders

I don't want you to come away from this believing that these next two teams will be in the Super Bowl. That's not the purpose of this guide. I want you to understand that these are the best teams to identify as your new favorite for the next month.

Picking one of these two teams as your favorite in the postseason can lead to happiness and excitement as you watch a football team play excellent all-around football.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: They can beat you on offense and they can beat you on defense. They can beat you with starters and they can beat you with backups. Most importantly, they have a Super Bowl winning quarterback who knows how to win in the postseason—no matter where they're playing. The Steelers are exciting, smashmouth football on both sides of the line of scrimmage. 
2. Carolina Panthers: They're the best of all worlds. They have the underdog thing going for them, but they're unstoppable when they click on all cylinders. They have a Top 5 wide receiver, a running back snubbed for the Pro Bowl, and a quarterback who could've won Comeback Player of the Year. There's a coach that could've been on the hot seat this year, one of the league's best veteran pass-rushers...you get the point. The Carolina Panthers are the 2007 New York Giants...on steroids (not really, Roger Goodell).

These two teams do have the potential to lose in the playoffs. Do not take the high-risk environment of the postseason for granted. But they are the highest probability teams for exciting football in the playoffs.

The Most Therapeutic Aspect of It All

It's really a no-lose situation for you. You're providing yourself with an opportunity to enjoy the playoffs from the perspective of a fan. It's less expensive than gambling, and it's more low-risk than you can possibly imagine.

Say your new favorite team doesn't win the Super Bowl—imagine how much more you're going to appreciate your original favorite team when the 2009 regular season starts.

Good luck, and happy picking!

Angel Navedo covers the New York Jets for Examiner.com. His work can also be found on NYJetsFan.com, where he is the Head Writer, and on MyGridironSpace.com—a premier social networking site built exclusively for NFL fans.

He is also a Senior Writer at Bleacher Report, where he is one of the New York Jets Community Leaders.