Wind, rain, heavy snow batter New England, eastern Canada

126321891_web1_Update-116

Times Leader P.M. Update: Saturday, Jan. 16

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; A few weeks ahead of Punxsutawney Phil&rsquo;s fearless prediction on winter, I am going out on the proverbial limb to provide you all with what will happen this weekend in the NFL playoffs and beyond.
				This is a public service. It is without question, purely my opinion on who will win and advance, and these bold picks are based on little knowledge and a lot of hope.
				And, by the time you read this, two games may have already been decided. Yet, I boldly go forward.
				I make these predictions after a so-so Fantasy Football year &mdash; I did well in one league and awful in another. Although, I did battle it out with the Fantasy Guru of Plymouth, Ricky &ldquo;Pickles&rdquo; McDaniels, who finished tied with me with identical 12-5 records. But Pickles, due to his &ldquo;Monster Picks&rdquo; of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, racked up way more points than me to win the title.
				My QBs were Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson, who was the league MVP for the first half of the season, then went in the tank, as did the Seahawks. Rumor has it they were last seen in Sugar Notch.
				Thanks to Frank &ldquo;Colonel&rdquo; Coughlin for running another outstanding league.
				Here are my NFL picks:
				NFC: Saints over the Buccaneers and Rams over the Packers.
				AFC: Bills over the Ravens and Chiefs over the Browns.
				The Saints will then defeat the Rams and the Bills will defeat the Chiefs.
				Then the Saints will down the Bills in Super Bowl LV, and Drew Brees will announce his retirement and ride off into the sunset.
				Whatever your tastes are, this week&rsquo;s NFL action promises to be filled with highlights. I will be sure to be watching as I lament the demise of my New York Giants. That was thanks in large part to Doug Pederson&rsquo;s coaching. By the way, who the hell is Nate Sudfeld?
				If you want some expert analysis, I will give you some free of charge.
				The Saints will win because most people don&rsquo;t like Tom Brady. We respect his ability to play longer than George Blanda, but still, how can you root for this guy? The Saints, who not that long ago were known by their suffering fans as the Aints, are way overdue. And if they play the Rams, they can avenge that horrible defeat when the defensive back wiped out a Saints receiver before the ball arrived. Remember?
				The Bills will win because everybody appreciates Buffalo and how the team once managed to get to &mdash; and lose &mdash; four straight Super Bowls. Quite an accomplishment, almost.
				But the Packers always seem to find a way to lose in big games and despite frigid temperatures and maybe even snow, the Rams defense will be just too much.
				And a lot of people will be cheering for the Browns to go all the way, But Baker Mayfield may not be able to go TD for TD with Patrick Mahomes. If they do and actually defeat the Chiefs, then look out Buffalo.
				But the real joy is yet to come. My friend and Wyoming Valley native George Toma, who will turn 92 on Feb. 2, will again be in charge of field preparations for the Super Bowl.
				This will mark Toma&rsquo;s 55th straight Super Bowl &mdash; an amazing feat and one worth noting by national sports media. Do you hear me Scott Van Pelt of ESPN.
				Toma has more stories about Super Bowls than anybody. And it was nice to see his Chiefs win it all last year. Toma lives in Kansas City and was the head groundskeeper for the Chiefs and Royals for many years.
				But whatever happens, I will still watch and enjoy every game. Pandemic life leaves little to do other than watch TV at home and order take-out. That&rsquo;s why I am grateful for my recliner and microwave oven.
				And as the NFL season winds down, I look forward to baseball season and the Yankees. I can watch every pitch of a MLB game and never get bored.
				My pal, Scooter, takes Yankee rooting to a much higher level. Scooter will watch the game and then, if the Yanks lose, he will watch the replay and cheer again as if they might win this time.
				So it&rsquo;s time to make some deviled eggs, maybe a tray of lasagna and sit back and watch the action.
				But I&rsquo;m sure a good movie or a good nap may interrupt the football for a bit.
				By the way, I picked the Saints because I have Brees as my QB in our fantasy playoff league. So as Brees and the Saints go, same with my team.
				Now you know.

Beyond the Byline: Of Saints, deviled eggs and a good nap