FanHouse BehindEnemyLines

As we get ready for the Wildcard Weekend matchup of the Vikings and Eagles, Dan Zinksi from The Viking Age and Derek from Iggles Blog were nice enough to offer some insights on their teams for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Sportz Assassin: How do both of you feel about how your teams are playing heading into the playoffs?

Dan Zinksi (Viking Age): I would've been happier if the Vikes hadn't needed a 10-point comeback against the Giants' second-stringers to win their last game. I think they're shaky. I think Tarvaris Jackson's performance was a bit of a mirage, since a lot of it came against some bad pass defenses. I get nervous every time Adrian Peterson touches the ball now, because he keeps fumbling. I don't think they're exactly going into the playoffs with momentum.

Derek (Iggles Blog): I'd feel a lot better if the Eagles had won that "must win" game against the Redskins two weeks ago. These guys are clearly playing some good football right now, but I still think they're short a couple of guys needed to make a Super Bowl run.

As we get ready for the Wild Card Weekend matchup of the Dolphins and Ravens, Brian Miller from PhinPhanatic and Tony Lombardi from ProFootball24x7 were nice enough to offer some insights on their teams for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Sportz Assassin: How do both of you feel about how your teams are playing heading into the playoffs?

Brian Miller (PhinPhanatic): I like the fact that no one is giving us any real credit for getting there. Jim Mora says on air that the best AFC East team is New England and there has been little "props" for winning the division as most of the kudos surrounds simply the turnaround. The Ravens are three-point favorites in this game and the Phins are getting tired of feeling second rate.

Tony Lombardi (ProFootball24x7): The Ravens are really beginning to gel in Cam Cameron's offense and now they are getting contributions from Mark Clayton and Willis McGahee. Joe Flacco has come on strong since the last meeting with the Dolphins and has the third highest road QB rating among NFL quarterbacks. And of course the team's defense is always dependable. The Ravens could be a dangerous post season participant.

As we get ready for another huge NFC East matchup between the Giants and Eagles, Derek from the Iggles Blog was nice enough to offer some insights on the Eagles for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

This is a huge game. A Giants win puts some separation between them and the rest of the division. An Eagles win put them, along with the Redskins, just a game back of New York.

As we get ready for this week's matchup between the Giants and Steelers, I exchanged e-mails with bloggers Ed Valentine from Big Blue View and Donald Starver from Steelers Today. Ed and Donald were nice enough to offer some insights on both teams for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Not only is this a huge game this week, but it pits two very similar teams. Both have recently won championships, both start quarterbacks drafted in 2004 and both are good enough to meet again in the Super Bowl. This is also their 75th meeting.

Sportz Assassin: I feel that these are the top two teams in each conference (sorry Tennessee). How important is this game to your team?

Ed Valentine: This game is not make-or-break for the Giants. It is important for the Giants to play well, though, as the Steelers are the best team the Giants have faced so far. A victory would go a long way toward making people believe the Giants have a shot at making another deep playoff run. I'm dying to see if New York can run the ball on Pittsburgh's defense.

Donald Starver: This game is very important for the Steelers. Not only are they facing the reigning world champs, but they're also facing an opponent that is almost a mirror image of the Steelers.

As we get ready for this week's huge matchup between the Eagles and Redskins, I exchanged e-mails with Derek from the Iggles Blog. Derek was nice enough to offer some insights on the Eagles for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Sportz Assassin: Another week, another big NFC East battle. Your Eagles are 2-2, which means they've shown you some really good things and some stuff that wasn't so good. Assess where you think Philly is at right now.

Derek: Exactly where we thought they'd be before the season, except switch the results against Pittsburgh and Chicago. Philly is a maturing team with a lot of developing talent. The two problems last week were that too many players were hurt and sometimes "maturing" can also mean "young and untested."

Assuming a few important players can get and stay healthy, this still looks like a team that's going to be in the mix come playoff time. It's just that expectations for immediate awesomeness – rather than season-long improvement – got a little high after the first three games.

Sportz: I noticed on your blog that some questionable coaching decisions may have contributed to the loss to the Bears. How are Andy Reid and his staff regarded among Eagle fans?

As we get ready for week one matchup of the Bengals and Browns, Ace Davis from his own Ace Davis Cleveland Browns Blog was nice enough to offer some insights on the Browns for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Sportz Assassin: The Battle Of Ohio. Can we still say "throw the records out the window when these two get together?"

Ace Davis: Definitely. Several of the most entertaining games in Browns history have been against the Bengals, whatever their records at the time. The Browns have deep-seated rivalries against each of the teams in their division, and whenever Paul Brown's two babies do battle, there's a special energy in the air.

Sportz: The Browns offense has looked horrible thus far. Is it the underachieving offense line, injuries to Braylon Edwards or is it mainly Derek Anderson's fault.

Ace: It's been a team-wide disappointment, but no doubt Big Three is rattled and way off his game. The Donte Stallworth leg injury that came up just before the Dallas opener and has now kept him out of three games has had a cascading effect on this unit. Without that viable deep threat to complement Edwards, Winslow and Lewis, defenses have keyed on the remaining playmakers and jammed the line. The Browns have been slow to adjust.

Sportz: How short of a leash do you think Anderson will be on.

Ace: As I write this, he hasn't even been confirmed as Sunday's starter. Even if he does start, I doubt that the Browns will let him lose this game. If he's not sharp, the Brady Quinn era will begin, midgame if necessary.

Sportz: Here in Cincinnati, fans are looking forward to playing the 0-3 Browns and (maybe) finally getting into the win column. Is the feeling mutual up in Cleveland?

As we get ready for this week's huge matchup between the Packers and Cowboys, I exchanged e-mails with Rick Stratton from The Packer Backer Blog. Rick was nice enough to offer some insights on Green Bay for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

Sportz Assassin: How impressed are you with Aaron Rodgers, thus far ... and do you think he can get Green Bay to the Super Bowl this year?

Rick Stratton: Everyone here is pleasantly surprised with Aaron's near-perfect play. Even the most die-hard Favre fans are happy with him. I think folks are starting to see why the Packers wouldn't take Brett back so quickly. However, we are all worried about an injury. Our backups are rookies.

Sportz: The defense has played pretty well ... but has had its lapses. Is that something that you're a bit concerned about?

As we get ready for week one matchup of the Cowboys and Panthers, I exchanged e-mails with Jeff from DaBearsBlog. Jeff was nice enough to offer some insights on Chicago for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.

As we get ready for the week two matchup of the Titans and Bengals, Jimmy Morris from SB Nation's Tennessee Titans blog Music CIty Miracles was kind enough to offer some insights on Nashville's finest for this week's Behind Enemy Lines feature.