NFL Playoff Preview
By Jerry DiPaola

Admit it.

The Steelers are out of it, but you still do care about the NFL playoffs, a month-long journey that rewards the winner with one of the grandest trophies in all of sports - the Vince Lombardi Trophy that goes to the Super Bowl winner.

It looks to be a more competitive and unpredictable tournament than in recent seasons, although who could have seen the Steelers taking five losses into the postseason last year, going on the road for all four games and still winning it all?

This season, there is no clear favorite in the NFC, with the Bears carrying the No. 1 seed, homefield advantage, a quarterback named Rex Grossman, who is due to seriously implode any day now, and an injured defense that allowed 27, 31 and 21 points to the Rams, Buccaneers and Lions in December.

The AFC has, arguably, the three best teams in the NFL - the Chargers, Ravens and Patriots. Luck, good health and the team that steps up at the right time and makes the big plays will decide the AFC representative in the Super Bowl.

Here are five questions that will be on every NFL fan's lips this month:

1. Will Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer finally shed the tag of regular-season winner/postseason loser?

Schottenheimer has been coaching in the NFL for 20 seasons, with about 200 victories, 14 winning seasons, eight first-place finishes and no Super Bowls - not even an appearance. This year's Chargers team appears to be one of his best ever, with All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson and linebacker Shawne Merriman, who has 25 1/2 sacks the past two seasons and shares the NFL lead this year with Aaron Kampman of the Packers (15 1/2).

Still, first-year starting quarterback Phillip Rivers may not be equipped with enough experience to lead the Chargers through the Ravens-Patriots-Colts minefield.

2. Will Peyton Manning, the premier quarterback in the NFL, finally get to a Super Bowl, or will that soft Colts run defense prove too much for even him to overcome?

Remember when people were talking about the Colts going 16-0? They lost four games in six tries after starting the season 9-0, and the inability to stop the other team's running game has been the chief reason. Ron Dayne? Give me a break. If he can run for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Texans, how ugly will it get when the Colts try to stop Tomlinson, Corey Dillon, Laurence Maroney or Jamal Lewis?

Sorry, Peyton. Just think how much you will appreciate the Super Bowl when you finally get there.

But I'll make this concession: The Colts' playoff game will among the most exciting of the tournament, with both teams marching up and down the field, largely at will, and the outcome probably decided by a late field-goal attempt - just like the Steelers' victory in Indianapolis' RCA Dome last January.

3. Will Terrell Owens ruin Bill Parcells' playoff enjoyment in Dallas?

Even though the playoffs haven't started yet, it's safe to assume that Parcells probably wouldn't mind entering the tournament with another guy catching passes from Tony Romo than the selfish Owens.

Owens is 12th in the NFL with 79 receptions for 1,063 yards, but he drops too many passes and complains far too much for the sake of team harmony. The Cowboys have enough problems, with the overrated Romo and the holes in their secondary to have to worry about what Owens will say next when reporters from all over the country descend upon the Cowboys locker room before the first playoff game.

His talent assures him of a place on some team for a long time to come, but if he ever gets back to the Super Bowl without a teammate strangling him, many people around the league will be surprised.

4. Are the Ravens the most complete team in the playoffs?

Yes, yes, decidedly yes. Maybe it's just the way they dominated the helpless Steelers in two games, but the Ravens seemingly can do it all. The defense attacked from all angles and turned a Super Bowl-winning quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) into a quivering mass of self-doubt. It's big, quick, mean and experienced.

Quarterback Steve McNair knows how to manage a game, he's played in and nearly won a Super Bowl with Tennessee and Jamal Lewis still runs hard after all of his problems.

Coach Brian Billick has pushed every right button since firing offensive coordinator Jim Fassel at midseason, and top pass catchers Mark Clayton and Todd Heap (133 catches, 14 touchdowns) are as accomplished as any pair in the league.

5. Are the Bears overrated?

The Bears came upon their 13-2 record through 15 games honestly -- by playing smart football, strong defense and not letting Grossman get too carried away and start believing his early-season press clippings.

The defense in Chicago is good, but certainly not like the early Monsters of the Midway or the 1985 Mike Ditka team. The secondary gives up too many big plays and offense won't be good enough in the postseason to compensate. Compiling a 13-2 record in the weak NFC isn't the same as winning three consecutive playoff games, which is what the Bears must do to win the Super Bowl in Miami next month.

Give Lovie Smith credit for earning the No. 1 seed, if nothing else.

Jerry DiPaola is an assistant editor at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.