With week 17 approaching like a scud missile that has been sent to destroy all sense of enjoyment in our lives, the NFL regular season is nearly over. If you're anything like us here at Pickwatch, this is the annual bittersweet moment when you find yourself consuming every game - even the meaningless, terrible ones featuring the Bills - like they're the last drops of water as you cross the parched desert that is the NFL offseason. Oh sure, people talk about the draft, or free agency, but it doesn't replace the sheer joy that comes from watching overgrown men pummel one another does it?

Pickwatch, however, doesn't end with the regular season. Just like last year, we'll have a separate playoff league where all of the experts are set at zero. That means we've got you covered for all of your playoff picks. We'll take this opportunity to try and bring you Against the Spread playoff picks, even if the board is less than complete. One of the reasons ATS has yet to feature is simply that not enough experts pick the same games, however during the playoffs this should not be an issue as most ATS experts will pick all games. The foundations have been laid for ATS pick comparisons next year, we're just awaiting final confirmation of the new site's framework before we start trying to shoehorn it in this season.

Finally - and I don't want to get too gushy here - thank you. This site is a constant work in progress and we have so much more to bring you next year, but we really appreciate the amount of people who visit and spend time reading our hard work on a regular basis. We didn't expect the site to have what amounts to a Josh Gordon-esque breakout season, but of course I'm glad that it did. Everything we do is geared towards making the site bigger and better, while retaining the independent ethos that sets us apart from everyone else.

Next year's Pickwatch will be - I hope - an indispensable tool to all of you out there who pick games. The new features we have planned will expand on the existing stats, fix the little gripes (Most recent comments first!) we all have and also add a bit of competition for you, the reader. We don't want to give too much away just yet, but we're confident that next year Pickwatch will simply be the first and last place to look each week, with more detailed previews, stats and trends to help you make your call.

We're really excited about the future of Pickwatch, but for now, just remember that we'll continue to track all of the experts throughout the NFL playoffs, right through to the Super Bowl. There'll also be a review of all of 2013 in a bit more detail in February.

Week 17's picks will be up later in the week due to Christmas. Bear with us over the holiday period as not only will we be busy, but many of the experts may also not pick until later in the week. Based on last year, normal service will be resumed by Friday at the latest. We'll still have the picks up, but updates will be less frequent than they have been throughout the year so far.

Thanks again for a brilliant season so far and enjoy your Christmas, whatever or however you choose to celebrate it.

Shaun