Random NFL Thoughts: Conference Championship Weekend

Wow!  What a couple of great games we got to see yesterday!  The games didn’t go quite the way I envisioned them, but I still made good on both of my picks and we now await a Superbowl 42 rematch between the Patriots and Giants.

• It’s amazing that just a year or so ago that many media pundits had Tom Coughlin on the hot-seat.  He has the Giants heading to their fifth Superbowl and second during his tenure as the Giants head coach.
• Tom Brady’s leap over the line-of-scrimmage for the go-ahead touchdown proves how hungry he is to win another Superbowl.
• The Patriots have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball if they’re to win they’re fourth Superbowl.  The Ravens moved the ball at will yesterday and the Giants offense is exponentially more potent.
• The Giants are lucky to be Superbowl bound.  If not for two inexcusable turnovers by the Niner’s back-up punt returner yesterday, they would be watching the Superbowl from home.
• The Niner’s defense was just sick yesterday.  The suffocated the Giants offense yesterday.  The Giants had only one good drive and moved the ball sporadically in the first half, but could not do anything in the second half.  Manning was sacked 6 times and hit quite a bit more.  Their running game was nonexistent.
• That Patriots are lucky to be in the Superbowl, as well.  If that Lee Evans non-touchdown catch would have been reviewed it could have been ruled a touchdown.  The ball being smacked out of his hands and his second foot coming down seemed to happen simultaneously.  The NFL has since said that the play was called correctly, but it should have been reviewed.
• The Niners think they were hosed on the Ahmad Bradshaw non-fumble call.  As I was rooting for the Giants to preserve a perfect prognostication record for this weekend, I really didn’t care.  The refs actually called the play correctly, but this rule needs to be changed.  Forward progress should be granted for when a tackle is initiated, but forward progress shouldn’t stop a play if the ball-carrier is still fighting for yards, whether he’s moving forward or not.  Bradshaw was still fighting for yards and, ideally, that should be a fumble.
• Brian Schottenheimer has been hired as the offensive coordinator for the Rams, and he’ll presumably take his inept offense with him.  At least he has a chance to prove that it was Mark Sanchez that sucked and not him.
• Congratulations to Joe Philbin, former offensive coordinator of the Packers, on being hired as the new head coach of the Dolphins.
• Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Indianapolis are still looking.  Tampa Bay came close to signing Chip Kelly last night, but he backed out.  There are rumors the Colts are looking at Jim Tressel.  Interesting.
• In an interview right after yesterday’s loss, Ray Lewis vowed to be back next year.  Ugh.  Retire already, man.  I’m tired of listening to you talk.
• Eli Manning has a chance to one-up his older brother in his older brother’s house.  He has a damn good shot at doing it, too.
• The playoff overtime are idiotic.  Go back to sudden death or use the collegiate rules, but the current rules are complicated and take Ed Hochuli way too long to explain.

Conference Championship weekend picks

We have finally arrived at the Conference Championship weekend.  Four teams will slug it out this Sunday for the right to play in the Superbowl.  Both games promise to be extremely hard-fought, entertaining games.

Baltimore Ravens vs New England Patriots:  This game pits one of the league’s best offenses in the game against one of the league’s best defenses.  The Ravens will have their hands full trying to cover Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker, and Deion Branch.  And even if they do somehow manage to accomplish to cover all four on a given play there’s still Julian Edelman and Ocho Dinko to think about.

The Pats defense hasn’t been great this year, but they’ve been getting better in recent weeks while the Ravens offense has been getting increasingly stagnant.  When people on the defense (Ed Reed) start calling out their quarterback (Joe “worst looking fu manchu ever” Flacco) then you know you’ve got problems.

I still think this will be a close game, but I don’t think the Ravens have what it takes.  Tom Brady is more determined now than he was before he’d ever won a Superbowl and I think he’ll get another shot.  Pats win.

New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers: This game is going to be a slugfest.  These are both physical teams.  These two teams played during the regular season in San Francisco with the Niners winning 27-20.  The Giants, however, are playing at a much higher level than they were at that time.  Their defense specifically.  Eli Manning and his group of his receivers have been playing some great ball.

Alex Smith and the Niners played a hell of a game last week, but it was against a fairly weak defensive team.  The Giants are probably the most balanced team left in contention as far as all three phases of the game.  I just don’t see the Niners making much hay against the Giants defense.  The Giants offense will have its hands full with the Niners excellent defense, but in the end they’ll be able to score enough to win.  Giants win.

Behold!  I predict a Superbowl rematch between the Patriots and Giants.

Random NFL Thoughts: Divisional Round

Well, I went 3-1 again this weekend.  Going into Sunday night’s game I thought I would go 4-0.  I still don’t think the Packers have showed up for that game.

• First and foremost, my condolences go out to Joe Philbin and his family.  If you have not yet heard, the son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin was found dead last week.  I cannot possibly fathom what he must be going through currently.
• The Saints/Niners game was epic.  Four lead changes in the last 4 minutes?  That’s great football.  Personally, I didn’t think the Niners would be able to put another game winning drive together after doing it once already, but “The Catch III” has made this game an instant classic.
• Alex Smith finally looked like the first-round pick that he was.  Of course, with the Saints blitzing every play and leaving all of the Niners’ receivers in one-on-one coverage didn’t help their cause either.
• As expected, the Patriots throttled the Broncos.  Teebow looked awful as did the Broncos defense.
• Brady added another passing record to his resume: 5 TD’s in one half of a playoff game.  He threw 6 total, tying a post-season record.  Rob Gronkowski caught three of the touchdowns begging the question:  Is anyone ever going to try to cover this guy?
• The Ravens/Texans game was a defensive slugging match, as I thought it would be.  The Ravens defense forced rookie QB TJ Yates into throwing 3 picks, which ultimately cost the Texans the game.  Arian Foster churned out 132 yards on the ground, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the turnovers, the most costly of which was Jacoby Jones muffing a punt he shouldn’t have even tried to field.  The Ravens recovered in the red-zone.
• The Giants/Packers game was just embarrassing for the Packers.  Their offense looked the worst at has all season, and neither I, not anyone else, saw that coming.  I figured to see a shoot-out, not a blow-out.  Perhaps the death of Joe Philbin’s son was more of a distraction than they could handle.
• Jeff Fisher is now the head coach of the St. Louis Rams.  Fisher will have plenty to work with on offense, but will need a complete overhaul on the defensive side of the ball.
• Greg Williams has reportedly accepted the defensive coordinator position, which I find to be a questionable move.  William’s blitz-happy defense in New Orleans hasn’t been all that productive the last couple of years.
• It looks like either Hue Jackson or Brian Schottenheimer will be Fisher’s offensive coordinator.  This should be a no-brainer.  Schottenheimer’s offense in New York the last couple of years has been horrid.  Go with Hue.
• Mike Zimmer is in contention for a couple of head coaching jobs:  Miami and Tampa Bay.  While I’d hate to see him go, he deserves a shot.  Ideally (in my world, anyway) he’d get the head coaching job in Cincinnati after Marvin is relieved of his duties.
• Per this article, the Chiefs are electronically spying on their employees.  I really don’t know what purpose this serves if true.

 

Divisional Round Predictions

Last week’s picks went so well that I thought I’d try this prognostication thing again.  I went 3-1 last week, and really, who didn’t pick the Steelers to beat the Broncos?  Even the Broncos were surprised they won.

Denver Broncos vs New England Patriots:  This is the game that everyone is talking about.  Why? Well, because of Tim Tebow.  Why is everyone talking about Tim Tebow?  I have no frickin’ clue.  He’s a mediocre quarterback who happens to be a phenomenal leader.  Every win the Broncos have had this season has been a team win, but to hear the media tell it Tebow’s doing it all by himself.  Maybe he’ll walk on water at halftime.

Anyhow, as to the game, I’m going with New England in this one.  These two teams played in the regular season with New England beating the Broncos pretty soundly.  And that was in Denver.  This time they will be playing in Foxboro.  The Broncos will still be without Brian Dawkins (and their long snapper for some reason), and their defense just hasn’t been the same since he’s been out of the line up.  I see the Pats putting up a 40-burger on the Broncos in what will be the biggest blow-out this weekend.

Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens:  This is going to be an ugly game.  Two pretty exceptional defenses against a couple of average offenses.  If the Texans had Matt Schaub in the lineup I would definitely be going with the Texans here, but they don’t so I won’t.

The Baltimore defense will force rookie TJ Yates into making some rookie mistakes while holding the Texans’ premier running attack in check.  The Baltimore offense will score just enough to win.  Anquan Boldin will be back and that should help boost a Ravens offense that has been lacking some punch lately.  Ravens win a low scoring game.

New York Giants vs Green Bay Packers: While the NE/Denver game gets all the attention, this is the game I think will be the most exciting to watch this weekend.  I expect a shoot out again between these two teams.  And though I like the Giants’ confidence going into this game, you just can’t stop the Packers at home.  Green Bay wins.

New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers:  The Saints are favored to win this game, and it’s not hard to understand why.  They arguably have the most potent offense in the league.  They have a vicious three-back rotation featuring very productive backs.  The passing game features Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Lance Moore (who may not play), Devery Henderson, and Robert Meacham.  Plus Darren Sproles coming out of the backfield.  There are a ton of weapons on the Saints offense.  The 49ers, however, have a good enough defense to stop them.  Or at least contain them.  The Saints offense scores about 13 fewer points a game on grass than on turf, and they will be playing in the Niners backyard.  The Niners offense isn’t explosive, but they can put some points on the board.  And they can control the clock.

Having said all of that, I think the………..Niners will win.  I’m going with the upset here.  I think the fans will be loud enough to distract the Saints offense.  The Saints don’t really have much of a defense.  They put 11 guys out there every play, but they play like there’s only 5 out there.  The Niners will win the time of possession and keep Brees sitting on the bench most of the game.

That’s what I see while gazing into the crystal ball.  What do you see?

Will the Packers run the table?

At 9-0, the Packers are the lone unbeaten team in the NFL currently.  So can they finish what they started?  Can they succeed where the 2007 Patriots failed?

I think they will.  If you look at their remaining schedule, the Packers don’t have many tough games left on it.  They still have to play the Bucs, Lions (twice), Bears, Giants, Raiders, and Chiefs.  They should easily win each one of those games. The Bucs are just not that good this year, the Lions are falling apart, the Bears just don’t match up with them, and the Raiders aren’t good enough.

The only games where they might have trouble are at the Chiefs and Giants.  The Giants have a high-powered offense of their own, but it’s prone to the occasional mistake.  Plus, the game is in New York.  You may laugh at the fact that I said the Chiefs may be a tough game for them, but it’s ALWAYS hard to get a win in Kansas City no matter how bad that team is.

Ultimately, I think that the Packers win every game they play this year.  No team can match what they do on offense and their defense, while not great, isn’t a push over either.  BJ Raji, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and company lead a pretty damn good defense.

Currently, it looks like a team that could give them trouble in the playoffs is the 49ers.  They are playing great football this year.  Gore is running wild and Alex Smith is finally living up to his first-round status.  The San Francisco defense is playing extremely well.  That will be a helluva game to watch if it comes to fruition.

As far as the Superbowl, I just don’t see anyone in the AFC that can stop them, either.  The Patriots aren’t as good this year as they normally are.  The Steelers couldn’t stop them last year, and they’ve regressed as a team this year, though they are still good.  The Ravens are too inconsistent.  Those three teams are the class of the AFC right now.

I’m calling it now.  As long as Rodgers is healthy, the Packers go 19-0 this year and repeat as Superbowl champions.  Do you think they will do it?  Why or why not?

Stadium Violence

By now, everyone has heard about the San Francisco Giants fan who was beaten outside Dodger Stadium on opening night. He was in the ICU in a coma for a while, but from what I’ve read, he’s awake now and regaining the use of his extremities. While that event was tragic, it seemed to be an isolated incident…. until yesterday.

There were two different instances of violence last night at the football game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. One man, during the game, was beaten in the bathroom and left with what they are calling life threatening injuries. After the game, two men were shot in the parking lot. One of the men was apparently wearing a shirt that read “Fuck the 49ers”. One of them is in critical condition while the other has “less severe injuries”.

I just don’t get it. I love going to sporting events (when I can afford it), but I have never thought about beating or shooting somebody for rooting for the other team. That’s just idiotic. To me, the only reason to shoot somebody is because they’re attacking me or my loved ones. That’s it. I love my teams, but I would never beat anyone who rooted against them. To do so is ridiculously stupid.

The people who perpetrated theses acts are an embarrassment to all sports fans everywhere and I hope that California throws the book at these jackasses.

T.O. the sitcom?

Apparently, Terrell Owens is pitching a sitcom, to whoever will listen, that will be “loosely” based on his life.  So who wants to watch a show about a has-been NFL player with four kids and three different baby-mommas?  Next question…

Not only is TO pitching this idea, he also wants to star in it.  Sorry TO, but if you can’t cut it on a reality show, you definitely won’t make it on a sitcom.  TO seems to think that if he works hard he’ll be a good actor, but he fails to realize that talent is also needed.  His crying about Tony Romo aside, he doesn’t have any acting talent. I mean, I could work harder than anyone in the NFL, but I’d never make a good football player because I’m short, white, and not talented enough.

Here’s hoping no one picks this one up. I’ve had all the popcorn I can take.

Is TO a Hall-of-Famer?

With news coming out in the last few days that TO (Terrell Owens) somehow tore and ACL while filming his reality show, people are assuming he’ll retire considering his 38th birthday is coming up.

Since that news broke, I’ve seen many articles questioning whether TO is Hall of Fame worthy.  The consensus among all of the articles I’ve read was, based on his career statistics, that he’s not only Hall of Fame worthy, but a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. 

I disagree entirely.  Not only do I think he won’t be in on the first ballot, I don’t think he’ll get in at all.  There are currently many receivers with a pedigree equal to Owens’.  Chris Carter, Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Irving Fryar, and Henry Ellard are receivers currently eligible for the Hall, but, for some reason, have not gotten in.  Sure, Owens has more touchdowns than all of those receivers, but all other statistics are comparable.  Wide receivers are also the least represented position in the Hall.

Unfortunately for Owens, it takes more than good stats to get into the Hall.  One of the biggest considerations for voters is Superbowl rings, of which, Owens has none.  He made the Superbowl only once, with the Eagles.  Furthermore, his locker room presence was generally detrimental to every team he was on.  His consistent clamoring for the ball aside, Owen’s was a divisive force by (in San Francisco) calling his quarterback (Jeff Garcia) gay, publicly holding out in 2005 only one year after signing a 7 year deal with the Eagles, accusing Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo of purposefully not throwing him the ball (he reportedly slapped Romo in an argument), and publicly condemning the entirety of the Cincinnati Bengals (who hasn’t?) organization.

In addition, when the 49ers traded Owens to the Ravens in 2004, he refused to play for the team forcing the NFLPA and an arbitrator to get involved in the dispute.  He insinuated in an interview after his release from the Eagles that Donovan McNabb choked in the Superbowl, throwing up in the huddle while the Eagles were trying to drive down the field for a winning score.  He also called the Eagles a “classless’ organization for not recognizing and celebrating his 100th career touchdown reception.

Owens has had a stellar career statistically, and were it not for all of the off-the-field/in-the-locker room incidents he’d be a surefire Hall-of-Famer.  However, all the controversial and divisive actions should not be celebrated or memorialized.  TO was a dominate player, but not a Hall-of-Famer.