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Category Archives: NFL Playoffs

The Road to Super Bowl XLVI

23 Jan

AFC Championship Game Recap – Patriots 23, Ravens 20

What a game! I thought for a minute that it would be extended into overtime. How does a kicker miss a 32 yard chip shot? Even though he blew it for the Ravens to head into overtime, they had 3 straight drives at the end of that game. Three chances to get into the endzone, or at the very least get a field goal to tie it up. The Ravens have no one to blame but themselves. You pick Tom Brady off 2 times in 1 game and can’t win? The defense didn’t play great, but played well enough to have won.

My analysis on Joe Flacco is pretty positive. He started off horribly but turned it around quickly and it looked like a man growing into an elite QB in this league. Outside of a really bad interception, he really played well. 22/36 306 yds. 2 td 1 int. A solid day for Flacco, but there’s one problem. They did not finish the way a championship level team does. This is the difference between the Ravens and the upper-crust of the NFL. The Patriots, though playing very subpar, showed why they are going to their 5th Super Bowl in 11 years. Just think about that…5 Super Bowls in just 11 years. Only the ’70′s Dallas Cowboys went to as many in fewer years, going to 5 in 9 years. Of course, the Patriots have already won more than those Cowboys did. The Patriots have, so far, won 3 Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX) while losing 1 (XLII), while the Cowboys won 2 (VI, XII) and lost 3 (V, X, XIII). So, even if you’re rooting against the Patriots on Sunday, February 5th, at least respect what they have done for the past decade and a year. Tom Brady will have a chance to tie both Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana at the top with 4 Super Bowl titles each as starting QB’s. But, back to Joe Flacco. I think Baltimore will go into next year pretty solidly behind Joe Flacco. He showed that, while he does have some more room to grow, he is very capable of becoming an elite QB. I really think Tom Brady dodged a bullet, here. If the Ravens had taken care of business, I think it would diminish (very slightly) his resume. It wouldn’t take away from his Hall-of-Fame career but it would definitely get the media (basically ESPN) to stop acting like he’s invincible.

The Patriots will now move on to their 7th Super Bowl overall (only 1 short of a tie for most Super Bowl appearances by a team at 8 with Dallas and Pittsburgh). The Patriots, in addition to those mentioned above, lost in 1985 – Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears and in 1996 – Super Bowl XXXI to the Green Bay Packers. And now to wrap up this recap. Since, the school year is back in session I will give out my grades for each team. First the losing side. The Ravens offense receives a C+, defense receives a B+ (graded up for the 3 turnovers they caused) and the special teams a D. And now for the victors. The Patriots offense receives a B-, the defense receives a B- and the special teams an A+.

NFC Championship Game Recap – Giants 20, 49ers 17 OT

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, in comes the NFC Championship Game. A game that was so good it just had to go into extra time. What was even better was that, just like Baltimore had a 32 yard field goal to send it into overtime, the Giants had a 31 yard field goal to win the game in OT. The difference? The Giants made their kick. But,this game was a defensive struggle throughout. I have to say, as big as Eli Manning came through, he had many passes that should have been picked off. Many of those passes where you thought Eli was trying too hard to make something happen. But, I guess that’s what happens when you throw the ball 58 times (which is one thing that disgusts me about pro football these days). On the other side of the field Alex Smith didn’t have the numbers and definitely looks like the lesser of the two quarterbacks, but he had a nice game too. He did have way too many throws at the feet of his receivers, but most of those were when he was rolling out (which is not the type of QB he is). But you definitely felt that these two teams deserved to be here and deserved a shot at the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. But it was the Giants who took advantage of it and will be playing in a rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

The real stars of this game were the defenses. Both defenses were in the faces of each quarterback all night long. The Giants didn’t shut the run game down like the 49ers did, but they definitely managed it. Outside of Vernon Davis’ 2 TD’s, the Giants D really showed up and has had a nice hot streak now. They made Alex Smith do what he just cannot do and that is throw on the run. A great game with a great ending.

I mentioned the defenses as the stars of the night, but there was one player that towered over everybody (including everyone in the AFC Championship Game too) and that was Victor Cruz. WOW! He had 115 yards before halftime. He ended with 142 yards on 10 receptions. The only thing the man didn’t do was score a touchdown, but in this defensive game it can’t be that big of a negative. I have to admit, with every Victor Cruz catch while Carlos Rogers “tried” to cover him (while looking like he truly wanted/needed help). After seeing Rogers finally learn how to catch a ball (seriously, why couldn’t he had caught JUST ONE FREAKING INT in DC?) it was with great pleasure I saw him get carved up.

Oh, yeah before I get to the grades I just have one observation. I know most of you guys won’t care about this and will probably laugh, but I thought it was kind of weird. I don’t have any photo showing it, but I noticed that what was supposed to be the NFC Championship logo (click here to see what it’s supposed to look like) became the NFL Championship. Instead of the NFC logo in the middle, they put the NFL logo. So, are they saying the true NFL Championship is between San Fran and New York? Are we going back to pre-merger days? Maybe, New England should have put the old AFL logo (or this one) in the middle of their Championship logo. Just an observation. Now for the grades. For the losing side, San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers offense receives a B, defense receives an A- and special teams a C (sorry, but I have to grade them down for that last fumble that set up the game winning field goal). For the victors, the New York Giants offense receives a B+, the defense receives an A and the special teams receive an A.

The New York Football Giants will be going back to the Super Bowl for the 2nd time in 5 years. The Giants will be making their 5th trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history. They have won 3 times (XXI, XXV, XLII) and have lost once (XXXV). Oh, and one last word to all of you Giants fans. You don’t deserve a great head coach that is Tom Coughlin but feel lucky you have him. Are you going to try and get him fired next year if you begin the season 0-3? Congrats Coughlin, if you win one more I think it’s a slam dunk into Canton for you! And you do deserve that trip, sir.

Yesterday, I posted a little request at the end of the post to pray for Joe Paterno and his family. Well, just hours after that posted we all got word that Joe Paterno had passed away. Please, continue to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers and (I should have mentioned this yesterday, too) keep those boys who Jerry Sandusky preyed upon and their families in your thoughts and prayers as they have to continue to live with the evil that happened to them.

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2012 in AFC, AFC Championship Game, AFL, Alex Smith, Baltimore Ravens, Carlos Rogers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Joe Flacco, Joe Montana, Joe Paterno, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC, NFC Championship Game, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl, Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Tom Coughlin, Vernon Davis, Victor Cruz

 

A disturbing trend, Part 1.

20 Jan

We all want our teams to win and we want them to win now! Is that so hard for our teams to get? Is it a bad thing to demand this? Well, there is a disturbing trend that is creeping up right now and it’s time to expose it and hopefully end it. There are two sides to this story. Each side is as much alike as they are different. Let’s look at the first one today and the second tomorrow.

First, let’s tackle what has taken place up in the Big Apple. Tom Coughlin came into New York,or should we say New Jersey, in 2004. Jim Fassel had just finished his franchise-killing 7th year. Coughlin turned a 4-win team in 2003 to an 11-win playoff team in 2005. He took the G-men to the playoffs in 4 straight years from 2005 to 2008. And yet, the whole time all we heard was “is this Coughlin’s last year?” “Coughlin has to be fired”. In 2007, Coughlin led the Giants through a remarkable playoff run and capped it off with a 17-14 Super Bowl XLII win over the 18-0 New England Patriots. Even with all of that, even with 65 wins in the 7 years leading up to this year there was nothing but talk about firing Coughlin. It was like New York had no clue as to what they had. Thankfully, the Giants made the playoffs this year despite the massive list of injuries they had all year long, despite the constant call for his firing and despite waiting until the last couple of weeks to start turning into what they could have been all year. I never doubted Tom Coughlin’s skill. Since the day they won Super Bowl XLII, I said that Coughlin was a Hall-of-Famer. The one I doubted was Eli Manning and I think the up and down play of the past few years could be contributed to Manning. Enter 2011 and Eli had his coming out party. He is the reason the Giants had 9 wins instead of 9+ losses. He put this injury-riddled team on his back all year long. But what has bothered me is the lack of respect given to a man that has made your team a consistent winner. Like I said the other day, I was watching the Giants and Packers in their playoff game last week and thought how nice it must be to have your team in the playoffs (or fighting for it) every year. Do Giants fans now get what they have? Or will the call for blood the next time they go on a 3-4 game losing streak? No one can win the Super Bowl every year, no one can win the division every year and no one can make the playoffs every year. Coughlin has done nothing but win since the beginning, he immediately transformed the Jacksonville Jaguars from start-up franchise to 2-time AFC Championship runners-up. What was his reward? Fired after their window ended without a Super Bowl. Coughlin turns a Giants franchise that had been ridden into the ground and has turned them into the 2007 World Campions, 2-time NFC East champions and now have another chance for a 2nd NFC title and maybe another world title. What is his reward? Well, I hope it’s the respect and credit that is due. New York…sit down, shut up and enjoy a Hall-of-Fame coach that walks your sidelines. It took your team 14 years to go find another one…it might be awhile before you have it this good again!

 
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Posted by on January 20, 2012 in Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFC Championship Game, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl XLII, Tom Coughlin

 

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round, Day 2

15 Jan

2012 NFL Playoff Bracket

Wow. It was the Vernon Davis Show in San Francisco yesterday and The Bum was out in full force last night in Foxboro. The 49ers-Saints game was a classic. The score was 20-14 and within a matter of 5 minutes there was a see-saw battle until the Niners came out victorious 36-32. Great game. Not so for the night cap. Tebow wasn’t around all night but the bigger story was the Patriots defense trading uniforms and playing as Denver. New England busted out of the gates and never looked back, on their way to a 45-10 blowout. Hopefully, both of today’s games resemble more of the first than the latter of last night’s games. Here are the match-ups.

Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 on CBS - We all know the phrase “any given Sunday”. Well, this is the exception to the rule. Houston has a rookie quarterback in TJ Yates who is coming into the lion’s den. You know Ray Lewis and Co. are chomping at the bit to get a hold of him. Yes, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels will make life a little easier for the Tar Heel but mark it down, the rookie will struggle big time. This is a big boy defense and might be Ray Lewis’ last chance to get a second ring. Another thing playing against the Texans is that this will be Baltimore’s first home playoff game since 2006. M&T Bank Stadium is going to be rocking with a chance to see their Ravens at home in the post-season. Oh yeah, and then there is history…history is on the side of Baltimore, as the Ravens are 5-0 all-time versus the Texans. This would be a totally different game with Matt Schaub playing but he’s not. Yates has done a really good job filling in for the past 7 weeks but this will be the final stop. Don’t get me wrong, these are two of the top defenses in the league this year (Baltimore 3rd in pts. and yards allowed and Houston in 4th in pts. allowed while 2nd in yards allowed). This will be an all out defensive game…think LSU-Alabama Part I. Well, I think there will be a little more scoring, but is anyone sold on Joe Flacco? I think he’s a good quarterback but I don’t know if his ceiling goes any higher. Baltimore pulls away in the end. Ravens 21 Texans 12

New York Giants @ Green Bay Packers, 4:00 on FOX - Let’s be honest, outside of yesterday’s game in Foxboro-but only because of one man, this is the game everyone has been waiting for. This is old school football….or is it? Sure, we have seen many NY-GB games decide who wins/plays in the championship game. The names that have filled family’s living rooms, from Y.A. Tittle, Don Hutson, Sam Huff, Herb Adderley, Frank Gifford, Bart Starr to Lawrence Taylor, Brett Favre, Harry Carson and Reggie White. Heck, even Vince Lombardi was an offensive coordinator for the New York Football Giants under Jim Lee Howell (Tom Landry was the defensive coordinator…how sick is that?). And since we’re talking about coaches we can’t leave out Bill Parcells and Mike Holmgren. And who can forget legendary New York Giants’ QB Joe Pisarcik…I kid, I kid. These legends add an aura to this game that you just don’t get in many other match-ups. Can you imagine being in a bar watching the Saints-Lions and the dude sitting next to you saying, “Wow, this brings up memories of yore. Remember legends such as Billy Joe Hobert, Bobby Hebert, Scott Mitchell and Rusty Hilger.” I’d spit my beer out…probably all over his vintage 2002 Joey Harrington jersey! We’ve seen many mighty struggles between these two golden franchises. Most recently we saw Brett Favre try to take his Pack to the Super Bowl in what would not only be his last year as a Packer but what would become the Giants epic upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. But let’s get back to this game. This match-up is between Tom Coughlin and Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul and BJ Raji. I am going to pick the upset here (don’t tell my in-laws). If New York can play man-to-man, bump-and-run defense they should be able to slow Rodgers down. Green Bay is helped out by getting Greg Jennings back. But even if this game turns into a shoot-out, I think Manning can go toe-to-toe with Green Bay. No Discount Double Check for you Mr. Rodgers. Giants 34 Packers 31

So, enjoy the games today and we’ll meet back here tomorrow to talk about what went on.

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2012 in Aaron Rodgers, Alabama, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Bart Starr, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Billy Joe Hobert, BJ Raji, Bobby Hebert, Brett Favre, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Don Hutson, Eli Manning, Frank Gifford, Green Bay Packers, Greg Jennings, Harry Carson, Herb Adderley, Houston Texans, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jim Lee Howell, Joe Flacco, Joe Pisarcik, Joey Harrington, Lawrence Taylor, LSU, M&T Bank Stadium, Matt Schaub, Mike Holmgren, Mike McCarthy, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Playoffs, North Carolina, Owen Daniels, Ray Lewis, Reggie White, Rusty Hilger, Sam Huff, San Francisco 49ers, Scott Mitchell, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLII, TJ Yates, Tom Coughlin, Tom Landry, Vernon Davis, Vince Lombardi, Y.A. Tittle

 

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round, Day 1

14 Jan

NFL Playoffs bracket

Day 1 and boy, do we have some match-ups to watch today! You have high powered air attacks, a smash-mouth defense, old-school 80′s style football, a defense that a wet noodle could score on…heck we even have the option for all of you. If you’re not satisfied by that well, than you need to go talk to Mick Jagger! But the story lines don’t stop there. We have a city’s “savior”, the “next-Montana”, an archangel who can’t throw the ball but he still beats you nonetheless and we can’t forget the coach who not only beats you but afterwards slaps the crap out of you and pumps his fist in your face. Yes, and we have it all in one day!! So, let’s take a closer look at these matchups.

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:30 on FOX - Sean Payton and Drew Brees take their air show on the road. Luckily, for them and us we aren’t at the mercy of San Fran generators. On the other side we have Jim Harbaugh who has resurrected the 49ers and their QB Alex Smith. I’m not going to try and fool you into thinking Smith is a great QB. He is not. But, when he has a strong running game and a great defense the man can manage a game. Well, manage is not really giving him enough credit. Alex Smith in any other year had an outstanding year. But 3, yes THREE, QB’s threw for over 5,000 yards this year. Heck, even a rookie threw for over 4,000 yards. The Niners also have one of the best backs out there in Frank Gore. The most shocking stat is that the Saints have rushed for more yards this season than the 49ers. The Niners have more of a grind-it-out, very balanced offensive approach while the Saints are like Air Coryell on steroids. But the Saints have a running game too, they just don’t need to use it that much. On the defensive front, the 49ers are everything you want. They not only shut you down and don’t allow many yards and/or points but they also lead the league, with Green Bay, in takeaways. We all know what the Saints are on defense. Not a lot of great talent but a master-schemer in Greg Williams who loves to put pressure on you and make you turn the ball over. The only thing is, they are one of the worst defenses in takeaways. This game is really going to come down to what the 49ers do in the redzone. They are going to have to score touchdowns not settle for field goals or leave points on the board. I love the 49ers and think this is a game they can definitely win but I have to pick the Saints who I think are on a roll right now. Saints 23, 49ers 21

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots, 8:00 on CBS - In the AFC we have…well, I really don’t know what we have. Seriously, can anyone please tell me what in the world is happening in the city “high in the sky” this year? I thought the Steelers, even with all of their injuries, would never let the Broncos beat them in the playoffs (well, according to some only one man…nay, one demigod beat the Steelers). I can throw all of the stats I want at you and in the end what will it mean? Absolutely zilch! If the Patriots defense (yes, that one I said a wet noodle could score on) allows Thor Tebow to keep his team in the game late, you can guarantee we just might see another magic show happen in the end. I have to say that I would absolutely love to see the whole Broncos team Tebowing literally on top of Belicheat but I really don’t think they will win. I think this is where the T-train ends and Brady and the Patriots move on to the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots defense, well…the 11 men that just so happen to be on the field when we say “the Patriots defense” will allow the Broncos to keep up but I think the Pats are too powerful and have been here too many times to allow the Broncos to steel (ha, like that one?) this one away. But, I said that last week about the Steelers and look where we are right now! So, I will stop running my mouth (better yet, typing with my fingers) and predict the score. Patriots 24, Broncos 17

On another note, we have one of the weirdest things to come around in some time. I mean, this was pretty weird and so was this, this, this and this. But 12 years ago, did anyone ever even think that they would see this happen? I have to say I didn’t but hey, if you can’t beat them… I wonder if Fisher will get to the Super Bowl in a few years and have to give one of those “They’re celebrating right now! Look at them!” speeches to pump his team up, only to have them fall 1/2 a yard short this time. I think Jeff Fisher is a great coach and is bound to win one someday. The Rams finally have a coach that can lead them back to the promise land. But a word of the wise to you St. Louis…don’t dump Sam Bradford and go with a knucklehead like this guy. It might not work out too well.

Enjoy the games today and we will be back tomorrow to have me gloat about just how smart I am at picking NFL playoff games to preview Sunday’s match-ups.

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2012 in AFC, Alex Smith, Bill Belichick, Denver Broncos, Drew Brees, Frank Gore, Green Bay Packers, Greg Williams, Jeff Fisher, Jim Harbaugh, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sam Bradford, San Francisco 49ers, Sean Payton, St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl, Tennessee Titans, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady

 

Football, more football and…baseball??

09 Jan

We just had the second day of NFL playoffs and we have the BCS Championship Game coming up tonight. So you ask why is this guy posting about baseball in January. Well, you will just have to wait and see. On to the pigskin we go…

Well, Pittsburgh…God doesn’t much care for your Steelers. In fact he just…ok, so I kid. Really, the yolk is on me. Not even 24 hours after I ripped the Denver Tebows Broncos for no offense and slammed Tim Tebow for not being able to throw a football, the Broncos beat the Steelers 29-23. This is one week after they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 7-3. A whopping total of three points, people! Now, I know the Steelers were missing Ryan Clark, Reshard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore and Maurkice Pouncey but come on, Tebow just had a game where he went 6-22 for 60 yards. Do you know how hard that is to do? I think I can get in there and…ok, maybe not but it takes a lot of sucking to get that bad. Tebow was 10-21 for 316 yards and 2 TD’s passing and 1 TD running. But the biggest stat is 0 interceptions. I have to say when I saw Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas across the middle for an 80 yard touchdown I said to myself, “I bet they miss Ryan Clark now.” But it should have never gotten to that point. But hey, hats off to Denver for winning and to Tim Tebow for making me look like an idiot. (For the record, I still don’t buy him as a good enough QB in this league)

In the earlier game we got to see the New York Gints rip another one into the Atlanta Falcons 24-2. This is now 3 straight years where they have disappointed and lost in the 1st round. I think fate is playing a huge role with the Falcons. I mean…when you have looked like this but wear this now??? You do the math. It wouldn’t surprise me to start seeing Mike Smith’s seat getting a little warm. This has to make Tom Coughlin, who is burnt red from his seat being hot every year now, happy and probably feeling a little safer now. The game was a great one through 2 1/2 quarters but we saw again where going for it on 4th and short instead of kicking the field goal, to at least keep up, just kills a team. From there, Atlanta’s defense just couldn’t keep pace and Eli Manning, who is having his best season, and the running game of Jacobs and Bradshaw was a buzz saw on their way to a classic match-up with the Green Bay Packers. To be honest, I can see the Giants beating the Pack…heck, they almost did it back in Week 13.

So, the stage is set for the Divisional Round of this year’s NFL playoffs. On Saturday, we have Saints at 49ers and Broncos at Patriots. On Sunday, we have Texans at Ravens and Giants at Packers. Meanwhile, tonight we get to watch #1 LSU play #2 Alabama in their first meeting of the season…what was that? They’ve already played this year? Ok, we have LSU-Alabama for the second meeting for these two SEC schools this year. I have to say that after the crap we’ve seen in the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls this year, it will be refreshing to see some defense. What will be interesting is hearing the LSU and Alabama fans cheer on their teams is that if Alabama wins we might have a split National Champion with Oklahoma St. getting a nod from the AP. (And Auburn fans cry foul again!) I like LSU again in this one and think that they carry the crystal ball home to Baton Rouge, which is like 5 minutes away from the Louisiana Superdome. But, I want to hear what you guys think. Tell me first who you think will win and secondly who you want to win.

And now onto baseball. Yes, the Hall-of-Fame will be calling a few lucky chumps today to tell them they are invited into it’s hallowed halls. The 1st time players list is pretty average but there are some guys back for reconsideration that deserve to get in. All hall voters get to choose a maximum of 10 players each year. I don’t have a vote this year, although I expect to next year, but i think these next 8 guys deserve to go in with Ron Santo (elected by the Veterans Committee back on December 5th). Those lucky 8 guys are: Barry Larkin, Jack Morris, Lee Smith, Tim Raines, Fred McGriff, Alan Trammell, Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly.

There is no way anyone on God’s green Earth can explain to me why Barry Larkin was not in on his first ballot. Look up the numbers, he’s just that good. One of the best Shortstops in history. You can look at the numbers of why I chose the other players here, but I want to highlight just a couple more. Fred McGriff was never near my list until I read this (under the section titled Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy). I’m not normally persuaded by one argument but Jason Stark totally changed my mind with that piece. Alan Trammell was (with Cal Ripken and Ozzie Smith) the best in the game at Shortstop in the 80′s. I think people like to put up his numbers against those in the Steroid Era and say they pale in comparison but if you look at them at the time he put them up, he was simply in the discussion of greatness. Don Mattingly is the most underrated Yankee of all-time. I actually think he’s a better player than “The Captain” Derek Jeter. You can even compare their numbers to each other. Mattingly – .307/.358/.471 (222 HR, 1,099 RBI, .830 OPS, 127 OPS+) / Jeter – .313/.383/.449 (206 HR, 1,002 RBI, .832 OPS, 117 OPS+) *Since Jeter has played 17 and Mattingly only 14 I shaved the last 3 years off of Jeter’s HR and RBI totals. I think that voters have had enough of NY hats in Cooperstown but it is an injustice that Donnie Baseball is being excluded. And for all of you who argue Jeter by saying “he wins” I have news for you: if Jeter played for the Yankees from 1982-95 and Mattingly 1995-present, Jeter would have ZERO rings and Mattingly with 4. Sorry, but Mattingly spent his years on a sorry Yankees baseball club (man I miss those days!).

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2012 in Alabama, Alan Trammell, Atlanta Falcons, Auburn, Baltimore Ravens, Barry Larkin, Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame, BCS, Cal Ripken, Cooperstown, Dale Murphy, Denver Broncos, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Fiesta Bowl, Fred McGriff, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Jack Morris, Kansas City Chiefs, Lee Smith, LSU, Mike Smith, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Yankees, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Oklahoma St., Orange Bowl, Ozzie Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers, Reshard Mendenhall, Ron Santo, Rose Bowl, Ryan Clark, San Francisco 49ers, SEC, Sugar Bowl, Tim Raines, Tim Tebow, Tom Coughlin

 

NFL Playoffs are here!!

08 Jan

Yesterday, the Texans/Bengals (some pics here) and Saints/Lions (some pics here) playoff games were played. Weird, huh? Not too long ago all four of those teams were doormats of the NFL. In fact this was the first ever playoff game (and win) for the Houston Texans franchise and the Detroit Lions were making their first trip to the playoffs since 1999! Yes, Y2K was more recent than the Lions sniffing the postseason.

Both of these Wild Card games had one thing in common: snoozefest! I contemplated watching the Republican Debate but quickly remembered that PBS was showing a special on eye gouging. I absolutely hate the route the NFL is taking. All passing, no running…all offense, no defense. Not for me! Let’s hope the Giants/Falcons game today will be a lot more pleasing to the football eye. Because we all know the Broncos/Steelers game is going to be hard to watch. Pittsburgh will be missing Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Clark and Denver missing all semblances of an offense. Look, Tebow is a great athlete and would probably be a really good TE/H-Back/Fullback/Tailback but a Quarterback? Let’s be serious now…

Did anyone see the playoff games yesterday? I have to admit I missed all of the first one waiting for FedEx to deliver my new HD DVR. My current one completely crapped out and we lost everything that was recorded on it. So when I figured FedEx was going to do their best version of the 2011 Indianapolis Colts and not show up, I decided to bring the box we have upstairs down to watch the second game. So I watched the highlights and it was good to see Adam “Pacman” Jones playing again. Like most Cincinnati Bengals fans, I didn’t see any of their games this year. And Bengals fans(and Saints fans too) it’s time to grow up and stop the Who Dey? or Who Dat? chants because we all know every team gon’ beat dem Bengals/Saints. I guess Saints fans have a little better reason for chanting that since they do have a pretty good team these days.

So, today we have Falcons/Giants at 1 on FOX and the Steelers/Tebows Broncos at 4:30 on CBS. I have to say the NFC matchup is way more intriguing to me. I wouldn’t mind seeing either of those teams taking it up to the “Frozen Tundra” of Lambeau Field and playing the Pack next week. It should be a good game and I will predict the Giants get the W at home. In the late game, I will take the Steelers too. Big Ben>Tim Tebow. Enjoy the games today and remember to check back in tomorrow for more analysis and a look at tomorrow night’s BcS National Championship Game.

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2012 in Adam "Pacman" Jones, Atlanta Falcons, Ben Roethlisberger, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFL, NFL Playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Reshard Mendenhall, Ryan Clark, Tim Tebow

 
 
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