Aside from the blow to my ego, having picked the Steelers to beat the Packers, everything else about the game was great, assuming, of course, you didn’t watch the halftime show. But the good guys got a commanding lead, the bad guys came back and the good guys held on.
Why are the Packers good guys? Listen to Aaron Rodgers talk, or Clay Matthews, or Greg Jennings or Charles Woodson. They’re all gentlemen. They don’t brag, they don’t say stupid things, they don’t play dirty and heck, they even covered the spread 31-25.
The Steelers aren’t really bad guys either. But their persona is at least somewhat bad, with Roethlisberger’s indiscretions (to say the least), Harrison’s illegal hits to the head and his stolid defense of them, and Hines Ward’s chippy blocks. But those things don’t really make them bad. It just makes them what they are, a really tough football team.
But they weren’t so tough yesterday. And that’s why they lost.
They didn’t play like the Steelers at all. I’d characterize their performance as uncharacteristic except for the fact that good teams can make you look bad. That’s what good teams do and that’s what the Packers were yesterday, a really good team.
Yeah, yeah, I know, the turnovers lost it for the black and gold. But it’s not as if they weren’t forced. You could also say the breaks and even the early officiating, went against the Steelers, but, in a way, the Packers forced those things too.
From the very start of the game, the Pack won the toss and elected to receive, thus throwing down the gauntlet right away, much as the Jets did against the Steelers, albeit with a very different result. The Jets proceeded to get run over by the Steelers running game and Rashard Mendenhall after they issued their challenge.
I recall thinking that the election to kick was brilliant but only if the Pack could shut the Steelers down on that first drive. This time the Steelers went 3 and out. The Packers were saying, “We’re not the Jets”. And the Steelers had to accept it after their offense sputtered.
The two teams slugged it out in the early stages, like two heavyweight fighters feeling each other out. But the Packers landed a couple of lefts and a couple of rights, some Starks runs and a few Rodgers completions, and the Pack hit the board first, taking full advantage of the weakness in the Steelers secondary and making Jordy Nelson look like Randy Moss in his heyday.
At this point, a really good team comes back immediately. Roethlisberger certainly tried, maybe a little too hard. On first and ten, deep in his own territory, he threw a floater and Green Bay’s Nick Collins not only picked it off but then made a nifty runback for the touchdown. To use a boxing analogy again, that was like scoring a knockdown…7-0 became 14-0.
Only then did the Steelers start to turn things the other way, driving the ball for 6 minutes or so, mixing the run and the pass, and getting on the board with a field goal to make it 14-3. They had a good round but were still trailing. Then they had another good round by forcing a 3 and out of their own.
The Steelers were on the move again, or should have been. But after about a 4-minute promising drive, Big Ben got picked again when free safety Jarrod Bush out-wrestled a Steeler for the ball and killed another drive. The Pack had scored a big counterpunch.
Right around then, all the hard play going on got reflected in injuries. The Steelers lost WR Sanders. The Pack lost Donald Driver, an even more fearsome receiver. Then Pack All-World corner (and more) Charles Woodson broke his collarbone stretching out for the INT but hitting the ground hard instead.
But the Pack wasn’t comfortable yet at just 14-3. Rodgers hit Greg Jennings over the middle for the third Packers touchdown of the day. It was a nice catch between defenders and Jennings held on tight after he got hit. Now it was 21-3 and at this point a lesser team than the Steelers would have been feeling a little groggy.
But the Steelers aren’t chopped liver either. In less than a minute, Roethlisberger found Antawn Randle El for a nice long one and Hines Ward a few times, the last one for a TD making it 21-10 just before the second half. The Black and Gold were serving notice they’d be showing up for the second half.
And show up they did. They dominated the third quarter. After forcing a Packers punt, they ran and passed their way back into the game, punctuated by a tough, hard (redundant) Rashard Mendenhall run, making it 21-17. After forcing still another Pack 3 and out, they drove down the field again but the Packers held on.
At this point, a coaching decision once again had a big impact. After the Steelers drive stalled, they elected to try the 52-yard field goal. But the move made no sense, risking the kicking of Shawn Suisham rather than the Steelers defense pinning the Pack down deep in their own end.
Coach Mike Tomlin gave the Pack a reprieve. The Steelers’ momentum stalled.
The Pack had managed to keep their head in front throughout, like Affirmed holding off Alydar down the stretch. Then, when things started to look their bleakest, the Pack’s Clay Matthews forced the Mendenhall fumble.
The fumble ignited the Pack. Rodgers hit a few passes and it was soon 28-17. The Steelers came back once again to make it 28-25 (after a 2-point conversion was good) but the Pack held on once more, driving for a field goal, forcing the Steelers to have to drive the length of the field for the TD to win.
After having gallantly held on, the good guys could have still lost this thing. But they didn’t. They held on.
Showing posts with label Polamalu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polamalu. Show all posts
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Who Wants It More.?
I’m still trying to come down off my high after that Jets win over the Patriots. I’m not even letting Francesa get me down. I did finally turn him off though. That show desperately needs Chris Russo back. At the very least, they should stop screening the callers who disagree with him. It’s really a one-sided program.
But what a feeling of elation for New Yorkers and Jets fans! To beat Manning and then Brady in successive weeks is an incredible high, but for Mark Sanchez to throw 3 touchdown passes against Bill Belichick and his vaunted Pats defense takes it up one more notch.
My chief concern, though, now is that the Jets will experience a natural letdown after not just one but two great upsets over the best quarterbacks in the game. I myself am even feeling a letdown. Why shouldn’t the Jets?
And it’s not only that. Playing the Steelers is like playing themselves. The coaches are alike, the philosophies are alike and the players are even somewhat alike in their personalities. Where’s the hate?
I was able to conceive how the Jets could beat each of those two teams, the Colts and the Patriots. I think their different styles of play made it an easy matter to distinguish the Jets strengths versus their opponents’ and formulate a plan based on playing to the Jets strengths, even if some of those strong points weren’t even so evident at the time, such as the Jets potential dominance in the passing game.
The Steelers are a totally different animal from both the Colts and Pats. Manning and Brady threw from the pocket, Roethlisberger throws well on the run. The Colts and Pats featured offenses based on precision and timing in the passing game. Messing up that timing was a key ingredient in the Jets wins.
The Steelers offense is based on running the ball. The passing game clicks mostly off Roethlisberger scrambles while his receivers just try to find a hole to sit in. Manning and Brady go down when hit. Roethlisberger does not.
My initial take on this game is for the Jets to think of Big Ben as a kind of monstrous Michael Vick. He’s not as shifty as Vick, almost no one is, but he’s almost as dangerous when he’s running around, not because he’ll run with the ball but because he’ll kill you with his arm, sometimes while being dragged down to the ground.
The key to winning this AFC Championship will then be to contain Roethlisberger, much as the Giants contained Vick for 52 minutes before they totally lost their composure. The Jets were terrific at making Manning and Brady move out of the pocket. I wonder if they’ll be quite as adept at containment.
The Steelers like to run the ball. And they always stop the run. Those are two things they are noted for. That differs hugely from what the Colts and Pats brought to the table. Once again the Jets may have to take advantage of their potentially strong passing game in order to move the ball down the field.
Although the Jets did beat the Steelers in Week 15, 22-17, those Steelers were playing without two starters on their defense, defensive end Aaron Smith and the best safety in either league, Troy Polamalu. Another key ingredient missing from that game was Heath Miller, their tight end and one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets. That’s a big difference.
Another huge factor in that Week 15 game was Brad Smith’s opening kickoff return for a touchdown. The Jets were ahead 7-0 after 12 seconds. That’s a huge boost, one that the Jets can’t really expect to duplicate in this upcoming game. And let’s not forget a huge tackle in the end zone by Jason Taylor that not only put two more on the scoreboard for the Jets but gave them the ball as well.
Not that I’m being pessimistic but this game could definitely be the toughest playoff game yet. This Steelers team is made for the playoffs, made for cold weather, made to win games in December and January. They had some bad luck in that Week 15 game.
The current line on this game says the Jets are 3 ½ point underdogs, a spread that simply reflects the home field edge. These teams are pretty much dead even. The Jets have a superior offensive line and receivers. The Steelers have the edge defensively.
The Steelers running back, Rashard Mendenhall, rushed for 100 yards in just 17 carries in that Week 15 game. Both Jets running backs, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, did pretty well for themselves too, gaining about 89 yards combined, but that was on 23 attempts. Based on those stats, I’d expect to see a bit more of Mendenhall in this game. Whether the Jets stick with the running game remains to be seen.
Stats are great, I love them, but they’re probably more meaningful over a full season than in one isolated game, especially a playoff game that will determine who goes to Dallas for the Super Bowl. This game will probably be decided by individuals making plays in big situations, not by which running back or quarterback garners more yards.
The playmakers in that Week 15 game were obviously Brad Smith early and then Jason Taylor late. They were the big reasons the Jets carried the day. One could also point to the coverage by Revis and the rest of the Jets secondary on those two final shots Roethlisberger had at the end zone.
There’s no better playmaker than Polamalu, of course, and he’ll be back for this one. The Steelers have no lack of playmakers, including James Harrison, their deadly outside linebacker, and their very speedy wide receiver, Mike Wallace, who was pretty much shut entirely down in that Week 15 game, catching just one pass for 8 yards.
The Jets have Santonio Holmes, Darrelle Revis, Jason Taylor…..
It’ll come down to who wants it more.
But what a feeling of elation for New Yorkers and Jets fans! To beat Manning and then Brady in successive weeks is an incredible high, but for Mark Sanchez to throw 3 touchdown passes against Bill Belichick and his vaunted Pats defense takes it up one more notch.
My chief concern, though, now is that the Jets will experience a natural letdown after not just one but two great upsets over the best quarterbacks in the game. I myself am even feeling a letdown. Why shouldn’t the Jets?
And it’s not only that. Playing the Steelers is like playing themselves. The coaches are alike, the philosophies are alike and the players are even somewhat alike in their personalities. Where’s the hate?
I was able to conceive how the Jets could beat each of those two teams, the Colts and the Patriots. I think their different styles of play made it an easy matter to distinguish the Jets strengths versus their opponents’ and formulate a plan based on playing to the Jets strengths, even if some of those strong points weren’t even so evident at the time, such as the Jets potential dominance in the passing game.
The Steelers are a totally different animal from both the Colts and Pats. Manning and Brady threw from the pocket, Roethlisberger throws well on the run. The Colts and Pats featured offenses based on precision and timing in the passing game. Messing up that timing was a key ingredient in the Jets wins.
The Steelers offense is based on running the ball. The passing game clicks mostly off Roethlisberger scrambles while his receivers just try to find a hole to sit in. Manning and Brady go down when hit. Roethlisberger does not.
My initial take on this game is for the Jets to think of Big Ben as a kind of monstrous Michael Vick. He’s not as shifty as Vick, almost no one is, but he’s almost as dangerous when he’s running around, not because he’ll run with the ball but because he’ll kill you with his arm, sometimes while being dragged down to the ground.
The key to winning this AFC Championship will then be to contain Roethlisberger, much as the Giants contained Vick for 52 minutes before they totally lost their composure. The Jets were terrific at making Manning and Brady move out of the pocket. I wonder if they’ll be quite as adept at containment.
The Steelers like to run the ball. And they always stop the run. Those are two things they are noted for. That differs hugely from what the Colts and Pats brought to the table. Once again the Jets may have to take advantage of their potentially strong passing game in order to move the ball down the field.
Although the Jets did beat the Steelers in Week 15, 22-17, those Steelers were playing without two starters on their defense, defensive end Aaron Smith and the best safety in either league, Troy Polamalu. Another key ingredient missing from that game was Heath Miller, their tight end and one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets. That’s a big difference.
Another huge factor in that Week 15 game was Brad Smith’s opening kickoff return for a touchdown. The Jets were ahead 7-0 after 12 seconds. That’s a huge boost, one that the Jets can’t really expect to duplicate in this upcoming game. And let’s not forget a huge tackle in the end zone by Jason Taylor that not only put two more on the scoreboard for the Jets but gave them the ball as well.
Not that I’m being pessimistic but this game could definitely be the toughest playoff game yet. This Steelers team is made for the playoffs, made for cold weather, made to win games in December and January. They had some bad luck in that Week 15 game.
The current line on this game says the Jets are 3 ½ point underdogs, a spread that simply reflects the home field edge. These teams are pretty much dead even. The Jets have a superior offensive line and receivers. The Steelers have the edge defensively.
The Steelers running back, Rashard Mendenhall, rushed for 100 yards in just 17 carries in that Week 15 game. Both Jets running backs, LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, did pretty well for themselves too, gaining about 89 yards combined, but that was on 23 attempts. Based on those stats, I’d expect to see a bit more of Mendenhall in this game. Whether the Jets stick with the running game remains to be seen.
Stats are great, I love them, but they’re probably more meaningful over a full season than in one isolated game, especially a playoff game that will determine who goes to Dallas for the Super Bowl. This game will probably be decided by individuals making plays in big situations, not by which running back or quarterback garners more yards.
The playmakers in that Week 15 game were obviously Brad Smith early and then Jason Taylor late. They were the big reasons the Jets carried the day. One could also point to the coverage by Revis and the rest of the Jets secondary on those two final shots Roethlisberger had at the end zone.
There’s no better playmaker than Polamalu, of course, and he’ll be back for this one. The Steelers have no lack of playmakers, including James Harrison, their deadly outside linebacker, and their very speedy wide receiver, Mike Wallace, who was pretty much shut entirely down in that Week 15 game, catching just one pass for 8 yards.
The Jets have Santonio Holmes, Darrelle Revis, Jason Taylor…..
It’ll come down to who wants it more.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Steelers - Defense and Character
In handicapping this Super Bowl, I’m reminded of that scene from the Hannibal Lecter movies, where Hannibal’s being interviewed by the young Ms. Starling. Hannibal asks the green FBI agent something like “what is he at his ESSENCE, Clarice”? And after she makes two or three dismal guesses, Hannibal says sumthin’ like “NO, Clarice, he COVETS”.
What is Arizona at its essence? THE PASS! Kurt Warner behind a nice big offensive line throwing to the likes of the finest receivers in the land, Larry Fitzgerald and the tough, sure-handed Anquan Boldin, the guy with plates in his face and just keeps coming. And, if you cover them, there’s this troublesome rookie named Breaston.
Yeah, late in the season and in the playoffs, they took the wraps off Edgerrin James and ran the ball, but it was strategic-type running, done only so that they could go back to what they do best. PASS!
And yeah, they score via the run sometimes, with that big bruiser Hightower. They’ll use him on a third or fourth and one. And then, when it’s first down time again, they’ll ordinarily go back to the pass. Once again, in the playoffs, they did some different things with James, but they usually ran after they had already killed their opponent with the pass.
Incredible as it seems to me, their opponents in the playoffs seem not to have respected their passing game enough. A simple thing like double coverage, nobody really did. Even when Boldin was hurt and there was just Fitzgerald and Breaston, Carolina and Philadelphia let him run free against, usually, a tiny little cornerback.
As timing is so important in the passing game, you’d think one of these teams would have checked these big guys at the line. But no, nobody did. And yeah, I know they put these guys in motion so it’s harder to give them a shot at the line of scrimmage, but, still, there were plenty of opportunities to jam these guys and nobody did.
Another way to stop the pass is via the rush, of course. With Warner, getting a guy in his face is most effective, so he has to scramble, usually with just one hand on the ball, extended, looking downfield. But nobody really seemed to focus a rush up the middle.
Atlanta was just overmatched to my mind. Nobody expected them to win and they didn’t. Surprisingly though, they made the score respectable. Carolina “Delhommed” itself to death while trying to execute the stupidest game plan ever devised by anyone against any team. Oh, and this just in, Carolina just hired a new defensive coordinator.
And Philadelphia? They came as close as anyone to beating them but let themselves fall hopelessly behind before charging back and then fizzling. They weren’t able to stop the pass or run. They blitzed quite a bit too, but they were wild, chancy blitzes, hoping against hope Warner wouldn’t find the open guy. He did.
Okay, Clarice, what is the Steelers ESSENCE? DEEE-FENSE!! Yeah, they run the ball, and yeah, they have Big Ben running around, usually on third and long, finding a receiver. But they’re all about defense. The single most consistent thing about the black and gold is that defense.
Zone blitz? Ever hear of it? Of course you have, everybody has. You couldn’t NOT hear it if you tried. Dick LeBeau? Same thing. Steelers and LeBeau, it’s like love and marriage, ham and cheese (I do go on); you get the idea. Yeah, Mike Tomlin might be quite a coach and a hell of a motivator, but the guy who makes every defensive call is Dick LeBeau.
In the zone blitz, you never know who’s coming, but the great thing about it is there’s ALWAYS somebody back. And that “somebody” a lot of times is going to be one of the finest defensive players in the game, a guy named Troy Polamalu.
Ever hear of him? Of course you have, usually in the same breath as “Reed, Harrison and Polamalu”. While they’d make a hell of a law firm, they make even better defense. That Harrison and Polamalu are on the same team makes things even scarier for the Cards, and hopeful for the Steelers.
A few things make me nervous about this game though. One is that a defense almost never can win the game all by themselves. It needs to rest. That goes for any defense. If all a defense gets is pressure and more pressure, it will break.
That’s why Big Ben will be so important in this game, along with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Willie Parker. Parker might be the most important piece of all in this chess match of a game. Parker’s got to take some pressure off that passing game.
The second thing is that the game pits Tomlin against Whisenhunt, the guy he beat out for the head coaching job in Pittsburgh. There is a revenge factor there, yes, but, even more important, don’t you suppose Whisenhunt knows all about the zone blitz? Ya think he’s heard of Dick LeBeau? Whisenhunt has the advantage of knowing all about the Steelers, offense, defense, and special teams.
The third thing that bothers me is that the Steelers seem to have a little trouble against really good quarterbacks. They’re 0 and 2 this year against the Mannings, for example. They’re 0 and 1 vs McNabb. They only lost one other game, against Tennessee, in a meaningless game.
But I have even more concerns about the Cardinals, and it has to do with team character.
This Cards defense especially has quite a history of lying down. The Steelers never lie down.
The Steelers will get their junk touchdowns. The Cards will score but the Cards won’t be able to run. There will be some three and outs, which will put even more pressure on Warner. The Steelers will take the lead, and when they do, they won’t fold. They are, after all, the Steelers.
What is Arizona at its essence? THE PASS! Kurt Warner behind a nice big offensive line throwing to the likes of the finest receivers in the land, Larry Fitzgerald and the tough, sure-handed Anquan Boldin, the guy with plates in his face and just keeps coming. And, if you cover them, there’s this troublesome rookie named Breaston.
Yeah, late in the season and in the playoffs, they took the wraps off Edgerrin James and ran the ball, but it was strategic-type running, done only so that they could go back to what they do best. PASS!
And yeah, they score via the run sometimes, with that big bruiser Hightower. They’ll use him on a third or fourth and one. And then, when it’s first down time again, they’ll ordinarily go back to the pass. Once again, in the playoffs, they did some different things with James, but they usually ran after they had already killed their opponent with the pass.
Incredible as it seems to me, their opponents in the playoffs seem not to have respected their passing game enough. A simple thing like double coverage, nobody really did. Even when Boldin was hurt and there was just Fitzgerald and Breaston, Carolina and Philadelphia let him run free against, usually, a tiny little cornerback.
As timing is so important in the passing game, you’d think one of these teams would have checked these big guys at the line. But no, nobody did. And yeah, I know they put these guys in motion so it’s harder to give them a shot at the line of scrimmage, but, still, there were plenty of opportunities to jam these guys and nobody did.
Another way to stop the pass is via the rush, of course. With Warner, getting a guy in his face is most effective, so he has to scramble, usually with just one hand on the ball, extended, looking downfield. But nobody really seemed to focus a rush up the middle.
Atlanta was just overmatched to my mind. Nobody expected them to win and they didn’t. Surprisingly though, they made the score respectable. Carolina “Delhommed” itself to death while trying to execute the stupidest game plan ever devised by anyone against any team. Oh, and this just in, Carolina just hired a new defensive coordinator.
And Philadelphia? They came as close as anyone to beating them but let themselves fall hopelessly behind before charging back and then fizzling. They weren’t able to stop the pass or run. They blitzed quite a bit too, but they were wild, chancy blitzes, hoping against hope Warner wouldn’t find the open guy. He did.
Okay, Clarice, what is the Steelers ESSENCE? DEEE-FENSE!! Yeah, they run the ball, and yeah, they have Big Ben running around, usually on third and long, finding a receiver. But they’re all about defense. The single most consistent thing about the black and gold is that defense.
Zone blitz? Ever hear of it? Of course you have, everybody has. You couldn’t NOT hear it if you tried. Dick LeBeau? Same thing. Steelers and LeBeau, it’s like love and marriage, ham and cheese (I do go on); you get the idea. Yeah, Mike Tomlin might be quite a coach and a hell of a motivator, but the guy who makes every defensive call is Dick LeBeau.
In the zone blitz, you never know who’s coming, but the great thing about it is there’s ALWAYS somebody back. And that “somebody” a lot of times is going to be one of the finest defensive players in the game, a guy named Troy Polamalu.
Ever hear of him? Of course you have, usually in the same breath as “Reed, Harrison and Polamalu”. While they’d make a hell of a law firm, they make even better defense. That Harrison and Polamalu are on the same team makes things even scarier for the Cards, and hopeful for the Steelers.
A few things make me nervous about this game though. One is that a defense almost never can win the game all by themselves. It needs to rest. That goes for any defense. If all a defense gets is pressure and more pressure, it will break.
That’s why Big Ben will be so important in this game, along with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Willie Parker. Parker might be the most important piece of all in this chess match of a game. Parker’s got to take some pressure off that passing game.
The second thing is that the game pits Tomlin against Whisenhunt, the guy he beat out for the head coaching job in Pittsburgh. There is a revenge factor there, yes, but, even more important, don’t you suppose Whisenhunt knows all about the zone blitz? Ya think he’s heard of Dick LeBeau? Whisenhunt has the advantage of knowing all about the Steelers, offense, defense, and special teams.
The third thing that bothers me is that the Steelers seem to have a little trouble against really good quarterbacks. They’re 0 and 2 this year against the Mannings, for example. They’re 0 and 1 vs McNabb. They only lost one other game, against Tennessee, in a meaningless game.
But I have even more concerns about the Cardinals, and it has to do with team character.
This Cards defense especially has quite a history of lying down. The Steelers never lie down.
The Steelers will get their junk touchdowns. The Cards will score but the Cards won’t be able to run. There will be some three and outs, which will put even more pressure on Warner. The Steelers will take the lead, and when they do, they won’t fold. They are, after all, the Steelers.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Those Special Players
Every good team has one or more special players, players who aren’t only terrific players by themselves at their position, but whose talent and effort inspire greater play from all the players around them. If one of these players is hurt, you wonder how his team can win without him. If he’s on the field, you spend a week trying to figure out how to take him out of the action.
The eight teams playing this weekend have their own special players. Some of them are hurt, allegedly at least….you can never really tell with the scarceness of information available to the public. You thus can’t gauge how effective that player will be in the game, how long he’ll play and whether he’ll become just a normal player in terms of effectiveness. It’s usually a question mark whether his replacement is any good.
Take Kevin Mawae, for example. He’s “just” the center for the Titans, but on a team as run-oriented they are, it’s a big hit on them if they lose Mawae, especially if his replacement can’t play. As it turns out, Mawae’s just been officially listed as “out”, very bad news for the Titans.
Tennessee wasn’t able to run on 12/28 against the Colts, losing 23-0. They had a bye for the first week of the playoffs. Against a Ravens defense that stuffs the run, you have to like the Ravens chances for an upset. The Ravens have at least two special players on defense, LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed, and they’re healthy.
Of course Tennessee also has a big-time defense, featuring linemen Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vandenbosch. But they’re coming off recent injuries and their performance on Saturday is thus open to question. All in all, I’d say it’ll be bye-bye Titans in a relatively low-scoring affair. The Ravens will pound the ball and dominate time of possession, which ordinarily would be the Titans type of game. But not tomorrow. Ravens 16-13.
The 4:30 game tomorrow pits the surprising Arizona Cards against the tough Carolina Panthers at Carolina. Special players abound for the Panthers and they’re all healthy. Those two tough running backs, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and Steve Smith, wide receiver extraordinaire, are all ready to go. On defense, they have Julius Peppers ready for bear, or, um, bird.
The Cards looked special last week against the Falcons but they could be without Anquan Boldin, or he’ll play somewhat nicked-up. That’s a huge hit, the Panthers will just concentrate on stopping Fitzgerald. The Cards have Breaston too but he’s not Boldin. And Edgerrin James won’t make the difference either. Look for the Panthers to score a lot and the Cards to try keeping up all game, unsuccessfully. It’ll be Panthers 30-20. Pray that Kurt Warner lasts the entire game.
Sunday’s first game has our G-Men facing the Eagles at Giants Stadium. The most special Giants players are gone for one reason or another. The real superstar, Osi Umenyiora, is the guy who made Eagles tackle Winston Justice look so bad last year. He may not look so bad against a nicked-up Justin Tuck.
The Eagles have their own special guys, McNabb and Westbrook, of course, but you might add DeSean Jackson to that list. They’re all healthy and coming off some very big wins, one of which was against the Giants. The Eagles also sport some very nice secondary people, big-hitter Brian Dawkins and a guy named Asante Samuel.
The Giants only special feature is their running game. As impressive as it can be, I don’t think it will be on Sunday. The Eagles will put eight in the box all afternoon. They’ll force Manning to pass to those workmanlike receivers, Toomer and Smith and Hixon.
Although you could make a case for Brandon Jacobs and that offensive line being very special, it won’t be enough against a team playing run. I don’t see anybody stretching the field for the Giants. Sunday will make the loss of Plaxico very apparent indeed.
The Giants inability to exert any pressure on McNabb will create more than a few opportunities for long (and usually boring) Eagles drives. The Eagles should be able to take the lead and then probably force some turnovers from Eli and those wide-outs in the second half. The Eagles inability to score in the red zone will continue though, thus depressing the score somewhat, but it’ll still be Eagles 26-20.
The Chargers face the Steelers in Sunday’s late game. The Chargers have some special players in their quarterback, Philip Rivers, and their tight end, Antonio Gates. They’ll be without LaDainian though, and Darren Sproles may find the Steelers a harder bunch to hide from than were the Falcons.
The Steelers have Troy Polamalu who has been just unbelievable all year. He stops everything, the run, the pass, you name it. Then there’s that Defensive MVP James Harrison and a fella named Farrior who’s usually quite good, especially against the pass.
I just can’t imagine the Chargers winning this one. Rivers has been great this year, but he’ll have less time than he’s used to getting, and his receivers will be covered. Sproles will be stopped. The Steelers behind Roethlisberger will display some long, boring drives of their own. The Chargers won’t be able to stop it, despite having a couple of good corners. Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward will catch their share of short ones and that should set up the running game.
Especially considering that the weather will be horrible, cold and windy in Pittsburgh, it’s all over but the shouting, except for Steelers fans, of course, who should be raising quite a ruckus most of the day. This one could even get ugly, depending upon how much poise the Chargers can muster late in the game. All things considered, I’d think it’ll be about 35-20 in the Steelers favor, the 35 to include a couple of defensive TD’s off Chargers fumbles and interceptions.
Then it’ll be Eagles-Panthers and Ravens-Steelers. Those will be wars.
The eight teams playing this weekend have their own special players. Some of them are hurt, allegedly at least….you can never really tell with the scarceness of information available to the public. You thus can’t gauge how effective that player will be in the game, how long he’ll play and whether he’ll become just a normal player in terms of effectiveness. It’s usually a question mark whether his replacement is any good.
Take Kevin Mawae, for example. He’s “just” the center for the Titans, but on a team as run-oriented they are, it’s a big hit on them if they lose Mawae, especially if his replacement can’t play. As it turns out, Mawae’s just been officially listed as “out”, very bad news for the Titans.
Tennessee wasn’t able to run on 12/28 against the Colts, losing 23-0. They had a bye for the first week of the playoffs. Against a Ravens defense that stuffs the run, you have to like the Ravens chances for an upset. The Ravens have at least two special players on defense, LB Ray Lewis and S Ed Reed, and they’re healthy.
Of course Tennessee also has a big-time defense, featuring linemen Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vandenbosch. But they’re coming off recent injuries and their performance on Saturday is thus open to question. All in all, I’d say it’ll be bye-bye Titans in a relatively low-scoring affair. The Ravens will pound the ball and dominate time of possession, which ordinarily would be the Titans type of game. But not tomorrow. Ravens 16-13.
The 4:30 game tomorrow pits the surprising Arizona Cards against the tough Carolina Panthers at Carolina. Special players abound for the Panthers and they’re all healthy. Those two tough running backs, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, and Steve Smith, wide receiver extraordinaire, are all ready to go. On defense, they have Julius Peppers ready for bear, or, um, bird.
The Cards looked special last week against the Falcons but they could be without Anquan Boldin, or he’ll play somewhat nicked-up. That’s a huge hit, the Panthers will just concentrate on stopping Fitzgerald. The Cards have Breaston too but he’s not Boldin. And Edgerrin James won’t make the difference either. Look for the Panthers to score a lot and the Cards to try keeping up all game, unsuccessfully. It’ll be Panthers 30-20. Pray that Kurt Warner lasts the entire game.
Sunday’s first game has our G-Men facing the Eagles at Giants Stadium. The most special Giants players are gone for one reason or another. The real superstar, Osi Umenyiora, is the guy who made Eagles tackle Winston Justice look so bad last year. He may not look so bad against a nicked-up Justin Tuck.
The Eagles have their own special guys, McNabb and Westbrook, of course, but you might add DeSean Jackson to that list. They’re all healthy and coming off some very big wins, one of which was against the Giants. The Eagles also sport some very nice secondary people, big-hitter Brian Dawkins and a guy named Asante Samuel.
The Giants only special feature is their running game. As impressive as it can be, I don’t think it will be on Sunday. The Eagles will put eight in the box all afternoon. They’ll force Manning to pass to those workmanlike receivers, Toomer and Smith and Hixon.
Although you could make a case for Brandon Jacobs and that offensive line being very special, it won’t be enough against a team playing run. I don’t see anybody stretching the field for the Giants. Sunday will make the loss of Plaxico very apparent indeed.
The Giants inability to exert any pressure on McNabb will create more than a few opportunities for long (and usually boring) Eagles drives. The Eagles should be able to take the lead and then probably force some turnovers from Eli and those wide-outs in the second half. The Eagles inability to score in the red zone will continue though, thus depressing the score somewhat, but it’ll still be Eagles 26-20.
The Chargers face the Steelers in Sunday’s late game. The Chargers have some special players in their quarterback, Philip Rivers, and their tight end, Antonio Gates. They’ll be without LaDainian though, and Darren Sproles may find the Steelers a harder bunch to hide from than were the Falcons.
The Steelers have Troy Polamalu who has been just unbelievable all year. He stops everything, the run, the pass, you name it. Then there’s that Defensive MVP James Harrison and a fella named Farrior who’s usually quite good, especially against the pass.
I just can’t imagine the Chargers winning this one. Rivers has been great this year, but he’ll have less time than he’s used to getting, and his receivers will be covered. Sproles will be stopped. The Steelers behind Roethlisberger will display some long, boring drives of their own. The Chargers won’t be able to stop it, despite having a couple of good corners. Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward will catch their share of short ones and that should set up the running game.
Especially considering that the weather will be horrible, cold and windy in Pittsburgh, it’s all over but the shouting, except for Steelers fans, of course, who should be raising quite a ruckus most of the day. This one could even get ugly, depending upon how much poise the Chargers can muster late in the game. All things considered, I’d think it’ll be about 35-20 in the Steelers favor, the 35 to include a couple of defensive TD’s off Chargers fumbles and interceptions.
Then it’ll be Eagles-Panthers and Ravens-Steelers. Those will be wars.
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