I have to be honest. After visiting my Dad down in Toms River and having watched a particularly uninspiring first half of Jets-Chargers action, if you want to call it that, I got in my car for the long ride home. But for about the first agonizing 25 minutes of my ride home, in a driving rainstorm, mind you, I had station 1050 on my dial blasting so as to hear the game thru the static.
The next hour or so, though, was terrific. You should really try it sometime. Once the signal came in clearly, there’s nothing like a car radio and a slightly-crazed announcer in a playoff game to shorten a ride home (except perhaps for windshield wipers….well, maybe the defroster too). By the time I hit the bridge, the Jets were ahead on an agonizingly drawn out call of Sanchez’s rollout and zing to Dustin Keller in the right corner of the endzone.
Of course it got even better from there as the Jets held and then extended the lead. And the call on Shonn Greene’s blast through the Chargers line and safety for the TD making it 17-7 was outstanding. But I was still in the car for Jackson’s catch down the right sideline and by the time that dust settled, I was all the way to Morris Avenue, thrilled that the Chargers gave the Jets 15 yards back on one of the stupidest, most selfish emotional displays ever.
Well, I won’t replay the entire game. We all know what happened. By the time the much-maligned Kerry Rhodes snatched the onside kick, I was in my driveway and I actually got to watch the 4th down burst by Thomas Jones to ensure a Jets berth in the AFC Championship Game. (I can scarcely believe I get the chance to compose that sentence).
The post-game show was just gravy, marred only by the extraordinary analyses of Norv Turner’s decision to go for the onsides kick and Rex Ryan’s decision to go for the first down on 4th and 1. Although both decisions were similar in kind to me, i.e. making a rather bold move to win the game, Ryan’s decision was lauded and Turner’s was panned, over and over and over….
While I had picked the Jets to cover, I never expected them to win. In fact, if they played that same zone garbage in the second half, they would have lost. But Ryan’s instincts are good. Hell, they’ve been impeccable, which, of course, has been the difference between winning and losing, his handling of Rhodes, his handling of Sanchez, his handling of the media….
I must say, though, Ryan’s instincts notwithstanding, that the Jets have had some incredibly good luck as well. First there were the Colts and Bengals not giving a damn for their last two games, and then they got missed field goals in key situations from two pretty good kickers in both the Bengals and Chargers playoff games.
I’m not even a Jets fan, really, although I used to be, before having to witness Stalag Mangini. While I hate to change allegiances from the Giants, it’s not as if I’d have no justification for it. After all, it took Coughlin forever to drop that automaton of a defensive coordinator, which only served to lose the Giants any chance of a playoffs berth. But it may not have been his call. When have the Giants ever dropped a coach mid-season? I’ll give them one more year.
Besides, who would I root for if not the Jets…Favre and Childress and the Vikings? I don’t think so. I’m firmly on the Saints this weekend, hoping against hope the home field noise at the SuperDome and resultant hard counts from Brees will effectively slow that Vikings defensive line. That alone would boost both the Saints’ running and passing games, both of which would come in handy, to say the very least.
While Favre got all the applause Sunday, it was Sidney Rice who was the real star to me, along with a totally clueless Dallas secondary. The first touchdown was absolutely ridiculous. The corner had his back turned. Any play on the ball whatsoever and that catch isn’t made. On another TD, Rice made a nice block, got up, and still Favre had enough time to deliver the ball to him.
The Saints were awesome versus the sorry Cards, a result I did foresee, what with Shockey’s return along with the rest of their defense. They pressured Warner all day. He never had a chance, much as that sorry Cards defense had no shot against either the running of Reggie Bush or the downfield shots from Brees to Colston and company.
I was wrong on the Ravens , I guess, even though I still feel the refs did them in. The calls went the Colts way all game, huge calls, season-altering calls for both teams. The call against Ray Lewis was the only big call that I gave any credence too. The pass interference call on Reed’s interception was horrible. I hate to say it, but these calls seem like “Manning calls.”
I thought I was watching the NBA. If you’re a star, you’re untouchable. If you’re on the stars team, you have an edge. If your name is Manning (or Jordan or LeBron James, etc.), you are the closest thing to God on earth. The Jets will have no chance if he and his team get the same preferential treatment this Sunday, especially with respect to pass interference and hits on the quarterback.
Even give the horrible calls, the Ravens still might have won if not for some extremely questionable play-calling by the Ravens right before the half. They ran almost no time off the clock, giving Manning all the time he needed to break their backs. That game was virtually over at the half.
I’ll be picking the Saints and Jets, hoping the Jets can get a fair shake from the refs.
Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ravens. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust
Week 17 was another one of those monkey weeks for me as I finished 8-7 for the week to finish the regular season with a not quite heroic 101-86-4 record for the year. I won’t even look at what percentage of wins that is but it’s a hell of a lot better than .500. And hey! We are using point spreads here. None of that ESPN-ish winners picks on this site. We’re all grown up now.
Anyway, as for last week, there is an excuse or two to offer. I would have sworn the Bengals would have tried a little harder last week. And that goes for Indianapolis too. I was really disappointed in both teams really, Indianapolis because it was bad enough they had already thrown the towel in on an undefeated season and the Bengals because they had been one of my feel-good teams this year along with the Niners. I expected more from them.
Then the Eagles threw in a real dud against the Cowboys. I still can’t figure out whether the NFC East title meant anything at all to them. But did they really figure the Giants had any chance whatever against the Vikings? I don’t think so. So they had no real shot at the 2 seed and, as far as I know, the NFL isn’t handing out championship belts to just any old division winner. So the Eagles had nothing to gain and everything to lose by throwing all their cards on the table. As Romo had a lot of time to throw, I have to think they were just dogging it. Even Romo was surprised.
But that doesn’t mean I think they’ll beat Dallas. I think they’ll lose by around six. Sometimes you can do all your shrewd little ruses and outsmart yourself. I think that’s what will happen to the Eagles. They’ll come out with fire but they’ll be in the Cowboys gigantic home, and there’ll be cheerleaders and that low scoreboard and Jerry Jones….the first bad thing that happens to the Eagles will just incite that crowd and before you know it, things will start turning bad.
The Eagles are pretty young too. It’s usually experience that pulls teams through these postseason wars and the Eagles just don’t have that much of it. So they’ll bring the heat and maybe get burned and then there’ll be Marion Barber bein’ pesky and Demarcus Ware making things tough on Donovan and maybe some of these young Eagles guns will get the dropsies or fumble or just not be as good as they usually are.
The Cowboys have had enough bad things happen to them. They’ll play a conservative game for them but they’ll frustrate that Philly offense and hang around till the pressure gets to those Birds, whose offense just isn’t that versatile. I figure there’ll be a turnover or two at just the wrong time and the Boyz will prevail.
The over-under’s at 45 and the Eagles get 3 ½ but it won’t be enough. I think it’ll be 26-20, Cowboys.
But the game most New Yorkers (and Jerseyans) care about is the Jets game. It’s difficult to say what will happen under these peculiar circumstances, playing the same team again, one that you beat handily but they didn’t give it their best. They didn’t start their Cedric Benson. They gave 3 of their defensive injured another week off.
Interestingly enough, these 3 injured defensemen ain’t just chopped liver. I know. The Bengals were my fantasy defense. They lost Geathers first as I recall, then the other two shortly thereafter. Robert Geathers is their best defensive lineman. When they lost the defensive tackle as well, Domata Peko, the whole left side of their defense was decimated. (They play a 4-3). Peka is 6-3 and 325 and is key to the Bengals run defense. The other injured Bengal was Chris Crocker, their free safety, and we all saw what happened to the Giants when they lost their safety. All three are returning. They’ll be full-strength for the first time in weeks. They’ll be psyched in Cincinnati. Count on it.
So count on the Jets not having quite as much success on the ground. They’ll get some yards but it won’t even approach what they had last week. There could be a lot of three and outs. And then Sanchez will throw. He’ll throw some safe stuff and he’ll be careful with the ball. And sooner or later he’ll find Braylon Edwards, who might even make a catch.
Speaking of versatile offenses, the Jets don’t have one. They’ve been running their way to mini-celebrity in the City and that’ll continue but they just won’t be very good at it tomorrow. Cotchery, Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards, they just aren’t that formidable.
Speaking of formidable, though, that would be their defense. They won’t go away. And Cedric Benson may be their #1 running back but I just don’t think he’ll make that much of a difference. They’ll fare better than last week, probably running at the middle of the Jets defense, hoping to take advantage of good ol’ Sione Pouha. (I love that name).
So what we’ll see tomorrow is the same kind of offense from both sides. It’ll be one of those battles for field position, 3 yards and a cloud of dust….stuff like that.
The over-under is 34. The Jets are getting 2 ½. I figure that’ll be just about right. The Jets will cover but they may not win. That’s the bad news. Carson Palmer being who he is and Mark Sanchez being who he is, you have to like the Bengals chances late in the game.
The most likely scenario is another Falcons affair, a late Bengals touchdown to put them ahead by one. The good news, besides covering the spread, is that they’ll look pretty good and won’t totally embarrass themselves. Hell, they might even win.
But I don’t expect it.
Other games:
Pats 27-24 over Baltimore. Ravens cover
Packers 30-27 over Cards in a pickem game.
Anyway, as for last week, there is an excuse or two to offer. I would have sworn the Bengals would have tried a little harder last week. And that goes for Indianapolis too. I was really disappointed in both teams really, Indianapolis because it was bad enough they had already thrown the towel in on an undefeated season and the Bengals because they had been one of my feel-good teams this year along with the Niners. I expected more from them.
Then the Eagles threw in a real dud against the Cowboys. I still can’t figure out whether the NFC East title meant anything at all to them. But did they really figure the Giants had any chance whatever against the Vikings? I don’t think so. So they had no real shot at the 2 seed and, as far as I know, the NFL isn’t handing out championship belts to just any old division winner. So the Eagles had nothing to gain and everything to lose by throwing all their cards on the table. As Romo had a lot of time to throw, I have to think they were just dogging it. Even Romo was surprised.
But that doesn’t mean I think they’ll beat Dallas. I think they’ll lose by around six. Sometimes you can do all your shrewd little ruses and outsmart yourself. I think that’s what will happen to the Eagles. They’ll come out with fire but they’ll be in the Cowboys gigantic home, and there’ll be cheerleaders and that low scoreboard and Jerry Jones….the first bad thing that happens to the Eagles will just incite that crowd and before you know it, things will start turning bad.
The Eagles are pretty young too. It’s usually experience that pulls teams through these postseason wars and the Eagles just don’t have that much of it. So they’ll bring the heat and maybe get burned and then there’ll be Marion Barber bein’ pesky and Demarcus Ware making things tough on Donovan and maybe some of these young Eagles guns will get the dropsies or fumble or just not be as good as they usually are.
The Cowboys have had enough bad things happen to them. They’ll play a conservative game for them but they’ll frustrate that Philly offense and hang around till the pressure gets to those Birds, whose offense just isn’t that versatile. I figure there’ll be a turnover or two at just the wrong time and the Boyz will prevail.
The over-under’s at 45 and the Eagles get 3 ½ but it won’t be enough. I think it’ll be 26-20, Cowboys.
But the game most New Yorkers (and Jerseyans) care about is the Jets game. It’s difficult to say what will happen under these peculiar circumstances, playing the same team again, one that you beat handily but they didn’t give it their best. They didn’t start their Cedric Benson. They gave 3 of their defensive injured another week off.
Interestingly enough, these 3 injured defensemen ain’t just chopped liver. I know. The Bengals were my fantasy defense. They lost Geathers first as I recall, then the other two shortly thereafter. Robert Geathers is their best defensive lineman. When they lost the defensive tackle as well, Domata Peko, the whole left side of their defense was decimated. (They play a 4-3). Peka is 6-3 and 325 and is key to the Bengals run defense. The other injured Bengal was Chris Crocker, their free safety, and we all saw what happened to the Giants when they lost their safety. All three are returning. They’ll be full-strength for the first time in weeks. They’ll be psyched in Cincinnati. Count on it.
So count on the Jets not having quite as much success on the ground. They’ll get some yards but it won’t even approach what they had last week. There could be a lot of three and outs. And then Sanchez will throw. He’ll throw some safe stuff and he’ll be careful with the ball. And sooner or later he’ll find Braylon Edwards, who might even make a catch.
Speaking of versatile offenses, the Jets don’t have one. They’ve been running their way to mini-celebrity in the City and that’ll continue but they just won’t be very good at it tomorrow. Cotchery, Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards, they just aren’t that formidable.
Speaking of formidable, though, that would be their defense. They won’t go away. And Cedric Benson may be their #1 running back but I just don’t think he’ll make that much of a difference. They’ll fare better than last week, probably running at the middle of the Jets defense, hoping to take advantage of good ol’ Sione Pouha. (I love that name).
So what we’ll see tomorrow is the same kind of offense from both sides. It’ll be one of those battles for field position, 3 yards and a cloud of dust….stuff like that.
The over-under is 34. The Jets are getting 2 ½. I figure that’ll be just about right. The Jets will cover but they may not win. That’s the bad news. Carson Palmer being who he is and Mark Sanchez being who he is, you have to like the Bengals chances late in the game.
The most likely scenario is another Falcons affair, a late Bengals touchdown to put them ahead by one. The good news, besides covering the spread, is that they’ll look pretty good and won’t totally embarrass themselves. Hell, they might even win.
But I don’t expect it.
Other games:
Pats 27-24 over Baltimore. Ravens cover
Packers 30-27 over Cards in a pickem game.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Who Cares About Pennsylvania Anyway ?
I did it again. In my last article, I spent paragraph after paragraph espousing the good points of the Arizona Cardinals, the defense especially, as everybody knew their offense was incredible. And then I picked the Eagles to win. What a dummy!
My premise was flawed. It was that McNabb would get the time to throw to his myriad of receivers, as he did against seemingly everybody else. And, if he didn’t get the time, he’d run away. I also thought the Eagles secondary was too good; would never allow Fitzgerald and Boldin to beat them.
So, for 3 weeks running now, I’ve been right on the OTHER game but wrong on the Cards. It goes against my nature to get behind a team that totally quit for much of the second half of the season, a team that let the Patriots tar and feather them on a day I had no alternative game to watch, a team that totally ruined one whole Sunday in my life.
With all of that though, the Eagles could have won the game. I guess if Kevin Curtis could catch everything thrown his way, or if guys like Avant and Baskett could get open a little more often, they’d all be making a lot more money. The Eagles SHOULD have scored more points. But, in the end, of course, it was the Eagles defense that lost the game, or, conversely, the Arizona offense that ultimately won the game.
In the end, the Eagles just had to stop the Cards to go to the Super Bowl. They could not. They couldn’t stop Warner and they couldn’t stop the run in the two chances they had in that Cards final drive to stop them. On third and two, they stopped Hightower for just one, but on 4th and 1, they gave up six yards. Then, on a 3rd and 1 later in the drive, they let Hightower get the corner for another first down. They let Hightower kill them on that drive, as the big Cards bruiser caught the 8-yard TD pass for the clincher.
I say “clincher” but, even at that point in the game, the Eagles could have come back. That they didn’t wasn’t McNabb’s fault. Curtis’s drop of still another pass he should have had on 4th down sealed the Eagles fate.
So much for an all-Pennsylvania final. And so much for my handicapping. I have to admit it was a great game; you couldn’t ask for more. And who cares about Pennsylvania anyway?
The Steelers game went pretty much according to form. In the end, it was just too much Polamalu, too much Steelers defense, and too much of Big Ben. Roethlisberger showed why he was a Number 1 pick, consistently buying time by scrambling and finding open receivers downfield.
Polamalu’s INT was really the game-breaker though. Until then, the Ravens still had a hell of a shot. Flacco threw one more INT later on, when he was forced to pass, but, in my eyes, Flacco was pretty damned good yesterday. If he had some receivers like Santonio Holmes, he would have looked even better.
So much for the Championship Games. Now we can look forward to two full weeks of hoopla, hoopla that I studiously ignore year after year. Besides, there are some big things happening in Jets-land, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training in about a month.
The Jets just selected Rex Ryan as their next head coach. If anybody can put a charge into that moribund Jets defense, it’s Rex Ryan. I have no idea what he’ll be able to pull off on the other side of the ball, but, at the very least, maybe he’ll be able to rein in crazy Schottenheimer and his totally inaccurate old-man of a quarterback.
And, if Favre won’t be coming back (please God), Jets fans will probably be in for some crazy games in the short term, until the management can decide on somebody else. If the Jets could pick up a breakaway threat at wide receiver, things might even start to look rosy, or rosier anyway. Oh, and did I mention that Tom Brady will be back next year?
Best for Jets fans though, is not having to watch Eric Mangini process his way through another press conference. We might just even see a little emotion when his team throws in a clinker or two, or three, as they did this year. Maybe he’ll even do a Singletary and pull his pants down!
The Giants, though, they finally lost Spagnolo. That will be a big hit on the defense, especially if the new guy brings in a totally different scheme. I’m hoping they keep the same scheme. It sure seems to work, and it’ll work all that much better when Osi Umenyiora returns. (This just in-the Giants are promoting Bill Sheridan from within-YAY!!)
What a crazy year though! Miami and Chad Pennington come back from the dead. Two rookie quarterbacks, Flacco and Matt Ryan, lead their teams to the playoffs. Arizona and their chronically inept owners are going to the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy quits, Chucky gets fired down in Tampa. And what about that crazy Wildcat offense!
Pretty soon, we may even be able to turn our thoughts to the basketball season. Not that the NY pro teams are doing anything noteworthy yet, but D’Antoni gives the fans at least some hope and Brook Lopez, the Nets rookie center, is starting to show why he was a Number 1 pick.
In college basketball, there won’t be much going on locally. Seton Hall is getting killed in the very tough Big East and Rutgers, while showing a lot of fight, can’t really be expected to do a lot. Even the Rutgers women’s team is having a tough time in the early going.
Thank God for baseball and the Mets! Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, a real live relief staff – prospects for a NY World Series.
My premise was flawed. It was that McNabb would get the time to throw to his myriad of receivers, as he did against seemingly everybody else. And, if he didn’t get the time, he’d run away. I also thought the Eagles secondary was too good; would never allow Fitzgerald and Boldin to beat them.
So, for 3 weeks running now, I’ve been right on the OTHER game but wrong on the Cards. It goes against my nature to get behind a team that totally quit for much of the second half of the season, a team that let the Patriots tar and feather them on a day I had no alternative game to watch, a team that totally ruined one whole Sunday in my life.
With all of that though, the Eagles could have won the game. I guess if Kevin Curtis could catch everything thrown his way, or if guys like Avant and Baskett could get open a little more often, they’d all be making a lot more money. The Eagles SHOULD have scored more points. But, in the end, of course, it was the Eagles defense that lost the game, or, conversely, the Arizona offense that ultimately won the game.
In the end, the Eagles just had to stop the Cards to go to the Super Bowl. They could not. They couldn’t stop Warner and they couldn’t stop the run in the two chances they had in that Cards final drive to stop them. On third and two, they stopped Hightower for just one, but on 4th and 1, they gave up six yards. Then, on a 3rd and 1 later in the drive, they let Hightower get the corner for another first down. They let Hightower kill them on that drive, as the big Cards bruiser caught the 8-yard TD pass for the clincher.
I say “clincher” but, even at that point in the game, the Eagles could have come back. That they didn’t wasn’t McNabb’s fault. Curtis’s drop of still another pass he should have had on 4th down sealed the Eagles fate.
So much for an all-Pennsylvania final. And so much for my handicapping. I have to admit it was a great game; you couldn’t ask for more. And who cares about Pennsylvania anyway?
The Steelers game went pretty much according to form. In the end, it was just too much Polamalu, too much Steelers defense, and too much of Big Ben. Roethlisberger showed why he was a Number 1 pick, consistently buying time by scrambling and finding open receivers downfield.
Polamalu’s INT was really the game-breaker though. Until then, the Ravens still had a hell of a shot. Flacco threw one more INT later on, when he was forced to pass, but, in my eyes, Flacco was pretty damned good yesterday. If he had some receivers like Santonio Holmes, he would have looked even better.
So much for the Championship Games. Now we can look forward to two full weeks of hoopla, hoopla that I studiously ignore year after year. Besides, there are some big things happening in Jets-land, and pitchers and catchers report to spring training in about a month.
The Jets just selected Rex Ryan as their next head coach. If anybody can put a charge into that moribund Jets defense, it’s Rex Ryan. I have no idea what he’ll be able to pull off on the other side of the ball, but, at the very least, maybe he’ll be able to rein in crazy Schottenheimer and his totally inaccurate old-man of a quarterback.
And, if Favre won’t be coming back (please God), Jets fans will probably be in for some crazy games in the short term, until the management can decide on somebody else. If the Jets could pick up a breakaway threat at wide receiver, things might even start to look rosy, or rosier anyway. Oh, and did I mention that Tom Brady will be back next year?
Best for Jets fans though, is not having to watch Eric Mangini process his way through another press conference. We might just even see a little emotion when his team throws in a clinker or two, or three, as they did this year. Maybe he’ll even do a Singletary and pull his pants down!
The Giants, though, they finally lost Spagnolo. That will be a big hit on the defense, especially if the new guy brings in a totally different scheme. I’m hoping they keep the same scheme. It sure seems to work, and it’ll work all that much better when Osi Umenyiora returns. (This just in-the Giants are promoting Bill Sheridan from within-YAY!!)
What a crazy year though! Miami and Chad Pennington come back from the dead. Two rookie quarterbacks, Flacco and Matt Ryan, lead their teams to the playoffs. Arizona and their chronically inept owners are going to the Super Bowl. Tony Dungy quits, Chucky gets fired down in Tampa. And what about that crazy Wildcat offense!
Pretty soon, we may even be able to turn our thoughts to the basketball season. Not that the NY pro teams are doing anything noteworthy yet, but D’Antoni gives the fans at least some hope and Brook Lopez, the Nets rookie center, is starting to show why he was a Number 1 pick.
In college basketball, there won’t be much going on locally. Seton Hall is getting killed in the very tough Big East and Rutgers, while showing a lot of fight, can’t really be expected to do a lot. Even the Rutgers women’s team is having a tough time in the early going.
Thank God for baseball and the Mets! Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, a real live relief staff – prospects for a NY World Series.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Pennsylvania Weekend
On a day like today when it’s about 5 degrees in New Jersey, it’s hard to believe they’re still playing football in the NFL. Both Conference Championship Games will be played on Sunday, of course, and if I had my druthers (I usually don’t), I’d be headed to Phoenix.
It’ll be nice in Phoenix, of course. The Sunday forecast is sunny with temperatures ranging from 44 to 77 degrees. That probably favors Arizona, although it’s hard to imagine that good weather would hurt the guys used to playing in bad. The Eagles are favored by 2 ½ in Vegas at the moment and the over/under stands at a whopping 50 ½. Although I’m not betting, based on this data, the score figures to be sumthin’ like 26-24 Philadelphia.
I’m not going to make the same mistake 3 times in a row. I had bet against Phoenix in both Weeks 1 and 2 of the playoffs and of course lost twice. Not only did I lose but the second game was over early as the Cards absolutely pounded Carolina, making Jake Delhomme look ridiculous while scoring again and again in the first quarter and half.
And Carolina’s game plan, if you could call it that, was stupid! Really, there’s no better way to characterize it. They seemed to be covering Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona’s absolutely stellar wide receiver, with one man (when he was covered at all) all afternoon. On the other side of the ball, they tried to play catch up way too early, passing instead of running, and just played right into the Cards’ hands when Delhomme did his best impersonation of the worst quarterback to ever play the game.
Their first playoff game win, against Atlanta, was more indicative of their team performance. And yet, even in that game, Michael Turner, Atlanta’s ballyhooed running back, looked as if he could never get started, and wound up going east and west all day.
Still though, they did stop the run even if Atlanta looked remarkably bad in their execution of it. They only won by a score of 30-24 in that one and the usual suspects were instrumental in the win, Warner and Fitzgerald and Boldin, but there were also at least some vestiges of a running game with Edgerrin James, and even more surprising was their game toughness, as they forced their way ahead in the third and fourth quarters, scoring on a fumble recovery and runback from Antrel Rolle and then sacking Matt Ryan for a safety.
Toughness was the last thing anyone ever could have expected from the same team that basically just lay down on national TV versus the Pats (the snow angel game). Even in their last game of the year, while they picked up their level of play to beat Seattle, it wasn’t really extraordinary.
Philadelphia, though, knows what to expect. They’ve seen that defensive front, and have already expressed an admiration for Antonio Smith and his friends. When you really take a look at that defense, it’s got some real talent.
Their leading tackler by far is relatively unsung linebacker Karlos Danby while they get pressure on the QB from both linemen and linebackers. The secondary is strong too, and Antrel Rolle seems especially to have come alive in these playoff games. But they’re all playing well, Rogers-Cromartie and Adrian Wilson and Antonio Smith.
Knowing what to expect might be half the battle. The Cards surprised Atlanta and the Panthers too. I don’t think they’ll surprise Philly’s gigantic offensive line, especially in the passing game. McNabb will find targets among his ample bevy of receivers while their running game and junk dumpoffs to Westbrook will continue to work. Arizona will stop the run, but unless they can get to McNabb, it’ll be a long afternoon for the Cards defense.
The Eagles secondary is a good one, featuring Asante Samuel and the headstrong Brian Dawkins, and I’d expect them to have some success, but not as much as in their first game, won by the Eagles 48-20. In that game, the Cards had already wrapped the division. That makes a huge difference.
Expect a slugfest, but Eagles pressure on Warner will make the difference. I don’t believe the Cards will be able to pressure McNabb. He’ll still put up 3TD’s and figure another 2 or 3 field goals from Akers. That’s 30. Even if the Cards play better than they did the first time, I can’t see them being very efficient with Eagles in Warner’s face all day.
It’ll be close, but I’d expect Philly to pull ahead and then shutdown a closing Arizona flurry to make things respectable. The Eagles have taken the measure of Minnesota and the G-Men to get this far, a tougher road than Atlanta/Carolina and they won’t play second-fiddle to the upstart Cards. Make it 30-26 in the Eagles favor. For you gamblers, that’s the Eagles and the “over.”
The Pittsburgh weather will be distinctly worse than Arizona’s, with light snow forecasted and temperatures ranging from 15 to 28 degrees. That won’t bother either team though and it’ll be another defensive gem. This is the third meeting between the two and the Steelers have won both. I expect them to have success a third time, as difficult as that may seem.
The Ravens won’t be able to run against that Steelers defense while I think Willie Parker will do some damage on the other end. The Ravens have come a long way with a rookie quarterback, and they’re bound for a letdown after their big wins over Miami and especially over Tennessee.
I think Roethlisberger will prove the difference between a veteran in a big game and a rookie. Joe Flacco has been great so far, and, as a Jersey guy, it’s hard not to root for him, but this will be his first Conference Championship game.
It’s the year of Pennsylvania. Expect the Steelers to emerge victorious once again over the Ravens by 23-13. (Pitt and “over”).
It’ll be nice in Phoenix, of course. The Sunday forecast is sunny with temperatures ranging from 44 to 77 degrees. That probably favors Arizona, although it’s hard to imagine that good weather would hurt the guys used to playing in bad. The Eagles are favored by 2 ½ in Vegas at the moment and the over/under stands at a whopping 50 ½. Although I’m not betting, based on this data, the score figures to be sumthin’ like 26-24 Philadelphia.
I’m not going to make the same mistake 3 times in a row. I had bet against Phoenix in both Weeks 1 and 2 of the playoffs and of course lost twice. Not only did I lose but the second game was over early as the Cards absolutely pounded Carolina, making Jake Delhomme look ridiculous while scoring again and again in the first quarter and half.
And Carolina’s game plan, if you could call it that, was stupid! Really, there’s no better way to characterize it. They seemed to be covering Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona’s absolutely stellar wide receiver, with one man (when he was covered at all) all afternoon. On the other side of the ball, they tried to play catch up way too early, passing instead of running, and just played right into the Cards’ hands when Delhomme did his best impersonation of the worst quarterback to ever play the game.
Their first playoff game win, against Atlanta, was more indicative of their team performance. And yet, even in that game, Michael Turner, Atlanta’s ballyhooed running back, looked as if he could never get started, and wound up going east and west all day.
Still though, they did stop the run even if Atlanta looked remarkably bad in their execution of it. They only won by a score of 30-24 in that one and the usual suspects were instrumental in the win, Warner and Fitzgerald and Boldin, but there were also at least some vestiges of a running game with Edgerrin James, and even more surprising was their game toughness, as they forced their way ahead in the third and fourth quarters, scoring on a fumble recovery and runback from Antrel Rolle and then sacking Matt Ryan for a safety.
Toughness was the last thing anyone ever could have expected from the same team that basically just lay down on national TV versus the Pats (the snow angel game). Even in their last game of the year, while they picked up their level of play to beat Seattle, it wasn’t really extraordinary.
Philadelphia, though, knows what to expect. They’ve seen that defensive front, and have already expressed an admiration for Antonio Smith and his friends. When you really take a look at that defense, it’s got some real talent.
Their leading tackler by far is relatively unsung linebacker Karlos Danby while they get pressure on the QB from both linemen and linebackers. The secondary is strong too, and Antrel Rolle seems especially to have come alive in these playoff games. But they’re all playing well, Rogers-Cromartie and Adrian Wilson and Antonio Smith.
Knowing what to expect might be half the battle. The Cards surprised Atlanta and the Panthers too. I don’t think they’ll surprise Philly’s gigantic offensive line, especially in the passing game. McNabb will find targets among his ample bevy of receivers while their running game and junk dumpoffs to Westbrook will continue to work. Arizona will stop the run, but unless they can get to McNabb, it’ll be a long afternoon for the Cards defense.
The Eagles secondary is a good one, featuring Asante Samuel and the headstrong Brian Dawkins, and I’d expect them to have some success, but not as much as in their first game, won by the Eagles 48-20. In that game, the Cards had already wrapped the division. That makes a huge difference.
Expect a slugfest, but Eagles pressure on Warner will make the difference. I don’t believe the Cards will be able to pressure McNabb. He’ll still put up 3TD’s and figure another 2 or 3 field goals from Akers. That’s 30. Even if the Cards play better than they did the first time, I can’t see them being very efficient with Eagles in Warner’s face all day.
It’ll be close, but I’d expect Philly to pull ahead and then shutdown a closing Arizona flurry to make things respectable. The Eagles have taken the measure of Minnesota and the G-Men to get this far, a tougher road than Atlanta/Carolina and they won’t play second-fiddle to the upstart Cards. Make it 30-26 in the Eagles favor. For you gamblers, that’s the Eagles and the “over.”
The Pittsburgh weather will be distinctly worse than Arizona’s, with light snow forecasted and temperatures ranging from 15 to 28 degrees. That won’t bother either team though and it’ll be another defensive gem. This is the third meeting between the two and the Steelers have won both. I expect them to have success a third time, as difficult as that may seem.
The Ravens won’t be able to run against that Steelers defense while I think Willie Parker will do some damage on the other end. The Ravens have come a long way with a rookie quarterback, and they’re bound for a letdown after their big wins over Miami and especially over Tennessee.
I think Roethlisberger will prove the difference between a veteran in a big game and a rookie. Joe Flacco has been great so far, and, as a Jersey guy, it’s hard not to root for him, but this will be his first Conference Championship game.
It’s the year of Pennsylvania. Expect the Steelers to emerge victorious once again over the Ravens by 23-13. (Pitt and “over”).
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Coaches Add That Sumthin'....or Don't
It was Monday afternoon. I was trying to figure out whether Tom Brady, that marvel of a Patriots quarterback, would score 25 or more fantasy points that night. In looking at the past games, I determined that Brady had missed the "25" mark only once, that performance just last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. The following is an excerpt from my actual league posting:
hey ramsy, just fyi, and as you still have the BAL DEF on your roster, you might already know this and are just being coy, (yeah, that's right, coy), the Ravens have everybody back on D tonight except for Trevor Pryce, their DE.
McAllister, Rolle, Ed Reed, Landry are all in line.
If the Ravens play conservatively on offense and don't fumble, and play like madmen on Def like the Eagles did, it could even get interesting.
It surely did prove to be interesting, the game turning, I thought, on Billick's time-out.
Why is it always the Belichicks who have their full complement of timeouts at the end of the game? And it’s always the Billicks who call timeout for any reason whatsoever. I grow weary of these high-profile coaches who lose games for their teams. Joe Gibbs, Mike Shanahan, Mike Martz, Brian Schottenheimer of the Jets to name just a few.
But none can match KC’s Herm Edwards. In the Oakland game, withKansas City
Of course, some decisions are very tough. The really good coaches, though, seem to transcend the moment. With confidence in their players, with a total awareness of the situation and the opponent, they prevail; they live to fight another day.
hey ramsy, just fyi, and as you still have the BAL DEF on your roster, you might already know this and are just being coy, (yeah, that's right, coy), the Ravens have everybody back on D tonight except for Trevor Pryce, their DE.
McAllister, Rolle, Ed Reed, Landry are all in line.
If the Ravens play conservatively on offense and don't fumble, and play like madmen on Def like the Eagles did, it could even get interesting.
It surely did prove to be interesting, the game turning, I thought, on Billick's time-out.
Why is it always the Belichicks who have their full complement of timeouts at the end of the game? And it’s always the Billicks who call timeout for any reason whatsoever. I grow weary of these high-profile coaches who lose games for their teams. Joe Gibbs, Mike Shanahan, Mike Martz, Brian Schottenheimer of the Jets to name just a few.
But none can match KC’s Herm Edwards. In the Oakland game, with
Of course, some decisions are very tough. The really good coaches, though, seem to transcend the moment. With confidence in their players, with a total awareness of the situation and the opponent, they prevail; they live to fight another day.
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