Sunday, January 20, 2008
Conference Championship Games
I'll take the Patriots (because I vowed not to pick against them again until they lose) and the Giants (because you have to have faith in your team) in today's games.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Championship picks
To me the NFL season ended last week, so yeah. Nothing fancy in these picks. Only a prearranged competition is keeping me to pick this week anyway. Basically I picks the Pats and the Pack. Simple to remember, just taking the best records and going with it.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Divisional Playoff Picks - Sunday
As promised, here are my picks for tomorrow's playoff games.
San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts
This game is, at least to me, simple. Forget the talk about injuries to Antonio Gates and Dwight Freeney. Forget about the Chargers' momentum. Forget about how the Chargers supposedly match up well against the Colts. Forget that the Chargers have beaten the Colts once already and have since improved. All that matters is this: Indianapolis is the better team. To top things off, they'll be getting back arguably the second best receiver in NFL history. Even if Marvin Harrison only plays half of their offensive snaps, it will be a boost. Have I mentioned that Tony Dungy is a considerably better head coach than Norv Turner?
Pick: Indianapolis 34, San Diego 10
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
I don't want to say anything about this game.
Pick: New York 27, Dallas 24
San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts
This game is, at least to me, simple. Forget the talk about injuries to Antonio Gates and Dwight Freeney. Forget about the Chargers' momentum. Forget about how the Chargers supposedly match up well against the Colts. Forget that the Chargers have beaten the Colts once already and have since improved. All that matters is this: Indianapolis is the better team. To top things off, they'll be getting back arguably the second best receiver in NFL history. Even if Marvin Harrison only plays half of their offensive snaps, it will be a boost. Have I mentioned that Tony Dungy is a considerably better head coach than Norv Turner?
Pick: Indianapolis 34, San Diego 10
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
I don't want to say anything about this game.
Pick: New York 27, Dallas 24
Divisional Playoff Picks - Saturday
Here are my picks for Saturday's games.
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
The first game of the weekend is giving me serious trouble. The Packers have the home field edge, not to mention the extra week for rest and preparation. However, their relative inexperience may cancel out those advantages. What this means is that even more will fall on the shoulders of Brett Favre.
While I like the Seahawks' defense, Matt Hasselbeck's performance was hardly confidence instilling. By my count, he's had three good playoff games to five bad ones over the course of his career. Even worse, Hasselbeck has never had a passer rating of 70 or better in a road playoff game. Not surprisingly, Seattle hasn't won a road playoff game since the 1980's. Hasselbeck aside, the ground game has struggled this year for Seattle. If the Seahawks win, it will more likely be due to their defense than their offense.
As much as I worry about the Packers' inexperience, Hasselbeck still has a few more bad interceptions in him that could prove the difference in this one. Not to say that Favre isn't interception prone, but he's playing his best football in arguably more than a decade. In other words, Favre hasn't been this good since he last went to the Super Bowl. If this game were in Seattle, it would be a different story, but in Green Bay, I can't be confident in the Seahawks.
Pick: Green Bay 24, Seattle 16
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
This may be the most tempting game of the year. The Patriots' run defense has declined as the season has worn on, and the Jaguars have the running game to exploit that weakness. As a result, the Patriots will try to score early to put the Jaguars in a hole to get them away from the running game. Jacksonville has not won this year when trailing by more than seven points. In short, the game boils down to this: If the Jaguars can keep the game close and control the clock, they'll have a good chance; if not, the Patriots should win.
Of course, throw in the fact that the Patriots will probably have at least a few questionable calls, catches, and/or eye pokes go their way and the Jaguars probably won't have enough to keep pace. The sad thing about that last sentence is that it's only a half-joke; would anyone really be surprised to see the Patriot's "Perfect" season extended another week thanks in part to a dubious penalty or a Jabbar Gaffney "touchdown"? I want to take the Jaguars here (no doubt I'll be rooting for them) but I vowed not to pick against the Patriots again until they lost. Ugh.
Pick: New England 27, Jacksonville 17
Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
The first game of the weekend is giving me serious trouble. The Packers have the home field edge, not to mention the extra week for rest and preparation. However, their relative inexperience may cancel out those advantages. What this means is that even more will fall on the shoulders of Brett Favre.
While I like the Seahawks' defense, Matt Hasselbeck's performance was hardly confidence instilling. By my count, he's had three good playoff games to five bad ones over the course of his career. Even worse, Hasselbeck has never had a passer rating of 70 or better in a road playoff game. Not surprisingly, Seattle hasn't won a road playoff game since the 1980's. Hasselbeck aside, the ground game has struggled this year for Seattle. If the Seahawks win, it will more likely be due to their defense than their offense.
As much as I worry about the Packers' inexperience, Hasselbeck still has a few more bad interceptions in him that could prove the difference in this one. Not to say that Favre isn't interception prone, but he's playing his best football in arguably more than a decade. In other words, Favre hasn't been this good since he last went to the Super Bowl. If this game were in Seattle, it would be a different story, but in Green Bay, I can't be confident in the Seahawks.
Pick: Green Bay 24, Seattle 16
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
This may be the most tempting game of the year. The Patriots' run defense has declined as the season has worn on, and the Jaguars have the running game to exploit that weakness. As a result, the Patriots will try to score early to put the Jaguars in a hole to get them away from the running game. Jacksonville has not won this year when trailing by more than seven points. In short, the game boils down to this: If the Jaguars can keep the game close and control the clock, they'll have a good chance; if not, the Patriots should win.
Of course, throw in the fact that the Patriots will probably have at least a few questionable calls, catches, and/or eye pokes go their way and the Jaguars probably won't have enough to keep pace. The sad thing about that last sentence is that it's only a half-joke; would anyone really be surprised to see the Patriot's "Perfect" season extended another week thanks in part to a dubious penalty or a Jabbar Gaffney "touchdown"? I want to take the Jaguars here (no doubt I'll be rooting for them) but I vowed not to pick against the Patriots again until they lost. Ugh.
Pick: New England 27, Jacksonville 17
Friday, January 11, 2008
Round two of playoffs
Well, before I go into my picks, there are a few points I would like to make:
1) Well, this is a sports blog predominately, but lets take a detour into something else. The show Degrassi is absolutely amazing. I mean, there is just so much awesome drama. I mean, Spinner is a character who is looking to break into my top 50 characters update of the future, and Darcy is becoming a new female fan. Heck I am even cheering for a relationship for a change in it. I don't know why I am pointing this out here, but boy do I love Degrassi. Ok, now that the world knows about my new tv obsession, I can continue on.
2) Thiell's post last week accurately showed why I should not be allowed to rank teams. But there is an easy way for the Denver debacle to occur. First off, I hate to predict the Colts as the number one team because that makes me look bias, and I would never pick the Pats number one because that would make me admit the Pats are actually good (which is a moral sin in my eyes). I also didn't want to pick the Chargers because that was who everyone was picking. But in truth, I picked Denver because they looked like they had an amazing roster. What I need to do next season is avoid big names, but look at the quality of the defensive lines, because that is where Denver failed. Oh and the Texans at 32, well I just don't particularily like them or Schaub so that is completely sensible for me. Oh well, maybe next year I'll actually be partially succesful.
3) To be quite honest, the first round couldn't go better for regular football fans. I mean, the 8 best teams in the entire NFL are left (although Pitt vs the Giants/Seahawks may be a bit debatable). Most years there is at least one upset that messes this up here. Now, heres hoping that this theme DOES not continue, and we get some juicy upsets this week that don't involve the Colts. But hey, you can't complain when you have four high class games, with great football being played, and heck, at the most important position (QB) You have: 3 certain hall of famers, 1 current superstar, 2 superb game managers, one enigma, and one subpar QB. Besides the last one of Rivers (but in that case, Tomlinson should just count as their QB, so then we could have four hall of famers) that is one amazing class of QB's. Nevertheless, four of those teams will go down, and who knows... maybe we are on our way to a Giants Jaguars superbowl, although I doubt it.
Seattle at Greenbay: All season long I have spent all my time avoiding ever giving any credit to Greenbay. On paper they just kept winning, but in my mind this was still the Greenbay of last year, one of the worst teams in the league that somehow pulled out 8 games, except this year they pulled out 13. Then there is Seattle, a team I praised all year, and kept putting as near to a top 5 team in the Power Rankings, as much as possible. However, first chance I get I pick Washington to knock off this team I have supported so much. Alot of people are picking Greenbay in this game, but why start supporting this team now. I mean, come on, they have the QB with the most career interceptions, and two or more interceptions would make this an easy winner for Seattle.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks (24-20)
Jacksonville at New England: What a game. The question in my mind is whether or not I should just stand with my guns all along and pick the Jags. I mean, to begin with I believe New England is very overated in everyone's belief they are unbeatable. The Giants and Eagles could've beat the Pats but came up just short, and the Ravens should've beat the Pats if the refs had made the obvious calls. Now Jacksonville is better than all of those teams, and has the running game to keep Brady off the field, the best possible defense against the Pats. However, in times like this I have to remain cautious, and my gut is telling me, that this could be a disatrous pick, and that I should stick with the Pats for one more week, although I will definitely be cheering against them.
Winner: New England Patriots (28-27)
San Diego at Indianapolis: I just read an article about how the Chargers will beat the Colts. Because of that I am now more confident then ever, because it seems no one is really taking this Colts team seroiusly. When the Colts lost to the Chargers earlier this year they had only 17 active offensive players, and their second WR was Cresando Thorpe. Guess who their second WR is this week.... Reggie Wayne. I most say that is a tad bit of improvement. This game is over one play in, when Marvin steps out onto that field. The RCA Dome will be off the hooks, and people will be thinking it must be pumped in noise because it is giong so crazy. Manning may be the face of this team, but the heart is Marvin, and with Marvin back on there, I believe the Colts are unbeatable. Just for the record, the Colts are undefeated this year in games Marvin has played in (ok, so that only equals 5-0), and that won't change this week. This will be interesting for five minutes, until the first Colts TD, and then we will all be looking at the Colts-Pats round 2, or Colts-Jags round 3... two much more appealing game.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts (30-10)
New York Giants at Dallas: If there is one thing I believe in in the NFL, is that beating the same team three times in a season is extremely difficult. The Cowboys have already beaten the Giants twice, and most people favor the Cowboys in round three. However, in the first meeting Eli played great until an injury. Pair one good performance with a dominant past two games with the nation watching, and Eli may be growing up before our very eyes. However, the weirdest thing about this game is that for the first game in awhile, Eli is not the player with the most pressure in this game. Tony Romo has alot more to prove, with the biggest botch hold in years and his spending a week in Mexico instead of preparing for this game, also puts his work ethic in question. Basically Romo needs to win this game more, or it will be another long offseason for him. Eli, while still with pressure, should avoid being a laughingstock this offseason because he led a team with low expections to the divisional round, and hey, Eli deserves some of that credit, don't ya think... In the end though, I can only pick one upset this round, and this isn't it...
Winner: Dallas Cowboys (35-33)
1) Well, this is a sports blog predominately, but lets take a detour into something else. The show Degrassi is absolutely amazing. I mean, there is just so much awesome drama. I mean, Spinner is a character who is looking to break into my top 50 characters update of the future, and Darcy is becoming a new female fan. Heck I am even cheering for a relationship for a change in it. I don't know why I am pointing this out here, but boy do I love Degrassi. Ok, now that the world knows about my new tv obsession, I can continue on.
2) Thiell's post last week accurately showed why I should not be allowed to rank teams. But there is an easy way for the Denver debacle to occur. First off, I hate to predict the Colts as the number one team because that makes me look bias, and I would never pick the Pats number one because that would make me admit the Pats are actually good (which is a moral sin in my eyes). I also didn't want to pick the Chargers because that was who everyone was picking. But in truth, I picked Denver because they looked like they had an amazing roster. What I need to do next season is avoid big names, but look at the quality of the defensive lines, because that is where Denver failed. Oh and the Texans at 32, well I just don't particularily like them or Schaub so that is completely sensible for me. Oh well, maybe next year I'll actually be partially succesful.
3) To be quite honest, the first round couldn't go better for regular football fans. I mean, the 8 best teams in the entire NFL are left (although Pitt vs the Giants/Seahawks may be a bit debatable). Most years there is at least one upset that messes this up here. Now, heres hoping that this theme DOES not continue, and we get some juicy upsets this week that don't involve the Colts. But hey, you can't complain when you have four high class games, with great football being played, and heck, at the most important position (QB) You have: 3 certain hall of famers, 1 current superstar, 2 superb game managers, one enigma, and one subpar QB. Besides the last one of Rivers (but in that case, Tomlinson should just count as their QB, so then we could have four hall of famers) that is one amazing class of QB's. Nevertheless, four of those teams will go down, and who knows... maybe we are on our way to a Giants Jaguars superbowl, although I doubt it.
Seattle at Greenbay: All season long I have spent all my time avoiding ever giving any credit to Greenbay. On paper they just kept winning, but in my mind this was still the Greenbay of last year, one of the worst teams in the league that somehow pulled out 8 games, except this year they pulled out 13. Then there is Seattle, a team I praised all year, and kept putting as near to a top 5 team in the Power Rankings, as much as possible. However, first chance I get I pick Washington to knock off this team I have supported so much. Alot of people are picking Greenbay in this game, but why start supporting this team now. I mean, come on, they have the QB with the most career interceptions, and two or more interceptions would make this an easy winner for Seattle.
Winner: Seattle Seahawks (24-20)
Jacksonville at New England: What a game. The question in my mind is whether or not I should just stand with my guns all along and pick the Jags. I mean, to begin with I believe New England is very overated in everyone's belief they are unbeatable. The Giants and Eagles could've beat the Pats but came up just short, and the Ravens should've beat the Pats if the refs had made the obvious calls. Now Jacksonville is better than all of those teams, and has the running game to keep Brady off the field, the best possible defense against the Pats. However, in times like this I have to remain cautious, and my gut is telling me, that this could be a disatrous pick, and that I should stick with the Pats for one more week, although I will definitely be cheering against them.
Winner: New England Patriots (28-27)
San Diego at Indianapolis: I just read an article about how the Chargers will beat the Colts. Because of that I am now more confident then ever, because it seems no one is really taking this Colts team seroiusly. When the Colts lost to the Chargers earlier this year they had only 17 active offensive players, and their second WR was Cresando Thorpe. Guess who their second WR is this week.... Reggie Wayne. I most say that is a tad bit of improvement. This game is over one play in, when Marvin steps out onto that field. The RCA Dome will be off the hooks, and people will be thinking it must be pumped in noise because it is giong so crazy. Manning may be the face of this team, but the heart is Marvin, and with Marvin back on there, I believe the Colts are unbeatable. Just for the record, the Colts are undefeated this year in games Marvin has played in (ok, so that only equals 5-0), and that won't change this week. This will be interesting for five minutes, until the first Colts TD, and then we will all be looking at the Colts-Pats round 2, or Colts-Jags round 3... two much more appealing game.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts (30-10)
New York Giants at Dallas: If there is one thing I believe in in the NFL, is that beating the same team three times in a season is extremely difficult. The Cowboys have already beaten the Giants twice, and most people favor the Cowboys in round three. However, in the first meeting Eli played great until an injury. Pair one good performance with a dominant past two games with the nation watching, and Eli may be growing up before our very eyes. However, the weirdest thing about this game is that for the first game in awhile, Eli is not the player with the most pressure in this game. Tony Romo has alot more to prove, with the biggest botch hold in years and his spending a week in Mexico instead of preparing for this game, also puts his work ethic in question. Basically Romo needs to win this game more, or it will be another long offseason for him. Eli, while still with pressure, should avoid being a laughingstock this offseason because he led a team with low expections to the divisional round, and hey, Eli deserves some of that credit, don't ya think... In the end though, I can only pick one upset this round, and this isn't it...
Winner: Dallas Cowboys (35-33)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Wild Card Weekend (or How a Season's Worth of Terrible Predictions is Mercifully Coming to a Close)
After 17 weeks (and a record that I am afraid to tabulate, although I am sure that Don is beating me), I have come to the following conclusion: I have absolutely no business making any sort of football predictions. This isn't a feeble stab at some self deprecating humor; a look back at my Preseason Power Rankings reveals just how miserable a year it has been for me:
Yes, I understand, hindsight is 20-20, if I knew then what I know now, etc. There are any number of clichés that can describe this phenomenon. My point in all of that is this: I am about to make my predictions for the first round of the playoffs. There is a huge grain of salt to take these with; that grain of salt is, of course, the sparkling record that I have laid out above.
One last thing before I get to my picks: I'm sure that if any non-Patriot stuck his finger into the facemask of Tom Brady, the penalty would be much more severe than a measly $15,000 fine. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
Finally, my picks, with, for kicks, my preseason ranking in parentheses:
(20) Washington Redskins at (10) Seattle Seahawks
The theme for this week is, as you shall see, indecision. Depending on how you look at them, Seattle has been either underwhelming or flying dangerously under the radar. I can't decide which it is. Washington, of course, enters the postseason on a tear, winners of four straight, despite starting 36 year old journeyman Todd Collins at quarterback. Seattle is an incredibly difficult place to play, and I believe more in the Seahawks' home field advantage than in the Redskins momentum. Pick: Seattle 20, Washington 17
(14) Jacksonville Jaguars at (16) Pittsburgh Steelers
I was all set to pick the Jaguars here and move on, but then I noticed that absolutely everyone is taking the Jags in this one. Sure, the Steelers are reeling, in part due to injury, but beating the same team twice on the road (as the Jaguars are trying to do) is not an easy feat. I love the Jaguars' running game, but what happens if they fall behind early? Even so, the Steelers just don't seem like the same team as earlier in the season. Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that without Willie Parker, the Steelers' offense will become one dimensional and unable to control the clock. My gut tells me Jacksonville and as much as I'd like to buck the trend and prove that I'm smarter than everyone else by picking Pittsburgh, I know that I'm not smarter than everyone, so I'll stay with my gut. Pick: Jacksonville 24, Pittsburgh 14
(23) New York Giants at (31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jeff Garcia has been a Giant killer, knocking them out in two of their last three trips to the playoffs (once with Philadelphia and once with San Francisco). The Buccaneers should be rested, while the Giants lost starters in the "meaningless" Patriots game. Plus, there's no way "Unstoppable" Eli Manning will play two good games in a row, especially given that the second game will be on the road in the playoffs. Screw it. Sure, the teams they beat weren't the toughest, but New York is 7-1 on the road this season. After back to back early playoff exits, shouldn't Eli have the experience to finally turn the corner? This game boils down to one simple question: Did last week's hard fought contest give the Giants the swagger to finally turn the team into one that will consistently play up to their ability or was it just another high point to make the inevitable first round playoff exit all the more frustrating? For once, I'm going to be an optimist. Pick: New York 14, Tampa Bay 13
(19) Tennessee Titans at (1) San Diego Chargers
Like the Steelers, the Chargers are a different team than we saw early in the season. Unlike with the Steelers, that's an endorsement - and not a criticism - of the Chargers. Am I nervous about the prospect of watching Norv Turner coach the Chargers in the playoffs? Absolutely. The Chargers are winners of six straight and seem to have turned the corner, whereas the Titans have baffled me all year long, winning games when I thought they shouldn't. Sure, Philip Rivers seems a bit shaky to be at the helm of a playoff team, but considering that his Tennessee counterpart is Vince Young, I feel a little bit better. Pick: San Diego 31, Tennessee 17
- The teams I had ranked 4 - 9 all failed to make the playoffs. So although my 1, 2, 3 combo of San Diego, New England, and Indianapolis isn't that bad, my 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 combo of Denver, Chicago, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Baltimore looks atrocious. Cincinnati AND Baltimore in the top 10? Six of my top nine, and nine of my top thirteen failed to make the playoffs.
- In theory, the playoffs represent the 12 best teams that the league has to offer. Even if that isn't always accomplished, we can at least agree that the playoffs feature 12 of the best, if not the absolute 12 best teams in the league. Well, here's where I had these elite 12 teams ranked preseason: 31, 23, 21, 20, 19, 18, 16, 14, 10, 3, 2, 1. Considering that you'd have to be completely and utterly hopeless to have passed on the Patriots, Colts, and Chargers preseason, my predictions look even more dismal. My average preseason rank for the 2008 playoff teams: 14.83. Lucky for me (or perhaps incredibly unlucky for him) Don had these same teams ranked an average of 15.416.
- Perhaps the most telling sign of the kind of year that it has been is this: the teams Don and I ranked as the absolute worst in the league finished 18-14. The teams we ranked as the best? Also 18-14. In other words, the collective Don and Mark wisdom couldn't even correctly discern between the best and worst teams in the league this season. If the challenge was to pick two teams and choose one that would absolutely be better than the other, collectively we would have failed. Individually, I would have barely passed this test with the Browns (10-6, nearly playoff worthy) as my preseason 32 and the Chargers (11-5) as my number one. Don actually would have failed, with his preseason 32, the Texans (8-8) outperforming his preseason number one, the Broncos (7-9).
Yes, I understand, hindsight is 20-20, if I knew then what I know now, etc. There are any number of clichés that can describe this phenomenon. My point in all of that is this: I am about to make my predictions for the first round of the playoffs. There is a huge grain of salt to take these with; that grain of salt is, of course, the sparkling record that I have laid out above.
One last thing before I get to my picks: I'm sure that if any non-Patriot stuck his finger into the facemask of Tom Brady, the penalty would be much more severe than a measly $15,000 fine. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
Finally, my picks, with, for kicks, my preseason ranking in parentheses:
(20) Washington Redskins at (10) Seattle Seahawks
The theme for this week is, as you shall see, indecision. Depending on how you look at them, Seattle has been either underwhelming or flying dangerously under the radar. I can't decide which it is. Washington, of course, enters the postseason on a tear, winners of four straight, despite starting 36 year old journeyman Todd Collins at quarterback. Seattle is an incredibly difficult place to play, and I believe more in the Seahawks' home field advantage than in the Redskins momentum. Pick: Seattle 20, Washington 17
(14) Jacksonville Jaguars at (16) Pittsburgh Steelers
I was all set to pick the Jaguars here and move on, but then I noticed that absolutely everyone is taking the Jags in this one. Sure, the Steelers are reeling, in part due to injury, but beating the same team twice on the road (as the Jaguars are trying to do) is not an easy feat. I love the Jaguars' running game, but what happens if they fall behind early? Even so, the Steelers just don't seem like the same team as earlier in the season. Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that without Willie Parker, the Steelers' offense will become one dimensional and unable to control the clock. My gut tells me Jacksonville and as much as I'd like to buck the trend and prove that I'm smarter than everyone else by picking Pittsburgh, I know that I'm not smarter than everyone, so I'll stay with my gut. Pick: Jacksonville 24, Pittsburgh 14
(23) New York Giants at (31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jeff Garcia has been a Giant killer, knocking them out in two of their last three trips to the playoffs (once with Philadelphia and once with San Francisco). The Buccaneers should be rested, while the Giants lost starters in the "meaningless" Patriots game. Plus, there's no way "Unstoppable" Eli Manning will play two good games in a row, especially given that the second game will be on the road in the playoffs. Screw it. Sure, the teams they beat weren't the toughest, but New York is 7-1 on the road this season. After back to back early playoff exits, shouldn't Eli have the experience to finally turn the corner? This game boils down to one simple question: Did last week's hard fought contest give the Giants the swagger to finally turn the team into one that will consistently play up to their ability or was it just another high point to make the inevitable first round playoff exit all the more frustrating? For once, I'm going to be an optimist. Pick: New York 14, Tampa Bay 13
(19) Tennessee Titans at (1) San Diego Chargers
Like the Steelers, the Chargers are a different team than we saw early in the season. Unlike with the Steelers, that's an endorsement - and not a criticism - of the Chargers. Am I nervous about the prospect of watching Norv Turner coach the Chargers in the playoffs? Absolutely. The Chargers are winners of six straight and seem to have turned the corner, whereas the Titans have baffled me all year long, winning games when I thought they shouldn't. Sure, Philip Rivers seems a bit shaky to be at the helm of a playoff team, but considering that his Tennessee counterpart is Vince Young, I feel a little bit better. Pick: San Diego 31, Tennessee 17
Friday, January 4, 2008
My Triumphant Return
Do to Yahoo keeping track for me, I retired from my typical witty commentary, and went the Bill Simmons route of doing as little as reasonably possible. But all that ends this week, when I return with sports post that would make any sane person's head spin. And yes, like always I will destroy my potential lead over Theill, with completely unrealistic picks. But before I go forward with my picks, I had an interesting discussion with one of my HP friends. He believes that the only team in the entire NFL that can beat the Patriots is Jacksonville. To begin with, I am hugely behind this idea because I have been calling it all along. However, to narrow it down to just one team I believe is unrealistic. The Pats went all out against the Giants and barely won. Now, I am not insulting the Giants, but the Chargers and the Colts at least are much better than the Giants, and if they travel into New England who says either of those teams couldn't finish the bid. I mean, you no longer can say Manning can choke the big game away, seeing only one season ago it was Brady who choked up an 18 point lead, and threw the final mistake to a waiting Marlin Jackson. Also, if you get a nice brisk snow in Foxboro, LT would have a field day, while Maroney would realize, that running in only two weeks of the season doesn't matter. But my point is that if the AFC first round goes as planned, could there even be anything close to the amazing-ness of the final four teams in the Conference... I mean you get Jax-NE and SD-Colts, and an AFC championship that is guarenteed to be amazing (besides maybe Jax-SD, but that won't happen). You could have potentially have the greatest three final games in conference history. However, the greatness that could be the AFC next weekend, is non-existant this weekend. Besides the potential of the Pittsburgh field making a great game, its going to be two domination games with little to watch. For this weekend at least all interest lies in the NFC teams, and mainly whether or not the two NFC East teams can keep up. There is alot to see in those games at least, so as a sports fan I would reccomend making time for the emotional Redskins and the enigmatic Giants. Now on to the picks
Washington at Seattle: I might be leading with my 152 wins, but that won't last after this week. I am known to highly support a team all season, and make statements like "they are Superbowl material" and that at the last minute change to some team I don't believe in (ALA Saints Bears last year, where for no real reason I changed to Bears). Seemingly, I have supported the Seahawks for awhile, as the sleeper NFC team. Then everyone started picking Seattle, and I discovered Collins was 10 years older than I previously thought. An old QB coming in for an injured future superstar, you have no choice but to go with that (ok, Campbell probably isn't a future superstar, but let me dream). But the real reason to go against Seattle, is Sean Taylor. I don't care if it costs me a game, but what happened was a tragedy, and for this Washington team any distraction is good, and each win is impressive. So in the end, I have no choice.
Winner: Washington Redskins (24-20)
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh: The AFC South was a monster. Heck, the worst team was an 8-8 Texans team. Now, the AFC North wasn't easy (with Cleveland only missing out because of tiebreakers) but Pitt for awhile looked like an even bigger force. Then injuries came to play, and Jax beat them once on their own field, and by the way, some people even had Cleveland over them in their Power Rankings (one of those people being me). The field could make this game interesting, but in the end, Jacksonville is a great team, and Pitt is well... not.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars (33-17)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay: This is a very difficult game to get a feel for. Its hard to tell how good these Giants are, because they play each game extremely different then the next. Everyone knows what Tampa is, they play each game the same and consistantly. The winner of this game will depend on what Eli shows up. If its the Eli who challenged Dallas and New England til the end, the Giants look like a winner. If it's the Eli who got demolished by Minnsota, well, this won't even be a game. But that is the thing of the Giants, they will live and die from their expensive first overall draft pick, and I (the eternal optimist) will always think that this is the game that will show the world.. hey, Eli is actually a good QB.
Winner: New York Giants (21-20)
Tennessee at San Diego: Kerry Collins is the x-factor. I mean, Young is a gametime decision, but Collins gives this team a much better chance to win. Despite that, if Young can play, you have to play him for the postseason experience, because this is not a year they can win the title no matter who is at the helm. The Chargers have been completely under the radar this year. After starting out embarrisingly bad, they have slowly gotten up to speed while the rest of the league is looking at the Colts and Pats. One of only two teams to beat Indy this year, you got to look at this team as a threat. But the real reason to pick San Diego... They have Tomlinson... And he alone is better than the entire Titans team.
Winner: San Diego Chargers (34-14)
Washington at Seattle: I might be leading with my 152 wins, but that won't last after this week. I am known to highly support a team all season, and make statements like "they are Superbowl material" and that at the last minute change to some team I don't believe in (ALA Saints Bears last year, where for no real reason I changed to Bears). Seemingly, I have supported the Seahawks for awhile, as the sleeper NFC team. Then everyone started picking Seattle, and I discovered Collins was 10 years older than I previously thought. An old QB coming in for an injured future superstar, you have no choice but to go with that (ok, Campbell probably isn't a future superstar, but let me dream). But the real reason to go against Seattle, is Sean Taylor. I don't care if it costs me a game, but what happened was a tragedy, and for this Washington team any distraction is good, and each win is impressive. So in the end, I have no choice.
Winner: Washington Redskins (24-20)
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh: The AFC South was a monster. Heck, the worst team was an 8-8 Texans team. Now, the AFC North wasn't easy (with Cleveland only missing out because of tiebreakers) but Pitt for awhile looked like an even bigger force. Then injuries came to play, and Jax beat them once on their own field, and by the way, some people even had Cleveland over them in their Power Rankings (one of those people being me). The field could make this game interesting, but in the end, Jacksonville is a great team, and Pitt is well... not.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars (33-17)
New York Giants at Tampa Bay: This is a very difficult game to get a feel for. Its hard to tell how good these Giants are, because they play each game extremely different then the next. Everyone knows what Tampa is, they play each game the same and consistantly. The winner of this game will depend on what Eli shows up. If its the Eli who challenged Dallas and New England til the end, the Giants look like a winner. If it's the Eli who got demolished by Minnsota, well, this won't even be a game. But that is the thing of the Giants, they will live and die from their expensive first overall draft pick, and I (the eternal optimist) will always think that this is the game that will show the world.. hey, Eli is actually a good QB.
Winner: New York Giants (21-20)
Tennessee at San Diego: Kerry Collins is the x-factor. I mean, Young is a gametime decision, but Collins gives this team a much better chance to win. Despite that, if Young can play, you have to play him for the postseason experience, because this is not a year they can win the title no matter who is at the helm. The Chargers have been completely under the radar this year. After starting out embarrisingly bad, they have slowly gotten up to speed while the rest of the league is looking at the Colts and Pats. One of only two teams to beat Indy this year, you got to look at this team as a threat. But the real reason to pick San Diego... They have Tomlinson... And he alone is better than the entire Titans team.
Winner: San Diego Chargers (34-14)
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