We’re halfway through the season and I felt compelled to try my hand
again at a weekly piece. What I plan to do here is to list off my top
five NFL teams heading into this weekend. I’ll give you my reasoning
and my general feeling about the team’s.
Then I’ll list off the top five NFL teams from the following sources:
Peter Schrager, Foxsports.com; Mike McAllister, ESPN.com; Jonathan Comey, ColdHardFootballFacts.com; and Dr. Z, SI.com.
Then I’ll combine all our rankings and develop consensus rankings.
After that I’ll probably tack on some notes with additional thoughts.
Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.
1. New England Patriots (9-0)
The reason should be obvious. Not only are they sole remaining
undefeated team in the league they have simply been dominating in their
victories. Besides the Colts game the Patriots haven’t faced a
challenge all season. Even in Dallas once they got halfway through the
third quarter the game was over.
The Patriots have a cake schedule the rest of the way and run the
risk of going undefeated. Based on Bill Belichick’s tactics late in
games that have already be won, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brady,
Moss, Welker, etc. playing extensively in the last several games of the
season. While that may be the right way to go undefeated if Tom Brady
gets hurt in one of those unnecessary games then the Patriots historic
season will be brought to an abrupt halt.
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
The Colts had the game against the Patriots. Even without Marvin
Harrison, the Colts’ offense put up enough points to over come the
league’s highest scoring team. However, Marvin Harrison’s absence ended
up costing the Colts the game. Several times the Colts came within
striking distance but could not score a TD. On play in particular, a
Gonzalez dropped ended a promising drive.
The next time these two teams meet Peyton Manning should have his
favorite weapon. If that’s the case then the Colts could easily win
that game. But they didn’t win this past Sunday and that drops them to
a very solid number 2 (really, more like 1.b.).
3. Dallas Cowboys (7-1)
The Cowboys crushed the Eagles this weekend to assert their
dominance in the NFC East. Of course, they’ve got a far greater
challenge when they travel to Giants stadium to take on the resurgent
New York Giants. This will be the battle for number one and could have
implications of home field advantage in the playoffs.
Dallas is cruising. They seem to be curing their first quarter
scoring woes and that does not bode well for opponents. Their defense
is also coming on and it appears they will finally have both starting
corners in the lineup soon. The Cowboys seem to be improving
week-to-week and they will be awfully hard to beat.
4. Green Bay Packers (7-1)
The Pack have a tough match up this week against the Vikings. Adrian
Peterson is simply ripping the league a new one and will test the young
Packers defense. On the other side of the ball the Pack are running
more but nothing that you could call a legit run game has developed.
That’s going to be a problem (or so they’ve been saying for about 5
weeks now).
As much as I love Brett Favre it seems that he’s a ticking time
bomb. As the level of competition increases the Pack will have to
answer with a running game. If they can’t then Brett could easily slip
into “Bad Favre” and the Packers season might end before the playoffs
begin. However, they certainly seem on track for the playoffs and have
a stellar defense. If they can get their run game going then they could
beat the Cowboys later this month and supplant them as the NFC’s team
to beat.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 5 touchdowns in the first half of last
weeks game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers
defense is still one of the toughest in the league. The combination of
a much stronger offense and an ever powerful defense will spell trouble
for Steelers opponents.
The Steelers appear to be the only legitimate threat left against
the Patriots in the regular season. Ben Roethlisberger is playing at
high level right now and has opened up this offense. If the defense can
attack Brady I believe that the Steelers offense can score on the Pats.
I also trust AFC teams much more than NFC teams so the Steelers get the
nod over the Giants.
- This discussion of the asterisks to be placed next to the Patriots
record if they go undefeated is ridiculous. It should be a foregone
conclusion. If we’re going to consider placing an asterisks next to
Barry Bonds’ record because we think he cheated then we must place an asterisks next to the Patriots’ (read Belichick’s) record because we know they (he) cheated.
- The best way for NBC to go green is to eliminate all the extras
around their football broadcasts. I mean, have Al Michaels do
play-by-play alone. John Madden produces enough Carbon Dioxide by
himself to melt a small ice berg, he will not be missed. Bob Costas is
an embarrassment to studio hosts everywhere and Cris Collinsworth has
to be one of the worst analysts/commentators I’ve ever heard. If NBC
just got rid of all these extras, they would reduce NBC’s carbon
footprint significantly.
After failing to even post the second edition of The Morning After, I’ve gotten the crazy idea that I should try another weekly piece.
This time, I think I’ll try to rank the top five teams as of this
week. While early in the season this is an easier task, I hope to have
more controversial picks as time goes on.
Hopefully, I’ll find time this weekend to actually watch the Sunday Night game and complete a post for Monday morning.
I don’t care about any of this, “you gotta beat the champs,” none
sense. Do you really believe the Patriots aren’t the best team in the
league? I mean, the Patriots have been clicking on both sides of the
ball and have man handled their opponents almost effortlessly.
While their opponents do have a combined record of 4-12 the Patriots
performance can not be denied. The defense is as stingy as ever and the
offense is more prolific than it every has been. Statistically, this team is second in total offense (having been supplanted by Dallas only this week) and first in total defense.
The Patriots are dominating and could make a serious run at 19-0.
However, that’s highly improbable and I expect they’ll have at least
one bump along the road. That being said, until I see otherwise, the
Patriots are the team to beat.
The defending champs are undefeated and, yet, are still playing
second fiddle to the Patriots. A drubbing of the Patriots (or a grind
out win for that matter) on November 4th would go a long way to putting
them back on top. In fact, if they remain unbeaten through that game
then they’d obviously be the top team in the NFL.
But the Colts aren’t exactly dominating teams like they have in the
past. Their games are tight and they’ve had to come from behind a
couple times this season. In fact, they appear more like the Patriots a
couple years ago in their attempt to control the ball and beat the
team’s with stoic defense.
The Colts are still one of the best teams in the NFL but I can’t
deny what I see when I watch the Patriots. Until I see a chink in the
Pats’ armor, the Colts are still in their shadow.
The Cowboys have been downright prolific. Their offense is the best
in the league and Tony Romo looks like he’s been playing in the league
for years. Terrell Owens is quiet after the game but makes plenty of
noise during it. Jason Witten is also making his way back into the NFL
limelight and Marion Barber is a stud.
The defense, meanwhile, is getting better each week. In fact, they
held the Rams without a touchdown (St. Louis’ lone score coming on a
kick return). While that’s not a great feat the little things the
defense is doing are improving. Greg Ellis is back on the field, as is
Terence Newman, in a reduced role and defensive line is upping its
tempo.
The scary part about the Cowboys is they only promise to get better.
Terry Glenn is aiming for a mid season return and would add a whole new
dimension to the Cowboys stellar offense. Tank Johnson is preparing to
join the defense, with a major chip on his shoulder, and hopefully
provide some help on that d-line.
The Cowboys opponents are a combined 3-13 but they, like the Pats,
have been playing some simply outstanding football. They have the Bills
this week and once they get through that we’ll have a clash of titans
on October 14 when the Pats come to town.
Brett Favre looks like Brett Farve circa 1996. The guy has been
making plays and his young receivers haven’t let him down. He’s now the
touchdown king and more importantly the Packers are 4-0. What’s truly
impressive is that the Packers are the youngest team in the league and
they are winning with virtually no running game.
The Packers defense is proving itself as the new cornerstone of this
team. They stuff the run and play the pass well. They put plenty of
pressure on the QB and play with the fire of youth and smarts of
experience.
The Packers first real test won’t come until October 29 when they
play the Broncos and I wouldn’t be surprised if they go the longest
without a loss. The Packers are much better than we thought and now the
only question is how good are they? The sky appears to be the limit but
I really think their ceiling is lower than the Cowboys’.
Afraid I have to agree with the consensus, the Steelers are one of
the best teams in the league. They lost to Arizona in, what I consider,
a fluke game (they were without Hines Ward) and I think it was one of
the Steelers bumps this year.
Big Ben’s been looking good this year. He’s spreading the ball
around and moving like he did in their Super Bowl year. The offense has
been opened up and Roethlisberger appears to be up for the task. The
defense is still preforming well and are statistically the second best
total defense in the league.
As time goes on, they’ll still be a team to beat. Unless the injury
bug plagues them again they’ll be in this thing near the end. They
still have Seattle, New England, Baltimore, and (dare I say it)
Cleveland on the slate. If they can get by all those opponents, or at
least put on a good showing, they’ll be in this thing deep into the
post-season.
There is pretty strong consensus among the top five. The only real
dissension is whether the Colts or Pats are number one and whether the
Seahawks or Steelers belong in the fifth slot.
Well, there’s always room for debate and I’m hoping that space gets
bigger after next week. Several upsets this past weekend shook things
up some but given time and the disagreements should grow. Thanks for
checking it out and please feel free to leave your own top five.
So it’s a little over a week into NFL free agency and there have been several key moves made. Let me begin by talking about the best front office in the league: the New England Patriots.
Dynasty Reborn
The Patriots opened the season with a splash. They signed, arguably, the biggest name in the market when they signed former Ravens Linebacker Adalius Thomas. The big man is versatile, having played every Linebacker position in the 4-3 and the 3-4, and can put his hand in the grass and play Defensive End.
He’s also extremely intense. That intensity is a necessity for playing powerful Defense. The Patriots’ 3-4 emphasizes pass-rushing Linebackers and Thomas certainly fits that bill. While the Patriots have promise to keep salaries to a minimum, they’ll make exceptions when big fish like Thomas come around and their happy to hand off a nice fat check.
They also traded a second round and a seventh round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Wide Receiver Wes Welker. Welker is a versatile player who is also an underrated receiver. He’s a return specialist and even kicked a bit for the Dolphins a few years ago. He’s the model of what the Patriots try to get: good, consistent players who have flown under the radar. Look for Welker to have a big impact in Foxboro.
Joey Porter to Miami
The aforementioned Dolphins haven’t been quiet. After releasing Harrington and trading Welker they went ahead and signed Linebacker Joey Porter, second on the free agent depth chart behind Thomas.
The Dolphins were touted as a possible Super Bowl contender last year but fell flat as their offense faltered. Their “D” has been solid the past several years and just got a huge boost with Porter. This move should also keep Jason Taylor from any more musings about leaving Miami for Hollywood.
Brad Johnson and Leonard Davis to Dallas
The Cowboys made two key moves this past week. Besides cutting Drew Bledsoe and opting to keep Terry Glenn, the Cowboys tried to fill a big need on their offensive line with a big man.
Leonard Davis signed a monster contract to leave sunny Arizona for sunny Dallas, Texas. There is a possibility he will remain at tackle and take over the right side for the departing Marc Colombo. But I think the Cowboys are going to try and keep Colombo and put Davis next to him.
Many analysts are already whipping out their expertise to discuss why this is a bad move. Many of these same analysts praised the Cowboys in 2004 when they signed veteran Guard Marco Rivera. Rivera has had two back surgeries (on the same disc) in two years. He’s also been less than stellar and not really worth the big money contract he got.
I think the offensive line is the hardest position on the field to gauge. So much depends on chemistry and the guys next to you. You could be the best tackle in the NFL but if you’re next to a horrible guard then it just won’t show. I’ll take a wait and see with Davis but the Cowboys had to do something, anything to try and improve that line.
The Cowboys also picked up veteran quarterback Brad Johnson, signing him to a three-year deal. This, I believe, is a great move. While Johnson still feels he can be a starter the Cowboys signed him to be a backup. He’s chances of getting in are pretty good though as the Cowboys have gone several seasons without a major QB injury and the numbers are bound to catch up with them.
The Cowboys get two things with Johnson.
First, they get a solid mentor for Tony Romo. When Johnson came in for Culpepper in Minnesota he showed us all how to properly manage a football game. He took care of the football and made plays only when he had too (a big part of Romo’s problem is he tries to manufacture a play every time).
Second, he’s a guy perfectly capable of stepping in and winning. The Cowboys are a good team who expect to be back in the playoffs next year. If Romo gets hurt Johnson still gives them that ability. He can step in for a few games or half the season and the ‘Boys will still have a shot.
Thomas Jones and Second Round Pick to Jets
Chicago should fire their general manager. Oh wait, they just signed him to a lucrative extension. Hmm, what happened here?
I understand that Jones wanted to be traded and the Bears wanted to accommodate him but this? This just seems stupid. The Chicago Bears have let their best running back go, along with their second round pick, for the New York Jets second round pick.
That’s right, they traded picks with the Jets and seemingly tossed Jones in there for fun. Was it really worth all that to move up in the second round?
Maybe they’ll use that pick to fill their need at Linebacker now that Lance Briggs has flatly refused to play for the team. This was a simply ridiculous move and why weren’t they talking to the Broncos or the Dolphins or maybe even swap backs with Buffalo?
The Bears made a horrendous move here and will pay for it down the line. Moving Jones and losing the pick isn’t the issue. They should’ve gotten way more value for it. If this is how they do business then it’ll be no surprise when they’re watching from home next year.
Denver Broncos: Red Headed Stepchild of AFC Free Agency
I stated earlier that the Pats have the best front office. Well, the Broncos front office is right up there too. But their lack of a title in the past several years makes us overlook them.
They traded Clinton Portis to the Redskins for Champ Bailey a few years back. That was fantastic move. Then they signed the Browns Defensive Line, true they don’t sack the QB much but they control the run and do provide constant pressure. Then this year they trade one of their Running Backs (Tatum Bell) for Dre Bly. Two shut-down corners and the Broncos already stout secondary gets even better.
Then, like icing on the cake, the Broncos go out and get Travis Henry after the Titans cut him. Brilliant. Whomever the Broncos use in the backfield always produces but it never hurts to go get a heavy hitter. Henry’s already a known-commodity and the Denver scheme will do nothing but help him. The Broncos are making the right moves to get into contention next year. If Jay Cutler works out, we could have a new horse winning this race.
The Dallas Cowboys had several problems last season on defense. After an impressive start the defense faltered with Linebacker Greg Ellis' Achilles injury. With his absence the Cowboys only had one pass rusher and the offenses were able to limit DeMarcus Ware's effectiveness.
They also lacked a true ball-hawking Safety. Their corners were constantly left without help as Roy Williams gambled too much and didn't have the speed to recover. On the other side, neither Keith Davis nor Pat Watkins were able to make up for those deffeciencies.
With Adalius Thomas off the market I believe the Cowboys should actively pursue Joey Porter. I considered the Cowboys should pursue Tully-Banta Cain as a developmental project but I think they already have enough developmental Linebackers (Kevin Burnett, Bobby Carpenter, and Ryan Fowler).
If they were able to land Joey Porter their depth chart at Linebacker would look something like this:
LOLB: Joey Porter, Greg Ellis, Bobby Carpenter
JLB: Akin Ayodele, Ryan Fowler
MLB: Bradie James, Bobby Carpenter
ROLB: DeMarcus Ware, Kevin Burnett, Greg Ellis
They would also have another hybrid defender in Junior Glymph (who plays Linebacker but is big enough to be a Defensive End). A rotation like this would keep the backers fresh and allow for some hybrid schemes involving many of the above. Greg Ellis could on occasion play DE with Porter next to him and Ware on the other side.
Finally, the Cowboys need a strong pass defender. After searching the options I think a good free-agent to pursue would be Kevin Kaesviharn who had a team leading 6 interceptions last year, would be a good Free Safety pick up. It would also give Pat Watkins time to develop and help him recover from the demoralizing stint last year.
I really hope the Cowboys land these two to improve their defense. They also need to sign a guard or tackle and I believe draft a versatile O-Lineman like Justin Blalock. With these improvements I see great possibilities for the Cowboys next year.
Potential Starting Lineup Defense
RE: Greg Ellis
DT: Jason Ferguson
LE: Marcus Spears
LOLB: Joey Porter
JLB: Akin Ayodele
MLB: Bradie James
ROLB: DeMarcus Ware
LCB: Terence Newman
RCB: Anthony Henry
FS: Kevin Kaesviharn
SS: Roy Williams
The #1 complaint among Ravens fans about their team and the #1 criticism from those who root for other teams is that they have no quarterback. When they won the Superbowl in 2000 many said that quarterback Trent Dilfer had benefited from Jamal Lewis 1300-yard season and the stellar defense.
After that they let Dilfer go (agreeing that he had simply ridden the defense) and brought in Elvis Grbac. After one season with him and another with Chris Redman the Ravens decided to use their pick on QB Kyle Boller. Of course, we've all seen how that's turned out. Any time there's actually a "battle" for the starting job with Anthony Wright then there's something wrong.
Now, they've traded for Steve McNair to "battle" for a starting job with Kyle Boller. If there's even a consideration that Boller may be the starter over McNair (barring injury) than everyone in the Ravens organization should be forced out and the team should start over from scratch.
It seems that this season Baltimore has made a serious effort to upgrade its offense and its defense. They seemingly have responded to Ray Lewis' cries for a big man by drafting Haloti Ngata to shore up the defensive line and their running attack by simultaneously re-signing Jamal Lewis and up-and-comer Mike Anderson.
Before the 2005 season the Ravens tried to upgrade their receiving corps by signing Titans' star Derrick Mason and drafting Mark Clayton out of Oklahoma. However, their Quarterback continued struggling. These struggles, combined with Jamal Lewis taking care of himself in his contract season, allowed defenses to stack against the run and the Ravens were effectively dead in the water.
Now though, I think this has all changed. They have someone who is still a good QB (most definitely better than Boller) and one of his old pals (Mason) for him to throw to. Todd Heap also adds another receiving threat and after a year of play Clayton should show improvement as well.
Jamal Lewis doesn't have a contract to worry about for next year and the new threat of McNair should help open up the running game. Anderson proved to be a good Running Back in a two-back system and should flourish as well. But the Ravens are competing with the Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, upstart Cleveland Browns, and the playoff caliber Cincinnati Bengals.
So the question now is, how much better does Steve McNair make the Ravens? How much does he have left in the tank? People have been criticizing him the past few seasons after his 2003 co-MVP performance. As for me, I think the Steelers should be worried about these Ravens. They're still a dominant defensive team and have the tools on offense to get the job done. This year, the two horse race may be between Baltimore and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh may be on the outside looking in.
We've all seen the NFL films where they make every Super Bowl out to be the most dramatic occurance in the history of the country. They also like to name the Super Bowls in order to describe the game. So I ask. What will they name Super Bowl XL? To satisfy my curiosity, please state up front your favorite team (not neccessarily between Seattle and Pittsburgh but your favorite team in the league).
Come on Pittsburgh fans. You can Feel Seattle's pain. Imagine if the Colts had won that game? How would you feel?
"I know they wanted Indy to win this game," Porter told The New York Times. "The whole world loves Peyton Manning, but come on man, don't take the game away from us.
"I felt they were cheating us. When the interception happened, everybody in the world knew that was an interception. Don't cheat us that bad. When they did that, they really want Peyton Manning and these guys to win the Super Bowl. They are just going to straight take it for them. I felt that they were like 'We don't even care if you know we're cheating. We're cheating for them.' "
I watched yesterday as the Pittsburgh Steelers became only the third team in NFL history to win 5 Super Bowls. The game itself I thought was pretty good except for the lapses by Seattle at the end of the halves. The game was tight and seemed like it would go back and forth but the Steelers maintained control throughout (except the first quarter).
Then the refs just had to get involved. First, there was the "push." This is the type of push that wide receivers give to DB's throughout the entire season and get called one-in-ten maybe one-in-twenty times. But this was the Super Bowl, the refs were trying to be right not consistent. Then there was Ben's "touchdown." From everything I saw the ball literally stopped moving forward just before the goal line. The next play should've been from about a milimeter back. But it was ruled a TD, even after review. Then there was the out-of-bounds call on that first catch. I remeber thinking this wasn't a touchdown but the rule states if any part of a player's body touches or crosses the pylon before they go out of bounds while maintaining control of the ball it's a TD. But last night I was pretty sure it wasn't. Then there was that holding call which took away yet another Seattle touchdown and resulted in an interception. There was no hold, no question there was no hold. Then there was that penalty on Matt Hasselback. I guess you can't tackle the guy with the ball anymore, kind of takes the fun out of the game doesn't it? I don't care if they "thought" he was going for the blocker he was tackling the ball-carrier.
Even with all of that the Seahawks did not deserve to win the game. Did the Steelers? Apparently more so than the Seahawks. The refs didn't lose this game, the Birds did. I do think the officiating was beyond horrendous. And I think it's curious that the conspiracy theorists after the Colts game have remained mysteriously silent. But I don't think the refs were bought off and I don't think they were trying to hand the game to the Steelers (remember they picked up the flag on that uneccessary roughness call early in the game which would've been a major penalty).
The Seahawks lost the Steelers won and now everyone's 0-0. Here's to next season and Super Bowl XLI, Cowboys crush anybody!
Every Super Bowl has a story line that comes up in the NFL films a few years later. It's that play or series or individual that appears on every highlight film. It's not neccessarily always the MVP, a la Super Bowl XXXIV when every one talked about Mike Jones' tackle of Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line. Sometimes it is, like Super Bowl XXX when unheard-of Larry Brown intercepted Neil O'Donnell twice.
So now, everyone's making picks but I was wondering what will the story of this Super Bowl be? Will it be the Bus' triumphant return to Detriot, accruing 100, 150+ yards? Or Shaun Alexander becoming the MVP of the Super Bowl on top of being the MVP of the league? Will it be Troy Polamalu's two interceptions, one returned for a Touchdown? Or rookie Lofa Tatupu engineering his defense and shutting down the Steelers offense?
Personally I look for Shaun Alexander to assert himself by surprising everyone and running to the right (still mostly to the left but maybe the first play of the second half he cuts right for a big one). But the real story will be the Seahawks defense making life hard for Big Ben Roethelisburger and intercepting him late in the fourth to cap the game. Seahawks 31, Steelers 28
Disagree? Alright what do you think will be the story of the game?
I was talking to my friend last night about doing something for the Superbowl. Then he mentioned to me he didn't even know who was in it. I'd consider him your average casual fan. He knows the teams but doesn't follow all season. He'll watch games some weekends then pays attention to the playoffs and Superbowl. This year he didn't do any of that but he was going to watch the Big Game.
No biggy, lots of people are like that. So I told him, "it's the Steelers and Seahawks." Then he told me he had never even heard of the Seahawks. WHAT!?! Like I said he doesn't pay attention to the league but around playoff time he starts tunning in. He didn't even know who the Seattle Seahawks are. I was baffled. Granted we live in New England but this East Coast Bias stuff was bunk right? I guess not. People up here are rooting for the Steelers simply cause they don't know anything about the Seahawks. I think that's similar in the greater Northeast. Seattle isolation has cause it to be hated on by most media sources. Most sports writers laugh off their chances, like we're collectively saying: "The Seahawks are cute but the Steelers are good."
So I'm looking forward to Sunday's game but I was kind of on the fence as to who to root for. I like elements of both these teams. I was wondering what plays I'd get excited for next week and which ones I'd groan about. Now I've decided. This Cowboys fan will be cheering for the Seahawks!
The criticism of the Superbowl (from those who enjoy football) is that the game is usually not as good as one or both of the Conference Championships. Recently it's been the AFC title game but during the 90's it was the NFC title game. Now I think they were wrong two years ago as the Pats vs Panthers Superbowl was great but I think most years they're right. Seems like one conference is normally dominant and the real gamce comes between rivals. And normally rivals are in the same conference.
This year, however, I think the Superbowl will be a good one. Especially considering the conference games were dominated by one team. I think the Seahawks and Steelers are fairly evenly matched and are very similar teams. The defenses are both good and will force the offenses to improvise to succeed. That combined with the fact that all those concerned seem so pumped to be playing in the big should make for a great game. Not to mention two of the best coaches of the past decade are matching wits. Smash-mouth Steelers football versus more finesse oriented Seahawks football.
I think finally we can get excited about this game and go into it knowing it'll be a good game. The Steelers and Seahawks both have some history to play for. The Steelers have the added incentive of playing for Jerome Bettis, especially in his home town. It seems the stars have aligned for Bettis and the Steelers. But therein lies the rub. It seems to be a pattern that most teams that simply "expect" to win tend to lose. They wait for others to turn the game, for that big play that will just "happen." So rather than making it happen, they wait. And then lose. See New England, Denver, Carolina, and especially Indianapolis.
All in all I'm looking forward to next Sunday. Let others around the world watch the World Cup, as for me and my house we shall watch the Superbowl!!!
I've read some posts stating that this year's Superbowl will suck. Granted the two I've read are from a Patriots fan and someone who "hates American sports" but I digress. Why do people think this year's Superbowl will be bad? I'm actually looking forward to it.
NO PATRIOTS
Why does this matter? I don't think I'm the only one who's tired of seeing the Patriots trot out into the Superbowl every year. I don't think I'm the only who's tired of the pre-game press conferences in which Tom Brady and the other guys talked about how no one respected them. Thankfully, the Patriots got knocked off this season and some new will win the game. Now, I understand why all you guys hated my Cowboys back in the day.
WILD CARD WINNER
It's great to see a team go to the big one as a Wild Card Team. That's an underdog story. True the Steelers were probably only a Wild Card team cause of some unfortunate circumstances but they were. So it's fun to see someone win all those games on the road. Especially when they knock off the top three seeds in their conference.
SEATTLE
I actually really like this team. I mean I like the players on it. After last season I thought Alexander was an #### but he's won my over this season. I thought it was great when he went down the Seahawks won anyway. I loved watching Hasselback run in a touchdown, basically saying if Shaun isn't here to run I will. This is a young team and I like they're attitude. It's fun to watch a team make the Superbowl for the first time and it'll be exciting to watch how they react.
THE BUS/ALEXANDER THE GREAT
These two teams are dominated by their running attacks. The Bus was going to retire after last year but came back cause he thought the Steelers had a chance. Now he's playing in his first Superbowl. It's great, Jerome Bettis is a great guy and it'll be fun watching him run in front of his home town. Meanwhile, Shaun Alexander has just embarassed opposing defenses this season. Alexander's another good guy who's fought hard to get into the big dance. These two should be a lot of fun to watch.
QUATERBACKS
Roethlisberger and Hasselback. The Sophomore and the long time Favre understudy. Both are young and both are good. Both play with their arm, feet, and heads. They control the ball pretty well and make few mistakes. I enjoy watching both these guys because they can both make something out of nothing.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
We'll either have one team win the Superbowl in its first visit or we'll have a team winning a record fifth Superbowl. The following Monday we'll either finally have to start respecting Seattle or we'll have to elevate the Steelers organization to the top spot in history (with San Francisco and Dallas). History's always fun to watch.
There are other reasons. I think these two teams are similar and evenly matched. Both defenses are good and it will require the offenses to create and improvise and that will be fun to see. The defenses are sure to create some turnovers and be hitting hard. And all the guys in this years game seem so in awe of it and genuinely exicted to be there. I don't know about you but I like this Superbowl matchup and I can't wait till next Sunday!
Since my 'Boys are out of the playoffs I've been wondering what teams I want to see collide in Detroit. Denver, Caronlina, Seattle, and Pittsburgh are the remaing four. While I think the championship games are going to be good I think the Superbowl will be better (which isn't always the case). That being said I can't decide what matchup I like? A rematch between Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren? Or a Wildcard Superbowl betwixt the Panthers and Steelers? Or maybe we'll get to see Seattle in the Superbowl for the first time. With that being said, who do you want to see face off on Superbowl Sunday?
Yesterday, I was working while the Steelers were handing the Colts a defeat in the dome. When I got home I simply assumed the Colts had won and watched the end of the Bears-Panthers game. Obviously, I wasn't paying much attention because it took me a while to notice the commentators were talking about the Steelers. So I turned on the internet and discovered the Steelers had beaten the glorious Colts. How? Mike Vanderjagt shanked a field goal he would normally make in his sleep. Initially I thought, like everyone else, that he simply missed it. Then I read Fogotten Fan's blog (http://blogs.foxsports.com/Forgotten_Fan/2006/01/ 16/Canadian_Tanker_sinks_Colts). Interesting points.
It certainly got me thinking. I mean why not? It's not like there's any love lost between Mike and Manning. Or the kicker and the coach. Or the rest of that team for that manner. I mean, Vanderjagt runs his mouth and then Peyton Manning calls him the "#### kicker." Then last year Vanderjagt had the audacity to suggest his team would beat the Patriots. Not only did the Patriots take offense but so did his teams mates. The "stars" of the team practically begged forgiveness of Brady and his boys; this fear only helped the Pats sink the most potent offense in the league. Yeah he was running his mouth but if I'm on a team and my teammate says "we're gonna beat you" I'm sticking with him. The Colts simply ignored their kicker, knowing they were so good they wouldn't need him to win an important game for them. Oops. We knew the Colts were staying in Indy througout the playoffs we just thought other teams would be coming there too. Not any more. Vanderjagt got the last laugh on Peyton Manning (who made some unclassy comments after the game) and will move either back to the CFL or to another team in the NFL.
That's the problem the Colts have. They're stars aren't buying into the team mentality. By that I mean they don't respect everyone on their team and try to motivate them. Peyton is raking in the bucks while the Colts front office is trying to figure out how to keep a decent team around him. Now it looks like the new "Triplets" will be parting ways and without a Lombardi Trophy to show for it. Tedy Bruschi, who quite possibly could've become the highest paid linebacker, fired his agent and renegotiated his own contract to allow the Patriots to keep the team together. Manning, Harrison, and James need to remeber their teammates on every level and take some personal responsibility for this loss. Blocking problems? Some of that is on your shoulders Mr. Audible.
The Colts and Patriots lost, I believe, because they expected to win. Just like some of the other "great" teams of the past this expectation lead to disaster. Why? Because they become complacent and fully expected others to make the plays. The other team also knows this and plays even harder to stop the team everybody expects to win. The Pats and Colts were both favored by just about all the "experts" and let it go to their head. Now they'll both be sitting at home on Superbowl Sunday.
Heart and teamwork wins games. That's what the Broncos and Steelers showed. They played well together and fought hard. They capitalized on every mistake the "favorite" made and as a result are moving on. These two teams were the teams who really didn't get respect. They deserve some now. These teams should take nothing for granted and not let their success go to their head. Who's the favorite? The team that knocked off the dynasty? Or the one that beat the number one seed? I don't think these guys care and neither should we.
As of this morning I've decided who will win in their playoffs this weekend. If they don't then there's clearly something wrong with the multiverse (oh yes, there's more than one). In any case here are my prognostications:
Saturday Afternoon:
Washington is marching into Seattle as quite possibly the hottest team in the NFL. Unfortunately, the driving rain of the Great Northwest can put a chill in the bone. And that's exactly what's going to happen on Shabbat. The rain plus a steady diet of Shaun Alexander the Great and a few throws mixed in there. This Seattle team is very different than they were early in the season. Their defense is playing considerably better and their offense can be prolific.
Seattle Seahawks 28 Washington Redskins 17
Saturday Night's Alright:
Tom Brady is like 10-0 in playoffs. Doesn't really matter cause after Saturday he'll be 10-1. The media's boy will finally lose a playoff game and so will the rest of the team. After the game I'm sure we'll get a good dose of "nobody respected us, but we played game by game, one at a time," from Tom Tom then out of no where Matt Leinart will spring into view and say, "The Patriots were still the better team!" As Brady nods his head in approval. It's funny Jake the Mistake Plummer will beat Tom the Second Coming Brady. Though it'll be less about quarterback play and more about the running games and defense.
Denver Broncos 24 New England 21
Sunday High Noon +1:
The Indianapolis Colts will play their first game in like a month. I know, I know they had some games after they got spanked by the Chargas. But they didn't play in them. By "they" I mean pretty much the offense of the Colts. So we'll see if the rest helps or hurts. The Steelers are playing pretty well and their trick plays can exploit an aggressive, young defense. They have one of my favorite players in the league and one of the best safties in the NFL in Troy Polamalu. However, I think the Colts offense is just too overpowering and their defense is good enough to stop the more traditional parts of the Steelers offense. The Steelers will still run fairly successfully but as the Colts rack up the points the Steelers will have to start passing and the Colts defense is pretty good in pass coverage.
Indianapolis Colts 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 17
Sunday Midafternoon (that's 4:30):
The best game of the weekend, in my opinion. But I really like defense so that's probably why. The quetion everyone's asking is can the Panthers offense score on the Bears defense. But that's the wrong question. And the answer is yes by the way. They won't score a lot but they'll get at least one touchdown and two fieldgoals. The REAL question is can the Bears offense score on the Panthers defense? This one I don't know. Rex Grossman has shown some signs but the Panthers D can make even Pro Bowl quarterbacks (see Tom Brady) look like rookies. And since Grossman in many ways is a rookie they should cause him some problems. They know how to slow down players like Muhsin Muhammed plus at times they lockdown on the underneath stuff (but inconsitently). I think the Panthers will go into Chicago and beat the home team.
Carolina Panthers 13 Chicago Bears 10
So there's what's should happen. I'm most uncomfortable with the picks about the Patriots and Bears. Both those teams scare me and I think could win their games. But this post is about picks so I have to go with my gut. I just don't think the Patriots D will stop the dink-and-dunk offense of the Broncos and I don't think the Bears offense is good enough to beat the Panthers D. So we'll see what happens. Your thoughts? Peace.
Now that the Cowboys have eliminated themselves from the playoffs it's time for me to examine the teams that made it and decide who I feel will win in the upcoming matchups. I don't get all the NFL games and only have cable so I get mostly Pats games (I live in New England) and a few others. Therefore, I can only go on what I've heard and seen on highlight shows. That being said, here are my early playoff picks (applicable to change as I watch the game and seek to always be right!).
NFC
Washington Redskins vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I could use a cliche like "The Redskins can win if they put the breaks on Cadillac" but I won't. Just remeber, Defense Wins Championships and both these teams have great defenses. The last time these two teams met the Redskins should've won, Alstot did not make it (trust I'm glad the refs got it wrong I hate the 'Skins!). If the Redskins can just limit the Bucs rushing attack then they can put serious pressure on young Chris Simms and cause him to make mistakes.
Redskins 20, Tampa Bay 13
New York Giants vs Caronlina Panthers
This should be a great game. Both teams have been fairly inconsistent all year so who knows what we're going to get. I hope the good version of both teams show up and this game comes down to the wire. If the Panthers could've got it done against the Cowboys then they wouldn't be playing in the Meadowlands but they are. Therefore, the Giants look like they're going to win this game.
New York Giants 21, Carolina Panthers 20
AFC
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers were surging while the Bengals were resting. Carson Palmer signed a huge contract extension and it's time to "Fear the Tigers." The Bungles and Men of Steel will meet at Cincinnati for the rights to represent the AFC North in the playoffs. They're playing in Ohio and the Bengals are looking to prove the best team in that state is the Buckeyes. I think the Steelers are a better team than they played like the last time against the Bengals and will upset the Cats on their homefield. It's ok, though Carson's got a long time to get that ring.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cincinatti Bengals 20
New England Patriots vs Jacksonville Jaguars
The Patriots are rolling again. They've got their defensive front back to normal and that's been their conerstone for years. They're getting to the quarterback and containing the run which is masking their secondary problems. Their offense is scoring more points than normal and that combined with their "D" is making them look scary. Finally, the Patriots don't lose at home or in the cold in the playoffs. Well, the game's at Foxboro and it's sure to be chilly. No worries, the Jags will have plenty of time off to warm up in Florida.
New England Patriots 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
I am a FOX sports blogger because I like to talk and have opinions about pretty much anything and everything. I like pretty much any sport but I love football (basketball's a close second). The NFL is the only major sport I watch all season but I watch the others sporadically. My favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Red Wings, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox.
