I think the Steelers are going to win and Troy Polamalu is going to win the MVP trophy. I’m not entirely counting Arizona out of it, though; they’ve continually surprised me in each of the three games they played this postseason.
The over/under for this game is supposedly 47.5. The way I see it, picking the over or under basically depends on who you think is going to win. If the Steelers win with the over or the Cards win with the under, I will be unbelievably surprised. The bottom line in today’s game is whether or not the Cardinals offense is going to be able to overcome the Pittsburgh defense. They’ve done a good job in the first three games already, but the Steelers are in another class.
Polamalu and James Harrison are two of the best defenders in football. I’m really interested to see in how Dick LeBeau uses these two guys. Kurt Warner is phenomenal against the blitz, and I trust LeBeau is smart enough to realize that. I’d expect a lot of stunts and four-man rushes, so it’s really going to come down to whether or not Warner can figure out where Polamalu and Harrison are and try to keep it away from them.
Personally, I’d choose Ed Reed over Polamalu, but it’s not like I wouldn’t take either. Polamalu is a special player, and I’m interested in seeing him on the world’s biggest stage again.
Steelers 24, Cardinals 17.
Showing posts with label playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label playoffs. Show all posts
2.01.2009
1.20.2009
Championship Analysis
I’m glad Arizona won. I thought they could, and I thought they would but I wouldn’t have bet the ranch on it. Things looked good for quite a while, then they looked really bad for quite a while, but then they ultimately ended up good.
It still boggles my mind how Larry Fitzgerald is seemingly always open on every play. I understand that a lot of that is the fact that he’s a fantastic route runner, but if you’re Philadelphia (or Carolina, or Atlanta), how do you NOT cover him?! You know the ball’s going to go to him when they need a play, yet he’s more often than not single-covered or there’s very weak safety help over the top / the safety isn’t close enough to actually impact a play. I don’t know how many times I counted that, near the goal line, he lined up in what appeared to be single coverage. All Kurt Warner would have to do is toss it up there and Fitz would bring it in. Why aren’t you double-covering him?!
I do have to give the Eagles credit, though. I think for the first time all postseason, a team went into halftime not playing well and came out playing far better. It seemed to me that a lot of times earlier in this postseason, there would be certain things that teams would need to think about at half, like ways to stop certain guys or ways to get other guys involved, but would come out and go back to the same routine they had been running in the first half. Not the Eagles. They were down big at the half (18?) and came back and scored three unanswered touchdowns. THAT’S a halftime adjustment! I think they had dug themselves into too deep a hole, though, and ran out of gas (or Arizona, as they rightfully should have been, decided not to lose a game they were leading by 18 in).
The Ravens / Steelers game was pretty much what I thought. I thought the Ravens could win, but I was surer of the Cards winning than them (if that makes any sense). The Steelers are, essentially, the Ravens with a more mature quarterback and (arguably) a weaker defense. I’m not saying the Steelers’ defense isn’t good, but if push came to shove, I’d take Ed Reed over any defensive player in the league.
The game was decided by the fact that Roethlisberger made no mistakes and Flacco did. That has a lot to do with the fact that Flacco’s a rookie and that he was bound to make those mistakes at some point this postseason. It’s not like he completely put the game out of reach, but when you’re facing a team as good as the Steelers, throwing two interceptions isn’t going to help much.
But boy, that was a fun game to watch! Those two teams really hate each other. It’s pretty awesome. I mean, there is the down side to this – just ask Willis McGahee – but seeing that kind of physical play is incredible to watch.
So now, it’s Steelers / Cardinals in the Super Bowl. I think you have to give the Steelers the edge here, since they were able to stop the all-offense Chargers with ease. The Cardinals have very surely proven, though, that they are not the team a lot of people (including myself) think of when they think of the Cardinals. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a close game – with somewhere in the neighborhood of 21-20 or something – but I think the Steelers have it.
It still boggles my mind how Larry Fitzgerald is seemingly always open on every play. I understand that a lot of that is the fact that he’s a fantastic route runner, but if you’re Philadelphia (or Carolina, or Atlanta), how do you NOT cover him?! You know the ball’s going to go to him when they need a play, yet he’s more often than not single-covered or there’s very weak safety help over the top / the safety isn’t close enough to actually impact a play. I don’t know how many times I counted that, near the goal line, he lined up in what appeared to be single coverage. All Kurt Warner would have to do is toss it up there and Fitz would bring it in. Why aren’t you double-covering him?!
I do have to give the Eagles credit, though. I think for the first time all postseason, a team went into halftime not playing well and came out playing far better. It seemed to me that a lot of times earlier in this postseason, there would be certain things that teams would need to think about at half, like ways to stop certain guys or ways to get other guys involved, but would come out and go back to the same routine they had been running in the first half. Not the Eagles. They were down big at the half (18?) and came back and scored three unanswered touchdowns. THAT’S a halftime adjustment! I think they had dug themselves into too deep a hole, though, and ran out of gas (or Arizona, as they rightfully should have been, decided not to lose a game they were leading by 18 in).
The Ravens / Steelers game was pretty much what I thought. I thought the Ravens could win, but I was surer of the Cards winning than them (if that makes any sense). The Steelers are, essentially, the Ravens with a more mature quarterback and (arguably) a weaker defense. I’m not saying the Steelers’ defense isn’t good, but if push came to shove, I’d take Ed Reed over any defensive player in the league.
The game was decided by the fact that Roethlisberger made no mistakes and Flacco did. That has a lot to do with the fact that Flacco’s a rookie and that he was bound to make those mistakes at some point this postseason. It’s not like he completely put the game out of reach, but when you’re facing a team as good as the Steelers, throwing two interceptions isn’t going to help much.
But boy, that was a fun game to watch! Those two teams really hate each other. It’s pretty awesome. I mean, there is the down side to this – just ask Willis McGahee – but seeing that kind of physical play is incredible to watch.
So now, it’s Steelers / Cardinals in the Super Bowl. I think you have to give the Steelers the edge here, since they were able to stop the all-offense Chargers with ease. The Cardinals have very surely proven, though, that they are not the team a lot of people (including myself) think of when they think of the Cardinals. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a close game – with somewhere in the neighborhood of 21-20 or something – but I think the Steelers have it.
1.18.2009
Championship Weekend
Things have not gone well for me this off-season, but that’s not going to keep me from picking just to pick and finally get another game right. I think I’m 2-6 this postseason in picks, and both right picks were the Ravens. That’s not the only reason why I’m picking them again this week, though.
I’m picking the Cardinals and the Ravens, which I guess means I’m picking both underdogs.
I really think that the Ravens are the team to beat right now. I’m not really sure why, considering the Titans very easily could have beaten them, but I think that they have the momentum. A lot has been made that Flacco is the new Roethlisberger, and a lot of the comparisons are justified. I think that RIGHT NOW, the Ravens defense is better. Also, I think that the Ravens running attack is better. I don’t know where Willie Parker was all year, but he showed up last week. I don’t know if he can two weeks in a row.
The Chargers also hung around with the Steelers last week, and if it wasn’t for the third quarter (which very well may be the worst / most unlucky 15 minutes of football I’ve ever seen a team play), it’s very possible that they’d be hosting the Ravens this week.
As for the NFC, I basically just don’t like the Eagles very much. They’re on a roll right now, and I think that they’re a justified favorite in this game. However, I don’t know if they have the tools to stop the Cardinals’ passing attack. Eli’s struggles with the wind last week was the big reason why the Giants couldn’t beat the Eagles, but playing in a dome and facing a far superior passing attack, it’ll be far harder for the Eagles to keep up with the passing game.
My track record hasn’t been stellar this postseason, so here’s to hoping I turn things around.
I’m picking the Cardinals and the Ravens, which I guess means I’m picking both underdogs.
I really think that the Ravens are the team to beat right now. I’m not really sure why, considering the Titans very easily could have beaten them, but I think that they have the momentum. A lot has been made that Flacco is the new Roethlisberger, and a lot of the comparisons are justified. I think that RIGHT NOW, the Ravens defense is better. Also, I think that the Ravens running attack is better. I don’t know where Willie Parker was all year, but he showed up last week. I don’t know if he can two weeks in a row.
The Chargers also hung around with the Steelers last week, and if it wasn’t for the third quarter (which very well may be the worst / most unlucky 15 minutes of football I’ve ever seen a team play), it’s very possible that they’d be hosting the Ravens this week.
As for the NFC, I basically just don’t like the Eagles very much. They’re on a roll right now, and I think that they’re a justified favorite in this game. However, I don’t know if they have the tools to stop the Cardinals’ passing attack. Eli’s struggles with the wind last week was the big reason why the Giants couldn’t beat the Eagles, but playing in a dome and facing a far superior passing attack, it’ll be far harder for the Eagles to keep up with the passing game.
My track record hasn’t been stellar this postseason, so here’s to hoping I turn things around.
1.10.2009
Joe Flacco
Dear Baltimore,
Do you see the good things that happen when you take the training wheels off of Joe Flacco? Maybe you should do that more next week if you want to make the Super Bowl.
Sincerely,
Me
Do you see the good things that happen when you take the training wheels off of Joe Flacco? Maybe you should do that more next week if you want to make the Super Bowl.
Sincerely,
Me
Divisional Playoffs
Okay, so really, things can’t go much worse than they did last weekend.
I went 1-3 in picks and in the only game I truly wanted one team to win, the Vikings managed to outplay the Eagles and still fell short. Awesome.
Today’s first game sees the Ravens dancing (literally, I just saw Ray Lewis dancing) into Tennessee to take on the last-to-be-defeated-in-the-NFL Titans. The Ravens were the only pick I got right last week, and I’m going to pick them again today. They pretty handily took care of the Dolphins last week (mostly behind Ed Reed) and I don’t see a huge difference in the offenses between the Titans and the Dolphins.
The only way that I think the Titans are going to have a chance to win is to get off to a quick start and make Flacco play from behind. That’s going to be hard to do against the Ravens’ defense, though. We’ll see.
Tonight’s game is the game I care the least about of the four this weekend. I didn’t think the Cardinals would be able to keep up with the Falcons last week. I think the Panthers are better than the Falcons. I’m picking the Panthers.
The Cards did, in fact, show up last week, but I don’t think if they have what it takes to stop Carolina. I was going to say, “I don’t think they have what it takes to stop DeAngelo Williams” but they did a great job on Turner last week. I don’t really understand the Cardinals. They’re so streaky, and they’re really only in the playoffs because their division is one of the worst amalgamations of teams I’ve seen in sports.
I’ll write up my picks for tomorrow’s game sometime before the Giants’ game tomorrow, but in case I don’t get a chance to, I’m picking the Giants and the Chargers (and that Chargers / Steelers game should be great).
I went 1-3 in picks and in the only game I truly wanted one team to win, the Vikings managed to outplay the Eagles and still fell short. Awesome.
Today’s first game sees the Ravens dancing (literally, I just saw Ray Lewis dancing) into Tennessee to take on the last-to-be-defeated-in-the-NFL Titans. The Ravens were the only pick I got right last week, and I’m going to pick them again today. They pretty handily took care of the Dolphins last week (mostly behind Ed Reed) and I don’t see a huge difference in the offenses between the Titans and the Dolphins.
The only way that I think the Titans are going to have a chance to win is to get off to a quick start and make Flacco play from behind. That’s going to be hard to do against the Ravens’ defense, though. We’ll see.
Tonight’s game is the game I care the least about of the four this weekend. I didn’t think the Cardinals would be able to keep up with the Falcons last week. I think the Panthers are better than the Falcons. I’m picking the Panthers.
The Cards did, in fact, show up last week, but I don’t think if they have what it takes to stop Carolina. I was going to say, “I don’t think they have what it takes to stop DeAngelo Williams” but they did a great job on Turner last week. I don’t really understand the Cardinals. They’re so streaky, and they’re really only in the playoffs because their division is one of the worst amalgamations of teams I’ve seen in sports.
I’ll write up my picks for tomorrow’s game sometime before the Giants’ game tomorrow, but in case I don’t get a chance to, I’m picking the Giants and the Chargers (and that Chargers / Steelers game should be great).
1.07.2009
Overtime
I was originally planning on writing about something else today, but after seeing a short segment on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” I felt obligated to write about the whole overtime mess in the NFL.
I’m really not sure why so many people are against implementing the college football playoff system in NFL games. I guess it’s a matter of tradition and everything, but the way things are done now are just stupid. Jim Nantz was talking about how this upcoming off-season, he feels that they will in fact change the NFL rule to follow the way it’s done in college and it will be known as the “Peyton Manning rule.” I really hope he’s right.
It’s really not fair for a team to play all season long, all game long, show that they are, in fact, equal to the other team, and then not even get a chance to touch the ball. You’re telling me that in crunch time, Peyton Manning wouldn’t put together a scoring drive to win a game? It’s really not fair that he single-handedly saved the Colts season and put them into the playoffs, yet he doesn’t even get to take a single snap in overtime.
I’m not someone who really supports college football. I would say I watch no more than five games a year, unless I hear about someone (Reggie Bush, Ted Ginn) who I really want to see as many times as I can. In no way (except overtime, of course) do I feel that college football is better than (or, truly, can even rival) the NFL. However, when it comes to overtime, it isn’t even the same ballpark (or not even in the same league, a la Jules Winfield).
When I’m watching a college football game, unless I’m rooting for a certain team, I’m kind of hoping that the game goes into overtime because I know it’ll be exciting. Even if it’s only one overtime period, I know that it’ll be a really great five minutes of football. Compare that to the NFL, where I dread overtime. Both teams get too conservative or one team never even gets to touch the ball. It doesn’t seem fair.
How much fun would it have been if the Dolphins made it to a college-style overtime before truly unveiling the Wildcat offense? That would have been must-see TV… but then again, all college-style NFL overtimes would instantly become must-see. I remember watching the entirety of the Bengals-Eagles overtime period earlier this year, and I’d be hard-pressed to recall a more boring fifteen minutes of football I’ve ever seen.
It really wouldn’t be that hard, and aside from traditionalists who’d never want to see a thing in the league changed, I really don’t think there’d be a backlash. In fact, I’d even bet that after those traditionalists saw an new NFL overtime or two, they’d be hooked.
It’s gotta happen, and it’s gotta happen soon.
I’m really not sure why so many people are against implementing the college football playoff system in NFL games. I guess it’s a matter of tradition and everything, but the way things are done now are just stupid. Jim Nantz was talking about how this upcoming off-season, he feels that they will in fact change the NFL rule to follow the way it’s done in college and it will be known as the “Peyton Manning rule.” I really hope he’s right.
It’s really not fair for a team to play all season long, all game long, show that they are, in fact, equal to the other team, and then not even get a chance to touch the ball. You’re telling me that in crunch time, Peyton Manning wouldn’t put together a scoring drive to win a game? It’s really not fair that he single-handedly saved the Colts season and put them into the playoffs, yet he doesn’t even get to take a single snap in overtime.
I’m not someone who really supports college football. I would say I watch no more than five games a year, unless I hear about someone (Reggie Bush, Ted Ginn) who I really want to see as many times as I can. In no way (except overtime, of course) do I feel that college football is better than (or, truly, can even rival) the NFL. However, when it comes to overtime, it isn’t even the same ballpark (or not even in the same league, a la Jules Winfield).
When I’m watching a college football game, unless I’m rooting for a certain team, I’m kind of hoping that the game goes into overtime because I know it’ll be exciting. Even if it’s only one overtime period, I know that it’ll be a really great five minutes of football. Compare that to the NFL, where I dread overtime. Both teams get too conservative or one team never even gets to touch the ball. It doesn’t seem fair.
How much fun would it have been if the Dolphins made it to a college-style overtime before truly unveiling the Wildcat offense? That would have been must-see TV… but then again, all college-style NFL overtimes would instantly become must-see. I remember watching the entirety of the Bengals-Eagles overtime period earlier this year, and I’d be hard-pressed to recall a more boring fifteen minutes of football I’ve ever seen.
It really wouldn’t be that hard, and aside from traditionalists who’d never want to see a thing in the league changed, I really don’t think there’d be a backlash. In fact, I’d even bet that after those traditionalists saw an new NFL overtime or two, they’d be hooked.
It’s gotta happen, and it’s gotta happen soon.
1.05.2009
Oh Well
In some ways, I’m kind of relieved that the Vikings lost.
Even though I’m a Vikings fan (and have been for over ten years now), I had very little confidence or belief in this team. I think it’d have been hard for them to challenge either team they’d face next week, and regardless of who they faced it probably wouldn’t have ended well for them.
To be honest, the Vikings probably outplayed the Eagles today. Their defense played extremely well (save for the Westbrook TD) and AP had an AP day running the ball (read: very good). However, the two problems that have plagued them all year (and the two problems that would have prevented serious contention this season) – special teams coverage and QB play – were glaring weaknesses.
Tavaris Jackson started off fairly well I think. The stats didn’t show that he was effective, but I remember seeing him be 3-7 for something like 40 yards and thinking that he was doing better than that. I’m not sure if it’s just my expectation for him to make costly mistake after costly mistake that would lead me to accept a mediocre game, but I felt that if he had continued to keep up that pace, they’d be in good shape. However, it wasn’t long after that he began to unravel, opting to throw difficult passes and trying to force things too much. Asante Samuel easily could have had a second pick-six on a pass to Sidney Rice in (I think) the third quarter after having one earlier. I really hope the team addresses the quarterback situation. I know it isn’t easy to find quarterbacks, but they seem to have no confidence in Gus Frerotte and I think that by now Tavaris has proven he’s not the answer (even though at times this season I thought he might be).
As for special teams, the Vikings always seem to have a really hard time covering punt returns. A major factor today was that the Eagles constantly pinned the Vikings deep in their own territory, and because of their sputtering offense, the Vikes were forced to punt from near their goal line or from within their end zone, leaving DeSean Jackson plenty of space to run amok.
Remember back on that MNF game when Reggie Bush ran in two punt returns? Yeah. DeSean seemed to be on Reggie’s level today. Everyone knows he’s an explosive, big-play guy, yet the Vikings had no answer to stopping him. I’m not even sure how you improve this kind of aspect of your team. I don’t think it’s Kluwe’s fault – his punts were more than adequate – it was more a matter of the rest of the team just not being able (or not knowing how) to contain or force DeSean to the sidelines.
Oh well. I don’t know if Brad Childress is the problem or if he just doesn’t have enough talent to turn in a solid performance against a playoff team. I think a major issue is the offensive playcalling, which reared its ugly head as the Eagles quickly learned how to contain the Vikings offense. Had AP not broken free on his first TD, the score would have been even more lopsided.
Here’s to next year.
Even though I’m a Vikings fan (and have been for over ten years now), I had very little confidence or belief in this team. I think it’d have been hard for them to challenge either team they’d face next week, and regardless of who they faced it probably wouldn’t have ended well for them.
To be honest, the Vikings probably outplayed the Eagles today. Their defense played extremely well (save for the Westbrook TD) and AP had an AP day running the ball (read: very good). However, the two problems that have plagued them all year (and the two problems that would have prevented serious contention this season) – special teams coverage and QB play – were glaring weaknesses.
Tavaris Jackson started off fairly well I think. The stats didn’t show that he was effective, but I remember seeing him be 3-7 for something like 40 yards and thinking that he was doing better than that. I’m not sure if it’s just my expectation for him to make costly mistake after costly mistake that would lead me to accept a mediocre game, but I felt that if he had continued to keep up that pace, they’d be in good shape. However, it wasn’t long after that he began to unravel, opting to throw difficult passes and trying to force things too much. Asante Samuel easily could have had a second pick-six on a pass to Sidney Rice in (I think) the third quarter after having one earlier. I really hope the team addresses the quarterback situation. I know it isn’t easy to find quarterbacks, but they seem to have no confidence in Gus Frerotte and I think that by now Tavaris has proven he’s not the answer (even though at times this season I thought he might be).
As for special teams, the Vikings always seem to have a really hard time covering punt returns. A major factor today was that the Eagles constantly pinned the Vikings deep in their own territory, and because of their sputtering offense, the Vikes were forced to punt from near their goal line or from within their end zone, leaving DeSean Jackson plenty of space to run amok.
Remember back on that MNF game when Reggie Bush ran in two punt returns? Yeah. DeSean seemed to be on Reggie’s level today. Everyone knows he’s an explosive, big-play guy, yet the Vikings had no answer to stopping him. I’m not even sure how you improve this kind of aspect of your team. I don’t think it’s Kluwe’s fault – his punts were more than adequate – it was more a matter of the rest of the team just not being able (or not knowing how) to contain or force DeSean to the sidelines.
Oh well. I don’t know if Brad Childress is the problem or if he just doesn’t have enough talent to turn in a solid performance against a playoff team. I think a major issue is the offensive playcalling, which reared its ugly head as the Eagles quickly learned how to contain the Vikings offense. Had AP not broken free on his first TD, the score would have been even more lopsided.
Here’s to next year.
1.03.2009
Two Down
I’m really glad that things went so well in my first (semi) publicized opinion / projections about sports.
Oops. So far, 0-2.
I picked the Falcons and the Colts to win, and both were completely outplayed all game. The Falcons / Cardinals game was not nearly as close as the score seemed to suggest, as the Cardinals stepped up and came ready to play while the Falcons didn’t look like they really belonged.
The Colts disappointed me too. The game shouldn’t have even gone into overtime; if it wasn’t for Sproles’s fumble on the goal line or Antonio Cromartie’s momentary cat nap that let Reggie Wayne spring free for his 62-yard score, the Chargers would have won handily in regulation.
Anyway, here’s to hoping tomorrow’s picks go better (especially the Vikings).
Oops. So far, 0-2.
I picked the Falcons and the Colts to win, and both were completely outplayed all game. The Falcons / Cardinals game was not nearly as close as the score seemed to suggest, as the Cardinals stepped up and came ready to play while the Falcons didn’t look like they really belonged.
The Colts disappointed me too. The game shouldn’t have even gone into overtime; if it wasn’t for Sproles’s fumble on the goal line or Antonio Cromartie’s momentary cat nap that let Reggie Wayne spring free for his 62-yard score, the Chargers would have won handily in regulation.
Anyway, here’s to hoping tomorrow’s picks go better (especially the Vikings).
Wildcard Weekend!
I really hope LT and Antonio Gates play tonight. The Colts-Chargers game could be the best game all postseason long, but if either of the Chargers’ biggest players miss it, it’ll make the game less special. I’m really interested to see if Peyton Manning can continue the nine-game winning streak that he’s led the Colts to, and if he’ll be enough to overcome the equally hot Chargers and Philip Rivers.
Seeing as how I think it could be the best game of the playoffs, it goes without saying that I’m looking forward to it more than the Cardinals-Falcons game. I don’t know if I’ve seen a Falcons game all year, so I do want to see how well Matt Ryan holds up under the pressures of the postseason. Other than that, though, the NFC game today is kind of lackluster for me.
Since the games are about to start, I figure I’ll cut this short and just post my picks for all four games:
- Falcons over Cardinals
- Colts over Chargers
- Ravens over Dolphins
- Vikings over Eagles
Seeing as how I think it could be the best game of the playoffs, it goes without saying that I’m looking forward to it more than the Cardinals-Falcons game. I don’t know if I’ve seen a Falcons game all year, so I do want to see how well Matt Ryan holds up under the pressures of the postseason. Other than that, though, the NFC game today is kind of lackluster for me.
Since the games are about to start, I figure I’ll cut this short and just post my picks for all four games:
- Falcons over Cardinals
- Colts over Chargers
- Ravens over Dolphins
- Vikings over Eagles
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